What's Cool For You, May Not Be Cool For Me

We were in Chicago over the weekend visiting Carissa and she had found a tour we could take that followed the El Lines and gave us an opportunity to do some walking and see some sites that are not quite as well known in Chicago. As we were waiting for the El to get back to our car, Carissa picked up a newspaper called RedEye. One of the articles was called "The 'It' Factor" and attempted to educate us on what was in, out or whatever. In other words, it was going to tell us about the Chicago Cool Index. I read the article and then decided to come up with Linda's Cool Index. Here's my cool list so far:

8. Public Transportation. I love public transportation. What a luxury to have scheduled time every day to read, to listen to music, hear a couple podcasts. I would not hear the "ding" of the dryer in the background or look up and see the dust bunnies in the corner telling me sweep them up NOW. In the bigger picture, it's much cheaper than driving and parking fees, it attempts to ease congestion, with fewer cars taking up space. Win-win.

7. Living downtown in a city. Take away transportation completely. Everything within walking distance. There is definitely a vibrant atmosphere and what a variety of people. Here is what the streets looked like that we walked. Looks a little tight, but it makes my cool list.

6. Green living. This was also considered cool in this very liberal publication so it really is possible for conservatives and liberals to find common ground. Nature fascinates me and God has created this amazing earth. Recycle, reuse waste less and be a little kinder to our world.

5. Contentment. I believe it is very cool to be content with who you are and what you have. It's not so cool to always want what you don't have and envy others' successes or stuff. Ick.

4. Healthy Living. It was a beautiful day when we took our hike and as we walked around Chicago, there were many people out walking, riding bikes, and moving. "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." (I Cor. 6:19-20)

3. Take the extra step. I wish when I do something, I would take it one step further. How many times in a day can I make life just a little easier for someone else? Can I hold a door open for the person behind me? Can I let the person with 3 items in their grocery cart go ahead of me? Can I let a car squeeze in front of me on the freeway when I'm just a little bit annoyed with the driver for trying to get 6 cars ahead when we knew long ago that lane was going to close? Monica talks about anticipating needs. How can I give what someone needs before they even know they need it? I accept this as a challenge.

2. Strive for excellence. When I see someone excel at what they do, it literally gives me goosebumps. Listening to Barb or Zach play the piano, watching professional football players, appreciating a good author. My friend, Betty, is a math genius. She sees numbers and letters and odd-looking symbols and you can just see the wheels in her head turning and in about two seconds she has the answer. And it's the right answer although I wouldn't know. Because of her, I will get through math this term. But being the best doesn't always require talent. There is a young black gentleman who is a cashier down at Iowa Methodist Medical Center by the name of Darrett. He greets every person who comes through his line by name and if he can't read it off your name badge, he asks to see it better. If patient families come through, he is equally friendly, asking everyone about their day. Last week, I had to work at the hospital and went down to get my grilled cheese because honestly they make the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever. I had been down earlier for a little refreshment and when I came back several hours later, Darrett still rememered my name and asked me if my day was still going well. Whether you are a student, a football player, a teacher or a medical transcriptionist, do your very best. I don't want the words "good enough" to be in my vocabulary. Or at least not in the same sentence. "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." (Colossions 3:23)

1. Love God, Love People. In my D-group at ICA is a young girl named Amanda. Amanda has such a sweet spirit, but it's her very real concern for others that gives me an appreciation for her that's on a different level. She has an "old" soul and that's very rare in a 17-year-old. During our D-group meeting a few weeks ago, I mentioned I had had a tough summer, but didn't go into any details. At the end of our meeting, all the girls left except Amanda. She stayed and honestly wanted to know about my experiences of the summer. I can't think of too many things more cool than a genuinely caring heart like Amanda's. "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. (I John 4:7)

Well, there it is. My top 8 cool things; probably different from most lists, but hopefully what's cool for me today will not go out of style.

Live Big,

Tick Tock, You Just Can't Stop The Clock

I saw this quote a couple days back and while it's a bit of a mind bender, it's true. Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of things; the past is gone, the future is not come, and the present becomes the past even while we attempt to define it, and, like the flash of lightning, at once exists and expires. ~Charles Caleb Colton.

I've had a lot of thoughts about time in my head lately. I've been organizing pictures trying to make order of them. So many memories contained in a little square I can hold in my hand.

The change of the seasons reminds me of the tick-tock of time. The last time I had a conversation with my dad was May 21, spring was well on its way. Then he told me about his cancer diagnosis on the phone the first part of June and June 18, he suffered the blood clots, just as we were starting summer. He passed away on July 1 with the funeral on July 6, the 4th of July holiday sandwiched in between - the height of the summer season. Now it's fall, the weather is starting to feel different, football season is well on its way. Sometimes I want to put my hands over my ears and scream "CAN IT ALL STOP FOR JUST A MINUTE?" Each season change feels like it takes me one more step away from my life with my dad.

