What does Christmas mean to you?

Ah, Christmas!  Sleigh bells, snow covered trees and houses, lighted decorations all over town, Christmas carols singing and playing, Jolly St Nick, Christmas trees lighted with silver and decorated with fancy balls and homemade ornaments, little toddlers lined up to sit on Santa's lap, shoppers rushing to purchase the latest gifts, parties in every neighborhood.  December is a busy, frantic month as we all plan and schedule Christmas festivities.

What is Christmas?  Is it just a time for extravagance or does it have meaning?  How did Christmas become such a huge event when we spend too much money, eat too much fattening food, create a busy frantic schedule, collapse on December 26 and then wish we hadn't bought and baked so many goodies.  

I love Christmas.  I always have.  And I'm guilty of all the above.  But I know why we celebrate Christmas.  Luke 1: 26 "the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.  And he (the angel Gabriel) came to her and said, 'Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!'.....'do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.'"  Luke 2: 7  And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."

Yes, God brought forth His Son as a tiny baby, born not in a palace like a prince, but in a humble stable so that all would know that Jesus, our Savior, was God's gift to every one of us.

Isn't it amazing that we have added so much more to Christmas with lavish spending, traditions, and entertainment that we squeeze in the celebration of Jesus' birth.  When you study the Scripture rendition of the birth of Jesus you have to be astonished at what God accomplished.  As Mary said, Luke 1: 37 "For with God nothing will be impossible."

First of all, Mary conceived in her womb a baby without any male contact.  Science today would say that's impossible and Mary must have been lying.  But when you study the Scripture you see that Joseph himself states, Luke 2: 5 "to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child."  Joseph was an honorable man and when he said 'betrothed' he meant, engaged, with no sexual activity, until a formal marriage.  In our modern day we forget or ignore Good's incredible presence and power.  God created our world and is still present with us today.

Mary was only about 14 years old and had probably just experienced one menstrual cycle which made her physically able to become pregnant.  Just think......14 years old and here she was unwed and pregnant in the small town of Nazareth bursting with gossip about this 'naughty Mary who must have had sex with someone in the neighborhood'.  A lot to put on her shoulders, but she believed and trusted God to care for her.

And then, the census or 'registration' initiated by Caesar Augustus, the new god-king of Rome, which required Mary and Joseph to travel 90 miles, avoiding Samaria, over dusty, hilly roads with no mass transit or interstates.  Imagine how Mary felt sitting on a donkey for over a week and nearing her due date.

Think of young Mary, birthing a baby on hay surrounded by animals and filth, her first delivery, possibly  alone.  And then the sudden arrival of simple shepherds, lowest class of people, but first to hear the news by heavenly angels, Luke 2: 11 "For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."  Mary was a simple girl, not wealthy, not a princess, not from a prestigious family, but a young girl who loved, believed and trusted God.

Christmas means one thing.  Jesus Christ is born!  Let us hear thousands of angels praising God and saying Luke 2: 14 "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased."  This is why we celebrate Christmas.  This is why, no matter how much commercialism and fanciful tradition swirl around our Christmas celebrations, God is here pouring out His love on us with His gift of a tiny baby who is our Savior.  AMEN!

Merry Christmas to everyone and a Happy New Year!

LOVE, Janet

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love"

Do you remember that song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David back in 1965?  "It's the  only thing that there's just too little of, What the world needs now is love, sweet love, no not just for some but for everyone."

I thought of that song this week as I listened to the news, heard the members of Congress, heard the reports of empty store shelves, cargo ships waiting to be emptied, the disaster at the southern border, price of gas and on and on. What is going on in this great United States of America?  Here I am, 85 years old, living through WW II, Korean War, Vietnam, the Sixties, economic ups and downs, Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy assassination, 9/11, fifteen Presidential terms from FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush (41), Clinton, Bush (43), Obama, Trump to Biden,.......and yet never experiencing such governmental breakdowns, confusions and untruths.

Is this a time we need a total nationwide transformation?  The hatred we see publicly displayed in our federal government is shameful.  Was it always this way or we just didn't know?  Or has this just risen in our day.  I am reminded that history books tell me the hatred and dissension leading to the Civil War was harsh, pitting families apart, leading to a war losing thousands of our young men and ending in a bitter surrender.  History records 625,000 war deaths and 1,500,000 casualties in the Civil War.  Many died, not from combat, but from disease and malnutrition.  The Civil War was horrendous.

I mention that song about 'love'.  Whatever happened to love, respect and common sense?  "What the world needs now is love" was written back in 1965 but certainly is needed today.

What is love?  Is it the sexual urge that we feel toward a person of the opposite sex?  Is it that overwhelming joy we have experienced when birthing a baby?  Is it the deep gratitude knowing our adult children are happily married?  Is it the intimacy with a close friend who knows me, understands me and supports me?  Love is all the above and more.

