Ending a Chapter in Our Lives

Today was kind of a bittersweet day for our family. As many of you know, my sweet mother in law, a.k.a. "Nanny", passed away last August, and we have finally today finalized the sale of her home and "closed" the door on her earthly home forever.  That little house that served her so well for many years will now become the happy home of a new family, and new memories will be made there for a whole new generation of people.

Today my hubby and his brother met there at the house one last time, to wrap things up and make sure nothing was left that belonged to the family.

Recently my brother in law supervised the complete renovation of this little house, starting with the kitchen, and then throughout the whole interior and exterior of the house...new paint, floors, fixtures...which definitely increased the value as well as the functionality of the house.

The "brothers" were reminiscing about all of the family dinners we enjoyed right there in that very spot.

I was thrilled to see that Nanny's rosebush was blooming beautifully in the back yard.

She really loved her flowers and watching the birds...

She was so proud when she bought this "squirrel proof" bird feeder so the squirrels wouldn't hog all the bird seed.

Amazingly her poinsettia bush was in full bloom!

This building behind her house (see below) was actually the home where my husband and his little brother grew up from the time they were born.  Their family lived in an apartment upstairs, and his mother had a beauty salon in the downstairs, where she beautified many women in the community for many years!!  Later on they moved out of the apartment to another little house in the neighborhood...all a part of the family "enclave", which at the time included my husband's grandparents, two of his Aunts and Uncles, cousins, and then of course my in-laws and their two sons.  They all lived within the same block, so everyone took good care of each other.  Now all of these houses belong to strangers. It is strange that what was once a complete family neighborhood no longer has any trace of that family living there.  (For more about my husband's grandparents' home, click HERE)

My in-laws had this sweet little house built for their retirement home on property connected to the rest of the family compound.   It was the only empty lot, and had such lovely big shady oak trees. My in-laws enjoyed this little house together until "Granddaddy" passed away in 1995.  Then Nanny lived here alone until she was 90.

At one time one of the big oaks in front of the house blew over in a storm and landed on the carport of the house. My mother in law was alone in the house, in her bedroom, and didn't even know what had happened until neighbors came banging on her door to check and see if she was alright. Thankfully she was fine, but she had to get a new roof.

Here are some old pictures of family fun at this house...This was the last Easter Nanny actually lived in her house, back in 2013, and we had an Easter egg hunt with her youngest grandchildren.   Nanny was almost 90 in this picture.  Not too long after this Nanny came to live with us and my brother in law and family...back and forth between our homes for several years until she went into a nursing home in 2017, where she eventually passed away at the age of 95 last year.   

Here she is with the grandkids...they were so happy to find the golden eggs...

I think this was a special Easter basket for Nanny.  This is a good picture of how her kitchen looked before the renovation.

And this is a real oldie but goodie, Christmas in the living room of this house, back in the early 1980's.  This is my family with Nanny and Granddaddy, (and their dog Ringo in the background).

Another happy picture with Granddaddy, Ringo and our youngest son Scott. (who is 42 now).

So today, after we had the closing on the house, hubby and I headed back to our home. On the way we passed by the cemetery where his parents are buried, and paid a visit to "thank them" for the gift of their love and care for their family for so many years.

We realized today that we will not really have any reason to come back this way again, unless specifically to visit their grave.  It is about a 1& 1/2 hour drive from our present home, and when (and if) we ever move, it will be even further...so we probably won't make this trip again anytime soon. (Hopefully not anytime too soon...our own personal burial plots are also here next to my husband's parents...so now that I think about it, I guess we WILL come back SOMEDAY, but hopefully not for that reason for a LONG time!)

So, yes, it was a bittersweet day.  The closing of a chapter in our lives that has been very wonderful...one which we hate to see come to an end...but we look forward to whatever the next chapter may bring our way.  Life goes on...new generations spring up and make new memories together.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

1.  "To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven;

2. A time to be born,

and a time to die;

A time to plant,

and a time to pluck what is planted;

3.  A time to kill,

and time to heal;

A time to break down,

and a time to build up;

4.  A time to weep,

and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

and a time to dance;

5.  A time to cast away stones,

and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

6.  A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

7.  A time to tear,

and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

and a time to speak;

8.  A time to love,

 and a time to hate;

A time of war,

and a time of peace."

