Monthly Archives: June 2010

A week ago, we had an unusual gathering at Shady Acres.  Eldest Daughter and some of her friends had been talking about getting a reunion together for all the people who had gone on a work crew with Law Mennonite Youth group.  Certain Man had organized these trips for a number of years, and the memories that he has of them are priceless.  So they agreed upon a date, and tried to notify everyone who had ever participated.  I didn’t have alot to do except make the ice cream fixin’s and Certain Man grilled the hamburgers and hot dogs.  Oh, yes.  I took lots of pictures.  Have a look at the evening.

Vern Miller and Kent Garthwaite crash in the sun room while they await the arrival of other guests.

Other guests did arrive, bringing food.  Here Blaise and Kathleen (Shank) Maurice arrive. 
Just a few days later, Kathleen would give birth to their new son, Amani Blaise. 
Brave girl for coming out in the heat.

Kathleen’s husband, Blaise and Jesse solve world problems.

 

Kathy Sharp, April Garthwaite, little Victoria Garthwaite, Abi Bontrager and Kent Garthwaite.

Joel Bontrager, Dwight Miller, Joanna and Mary Beth Sharp. 
In the background is Vern Miller and Caleb Bontrager.

Joanna Sharp.  Just a few days away from getting her wisdom teeth taken out.

 

Mary Beth Sharp, Rachel Yutzy and Jesse Bontrager

Gary bought a digital Camera with his birthday money (see one of my previous posts).
  Joel, our resident expert on cameras, is helping him learn how to use it.

I didn’t get to see the pictures he took, but he seemed pleased with his progress.

 

Here everyone is still waiting for supper to start.  The girlie on the right (who hasn’t been identified before) is Bethany.  She comes to church with Calvin and Kathy Sharp and was welcome to come along with them that night.

 

Rachel and Abby discussing — well, I’m sure they were discussing something.
(I just don’t know what!)

 

The Jones Express is always a big hit.

It wasn’t often that it was sitting emptly like this.

 

Certain Man did his usual wonderful job with the grilling.

He must have just taken everything over to the table.

 

The girlie on the left probably came the farthest to attend the picnic
Rebecca Miller Hochstetler came all the way from Curtiss, Wisconsin, with her three young children.
Here she talks with Dave and Ruby Donophan.
(She stopped in Indiana and picked up her plucky Mama to help her along the way.)

Here Rebecca’s Mom, Karen Sue (Yoder) Miller, helps Rebecca’s middle child, Patrick, with a drink.
All three of Karen’s children are delightful little people.  They, as well as the other children that came, were a joy to have.

 

It was hot.  We went through a lot of drink.

 (Like 15 gallons of tea and lemonade and lots of ice water!)

 

Visiting, but texting someone else.  Maybe?  Maybe not!
Kanina Miller and Kathleen are old friends.

 

Kathleen, Abi, our Deborah and Kanina

Christina, Sara and April look at the old photo albums that April put together.

Kent looks like he is asking “How long do you think it will be till supper?”
  In reality, he is probably trying to figure out what one of his children is up to now.

 

This beautiful creature showed up in the course of the evening.
He was already dead, but someone picked him up
and put him on a picninc table to see what could be found out about it.

Charis and Her Mommy enjoyed the festivities.

 

Of course there were times when it took two of us to keep her from leaping off the table.

 

 

And her Daddy watched over her, too.

 

Beebs talks with her long gone friend, Kanina.

 

Gabe Miller got to come with Grandpa and Grandma Miller.
He and his sisters, Abby and Grace, were being babysat by Robert and Loretta.
Kurtis and Leslie were on a date, celebrating their anniversary.

 

Matt Rowan talkes to Sara Halttunnen. 

In the line to get food. 
Little girlie, Hannah Garthwaite is followed by Emily Sharp. 
Rachel and Mary Beth are on the other side of the table.

Blaise and Kathleen talk to the Rowan sisters, Jennifer and Sarah, who are looking over the old scrapbooks.