Last Sunday, we started a new theme in church about time, which just makes me smile because so often I have something in my head and then God gives me more opportunities to gain new insights into something.

As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him and his righteousness with their children's children. (Psalm 103:14-6) (Once again lessons from the hillside. The wildflowers flourish for a time, but soon they will be gone.)

One of Jay's points was "Delight shows up in time usage." I like that. He also said "There are more negative journeys than positive ones." Postive choices are intentional. So it has to be my goal to make live a certain way of life, who can I bless today? My time can be spent finding delight in God.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or site in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)

In "Fiddler on the Roof" as Tevye is thinking about his daughters' desire to marry men they have chosen, he sees them from a distance and sort of fuzzy. So still looking back over my shoulder to look at my dad, it feels like he is standing still while time keeps me moving forward. No, I can't stop time, fall will turn to winter, and winter once again to spring, but like my dad, my desire is to intentially spend my time living "The God Way of Life."

Love God, Love Others,

More Lessons From The Hillside

I love Isaiah 40:11: "He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart, he gently leads those that have young."

Through His Word, we have God's promise that when we experience something painful, he will take care of us, He will provide comfort and I love it that we don't always know the form that comfort will take. I have written about my wildflower hillside before and that is where I received my comfort this summer. I didn't even care for gardening and knew next to nothing about plants until about a year and a half ago. Then suddenly the business of landscaping became something I wanted to learn more about and, oh, boy, but I have learned a lot. My wildflower hillside started out as sort of a fun project and it became my place of peace and joy, rest and contentment; all the things God promises when our world is shaken. And God continues to teach me almost every time I am out there. These are the things He taught me yesterday as I was weeding and watering:

1. Patience. In May, when the world around me was turning green, there was not much happening on the hillside. At the time, I didn't know that wildflowers bloom from July to October. So in May and June, when I saw very little activity out there, I decided to "jump start" things. I went to the greenhouses and bought a bunch of plants and put them out on the hillside; I got cuts from friends that immediately went out there. Then as the wildflower seeds began to grow and bloom, they were practically on top of the things that I had planted. So now I probably should go out there and dig up some things and put them in a new garden I have planned which is more work for me and probably stress on the plants. It's the same way with us and God. Too often we want to "jump start" God's plans. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." What a promise, plans to give us hope and a future. I spent days in the hospital waiting for things to get better for my dad, but instead God gave me hope and the reassurance that I will see my dad again in the future.

2. Protection. I have been bitten by bugs from head to toe this summer and the thing is, I don't feel anything biting me until the next day when I am covered with itchy welts. And they do not discriminate on where they bite you. I have a bottle of "OFF" right on my deck, but I'm always in such a hurry to get out to the hillside I forget to give myself a good spray and then suffer the consequences. In life, the Bible and prayer are my protection. They are my weapons against things seen and unseen. Ephesians 6:13-18 tells us about the full armor of God. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. (Eph. 6:10).

3. Getting to the root of the issue. That crown vetch we had out there is some tough stuff. Part of the problem is because it has rhizomes, which isn't something I knew much about before this summer. Rhizomes are root systems that spread all over the place. It sort of reminds me of a subway, tunnels going all over the place and you don't even realize it's going on right underneath you. Because of the rhizomes, it's very hard to get the entire root system out. Dandelions aren't rhizomes, but they have very long roots and rarely can I pull the whole thing out. It has to be very muddy to have much success at all. I can see the plants where I was unable to remove the entire root system. There is about half a plant, they still have a little bit of green leaf and they are most definitely alive, but they don't look like a normal plant. Ephesians 4:26-27: "In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." In other words, don't sweep things under the rug. If there's a problem with someone get to the root of the problem and do your best to work it out. When we have issues going on, we can still live, we can still have a more or less normal-looking life, but it isn't whole, parts are missing.

4. Identification. I have a lot of this plant on my hillside. I waited and waited for it to do something, get some sort of flower buds and it never did. So I cut off a leaf and brought it to an expert and learned, that, yes, it is a weed and I have to remove it. While I don't think it's a hideous looking plant, it's not what belongs out there and it's getting in the way of other plants being able to flourish and be all they can be. It's like my life, there are things that I do that aren't bad, I'm not hurting anyone, I'm not breaking any laws, but are they the best use of my time or are they getting in the way of letting me grow to be all I can be? Could I make better use of the time I spend on those activities? I believe it's important to identify those things in my life that keep me from growing, from learning, from being the person God intended for me to be. 2 Thessalonians 1:11: With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith." Summer is coming to a close, my hillside will no longer require my attention; I am right now trying to identify ways to continue to be as teachable as I am out there.

