10 Things I Learned in June

Posted on by

 

june july

1. If I hadn’t picked out the name “Nonnie”, I’m pretty sure my grandma-name would be “Peaches”. I had my daughter ask Hud Bud, “What is one word you think of when you think of Nonnie?” His answer was, “Peaches”. He does love to eat my frozen peaches.

2. My Facebook post, “The peach truck is in town today” got more comments than cute pics of grands. I felt a little like Winthrop Paroo singing, “The Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin’ down the street…” I bought 50 pounds of Georgia sunshine. Soon I’ll be up to my elbows in sticky juice. I’ve got to do it — Hud Bud is counting on me. (See #1) (I’ll try not to mention peaches in all 10 Things.)

3. I spent June in the book of Psalms. Psalm 65 was especially meaningful and full of lovely phrases in the Common English version. “To You even silence is praise.” “We are filled full.” “You calm the noise of the nations.” “You make the gateways of morning and evening sing for joy.” And my favorite: “Thy paths drop fatness.” It’s delightful to read the same thing in different versions and see what pops. The KJV won the prize with “Thy paths drop fatness.” Goodness gracious.

4. PB has been adding a funny phrase at the end his thinking-out-loud idea sessions. Sometimes it sounds like a sincere request, other times it seems more like a double-dare to counter his ingenuity. It’s a strong wallop of an ending, intending to scare me off from throwing a wet towel on the idea, I suppose. “What do you think of that?” he says. Except it sounds more like “Whuduya think of THAT?”

5. I have decided what will be engraved on PB’s gravestone. (See #4.)

6. Someone has a list with my name on the top. I met a friend for lunch and soon after we sat down in a quaint booth, she pulled out her Notes app on her phone. She had a “Dinah” list — all the things she’s been wanting to ask me or pick my brain about. Having my very own list on her phone was a compliment of the highest order.

7. Binge watching a TV series is fun, once in a great while. PB and I watched the entire first season of “Poldark” in three nights. The PBS series is set in Cornwall, England in the late 1700s. PB was hooked after episode one. I was hooked after the opening panoramic scene of ocean waves crashing against the cliffs. My ancestors came from Cornwall and I kept looking for my great-great-great-grandparents Matthew and Mary Biddick from Trewince Farm at St. Issey Parish to show up on screen.

8. Gathering people on the back porch is an old-fashioned thing to do, and should be brought back. We had 22 people on our porch one night this month, eating cookies and drinking lemonade and telling stories. It reminded me of the Acts 2 church that met in each other’s homes, shared simple food with gladness and praised God together.

9. Quote of the month: “So be wise, because the world needs more wisdom. And if you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone who is wise, and then just behave like they would.”  From a keynote graduation speech given by Neil Gaiman.

10. I am sad when June comes to a close. June is so full of summer while there is still lots of summer to come. Once July hits, there is a quiet panic in the background of my mind, whispering, “The rest of summer will fly by and you can’t stop it.” And I begin to get edgy about what I need to prepare for fall. I am deliberately putting off the panic until August. Let’s enjoy July.

Men From My Past

Posted on by

Oh. You probably thought I was going to share about my 4th grade crush or my sophomore prom date.  Sorry.  PB is the only man in my heart, but there are lots of fascinating men in my past.

Today I’d like to introduce John Dudley Powell.

IMG_1407

Isn’t he a handsome feller?

It’s his birthday today. He’s 158 years old.

John Powell was my great-grandmother’s brother. He was born on June 24, 1858 in Baraboo, Wisconsin. When J.D. was 28 years old, he took his new bride, Lola, to homestead in Montana. His parents and four brothers also went west, leaving my great-grandmother behind in Wisconsin with her husband, two little girls and newborn son.

John and Lola spent five years in Jefferson City, Montana, and then went to the town of Pony, where their only child, Hollis, was born. Soon after, they settled in Livingston, Montana, where John went into business with Amos Shaw. Together they formed the Shaw & Powell Camping Company in 1898.

shaw and powell

They were among the first to take wagon-loads of tourists through Yellowstone National Park. As business grew, they built permanent overnight camps with luxury accommodations.

shaw3

This article was from a Shaw & Powell satisfied customer:

“It is in the Shaw & Powell Yellowstone camps that the whole-hearted good spirit of a holiday recreation is found. No tourist can hope to make such a trip without at once becoming a member of the Shaw & Powell family of grown-up children out for a Sunday School picnic that lasts every inch of the 146 miles through the wonderland. . . . Seven permanent camps are operated by the company through the park. In these camps the main buildings, such as dining rooms, kitchen and general reception hall, are of log construction, sanitary and fly-proof. The sleeping quarters are of semi-tent construction with board floors and walls, wooden panel doors and furnished with beds that equal the comforts of most any home.
     The cuisine of the Shaw & Powell method is a point which no tourist will overlook. The company owns and operates its own truck gardens, which furnish each camp with a supply of fresh vegetables as needed. Fresh milk and cream are obtained daily from private dairies and all meals, prepared by the most efficient of women cooks, are served by young women of refinement. Maids are employed at every camp to attend women travelers who are unescorted.
    The Shaw & Powell company provides a variety of park tours averaging four, five and six days within the park. The cost is not in excess of $35, which it should be borne in mind, includes all meals, sleeping accommodations and the trip from point to point in large, clean coaches.” 

shaw4

They even had their own dishes with the exclusive Shaw & Powell logo.

shaw5

If you ever see one of these at a garage sale or thrift store, please buy it and send it to me. One evening, when the cook took sick, John and Lola cooked supper for the campers. He might have touched this very bowl.

My great uncle John D. was in the right place at the right time and cashed in on the tourist business. In his letters to his sister back in Wisconsin, he expressed great love for “The Park”.

People who were among the first to see Yellowstone also spoke in awe of its beauty.

“Our camps are located on some of God’s most beautiful garden spots. One of the bright and lasting memories of our trip will be our camp fires. The pine logs are piled high and set on fire and everybody gathers around it as one large family. There is no formality here. Singing, stories and visiting are the pastime of the evening with pop corn and candy mixed in. It is often a great pleasure to just sit quiet and watch the fire and think what a great privilege it is for us to be permitted to be here.”

Happy birthday, J.D. Thanks for your adventurous spirit.

It is, indeed, a great privilege for us to be here.

 

Wednesday Words: The Closer

Posted on by

I am reading “The Closer” to PB. It is the story of Mariano Rivera, the New York Yankee pitcher who is MLB’s all time saves and ERA leader. For those not familiar with baseball lingo, that means he is the greatest relief pitcher of all time. If you’re still in the dark, Rivera was the guy who came out to the mound in the ninth inning to get the last three outs in a close game. His role was to finish off the game and keep the lead, hence the name, “The Closer”.

This book has given PB and I some things to think about:

1. Rivera was poor kid from Panama, who played baseball on the beach with a glove made out of an old milk carton. His humble start in life kept him appreciative every step of the way.

2. I don’t hate the Yankees anymore. Although the book tells about their many World Series victories, he talks as much about the many play-off games they lost. The insider look at the clubhouse and the dynamics between the players revealed that most of them were very close friends and not money-hungry narcissists. I said most.

3. When Mariano signed with the Yankees, he didn’t speak any English and didn’t realize his signature meant he would be getting on a plane and flying to America. He was terrified of flying and always held his Bible on his lap when in the air.

4. All throughout the book, he gave God the glory for everything that took place. His faith was strong, but not flashy.

5. When asked to give some advise to a young pitcher who was struggling with his mental approach to closing, he said,

“The job is hard enough without overcomplicating it. You don’t want a lot of noise playing in your head. You don’t want doubts. You just have to think about making every single pitch the best pitch it can be. Don’t worry about getting beat. It is going to happen. It happens to everybody, but the best thing you can do for yourself is have a short memory. You can’t take what happened yesterday out to the mound today.”

PB and I think that’s good advise for life.

Lord, help me not overcomplicate things. Drown out the noise that plays in this world that fills me with doubts. Help me to just do the best I possibly can with what You’ve given me. Some days I’ll feel like a loser. That happens to everybody. Give me the grace to let it go and move on so I don’t take yesterday’s failures out to the mound today. Amen.

 

IMG_1461

 

Opa and Ella

Posted on by

It’s a Friday in June and we need to kick back and have some fun.

IMG_1366

Go ahead and cut loose with a great big belly laugh.

IMG_1364

Doesn’t that feel good?  (Hey Opa, your shirt is unbuttoned.)

IMG_1365

It’s Father’s Day weekend! Thanks, dads, (and grand-dads) for all you do for your families!

Four Books

Posted on by

books2

For Christmas last year, my son-in-law, Dan, gave me a truly creative gift. He offered to read four books with me over the course of the coming year. One of my favorite things to talk about with Dan is books. He was an English Lit. major and has an appreciation for good writing, so I corner him whenever they visit and pick his brain about all things books and reading.

I chose the first book. In January we read “Peace Like A River” by Leif Enger. It’s a great story with fascinating characters, but it was Enger’s writing style that drew me in on page one. I haven’t had the best of luck with fiction, so I felt like I hit a gold mine with this book.

