Susan's Life After Homeschooling - Homeschool Blogger

Missing Marie

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 07:44:00 -0500

I was out picking some raspberries this morning and was missing Marie. Then I realized I never posted her eulogy... so to honor Marie, here it is... We held a memorial service at the church and then a week later, buried her. The children gathered wildflowers for her. She would have loved that!!

It was March of 1979. I had just strapped two toddlers and a new baby into the car to head for the grocery store. When I stopped at the end of the drive, I noticed a woman walking towards me. I rolled down the window to greet her. Marie had just moved in to the Gables boarding home next door. I was being neighborly, but she was about to change our lives forever.

Marie was born in Sheridan, Maine on June 7, 1919. She would have been 90 in three days. A sister, born before Marie, had died at age three. She had five older brothers, making her the baby of the family. “My mother never wanted me,” she would often recall with deep sadness. Marie was institutionalized as a child and spent the rest of her life moving from one institution to another.

Memories of her short time with her family haunted her all her life. She could never forget the abuse and lack of love. It even made her suicidal at times. More than once we had to stop her from walking down the road because she wanted to jump off a bridge. We knew her for 30 years and in all that time no relative ever contacted her. The only people in her life were people who were paid to care for her… until that day in March of 1979.

She started coming for visits. Then, she asked if there were things she could do for me. She loved it when I left dishes to be washed, clothes to be folded, or dusting to be done. Every home school mom should have a Marie. During strawberry season, she liked to go and help us pick for the farm stand… but she could eat at least as many as she could put in the box.

She would talk for months about her birthday. I remember the first one we shared with her. I invited the Gable ladies over and surprised Marie with a cake, balloons, and gifts. She was so overcome, she could not stop crying. “This is the first birthday party I’ve ever had,” she said, sobbing. I never did a party like that for her again. It was way too emotional for her and brought back too many painful memories.

“It’s not a family unless there are babies and pets,” she often would remind me. And she meant it. She loved both dearly. Even though the birthday party didn’t work out, she loved coming for Christmas and other family holidays. We were always amazed at how well she could remember names of relatives she saw only once a year. “I pray for them all by name every night,” she would often remind me. And she meant it.

She was never married and she never had a baby, but she had lots of pets over the years. Real ones like birds, turtles, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, and fish….and stuffed animals that she carefully displayed on her bed every day.

“Never buy an elephant unless the trunk is up,” she would always remind me when she knew I was going on a mission trip. “I’m told it’s bad luck if the trunk isn’t up.” That was her way of reminding me not to forget to bring back something for her when I traveled. Plants were another of her favorites and I have a couple that she gave me.

How do I explain her wit? Just when you think she’s not even paying attention, she would come out with some very funny (and perceptive) one liners. She had her own standup comedy.

She never liked her name. She wanted to be called Mary. She told me she got her name changed, but I thought she was making it up. She made up stories sometimes after seeing something on TV or hearing something that the staff would read out of the newspaper. I could never call her Mary – she was a Marie. Imagine my surprise when I went through some of her papers and discovered that she really did get a name change in 1995.

I could never get her last name right either. I say DUbay, but the proper pronunciation is DUbee. Bill Tuttle got it right. He befriended her when he visited his aunt at Woodlawn. He called her Scooby Dooby – and she loved that.

Marie was raised as a Catholic. Of course, as she became part of our family we wanted her to go to church with us. In the beginning she felt she had to get permission from the priest. Sometimes they would say yes, but when the priest said no, she would not come.

Every Christmas I would take her shopping so she could buy socks for her priests, Bob and Pastor Wayne. I said many times that as long as Marie was alive, Bob and Pastor Wayne would never need to buy socks. Eventually all the priests died or moved away and I didn’t hear any more about the Catholic priests.

I was always concerned about her salvation and would speak about Jesus many times. She had the understanding of a child when it came to Spiritual things. She said she loved Jesus, but I was never sure if she understood that He was her only way to heaven. I tried to talk about it in many ways. She agreed with everything we talked about.

Normally, Marie was very polite and decent, but if she got mad at something or someone she could swear – and occasionally tell an off colored story, or sing an off colored song. I would be quick to remind her that this kind of behavior hurt God’s ears – and mine. She understood – at least until the next time she got mad. She never got mad at me. I continued to pray that God would give her a full understanding of salvation, but I was never quite sure until...

one day when Pastor Wayne visited her and her roommate, Theresa. He shared the Gospel with them. Theresa prayed for salvation and to Pastor’s surprise, Marie prayed right along with her. I really think something different happened in her life that day. She couldn’t wait to tell me about what she had done. There was a difference in her. She would speak about that day many times after that. She would readily tell everyone, “I’m protestant now.” which I believe was her way of expressing her born again experience.

“Every morning I wake up singing hymns,” she often told me after that day. God knew that I had doubts about her soul, and I believe He used these hymns to offer evidence of the transformation within her. She loved to play those hymns on her harmonica and accordion every chance she could. She loved music, and she loved playing with Pastor Wayne and his guitar.

Marie loved to stay busy… tending her plants, her pets and doing hand work. She loved to crochet, knit and do cross stitch. I’ve brought some of her work today.

She loved to dress up. She carefully picked out the right color headbands and jewelry to match. She loved pocketbooks, too.

Wherever Marie went, she was low maintenance and loved by everyone. She was an “I’d rather do it myself” kind of girl. It was usually a good thing until she wouldn’t ask for help at times when she should. She was never demanding. That’s why it was hard to understand when the Gables suddenly moved her to Winthrop and put her in a nursing home. She had loved at the Gables for 21 years – longer than she had ever lived anywhere else.

Before this happened, I had often wondered how you could adopt an adult. We had always wanted to make Marie our own. After she was suddenly moved away from us, I discovered the guardianship program. It took a long year and a half to get her out of that home and closer to us once again, but in the end Bob and I became her official guardians and she was ours. Nothing could happen to her and no decisions could be made on her behalf unless we approved.

It also meant that we got the calls in the middle of the night if she had to be rushed to the hospital. If possible, I would drop everything and rush to her side… not only to sign papers, but, more importantly, to let her know she was not alone.

Her times in the hospital lit up so many lives. Everyone loved her, no matter what institution she was in. She’d tell the doctors how nice lookin’ they were, and would entertain nurses with her laugh. “I wish we could record her laugh,” they would often tell me. Oh that laugh. Sometimes she couldn’t stop. When it happened in church the girls would look at me like, “Mom! Isn’t there something you can do?” The opposite of her uncontrollable laughter was her uncontrollable crying. I would much rather hear her laugh.