 

At almost every picnic at Shady Acres, We churn ice cream.
Strong arms and willing arms work hard to make the mix into the cool stuff.
Thanks, everyone for your great help. 
Certain Man’s old Rotator cuff injury has been troubling him some but he refuses to ask for help.
I know that I sometimes sound insistent when I ask for people to help. 
But pain keeps him awake at night way too often these days,
and I hate to see him work at cranking ice cream when there are people around who can help. 
So THANKS again.  I appreciate it for his sake.

(He is still the authority on when it is DONE!  Here he checks how hard it is to turn the crank.)

Our Precious Hannah Garthwaite with the evidence of her grand time all over her pretty face.

 

While the ice cream is being cranked, there is time for another ride on the Jones Express.
In the first car is the oldest of Rebecca’s children, Derrick.  In the next car is Hannah, and in the last car is the oldest of Kurtis and Leslie’s, Abby.

Kurtis and Leslie’s Gabe in the first car,  and the same in the next ones, then standing in the background is Rebecca holding her little red-haired girlie, Meghan.  Gary Burlingame is back there aiming his camera at something.

 

Daniel Garthwaite, Grace Miller, Emily Sharp, etc.

 

Choo-choo, chug-alug–

Good-bye, good-bye!
Please come back again!!!

 

 

Fourth of July pictures, Old and new . . .

 

 

 

This morning when I was working on ordering stuff for the prize/participation buckets

for our annual July 4th picnic, I realized that I hadn’t said anything about it on this forum.

We are planning to have the picnic this year on Monday, July 5th,
(which is the legal holiday). 

The festivities usually begin around 2:00.

As usual, anyone is welcome to come.

 

  It is especially geared to family fun,

 

 

Lots of visiting (and some lounging around:

 

 

 

relays,

 

 

 

 

the Jones Express

 

 

 

horseshoes,

 

 

corn hole,

 

sometimes soccer,

 

and always FOOD. 

 

The Shady Acres Crew provides hot dogs and hamburgers

and the fixin’s for homemade Ice Cream

 

 

And the rest of you bring potluck picnic foods, lawn chairs, sun block, whatever you want to bring to have a great time. 

 

We welcome riding toys for the small fry-

 

 

 

. . . and an extra set of clothes for anyone who might want to get wet. 

 

 

The only thing that would be nice is to know that you are coming and how many you want to bring.  You don’t have to RSVP, but it does help with planning.

Watch it, Mr. Campbell!!!

Hope to see you here!!!

I don’t know who farms the field across the road from us, but I’ve been watching the corn turn into little spikey looking things and asking God to please send rain on that field.

Tonight a glorious storm rolled through, and I am so grateful.

Thank you, Heavenly Father. Thank you for another direct answer to a specific prayer!

 

Is there anything as wonderful as children?

These three light up my life in ways that make the burdens lighter.

Youngest Daughter is babysitting for Carson and Nevin two days a week.

  Their tender care for Charis is something incredibly special.

This is a gift that I do not take lightly.

Thank God for little boys and little girls.

 

 

Old Gertrude would have been 86 today.  She loved her birthday, loved getting the attention, loved all the things that young children love, but so much more.  I sometimes remember her and think about what she was like and how she colored our lives in so many brilliant ways.   This is a story that was written some years before she died.  Some of you will enjoy it — some may not.  But it is the way it was . . .

 

 

        Several years ago, Poor Walter’s group home brought him to visit the Day Program where Old Gertrude and Little Johnny both attend. Some alert soul took Polaroid pictures, and Old Gertrude brought a copy home. A copy was made to put into a frame to sit on the toy box beside Gertrude’s Lazy‑boy. In the picture, three people are sitting in a semi‑circle. Old Gertrude sits somewhat off to the side in a shaft of sunlight. She looks sunny and peaceful. Almost pretty. Poor Walter and Little Johnny sit together on a piano bench. They are in the shadow, a bit, somewhat scrunched together. Poor Walter is in his element. He is with the two people he loves best. His eyes are obscure behind the dark, coke‑bottle glasses. But if you could be close to him, those eyes would be shining. You would know that what he is living and tasting is love in the purest form. You could, I believe, smell it on his breath.