If you are ever standing in the fiction section of a book store and come across “Peace Like A River”, read the second to last chapter. It will take you about eight minutes. I’ve perused Enger’s words many times and they always move me. Better yet, buy the book, take it home and read the whole thing.

Dan’s first pick was “David and Goliath” by Malcolm Gladwell, which we are reading together now. I thought it was appropriate to use my “Mark the Bookmark” bookmark in honor of Goliath.

IMG_1411

Gladwell’s book looks at “underdogs, misfits and the art of battling giants.” In the introduction, he points out the many ways Goliath was disadvantaged in the show-down with David. Most Sunday school versions of the Old Testament story make Goliath out to be the easy champion and David’s unlikely victory the surprise ending.

Now I’m rethinking all that.

Perhaps David had the odds on his side from the very start.

Maybe being the underdog has its advantages.

“We have a definition in our heads of what an advantage is — and the definition isn’t right. And what happens as a result? It means that we make mistakes. It means that we misread battles between underdogs and giants. It means that we underestimate how much freedom there can be in what looks like a disadvantage.” Malcolm Gladwell

Once Dan recommended a book to me and I read it, but didn’t love it — until I talked it over with him and he pointed out all kinds of things I had missed. Then I realized that I did love it. Discussing “David and Goliath” should make for some interesting conversation with my son-in-law.

I’m learning that talking over a book can be as powerful as reading it.

Weakness

Posted on by

Back in January, when I was writing down goals and plans for the year ahead, I asked God for a word. One word. A word to focus on in 2016. I thought I had picked a good one. I liked it. He didn’t agree.

Me: Flourishing — can this be my word for the year? Please?

God: No, I’m sorry, but not this year. I have another word chosen especially for you.

Me: Oh. What is the word?

God: Weakness.

Me:

God: Did you hear Me?

Me: I don’t think I like it. I don’t like weakness.

God: It’s a good word. Let me teach you all about it.

Me:

I guess it’s about time to respond, now that half the year has come and gone. I don’t like the sound of that word any more than I did in January, but it’s still there waiting for me. So I did a search for “weakness” in the Bible and uncovered some surprises.

Weakness is looked upon as being a very positive quality in the scriptures. Paul talks about it a lot in 2 Corinthians 12.

“I delight in weaknesses”….”for when I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul goes so far as to say, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses….I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.” Why? Because God’s power “is made perfect in weakness”.

It seems God specializes in picking underdogs. Moses had a speech impediment. Gideon was the least in his family and from the weakest clan. Shepherd boy David faced down a giant. Paul had a disability. Even Jesus came to earth as a vulnerable little baby and later was “crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power.” 2 Corinthians 13:4

Weakness.

This word is better than I thought.

Too bad I waited six months to start looking into it.

I’m ready now. Teach me all about it, Lord.

weak

A Brief Grand Update

Posted on by

I was recently featured on a fun blog called Grandma’s Briefs. It sounds really cool to say “I was featured”, but the truth is anybody who has grands can have a moment in the spotlight. All you have to do is request a questionnaire, fill it out and submit it.

Lisa is doing something great with her platform. She has created a fun, supportive and generous community of people who encourage each other. I’d say that’s a good use of internet space right there.

For a look at my briefs, click here.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share some pics of the six. PB and I recently spent some time with these grand little people. We’re talking about one 4-year-old, two 3-year-olds, two 2-year-olds, and one 1-year-old.

That’s 120 fingers and toes, y’all.

And I love each and every one.

Here they are, in alphabetical order.

Because the oldest one shouldn’t always get to go first.

This is Charlie. He likes to build towers. Really tall towers.

IMG_1236

This is Eli. He likes to ride his bike. And he loves Lightning McQueen with all his heart.

IMG_1024

This is Ella. She is a fairy-princess-ballerina and she can pull it off.

IMG_1326

This is Evie. She can say “cheese” better than anybody.

IMG_1188

This is Hudson. He constructs complicated buildings with secret rooms.

IMG_1238

This is Ruby. She wants to play basketball for the Gophers. (Maybe.)

IMG_1272

This is how it is when you are the littlest one and all the big kids are outside having fun while you’re stuck in the house with Opa and Nonnie.

IMG_1271

Wednesday Words: The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

Posted on by

books

Sometimes when I read a book, I come across words that work so well together I just have to open my college ruled spiral notebook and copy them down. Then I revisit those words from time to time and let them work on me. This collection of quotes and excerpts has grown over the years. I figure there’s no sense in letting them pile up in a stuffy closet. Hence, this series of Wednesday Words.

I have a weak spot for books about books. In “The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry” by Gabrielle Zevin, there is a quote that captures how I feel about her story:

“Every word the right one and exactly where it should be. That’s basically the highest compliment I can give.”