The day we appeared in court for the guardianship decree, I picked up Marie so she would witness the official signing. As we drove toward the courthouse, I noticed that Marie was very quiet.

“Are you okay, Marie?”

“Yes. “

“You seem so quiet. Are you afraid? “A long pause.

“Maybe a little. “

“But why? This is a happy day for all of us. You’re going to become a part of our family. “

She stared straight ahead and didn’t respond. I explained that the judge was someone that we knew and it would be okay. Another long pause.

“You mean, he’s not like Judge Judy?” It cracked me up. “She’s mean to people,” she said firmly. I assured her that Judge Mitchell would not be mean. From that day forward she would tell friend and stranger, “She’s my guardeen.”

When you work with people like Marie, you have to be careful what you do with them. If you do it once, they come to expect it. Their expectations become unrealistic at times. How do you get them to understand how busy a mom’s life is or what her interruptions and distractions and responsibilities are like? So, be careful what you promise and you better plan to be on time. They count on it, and things become ritual very quickly.

For Marie, her expectations were always Sunday church, then lunch at our house and then to Wal-mart for shopping and Dunkin Donuts – make that a chocolate sugared one with a Diet Pepsi. And, no matter how full I was from lunch, I had to have something, too. She did not like any deviations from that ritual, no matter how fun they could be. Sometimes in the summer I’d try to talk her into a Gifford’s ice cream instead. “Nope, I got a bad cone there once,” she would say. But, she was making it up.

Thank goodness for the Estes who would often pitch hit for us if we were away and could not pick her up for church. Marie always loved her time with them, but I could tell she didn’t want to act too happy about it just in case it might become a permanent thing. She was never 100% secure in her relationship with us. I think she always feared we would abandon her at some point. Little did she know how Shari yearned to take her in and care for her in their family setting.

In spite of her insecurities, she did share us with some of her friends from the homes. Sandy Pooler was one of those friends. She started attending church with Marie, and became a close friend of mine. When she died suddenly at the age of 57, her estate was the seed money that made this building possible. We probably wouldn’t be sitting here today if it wasn’t for our Marie.

Theresa was another friend that started coming to church with Marie. In fact, Marie and I didn’t do anything without Theresa. We even did girl overnights together at the farm. They loved to help me get ready for big family events. They were a huge help and tons of fun.

My mother-in-law has often said that “people die the way they live.” That was true of our Marie. As she was rapidly declining, Wayne and Linda came. Wayne read Scriptures and she never took her eyes off him as he read. (Of course, part of that was her crush that she had on him.) Then we began to sing hymns to her. She was too weak to say the words by then, but she was singing along with us. I know it was bringing her a lot of comfort and happiness to sing them. She would need it for the 48 hours that she became restless and could not sleep. True to her character, she never complained during the five days I spent with her as she readied for heaven.

Those five days were an answer to my prayers. I had asked God many times to allow me to be with her when the end came. I did not want her to go through it without us. In His grace and mercy, she knew I had come and would be with her until the end. How good is our God.

Her priceless worth became so evident through the response of the staff at Woodlawn. In those final days, staff from all departments made their way into her room to see how she was doing or to say their good byes. Most had tears in their eyes as they left.

One nurse had been out on a three week medical leave when someone called to tell her Marie was dying. She came right over. All these gestures touched us deeply. The end came softly. She opened her eyes and then, was gone. When it was over, many came to her room to commend us for our care for Marie.

It was hard for us to explain to them what she meant in our lives. It was not a burden to care for Marie… it was a privilege. It wasn’t that we had to do it; it was that we got to. God used Marie to teach us a lot about “the least of these” that He wrote about in Matthew.

“…that the works of God might be displayed in his life” was how Jesus put it when describing another special needs person, born blind, in John 9:3. “…that the works of God might be displayed in Marie’s life,” Jesus is showing us now.

Because she was significant to God she became significant to us. And no one loved us more than Marie.

The Psalmists tell us that God gives the desolate a home to live in… that He is the Father of orphans…it is He who upholds them and He that lifts up those who are bowed down. He used Marie to show us how true those words are.

I wish that we could do better for the Marie’s of this world. There are many more like her. I’ve met some of them. Governments and “for-profit” institutions are not equipped to do the job well. I think God’s people can do it better, and it’s my prayer that it will be done, somehow, somewhere and sometime soon.

Thank you for coming and sharing these memories with us. Thank you for your love to us and to Marie – for all your prayers – all your hugs – your laughs. It means so much to us. It meant so much to her – it meant everything to her. Please take time to look at the scrapbook of her life. And enjoy her favorite foods with us following the service.

Introduce Megan and the accordion… the Old Rugged Cross

I wanted to hear her accordion one more time…

Kaleb�s Birthday Day

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:26:00 -0500

It’s raining…that and the robins all over the backyard are sure signs of spring. I’m sitting here with three of the cutest grandsons ever… On Sunday I asked Kaleb what he wanted for his birthday and he said, “Can, Isaac, Eli and I come for overnight? Then maybe we can go to Wal-Mart for something under $10.”

That something turned out to be a rifle that shoots caps. It also included some Mountain Dew for supper and a trip to McDonald’s to play on the gym for awhile. Don’t tell their parents but it was 11 when we finally shut off the new DVD from Eli (Beverly Hillbillies) and I went to bed.

Around 5 AM I heard some thumping going on downstairs. “It can’t be the boys up this early,” I thought. Half asleep I went downstairs to find they were not only awake, they hadn’t gone to sleep. Whose idea was it to get that Mountain Dew anyway?

I tucked them all in and when I awoke again at 7 they were sound asleep. When the birthday boy woke up he had a sore throat and didn’t look so good. I was getting ready to take him home, but he decided to wait it out and see if he got better.

After breakfast Eli and Isaac headed to the cellar to stack some wood for me. I’m hoping to get some spray foam on the walls down there, so they helped move the wood away from the walls. They did a great job for little men.

Kaleb is our first grandchild that Dad never met. He had been gone only 43 days when Jeremy called at 4:15 that morning. Crysten had stayed overnight at Foshay’s and promised she would keep her cell phone nearby, but I couldn’t reach her.

I got over there around 5 and just laid on the couch waiting for things to kick into gear. Megan and Carissa woke up around 7 and I fed them breakfast before Aunt Melissa came over and took them to her house.