 

Most of you know that when it comes to Facebook, I tend to be a reluctant user at best and sometimes it doesn’t even hit there —

Tonight I have the soul sick feeling of resentment, and after a certain facebook post, I want to write, “DISLIKE! DISLIKE!! DISLIKE!!!”  (Nobody get paranoid!!!  It could actually be any of a number of them over my tenure with this medium–)

Oh, Lord Jesus!  How can I come to you with my imperfections, my inferior performances, my paltry offerings and my sniveling attitudes and expect you not to write at the end of the posting of my life, “DISLIKE! DISLIKE!! DISLIKE!!!”?

Give me grace and courage, Dear Father.  Empty this wicked heart of its bitterness and critical attitude.  Calm this storm with the power of your presence and the reminder of how much Grace you’ve extended to me in my ignorance and self will and even good intentions gone wrong.

And most of all, when all is said and done, may it be Your Own Hand, hitting the “Like” button and welcoming me home.

Yesterday morning, on my way to my sister’s house to pick up some rather stellar Portabella mushrooms, my mind was anywhere but here in Delaware.  Somehow the absence of Oldest Son and his fair spouse was weighing heavily on my heart.  They moved to Ohio a month ago, (actually it was four weeks ago yesterday) and even though Raph had some odd jobs lined up, there was no promise of anything beyond temporary.  As the weeks have passed, I’ve been reluctant to even call him to hear “No, Momma.  No job.  Not yet.” 

I’ve prayed about this, been grateful for Regina’s good family who love our son unabashedly.  I’ve been happy about Regina’s job, and for the way she has settled back into it.  I’ve been glad for the way they found an apartment so quickly, and reassured by the friends they seem to be making, thankful that Regina can be near her mom and sisters and the three little nieces that light up their lives, but so sad that Raph hasn’t been able to find that elusive job.  I fought tears as I went down old Blacksmith Shop Road yesterday morning, and thought about the things I miss.  I miss the Sunday family lunches, I miss the good-natured teasing about life and sports and work.  I miss the top of the head kiss that he often dropped when he hugged me, the occasional drop in after work and the always, always, always, “Love you, Momma!” when he left.  I miss them as a couple, Raph and Gina, who quietly (and often not so quietly) added to our lives in a thousand different ways.

In true “Momma Fashion” I tried to figure out what I should do.  Maybe I should just call more.  Maybe I ought to revert to the old “letter in the mail” business like my Grandpa Yoder did for the many long years when his children were scattered from Michigan to Florida to Ethiopia and often various places in between.  I remember that he would sit at his old typewriter and peck out page after page.  He sometimes did carbon paper, but when he wrote to my Uncle Paul, a missionary doctor to Ethiopia, he would use those old airmail fold together page and envelope all in one.  They fascinated me.  He would fill up every printable corner, and carefully fold and seal them and send them off.  I love the kind of instant communication that we have now, but when someone hardly ever checks their e-mail, doesn’t read his Momma’s blog, and has trouble sometimes finding time to call — well, there has to be some way of bridging the gap.

All these things were rolling around in my head as I bumped down the road.  I wondered how my Son was getting along.  Was he homesick?  Was he discouraged over not having a job?  Did he have any prospects?  Was he carefully pursuing any leads that he had?

I pulled into the drive at my sister’s house, and took care of business there, and headed home again.  The plans were to go to Dover for some shopping, and my daughters were waiting on me.  Suddenly there was a call on my cell phone and it was  — Oldest Son.

“Son!”  I chirped happily.  “How are you? I was just thinking about you, wondering how you were, wondering if I should call–  Are you doing alright?”

“Well, Momma,” he said with a note in his voice that I haven’t heard for a long time, “I got a job!”

“Son, that’s wonderful!!!  What an answer to this Momma’s prayers!  Tell me about it!”

And so, he did.  He told me about interviewing with several companies, and how this job just fell into his lap.  It looks like it will be a really good job.  He will be installing windows for a company and the benefits are really good.  He is so pleased, so relieved, so thankful.  He starts Monday.

