Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Stepping Into the New Year

We were catapulted, pushed, shoved, forced into the 2008 New Year.

We really didn't want to go. We wanted to have a do over. A rewind and let's do this a different way. A different outcome. But it could not happen.

So, we went forward.

We didn't have a plan, a focus, a direction, a vision. We just wanted to survive a life without a husband, a son-in-law, a best friend, a brother-in-law.

We've done all the "firsts". Mostly together.

A room was reinhabited, trips were taken, the families reunited frequently, tears cried, a house bought, a job secured, belongings retrived, memories reviewed, a home established, traditions begun, a kitchen and bathroom renovated, a race run, brothers and cousins held close, friendships appreciated, new friends established, and a first year without done.

This year I feel like I'm stepping lightly into 2009.

Delicately.

A whole year in front of us. A year of possibilities and potential and great expectations. But, quietly and prayerfully approached.

Monday, December 15, 2008

A Dog and His Boy

Yeah!!!

Jon is home from St. Kitts and will be in the North Country for a couple of weeks before heading out to Oklahoma.

We lit all the candles on the porch and inside and he arrived around midnight.



Jon and Otis were reunited after being separated for six months. Hesitation at first but then a joyous reunion and refusal to leave Jon's side. Oh well, I guess I'm history now that his real owner has arrived.



The red chair is Otis's. However, when Grady is in the house he takes dominion over the chair. If they are spending the night I have to remove Grady so Otis can sleep there. That is HIS sleeping chair. Grady and Dyllan sleep on their bed in Laura's room. However, the chair is free these days. Jon is back and Otis has resumed sleeping with him on his bed!



We had a beautiful ice storm last week. It left the area blanketed with ice encrusted trees and bushes then layered with a big blanket of pure white snow. It was beautiful. I took the dogs down the avenue of the elms on St. Lawrence's campus. I wish I could capture the true beauty of landscape.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

A Leahy Family Christmas

We went to the Community Performance Series Concert last night at Hosmer Hall.

The Leahy Family from Canada treated us to a wonderful night of fiddling, singing and French Canadian clog/tap dancing. It was magical!

Eight of the eleven siblings performed (three of the girls were at various stages of pregnancy so they stayed home). There were drums, a mandolin, and fiddles, a banjo, bass guitars and a grand piano. They were raised on a farm and taught to work hard, appreciate music and have fun. And it was evident that they were experts at all three. They all played a variety of instruments, they all sang and they all danced. The men were great! They travel as a family, together and with their children, and at each performance they allow one child to come out and perform with the adults. Last night the cutest little six year old did a wonderful dance!

The talent of each one of them was impressive but together they were inspiring. ( I have to confess that I was asking the Lord why that family got soooo much talent, seems like it would have been good to spread it around a bit) And they were having so much fun together and with the audience and just in general enjoying each others gifts!

Wow, what a family!

I was thinking about the church as a family again today, I guess because another first anniversary is tomorrow and I have continually sensed the love of a family this year.

In the New Testament God's people are rarely referred to as Christians or believers. They are mostly called brothers, members of a family. We are brothers together because we have the same Father. We share the same life source. And our responsibility to each other in relationship is love. It's not a spiritual gift but an outworking of character. An expression, a thoughtful gesture, an invitation, a kind word, a remembering, a putting up of storm windows yet again this year.

The church, a visual representation of a family. His family; joined together, working, worshipping, loving, grieving, sharing gifts and talents and having fun with each other and the Father.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Is This What It's Come To?

It started in Italy.

The Nordberg boys plus myself and the Skoglund kids and Kay were introduced to House.

In between the different activities which had to be attended to we sat as lumps, glued to the television, watching episode after episode of House. We were hooked! Totally mindless!

We came back to the States and immediately introduced my neices, Laura and Jen, to this strange fascination.

Dad joined the mix at various times, just to see if he could be as smart as Gregory House. Diagnosis after diagnosis was shouted out. Could he get the answer before the third emergency was revealed to the watching audience?

