Enthusiasm Reflection # 31

My parents used to hire neighbor kids from one family to shovel their snow. They were extremely polite and well-behaved. As the kids got older, they weren't always available and so the job was passed on to the younger ones. 

I remember my parents relating this incident. Evidently the youngest sibling was recruited to help for the first time. She was probably about eight years old. She was so excited, "I've never had a job before. This is my first job!"

My father watched as she loaded the shovel and then walked ten feet across the driveway to dump it. She kept doing that until my Dad couldn't bear to watch any more. He showed her an easier way, knowing if she continued the way she was, it would become nighttime before she finished. All the while she was shoveling, she kept asking, "Am I doing a good job, Mr. Casey? Am I doing good?" He assured her she was.

After a while she commented, "This is hard work," and quickly added, "but I love it!" Her final comment came, I'm sure after my dad paid her (and he is always generous), "This is the best day of my life!"

What enthusiasm! If only we could all have such enthusiasm in life. So many lessons in this: She was willing to work and to work hard without complaining. She was open to being taught a better way to work. She chose optimism in every load she shoveled. She also looked for affirmation that she was doing a good job. She was rewarded, though something tells me, she would have been happy even if she was not. The reward was the cherry on top. 

It is easier to be that way when you are starting a new task. As time goes on, things can get weary. When I find myself dreading daily drudgery, I try to remind myself of Colossians 3:23, 24 "Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ." 

On days of struggle, I hope God will bring to mind this special little girl and her wonderful mindset to encourage me and I hope that God will generously reward me too, just as my Dad did for this little girl. I wish the same for you. 

Standing Firm Reflection #30

This past week we saw the power of lightning. Out of our sunroom window, I saw fire in mid-air. Later I learned that it was a piece of bark that was on fire. Thankfully the rain put it out. 

The next day after the storm, we investigated the incident. I found pieces of bark throughout the yard. Some carried by the wind, I presume, others rocketed by the force of lightning which had hit a tall tree in our backyard. It was quite impressive to see the tree stripped of a huge section of bark. After more investigation in the next couple of days with family members, not only did we find another nearby tree that was hit, but also trenches leading away (or to, we are not sure) the tree trunks. One side of one tree was burned and the other side had the bark blown off in a strip like the other tree.

This all led us to educational moments, not only for ourselves, but to teach our grandchildren. We researched online and I couldn't believe to read that lightning can heat up the air to five times hotter than the sun. It really is unfathomable to me. When the lightning strikes a tree, it vaporizes any water or sap in the tree, thus exploding or stripping the bark off the tree. It is fascinating and scary. I have a new respect for lightning. Not only were the trees injured, but we lost a TV, internet modem, well water panel and an outside motion detector light.

Before I took the grandchildren to see the tree, I asked them, "What do you think a tree hit by lightning looks like?" They said burnt up, fallen down. I told them I would think that too, then had them follow the trail of bark pieces to the tree.

In our studies, I read the tree may not be dead. It may be able to survive this injury. It does expose it to the elements, bugs and disease, but it could still stand. It's amazing to us that those two trees are standing despite their trauma.

And that is life. For some, life's traumas can just ruin them. They are struck down. For others the devastating blow is painful, and scarring. It is something they are now going to have to live with. The world sees this tree's scars but for some people the scarring is just on the inside. They keep their pain to themselves unbeknownst to others. They have to fight off the "insects" of self-defeat and pity that can eat away at them. I hope when lightning strikes that you can stand tall despite your scars exposed to the world or those that are hidden. May you find the strength and healing to stand firm. 

I leave you with God's word: "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." 

I Corinthians 16:13

Winding Paths Reflection #29

One of our vacations was seeing waterfalls in NY. From Buttermilk Falls in Ithaca to the amazing Taughannock Falls (tallest single drop east of the Rocky Mountains--215 feet), to Watkins Glen. Water was the common factor, but each site was different.

There is a cave-like entrance to Watkins Glen State Park, and you have no clue of what is beyond the stairway. There was a dark, twisty path weaving in and out of various water formations and in and out of sunlit areas. I took a few pictures, but I remember gripping the railings too, my fear of heights at times being tested. At one point I could see what I remember as looking like a suspension bridge ahead. I was worried about how I could ever go over it. My knees were shaking before we even got near it. With George leading the way, I kept moving but slowly and in fear.

As we pushed along through some dimly lit parts and some with sunlight shining through, passing pools of water and waterfalls, I know I did not fully enjoy it all worrying about the bridge. However, our route did not take us on the suspension bridge. I was so relieved. 