What a blessing this news was to this Momma’s heart!  It lifted a burden that had been sitting squarely in the middle of motherly concern for a long time.  The week has been a long week.  Most of the week, I felt like I was battling depression big time.  And I didn’t feel very good, but I kept thinking, “Wow!  Between the girls coming home and the Monday night stretch, a friend’s passing, and all the other things going on, I must just really be ‘crashing’ hard.”  Then yesterday afternoon I realized that I had a rather advanced urinary tract infection, and that explained some of my irritability and some of the physically exhausted business.  So my doctor gave me some medicine and I feel better already.  I’m so grateful for the advances of modern medicine.  When I think about where I was a year ago, hoping so much that my knees would get better with Synvisc shots, hardly being able to enjoy my precious grandbaby because of the pain, and wishing for a quick fix for that brother of mine that had his neck broken in a fall — let’s just say that I am mightily encouraged today, even though I am not entirely well.  Lord willing it won’t be long until I’m all better.

And Oldest Son is no longer unemployed!!!  Now that’s worth getting excited about!!!

You go, Raph!  We are so happy with you and Regina for this answer to prayer.

 

She stood in the middle of my kitchen.  From the moment she and her little sister came in from the dark where they had been swinging, she had smiled and tried to be so very grown up and complimentary. I was troubled by the fact that there were only two girlies.  There should have been four.

“Is it just you and Miriam?” I asked her.  She nodded.  “Where are your sisters, honey?”

Her chin jutted out, and she heaved her shoulders.  “Well,” she said slowly, “I’m not sure that I’m supposed to repeat this, but –” She looked around cautiously.  “We think they are with our mama.”  She looked then like she was going to cry.  I walked over and wrapped her up in my arms and held her.

“And how does that make you feel?” I asked gently.

Her voice was high pitched, and tight.  “Sad.”  She said simply.

“Oh, Honey-girl.”  I hugged her tight and rocked.  She took a deep breath.

“Our family is just having a really tough time right now,” she said in a voice that belied her mere eight years.  She and her sister played a little, but kept straying back to the kitchen.  I finally got to thinking.  They had been riding about most of the day, looking for someone to take them in. 

“Are you girlies hungry?”  I asked them with as much cheerfulness as I could muster.  Their eyes brightened, and even though I have reason to believe that the six year old already is dealing with her mother’s anorexia, they both insisted that they would love something to eat.  I had one can of spaghettios on the shelf.  It was enough for two little girls.  There was applesauce in the cellar.  I got the spaghettios cooking while the oldest of the two hovered at my elbow.

“Did you know,” she suddenly said, “that I can cook and I can clean?  I’m a really good help in the house.”

“You can cook?” I asked her.

“Yep, I can do toasted cheese and if I could get to Wal-mart for some cornstarch, I can make vanilla pudding.”

“That sounds wonderful, Honey.  I’m sure you are a big help around the house.  But you know, Darlin’ you are a little girl and little girls need to play sometimes.”

“Oh,” she said airly, “I do play, too.  But I like to help.”

Supper was eaten, and the two darlings played tenuously.  The oldest came back to give me compliments. 

“You are a good housekeeper.”  

You are a good cook.”  

“You make good home canned things.” 

“You have a big house.”

I sensed that there was a bid being made for being allowed to stay, and my heart went out to these little girls and their desperate situation.  A mother who doesn’t live with them, two older sisters who have run away to live with the mom, and a dad who is ill — physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally.  His sordid tale went on and on into the wee hours of the morning.  Somewhere along the way, I told him that the little girls could sleep in the spare room if they could sleep together.  They had gone into the living room and crashed onto the la-Z-boy recliners and fell soundly asleep.  It was then that we realized that what the dad really wanted was for someone to take the three of them in.  Indefinitely.

I looked across the room at Certain Man who had put setting up chicken house on hold to listen and to try to understand.  I thought about our girlies, due in any minute from their trip, and my heart rebelled at the invasion.  I didn’t mind the little girls sleeping at my house, but the thought of their daddy spending the night was really uncomfortable for me.  Certain Man told him that he could sleep on the couch, and he jumped at the chance. I went to change the last load of laundry and then motioned to Certain Man.  “What’s going on?” I queried.  “Did you really tell him he could sleep here?”