Now we are recording each new episode for any who may have missed that week's show. And random people stop by, (this week, four Clarkson seniors plus Laura) gather around the kitchen TV, sitting in uncomfortable chairs bent forward to view the unfolding drama. What you can't see is Rob and myself, eating our dinner of sandwiches at the kitchen table, totally trying to come up with the current disease entity.

What strange thing will House do this week? No, hospital administrators do not wear seductive clothing and no, treatment is usually not started until the diagnosis is established but......

This may be the beginning of a new weekly fellowship group....
We have the Monday Menu at 34. Now perhaps the weekly viewing at 42!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

A Birthday Card

I received a card recently that said "Happy 60th Birthday".

What? No way!

I know that I have been in the card store looking at those cards which read, "Happy 60th Birthday, Happy 70th Birthday, Happy 80th Birthday, and even Happy 100 Birthday. (Lots of people are now reaching centenarian status) Those cards are for old people and I'm only 30 aren't I?

Oh, no, wait. I guess I can't be since I have a 32 year old daughter and Ethan was born when I was 35 years old. Can I really be 60?

Okay, I guess I am sixty, but I'm going to feel closer to 30, actually I think I have more energy now then when I was in my thirties.

Rob and Elizabeth, with the help of Laura, gave me a wonderful surprise party on Sunday. They invited all my special church family to help celebrate the event. We had an elegant dinner at the 1844 House with live jazz music. Carina sang several old favorites in between the dinner courses. The best part for me was when everyone stared to share our joint experiences. I was so touched and moved. Our 22 years here have certainly been ones of fun, ministry, growth and fantastic relationships with a group of families that I will continue to fellowship with thoughout eternity. And it certainly has been a great start. Where would I be without all of you!

I was certainly surprised!




They made a wonderful chocolate creation with a birthday sentiment. It was yummy!



Elizabeth had lovely fall flower arrangements of each table, and candles all around. It was beautiful.



On the actual date of my birthday, the 18th, Elizabeth had luncheon for my birthday group plus a few old friends and a few younger ones, at her new home. Flowers, gorgeous tables all decked out with fall finery, magnificent food, fellowship and gifts made for the best birthday ever. We even found someone (initials MD, not the doctor) who could patiently get the woodstove going and we were toasty warm as Laura, Liz and I relaxed the rest of the day into the evening.

Thanks everyone for an absolutely WONDERFUL 60th birthday!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

We Get By With A Little Help From Our Friends!

We more than got by with a lot of help from our friends!

40 bags of leaves, raked, bagged, loaded in the truck and discarded at the dump. Wow, it would have taken me a whole week of steady work to do what 6 college kids and other friends and family did in two hours on Saturday.

The joys and responsibilities of camp ownership. Unless I get the yard and hill raked I end up in the spring with a muddy mess. And if the leaves lie on the decks throughout the winter they are all stained by the following spring. So this was a huge blessing to get it done in one day. And now that I am a bit older, lugging the heavy leaf bags up the hill is an issue. To say the least, I was impressed with those college guys who hoisted the black bags up on their shoulders and ran up the steps to the waiting truck! Go youth!

The hot apple cider, hot chocolate, brownies and chocolate chip cookies helped.

And did I mention it was raining, pouring out? They were awesome!




Josh is rescuing Grady who pranced out on the evergreen tree which had recently fallen over into the river.
The rescue was brave and daring however both dogs could not resist the water and were jumping in to retrieve sticks and balls the guys would throw for them.




This was the first year that Elizabeth participated in fall clean up! She really enjoyed it and looks forward to being here for the event next year!



Thanks everyone for ALL your help!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

St. Kitts/Nevis

We arrived in St. Kitts on Saturday afternoon. It was about 85-90 degrees. Jon picked us up at the airport. Liz and Christian rode back to hotel with Jon. Rob and I took a "taxi",(local person waiting at the airport with own vechicle looking to transport tourists to the Marriott) back with all the suitcases. We had brought half full suitcases so we could pack and bring back to the states Jon's things that he has accumulated over the last 2 1/2 years.







Contrary to rumors that we heard upon arrival, Wilbur the giant pig, was still alive and well at one of the beaches. Folks thought he had died in the hurricane last month. He actually tried to get in Jon's car when we were leaving...... the opened front door prohibited him from getting to the water, and he could not back up.