Here are some more gems:

“I like talking about books with people who like to talk about books. I like paper. I like how it feels, and I like the feel of a book in my back pocket. I like how a new book smells, too.”

“Bookstores attract the right kind of people….. A place ain’t a place without a bookstore.”

(For a peek at our local used bookstore, that makes our town a place, click here.)

“We read to know we’re not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone.”

“We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works.”

“You know everything you need to know about a person from the answer to the question, ‘What is your favorite book?'”

storied

A Tourist’s Guide to Heaven

Posted on by

This summer I have the privilege of taking some women on a guided tour of Heaven in preparation for their trip there. Hopefully that excursion is a ways off, but it’s not too early to get a look at what is in store.

paris

If someone gave me an all-expense paid trip to Paris, flight included, I’d be a fool to turn it down. My first reaction would be one of tremendous gratitude. My second response would be to read up on all the things a traveler might need to know. Where is this place, exactly? What should I bring? What will we eat? What does the city look like? What are some highlights that shouldn’t be missed? Can my dog come along? What’s the weather like? What language will be spoken? What time zone will we be in? Who will we meet there? Do I need a passport?

passport

I’m happy to be a trip advisor for these young women. We’ll answer all those questions and many more. Is Heaven for real? Is there an actual stairway to heaven? Does God look like Morgan Freeman? Do angels play harps? Was John Lennon right about heaven? Is Beyonce? Are there streets of gold? Is there a pearly gate? Is there sex in Heaven? (That one got your attention.)

Goodness, we’re going to have fun digging into the travel guide called The Holy Bible. The only Person who has ever come from there, visited here, and gone back again has a lot to say about the place. I think we should take His eye-witness word for it.

Hopefully this will be the summer we all get a little more heavenly minded and find ourselves anticipating our eternal future with unbridled joy and rock-solid confidence.

Because the most important detail is this:

we’re not going sight-seeing.

We’re going home.

heaven

“But our citizenship is in heaven.” Phil. 3:20

10 Things I Learned In May

Posted on by

1. My half birthday is May 1st. I have always wished I had a spring birthday. It’s such a happy time of year with flowers and warm sunshine and the promise of three months of summer to follow. As I get older, celebrating half birthdays sounds like it should be a thing.

2. Inviting six women to come and sit around a table for a meal is an extraordinary way to spend an evening. I followed the If:Gathering idea of six women, two hours and four questions. What Nika Maples said is true: “If you enter a meal with others, you enter at one level of relationship and you leave the meal at another, deeper level of relationship.” I can’t wait to do it again.

3. Spurgeon’s quote of the month: “Certain people must always have sweets and comforts, but God’s wise children do not wish for these in undue measure. Daily bread we ask for, not daily sugar.”

4. PB can’t keep a secret from me and I’m secretly happy about that. He outdid himself by planning a fantastic surprise, and then promptly told me the surprise. It only took about two minutes to get this one out of him. He bought tickets to see James Taylor live in concert. “Whenever I see your smiling face I have to smile myself because I love you, yes, I do.”

5. PB knows how to milk something for all its worth. As a result of #4 above, every time he exasperated me over the last month, he would smile and say, “James Taylor”.

6. We have entered into a new phase of parenting. On Mother’s Day weekend, my oldest daughter invited me out to breakfast and she picked up the tab. And left the tip. It was strange and wonderful. Adult children grow up to be lovely friends.

7. If I could go back and live in another time, I think I’d want to experience Jerusalem in 33 A.D. I read the book of Acts this month and those days of the early church must have been amazing. They were trying to figure out how to do this thing called church. No denominations, no programs, no church growth strategies. They just followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Huh.

8. Flat Jesus is catching on quickly. We handed out laminated cutouts of Jesus to everybody at church and challenged folks to take Jesus with them wherever they go this summer. They were instructed to take a picture of their travels with Flat Jesus (a la Flat Stanley) and already we have photos pouring in. So far, He’s been to Seattle, Colorado, a preschool show and tell, Disneyworld, a soccer game and a gospel music fest. And summer hasn’t even started.

9. I’m a happy, tired Nonnie. We just spent five days with several different combinations of our six grands. There’s nothing like hearing the sweet voice of a three year old calling out “Nonnie” at 5:00 a.m. I expect I’ll wake up at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning and miss hearing that little voice. Then I’ll say a prayer for all the parents of little ones and sleep awhile longer.

10. Three days at a writer’s retreat gave me a lot to think about. I’m still doing a lot of thinking. Hopefully soon I’ll be doing a lot of writing.

Goodbye-May-Hello-June-2.jpg