I am so grateful for the lessons I've learned this summer; I'm so grateful for the peace and comfort God provided in a way I never would have guessed. My prayer for me, and all who read this, is that we would all be open to God's lessons, to have patience with His plans for us, to build up the body of Christ through our relationships and to do all we can to bring Him Glory.

Don't. Stop. Believin' .....

Let's Take a Closer Look

As I looked at the pictures of my hillside, I realized I was not really doing it justice so I took my little camera out there with me tonight and got a little closer to see a little better what I actually have out there. So let's get up close and personal.


















I found these little beauties hiding under a much bigger plant.

I did learn tonight that some of the pests I have been seeing will just have to stay there, no pesticides. The first frost probably isn't too far away and that will be the end of those little guys.

And good riddance I say,

My Project

Well, here are some pictures of the place I have spent many, many hours this summer. It really is hard to capture how it looks in a picture, but maybe this gives a glimpse In the picture on the top, I am standing right on the hillside looking towards the northwest and in the second one, I'm on top of the hillside. I am noticing things starting to die back the last few days and last night I spent the evening cutting off dead blooms and cutting plants back and continuing to pull out crown vetch. When I look around though, I am seeing fewer and fewer weeds so I believe I may be winning the battle. I have noticed a new problem, however. On several of the plants are little pest-like creatures. Being so new at this, I don't know if they are just a natural part of the whole prairie project or if they are destroyers. The plants they are on do not look like having those little pest guys on them is healthy. So despite my reading on not using pesticides in a garden attempting to attract butterflies, I did sprinkle some Sevin on one of the plants where I noted an abundance of little worm-like creatures on gray leaves. It just didn't look like they were doing the plant any sort of good at all. I think the answer to this problem is to get more birds in the garden as I believe they help control all that naturally. At the beginning of the summer, there were many birds in the yard, lately I have not seen as many. Whether that is because of the season or because I couldn't keep up with filling the bird feeders this summer and they found other food sources, I don't know. However, the next plan is to start working on some bird feeding stations, probably get that started already this fall and winter. It will be fun tromping out there through the snow and battling the winds that can make your face hurt. Perhaps we will even have a blizzard where I have to attach a rope to the house so as not to lose my way back. I think that would be very fun. Yet, even as I start thinking about the seasons changing and see some plants dying down for the winter, there are still many plants with new blooms still waiting to pop open so I would say we are about a month away from mowing it all down.

Mark is also building me a for-real clothesline with poles and cement in the ground and I'm pretty excited about that. I'm starting to feel like I'm living "Little House on the Prairie and couldn't feel more joy and contentment with that.

Planting and Weeding, Weeding and Planting,

Sometimes God Whispers, Sometimes He Shouts

Dena and I met for prayer last night after a summer of sporadically meeting. Our prayer time has become such a comfortable, easy, blessed time of assurance that the pressure of "needing" to meet every single week is no longer an issue. We know we will pick it up as soon as we are both available and God is already there waiting for us.

Last night as we were catching up with each other's lives for the past few weeks, we agreed that this summer we had both experienced life altering events. Dena compared these events to the first time you get glasses or after you've had glasses for a while and you get new ones. Suddenly the world has a little sharper focus, colors are brighter, you can see bark on the trees. That's how our life altering events have been and now we can see the hand of God a little more clearly. Dena's event involved birth, mine involved death. Which may seem unfair or sad for me, but if we have placed our trust in God, then our response to these events has to be I will continue to trust You and "thy will be done."

Dena and Greg have their first grandchild, Ash. Dena sees the miracle of life, of birth, how each person is created by God. Their family has changed, they have a new normal with the joyous addition of Ash. To say that Dena is entralled, completely enraptured, head over heels over Ash doesn't really give justice to how much she loves this baby. Love oozes out of her as she talks about him and about her daughter, Emily.

I lost my dad. I see how precious life is, how fragile life can be. Our family has changed too, we have a new normal with the loss of my dad, but this change will never feel normal. However, I have been shown how a person can live a quiet life and watch for opportunities to make a difference in someone's life and make use of that opportunity. My mom and dad had the privilege of getting to know a family who are very good friends with Barb. Their daughter got married a few weeks ago and my mom, along with Nicki, went up to Minneapolis for the wedding. The young bride and her husband mentioned in their wedding program, the memory of people who had passed away who had meaning in their life and they included my dad. My mom was so honored that they did this. They, in turn, took the opportunity to return the blessings my mom and dad had given them. It encourages me to watch for those chances. I can be the rock that gets thrown in the water and causes the ripples. I don't have to be famous or have a whole bunch of money to cause a ripple.

I am reminded to take the life altering events God sends me and learn from them and be thankful for the lessons. The ones that bring joy and the ones that bring sorrow.

Continuing to Praise,