Mom had sent over a beef stew that we enjoyed with Jen, Crysten, Ethan and the midwives, Donna and Heather. Heather had been up all night delivering a baby and wanted to go home for awhile. She stayed until about supper time and returned around 7. Melissa brought the girls over for a couple of visits in the afternoon. Would Kaleb ever get here?

Loralei finally got into the birthing tub, but it and the hard work made her very hot. She wanted the door opened. We ended up delivering Kaleb with blankets and jackets on.

As soon as Kaleb arrived, 8:13 PM, his sisters came running over. He was having trouble breathing. We think he swallowed some myconium. Loralei was exhausted, but that didn’t stop her from getting in the shower ASAP. For that night, Kaleb’s breathing was very shallow and irregular. We prayed he was getting enough oxygen to his brain. Heather even pondered taking him to the hospital. The next day his breathing was perfect and his lungs clear of mucus. We were very grateful to God for that. Time has confirmed that we had no reason to fear any brain damage.

Kaleb has always been old for his age. He loves to be just like his dad and is a good worker. He loves to be kept busy doing meaningful things. That’s why he was disappointed that he couldn’t help with the wood today. (Of course, he’ll miss the pay that went with it, too.) Happy Birthday, Kaleb.

Safe in Guatemala

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:31:00 -0600

Not much time to write but wanted to send along some photos and prayer requests.

Since this is prayer meeting night for most of you back in the states, we wanted to give you some things you can be specifically praying about.

In Rejon: There are 3 girls that are being abused by their father. There is no remedy for this except the transforming power of God. There are no social agencies to deal with the safety of these girls.

Today the team starts a new project in that village. Pray it will be a door open for the gospel.

Dr. Sarah is accompanying a Mayan Indian mother and daughter into Guatemala city to see a heart specialist. We don’t think this family is saved, but they have been very responsive to the efforts made on behalf of her daughter.

Yesterday Ed preached at a rehab center for men. When Luis translated the invitation, several men made a profession of faith. Pray for good understanding in their hearts and for fruit that remains.

Pray for Pastor Rodwell and Hilda working with the desperate poor in the Ixcan. Tomorrow they make the 15 hour trek up there on very bad roads. They are grandparents, so it is a challenge for them. When they get there Hilda will be working with women and Rodwell will be training pastors. Their son, Gerber, works with the youth.

Pray for our ladies’ luncheon tomorrow that it will be a real encouragement to the missionary ladies we will be serving. We’re planning a seafood alfredo with Maine lobster, Maine shrimp and scallops.

We are sensing all your prayers on our behalf. God is at work in our hearts here. Thank you so much. We are especially thankful for good health. Susan for the team.

This was Fuego this morning. We can hear the booms when it goes off like this.

This is Elayna with some her friends from the Proximos Pasos girl's school

Guatemala Bound

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:23:00 -0600

I wanted to send you an update before we leave for our trip on Saturday. God has been good to see us through some distractions and about $18,000 of fundraising. Today we tweaked more packing and will carry about 750 pounds of donated items. We have enough money to pay all our bills with a little left over in case we find some special needs on the field (and we always do.)

This could not be done without a lot of support from many people. Some have mentored us, helped me get ready as team leader, supplied transportation to airports and team meetings, supplied precious Spanish Bibles (and other great supplies), and many other ways of helping us reach our destination.

The Apostle Paul expressed it best “Not that I(we) seek the gift, but I(we) seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I(we) have all and abound. I(we) am full.”

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. (Phil 4:17-18; Heb 6:10) God will count it as righteousness in their name.

For inquiring minds who want to know, here is our itinerary and what our daily schedule will look like. Prayer is the foundation of everything we do and we covet your prayers for us. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ... Pray that I(we) may proclaim it clearly, as I(we) should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Col 4:3-5

We will try to update you as we are able to during the trip. God bless, Susan for the team.

Saturday February 14

2:00 AM Assemble at Blount Farm:

4:00 AM Check in Delta Airlines counter

5:38 AM Depart Portland for Atlanta flight # 5656

9:00 AM Arrive Atlanta

10:05 AM Depart Atlanta for Guatemala City flight # 343

12:58 PM Arrive Guatemala City – move watches two hours ahead

Friday February 27

2:08 PM Depart Guatemala City for Atlanta on Flight # 342

6:35 PM Arrive Atlanta

8:00 PM Depart Atlanta for Portland on Flight # 5556

10:23 PM Arrive Portland

Typical Daily Schedule

6:15 Wake up, Dress

6:45 Music Worship

7:00 Personal Worship

7:25 Discussion

8:00 Breakfast and Group Discussion

8:45 Leave for ministry sites

4:00 Return to mission house for free time.

6:00 Dinner

7:00 Team activity

10:15 Prepare for tomorrow and for bed

10:30 Lights out

Marie Dubay : June 7, 1919 - January 16, 2009

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:26:00 -0600

I'm still not able to do much blogging yet, so will copy the latest from Melissa's blog. Hope to get back in here soon.

I bet your glad you were sitting down when you saw I had blogged. I know, my blogs are becoming fewer and farther between. What can I say, when life doesn’t have much to write. I don’t want to bore my readers. This past week has been emotionally straining for more ways then one but I knew I wanted to blog about it before it was faded memory in my mind. So where do I start, well what about 29 years ago.

One day a lady stopped y my Mothers house. She said her name was Marie, she lived in the Gables boarding home next to our house. A quick friendship formed between Marie and our family. Marie was 60 years old at the time, no family and a ward of the state. What little details she shared with us of her life before we met her was riddled with sadness of abuse, neglect, abandonment and being shuffled from place to place because no one really wanted Marie. But once Marie came into our family she found a place were she was wanted. Marie loved babies and I was a newborn when she came. Marie would tell me countless stories of me being a baby, her taking care of me and me being difficult. One such story was me in my highchair thinking it was funny to throw my bowl on the floor repeatedly for Marie to pick up, laughing each time I did it. Oh how Marie would laugh every time she told me this story. I could tell you some funny stories about Marie but it would not be very honoring to her so I will keep it to myself. Through the years Marie lived at the Gables and we would visit her often, my mother took her shopping, to church and what ever else Marie wanted or needed to do. Marie loved Animals, she had her own private room at the Gables. She bought many a hamsters or bird. When ever one of them died we thought Marie would die right along with them she took it so hard. She loved to pray would pray faithful her prayers each night for the ones she loved. Marie grew up Catholic but in the last 10 years of her life she grew to love Pastor Wayne the Cornerstone church family that she informed us, “ Want to become a protestant.” Marie also loved to sew Embroidered pillow cases, They were so beautiful. She would sew them and sell them to the Staff at the homes were she lived. Marie made friends easily. One such friend was a lady named Sandy. She lived at the Gables also. I should write a whole other blog on her but she too became a friend of our family and our church.