Love is an amazing power, emotion, and belief.  Where does love come from?  Was love always here in our human senses or was it given to us in a specially gifted way??

God is love.  1 John 4:8 states,  "He who does not love does not know God; for God is love."  Also 1 John 4:16  "So we know and believe the love God has for us.  God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."  Love is another special gift God has given us.  If this gift comes from God, why don't we express it all the time?  Of course we live in a fallen world and we are sinful people who don't always act in love.  But if we obediently follow our Creator, love would prevail.  Never forget, the most powerful message of love is John 3: 16.

An important display of love is forgiveness.  How easy it is to remember those people who have emotionally hurt us.  We carry that hurt for years.  What about times when someone cheated us in a money scam.  That sure hurt.  There are many unfortunate displays of bad behavior in our society these days.  But how should we respond?  How about 'forgiveness'?  Sometimes that is painful but I know we feel better. I had a situation where a relative turned against me in a financial situation.  At first I demanded my rights but when that proved impossible I had to let things go and forgive the individual.  His response was not good, but I felt better.  We forgive but we don't forget.  And 'forgiveness' is what God wants us to do because 'forgiveness' shows love.

Yes, I am most grateful I know love, have been loved, am now loved, and I myself easily love others.  I am an emotional, sensitive person and I don't mind showing my love to friends and relatives openly and enthusiastically.  Why hold back?  Show love in your expression, your hugs, your approval, your outspoken words of support, your joy, your smile, your laughter.  So many ways to show love and this culture needs an outpouring of love now!  Hum along "What the world needs now is love, sweet love" and your heart will radiate that love to others.

The Sound of Music

Recently I attended a piano concert and heard one man play melody after melody on the baby grand.  As I sat there listening to the chords and notes ringing through the hall, I suddenly realized music is a gift.  Music lifts our spirits, music quiets our anxiety, music sings to our hearts.  Yes, music has been part of our lives since creation and it is a special gift from God.

I am a musical person, learning to play the piano in grade 4 and then becoming a mezzo-soprano soloist singing concerts throughout the US and portions of the world.  Studying music, learning music, performing music fills your life.  When you recognize what key is being played, what instrument is playing, your musical life is enriched.

Where did music begin?  Who sang the first song?  Did Adam and Eve sing to each other?  They loved each other.  Certainly they must have sung sweet melodies of endearment.  When did people discover musical sounds could be produced by blowing into a bone, or a reed or a tube?  When you think of the history of music it is amazing what people developed.  And here we are today with large symphonies comprised of various instruments developed by musicians over the centuries and when they are joined together playing the sounds of the various instruments the music is harmonious, and pleasurable.  Music surrounds us today.  TV, radio, CDs, recordings, cars, stores,   i-phones, everywhere we go we can hear music.  Technology has brought music to us 24/7.

Historians cannot give an answer to "When did music start?".  But if we look into scripture, we see very clearly the history of music.  Genesis 4: 21 states, "He (Jubal) was the father of all those that play the harp and the flute."  Jubal's father was Lamech, whose father was Methuschael, whose father was Irad, whose father was Enoch, whose father was Cain, the brother of Abel, whose father was Adam.

By the time Jubal grew to maturity, the harp and the flute were established instruments of music.  But if people knew how to make music from the harp and the flute, they certainly knew musical melodies.  I think God created music in our hearts from the very beginning.  We experience melodies in our hearts even today.

When I sang vocal solos in my concerts I could feel the message of music singing from my heart.  That is how emotion fills us as we listen, hum, sing or play music.  Music emanates from our hearts so that we communicate the musical message so powerfully.  Who created us with that ability?  Were we born with that or did we 'learn' it.

My parents told me that as a little toddler I would wake early in the morning and be humming melodies.  Not music being played on the radio but melodies that just were created in my heart at a young age.  Where did that music come from?

God is the answer.  When we begin to think of all the detailed intricacies of our growth and development from a fertilized egg and sperm to a 5 or 9 lb. baby born into our world with all the internal gifts of our mind, body and spirit, it is amazing.  God is the ultimate planner and developer of each individual.  Here I am, with a deep love and knowledge of music so that I can identify what instrument is playing, what notes are being played on the piano, and deeply feel in my heart the musical mood.  That is a gift.

May we all experience the joy of music.  Never say, "I can't sing."  Many people say that today because they were off-key in their high school chorus and the music teacher advised them to 'mouth the words'.  So they think they cannot ever open their mouth and sing.  I'm sure God doesn't care if you are in perfect pitch.  Instead enjoy the gift that He has given all of us.  Music is universal......to be loved and enjoyed with all your heart.  Clap your hands, dance to the rhythm, hum or sing aloud, sing with gusto in the shower, sing when you are happy, sing when you are sad.  Let music be part of your life.  Let God's gift forever be heard.  His gift is special.

