I Had The Wrong Rose...But God Knew

Remember this post on Friday Foto Friends day? (Click HERE)  Well, I had the wrong rose. But God knew all along...

God provided another, even more beautiful rose that started to open up yesterday morning...

And as the day progressed, so did my mother-in-law's progression into peaceful sleep...

 So I brought the rose inside, because I didn't want the bright sun to burn it like the other one, and also because it appeared that this was truly going to be "Nanny's Rose"...

"Nanny" (Vivian) with her sons Johnny and Billy
The inset picture was Nanny holding baby Johnny.

Today, the rose fully opened...(as the other original rose from last week wilted away in the background), and as the day progressed, the rose bloomed, and Nanny left this earth for her heavenly home...

And now the "Martin Sisters" are all reunited once again...Here they sat together many years ago in front of some lovely roses that were painted by Aunt Dorothy...

Sisters Dorothy, Daisy Pearl, Nellie Mae, and Vivian

And my mother in law and father in law are rejoicing to see each other after so many years...

And the great "cloud of witnesses" are all celebrating Vivian Ruth Martin Steiner's entrance into heaven.

And just perhaps she is being escorted by our son Matthew to her new "log cabin" mansion in the sky...You see, our son Matthew had always promised Nanny that he would build her a log cabin someday...and he drew this one for her many years ago. She often mentioned that Matthew was going to build her a log cabin someday...but Matthew preceded her to heaven about four years ago.  The past few days when she would be so fidgety and somewhat agitated in her declining state, I reminded her that Matthew was probably working really hard on her log cabin to get it ready for her...and on her last day of being able to communicate with us, that brought a big smile to her face.  When it seemed as though she was delaying her departure from this earth, taking a long, slow journey to her final destination, I kept thinking that Matthew was probably still hammering in the final touches to her log cabin, and when it was finally finished, she would be headed "home".

Log Cabin drawn by Matthew E. Steiner for his Nanny many years ago

Matthew with his Granddaddy Steiner, 25 years ago...Granddaddy was giving Matthew some grandfatherly advice just prior to Matthew's wedding.  Now they are part of the welcoming committee in heaven for "Nanny Steiner".

You may ask where I ever got such a crazy idea as anyone receiving a "log cabin" or "mansion" in heaven?...Well, I may be stretching the idea a bit, but here is what Jesus told His disciples before He left this world for heaven:

John 14:1-6

1."Let not your heart be troubled;

You believe in God, believe also in Me.

2.  In My Father's house are many mansions;

if it were not so, I would have told you.

I go to prepare a place for you.

3.  And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again and receive you to Myself;

that where I am, there you may be also.

4.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."

5.  Thomas said to Him,

"Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"

6.  Jesus said to him,

"I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through Me."

So, yes, Jesus said that He would prepare a place for us...and perhaps He enlists the aid of some of the saints who are already there to help prepare those "mansions" in glory? Who knows? I believe we will have many pleasant surprises awaiting us in heaven.  Maybe even a "log cabin", built with love from Jesus and those who love us...anything is possible!  Whatever it is, it will be more lovely than anything we can even begin to imagine here on earth...

And so we comfort ourselves with the thoughts that "Nanny" is now being introduced around heaven by Jesus Himself...and she is rejoicing in all the beauty and glory that is now her heavenly home...something even far greater than a log cabin, I am sure...and someday, when our time here on earth is done, we too, will be welcomed into heaven and "Nanny" will be there cheering us on with all the great "cloud of witnesses" as we enter the gate.   

Hebrews 12:1-2

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded 

by so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us lay aside every weight, 

and the sin which so easily ensnares us, 

and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,

Who for the joy that was set before Him 

endured the cross, 

despising the shame,

and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Amen.

Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers for our family during this time. You have all been such a blessing to us.  

"Be Silent, All Flesh, Before the Lord"...A Sunday Meditation

"Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord,

for He is aroused from His holy habitation."