And now...on to the next chapter...whatever it may bring...we will trust the Lord!  Remember, "When God closes a door, He opens a window..."  

Friday Foto Friends

Good Morning Friday Foto Friends.  I've been a little slow this week it seems...just haven't had much energy for writing.  I am feeling better, and am very thankful for that. Hubby is still coughing, but I think he's also getting better.  I made it to choir practice tonight.(Writing this on Thursday night). We are practicing for our Easter Cantata, which will be performed on Easter Sunday morning.  I've missed some practice, so tonight was important to get back in the "groove".  Praying that my voice will hold out, as I do have a solo part, and I am still sounding a bit rusty.  Prayers would be appreciated!


Let's see, what pictures can I share with you from this past week?  Well, right now we are "grandpuppy sitting" for our two sweet little grandpuppies while our kids, a.k.a. "the Newlyweds" are taking a little mini-vacation.  The white pekingnese is an albino, and her name is "Sugar". The tan pekingnese is named "Spice".  They are both sweet little "sister" doggies, and we are having a good time.

 We looked at another house this week, with a "park-like" setting...and I again fell in love with it...

 This one wasn't on the water, but it had plenty of woods and pretty things to compensate...

Plenty of places for secret gardens and bird feeders and beautiful places to take walks...

Or sit and watch the birds and nature

But alas! Someone else also fell in love with it and was able to make an acceptable offer before we could.  And so another one bites the dust.  You may wonder why we are even looking if we can't make an offer yet...since we haven't sold our house...but we still want to look because good houses in our price range don't come available very often in this area, and when they do, there's always that hope that we could possibly make a "contingency offer" if the seller is willing to work with us.  Plus, we have hopes that ours will sell soon, and when it does, we won't have a lot of time to go searching...so at least this way we can rule out the not so good houses and get a better idea for where we would want to live.

So for now, the search goes on...and when the time is right, God will bring all the right pieces together to make it happen. It is a lesson in patience for me for sure...and I fear that I am not learning this lesson very well. 

I thought it was funny that these people had this "Frisch's Big Boy" in their house. Or do you remember him from Shoney's?  I know the "Big Boy" was pretty popular back in the 60's...Here's a link to the Wikipedia info on the Big Boy.  Seems like everyone knew the Big Boy Hamburgers from somewhere or other...

I also found it interesting that they had this "bear rug" in this house...which made me think that this house was meant for me...but again...not to be... not for me...

But one, actually two blessings have come about this week...we've had two different offers of a place to stay if our house should sell before we find another one to move to! Both totally unexpected and very gracious offers...so we give praise and thanks to God for we know He is watching over us and He does have a plan for our good.  We just have to be patient...

So back to my house and neighborhood...

Look who showed up in our yard this afternoon?

Yep, Mrs. Gobble Gobble doing the turkey wobble...

(She does look rather wobbly, doesn't she?)

And then, she just laid right down in the sand in our front yard and started rolling around in it... I think you call this "sand-bathing"...Maybe that's her way of picking off the fleas and ticks and mites...
Here is a LINK to some interesting information about turkey behavior that you just might want to know!

She didn't seem to be too embarrassed to bathe in front of our house...

Shortly after this she got up and literally flew away as my hubby went outside to take a walk.  She started up running and then lifted in the air and flew right down the road. I was sorry I couldn't get the camera to click fast enough to capture that. I was trying to keep the puppies in the house when hubby went out the door and I couldn't do everything at once.  (I'm getting old).

And last but not least, here are a couple of our local Swallow-tailed kites giving me the look over  as I was taking a walk the other morning. Yes, these are two different birds, in two different trees, but within sight of each other. I think they are mates.  Pretty neat, huh?

Okay, that's all folks. 

On a more serious note, Prayers are needed for some dear ones in our "family circle".  Our dear friend Sharon, who has been battling lung cancer for over a year, is having some setbacks and is losing her eyesight.  She is also making some serious decisions now regarding where she would like to spend her remaining days.  This will be a huge transition for her if she decides to go "home" to Minnesota where all of her family resides.  Up to now, her family has been taking turns coming here (to Florida) to care for her, and they have done a remarkable job. But I think she is wanting to be back "home" where she can be with all of them. Thank you for praying as plans are made to make this transition.