Are you discouraged like me?

Have you experienced discouragement within the past year?  With all that has been going on in our world, our country, our neighborhoods, our private lives.......certainly we have all felt discouraged.  As senior citizens, we might feel that discouragement hits us harder because of feeling lonely, out of the mainstream, suffering from grief as our loved ones die, experiencing pain, discomfort as we struggle with physical problems, dealing with lockdowns, and federal rules that change almost daily.  All of us in our society have felt deep, serious discouragement this past year.

Many of us are discouraged with our federal government.  Are they truly leading us or are they just mouthing empty promises?  Do they truly know how most Americans feel these days, how frustrated, discouraged and fearful we have become?  As a child growing up I remember FDR as president, but did not even know he was in a wheelchair.  No TV at that time and limited news coverage.  At that time and for years afterward, I trusted the federal government and voted for candidates that 'seemed' honest and trustworthy.

Now I realize how naive I have been.  First of all, I did not really know what went on in Washington. I just put total trust in the government leaders, respecting and honoring their public service.  Politics was something that sounded interesting but not enough to make me get involved.  However, now in 2021, thanks to mass media, we know details of government decision making, the pros and cons of debates, subtle controversial ingredients of House bills and we realize our government is ruled by instances of subterfuge resulting in hidden taxes and promoting certain government priorities that benefit politicians.

As a result, I now admit I am worried about our safety as a nation, I wonder how our adversaries are going to take advantage of us, and most of all, what is the future for my children and grandchildren?

There is a solution to my discouragement.  I believe in one true God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  Even in these days of our country's weakness, vulnerability, mistrust and confusion, my Lord is in control.  I don't see it, I don't feel it.....but I know He is here to help and lead us.  Hebrews 13: 6  "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid."  Chapter 9 of the Book of Daniel in the OT is a wonderful example of how believers can pour out their hearts and pray to God.  By admitting our own sin and unfaithfulness, God listens and will heal our land.

How was our country born?  The Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Our Creator is God Almighty, recognized in our famous Declaration.  Is God ignored today in our government?  Is God recognized with respect and obedience as our Creator?  Almighty God wants every citizen of the United States to enjoy Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  We believe that and we believe prayer means we talk with God and He listens to our pleas.

Yes, prayer is what our beloved country needs now.  Vista Springs Holland Meadows here in Holland is a facility for senior citizens who require assistance in daily living.  What can senior citizens do in such a time as this?  PRAY!  We residents here have opened a daily prayer time.  We meet for 20 minutes of prayer right before noon dinner.  We are just beginning, small in number, but we will grow as more of us realize the opportunity to talk with God.   We pray diligently that our United States of America will again be the world's leader in freedom, liberty and strength with full respect and faith in our Creator.

WHERE IS TRUTH?

Is our culture filled with truth these days?  Do we hear truth spoken?  Is truth vital for our living?  Do we ourselves speak truth?  Do we believe in truth?

When I was 5 years old and a kindergarten pupil in Roosevelt School, Ridgefield Park, NJ, I remember being very naughty one day.  I punched a classmate, Barbara, in the stomach!  Why?  I have no idea why, but probably my self-centered immature personality decided to do something wrong that day.  Well, Barbara's mom went to the teacher and reported my bad behavior.  Of course, my Mommy found out and she proceeded to question me.  I stood there very scared and totally denied that I had punched anyone. I recall thinking, Mommy thinks I'm such a good girl, I don't want to spoil that thinking.  I struggled with my denial for two days.  Finally, in tears, I confessed my bad deed.  Mommy took me in her arms.  "Janet, thank you for admitting the truth.  I had a feeling you had done that to Barbara, and I'm relieved you have told the truth.  Never forget, Janet, no matter what you've done, always tell the truth."  Those words have stuck in my mind all these 80 years!  Yes, always tell the truth.

Why is truth important?  Who told us truth is important?  When I think about it, I am reminded we all have a conscience, which, according to Webster's dictionary, "tells us the right or wrong of one's acts or motives".  Therefore, do we want to do right, do we want to speak right?  As a citizen of this USA, as a mother of 4 adults, as a church member, as a neighbor and friend, yes, I want to live right, do right, speak right and tell the truth.  Listen to our conscience to tell us right from wrong.

When we don't tell the truth we mislead our constituents, our families, our neighbors and friends to follow down the wrong path.  Truth is magnificently stressed in the Bible because God wants us to tell the truth.  If we love our families, our friends, our neighbors, why would we want to lead them down the wrong direction in living lives and making decisions.

