If We Could See Beyond Today

This song has been on my heart over the past few days.  My dear mother and father often sang it as a duet through my growing up years. The words touch my heart again.

If we could see beyond today
As God can see,
If all the clouds should roll away,
The shadows flee;
O'er present griefs we would not fret
Each sorrow we would soon forget,
For many joys are waiting yet,
For you and me.

If we could know beyond today
As God doth know,
Why dearest treasures pass away,
And tears must flow;
And why the darkness leads to light
Why dreary days will soon grow bright,
Some day life's wrong will be made right,
Faith tells us so.

If we could see, if we could know,
We often say.
But God in love a veil doth throw
Across our way.
We cannot see what lies before,
And so we cling to Him the more
He leads us till this life is o'er,
Trust and obey.

You can hear it sung by George Beverly Shea (soloist for Billy Graham Crusades) here.

copyright 1943 in "Word of Life Melodies #1" by Norman J. Clayton

Home At Last

I have been absent from my blog over the past few weeks. I had some wonderful things to share through the holiday season and I planned to be here often but life didn't allow me to do that.  My dear, little mother's situation required much more attention than it had in the past and we were aware that she was declining more every day.  Our attention turned to meeting her needs and making the holiday season the best it could be because we knew this would be the last one we spent with her. And it was!

My sweet mama quietly slipped into the presence of Jesus late on the evening of January ninth.  We had planned to move her from her home this month because her needs were increasing so quickly that we knew we could no longer carry the full load in the best way possible for her - but she moved up instead!  She is in Heaven with Jesus and with my father and my baby brother who died at birth. Mom didn't want to move from her home. Her heart longed to stay in her earthly home until she moved to her Heavenly home.  When that day came she wanted to be surrounded by those who were dearest to her on earth.  And that's exactly what happened! 

My sweetheart and I stayed with her twenty-four-seven through the last weeks of her life. That brought such comfort to her and to us.  It was very hard but we will always treasure those days with her. She was placed on Hospice for the last two weeks of her life so we had their incredible staff to help. Our daughter is a medical assistant with training and experience in elder and memory care.  She has worked closely with Hospice groups through the past years.  She took a leave of absence from her job in order to spend the last week of her Nana's life with her and to help us with the day-and-night care required.  I honestly don't know what we would have done without her.  Our son was there often, as was his sweet wife and, at times, some of our grandchildren.  Our son and our daughter and my sweetheart and I were beside her when she walked through Heaven's gates.  She was home at last!


Last Saturday we had a beautiful service to celebrate her life and ministry.  It was a time to shed tears, pay tribute to a long life well-lived, share her favorite Scriptures and sing her favorite hymns. And there was laughter as we recalled memories of her fun, loving, creative spirit.  We were surrounded and loved and hugged and prayed for by family and friends from near and far.

I am just beginning to process the loss of my dear mother. I have good days and I have days filled with poignant memories and many tears.  My sweetheart and I are at the Oregon Coast for a week with our home-on-wheels and our little dog.  We're taking time away to rest and begin to heal. We're parked above the crashing winter waves that sound like thunder when they hit the beach below.  At night a string of lights line the dark horizon as crab boats brave winter seas to work their craft while we rest and sleep.  As I write this post a pod of seals is floating on the surface just below the bluff where we are parked. God has a way of sending special things just when we need them most!

A Magical Place

A year ago my sweetheart and I spent a few days with my cousin and her hubby who live on the South Oregon Coast. They had discovered a few Christmas activities they wanted to share with us. They had never been to this train show and didn't know what to expect - but I knew all about train shows!  When our son was young he had a pretty incredible model train collection. Because of his love for trains we had attended a model train show or two in the past.  Model trains come in all sizes from very small to large pieces and all the accessories that add to the fun. I had this one figured out. Or, at least I thought I did!

We arrived at the building where the train show was held. It was an old school gym and we all wondered what could possibly wait behind the doors of that old building.  But, oh, my! When we opened those doors and stepped inside we were transported to a magical world.

This wasn't just trains - it was villages and communities and action and twinkle lights. My photos can't possibly do it justice.

There was a huge 'table' in the middle of the big room. We could walk around and look at each piece, watch the trains go round and round, in and out of tunnels, over bridges and turn corners.

Village displays filled multi-layer shelves all around the outside walls.  It was hard to know where to look next.

There were lighthouses. . .

And mansions and people and animals. . .