Zechariah 2:13

"Behold the proud,

His soul is not upright in him;

But the just shall live by his faith."

Habakkuk 2:4

 "But the Lord is in His holy temple.

Let all the earth keep silence before Him."

Habakkuk 2:20

This was the scene I stumbled across early this morning as I took a quick walk before breakfast.

This doe was resting in the tall grass inside the fenced lot of an empty vacation home. She awakened and stood up, and suddenly all these other deer stood up in the lot and gathered together. I had no idea they were all there until then. It was quite a scene.  

When she stood up, she gave me quite the look and stuck her tongue out at me as if to say, 

"Why did you wake us all up?  Now we'll have to get up and move from our peaceful resting place."

I tried to reassure her that I meant no harm, but nevertheless, she gathered up the family and they moved on to quieter spaces where nosy people wouldn't disturb them.

Even though I know I disturbed them, it was a blessing to me to see them this morning.

As many of you know, we have had quite the week, and it's not over yet...but this was a welcome respite from the deluge...it helped me to silence my mind and prepare my heart for worship today at church, which was exactly what we needed. It was so wonderful to be embraced in the loving fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ and to know that we are not alone in our journey. Of course, we already knew that...so many people are praying and have expressed their love and concern...but to have hugs and prayers and words of comfort face to face was indeed comforting.

Like these deer, we are stronger together.

Thank you all for your prayers and expressions of love this past week. Today we are waiting for the final call regarding my mother in law. We know it is just a matter of time, and probably not very much time right now. But we know where she is going, and we are comforted.

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer's feet,

and He will make me walk on my high hills."

Habakkuk 3:18-19

Final view of the deer as each one eventually leaped over the fence and headed for the safety of the deeper woods.

Friday Foto Friends...Seasons of Life

Written on Thursday evening...for Friday Foto Friends.

Hello! Life has been rather crazy here this week, as most of you already know.  My  95 year old mother in law, "Nanny",  is still among the living, but barely. Every morning we expect a call from the nursing home telling us she passed in the night...but so far she is hanging on and we make the hour's drive in every day to see her and tell her we love her and try to soothe and comfort her when she is having extreme agitation.  Thankfully the meds they give help, but there are moments when they don't...so we sing hymns, hold her hands and talk softly to her and soon she calms down and drifts back to sleep.  We can't stay all day, so we tiptoe out after she falls asleep and go on about our business and wait for the call.  This has been our routine all week.  She is a strong woman, and for whatever reason, her time to let go just hasn't happened yet.  In God's perfect timing she will make the transition from this life to the next...and not a moment sooner.

I have been watching this rose develop, bud and bloom on my Don Juan Rose bush this past week. I had said to myself last week when I saw it beginning to form that it would be "Nanny's Rose", and that when it fully bloomed, she would probably be in heaven.  That was what came to my mind, because I've noticed that these roses in our memorial garden  seem to  bloom especially for special people on special days.  (click on the links for examples)  This is another example.

But the rose blossomed, and because of the extreme heat and dryness this week, it started to die very quickly...

And so I cut it and brought it inside and put it in water to see if it would revive, but as you can see, the sun damage was pretty severe.

And God said to me, "Who do you think you are, to be able to say on this day or that day so and so will happen? You are not Me, and you do not know the plans that I have for you or for "Nanny"...so please just rest in Me, and let Me show you what is best."

And so we wait, and I feel somewhat admonished...and yet comforted that God has shown me again that He is truly in control in all things...His timing is always perfect, and it is not up to me to know the times or the seasons  (even Jesus told His disciples this in Acts 1:7, just before the day of Pentecost)

"It  is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority."

But it is up to me to trust Him, and go about doing whatever needs to be done...and leave these important issues and moments in the lives of our loved ones up to Him...and to just be patient and wait on Him.

