Dancing Silhouettes

When I was in 7th and 8th grade, I lived in Guam.  I was involved in a Silhouette Group each Christmas that told the story of Jesus Birth.  It was alot like this except that we acted out the parts instead of dancing them.  This was during the time of the Vietnam War (68-70) and Guam had a huge Navy Hospital where wounded soldiers came for surgery and recovery.  We would put on shows for the wounded soldiers that were well enough to be wheeled down to the auditorium in the hospital to watch the show.  Afterwards, we would go out and visit with them bringing them a slice of home into their lives.  I don't think I realized back then what a good thing it was for these soldiers, but they were always very appreciative and many had tears in their eyes. War became up close and personal to me for the first time even though I had been raised all of my life in a military family. I wonder if there are groups like this preforming for soldiers in Afganistan and Iraq?  I surely hope so...

It is Well...

When I was little, I believed that when a break opened up in the clouds and rays rained down upon the earth, God was taking someone to heaven to live with him.  I have no idea where I got that idea, but to this day when I see the rays coming down, I am comforted that God is here, always present in our world... so when we hear talk of destruction, economic peril, or heart breaking happenings, we can be assured that if we are one of His, he will hold us forever in His right hand...and when our time on this earth is done, He will call our name and we will live with Him forever and ever.

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3. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
   When sorrows like sea billows roll;
   Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
   It is well, it is well, with my soul.
   • Refrain:
     It is well, with my soul,
     It is well, it is well, with my soul.
4. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
   Let this blest assurance control,
   That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
   And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
5. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
   My sin, not in part but the whole,
   Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
   Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
6. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
   If Jordan above me shall roll,
   No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
   Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
7. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
   The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
   Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
   Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
8. And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
   The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
   The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
   Even so, it is well with my soul.

A Wonderful Weekend With Alex

 This past Friday night, I drove up to Chesterton to celebrate the 6th birthday of my eldest grandchild, Alexander Dale Schrock. His momma & poppa rented one of those jumpy castles.  There were 12 boys present for the party and 6 of those stayed the night.  It was Alex's first sleepover and I was amazed at how successful it was! All of the boys got along wonderfully and even though they stayed up late watching Mater Tales and Rio, I thought they went down rather well.  I chose to sleep downstairs with the crew.  It was like old times for me.  Haley reminded me of Emilie in that sea of boys with no girls.                                                                                                                                               

Monica's brother's girlfriend made the cake.  Alex wanted a Zombie Cake this year so it was quite the work of art.  I didn't taste it since it wasn't gluten free, but everyone said it was quite good.  When we were opening presents, I noticed that Moses disappeared.  Where did I find him?  Standing on a chair helping himself to the cake.  He had green icing all over the front of his shirt.  Oh, he is his father's child!  You can see in this picture that he was already wanting to get up close and personal!

Alex with his mom & dad and cousin Daylen.

Of course, no party is complete without a pinata!  Here we see Alex taking a swing at it.

...and here we see all the boys picking up the spoils!  

 

Longsuffering and thorns of the flesh

I don't have a bad life.  In fact, I am truly blessed. I have a husband that loves me (even if he doesn't understand me most of the time).  I have raised four healthy independent children who have given me 7 of the most beautiful grandchildren an Oma could ever ask for.  Yet, why do I let my life get me down so?  I wish I could be more like Joseph who was the poster child for longsuffering or Paul who lived boldly with his thorn in the flesh. I've never asked God to remove my thorn because I always truly believed that it would produce perseverance and character and hope, but today I'm not feeling so much of the hope part, and this world is getting just a little too much for me.  I'm ready  to move on to a better place.  As Jenny prayed in Forest Gump..."make me a bird so I can fly far away..." 

I think the secret is holding on to God so tightly that the two of you become one. Yep, I wish I could be more like the Joseph as described here in my devotions by David Jeremiah:

We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4

Recommended Reading: Genesis 42-44

In our modern society, it is difficult to digest the concept of longsuffering. When we find ourselves in a thorny situation, we often resign to our challenge and wait for the end to come. And if we do suffer, our confrontations are often short lived. How many of us have had to suffer for years . . . or most of our lives?

Joseph did. And he could have easily given in to his inevitably horrible situation. Sold by his brothers, taken to a foreign land, accused wrongly by his master's wife, put in prison--yet Joseph refused to give up. Instead, he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, became a ruling official, and saved the lives of many during the years of famine . . . including the brothers who betrayed him.

Joseph patiently served God, making the most of his situation while exhibiting the sweetness of long-suffering. He had no way of knowing what God had in store for him in the midst of his pain. The emotions he experienced reuniting with his father and saving his family from famine gave him great joy--erasing the years of sorrow. Like Joseph, we need to rest in God's purpose and plan when faced with trials.

If a bird is flying for pleasure, it flies with the wind; but if it meets danger, it turns and faces the wind in order that it may fly higher. Corrie ten Boom

Moses and the Jar of Ice

On July 4th, we got together for some good old fashioned family time...eating and hanging out under the trees in the yard.  Moses was intrigued by the crockpot full of ice (my ice bucket is somewhere in Indianapolis...but that's another story).He just couldn't get enough of it and it provided immense entertainment even after all the ice had melted.

 

A Day at the Beach with Alex and Haley

The week before July 4th, my daughter in law's father had a 5 bi-pass heart surgery (he's doing great now).  To help out, we drove up to watch Haley & Alex for a few days.  We messed up the first night by not taking them to the beach to watch the fireworks.  We didn't realize that Monica had told them that day that we would take them until after it was too late to go.  The next day, the kids must have asked us no less than five times if we were going to go watch the fireworks.  Each time, I would look at my hubby and say "We really messed up!" 