And places real and imagined.

There were Santas coming and going.

Lights had been strung on houses that were decorated for Christmas. Snow and snowmen and children playing everywhere. . .

And ballet dancers twirling and dancing at The Nutcracker Theater.

This was the collection of one man and his wife!  He has collected the trains and she has collected the villages and all the pieces that make it come together. Many of the pieces were found at thrift stores and garage sales and some were gifts to her. They present this to their community every holiday season for a small admission fee.  It's a fundraiser for a local community organization they support. It's their way to give back to their community.

It was a special evening.  Time spent together with our dear ones in a place that made us forget the outside world for a time.  Time in a magical place. From the heart of two people who are willing to work long and hard to share what they love to help others.

Christmas Past

Thank you for your kind comments on my blog posts while I was away recovering from oral surgery last week. Things are progressing in a very normal way. Last evening I was able to eat a 'soft' meal without having a plastic guard over my upper teeth to protect the roof of my mouth that was affected by part of the surgery. I will spare you the details!  Even though I have chewing limitations for a few more days I was able to venture out to eat something a bit more interesting than the same-old-boring soft foods.  My pain level was less than the surgeon predicted although I did have some 'happy' pain meds for the first few days.  It's amazing how much I craved things that were forbidden during this initial healing process!  And every advertisement on television was food! Food and holiday goodies galore.  But I survived and probably am a bit healthier for it.

Two weeks ago I traveled a few hours from our home to visit my dear cousin on the southern Oregon Coast. Just me! Time away while I sweetheart tended the home fires and was here for my dear, little mother. My cousin and I have always been very close - like very close sisters. We usually gather and collect things to give to each other when we get together and this time was no different. She had gathered some magazines she knew I would enjoy and I took a few well-loved magazines to her. One of the magazines she gave me was a real treasure! Just what I needed to kick off the Christmas season. It was inspiration on each page - a December nineteen-sixty-six Family Circle magazine. The art on the front cover always makes me smile when I look at it.

Every page is filled with memories of Christmas Past and things once thought so 'cool'. I could have ordered the 'Troll Cookie Cutter' for fifty cents to make a cookie tray like this one.

My home was built just three years after this magazine was published and - if I wanted to decorate my home in vintage mid-century style - I could make one of these to hang from my chandelier in the dining room.  Of course I could decorate my table like this, too!

But, since I'm not inclined to do that, I think I'll just keep dreaming of a much more simple Christmas this year.

Oh, wait - there's no time to dream! I've got work to do!  I have to get busy and decorate and finish plans for the big day that's only thirteen days away!  Time to stop thinking of Christmas Past and get ready for Christmas Present!!!

Advice From A Young Grandson

I want to share one more football-playing grandson with you before I move on to things Christmas. Thank you for indulging this grandma. Hudson is our youngest grandson and a real joy to our hearts. He recently turned nine years old, a fact that's hard to believe.This was his first year to play football and we were able to be there for some of his games. He attends Salem Academy, a private Christian school, where his older brothers play upper level football.

At the beginning of the season he was a bit uncertain but his confidence grew with each game. His two big brothers - Rylan and Gavin - spent time with him to discuss the games, the intricate rules of football and showed him ways to improve his skills on the field.

Hudson's games were usually played during the day but one game that was special was near the end of the season. His team had a chance to play a nighttime game under the lights - just like his big brother, Rylan, and the high school varsity team.

The last game of the season was special. He and his team had come so far! They had learned many  new skills and had gained more confidence along the way. As we sat in the stadium with his dad we learned that Hudson had insisted on wearing yellow socks - a good thing because we could always find him on and off the field! After the game ended each team lined up to receive metals for completing the season. It was special to be there and watch as his metal was placed around his neck.

We've been so blessed to be able to watch our youngest grandson grow and develop skills. More than that, it's been an added blessing that he is strong in his young faith and has a loving, kind heart.

 

Hudson is a smart young man. He cares deeply about things but he never fails to tell it like it is! He speaks the truth and, at times, his wisdom amazes us.  He sat beside me during the second half of Rylan's state championship game. He explained a lot of things - football rules, what was happening on the field and why things were being played out the way they were.  He did a good job being my personal commentator - perhaps he has a future on TV!  As the game went on there was a very bad call against our team and I had trouble understanding and dealing with it. Hudson leaned over to me and said something that hasn't left my heart since then. He said, 'Grandma, you need to let it go! And you need to learn to be patient!' That's our Hudson. Nothing unkind - just true.  His words have stayed with me through the past weeks and I've sensed he was right. This grandma took the advice of a young grandson. I've asked Hudson to sit next to me during his older brothers' basketball games - because I learned so much from him. Perhaps I'll understand more about basketball before the end of the season!