We also want to know when we hear distortions of truth to be able to have the discernment to know they are lies and we will absolutely not accept them.  Following lies, believing lies, will lead us to destruction.  As we live in this fallen world, we must be vigilant to follow the truth.

Where do we find the 'real' truth?  Who is the giver of 'real' truth?  The Bible and God.  Isaiah 45:19b  "I, the Lord, speak the truth, I declare what is right."  John 1: 14. "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."  2 Timothy 2:15  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."

Where is truth?  Truth is found by listening to God.

Death is part of life

Death entered our family lives again last week when our dear, beloved son-in-law, died from kidney cancer.  We were prepared, we knew, but the shock of finality, of death, is painful and I grieved heavily.    On May 8, 2021 we finally held our Memorial Service for my husband, Dick, who died on May 6 of 2020 at age 90.  Remember, everything was postponed, delayed and canceled because of Covid. But we finally had closure only weeks ago.  Here I am again dealing with the grief that accompanies news of death, especially with a close family member.  This grief is even more painful because our son-in-law was only 55.  He had a long life ahead of him with his wife and family.  But, why do we believers grieve?  We know our loved ones who believe in the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will live in paradise for all eternity.  Grief is because we who survive will desperately miss our loved ones.  We grieve because of our loss.

Our culture doesn't help us regarding death.  Think about it.  Do we easily have an ordinary conversation about death? Do we ignore death? Do we even deny death?  But death is part of life.  Every human being will at some point die.  Our life span these days can be 90 plus years, but our bodies age, our bodies even decay at some point.  Why do we deny death?  If we know we are going to be in a totally different place some day, don't you think it would be wise to read all about that place, ask questions about that place and totally prepare for death?  But how much time do we take to think about eternity in heaven.

Another problem our culture has these days.  Our lives are being extended.  Medical science has discovered myriad ways to keep us alive.  Over 100 years ago, people just died.  Now modern medicine doesn't let you die. We have availability to purchase tons of pills and medical devices that help us breathe, control our heart rate, clean our lungs, digest our food, help us walk, enable us to struggle living alone, and extend our physical lives for years.  But what eventually happens?  We all die.

Do we then become afraid of dying?  Or do we approach the idea of death legally and responsibly.  If we feel that our culture doesn't want us to die, even if we are comatose, what do we do?  What I did.  I made decisions. I did not want to be kept artificially alive so I signed legal papers to make sure my family and my medical caregivers would know what to do.  We all must be aware that life and death issues must be handled legally and that means signatures.  Our lives have become so complicated we must make decisions now before we become physically unable to do so.

The Bible gives us proof that heaven will be a glorious place.  Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place.  How wonderful, how glorious.  Jesus said, "Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." John 14: 1 - 3.  Also, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." John 14: 6.  Yes, Jesus emphasizes that belief in Him is critical for all of us to enter heaven.

Why should we worry about death, why should we be afraid of death, and why should we ignore talking about death?  When we believe in Jesus as our Savior, Redeemer and Son of God let us rejoice that our eternal life after death will be with God in paradise.  We rejoice that our beloved Dick and son-in-law are in heaven now living with our Creator and Redeemer in the glory of the New Jerusalem......"The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it.  The Lamb is its light." Revelation 21: 23.  AMEN!

I LOVE AMERICA!

I'm sure we all remember Kate Smith singing with her rich voice, "God bless America", written by Irving Berlin.  How many glorious times do we remember that song being sung at sporting events all across the USA.  Yes, a song that made us proud, a melody that made us rejoice as we stood together at various events with our friends and neighbors of different backgrounds, our hearts rejoicing in our free country. That song still makes my heart sing.

Our country went through some tough times back in the 40s when we fought in World War II.  But as dangerous as those times were, we never lost our patriotism.  I was 5 years old, in kindergarten that Monday morning in December when Miss Wilkins, my kindergarten teacher, read the New York Times announcing the start of the war with Japan attacking Hawaii.  I still remember sitting very quietly on my kindergarten chair carefully listening to the news.  All I remember is that I felt scared.  What did this mean for my family?  I began to worry about my older brother Donald, my parents, my Dad who worked at Ford Motor Company in Edgewater, NJ. across from Manhattan, on the Hudson River.  In fact, Easter Sunday 1945, my Dad had to work!  I remember how shocked I was that he should have to be at Ford Motor Company helping to manufacture jeeps instead of attending church on that special day.  Hawaii was a long distance away and yet I wondered.  When would the war end?