Then one day Marie was not at the Gables and the sad reality of being a ward of the state with no one to care for her became reality. Someone came to the Gables and tricked Marie into moving into her Nursing home. I can just see the owner of this home who just needed to fill beds saying to Marie. “Marie would like to come home and live with me!” Oh if Marie had only known that she would be leaving the Gables her home for 20 years to live in a home were there was 6 ladies per room, No privacy and people who didn’t care for Marie. She lost her life long collection of stuffed Animals, nick knacks, possessions and everything else she held dear. When my mother finally found Marie 45 minutes away in a home in Winthrop she vowed to be a voice for Marie so this would not happen again. My mother and father took legal action to become Maries guardians so anyone who wanted to do anything to Marie would have to get their approval first. It took a long time but my mother finally got Marie moved to another Nursing home in Sidney. My mother would faithfully pick Marie up for Church each Sunday, feed her lunch then take her to Wal-Mart and out for Ice Cream or Dunkin Doughnuts. You couldn’t skip any of these since they were the highlight of the week for Marie. Then Marie health started to fail, she got an infection in her foot and again she had to move from her home in Sidney to a nursing home in Skowhegan. My mother didn’t want Marie to live 45 minutes away again but they were the only ones who had a bed open . At first we were sure if this was the right place for Marie but as time went on Marie had won the hearts of the staff and she seemed to like her new home.

I liked to call Marie the Energizer Bunny. She would fail in health and be on the brink of Death and bounce right back as if nothing had happen. On Monday my mother got the call and the DR said Marie would pass away in 24 to 48 hours. We all rushed to her bedside. Marie was very tired and weak. We tried to wake her up by talking to her and touching her but she was unresponsive. Wayne & Linda came a while later and we were all standing around her. Wayne was at the foot of the bed when all of the sudden without prompting, her eyes popped open and she looked right at Wayne and with a little cheery voice and big grin said "Hi"! She stayed awake for awhile and sang hymns with us and Wayne read her some scripture and prayed with her. She told us she loved Jesus! We praise God for giving us this special time with Marie. We thought her passing would be at any moment. Well again Marie is a fighter and night turned into day after day. My mother stayed by her side the entire time. Then on Friday afternoon I had just arrived and my mother and I were just catching up and my mother looked over and saw Marie was awake. “Melissa go over and talk with her.” She said. When I went close I could see Marie was not breathing. “I think she’s gone mom.” I said and then Marie breathed one last breath and her struggles on earth were over. So many of the staff came in and paid their last respects to Marie. They loved her so much. Throughout the week when Maries was dying they would come in a sit with her, talk with her and take loving care of her. She wasn’t just another patients to them. One lady nick named her Giggles. She did love to laugh. One of the nurses said to my mother and I “ I am so glad Marie had you guys.” Both my mother and I said in unison, “No we’re glad we had Marie.”

Still here

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:27:00 -0600

We are still here, but not much time to write. It's been a happy stream of company lately with a great Christmas thrown in for good measure. Hopefully, I can get back to a regular writing schedule next week.

Michele and Randy and kids leave Friday morning. Today, Melissa is coming over for supper - tomorrow we have lunch with the Kevin Gowers and Thursday we have a farewell meal here with Chinese take out.

There is a stomach bug plaguing some. Thankfully it doesn't last long. So far, I have been spared.

Saw Marie yesterday and was very encouraged that she was back to her old self. We had a wonderful visit. I helped her write some Christmas cards and we made a bead necklace.

Sunday evening my pastor's wife lost her mother after a long battle with cancer. So, there is a lot going on. Happy New Year to all.

This Page is Under Construction

Mon, 8 Dec 2008 06:46:00 -0600

I'm still here... and even though I haven't been writing, I am taking notes. It's that Christmas newsletter... couldn't justify the time to blog while that remained unfinished.

Well, now it's done... the envelopes are addressed and stamped... all that remains is to stuff them. So, hope to be back here soon.

God Bless Christmas.

Family Flashback Nov 3-15

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:51:00 -0600

November 15, 2008

It’s been a long while since we’ve chatted. I’ve had a lot of projects with deadlines that has kept me from writing. Sorry. Then there’s that post election funk I’m in… but I digress.

While I’ve been absent, Dan had a birthday. For that I got him a new sign for his new driveway. We call it Wall St., of course!

Bob’s been away quite a bit. There was a district meeting at Sturbridge, MA and extra farms to do because Dairy One is a little short handed due to new help and others on vacation.

Marie has been really good the last couple of visits. No depression and lots of giggles. Always a good sign.

Loralei and the kids moved in last Saturday while Jeremy headed to Canada with some hunting buddies. Before that he reshingled Crysten’s roof and got things ready for winter. Always nice to have a man around to take care of things…

The hunting trip was not successful. The deer weren’t running, and the hunting accommodations were not what had been advertised. As a result, the trip was cut short and the guys returned home Thursday night.

Meanwhile, we inadvertently discovered that the coughs that all the kids were experiencing was none other than whooping cough. Another mother suggested it, and when Loralei looked it up on the net, it was a match to what was going on. Sad to say, I was the one who started it.

Yes, I have had the cough for about 9 weeks and it started in North Carolina. They had said that there was something going around at school, but I never imagined that I would bring it home as a souvenier.

Once we knew what it was, I let Michele know. Soon she was calling me. Sure enough, all of her kids had it, too. Doctors down there had told all the students that it was bronchitis and gave them anti-biotics that didn’t work. Once I told her what it was, they were able to make all the dots connect. The good news is that once you’ve had it, you never have it again. Yes, Loralei, you will one day get a full night’s sleep again.

As if that wasn’t enough, Carissa got bit by a tick. She developed a rash around it, a fever, and a headache – all indicators of Lyme’s infection. Loralei sent the tick to California and started her on anti-biotics. She had a reaction that made her skin break out in an all-over, itchy rash. So they started another drug. By Tuesday of this week, the lab said the tick proved negative for Lyme’s so she was able to stop the drugs. But, not before there was a little scare.

A man called for Loralei. The voice was unfamiliar and he mispronounced her name, so my radar went up. It was the Clinton police and he was calling from Loralei’s home. He did a lousy job of introducing himself and gave Loralei some frightening moments before she knew what he wanted.

