Let me back up for a moment---the above statement was not meant to be a negative one, but rather it was just honesty leaking out! I just sent a text message to encourage my daughter, LaDawn, in Nashville, "Hope you are having a great day...or make it a great day." Wow! What a sermon to myself! I often preach to myself: I just don't take an offering. HA!
I could definitely describe the month of December as a kaleidoscope of love, joy, laughter, sadness, grief, mixed emotions and memories. Larry and I had so anticipated coming home to unwind and snuggle up in our home after a wonderful but challenge-filled year only to have our hopes and ideas altered by the homegoing of our dear sister-in-law, Connie Lundstrom, as well as several other funerals of close friends. It hurt deeply to see the Christmas joy beloved families (ours and others) long awaited marred by the untimely deaths of loved ones. Our precious comfort during this time was to know that we didn't lose them---they were just transferred to a new destination where there will be no more tears or pain. On the other hand, our hearts truly go out to those who are left behind to face the loneliness and the new "normal" their lives will assume.
Monday morning, January 2nd, Larry had a doctor appointment in Nashville to check his vocal chords and throat from his surgery. With a great deal of extended therapy, they think they can help him for which we are very thankful. We then boarded a plane, flew back home and took all the precious memories we had made back with us. I am sure we will reminisce about our special time together for years to come.
As we embark on this New Year, 2012, we are certain...as certain as the air we breathe...that we will face challenges but we are so thankful that we know God will walk with us each step of the way.
Someone predicted that 2012 will be a year of confusion. Frankly, I agree as it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that already there is mass confusion in the world, the economy, the church, etc. There is confusion concerning the future; it is clouded with uncertainty. BUT, friend, I have GOOD NEWS; we do not have to join the confusion! We can stand on God's Word and we can be rooted in confidence holding tightly to God and our faith that when test and trials whirl in and out, our foundation of who we are in Christ will carry us through, and we will be strengthened to face the future!
As I write this, I am sitting in the Park Nicolett Hospital/Clinic awaiting future tests to undergo as well as follow up on tests taken two weeks ago. I am believing God will give wisdom to the doctors to help me cross this "iffy" health bridge so I can feel better and continue to do what Larry and I love to do....evangelizing, touching lives and encouraging people. I would appreciate your prayers. Just one touch from God and all will be good!
"The more we depend on God the more dependable we find He is."
- Cliff Richard
- Dr. William R. Bright
1 pkg. lemon cake mix
½ cup salad oil
1 pkg. lemon instant pudding
1 cup water
4 eggs
1 T. poppy seed
Mix cake and pudding mixes together. Add remaining ingredients and beat together. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Placing a sheet in your shoes or sneakers overnight, will help to deodorize them and as a result they will smell much better in the AM.
- A sheet left inside suitcase luggage or travel baggage can prevent musty odors. Place a single sheet inside the empty luggage before storing.
- A sewing needle run through a sheet prior to sewing, can prevent the thread from tangling.
the way to Sisseton. We drove up the street, pulled into our driveway and to my surprise, (and to mock me) was a small two-foot snowbank. We just laughed! It was a welcome home greeting as if to say, "Fooled you...you actually thought you could come home to South Dakota and not see snow this time of year?" 
locked behind those walls that cover acres...hmmm..." Then they drove us by the Liberace mansion. If any of you are our age, you would remember him as the world known, flamboyant pianist who was as popular as the Beatles and was on television with his million dollar piano, lit candelabras and huge diamond rings on his fingers. With all this in my memory bank, I was shocked as we drove by his famous mansion. The mansion is weather-worn, and the awnings that look like keyboards were frayed and his famous black fence with his well known "L" initial on it looked forlorn. What at one time was a dazzling, lively mansion in the 60s and 70s - as it was always filled with music and people, servants, limos, etc.- now stands empty in a poor neighborhood. Again I was reminded, "It's not what you have on earth or what you possess here...because it will all pass away." At the last breath, all talent, creativity, knowledge is silent, and then...eternity. It's not the question of IF, it's WHERE it will be spent. 
for each was so apparent as she presented her message in such an uplifting and strengthening way through the Word and music. Gloria's wonderful instruction for altar workers and counselors on Sunday morning prior to their ministry was so right on and welcomed. 
better, and I wanted to get my strength back on my right side. Anyway, as I walked down the hall I passed a nurses station and my nurse and staff commented, "You are doing great! You are moving like you're in a marathon." I kept my pace and continued down one corridor, than another when out of an administrative office walked a stately dressed business executive. She saw me booking it down the hall and with concern asked, "Honey, where are you going?" I kept my stride, smiled and said, "I'm looking for Starbucks!" She raced towards me, tapped me on the shoulder, "Honey, let's get you back to your area." (No.1 ...I found out there is only one Starbucks coffee in the entire town of Bozeman, and it is in the Barnes & Noble bookstore. Since it was the first day of hunting season for elk, deer and bear, she probably thought I really had a problem and that maybe I was referring to a Star-buck animal!) Anyway, she gently grabbed me by the arm and said, "Honey, we're going to go back to where your room is." She gently took me by the arm and corralled me back to my corridor where she addressed my nurse and said, "She's out for a walk". And they laughed, "Yes, she's on a marathon walk!" Then the executive blushed and said, "You better put a walk-about button on her housecoat so they know that she's okay and has permission to be out." They all just laughed because what I didn't know at the moment was that in one wing of the hospital was an Alzheimer's unit and she probably thought I had escaped. Anyway, it was a funny moment!
lives in Minneapolis, has just been promoted and transferred to Nashville, TN, for Verizon Wireless. She and her daughter, Myanna, will leave October 1st. Her son, Dante', will continue to remain in the Minneapolis area as he attends a community college in Inver Grove Heights. The thought of her being so far away is very emotional for me, but we are on the road a lot and now she will be close to her two siblings, Donovan and LaShawn and her husband, Liam. They will all be in the same city. She has prayed and waited for this opening for years and God has shown her favor. She is excited but at the same time overwhelmed by the two week turnaround to pack, move, locate housing, secure schooling for Myanna and on and on the list goes. Please remember them in your prayers during this time of transition.
from us (oooh...that hurts). Anyway, I had Grandma Julie, who is almost 96, at our home for the afternoon. After dinner, we sat around the table. Larry had retreated to his office which just left us "girls" there. The joy of those precious moments engulfed me when I realized the four of us represented four generations....Mom (almost 96), myself (67), LaDawn (40) and Myanna (13). Mom was sharing about loving God, answers to prayer, and God's faithfulness. She challenged us, encouraged us and in turn, we laughed, listened and shed tears. It was one of those "lifetime" moments that we will cherish forever. It was so comforting to have the covering of my mother with us. The time around the table was a Deuteronomy 6 playback... "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" Deuteronomy 6:5-7.