My oldest brother Russell is battling leukemia, and he will start a new series of treatments next week as the previous treatment has not been doing what they hoped it would do.  He is definitely in need of our prayers.  Thank you again.  These dear ones have been on my heart pretty heavy this past week especially, so that is probably why I just haven't had the energy to do much writing/reading. I know you understand that.

Here's some words of hope and encouragement and a "Plea for Help from the Sanctuary" 

found in God's Word:

Psalm 20

1.  "May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

2.  May He send you help from the sanctuary,

and strengthen you out of Zion;

3.  May He remember all your offerings,

and accept your burnt sacrifice.

4.  May He grant you according to your heart's desire,

and fulfill all your purpose.

5.  We will rejoice in your salvation,

and in the name of our God

we will set up our banners!

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

6.  Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;

He will answer him from His holy heaven

with the saving strength of His right hand.

7.  Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

8.  They have bowed down and fallen;

but we have risen and stand upright.

9.  Save, Lord!

May the King answer us when we call."

Even though King David was pleading for salvation in the time of battle against human enemies, we can also apply these same truths as we fight the enemies of our bodies and souls.

Praise God, Our God will answer us when we call!!

Hope you have a blessed Friday and weekend.

I will catch up with you later. We have to go out of town for most of the day Friday, so I won't be able to visit you until later.

Be sure to check out our other Friday Foto Friends who are gathering HERE at Deb's place at Breathing in Grace.

Sermon Notes: "Understanding God's Pain"

Our choir finally sang this song that I've been waiting to sing for a while...I was so thankful to be able to get back to church and be able to sing with them.  Sadly, hubby wasn't able to make it...now he has the same bug that I've had the past almost three weeks...sinus/cough/miserable...but we are thankful...it could always be worse.

Anyway, here is the song...I hope you will listen and sing along...and especially pay attention to the words.  This song is so full of hope and comfort and encouragement.

I just know someone who is reading this needs to hear this message today:

When you pass through the water,

When you walk through the fire,

When the rivers overflow

I will be with you

When you walk through the desert,

When you're caught in the storm

When you lose your way

I will be with you

When  you can't find the answer 

When you're filled with despair

When you stumble and fall

I will be with you

When you're tired of the struggle

When you're weak from the pain

Lean on Me, 

I will be with you

For I have called you by name

You've heard the echo of my voice, 

Whisper I love you

You are mine

For you are precious in My sight

And I will guide you through the night

When you walk

Walk by faith

And I will be with you

In your joy

And in your pain

If you call out My name 

I will be with you

When you walk through the valley of the shadow of death

Have no fear

I will be with you

For I have called you by name

You've heard the echo of My voice

whisper I love you

You are Mine

And you are precious in My sight

And I will guide you through the night

Through the storm

Through the rain

Through the joy

Through the  pain

When you walk

Walk by faith

And I will be with you

I will be with you

I will be with you

I will be with you

I will be with you

I will be with you

I will be with you

Now to the sermon notes...equally comforting and encouraging!  

Our scripture reference is from Luke 9:28-36, also known as The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ

The Pastor started his message out talking about the parents of the children at Sandy Hook Elementary School...what a horrible tragic day that was...and what terrible pain those parents have suffered over the loss of those precious, innocent little ones...
And then he went on to talk about the parents of children with terminal illnesses...and how they watch their children suffer and eventually die and they feel so helpless to do anything about it...they tried everything humanly possible...the best doctors, hospitals, medicines, and yet the disease still took over and claimed their lives...
How do we respond to such sorrow and tragedy in our lives?
Do we get angry and blame God?
But now, let us look at the pain of Jesus our Savior...on Good Friday...He was beaten and forced to carry His own cross, then he was literally nailed to that cross and left there to suffer and die...and God, His Father, had to turn His back on Him and allow Him to die there...His Only Begotten Son, Whom He loved and cherished...

Why did Jesus have to suffer such agony?  Why did God allow Him to go through this...Jesus could have called the angels of heaven to rescue Him, but He didn't...why?

