Oh, What A Dad I Had!

I think I had the world's greatest dad! This is the 4th Father's Day he has celebrated in Heaven with Jesus. He was the sweetest person you could hope to meet and he was quick to express gratitude and appreciation to anyone he met.

He was a fun dad to grow up with. He was big and strong and fearless, at least I thought so. Not only was he a tall man -- he stood tall, head and shoulders, above other men I knew. He was a true man of God who lived his faith every moment of every day. He was a preacher, and I was so blessed to call him my pastor as I grew up (although one day when I was 5 years old I did threaten to stop attending his church because I was upset with him!). The way he was on Sunday was exactly what you saw every other day of the week. One time someone asked me if he was the same at home as he was in public. My answer was an emphatic "Yes".

I would like you to meet my dad. I wrote this tribute for his memorial service.

MEMORIES OF MY DAD
By Adrienne T. S.

"I’m J.T.'s daughter!" I have always said those words with such pride. Many times in my life those words have given me instant identity because Dad always seemed to know everyone wherever he went. I have often been asked, "Are you J.T.'s daughter? He’s told me all about you, and I feel like I already know you." And I’ve been asked if I would share my dad so someone else could be his son or daughter. While I was always willing to share him, I knew that no one else could ever share my place in his heart. I have been very blessed to have him as my Dad.

We had lots of fun together. We rolled down hills together; did somersaults together; had snowball fights together; made snow angels together; sang silly songs together; read stories together. Dad was so patient – he helped me with homework, endured my constantly changing hairstyles and taught me to drive. When I was upset and knew he would be mad because I had just put a big scratch along the side of his brand new car, he gently said, "It can be fixed."

There were many special times with my dad – Christmas shopping each year together for his gift to Mom, the moments before he and I walked down the aisle together at my wedding, the arrival of my children and my grandchildren and the last days of his life on earth.

What I treasure the most about my dad was his deep commitment to Christ. What you saw in public was exactly what I saw behind closed doors at home. Because I trusted Dad, I learned to trust God, the Father. When I was just a baby, he sat me on his big hand and as I grew stronger and could sit up well enough to balance myself, he would slowly raise his hand higher and higher until his arm was fully extended and I was high in the air. When I could stand by myself, I graduated from sitting to standing on those big hands. His other hand was always ready to hold me if I lost my balance. It’s no wonder that I love the Bible verse that tells me that "underneath me are the everlasting arms [of God]." Because I knew – and trusted – the security of my father’s arms, I have no trouble resting in the arms of God, my Heavenly Father.

Dad was a man of prayer. I grew up hearing him pray. Not only did he pray in public, but he prayed at home. He prayed for everything – before meals, at bedtime, when my cat was sick, when I was sick, when the car wouldn’t start. Every morning our family sat together as Dad read from the Bible and then we prayed together. He was patient with me when, at age 3, I announced that I was not going to pray anymore because you can’t see God anyway – He’s all covered up with sky. Soon after that, I began to pray again. When I was 7 years old, my mother was in the hospital and not expected to live. The doctor told Dad that they had done everything they could do for Mom – there was no more that could be done. The doctor knew Dad was a praying man, so he told him to go home and pray that God would spare Mom’s life. I’ll never forget seeing Dad kneel by his bed, in tears as he asked God to save Mom’s life. I quietly slipped into the room, joined Dad and together we asked God for a miracle for my mother. God heard our requests, and Mom came home from the hospital a few weeks later. Not too many teenagers have the privilege of hearing their father pray early in the morning before daylight. When I was in Jr. High School, Dad’s office was in our house, in a room next to mine. Dad never prayed quietly, and I often woke to the sound of his voice in prayer. It was not unusual to lay in bed around 4:30 in the morning and listen to my dad pray. He prayed for the needs of the world, for missionaries, pastors, family and friends. I loved to hear him pray, but the prayers that meant the most were when I heard him pray for me! The sound of my father praying for me was a strong influence through my teen years. He continued to pray for me right to the end of his life. Just before Dad went to be with Jesus I found the following quote by Martin Luther on Dad’s desk: "I have so much to do today that I shall spend the first 3 hours in prayer."

Yes, I’m proud to be J.T.'s daughter. We have had a great life together. Heaven seems a lot closer now that Dad is there, and I wonder when I get there, will someone ask "Are you J.T.'s daughter? He’s told me all about you, and I feel like I already know you."

Grandkids in the Garden

Two of our grandkids came to spend the day with us today. Miss A . had a secret project she needed to work on and her brother, Mr. C., came to help Grandpa in the garden. Their little sister, Miss E., decided to stay at home with her mommy.

Sometimes when you're having fun your plans just go "out the door" and fun takes over. That was true today. Some of the garden got planted but there were a lot of fun and games, too. Miss A. joined Mr. C. and Grandpa in the garden when she finished her project. You can see their hard work and the fun they had here:

Mr. C.

Miss A.

Is this where you want it, Grandpa?

Here's how you do it.

Let's give it some special food to help it grow.

Then Mr. C. discovered some ripe raspberries! His next task was to see how many he could eat without getting caught.

I'll just have one!

Oh no, not Grandma and her camera again!

Maybe I can hide behind the grapes.

Miss A. reveals her finished project.

The garden will grow and so will Miss A. and Mr. C. Someday we won't remember what we planted in the garden this year but we will remember all the fun and laughter one Saturday in June when we were together in the garden.