An Unsung Hero

In the middle of the excitement of our oldest grandson's football season there is another grandson who has been an unsung hero.  I've been amazed as I sat at games and watched him in action. Rylan's middle brother, Gavin, has been a ball boy for the high school varsity football team.  That means he's one of two boys who took the balls in and out of Rylan's games. He also took the kicking tee to the center of the field whenever the ball was punted. (He wore his brother's number - #3)

He worked closely with the referees. 

He had to pay attention to every play on the field and be ready at a moment's notice to get in and out with the balls.

I told him he should wear a pedometer so he would know how far he ran during each game. He was in and out of the game and he was in charge of keeping our team's footballs ready to go into a game quickly. Every time it rained during a game he carried a towel to dry the football each time it came off the field after play and he wrapped a 'new' ball in the towel to keep it dry and ready to go for the next time it was needed in the game. He had an important role with the team. 

Gavin is a sportsman like his big brother - and he's a good football player, too. He played on the seventh and eighth grade team for his school this year.  He's small in stature but big in spirit and motivation. He could get into places where the other team didn't expect him to be and he could run fast when he had the ball.  He was definitely an asset to his team.

 

 Gavin displayed the same good character as his big brother - he was a good sport, he was compassionate and caring for others no matter what team they were on.

Gavin won't be the varsity ball boy next year. His 'career' is finished and he will move on to more football adventures.  We find it hard to believe that we will be in stadium at the high school again next year but this time he will be part of the high school football team.  We will be there to cheer him on and share our pride as we watch him play.  We're so proud of Gavin and we've loved watching him grow and mature and get involved in his world.  He brings such joy to our hearts!

 

A Real Champion

I shared about our oldest grandson's football team and about his skills here.  I told you that his team was heading to the State Football Championship game but I never told you the outcome of the game.  We were pretty proud as we parked and walked to the stadium that day over a week ago.  It was a day that promised rain but this grandma's prayers were answered and we had a dry morning and some peeks of the sun here and there. It was exciting to see the big stadium and the sign that announced the event of the day.

We found our seats next to Rylan's other grandparents and near our son and his family. Excitement filled the air as we watched the team warm up on the field below us.

Before each game the captains from each team meet at center field.  I captured this photo of Rylan (#3) and the other three captains after the coin toss by the head referee that determines who would kick the ball off to start the game.

Rylan is a wide receiver. That means he's usually in the backfield ready to catch the ball when it's kicked off to start the game.

 The game began and within a few minutes Rylan caught a pass and made the first touchdown. We were elated!  On our feet, yelling and clapping. Our team took an early lead but by half-time the score was tied. The second half started and the lead changed a few times - back and forth - but when the final buzzer sounded our team lost by one touchdown.

We were disappointed but we were all proud of the way our boys had played. It was an intense game and we could hold our heads high. They had played their hearts out. After the game each of the teams went to different areas on the sidelines to celebrate and greet parents and friends - just time to be together and express our pride and love. Rylan's team always prays together at the end of the post-game time. They gather in a circle, join arms and one of the team members offers a prayer of thanks and gratitude. It was different this time! We were so proud of our boys when they walked past the barricades between our team and the winning team. We all stood behind the barricades and watched as they hugged and congratulated the other team. And then our team asked if the members of the other team would like to join our boys in prayer. It was pretty moving to see and there were many tears on our side of the barricades.

We had a bit of time with Rylan and our son's family. Emotions were tender, hugs abundant, words of pride and encouragement expressed. Time for photos to help keep the memories fresh through years to come. Rylan posed with his mom and dad and one of his two brothers.. .

And then with his little sister - our youngest granddaughter.

It was soon time to say goodbye and head home. More  hugs and words of love and we turned to go.  It was a hard goodbye - this was the last game Rylan would play with his teammates.  Last high school football game. The end of an era! Time has gone so fast and our hearts couldn't help but wonder how it all happened.  Wasn't it just yesterday we were on the sidelines watching 'little' Rylan playing flag football for the first time?  Soon we will be in the bleachers to watch him in action again. This time it will a basketball in his hands.