Why?  Because He loves us so much that He came to suffer and die for us, we who are sinners...we who deserved to die...He did not deserve to die...but He willingly went to the cross to die for our sins.
The God of the Universe, God Almighty, through His Son, Jesus Christ, came to suffer with us and for us.  He did this so that we would know that we are not alone...He is with us...He has suffered for us...God loves us enough to send His So to die for us to demonstrate His love for us...to give us hope...to give us love for one another...

Peter, James and John witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ up on the mountain, and saw Moses and Elijah there with Jesus.  They had a ringside seat viewing into the Kingdom of God.  If you look back at verse 27, Jesus had just told them  not long before this event that there would be "some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."  
They were so astounded at the glory of what they were witnessing...and Peter was so overcome by this sight that he couldn't contain his joy...He wanted to make three tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah, (see verse 33) so that they could stay there forever...?
But in verse 34-35, God speaks to Peter, James and John and tells them clearly,

"This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him."  (or listen to Him!)

Think about what Jesus was facing as He came down from that mountain...it would not be much longer before He would be betrayed and crucified.  People who die on a cross die of suffocation...it is a gruesome, painful death.  What if Jesus had chosen not to go through with that? Would His holiness have allowed Him to walk away from that?

No, God could not passively sit back and allow us to remain in our sins. He knew the only answer was for His Son to die in our place. He had to rescue us so that we could have eternal life.

Why? Why would the God of the Universe allow His Holy and Spotless Son to die for sinful man?

Because He loves us.  

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

Does this give you faith in the God Who loves you?

Does this cause you to love God back?

This same God Who loved us then still loves us today. He is not sitting up in heaven watching us suffer.  He is here with us, and has promised to always be with us. 

Now,

Back to the song above...if you read in Isaiah 43:2-4, you will see God's message for His beloved children:

2."When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,

Nor shall the flame scorch you.

3.  For I Am the Lord your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior...

4.  Since you were precious in My sight, 

You have been honored,

And I have loved you..."

Then also look at Psalm 23:4

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

In Jesus' own words in Matthew 28:20, He tells His disciples:

"...and lo, I am with you always, 

even to the end of the age." Amen.

We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful Savior...who suffered such pain and sorrow so that we could be with Him one day forever!!

Sermon Notes: FUMC, Interlachen, FL, Pastor A.C. Myers, 4/7/2019

Please Note : I want to repeat this disclaimer here...the notes, outline, and content included here are based upon my own personal understanding of the message that was being given. I am not attempting to completely quote or reproduce this message or any other message I've shared previously. Just as each person reading these notes may glean insights and thoughts that seem to directly apply to one's own situation and interpretation, my own delivery of these messages is skewed by my hearing and translation of what is being said. Some may read my notes here and wonder if they were hearing the same message as I...and I say, God speaks to each of us as He wills...there are things He is trying to get across to each individual that may be entirely different than what the person sitting next to you in the pew is needing to hear... That is how the Holy Spirit works! He knows what we need to hear and how to apply it to our hearts. So it is with that understanding that I present these sermon notes to you.

Sunday Morning Meditation

Isaiah 43:15-19

15.  "I am the Lord, your Holy One,

The Creator of Israel, your King.

16.  Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea,

and a path through the mighty waters,

17.  Who brings forth the chariot and horse,

The army and the power 

(They shall lie down together,

they shall not rise;

They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):

18.  Do not remember the former things,

nor consider the things of old.

19.  Behold, I will do a new thing.

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert."

Have a blessed Sunday!

Friday Foto Friends...Just Swinging In To Say Hello

   Thought I'd just swing in to say hello to my Friday Foto Friends!

 By Robert Louis Stevenson

(I have had this book since my early childhood. It is a real antique treasure !)

Here is why my face was so happy as I was swinging under that big old oak tree...Isn't this a beautiful sight?

"Up in the air and over the wall, 'till I can see so wide...

 Rivers and trees and cattle and all...

Over the countryside..."

I will only mention to you that when you ask me what kind of place are you looking for when you sell your house and move...Well...you see what I am looking for in these pictures above! It's not about the house as much as it is about the location. 