He was as troubled as I was.  “Hon, what can we do?  I can’t turn him out with the girls, and he isn’t going leave without them.”

“You’re right, of course,” I said.  “But there are a few things I need to tell him.”

I met him in the kitchen and decided to get it over with.  “You heard me say that there is an upstairs spare room, and I know I did say that the girls could sleep there.  That was before I realized that you were staying too.  With sleeping arrangements the way they are upstairs, I cannot allow you to sleep up there.  Our single daughters are coming home tonight, and I am not comfortable with you being up there.”  He took that really well and seemed to understand.  “Furthermore,” I said, “Mornings at this house are especially busy.  Daniel leaves early for work, and I have my ladies to get up and ready for the bus.  Daniel leaves at 7:00.  I think it would be best if you weren’t here after that time.  I’m not making any accusations, but it just doesn’t look good for a man to be here when my husband is gone.”

“Oh, sure, sure.” He said.  “I 100% agree with that.  That is how I would do it, too.  Just to have the couch is good enough, and we get up early and we’ll try to get on out of here.”

“I would really appreciate it,” I said.  “It just seems awkward.”

“Right!” he said.  “I understand.”

I got some sheets and made up a bed on the couch.  Got him a pillow and some blankets.  In less than ten minutes, he was snoring gently.  The girlies hardly seemed to move.  We left a light on in case they got awake, and once our girls got in from Guatemala, we went to bed. And after a time of trying to think and pray, I eventually went off to sleep.

This morning, there wasn’t much stirring in the living room until right after Daniel left for work.  Then the bathroom I use to shower and dress my ladies was suddenly taken over.  Thankfully, it didn’t last too long, but I still played “catch up” until the bus arrived, actually ten minutes early.  Nettie and Cecilia both rode on the same bus today, so they were actually out of the house before the two little boys that Rachel babysits for put in their appearance.  As the morning wore on there were no serious attempts at getting out of here.  The Youngest girl hollered from the top of the steps.  “Hey!  Do you have some clean clothes?  I peed myself!”

“No, I don’t have any little girls, so I don’t have any clothes your size.”

She scrunched up her cute little snoot and tried to think of a solution.  “You don’t have anything?  I need a t-shirt.  Do you have a t-shirt for me?  No?  Well, could you knit one quick?”  (uh, no!)

Eventually they drug in a huge suitcase that had clothes and some necessities, then had some breakfast, and everyone continued to mill about.  I don’t know what is wrong with this old grey mare, but this morning almost got the best of my good humor.  I finally fired off a message to the church e-mail group, asking for prayer and I guess people must have really taken it to heart because it was only about 20 minutes later that I saw him putting light jackets on the girls and he decided to head on out to see what he can find today.

My heart is a kaleidoscope of emotion tonight.  How very much I wonder where they are.  I wonder what their day was like.  I spent a long time talking to Youngest Son today, and he is adamant that the girls are in danger.  He had many, many things to say, but I hardly know what to do with them.  I know it isn’t the best situation, but I have never seen the dad do anything that would physically hurt the kids.  But everything is so mixed up tonight, and I am more than a little worried.  I know that I’ve not given many names, but if you could, please pray for this family tonight.  I don’t see things getting much better, in fact, I believe that they are “sitting on go for disaster.”

God has a plan, here.  There is a best thing for this family to do.  How sincerely I hope and pray that where ever they are tonight, the girlies are fed and secure.

Thanks for listening!

The girls come  home tomorrow, Lord Willing.  The Guatemala airport is open, and things are all scheduled.

Please pray for my Rachel-girl.  She is quite sick with the kind of things travelers often get when they travel in Latin Amercan countries.  After three days of Montezuma’s Revenge, she is so dehydrated that she blacked out this morning when they went into town.  I’m so glad that she has her own personal nurse with her, and Deborah is doing a fine job taking care of her.  Rachel called me this afternoon while we were still at our church’s carry-in to ask me to please pray for her, and to ask for advice.  I talked to her just a few minutes ago and she is feeling much improved, for which I am so grateful.