Same thing with my brother...he has been in ICU all week after a serious complication to his Acute Leukemia happened. He is battling a severe fungal lung infection, and has been on a respirator and under sedation since Monday. But each day is showing new signs of improvement, and they are hoping to take him off of the respirator possibly tonight or tomorrow.  I know many of you are Facebook friends and you have already been watching the progress all week and praying...and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  You are such a blessing to me. The prayer support means so much.

I had to submit some DNA samples this week, to be tested for a possible match in the event that he should need a bone marrow transplant.  My other two siblings also are being tested. We hope and pray that he won't need to have this done, but we are ready to do our part if it should come to that.

I will try to keep you posted throughout these next days regarding the state of things here, but if you don't hear from me often, just keep praying. I am sorry I haven't been able to get around and visit you all like I'd like. I try to take a peek now and then, but with the daily journey to and from the nursing home and trying to keep up with "life in general", some things have to be set aside. You all understand that.  

Here are a few more pictures I've managed to snap as we've taken a our early morning or evening walks. That is a time of relaxation and regrouping our thoughts as hubby and I walk together.  Very therapeutic...and I thank the Lord for those times.

 Evening Sun reflected on the neighborhood pond.  The golden glow of the sun tells me that summer is fleeting and fall is on its way...

 That same spiderweb a day later (See A Fragile Thread) 

 This Milkweed Plant popped up again in the same place since last year...just waiting for it to bloom...

Coral bean plant...now you see why it is named the coral bean plant! Those red "bean" seeds are poisonous...but the flower in the spring was beautiful:

Then: (spring)

NOW: (late summer)

Neighborhood Deer...I sometimes think he's a pet...he just hangs around...

I believe he is a yearling who is now on his own as the parent deer have a new family to raise...

I know you probably can't see what I see in this picture of the little pine tree, but one morning it was all sparkly with the dew and the sun shining through, and I told hubby that it reminded me of a little Christmas tree, all decked out with lights and icicles...and for some reason that thought made me happy and gave me hope...

Life goes on...the seasons of life come and go...Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter...

One more thing...

Remember this pillow?

Yes, that is the pillow I made for my husband's cousin Janice last summer for her birthday.

It came back to me this week. One year later, Janice is in heaven, and her immediate family returned it back to me.  I made this especially for Janice from the vintage embroidery that I found among her grandmother's things when we  cleaned out Nanny's house. Janice always had poodles, and so this just seemed to be meant for her.  

Now it is in our guest room, which has reminders of my hubby's grandmother, his mother, and now his cousin.

These familiar words of King Solomon seem to fit here:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11

"To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven;

A time to be born,

and a time to die;

A time to plant, 

And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill,

and a time to heal;

A time to break down,

and a time to build up;

A time to weep,

and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

A time to cast a way stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain,

and a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

and a time to speak;

A time to love,

and a time to hate;

A time of war,

and a time of peace."

11.  "He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Also He has put eternity in their hearts,

except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."

Thank you for "bearing" with me 

on this little seasonal journey today...I hope this wasn't too depressing of a post...if it was, let me end with a happy picture:

Yes, that is "yours truly", riding on my retirement tractor! Yes, that is the same little pool that the bear is drinking out of above...

Okay, I'm calling it a night...you will see this in the morning, Lord willing...

Now let us drive our little tractor over  to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and see what our other Friday Foto Friends have plowed up for us to enjoy!  Have a blessed day...and hug your loved ones and tell them you love them!!!

Life's Fragile Thread - Updated.

Good Monday Morning everyone!  It's a wonderful day to be alive! (My apologies to the working world out there...I realize that Mondays aren't a big favorite, but when you are retired, every day is a great day!)

I am thinking today about "life's fragile thread"...

Saw these fragile, but strong threads of this Golden Silk Orb Spider web on our walk this morning...