St. Kitts received it's independence from Britain 25 years ago. The island originally produced sugar cane as it's main industry but that has been abandoned. There are several plantations on the island which are now resorts. We ate at Ottley's Plantation, high up in the rain forest one evening. Wonderful food in a lovely setting.







Another day we drove around the island in Jon's old Mazda. Rob did a great job of driving on the opposite side of the road from the right side of the car. We arrived at Rawlin's Plantation during a brief rain shower. Umbrellas from the staff arrived and we were escorted up to the veranda where we had tea and drinks. Very British. Then we were encouraged to walk around the property after being shown the honeymoon suite, converted from on old sugar rendering chimney. It was lovely but Ethan discovered better accommadations on the resort with an infinity pool.







Another day we took the car ferry, with Jon's car, over to the neighboring island of Nevis. This island is not quite as undiscovered- much better roads etc. A note for history buffs. Alexander Hamilton was born on Nevis. His house is still standing, and is currently the museum of history for Nevis. We took a picture of Rob infront, holding a ten dollar bill but I neglected to download it. We drove around the island and landed at the Nesbit Plantation Beach Club where we had lunch and Liz and Ethan enjoyed the water.



Imagine our surprise when we were touring around Charlestown, the main city on Nevis. We knew that our friend Bill Hull was taking over Madrid but we didn't realize that his influence and business savy had extended itself to the West Indies. We were quite impressed, to say the least!






We celebrated Elizabeth's birthday at the Beach House which is at the end of St. Kitts. It was new, and we were literally right on the ocean. They prepared a special dessert for her! The drive back was a bit of a nail biter. The road was quite circuitous, steep and narrow, (and obviously no street lights) and there had been rock slides during the evening but both cars made it back without incidence.





We mostly just relaxed by the pool and the beach were we were staying. Rob and Christian visited the Vet school and saw the horse, donkey and sheep that Jon has been operating on, (still alive and doing well). Rob thought he could be a visiting surgeon and stand in on Jon's operation that week but he was curtly denied! So we just had to hear about the days events each night when Jon came home from school





It's a beautiful, somewhat undiscovered island and I think I may want to go back when February rolls around.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A New Generation

We have a new beginning. A new generation.

My neice gave birth to a lovely healthy girl yesterday evening. She is the spitting image of Kristen.

And my sister and mom would have been thrilled to say the least.

My mom was the BEST grandmother ever. Wouldn't she have loved to be a great grandmother as her mom had the chance to be. And my sister loved her three girls beyond measure and would have taken this role of grandmother on with the intensity and exuberence that she had as a mother.

I pray that the wonderful qualities and love of family would be revealed and demonstrated in this new little life. I pray that she would sense early how important she is to this extended family and that she would be lead of the Lord all the days of her life.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Memorial Service in Italy

There was a memorial service in Italy to honor the six men who lost their lives last November 8th.

You can read about it on this blog site:http://thegiles4.blogspot.com/

Saturday, November 8, 2008

One Year

It is one year today.
It was a beautiful day in Italy and in northern NY that day.
It is a beautiful day in St. Kitts today.

I know that God shall wipe away all our tears.
We miss Christian, it is that simple.

But faith commands us forward

"Saying, Amen;
Blessing, and glory,
and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor,
and power and might,
be unto our God for ever and ever.
Amen"

Friday, November 7, 2008

Earthen Vessels

"For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness" is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels"

We are a treasure to God and to each other. And yes, we are earthen vessels and we break. We age, we fall apart, we get sick, we have accidents and we die.

And yet God has chosen to move through time with us, even though He is not governed by time. He is moving through this grief and hurt with us. I know this by experience and I know this by faith, when I can not sense Him or hear His words. He is there.

I can trust Him with my family, with my daughter during those harsh, difficult times in our lives this past year. When the deep disappointment, hurt and sorrow, shattered plans and dreams almost overwhelm us and threaten to undo us. He is there.