Turns out the pharmacy had sold someone drugs with Carissa’s name on it. With that they panicked that Carissa had gotten the wrong meds. They tried reaching Loralei at home, but she wasn’t so they got the police involved in tracking her down. Thankfully, Carissa had the right prescription and the pharmacy had sold a duplicate.

Well, I caused a little police action myself. The kids and I went to the church to set up for our Shoebox Project night. I forgot and unlocked the wrong door and set off the alarm. I went and set the code to shut it off, but not before the security company called to see if all was well.

“What’s the password,” they asked. I guessed wrong. “Sorry, but it’s initials,” she replied. Oh yes. I got it right and thought that would be the end of it until Kaleb yelled that a trooper car was coming. Sure enough, he wanted to know what our purpose was at being at the church. He took my name and made out his report and left. Oh, my…

While they were here we made a big batch of pink applesauce. The kids are always begging their mother to buy it, but, of course, it is not in the stores. It can only come from homemade. Elynn and Kaleb were a big help in the process.

Kaleb and Isaac spent most days donning their blaze orange caps and heading up back to the farm pond. They found lots of animal bones and other neat things. At supper one night Kaleb said…

Don’t ever sell the farm, Nana.

I don’t want to.

Does Papa?

Yes.

But this is the biggest house? There’s nowhere else to have Christmas.

I know.

Well, if he goes to sell it you just call me up and I’ll come right over.

Okay, I will.

After attending a baby shower for one of our church members, Crysten and I (along with Linda Denny) went to see Fireproof. It’s so unusual to see such a strong Christian movie, with a clear gospel message, in the local theater. It’s very well done and should be seen by everyone. There are some great humorous parts, too.

Signing off for now… Susan in 2012

Politics and babies

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 18:11:00 -0600

From a newsletter that I got this week...

...the wisdom of one man's observation that politicians and diapers should both be changed frequently, and for much the same reason.

Joe vs. Sarah

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 06:13:00 -0600

Joe vs. Sarah

"Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16

But this is what I commanded them, saying,'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you. Jeremiah 7:23

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher is a plumber’s assistant from Ohio. You know him as Joe. He seems like an average guy who suddenly became a household word. I’ve been curious about Joe so I’ve listened to a number of interviews that he’s done. I find him articulate about his politics, humble, and sincere. In the last interview that I heard over the weekend he was asked if he would PLEASE run for political office. He smiled in appreciation of the request but quietly and firmly said, “No. I have my family and a 13 year old son who needs me right now.” Way to go, JOE!!

Someday I hope Joe will reconsider…someday when the needs of his family don’t outweigh the need for strong leadership in our nation. When the time comes, I hope I get to vote for Joe.

Sarah Palin, Again

Sun, 2 Nov 2008 21:31:00 -0600

Sarah Palin, Again

It’s taken awhile but I am finally responding to my critics. The following comments were posted while I was in Utah, and I’ll try in my feeble way and limited space to answer the best I can…

Posted by Kathleen F. (24.20.150.90)
When you said, "What would Doug Phillips say?" it answered my questions about just where you were coming from. Newsflash: Doug Phillips is just a man with opinions, too.

Did you know that Doug Phillips employs women to answer the order phone lines for his nifty products he sells in his shiny, colorful catalogs and online? 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, there are women who work for him, his business -- not their OWN husband's self-employed businesses, mind you. They are call-center women that he has working to build up HIS monetary empire. Have you ever ordered from his catalogs? Did you ask any of those women if they were making sure they were following the Titus 2 mandate according to your interpretations? My response to you may seem harsh, but your tone of condescension and judgementalism toward others (Sarah Palin and her family) just comes across as begging the question in many of your statements.

I've ordered from Vision Forum in the distant past. Never again, though.

If Doug Phillips' views are what is so important, then why did God wait so long for him to be born and instruct all of us Christians in how to properly live? (tongue in cheek there).

I agree with SchoolinRhome. I also homeschooled my children/teens for years. Went to a homeschool FIC church where everything was picked apart and judged by "man's" standards.

That is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We will never live up to an exemplary life that pleases God. We can only thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ for His exchanged Life.

How we walk that out with Him is the truly humbling journey each of us must walk. His Word will give us the Light we need for our path, but we must be diligent to study it in context and with a spirit of teachableness, not presumption.

I'm voting for the McCain/Palin ticket because she has inspired me to press on to do those things for which I'm called to do, just like I believe God has called Sarah to do in such a time as this.

Posted by Anonymous (24.20.150.90)
Why does Sarah get the blame from you with Bristol's decisions, but not Todd, Sarah's husband? Do you believe Todd bears as much responsibility for raising his children as Sarah? Does being a Christian parent guarantee our children won't make undesirable decisions?

Jesus said, "Judge righteous judgement."

Posted by Anonymous (24.20.150.90)
What wrong has Sarah Palin done? If she serves Jesus Christ in her life, who can judge her as sinning? Titus 2 does not prohibit a woman working outside the home. She even brings her children to work with her. Her husband supports her decisions, and so we see unity in their marriage.

Dear Kathleen,

I really appreciate hearing from you. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions about you in such a brief dialog and I hope you will cut me some slack, too.

I am not “of Doug Phillips” so whatever you think you know about me because I quoted an article from his website (not written by him, by the way) – please rethink it. I know little about him and was not reprinting his opinion because I have any special obsession with him.

I’m trying not to print my opinion, either. My response to Sarah comes as a result of what the Bible says. Your issues are not with me but with God. In Him our disagreements should not make us adversaries, but you seem very mean-spirited. I don’t know what an FIC church is, sorry.

I’m not sure that you have read all that I’ve written about Sarah, so I hope you’ll have time to look at the links I’ve provided. I am trying to address what Sarah represents. She will answer to God. Through her example I am attempting to instruct and admonish others who might be led astray from God’s plan by her example.

I understand that we will never be fully sanctified /sinless in this life. However, God has fully equipped us to live righteously according to His rules and principles. I don’t take that lightly. Everybody might be “doing it” but that doesn’t mean it’s right in God’s sight. He did not leave us without the tools to know the journey He is asking us to take and one day He will hold us accountable for all of it – every thought, every deed. He expects us to be holy because He is holy and He equips us to be Holy.

The way is narrow. Few of us like that idea. We serve a God who is in charge and He decides the absolutes. “Right is right, even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.” William Penn

Hos 14:9 Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; The righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them.

Jer 9:23-24 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.

The culture has many voices – it confuses us – moral relativism, “the end justifies the means”, pragmatism, humanism, etc. True wisdom comes from knowing who God is. There is the God we want and the God that is and He is not the same.

