Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Granddaughters' Sayings

  
 
Recently I found a little book where I had listed some of the fun things Christine and Lauren shared with us when they were young.  This is a good place to store them.

Thanksgiving 1989
Christine: "Thankful for her friends and family."

Lauren: "Glad she got to spend the night with Pawpaw and GDad and bake cookies."

Miscellaneous Times
Christine: "PawPaw, aren't you glad you don't have any wild boys - just two girls."
Lauren: 'But you have a wild boy - Granddad!"

Lauren: "PawPaw, why don't you go to work for Granddad and let him stay with us."  (I think he let them do anything they wanted!)

Lauren: "I want some Cinnamon-Up." (For 7-Up).

After attending Christine's Open House at Kingsgate Pre-School, Lauren said: "Well, that surely was a mess!"

Lauren called cupcakes - pupcakes.  
She called the Bible and The New Testament the "Jesus Book".

Some other sayings from Lauren;
About tornado: "The tomato almost got us."
"When I get big, will I have spots on my face, like PawPaw?"
"PawPaw, do you want me to kiss you on your stripe (wrinkle)?"
"Granddad, you don't have any boys because you're a little bit bald-headed."
When PawPaw asked Lauren if she was going to be a college professor when she grew up, she said: "I am going to be a church kid."
Lauren likes PawPaw's smashed potatoes and bacon beans.

April 1990.  Lauren said she missed going to church at MW City 1st.  She missed Pastor Stewart, she liked to hear him pray.

Christine told God she didn't like to drive so far but she missed Sister Patty and Pastor Stewart.

August 1990.   Connie, Cathy, Lauren and Christine went to see Ron and Nedra at Turner Falls.  Christine woke up as we drove into the camp area and said: "Smell that delicious food."

April 1991.  Lauren asked her mother if she and Christine would have to take care of her when she was old.  Cathy said, "Yes."  Lauren asked if Daddy would be old too.  Cathy said, "Yes."  Lauren said the only "old boy" she knew was Granddad.

Sayings from Christine:
"And PawPaw is laughing at everything I say."

December 1992.  Lauren in church.  Granddad had said, "What you need to do spiritually, do right now."  Lauren looked at her mother and said, "I need to home right now."

Christine: "You and Granddad are the best grandmother and grandfather in the whole wide world."  Later that evening, "Everyone should have a grandmother."

And now that Christine and Lauren have finished college and are married, I wish I had listened closer and had written down more of the statements they shared with us.   Great memories!

Thursday, August 29, 2013

The Young Rancher Who Was Our Angel


The Young Rancher Who Was Our Angel

Larry was pastor of Cushing Church of the Nazarene in 1968.  Cathy was a teenager and the three of us drove to Okmulgee on weekday night to a revival at the church there.  As was the custom, we visited after the service and started back to Cushing around 11:00 pm.  The route from Okmulgee to Cushing was up Hwy 75 toward Tulsa, then cross the back roads west to Cushing.  We had driven about 10 miles (in the middle of nowhere) when the lights went out on our old VW.  Without light, etc., Larry wasn't able to determine the cause. 

 All three of us prayed that God would meet our need.  In a few minutes we saw a car approaching and prayed they would stop if it would be someone to help.   The car went on and we were saddened.  However, just a little farther, the driver turned around and came back to ask if we needed help. 

This was in the days before cell phones.  We told him if he would take us to the next little town of Beggs where  there was a pay phone booth we would call someone from Cushing to come get us.  We got to that little town and by this time it was after midnight.  The rancher said: "I can't leave you here with no one around.  I live alone and don't have anything else to do anyway.   He drove us the 56 miles to Cushing and wouldn't let us pay for gasoline or anything. 


We told the rancher that Larry had been thinking of walking to the house where we saw a light in the distance.  He said it was good that he didn't ... the people who lived there were not very cordial to people who stopped by at night.  We thanked God for protecting Larry from that ... and of course we certainly thanked Him for providing  us a ride to Cushing.   The next day a friend took  Larry back to get the VW.  The lesson we learned was that God took care of us.  We give Him the thanks!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Don't Paint That Railing


Proverbs 3:6 reads: "Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." I am not sure I followed that verse on Thursday, December 30th ... or just maybe our Heavenly Father wanted to teach me some new things. Nevertheless that day dawned as a beautiful warm, sunny day in Oklahoma City. Cathy was out of town and Larry and I were sitting with the "Granddogs!"
Cathy has four steep steps to her front door ... with a wrought iron railing on one side. The railing needed painting and it seemed a good day to do it. When Larry and I were about half through, I was standing on the second step and either slipped, lost my balance, or who knows, and took a hard fall ... I landed on my left leg. Larry was just a few feet away but it happened so quickly there was no way he could prevent my fall. When I tried to turn over, I knew I was in trouble. I just said, "Larry, get me a pillow to prop my head and call EMSA." I can personally say that the Warr Acres Fire Department personnel and EMSA EMTs are professional, compassionate and on that day they were very prompt! They also tried to help me think positively ... saying, "Well, maybe you just sprained it!" I am sure they knew that wasn't the case, but thought we will just let the doctors at Mercy ER give her the "good news!"