I love my family. We are close. We depend on each other; it is the way it should be. And during this past year we have bonded together even more and I am encouraged by God's grace. I am proud of my sons as they embrace their sister's pain and come to her aid. They can not take Christian's place but they have surrounded her with love and concern and their presence. I'm proud of my husband who comes along side Elizabeth to provide counsel, encouragement, technical assistance in her new home and a steady hand on the tiller of our family's life.

I pray for our Wisconsin family as we are apart during this milestone in our journey through shared grief. Thank you for Christian, for his life with Elizabeth, for his showing us how to appreciate moments in our lives to the maximum. He was a treasure that we shared briefly.

And I can understand Paul's viewpoint and encouragement:

"We are perplexed but not in despair,
We are cast down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8,9

Thanks be to God!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Snow Falling on October 28



It was Rob's birthday on Tuesday and he had an additional present.....SNOW.

We had friends for dinner. A couple of rounds of speed scrabble first. A delicious dinner. A "find out about Rob's past life", a fellow doctor won the contest and then a rousing game of Catch Phrase. The men won.

And in two days we will be off to St. Kitts, where it never snows, especially in October!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

VOTE

Vote ProLife



Romans 13:11 "And knowing the time, that it is time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off works of darkness and put on the armor of light". (italics mine)

There are many more people who will and can write more eloquently than myself on this issue but for those that still read my blog I will add my thoughts on this election.

God is interested in life.

He always has been, He always will be. All life. From the moment of conception to the last lingering breathe of those who have lived a long and healthy life. And we has a Christian community in this nation have let this holocaust of the unborn, (and it seems likely in the future our elderly and disabled), be initiated, perpetuated and gain national acceptance in our lifetime. I'm very sorry and beg for your forgiveness, Lord.

I have recently read through Judges; the ending of the book is chilling. "Every man did what was right in his own eyes". That is never good, either for individuals, communities or nations. What is good for one person, inevietably due to lack of absolutes and truths, will not be good for someone in the group. Sometimes we drift into patterns of life that for us personally are not sinful, but turning a blind eye makes us uncaring and certainly self absorbed with our own life. And we forget issues that God is certainly interested in and passionate about.

God has set before us life and blessing or death and cursing. And we has a corporate nation have chosen the latter in response to the lives of the unborn.

There are many issues in this election. I'm fairly sure that God is more interested in life, especially the life of the unborn who have no voice, than the wellbeing of our economy. God has promised to meet the needs of his people. I don't know how He will do it or how He does it on a regular basis but He does. Nature, birds, animals, plants, all creation is absolutely surrendered to God's keeping hand and they don't worry about their needs. God's enduring, sustaining love towards us in the gift of His Son, tells us each day; He loves us so much that He gave...... Will He not keep us now that we are His?

There are two viable candidates. One who thinks that life begins at conception. The other one thinks that a baby could be a "mistake" and will sign, as his first act, The Freedom of Choice Act. He is prochoice, which is pro abortion. Which is killing a life created in God's image.

We need to raise our voice as a community. Let us not give our hearts away to things that do not matter. We need to always pray and not loose heart, but we also need to take up our responsibilities and rights as Americans, a right that all Christians worldwide do not have, and vote.

"The world is too much with us; late and soon,
getting and spending, we lay waste our powers"

William Wordsworth

God help it not be so.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Fall

"Your beauty golden like summer harmest, Your fruitfulness as autumn plenty." Puritan prayer, author unknown.





A friend gave me this gift- bittersweet- exploded with yellows and oranges when brought into the warmth of the kitchen.



I once heard it said that fall is fickle. It can't make up its mind to be warm or cold, sunny or rainy.

I think it made up its mind here in the North Country. It's supposed to snow tomorrow.

But we have had a magnificient fall. I wonder if it is to compensate for the miserable cold rainy summer we had. And perhaps all the rain we experienced this summer resulted in the brillant colors of our fall. Life is a balance.

The white birches glowed with sparking yellow leaves for the last month or so. The maples were respledent with reds, crimsons, oranges, and golden shades of brown. The berries on the trees have turned bright red and gold.

And I am so thankful for ordinary glories that surround me.