My week ahead looks really full, but took a quick turn for the unexpected this afternoon when Cecilia suffered a seizure.  She was hospitalized about two months ago with seizures that wouldn’t stop (also on a Sunday afternoon, no less) and they changed her meds at that time.  She had a few weeks of irritablility, but then seemed to settle in.  About a month ago, they started her on Blood Pressure meds, and since then she has just not seemed quite right.  Because she doesn’t speak, I always need to guess what is going on.  I’ve noticed that she has lost some weight, though, and this past week they called me from Easter Seals to say that she was crying.  They had never seen her cry before, and were quite worried.  I couldn’t leave that minute to get her, and asked for a half an hour.  By then, she had stopped crying and we decided to just leave her there.  She seemed fine there the rest of the day, and also fine when she got home in the evening.  Daniel and I went to PA to pick up my Sweet Mama who has been gone for almost three weeks, and Niece Carmen put her to bed.  Again, she was crying, so Carmen called me, and I sang her the usual going to bed song that I sing every night, and then she seemed to settle okay.  She was fine yesterday and seemed normal today until she had the seizure.

What this means is that I need to get orders for blood work, and then see if she may need some follow-up tests.  May I just say that I HATE seizures???  They are devastating to the person who has them, and they are difficult to manage, difficult to discover the “WHY” of them, and difficult to know just what is best for the person involved.

Things will look better tomorrow.  It’s high time I get to bed.  Better days ahead.  I hope.

(And maybe Xanga will upload my pictures!)

After all the hoopla about El Salvador, I need to report on that part of the trip.  Deborah and Rachel were treated wonderfully in San Salvador.  They were taxied to the nice motel that is associated with the bus lines after arriving at the airport.  I believe it cost them maybe $30.00, which Deborah seemed to feel was fair.  They paid $24.00 a night for the nice motel room, and then were up at 4am to catch a bus at 5am for Guatemala. 

The bus was adequate and comfortable and not terribly expensive.  They had some exposure to the roads that were washed out and passable only on one side.  One bridge was actually under water, but they went across it anyway.  When I questioned the wisdom of that, Rachel said, “Mom, it was like a cement roof bridge.  It was fine!”  (I didn’t tell her that I saw some pictures of “cement roof” bridges lying helter skelter and completely collapsed on a facebook friend’s photo report of the devastation in the wake of the hurricane — The girls both seemed to feel that it was not that scary.)  They got to Guatemala City in less than four hours, which seems to be excellent time, and then because Lupe and her husband Ervin had difficulties on the bad roads between Quetzetanoma and the capitol, they waited for awhile in a mall until they finally got there.  Got something to eat because they were starving, and that is where Lupe and Ervin found them.

They had that very positive experience in El Salvador, and now they are loving the time with Lupe and her husband and their extended family.  When I talked with Lupe last night, she was quite weepy with joy over having Rachel there, sharing old memories, and finding that Rachel has grown up so much since she last saw her, finding her an adult friend as well as a childhood friend that grew up, and just really enjoying having “home folks” there to talk to.  I sometimes wonder how it must be to be in Lupe’s shoes.  She has this little girl that is almost a year and half, and her grandma (Lupe’s mother) has never seen her.

Ervin and Lupe’s baby, Nichole

Lupe literally has no family where she lives, and she has had to learn the hard way who to trust and who will betray her, she has struggled in the marriage, (not surprising.  Who doesn’t?) but has persevered and held on until things are now better than they have ever been.  Her husband is a good provider for her, and they seem to have a working relationship that is meaningful to them both.  She is a scrappy, feisty girlie and she has not had things easy in her life.  I often think that it is that tenacity that has made the difference in getting through and giving up.  I’m grateful that she has been a part of our lives, and I am honored that she considers our family as her own along with her biological family.  It’s been a TRIP, and it has certainly had adventures. 

Kinda’ like the one the girls are on right now.  It’s been hard to predict just what will happen next.