Then I remember neighbors, young high school graduates, without hesitation signing up to fight in the war.  It was as if everyone in my town of Ridgefield Park, NJ wanted to somehow be on the fighting front lines of the war.  Collections of scrap metal, women gathering together sewing bandages, men volunteering to be "air raid wardens", blackout drills in the dark nights of winter.  Each citizen wanted to volunteer to do something to protect our country and fight the enemy.

I also remember the "Gold Star Mothers", women who lost their sons fighting the war in the Pacific and Europe.  The US was truly facing a huge world war with two fighting fronts, one against Japan and one against Germany.  A lot of men, young and middle age, fought in the war and died.  My backdoor neighbor had a small banner in her front porch window that was decorated with four gold stars.  My parents told me she had lost four sons in the war.  I remember feeling so badly for her family.  Whenever I thought about her loss I grieved.

The United States showed incredible strength, unity and patriotism during 1941 through 1945.  Everyone was proud of America and voiced their pride.  At the end of the war, I remember my Dad grabbing several New Years' Eve horns, putting them in our hands and walking us up and down Grand Avenue as we shouted, "War is over!".  Neighbors opened their doors and cheered with us at the glorious news.  Peace had returned to America.

As we heard Kate Smith singing again, we all joined in......"God bless America, land that I love, stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above.  From the mountains to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam, God bless America, my home sweet home.......God bless America, my home sweet home."

Here it is, 2021 and we are living in troubled times.  Are we united in pride for this America, "the land that I love"?  Are we united in praying to God to continue to bless America, "stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above?"  Are we united in love for the varieties of backgrounds we all come from, since we are a land of immigrants?  Are we united in love for all the varieties of skin color we proudly have because we are all related as brothers and sisters, descendants of Adam and Eve?  Do we rejoice in this land with its God created beauty "from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam?  Do we thank God for "America, my home sweet home"?

Let us not forget this America, that we have a gift of freedom, that we have a God who watches over us, and that we have a government that is accountable to the people.  May we remember the greatness of America in these turbulent times of 2021.

COVID-19 caused delayed Grief.........

For over a year now, we have had postponements and cancellations because of Covid-19.  Our family is just one of many who had to wait one year to finally honor my husband with a Memorial Service.  A year ago we obediently accepted that decision and after choosing various dates, decided 'one year' would certainly guarantee there would be no problem.  My husband, Dick, died May 6, 2020 and we set the date for his service for Saturday, May 8, 2021.  I thought that by that time my grief would have subsided and the service would bring closure.  Also, we felt that Covid-19 would be gone.  However, I did not anticipate that we still have to wear masks and that tears would still flow at his Memorial Service.

Many of us who have lost loved ones since Covid-19 took over in April-May of 2020 have experienced the same delay of outpourings of grief.  A memorial service or funeral service brings closure, brings loved ones together to grieve the loss of a dear friend or close loved one.  But this past year has brought agonizing moments of delayed grief.  When your spouse dies, especially if your marriage has been filled with love, life hurts.  Dick and I were married 61 years, faithfully loving each other, caring for each other, fulfilling and abiding by our marriage vows and raising four wonderful children who gave us twelve grandchildren.

Covid-19 has caused many emotional tears, unhappiness, frustration and mental confusion.  Grief following the death of a loved one is only one situation that has been drastically affected.  In fact, the delayed grief caught me by surprise.  I had thought in one year I would have experienced the painful reality of loneliness and precious memories but that would have ended.  Instead, the memories of 61 years of marriage came back in full force as I planned Dick's Memorial Service.

Since I am an 85 year old with a sharp memory, I decided to organize all the service details.  I knew my husband......what would honor him, what he would appreciate.  So I planned accordingly.  We held the service in our church here in Holland, MI and limited guests to family members.  Since Dick spent his professional life teaching grade school students for 11 years and being an elementary school principal for 26 years mostly in Wyckoff, NJ we decided to keep the service simple by just including family.  When you have postponed the service for one year following death, that decision makes sense.

I decided to speak at the service, sharing Dick's professional life, family life and married life.  And that was where the tears began.  Reliving our remarkable life together, recalling details to share with the family, some humerous, some sad.  61 years is a long time and as I meandered through those years I vividly remembered all that happened.......children's laughter, my husband's kisses, the camping vacations, the joys of holidays, Grammie and Pa and Nana and Pops, endless sports games, keeping our budget, piano lessons, owning dogs, cats and rabbits. Yes, when I lived again the lives of four children, Dick, an educational professional and me, a professional singer, I wondered, "How did we do all that?"