Col 2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

1 Cor 1:19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."

Dear Anonymous,

Yes, Todd does hold responsibility for the spot sweet Bristol is in. In fact, this wouldn’t be a good season for him to run for VP either, considering all the needs of his family right now.

Sarah is a wife and mother. That limits what she can do with her life. That’s what God says and He cannot contradict Himself. She is not the exception to His principles. That doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t like Sarah if I knew her, or that I don’t cheer some of the things she says so enthusiastically. She makes me wonder why we don’t hear more leaders talk the way she does. Jesus did say to judge righteous judgement… the focus is on righteous and not judging. We must always defend what is right by God’s righteousness.

Jer 10:23 O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

Isa 48:17-19 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me."

May God grant us the wisdom to study His Word and then rightly divide it’s truths. There is only one interpretation to His writings and it’s our purpose, with the help of the Holy Spirit to know what it is. Praying for the Palins and the USA, Susan God Bless America!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/7757/582401/

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/7757/584423/

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/7757/584230/

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/7757/585108/

The Grand Canyon In Verse

Sun, 2 Nov 2008 19:13:00 -0600

The Grand Canyon In Verse

I’ve seen Noah’s flood. At least, it feels like it. I don’t know how anyone can visit the Grand Canyon and not see it. Unfortunately, Park Rangers are paid to say that the Colorado River created it. Go see it for yourself and you decide… as for me, the rocks cried out and said “I AM is here…” Luke 19:36-40

A powerful and inspiring landscape, the Grand Canyon overwhelms our senses through its immense size. There's simply no other place in the world that looks quite like it. Width and depth of the Canyon vary from place to place. At the South Rim, near Grand Canyon Village, it's a vertical mile (about 5,000 feet / 1524 m) from rim to river (7 miles / 11.3 km by trail, if you're walking). At its deepest, it is 6000 vertical feet / 1829 m from rim to river. The width of the canyon at Grand Canyon Village is 10 miles / 16 km (rim to rim), though in places it is as much as 18 miles / 29 km wide. Here's another way to look at size: a trip to the bottom of the Canyon and back (on foot or by mule) is a two-day journey. Rim-to-rim hikers generally take three days one way to get from the North Rim to the South Rim. A trip through Grand Canyon by raft can take two weeks or longer, and experienced backpackers have spent weeks in the more remote areas of the Canyon.

Grand Canyon, North Rim 2008

He has made His wonderful works to be remembered
Ps 111:4

They who dwell in the ends of the earth, stand in awe of Your signs Ps. 65:8

Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You...Jer 32:17

Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth. "Under the whole heaven He lets it loose, And His lightning to the ends of the earth. "After it, a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard. "God thunders with His voice wondrously, Doing great things which we cannot comprehend. Job 37:2-5

Rev 4:11 "You are worthy, O Lord,To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created."

There are ... things which are too wonderful for me,
...which I do not understand: The way of an eagle in the sky, The way of a serpent on a rock, (and the Grand Canyon!) Prov 30:18-19

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, " Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
2 Peter 3:3-7

Ps 104:10-13 He sends the springs into the valleys;
They flow among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst. By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. He waters the hills from His upper chambers;The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.

And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Col 1:17

We will not hide them from their children,Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
Ps 78:4

Josh 4:24
that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever."

Deut 4:9-10
Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,

Wrapping up October

Sun, 2 Nov 2008 17:51:00 -0600

It’s November? But, I haven’t finished writing about October…. And then there’s the Christmas letter… where do I begin?

Let’s begin with some prayer requests. First is Andrew, one of the triplets... the one in the middle. Emergency surgery to remove some bowel obstructions – bad infection – serious breathing problems… and new parents who are learning early on, as mom Wendy put it, just what it means when we say our children belong to God (on loan from God) and are in His care. Thankfully, the news this morning was more hopeful. God has heard our prayers and Andrew has turned a major corner with his breathing, but we must keep praying.

Brian and Judy could use our prayers. They should be in the Philippines by now. They left Thursday. Brian will be teaching in a Word of Life Bible Institute there. It’s his third trip, so he must be doing something right.

I think I wrote that Megan went hunting with her dad… her Grampie went out to find the deer that she hit twice, but couldn’t find it. I just learned that Jeremy has built a little hunting shack up in the back field. Since I don’t have any blaze orange, I don’t dare go up there to see it yet. Loralei came yesterday afternoon to sit with him.

Meanwhile, Carissa got a tick bite on her neck this week that was imbedded deeply. It didn’t take long for the bull’s eye rash, fever and headache to set in – all symptoms of Lyme’s. So, for the next 21 days she will be on a heavy regime of anti-biotics.

I don’t think I wrote about the concert we went to Wednesday night. Crysten, Loralei and I met Bob in Lowell, MA at Cracker Barrel for supper before heading to the auditorium for the Michael W. Smith and Stephen Curtis Chapman United Tour. As I write I am listening to Michael’s New Hallelujah CD. Awesome.

And then there’s 'IT'S A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS'… someone has perceptively said “If Christmas had a sound track it would be this album.” Crysten purchased it last year and we both agreed that the original pieces sounded like a sound track to a movie. I’m pretty particular about what I want new Christmas music to sound like and most don’t make the cut… but every piece on this CD won my approval.

But, the star of the night had to be Stephen Curtis. Many of you will remember the terrible tragedy that he and his family went through (and still are) last May. There was plenty of celebrating to do with one son graduating from high school and their oldest daughter newly engaged. (She got married at the Biltmore!! three weeks ago.) Then the unthinkable happened. 5 year old Maria ran into the path of her brother’s car and was killed right in their driveway.

When Stephen walked on the stage I choked – and he hadn’t even said anything yet. With a grateful heart for America’s prayers he began to explain the difficulty of coming up with an opening song that would help us understand where his family was in their journey through this accident. He settled on Blessed Be Your Name.

Two years ago another family in our church, the Foshays, were trying to come up with the right funeral song to express their belief and sorrow when their son, Tim, was killed in a car accident after three tours in Iraq. God showed them this same song… a song that seems to minister to mourning parents…

Blessed Be Your Name

by Matt Redman

- - -

Blessed Be Your Name

In the land that is plentiful

Where Your streams of abundance flow

Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name

When I'm found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness

Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out

I'll turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in, Lord

Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name

When the sun's shining down on me

When the world's 'all as it should be'

Blessed be Your name

On the road marked with suffering

Though there's pain in the offering

Blessed be Your name

You give and take away

My heart will choose to say

Lord, blessed be Your name

The remainder of the concert was all Michael and all Stephen – together, separately, and both had sons in the band. It was a wonderful service full of worship to our Lord. After sharing so much of the Chapman tragedy second hand, it was nice to see and hear Stephen in person. He looks old, though. We all noticed how this has aged him. I walked away from my time reminded vividly that God will see us through the tough times.