Fortunately God was with me (even if I hadn't asked Him if Larry and I should paint that railing). I didn't break an arm and I didn't hit my head. I began to count my blessings. First, Larry was right there to call 911. Then it was a warm sunny day - I wasn't in the rain, snow, or extreme weather. Mercy ER had one available place where they could immediately get me into one of their ER rooms. The Mercy ER doctor did a quick exam and said, "Yes, you have broken your leg!" Next came the X-Ray and they also were professional and compassionate. The next question ... "Do you have a preference for an Orthopedic Surgeon?" Well, no ... I had never had a broken bone before in all my 75 years!. God was once again looking out for me ... the surgeon on call was most capable. His news was .. "You have broken your femur in four places and will either need a rod from hip to knee or a metal plate and I won't know which until surgery." This had happened about noon and the surgeon really wanted to do the surgery that day but couldn't pull together a team. The surgery the next morning was successful ... and the surgeon assured me I would walk again, however I couldn't put weight on the left leg for eight weeks (because of osteoporosis) ... and it was a rod from hip to knee instead of a plate.

The EMSA EMTs had made the statement, "No good deed goes unpunished." There may be truth in that statement, but my philosophy is that we can learn from every one of life's situations ... and that is what I have chosen to do. One of the first things I learned is we can count our blessings in any situation. Here are some of the ones I began to enumerate: (1) A great support group of my family and many, many friends. (2) Mercy Hospital, Mercy Rehab, Doctors, Nurses, Physical and Occupational Therapists. (3) I did not break my arm or hit my head and I have good strength in my arms. I would need this for weeks to come. (4) My home was made wheelchair friendly with just a few modifications. (5) God has blessed me with trying to look on the positive side.

It has now been five weeks since my surgery ... the surgeon allowed me to begin 50% weight bearing on my left leg two weeks ago. The physical therapist told me I am ahead of the curve. Since it is a general rule that recovery is 85% therapy, I faithfully do my "at home" exercises every day. I know that I am the one who will determine my progress and I want to live up to the prediction of my Physical Therapist that "you will be walking without a cane by May 1st." And who knows, since he said I am ahead of the curve, it may be sooner than that!

Stormie Omartian once said, "Sometimes what seems like the darkest step we've ever been on comes just before the brightest light we've ever experienced." I have learned to appreciate the little blessings of life that I once took so much for granted. I never want to do that again. There is a quote from "Holiness Today" that reads, "Find joy in the little things today and make an effort to look for them." That's one of my new goals ... that I learned from "attempting to paint the railing!"

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Never Comes Down As Expected

Sandi Patty sings "God Is Walking Me Through" .... The words are: "Never comes down as expected, In sometimes mysterious ways, How my heavenly Father surrounds me, Goes before me, He is there in each moment unfolding every treacherous step I must take as He lights my day." ... The chorus reads: "God is walking me through and making me sing. He's turning my whole world around with the joy that He brings. He's breaking my fall, lifting me up, changing my heart's point of view. God is walking me through." Then the second verse reads: "Peace at the height of confusion, Calm in the worst of my fears .. not a victim to life's circumstances, all the wayward chances, there's a reason for each disappointment ... And a rainbow above every cloud. I will say out loud ... It's ever the same, the pleasure and pain in every life, but count mine as gain to walk in His light."

I remember this song from several years back. In fact, about 15 years ago ... when youngest granddaughter Lauren was 10, she sang this song in a talent presentation for the Southwest Oklahoma District Church of the Nazarene (the presentation was at the Anadarko Campground Assembly Hall).

Since then, Lauren and I have talked many times about how "life doesn't come down as expected ... sometimes it is in mysterious ways." I was reminded of that recently when I felt Larry and I needed a few days R & R so to speak. It didn't come down as expected ... like maybe a little trip, etc. Instead, Cathy and Christine needed someone to stay at their 46th Street home and watch Sadie and Libby (their dogs who think they are human) while they were out of town. Larry and I said we would be glad to do that. It was a refreshing time ... we got to enjoy cooking there, watching TV, and using their laptop to keep in touch electronically. Now that wasn't what I necessarily had in mind, but God had a good plan. We didn't have to drive far, we had a nice place to stay, we enjoyed it ... and it provided someone to be there for Sadie and Libby. And guess what, we get to do it again the week between Christmas and New Year's. God always knows just what we need ... In Isaiah 65:24 we read these words. "Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear."