When I think of the number of divorces that take place in today's world, I am overwhelmed.  Marriage is work.  Disagreements between husband and wife are normal and husbands and wives must remember they married because they love each other.  Loves means you forgive and love means you need each other.  Now as I say 'goodbye' to my husband at the Memorial Service, joy and appreciation fill my heart as I realize we stayed married for 61 years.  That was commitment.  That was remembering our wedding vows we took before Almighty God on December 27, 1958 in Ramsey, NJ.  That meant we honored God in our marriage, read the Bible, raised our kids to know and love God, prayed with intensity and devotion and most important believed in Jesus.  The Lord instituted the first marriage on earth and taught man and woman to marry.  That is His plan for us and lifelong happiness is the result.

Now the Memorial Service is over.  Dick's 90 years and 4 months have been re-lived, memories are permanently engraved in our minds and hearts, the joy of knowing him and loving him has been strengthened and the grief has lessened.  Closure is finally taking place.

Your Birthday is your special day!

I love birthdays!.  Of course I love my own birthday but every birthday is special.  It is the day you were born.  The day when our Creator God planned for you to enter the world.  Your day when your small infant body breathed its first breath of air and obediently uttered a gleeful cry.  It's the moment your tiny body discovered that nine months in the womb gave you love and comfort but now it was time to begin living decades of life in our physical world.  And your newborn squeals announced to Mommy and Daddy that you were alive and well.  Everyone celebrated because you, the baby, was born!

 As a nurse I have witnessed the birth of many babies and I'm always amazed at birth.  The fact that a tiny sperm and a tiny egg celebrate marital love by meeting in a female body and joining together in a moment of conception is miraculous.  And nine months later a tiny baby pushes and glides into open air and screams, "Hi everyone! I'm here!"  It is a miracle!  A God ordained miracle that no man or woman on this earth could duplicate.  We are all participants of that miracle.  As we continue to grow and mature I trust we all remember how we got here.

As we celebrate each yearly birthday we experience the wonderful challenges of aging.  Remember when we were youngsters, six years old, and when asked "How old are you?", we would respond by announcing proudly "Almost seven".  And now in our eighties we reply "58!", instead of "85!"  We are proud of our lives and continually aim to make the most of all our endeavors.  But as we grow into the senior years of our lives we begin to take a hard look.  Was I selfish?  Did I put work in front of 'family', so they had more money to play with?  Was I honest or did I take advantage of people?  Or was I generous, always tithing my money to help others?  Did I truly love my children, listen to them, encourage them, praise them and also discipline them carefully or was I always on my phone?  Honest assessments, but we in our eighties still have time and opportunity to straighten our lives.

It is joyful fun to celebrate a birthday.  Dick's birthday was December 23, two day before Christmas.  He grew up remembering lots of Birthday/Christmas celebrations so when we married I was determined to make his Birthday special in addition to Christmas.  For years his favorite cake was 'Pineapple Upside Down' cake and even though that was odd, that was how we celebrated.  As our family grew, the 'family' Birthday cake became 'Mrs. Caffery's Chocolate Cake' from a friend, delicious cake made with one cup of cold coffee and one cup of cocoa.  "Hmm, good."  Family traditions are so important when it comes to birthdays.  We remember birthdays as a child and yearn to continue that tradition.

Well, I just celebrated a birthday milestone.  On April 6, I turned 85 years.  As the number of years hit me, I realized, looking back, I never dreamt I would live this long.  I remember thinking '85' was 'OLD'.  I remember wondering, would I live that long?  Then I also started re-living and remembering 85 years.  I remember being a flower girl in Aunt Muriel's wedding, when I was five, walking down the church aisle, tossing little flowers out of my basket (which I still have) and gazing up at all the people smiling at me.  I remember handing out Hershey's chocolate 'kisses' in 8th grade when I ran for president of my homeroom.  By the way, I won!  I remember Mommy hanging out clothes on the clothesline that ran from our outside deck to the garage.  No driers back in those days and oh, the sheets always smelled so fresh.  I remember WW II with air raid drills and walking silently down the school steps to the basement where we knelt and covered our heads with our arms to protect us if bombs fell.  I remember Daddy as a Volunteer fireman, piling his fireman clothes in the bathroom at night in case he got a call to fight a fire.  Memories go on and on.

Birthdays are special and may you celebrate many wonderful 'HAPPY BIRTHDAYS' as you thank the Lord for the miracle of your birth.

How are you GIVING OF YOURSELF in your senior years?

Do we remember when we senior citizens were in our 50s and started planning for retirement?   Where would we live?  Where would we play golf?  Where were the best restaurants?  Would we move to Florida and enjoy warm winters?  Would we want to be close to our family?  All these questions, and then we made our decision based on what our enjoyment would be for the rest of our life.  Now we are in our 80s and where are we?  We are all living longer lives and we are facing many challenges.  Suddenly our spouse dies, what do we do?  Suddenly our health deteriorates, what's next?  Here we are looking back and remembering all the creative, professional, corporate decisions we made and what are we doing now?  Are we watching TV all day, or waiting to be entertained by our families, or just sitting around?