No, we haven't sold our house yet (but we are still praying...)  and No, we haven't bought another house yet...(but we are still praying...)  and if we were able to do so today, I think I would have signed on the dotted line.  Yes, it is available...yes, it is beautiful...oh, you wanted to know what the house is like?  Well, let's just say that we would definitely have to downsize a bit, and the road to get to this place is definitely "scenic"

And there might be some very interesting "neigh"bors along the way...(or maybe I should say, Hee-Haw!)

But I won't show any pictures of the house unless we actually are able to purchase it...which won't be happening anytime soon unless a miracle takes place pretty quickly before someone else snaps up this gem in the wild!

So we will just leave it at that for now.  There are many hoops to jump through before we can make an offer on any house...mainly a solid contract on our house first...but we can still dream and enjoy the scenery along the way...

And keep a "Happy Thought", as Robert Louis Stevenson did:

"The world is so full of a number of things,

I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."

And yes, we are waiting on the Lord to show us His plan...which might  WILL even be better than anything we could have imagined, so it is best to wait on Him.

Portions of Psalm 16

5.  "O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You maintain my lot.

6.  The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

7.  I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;

My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8.  I have set the Lord always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

11.  You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Thank You, Lord, for giving us wisdom and guidance in this process. We will continue to trust in You.

Amen.

Okay, friends, let us go over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and visit with our other Friday Foto Friends !  Hope you have a blessed and beautiful day, filled with happy thoughts!

Julie Andrews and I Have Something in Common

I am just amazed tonight. I have learned something I never knew before!!!

Did you know that Julie Andrews said "When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window" in the movie "The Sound of Music"?

I've been sitting here listening to clips from the movie and also watching the Oprah program of the 45th Reunion of the cast of the Sound of Music, and this was mentioned...and I had to go find it!

I hope this works:  (clip to where "Maria" says this in the movie)
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/bba3fe46-866d-424c-87b9-26f5528c3acd

I got started on this search tonight as I posted something on Facebook:

My Favorite Things
Julie Andrews
Raindrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells
And schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver-white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

(I'm working backwards here...)

I had gone outside for a few minutes to walk around the yard, and I discovered these:

 Raindrops on roses....and I started singing the song "These are a few of my favorite things..."

And one thing led to another, and pretty soon I was trapped at my computer with the Von Trapp Family singing all of the songs and enjoying the memories each song invoked.  I remember going to see this movie in our cinema theater, back when theaters were just getting that cinematic surround screen and sound, and I was so taken by this movie that I've never ever forgotten it. I used to pretend I was Julie Andrews (Maria) when I was in the shower, singing "The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Music"...and I remember one time when I came out of the bathroom from my songfest, my parents were sitting in the living room looking at me so strangely, and my mother actually said, "I didn't know you could sing like that! Maybe we should get you some singing lessons!"  Now, I'm not sure if that was a compliment or not! LOL.  But, unfortunately, I never got the singing (voice) lessons at that time when I was young and teachable, although I did take a few lessons later after I was married...but I never reached the Julie Andrews level by any stretch of the imagination...and now my voice has fallen into the bucket so to speak, "how low can you go?"...(Actually, Julie Andrews has the same problem, but sadly because of surgery on her vocal chords that pretty much destroyed the beautiful voice she once had...although she says she can still sing in the lower range).

Anyway, I digress...I just mentioned this on Facebook, that I didn't know this quote came from this movie, and one of my good friends said she thought that was where I got the title for my blog, "Closed Doors, Open Windows".    No, I never made that connection...but here are some links to the real story of the beginning of my blog and why I chose this title:
https://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/2010/02/closed-doors-open-windows-beginning.html

https://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/2011/05/another-closed-door-or-open-window.html

So I wanted to share this with you tonight because it was exciting to me that after all these years I learned something about this "connection" with Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music that I never knew before.  Now I want to go watch the whole movie over again...I know we still have a video tape of the movie...but does our VCR still work? Mmmm, not so sure.  I'll have to wait until one of the younger members of our household is here to set it up for me...or maybe we can just get it on Netflix or one of those other movie programs that we subscribe to that we never use...

What is your favorite song from the movie The Sound of Music?  I know that every now and then any one of those songs pops up in my brain and I just have to sing it...what about you? I'll bet I'm not alone in this!! 

Well, "So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, I hate to go and leave this pretty sight..."