Still each turn revealed a new part of our path, and the fear of the unknown around each corner, kept my heart beating a little faster, and my sweaty hands clinging to the railing. Would we keep climbing? How high would we go? Would we have to go on a different bridge?  Would I slip and fall? Would I drop my camera in the water (always a concern with me since I had seen it happen before). How much longer?

I was grateful when we made it through the two miles and there really wasn't anything too scary that I couldn't handle. None of my fears were realized. I could have enjoyed the journey so much more if I had known what the whole path looked like. 

Isn't life like that at times? We spend so much time worrying about the future, the unknown, and overlook the moment we are in--the blessings of the journey. Did my worrying change the outcome? No. Did my fears take away from the moment I was in? Yes. If I had dropped my camera, would I have survived? Yes, but of course, I would be upset. Did my concerns make me more cautious? Yes, that was the only legitimate response to my fears. 

We really wish life came with a map showing us how we will get through the rough spots and where the sun will shine again, but if that was the case, would we get careless? Would I loosen my grip on the railing or my camera? Would I overconfidently walk too fast on the slippery rocks? Would I lose the opportunity of learning lessons along life's way?

We need to trust step by step that as new obstacles or wonders appear before us, that there is a new view around the corner. Sometimes it's not what we want but we keep moving and although we don't see the end, we need to step forward in faith. I am grateful I had my husband with me leading the way and sometimes in life, just by my side. 

I leave you with God's word: "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34.

Taughannock Falls

Pictures from Watkins Glen Falls State Park:

Through the Storms Reflection #28

My thoughts on Mark 4:35-41

In the midst of the storms,

The wind blew

As the boat filled with water

The disciples feared for their lives.

Through it all, Jesus was in the boat, asleep.

Fear overtook them.

They were surely going to drown.

They woke Jesus, asking if he even cared about them.

Jesus stopped the winds and calmed the seas.

They were in awe of the power of Jesus.

But he asked where their faith was. 

My mind wanderings...was Jesus really asleep or was he waiting?

Was this a test of their faith in him?

How long before they remembered this man who was doing miracles was right there in their boat?

What if he they had never woken him?

Would some have lost their lives?

But Jesus was in the boat.

That was the key.

We will go through storms

He will not always stop the winds and waves

But he's still in the boat with us,

Through the storms 

Just waiting for us to turn to him.

He will be there with us.

Food Shows Reflection #27

Long ago, there used to be these venues called Food Shows. I think Big Y was the sponsor of most of them. They would be held at large facilities like convention centers and it would be filled with mostly booths of free samples of food. Some you ate little bites there, other prepackaged samples you could take home. There were some items you could buy there, but not many. You could also get a lot of coupons, which I was into at that time and recipes.

You could have a meal on the free samples, and it was fun going from a new chicken nugget to a bite of ham, a piece of cheese, a small piece of cake or tiny taste of ice cream and on and on. I cannot begin to remember all the various foods they had and I'm surprised our stomachs didn't reject all the mixed-up choices we ate!

It was a wandering buffet, and we had a good time. Now it did get a little chaotic at times as some people wandered from one booth and skipped others and then went to a different booth seeming to cut in front of those stopping at everything. There were pet food or baby food booths, that some would obviously skip over. It added a little confusion as people slipped in and out of the unofficial line. For the most part everyone was polite but it was difficult for people with strollers to navigate the unruliness.

I said for the most part people were polite. I remember an incident when I may have been considered "cutting in line" or maybe these older teenage girls were trying to get in front of me. Those details I don't really remember, but I do remember the one who said, "Let fatty go," referring to me. Ouch. I didn't say a word. The words hurt. It was no secret to me that I was overweight, but to be referred to like that was pretty cruel and hurtful. 

I don't remember how long those words echoed in my head and continued to cause pain. It did hurt for a while, and I never told George or anyone about it (until now). I did eventually forget all about it. As we were talking about the food shows and remembering, as we always do, a funny incident that happened, this buried memory also resurfaced. I am glad to say, it doesn't hurt any more. It's too bad her words didn't motivate me to lose weight, but such things often have an opposite effect. I wonder how that girl turned out. I could picture her the type to suffer from road rage. I hope she learned to be kinder as life went on. 