Each one of us has special gifts that we are born with.  Each of us is totally different with various abilities, personalities, likes and dislikes.  When you think of the millions and millions of human beings that have been born in this world by our Creator God, isn't it amazing that no two people are alike.  Since we are totally different from another person, why not let that unique, special individuality shine through in our senior years.  

For example, I have an 85-year-old friend who was a manager in a large corporation. He now volunteers every week parceling out foods to needy people. When the delivery slows down, he may start 'line dancing' with other volunteers to give some joy to the hundreds of cars lined up. The people waiting for food start laughing and clapping. He is giving himself to others. I have another friend who served as a foreign missionary. She now privately visits senior citizens living in Assisted Living facilities and talks and laughs with them.  Another woman helps seniors write their own histories. What a wonderful job because those private stories are treasured by grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Of course, as we age, we do slow down.  Maybe more day-time naps, maybe less physical endurance, maybe no car because of our age. But that's why we need to reach out and accomplish something for others. Giving of ourselves makes us feel productive.  Something as simple as making frequent phone calls to friends. No, not 'texting', but 'talking'.  How about baking delicious brownies for your working neighbors?  Are you able to write poetry?  That's a special talent. I know someone who writes personal poems and sends them to people she meets.  Since we seniors have been immersed in years of business life, we could volunteer our talents by giving talks to community groups which would be appreciated.  How about teaching? Not in a formal classroom but by sharing our past experiences.

Basically, we need to find our special niche and DO SOMETHING.  Let's not spend time with friends gossiping about other seniors who we are 'jealous of' or 'don't like'.  Let's not waste time laughing at other seniors' weaknesses.  Let's do something that will result in our lives being remembered for: "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control".  Sound familiar?  Yes, that's Galatians 5: 22-23.

As we live out our senior years, how do we want to be remembered?  We have one life to live and God wants us to live humbly, obediently and righteously.  When I review those words that are the fruit of the Spirit, I am reminded of what I can do as I live out my remaining years on earth.  First, we all have 'time'. Remember those decades that we 'never had time' to do lots of special things? We were all too busy with business appointments, our children's needs and wants, professional demands, etc.  Now I have time to choose what volunteer jobs I want to immerse myself in.

Yes, as we near the end of our physical, earthly life span, how wonderful it will be to know we are living out our purpose in life.  That purpose is to be God's ambassadors in this sinful world so that the people we touch will know the eternal love of Jesus.  'GIVING OF OURSELVES' by showing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, we will meet our Lord in Heaven and hear,  "Well done, good and faithful servant."

The COVID story doesn't stop........

Remember  the beginning of 2020?  New year with the usual hopes and aspirations.  Then we started to hear about a strange virus that reportedly started in China.  I remember thinking..... China is far away, our medical team here in the US will be able to control this virus.  That was the beginning, and looking back, what a year it has been.  Lockdowns pronounced on senior citizen living facilities.  We could not enjoy visits with our families.  We could not show affection to our loved ones, no hugs, no kisses, follow rules  staying 6 feet apart.  Here we are in our senior years, needing love and support but now in emotional pain as we are forced into isolation.  All of a sudden senior citizens became the subject of the news media.  Those of us in that upper age bracket began to get the message.  Our lives were in danger.  The new virus, COVID, became our primary health concern.  No longer were we to just die from 'old age' but now we were told COVID was our major life threatening illness.  Hospitals were soon overrun with COVID patients.  The death rate was alarming.  Mortuaries had difficulty making room for more bodies.  Suddenly we felt intense grief as our friends and loved ones died.  We worried about ourselves.  Would I now appear on the obituary page, as the next COVID victim?

In late April COVID hit home. Five of us residents, all housed in the same area, suddenly exhibited COVID symptoms. Included were my husband and myself.  Now that I know a little bit more about COVID, I realize how easily it spreads......nasal secretions and saliva drops.  Tiny, wet, common bodily fluids which all of us ooze all the time but the COVID virus has turned those tiny drops into killers!  Dick, being 90 years old, was especially hard hit.  First of all, I am so glad I decided to NOT send him to the hospital or else I would not have been with him during those precious last days.  Dick began to breathe heavily, open-mouthed, harsh sounds, proving the COVID had invaded his lungs. At that painful moment, all I wanted to do was to surround him with love.  Since the last bodily sense we experience is our 'hearing', I softly repeated again and again, "I love you, Dick, and I always will".  Then suddenly, there was no further intake of breath, no sound, just silence.  I kept repeating my love for him but I knew he was gone.