From the concert Bob drove back to RI where he has been working all week. The girls and I got home around 1:30. The phone rang early that morning, awaking me from a deep sleep. It was one of Bob’s farmers… oh, well. The concert made the sleep deprivation worth it.

Political Wisdom from Dr. Noah Webster: Political Evils

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:24:00 -0500

I have been a fan of Noah Webster for years. I often use the original version of his dictionary. You may need it to clarify some of the words quoted below - how our communications have changed since his day.

So, I wanted to share this piece that was sent to me today in light of our current political situation. I love the idea of this book because it takes us right to the Holy Scriptures, where we all belong. Let not your heart be troubled. All things continue as they were from the original sin, God is near and He knows what He is going to do…

Political Wisdom from Dr. Noah Webster: Political Evils

Posted on October 21, 2008
Filed Under Worldview |

In 1834, Noah Webster published a book with this title: Value of the Bible and Excellence of the Christian Religion: For the Use of Families and Schools.

To show the relevance of this book to our time, look at the “advertisement” from the original book (similar to the front flap on a book cover today):

“ADVERTISEMENT. The general object of this little book is to show the excellence of the Christian religion, and, of course, to prove the inestimable value of the book in which this religion is revealed and inculcated. The writer has aimed to present to the reader the evidence of purpose or design in the works of creation; thus proving the wisdom and benevolence of the creator, no less than his unlimited power. So in the moral system, the adaptation of the laws of God to the best interest of men, both in temporal and spiritual things, is clear evidence of his wisdom and benevolence; and both in the physical and moral systems, the adaptation of means to ends affords indisputable proof of intelligence in the author. New Haven, May, 1834.”

In the book, Webster travels through the Bible, asking the reader to study a particular portion of Scripture and offering some commentary and application to life based upon its principles and precepts.

Which brings me to his comments on selected verses from Rom 1 & 13, Titus 3, Proverbs 3 and 1 Peter 2, particularly two paragraphs on political evils. We will look at the first today and the second later.

301. Political evils.—Men, from the beginning of the world, have been devising forms of government best adapted to secure their safety, property, peace, justice and liberty. Numerous forms have been tried: monarchy, aristocracy and democracy. After all their efforts, a perfect government has not yet been found. In the best form hitherto devised, defects have been discovered, which have frustrated the hopes of the founders. And what is the reason? Why, the reason is comprised in a few words: Men have not obeyed God’s precepts. This is the reason, the prominent cause of all political evils. Rulers, when hereditary, are often corrupt men, indulging in all sensual vices, ambition, selfishness, war; in short, they seek their own pleasure and grandeur, rather than the happiness of their subjects. In republics, in which rulers are elected by the people, or some portion of them, the case is sometimes better; but in this form of government men have hitherto been disappointed. Corrupt, selfish men, are often elected, and such men abuse their authority, neglect or violate the laws and occasion great public evils.

Corruption, indulging in sensual vices, ambition, selfishness, seeking their own grandeur, abusing authority…sounds like things haven’t changed much. Webster sums it all up when he says that the prominent cause of all political evil is that men have not obeyed God’s precepts.

Pretty simple, yet pretty profound.

Once we lose the understanding of what God’s precepts are, it doesn’t take long for a citizenry to think they are selecting good men to rule over them, when, in fact, they are only electing men who share their views of how the power of government can be used to satisfy their own selfish desires.

It reinforces Daniel Webster’s statement in 1800:
“To preserve the government we must also preserve morals. Morality rests on religion; if you destroy the foundation, the superstructure must fall. When the public mind becomes vitiated and corrupt, laws are a nullity and constitutions are waste paper.”

From the personal weblog ofDr. Del Tackett, president of the Focus on the Family Institute and Senior Vice President to Focus on the Family. He is also the architect and chief spokesperson for Focus on the Family's The Truth Project--a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ.

Life after Utah

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:12:00 -0500

October 28, 2008

I’ve broken a family rule… it hasn’t snowed yet, but I started the Christmas music anyway. It does something to my soul that no other music does. At first, it feels like the first Christmas without my mother all over again… but I’m getting away from that the more I listen to it. She’s the one that got us hooked on Christmas music. It was her favorite, too.

We got home from Utah last Wednesday night. The flight home was a day late, but otherwise, uneventful. It’s a long story, but we missed our flight and it was my fault. I hate to say that. No one will want to travel with me anymore after this.

It was Tuesday night and we had just returned from a fabulous day at the Grand Canyon- a first. When I got online to print off our boarding passes for the next day, it would not give me any seats assignments. A few clicks later their reason was because the flight had already departed? “What are they talking about?” I said aloud. But, when I went to get my e-ticket, to my disbelief, they were right. Our 2:30 PM flight had left for Maine without us. Even as I write about it, it seems like it must have happened to someone else. I just want to back up and do it all over. It felt like I was in a twilight zone.

Fortunately, we were able to reschedule for 7 AM the next morning. With Utah two hours behind ME time and Las Vegas three hours, we debated just what time we needed to leave for the airport. After everyone got to sleep, I kept thinking about our math and decided we had made a mistake. Never do complicated calculations in the middle of the night. We ended up at the airport by 2:30 AM – almost 5 hours before departure. Okay, I’ve confessed my imperfections…now, can we move on?

The night after we got home Bob took off for an overnight of work. No rest for the weary, they say. I stayed home and worked on catching up.

On Friday I drove up to see Marie and get some groceries. She was confused about her past, thinking that she had left some things at a home she had lived in over 50 years ago. She wanted me to go and get them. I told her I would just keep them at my house and she was good with that.

The Burbanks came for supper so Jeremy could scope out the back 40 for deer. He and Megan went hunting the next day (Youth Day) and she was able to get her first deer… with Kaleb’s gun. He’ll have to wait another 4 years to go hunting and he’s not happy about that.

Speaking of Kaleb, one of the older ladies from Curves had some great things to say about him. He went with Aunt Kathy to help rake her leaves. She said she had never met an 8 year old that was such a gentleman. She was impressed when he reached out his hand to shake hers when they met, and again when he said goodbye. I think I know where he’s learned to do that. Just the other day we were talking about a food that he’s learned to like because “I want to be like my dad.” No pressure or anything, Jeremy.