We did go to the beach during the day and had a blast with Haley and Alex, but we learned a valuable lesson.  Next year...we're going to the beach and watch the fireworks!! 

Cars2 with Daylen

I love going to movies with kids for the first time.  I think I spend more time watching their expressions and body language than I do in watching the movie.  Here we are at Cars2.

Three of Seven

I think Daylen looks alot like Alfalfa in this photo.  He's such a little Rascal!

Ari is serious much of the time, but when he smiles, he light up your world!

June Bug is such a laid back little lady.  We reminded Joe yesterday that he's going to be busy keeping all the guys from hanging around his door and that time will come sooner than he realizes!

Four Generation Father's Day

On Father's Day this year, I captured this four generation picture...

Emmie Grows Up!

My baby girl is definitely all grown up.  This Spring/Summer, she graduated from college, got married and will be taking her state boards for Nursing this week. 

My Amish Emilie

Here are just a few of my favorite photos from the past twenty two years!

Emilie & Dr. Higgins - I wish everyone could have a doctor who is  half as great as this guy.  He's a one of a kind!  I  think Emilie looks like June Emilia here.

This picture was taken shortly after Emilie cut her own hair  (the first time).  She was contemplating something at the time, but I can't remember what.

Her pie baking began at a very early age!

I love this picture of Emilie & Joe.  We were in Colorado during the wheat harvest and they had actually been playing in the back of the semi on top of the wheat.  It is so typical of how hard they played when they were little, and the dirt on their cute little faces shows that all too well.

Friday Night Live at IWU.  I loved going to watch FNL during Emilie's college years.    I chose this picture because she is so cute and so happy and it has several of her college roommates in it!

This was one of the pictures that I looked at early on and thought to myself, "This guy is the one!"

Emilie goes to Oxford, England for the summer.

I love that Emilie & Logan have so much fun together.  This picture speaks volumes.

You gotta love that Emmie smile!

Oma's Little June Bug

The month of June brought us a new addition to our family. June Emilia Schrock arrived in this world after a relatively short and easy labor.  Mal admitted after the birth that she always thought I had made up my childbirth stories about the ease of the labor and delivery process, but now she knows first hand that it is true.  June has been such an easy going baby.  She is the 3rd granddaughter and the 7th grandchild in our growing family. I think she looks a lot like Daylen did when he was born.  It will be interesting to see who she looks like as she grows into a beautiful young lady! Welcome to our family June Bug!

The Eldest Grandkids

My eldest grandson and eldest granddaughter live a couple of hours from us so our visits are not as often as we like, but very special for sure.  Alex and Haley bring us a lot of joy as you can see by the smiles on our faces. Alex will be 6 in just a few short weeks and we we can hardly wait to get to go up north for his party. By the way, we now have 7 grandchildren under the age of 6.  Pretty cool, eh? We are blessed indeed.

My Momma...My Best Friend

This is my Momma, the woman who gave me life against all odds back in 1956. After my sister was born (1953), my momma was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  It was in her cerebellum and was able to be removed, but my momma had to learn how to walk, and talk, and write, and do so many of the things that we take for granted. My momma told me once that the doctors told her that her hair would probably never grow back and that having any more children would just be too hard on her.  It was in the 50's at the time so brain surgery wasn't perfected by any means.  My momma defied the odds and went ahead and got pregnant and gave birth to me 2 years after her brain surgery. My Grandma Brunner used to tell me that my Momma had me because she missed out on all the important milestones of my sisters infancy... her first words, her first steps and so on... because she was in the hospital for several months for the surgery and rehab. Nevertheless, God was good and he has given her 80 years of additional life.  The last few years have shown some struggles with my momma's health, and her memory is starting to deteriorate.  I think traveling confuses her.  I always knew that the trip back here for Emilie's wedding would more than likely be my folks last trip back to Indiana.  They got here the week before the wedding and my dad insisted on leaving just a few short days after the wedding because he always has to stick to his "schedule" and they were traveling through Nebraska to see relatives on the way back to Arizona.  The day this picture was taken, I was kind of mad at my dad because he wouldn't stay longer, but I kept my mouth shut and didn't tell him how I felt.  I was mad because the reality is I just might not ever see my Momma again.  That is the reality when you live in Indiana and your folks live in Arizona. I was raised in a military family, and went to 9 schools in 12 years.  We moved quite often and I made friends easily, but my momma was, and has always been my very best friend.  When I was first married and having children, I know I neglected her, and that pains my heart when I think about it. We didn't have cell phones back then, and long distance was expensive so letter writing was the best mode of communication. Before cell phones, my momma wrote me a letter every week. I would try to write and even had the kids write her letters, but I'm sure they weren't as often as they should have been. After all, I was busy with my own life, and was raising four kids, or so I told myself. But now I'm older, and I appreciate things from a different vantage point. I'm standing on the platform of the station now and I can see the end of the line...not something I could see in my 20's, that's for sure. Thank goodness for cell phones. Now, I call my momma at least every other day just to check up on her. It's frustrating having her so far from me and it makes me feel helpless that I'm not there to help more. It is clear now through a series of recent events that my folks days of driving a fifth wheel from Arizona to Indiana are over. My folks were really good about coming here every summer when my children were growing up.  Now it's my turn to return the favor.  I love you Momma!  Christmas will be here before we know it and I plan on coming home! See you soon!