Many times when life closes in or we are disappointed, I am reminded that God still has the plan for my life ... and the same God who has brought us this far will lead us the rest of the way home.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Down Memory Lane at Blackwell High School




Recently Larry and I had the privilege of going down memory lane with Cathy.

Larry accepted the invitation to be the pastor at the First Church of the Nazarene in Blackwell, Oklahoma and we moved there in July 1971. Cathy began her junior year of high school there in August 1971. It was a good fit for her last two years of high school. She was invited to be the high school choir/ensembles pianist/accompanist. As a new student that helped her integrate into the campus activities.

It seems Cathy's DNA was designed for her to be a teacher. When she was a little girl she would teach her dolls ... and if she and friends would play school, she would volunteer to be the teacher. So it was no surprise that in high school she still felt the pull to be a teacher; she just didn't know what she wanted to teach. In the 1970s Oklahoma English curriculum gave students the option of English for four years and the last semester of their senior year, they had a choice of either Literature, Journalism or Speech.

Cathy chose Speech and Mrs. Denton was the teacher. That class changed her life forever ... it was then she realized she wanted to teach Speech. She graduated from Blackwell High School in 1973, enrolled in Speech Communication at Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene University) where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977, and her Masters degree in Education in 1981. She was privileged to become involved in SNU's Adult Education Program and now has her Doctorate in Education and is a Professor and Director of the Organizational Leadership Program. It all started in a Blackwell High School classroom in 1971.

We were on our way to Wichita, Kansas on June 11th and had time to drive through Blackwell and down Memory Lane. A former classmate of Cathy's class happened to be at the school, admitted us to the building, and he and Cathy walked down Memory Lane through the halls and past various classrooms. Cathy wanted to see Mrs. Denton's former classroom (at the end of the East Hall). She said they have switched the desks some but basically it looked the same and is pictured above for documentation.

Larry and I also had the privilege to go down Memory Lane. We drove past the parsonage and the church. The church is still an inviting structure and makes a good impression for the Church of the Nazarene.






Saturday, June 5, 2010

Backyard - Work In Progress


We enjoy our backyard ... it isn't an elaborate showplace that would make the yard of the month in a gardening magazine. However it represents a lot of things to Larry and me. When we moved to Lakeshore in February 2005 the backyard was a disaster. Let's say we didn't buy the house because of the backyard. There was a broken patio and almost the entire area was barren (no grass). Fortunately the front yard had nice grass and the shrubs there gave good curb appeal.



The encouraging fact was we had plans for that backyard. First we had the patio replaced - that made a great difference. Then Larry began the process of fertilizing and giving lots of tender loving care to the grass. However, in the two back corners we weren't sure there would ever be grass there without major effort. The nice alternative woud be to develop two garden areas. Now, five years later, the photo above is one of those back corners. It's still a work in progress. Every season we add a few more shrubs and/or perennials.



Our backyard reminds me of life ... we had a plan for the yard ... and our Heavenly Father reminds us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has a plan for each of us. Now, I have to tell you that some of the things we planted throughout this five-year period haven't survived. Others struggled and had to be transplanted. And that is the way of life many times. Some of our endeavors don't materialize and we have to change plans. Other times God has helped us to change from conforming to our plans to realizing that His leadership gives us better direction. He reminds us in Proverbs 3:5-6 to "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do; everywhere you go; He's the one Who will keep you on track."



We still have to pull the weeds from our garden areas and make sure there is an ample water supply for them. That's the "work in progress." Just like I do better in life when I continue to seek God's guidance and not always rely on Connie's plans alone. Yes, I, too, am God's work in progress!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Mums In My Backyard Garden




Recently I was reminded there is potential in almost everything. A couple of years ago some exhibitors from OPMCA's trade show left several pots of mums (they had used for booth decorations) to be discarded. Candace McGinnis, Pam McSpadden and I (being the thrifty people we are) just couldn't see those mums tossed in the dumpster. We divided them among ourselves.

The ones I brought home brightened our patio for several weeks. Then when they had lost their luster, we planted them in our backyard garden. The next year we were so pleasantly surprised ... not only did the mums survive they flourished. So much so, that I think I would call them 'bushes' and not just plants. (Photo explains better than my words).

The illustration helped me to realize there is value in so many things and people that others no longer need and are ready to toss aside. Think about people who need love the most, but their disposition may make it difficult to always like their actions. I have asked our Heavenly Father to help me be more like the Master wherein whatever was said or done to Him, he didn't say a word. I have to admit that I don't always succeed at that endeavor when I have been misunderstood ... but I am still asking God to help me.

I want to be like my mums ... flourish and bloom wherever I am planted! Reminds me of what Bill Gothard said in a seminar years ago ... "Please be patient, God isn't finished with me yet!"