I have two applications to God's word in my food show memories. For this part, I am glad that memory was buried, and I am so thankful that God does the same for us. When we ask for forgiveness, our sins are buried and forgotten. He will not ever dig them up again. "For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and their sins will I remember no more." Hebrews 8:12

I will leave on the funnier memory of food shows. I have to say that most of the sample size foods you could just pop in your mouth. Sometimes a toothpick was holding it and there was a place to dispose of them. The kids were with us at this particular food show, and they were familiar with fruit roll ups. For those of you who are not, they are a thin layer of a fruit flavored snack rolled up in plastic to keep it from sticking together, hence called fruit roll-ups. Kids knew how to unroll the plastic to eat the treat. Kids knew. Moms knew. 

These roll-ups had been cut into smaller sample sizes. Not being aware of how to eat a roll-up, George popped the whole thing in his mouth! We were not aware of this, and one of our kids asked him, "How did you like the fruit roll-up?" He replied, "It was ok, but kind of plasticky tasting." Of course, they told him he was supposed to take the plastic off while laughing hysterically--a simple moment at the food show turned into a lasting fun family memory to bring to mind at times and still makes us laugh years later. George will even joke when he doesn't like the taste of something, "It tastes like plastic" to bring a smile and sharing a secret memory. I wonder, though, if people eating plastic was why they stopped having food shows. 

My application to this would be to remind you that you can have a Bible, but you get so much more out of it if you take the plastic off and open it up and read it. You might find a fruit flavor that you enjoy. Leaving you with God's word:  "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2.

Ups and Downs of Life Reflection #26

My husband used to have his own cleaning business. He had commercial accounts that he cleaned when they were closed so he didn't have specific hours he had to be there. His schedule varied and I didn't always know exactly what account he was cleaning, or if he had to run to the hardware store for more supplies or if he had stopped by our rental units to check on something. There were a number of reasons why he could be running late. He typically called when he was twenty minutes away so I could be sure dinner was ready for him. On Fridays it was usually around 7 pm unless he decided to do some Saturday night work too, but he was still usually home by 8 pm. 

On this particular December night, I had thought he had said he would be home by 7 pm. As the hands on the clock kept getting further away from 7 pm, I decided to call his cell phone. No answer. I had cooked one of his favorite dinners and I was trying to keep it warm. By 8 pm I figured he wouldn't mind if I ate without him. He would have to reheat his in the microwave at this point. Maybe he had stopped at a fast-food place and wouldn't even need dinner. That happened on rare occasions. 

As the minutes ticked on, I started getting a little nervous. I tried calling several times more and still no answer. At 9 pm I decided it was time to take action and track him down. I believed he had to be at one of two accounts, one I didn't even know how to get there and had to look up the address. I decided to start at the one I knew.

All the horrible thoughts started passing through my mind--a heart attack or fallen and broken something and couldn't move to get to the phone, a car accident. He could have left the cell phone in the car, which he has done a few times. Maybe his car broke down and he was freezing somewhere. Or maybe he left me. Well, that was just a fleeting thought that snuck in there. 

My imagination kept feeding itself. My mind was running out of room from the dirt piles of all the rabbit trails it was going down. I didn't know whether to be nervous or angry at him. I thought if the worst happened, people would come to the house and it was a mess. Well, I couldn't tidy now, I had to save him--if he needed saving. Aren't you glad you can't see all my thoughts all the time?

It was a freezing night and I was shaking from the cold and maybe my nerves too. As I drove in the dark, I tried to see the vehicles going past me in the opposite direction to see if he was heading home. I know the shape of his car, but was trying to remember the license number as those reflected in the dark. Nothing looked familiar. It was about twenty minutes before I reached the first account that I was going to try. There was his car!

I looked in the windows of the building. I saw his coat, but not him. The doors were locked and I knocked and yelled. These were heavy duty windows and doors and a huge building, so it was not likely he would hear that. I walked all around the building and tried all doors and looked in all windows as best I could stepping on the crusty snow. 

Next I drove my car as close to the door as I could and honked and honked my horn hoping he would hear and come. 

Finally I called 911. I did it as a last resort because I didn't want to be reprimanded for calling 911 for a non-emergency if he was just cleaning. 

They arrived in less than five minutes without sirens. They asked me if he had any medical issues. I told them and also told them that I remembered there had been issues with the elevator in the building. 

They tried pounding on all the doors and checking all windows, as I had. The fire department was also on their way and an employee of the building with a key. Before they all arrived, the police were able to get in through a window. 

As soon as the cop went in he yelled George's name and he heard the elevator buzzer. He had been stuck in the elevator--for FOUR hours!! The fireman and employee arrived. There were instructions in the office and a key to some panel to free up the elevator stuck between floors.