My apologies also that I have not not posted a "Sermon Notes" post in the past couple of weeks. We were traveling last Sunday (more about that trip in a minute) and unable to attend church, and then yesterday we went to visit my mother in law at the nursing home because she had fallen late Friday night and no one was able to go visit her on Saturday due to being at a memorial service for our dear cousin Janice, (click Here for more about her story) and we really felt we needed to go check on her. So glad we did. Thankfully she did not injure herself when she fell, but apparently her body and mind have slipped back to where she was a couple of weeks ago, and she's back in bed.  We realize that when one is 95 years old, every day is a gift, and we just have to take it one day at a time.

If you have followed any of my last posts, you are well aware that we traveled a week ago out of state for a family reunion.  On our way to North Carolina for the gathering, we traveled by way of Atlanta, Georgia, so we could visit my oldest brother Russell in the hospital.  Just prior to our planned reunion, my brother was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and he was admitted to the hospital posthaste to begin intensive chemotherapy and to stay for at least four-five weeks in "isolation".  This was quite disturbing news for him and for all of us in itself, and there was no way that he could even wait one more week so that he could be with the family for the reunion. There was some discussion about postponing the reunion until he could participate, but he did not want us to change our plans.

And so we traveled to Atlanta...

And I must say that for this country girl, the experience of traveling through Atlanta on a busy Friday afternoon was not one that I would want to do again anytime soon. So thankful for my hubby's careful and expert driving...but that's another whole story.

We arrived safely, and my brother and his wife were very happy to see us.  Thankfully, we were allowed to visit with them as long as we donned sterile gowns and shoe coverings.  I was surprised that we didn't have to wear masks and gloves too...

 My brother and his wife Anne

My brother and me

The rest of our crew...#1 Son, his beloved bride, and my sweet hubby, the expert driver.

The good news is that my brother may get to go home next week, as it appears his bone marrow is beginning to create new cells again. However, he will be actively continuing as an outpatient for some time. Please continue to pray for him if you will, as he still has a long way to go, but we are thankful for the encouraging news this week.  In the meantime, my other siblings and myself must each submit a "DNA" sample to be tested for a possible Bone Marrow match in case our brother should need it...

The beautiful skies as we left Atlanta and headed toward North Carolina to continue our journey.

Again, this story reminds us of the fragility of life...how quickly things can change.  For our cousin Janice...she went into the hospital for very serious heart surgery, and never regained consciousness. She thought she'd be back home in a week...

For my brother,  This is what he was doing before the diagnosis of leukemia...building a boat! Yes, literally building this boat from bow to stern...

And we are praying he will soon be able to get back to work on it and soon be able to sail away on a happy cruise...

And even for my 95-year old MIL, one day she was celebrating her birthday with family and friends,

and that very day she had a little "spell" that sent her to bed, and it has been up and down, but mostly "down" every since...

Our lives are held by a very fragile thread...

One minute we can be enjoying our lives to the fullest...full of plans for our future, dreams of the rivers we will cross and the mountains we will climb...and then something happens to snap us back to the reality of the fact that our life here is a gift from God...every single moment of life is a gift...

I guess that could be said no matter how old we are...every day is a gift...and we should treasure it as such and live each day as if it could be our last. No one is guaranteed 95 years or even 75 years. (or even 20 years).  So make each day count for good...love Jesus, love your neighbors, and give God the glory for all that He has done for you.

"Come now, you who say,

"Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell,

and make a profit"'

whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.

for what is your life?

It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

Instead you ought to say,

"If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."

James 4:13-15

This Psalm just popped into my head as I have been trying to think of how to bring this post to a positive ending as we ponder how we should live in light of this "fragile thread" of life:

Psalm 100:1-5

"Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is he who has made us,

and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

and into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name,

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

and His truth endures to all generations."

Amen!

This should speak for itself.

Postscript just as I was ready to hit "publish" on this post: Just got a call from the nursing home where my MIL is. They believe we need to come see her today as she seems to be showing signs of preparing for her departure from this life...

so I will let you know later...

Thank you for your prayers.

2nd Postscript:  Little did I know when I wrote this this morning that not only would my mother in law be seriously knocking on heaven's door, but my brother would also be in ICU by this afternoon in very serious condition...after being in such good spirits yesterday and looking forward to going home. Again, "Life is fragile...handle with prayer."  Thank you again for all your prayers and comments today. They truly mean a lot to me.