Nanny's Rose Revisited

Recently I shared here the story of my great-grandmother Nanny's rose that is growing in my dear mother's backyard. When I took the first pictures the rose was absolutely gorgeous. Now that the blossoms have all opened this is the most breathtaking sight but that doesn't even begin to compare to the sweet fragrance that fills the air. I hope you enjoy seeing it again.

Garage Sale-ing (Or Sailing?)

(If you enlarge the picture you can see my cat, Miss Savannah, enjoying the sun by the fence!)

Our town is quite the "Garage Sale" town and we sure have fun! Every Friday my mother and I do something special together. That usually means garage sales from Spring to Fall! Some weeks we can fill the car with goodies and sometimes we don't find much. Today was a winner!! I'll give you a sneak peek at some of today's treasures (they all require work!). I will show them to you when they are finished. There are a few other goodies that I'm not sharing yet, but you will see them soon.


My $10.00 table needs a lot of work. I'll probably paint it white again but I can see the original finish when I turn it upside-down and the thought of refinishing it briefly passed through my mind. Do I really want to do all of that work instead of just sanding and painting it so I can put in its new spot in my living room? I don't think so! It will replace a round particleboard table with a long skirt, a K-Mart special -- hopefully soon.

On the table are some of my garaging bargains. There are two flower pots -- a yummy yellow pot and a blue one that is square. The Williamsburg Pottery pitcher and the little, old ceramic bird were each $1.00. During the Spring and Summer I decorate my living room with birds, birdhouses, nests, birdcages - anything to do with birds. I have them outside on the patio, too. This little white bird will find a special place somewhere in my living room. I'm not sure what I'll do with the pitcher. I love this little Mexican flower pot! Over the past few years we have taken several missions trips to Mexico and we have vacationed twice in a condo on the beach in Baja. I fell in love with Mexico and the people there. Our guestroom/library is decorated with things from many countries, especially things that we gathered during our trips to Mexico. During our last two trips to Mexico I searched for just the right flower pot for our special room at home but I didn't find what I wanted. I wanted something very colorful to hold a fat, round cactus. After all of my searching in Mexico, I found exactly what I wanted at the first garage sale today -- a few blocks from my house! When I saw it I knew it was for me -- I paid 25 cents for it. What a deal!



This little nightstand isn't crooked - it's the angle of the picture. For a long time my sweetheart has been using a little stool for a nightstand. It belongs with the antique oak dressing table that's part of our bedroom set. It really hasn't been the ideal nightstand! For quite awhile I have been looking for a nightstand so I could return the stool to its place beside the dressing table. I hoped to find something with a drawer and maybe a shelf or two for his Bible, a few books and whatever other things he wants there. There it was at the last sale we stopped at today. I saw it before I was out of the car -- $5.00! I need to clean it up, sand it and paint it so he can "move" into it. I'm sure it was just waiting for me to find it!


Isn't this just the cutest pot-y chair? I don't know yet what I'll plant in it - maybe some Lobelia - but I can't wait to get it all finished. Whatever I plant in it won't hide the cute flowers someone carefully painted on it. Where will I put it? Not sure yet, but maybe near my front door -- maybe not.

When my projects are finished I'll let you see them again. I need to go now -- I have lots of work to do!

Boys, Ballgames and Bunches of Fun!!!

We spent last weekend with two of our grandsons, Mr. R. and Mr. G., while their parents attended an out-of-town conference. Part of the weekend was spent at their house in a nearby city so Mr. R. could play two Little League games -- one on Friday night and one on Saturday morning. After the game on Saturday we ate lunch at their house, packed up our car and brought the boys to our house until Sunday evening when their dad (our son) came to get them. What a weekend we had!!

Mr. R. at bat

(He hit the ball deep into the outfield.)

Mr. R., the Catcher

A game of Rock-Paper-Scissors on the sidelines

(Grandpa and Mr. G.)

Backyard baseball at their house

(If you look closely you can see the ball in mid-air!)

Some very important things happened at our house after church on Sunday:

Sudoku

(Mr. G. and Grandpa)

Making Salad for lunch

(Mr. R. and his Great-Grandma, Nana)

Football with Grandpa

And a Sunday Afternoon nap for Mr. G. and Grandpa!

We wouldn't trade our weekend with the boys for anything -- it was one of those times we will look back on and treasure. They will grow up way too fast and will never be exactly like this again but in their hearts, and ours, we will always remember a couple of days in June and the boys, the baseball and the bunches of fun!!

Morning Has Broken!

Shortly after I woke up early this morning

I looked out my kitchen window.

This is what I saw – these are the words

that immediately came to mind,

and I began to sing:

Morning has broken like the first morning;
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them springing fresh from the Word!

Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven;
Like the first dewfall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden;
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass.

Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning
Born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, praise every morning;
God’s recreation of the new day!

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him." Lamentations 3:22-24

Song: Morning Has Broken

Traditional Gaelic melody - words by Eleanor Farjeon

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my dear cousin, Carrie. This is one of those birthdays that ends with a "0" so it's a big one. I wish we could be together to celebrate but we'll have to do that another time. I love the picture of the two of us on our dear Nanny's lap. (That's me on the left and Carrie on the right.)

The Three Musketeers

(a.k.a The Three Cousins -- Alan, Carrie, Me)

We were always up to something! But we sure had some incredible adventures together.

Christmas at Grandma's House

Oh, the fun we've had through the years! I'm so thankful we have been close friends, too, and I pray that you will have a good year ahead, dear cousin of mine.