New York is beautiful. Mountains, lakes, seashore, river valleys. The changing of seasons here is a testament to His creativity, His thoughtfulness to provide themes of majesty and nobility amidst our everyday life. The liquid splendor of the sun as it shines through boughs in high peaks. The pokka dots of rain splashing down on nearby rivers. And the millions of leaves, yet to be raked, leave a stark silhouette of branches and limbs and trees waiting to be clothed with shiny white snow.

"Life is more than just breathing. Real living is made up of moments that take your breath away".

Sunday, October 19, 2008

We Got This Today



OCTOBER'S BRIGHT BLUE WEATHER
O suns and skies and clouds of June,
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October's bright blue weather.
When loud the humblebee makes haste,
Belated, thriftless vagrant,
And Golden Rod is dying fast,
And lanes with grapes are fragrant;
When Gentians roll their fringes tight,
To save them for the morning,
And chestnuts fall from satin burrs,
Without a sound of warning;
When on the ground red apples lie
In piles like jewels shining,
And redder still on old stone walls
Are leaves of woodbine twining;
When all the lovely wayside things
Their white-winged seeds are sowing,
And in the fields, still green and fair,
Late aftermaths are growing;
When springs run low, and on the brooks,
In idle golden freighting,
Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush,
Of woods, for winter waiting;
When comrades seek sweet country haunts,
By twos and twos together,
And count like misers, hour by hour,
October's bright blue weather.
O suns and skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year,
October's bright blue weather.
Helen Hunt Jackson

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Fall Chores


1. take boat and jet ski out of Higley, transport to A Bay for winterization, pick up jet ski and store in open garage at home

2. cut down perennial beds at camp and home. many wheelbarrow loads to throw off cliff or deposit in woods, pull up annuals.

3. bring outside furniture inside at camp and cover pieces that stay outside. clean out refrigerator and bring food goods to town home, take up stairs to water, bring in whips

4. turn off water at camp and bring home all tools that might be used during winter on projects during those long winter nights when we don't have any thing to do. ha ha

5. rake tons of leaves, home and camp, so we have a viable lawn next spring. this year the brown bags are the chosen vessels for Canton. we're green! they're more expensive!

6. bring outdoor furniture at home inside garden room, candles, fountains, pots, side tables, hanging lanterns, stone pets, etc.

rake

7. rake, we have 100 year old maples- loads of leaves

8. mow lawn, one last time

rake

9. take down screens from 140 year old house

rake

10, put up huge storm windows on 140 year old tall house

rake

11. take out air conditioners first.

rake

12. make sure permenant stationary generator works, run lawn mowers dry

rake

13. put rakes away (i understand that people in texas don't know what rakes are), and get out snow shovels

14. get manure for vegetable garden, compost with gound up leaves and rototill the garden spot in preparation for next spring. put tomato cages away.

15. reinstate bird feeders so we have some feathered friends visit this winter

WHEW

good thing we we had a threesome and later a fourth today. storm windows did not get up, but air conditioners are out!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

She Did It/ I Did It!!


She signed up in May to support TAPS. She had never run in a race, she had never run 10 miles. And run and train she did.

She finished the Army Ten Miler, running.

The picture above was at the 8 mile post.

The small crowd of family gathered at the 8 mile post wildly waving signs of encouragement and shouting cheers of support. Ethan, Laura and Lars jumped in with the girls at that point and ran to the finish with them.




I'm so proud of Liz, Maja, Rachel and Meka!!
I Did It Too!
Rob and I went to the Adirondacks to climb our first High Peak. We brought Otis. He scampered right up to the top while we took many rests and breaks to catch our breath and regain a normal heart rate.















It was beautiful at the summit. Cascade has a 360 degree view. I can't believe it but one month short of my 60th birthday I climbed my first High Peak. I want to do all 46 of them now. However, Ethan told us that Cascade was the easiest one. Wanting to have a good positive experience we thought we would start at the bottom of the difficulty chart.
I had to rethink my strategy for the next mountain climb though. If I wait to attempt the most difficult one, I may be 80 years old by then. So I think I may have to attempt the most difficult next and work my way down.
I'd better wait till Ethan can guide us to the top!