My symptoms with COVID continued.   Then 2 nights later I fell on the floor in the middle of the night, hit my face, cut my skin around my right eye, suffered a black eye for about 3 weeks, all because I had become confused and disoriented.  During those weeks, I brushed my hair and I discovered gobs of hair on my brush.  I experienced hair loss!  Fortunately, that lasted only a few weeks.  But during that month, I suffered mentally, emotionally and physically.

Now it is 2021.  On the morning of Thursday, January 21, I received the initial COVID vaccination.  The injection was painless and I felt relief that now I was on the way to becoming totally safe from more COVID.  But at 3:00 AM Friday morning I was awakened by shaking chills plus a hideous headache.  Staff checked on me.  Finally at 7:30 I was awakened and felt horrible.  Unable to walk to the dining room I stayed in my recliner chair all day, my arm and leg extremities aching, my head pounding.  Tylenol helped.  But as I sat there I realized I was experiencing a severe reaction to the vaccine, with symptoms similar to my bout with COVID.  Feelings of depression and helplessness engulfed me.  Staff was concerned, checking on me frequently.  These symptoms continued from early Friday morning until late Saturday night.  At times I felt I was dying.  BUT then Sunday morning I awoke in surprise.  I felt great!  No negative COVID symptoms.  The bad reaction to the vaccine had ended.

On February 18, I am scheduled for my second COVID vaccination injection.  No one can predict what I will experience.  But if I do have a severe reaction again, at least I am prepared.  Yes, the COVID story keeps going but let's all pray that our lives will return to normalcy soon.

"If My people...."

I am an 84 year old woman who believes in God.  I have had a strong Christian faith all my life but my faith strengthened when I was miraculously healed from CNS lymphoma.  I was suddenly diagnosed with brain cancer in 2010 and told I had seven weeks to live.  I am a living miracle which gives me proof Jesus is real.  I was 5 years old, in kindergarten, when WW II broke out.  Then the Korean War followed by Vietnam added to our country's unrest.  I was married having babies during the 60s when riots broke out, and I was a parent of teenagers when 'free love' became popular.  I have observed how church attendance grows, as happened the month after 9/11 and then suddenly dissipates.  God is our Creator, Provider and Redeemer who loves us.  When He speaks, I listen.  Do we all listen?

There is a Bible verse that rings in my ears.  II Chronicles 7: 14......."if My people who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  This verse is quoted many times these days as we witness the hatred that has exploded in our country.  In fact, both President Ronald Reagan and Vice President Mike Pence held the Reagan Bible open to II Chronicles 7:14 when each took their oath of office.

The lack of trust in our government, the twisting of truth, the passion to verbally destroy leaders in our capital, is horrible!  And here we are, tax paying citizens watching all this distrust before us and unable to do a thing.  Many of us refuse to even listen to the news reports they are so depressing.  Then I read and study II Chronicles 7:14 and I remember God is in control of everything. He wants me to "humble myself, pray, and seek His face and turn from my wicked ways".

In our culture being 'humble' is probably not on top of our list.  We feel it's important to have goals and accomplish those plans ourselves.  We don't need help. we tell ourselves, we have a good brain, hold a record of accomplishments and really believe we're 'pretty good'.  But God wants us to be humble, not boast, not tell everyone how great we are, because by being humble, we show love and respect and encouragement to our acquaintances.

God also wants us to pray.  I've read many books on prayer and what always impresses me is the word 'passion'.  When we pray passionately, we may cry, sing, shout, or laugh and let our hearts speak into those prayers.  When we pray, don't be bored and let our minds wander, questioning "Oh, what are we going to have for dinner tonight?" God listens to our serious prayers! God knows us inside and out and He knows if our prayers are genuine.

What does God mean when He says, "seek My face"?  I think He means look for Me, listen to Me, follow Me, feel My love, know Me, obey Me, because by doing that I become the person He wants me to be.   

God strongly wants me to turn from my 'wicked ways".  I could respond by saying,  "Me wicked? I haven't killed anyone, haven't robbed a bank.  So, I'm not wicked."  But when I think about it, have I hurt someone emotionally?  Have I pushed someone out of the way so I can be satisfied?  Have I twisted the truth so I look good?  By turning from my wicked ways I repent and admit I have been sinful.  'Sinful' is a difficult word these days.  But remember, ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden we, as a people, are not perfect.  We are all 'sinners'.

If I become humble, pray to God, seek God, and repent, God promises that He will hear my prayers  He will forgive me for all the stupid, thoughtless things I've done.  And, most importantly, He will "heal" my land, the United States of America.  What a promise!  What a statement!  I am one lowly, insignificant old woman in this great, wonderful, free country.  Yet my response to Almighty God will be one sincere, passionate, believing, trusting, obedient act.  Change starts with me.  May we all feel so committed.