Friday Foto Friends-The Mursch Family Gathering Saga continues...

Our family trip/gathering last weekend was all about people...people we love and cherish...memories being made and much laughter and conversation.  I debated on whether or not to share pictures of the people today, or pictures of the things I saw and the places we stayed.  It is amazing how much was packed into this very short weekend trip.

So, after cogitating on it, I decided to share pictures today of things I saw that made an impression on me. I will share family pictures another time. (Well, maybe a few pictures of family will jump in here or there...)

My cousin Becky was right...I will have enough photos to keep the Friday Foto Friends going for a while...even though I already posted pictures this week from some other parts of our trip...I'd rather try to get them all out sooner rather than later so they are fresh on my mind as to who and what they are!

All that being said, let us start out with a classic "Closed Doors, Open Windows" montage:

This is my niece's new home and carriage house garage in North Carolina...and we were all gathered to celebrate this new home with our extended family. There's a story to this...and I will briefly share as we go...

Looking out the front door of this house you see woods and beautiful grounds.  You already saw pictures of the woods and creek that runs along the back side of the property HERE.  

This property was a part of a much larger parcel/farm dating back to the 1700's that belonged to a family of elderly unmarried siblings who sort of "adopted" my brother and his family since they did not have any children of their own.

As the years went by, my brother and his wife and two daughters truly loved these old folks and cared for them as if they were their own family.  One by one, the three old folks became more and more debilitated and needed much care, which they lovingly provided.

When the final member of the family passed on, the farmhouse and most of its land was willed to the members of my brother's family.  One niece built this new home on her parcel of land...

And these next few pictures are just some of the special things I saw and wanted to share with you:

Needlepoint done by the sister in the family of the three siblings of the original property...and she was crippled by polio all of her life.  She did some amazing needlepoint pictures, some are in this home, and many are in the original farmhouse...(but more about that home in a later post)

 Another of her creations:

I love this sign in the powder room:

This plate is the same pattern that my mother had in our home growing up.  My niece actually found this at an antique store, and bought it for her home.   And thus, there was a blending of the old and new throughout this house, with many things from the family that owned the land originally, and also many reminders of the heritage of our own family

The old clock on the shelf belonged to my parents, and sat on their mantel for all of the years of my life growing up in our home.   It now counts the minutes of every day in a new home for a new generation of our family...

These are my parents, celebrating their 50th anniversary many years ago...

 This Carriage House garage was built from the same plans that my father had built his Carriage House garage from many years ago...and so we gathered together to celebrate the continuation of this same building for another generation and many to come...

 "Todd's Garage"...my niece's husband...

 
And Todd's 1950 Chevy Truck...

I was impressed by this since it is the same age as I am...

Pretty cool, huh?

Here is the outside of the garage...(with the doors open)

My niece and her hubby had a great idea to bless this special garage.

They asked each of us to write something with permanent markers on the inside walls, which will eventually be covered with some kind of interior wallboards, but the blessings will be sealed inside this building for life...and so we all took turns writing our blessings...what a wonderful idea!

Here are a few:

"Grandpa Mursch is here in spirit"

Here is an old picture of my dad, holding a photograph of his sweetheart, my mother, back before they were married:

Here are a few unposed pictures of our family enjoying being together...playing horseshoes...

gathered around the table on the back porch...

This one is my favorite: conversations going on around the dining room...

And random shots of family members writing on the walls, blessing this special place with peace and love:

 This is a good place to stop for this day.

But stay tuned for more on this saga of the Mursch Family Gathering

and the history of where we were...

 Now let us travel over to Deb's Place at Breathing in Grace and see what our other Friday Foto Friends have been up to!

Have a blessed and happy day!!!  Just a few more "blessings and thoughts":

Profound wisdom from a 12 year old

"Keep it simple and real"