George should tell his view of this story...his cell phone didn't work in the elevator; the emergency call box didn't have a phone; the emergency buzzer is internal, so no one was in the building to hear it. He even tried to spell out Morse Code with it. He had no fear of a city black out or the end of the world, as my mind surely would have gone. He did have light in the elevator and he did hear the furnace kick on but he was starting to get cold in his t-shirt. He had his cleaning equipment and garbage barrel with him. He tried to wrap garbage bags around him for warmth. He figured the worst-case scenario would be that he would be there until 9 am the next morning, so he tried to turn his roll of paper towels into a pillow. There was no way to get really comfortable. He actually did have a book with him, so he was able to pass the time reading, but he was hungry too.

George and the police tried to make me a hero. I mean do they really think I would have gone to bed and not wonder or worry where he was? Who wouldn't go out looking for their husband/wife in that case? I didn't feel like a hero at all. I told him if he had "pulled a Tiger Woods", who was in the media for cheating on his wife, that I would hunt him down like tonight. He said, "Sure and where would you look first?" I said that I'd call up his boss for his other part time job and find out all the names of his elderly dial-a-ride customers. We laughed.

After that when George cleaned that account, he put the vacuum and trash barrel in the elevator and let them ride the elevator by themselves while he took the stairs. Surprisingly, this didn't sour him to elevators in general, as it would probably have done to me, but then again, how often are we in buildings with no one else in it? 

Although it may not sound that way, I tried to keep my cool and despite the bad thoughts creeping in, I tried to think optimistically too, but nowhere as calm and collected as George was. I know I would not have reacted so calmly if it had been claustrophobic me in the elevator. I leave you with God's word that George practiced that night: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:6-7

This happened in 2009

Feathered Friends Reflection #25

My parents loved birds and had a long wooden bird feeder outside their sunroom windows. The windows cranked open and they did their best to keep it constantly well-stocked with wild bird seed and the coveted sunflower seeds which always went first.

They always enjoyed the variety of birds who came to their "restaurant" and purchased a book to identify the new patrons. This live action entertainment never ceased to bring enjoyment. It was exciting to see a new visitor and to research the identity. 

My mom's brother lived with us for a while. Uncle Jack was 10 years older than me, and I loved having him live with us (except when I had to wake him--he was so grouchy!) I always remember the day we shared a secret for a couple of minutes. Mom was out on the deck and heard a bird and she echoed his sound. He chirped back. She did too and so did he. This went on several times until I realized that Uncle Jack was the mysterious bird calling back. He motioned me to "not let the cat out of the bag". It went on for a couple of minutes this way, a truly remarkable moment for mom until she finally caught on. She gave him a punch in the arm for teasing her as we laughed. 

My parents had cats and dogs over the years and the dogs were so special to them. Then one day, a neighbor wanted to thank them for all they did and gave my parents a bird. This broke two of my Mom's cardinal rules (pun intended). She said you never give a person a pet for a gift. It is a lifelong commitment, and the person should make that decision themself. One of her other gift giving rules was don't ever give anything that will cost a person more--like buying them a cell phone, for instance, because they would now have a monthly bill. Both are wise rules and this broke both of those rules. 

I guess some rules are ok to be broken. Much as my parents loved watching the wild birds, they never thought about having a pet bird...until the first one. They loved those pet birds over the years. They let them fly free around the house until bedtime. One sat on my Dad's shoulder when he played the piano. They even took them--cages and all--to Cape Cod on vacation. One year my Mom broke her hip while on vacation at the Cape and had to go to the hospital and rehab there. Their rental week was over at the house and Dad had to find a motel that would accept birds.

It also was always a family tradition when arriving or leaving the Cape, to stop and feed the ducks at the pond in East Sandwich, MA. And of course, the seagulls did not lack attention too.

Another bird they loved was "Homer", a goose at Stanley Park in Westfield where they used to go for walks. Back in those days people did not frown upon giving bread to the ducks and geese and they would buy day old bread precisely for feeding birds. When they arrived, Dad would call for Homer and he would come running over to them. Homer walked with Dad all the while they were there.

Birds were an important part in my parents' lives and God must feel the same way about all the birds he created in different colors, shapes, sizes and with different birdsongs. Birds are mentioned in the bible nearly 300 times. I am sure God was pleased with my parents' love and tender care for birds. I leave you with God's word: "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" Luke 12:6-7.

Birds at the Cape Cod house.