On Saturday we hosted the Meyer family – missionaries to South Africa. We should have known them for years based on all the people and places that we share in common. The Walls, Dennys, Crysten and Hannalie all joined us for a fun supper.

Sunday was a busy day of church and our afternoon Bible study. The Meyers packed up and left for the coast for a seafood lunch. Hope the rain had stopped by the time they got down there.

Today was another Pizza Day at school. Bob has left for work in RI for the rest of the week. Well, that’s the scoop from here. I hope to write a little more about our trip out west but this will have to do for now. How cute is this of Jared?

Zion Tunnel

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:47:00 -0500

It's hard to describe all that we are seeing here. On Saturday we took a drive through the Zion tunnel. They began building it in 1927. It's 25 miles of road and 2 tunnels connecting Zion, Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon.

The drive up includes 3.6 miles of switchbacks stacked on top of themselves in less than a quarter of a square mile. Think of coming down a steep ski slope. Instead of coming straight down you switch back and forth along the trail. These switchbacks require a lot of maintenance to keep them from slipping off the mountains. Comforting thought as we drove along close to these precipice edges!

In the mile long tunnel are 5 Galleries - holes blasted through the rock for light and ventilation. There are some spectacular views through these openings but no room to stop. They bring you so close to the canyons walls.

The tunnel was dedicated on July 4, 1930 after three years of work. Only two lives were lost during the construction and blasting. Pretty amazing considering the seeming impossibility of the task. I'm glad to say I've been there, but like most of my travels (maybe this even more so) the best part of it all is being here to tell about it.

Sunday in Utah

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:34:00 -0500

Wow, did I get beaten up this morning (Monday) by comments concerning my blogs about Sarah. I'll have to address them once I get home to my own computer. The common thread in them was a pragmatic view of the situation - not a Biblical one. Perhaps they have the Bible to back up their thoughts, but it wasn't shared. It's scary to me - There is a way that seems right (pragmatism), the Bible says, but the end is destruction. We have to be so careful when we draw our conclusions about life.

Meanwhile, back in Utah - Nan's foot is not painful, but the rest of her body is from adjusting to hopping around some and laying on her back with it elevated. Nevertheless, while we were at church yesterday, she managed to get up and make a blueberry soup. Stan was not pleased.

When we were in Zion on the day of Nan's accident, we saw many rock climbers. One of them, 34 years old, fell 300 feet to his death according to the morning paper. It was the first such death in 2008 at Zion, and the 6th in the last 25 years. Pretty low numbers when you think about all who climb day or night.

When Bob was talking with the rangers he asked if climbers needed any special permits to do it. "No," he replied. "99.95% of them know what they're doing." So, when Stan brought the paper in this morning he announced, "Here's the .05% of the climbers who didn't know what they were doing."

Unlike our parks in Maine, the canyons are never closed to the public unless there are snowstorms or rock slides to block passage. These climbers will drill into the sheer cliffs and hang hammocks and sleep hanging off the rocks at night. I can't imagine people wanting to drive on the narrow roads at night with sheer drop offs in some spots that have no guard rails - but they do.

Many of you will be jealous to know we had lunch at Crackerbarrel. Oh, when will Maine get one? It was so good. We brought some home to Nan. She loves the collard greens.

The afternoon was spent playing the Utah version of Hand and Foot. Nan said as she was lying in the park waiting for rescue she told the Lord how excited she was to have friends come who knew the game, but that falling with her broken ankle was not the Hand and Foot she had in mind. We got a laugh out of that.

It was guys against the girls and it all came down to the final round. The men squeezed out a win like they bragged they would.

The Jones don't have a TV and I couldn't get the Red Sox on internet or radio for their last game against Tampa. Nan quickly called neighbors who moved here from RI last year. We met them at the play the other night. They were very gracious and invited us right over. Stan came, too, and had a chance to witness seriously with the husband, Tim. Pray for him. He's had three near death experiences. The last one involved being hit by a car while running with his best friend. Tim was injured quite badly and his buddy was killed. The driver was on cocaine. Tim has lots of questions about spiritual things, and Stan had a good chance to share with him.

The radiologist called Nan over the weekend and she has two breaks in her ankle and must see an orthopedic surgeon today. So, we will be staying close to home. Maybe Grand Canyon tomorrow, but time will tell. We've seen such spectacular canyons already -

Zion Day 2

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:39:00 -0500

We decided to stay closer to home today in light of Nan's broken ankle. She slept well last night and awoke with no pain, insisting that she would be okay alone, but we weren't taking any chances. Her friend, Cheryl spent a good part of the afternoon with her while we were gone.

We drove back up to Zion Canyon today to see the Lava overlook and literally drive through the canyon via the 1 mile tunnel built back in the 30's. A fascinating day that included mile high banana cream pie at a western town where Gunsmoke was filmed.

The other night we attended a play and bought a book of the actress's life story. Back in the late 70's she was kidnapped twice by the same man. I've been reading the book today on the trip. The most incredible story I've ever read. Thankfully, it is tastefully done without graphic descriptions of evil things.

All for now.

Zion Canyon

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:16:00 -0500

Yesterday we enjoyed a hot day up at Snow canyon.

The rock formations here are beyond description. Pictures don't do justice.

Today we headed up to Zion National Park, Nan's favorite - yes, even over the Grand Canyon. We took a shuttle up to the top, and started hiking down the Narrows. We didn't know that schools were on vacation today and the park was packed solid with families. That made it crowded on the narrow path. Nan was trying to get over far enough for the people coming and going and didn't notice a 3" drop off. Her foot rolled and down she went.

The pain was quite unbearable and in an instant she had swelling the size of a jumbo egg on one side of her ankle. People were quick to run for help, but it seemed ages before the Park Ranger came with his first aid kit. Soon another Ranger came with a wheel chair.

We got her back down to the shuttle and soon we were on our way to get her back here to St. George to a nearby clinic. She has broken her ankle and will get a permanent cast on Monday that she will wear for 6 weeks. She is devastated as she had so many plans for us while we're here. We are disappointed, too, but it shouldn't keep us from having a few games of hand and foot.

She insists that Stan still take us to the Grand Canyon tomorrow and she will stay home. A friend will come over to be with her while we're gone. Go Red Sox!! Girls, loved the pictures of the Palin rally. I watched her speech on the WABI website. Also, Go Moose hunters!! You'd make Sarah proud. I know the girls will be happy to have their husbands back. See you next week.