Close to the Creator

I originally wrote this post on August 5th of 2007. My sentiments remain the same, and I am sure they will for the rest of my life. I cannot wait to get back out in the rain and photograph my flowers. That is by far one of my favorite things to do.

All my life, it seems, I've had this love affair with the weather; precipitation specifically. I LOVE the snow and the rain. Where we live in the Midwest we have the luxury of experiencing all four seasons. My favorite times are when it storms, be it rain or snow.

It is currently summer, and rain has been scarce. Today we have had a few showers. I am still holding out for thunder, lightening and wind. Although, it seems doubtful that we will see anything other than the occasionally sprinkle.

Today I took my camera to the garden and photographed the flowers in the rain. What a wonderfully tranquil experience. It was like meditation. I absolutely loved the experience. I found myself lost in the moment and completely unaware of the fact that I was getting drenched.


Then, it dawned on me. I believe that part of the romance I have with the weather, rain specifically, is my connection with God. I don't know that there is any other way we can experience him so vividly. Rain is a giver of life much in the same way as our Creator. In the weather we can see Him at work. It touches me every time, and every time I long for more.

American History

I woke up early this morning with my husband and had the opportunity to watch Joyce Meyer. This was one episode I am glad I got to see. Her husband, Dave Meyer, and author/speaker Star Parker were her special guests. The topic? The loss of our American History. This is an issue that has been making itself more and more known to me over the past several years.

Growing up in public school I just hated history class, most of all U.S. History. I had a terrible teacher. What a shame. Fortunately, my dad was a lover of history and a great historian in his own right. Of course, this was something I did not appreciate as a youngster. It became more and interesting to me as I got older, and then he was gone. Now, my youngest son is following in his footsteps. He loves to give me pop quizzes, especially ones with trick questions! It is obvious that remembering history is a gift for him, and he already knows more than I will likely ever learn.

Through the lovers of history that are around me and the realization that I was spoon fed half truths and downright lies growing up, I have become fascinated with history. It is more and more apparent that we as Americans do not know our history. Citizens of other countries know more about us than we do! Honestly, if you want to even get a good take on U.S. news you're better off to watch a Canadian broadcast. Sad, I know.

Today's discussion on Joyce Meyer Ministries was based on a book that Dave Meyer read years ago titled, America's Providential History by Mark A. Beliles. Reading this book was a life changing experience for Dave. It is being offered through Joyce Meyer Ministries for a gift of any amount. I plan to get this book and read it with my boys. There is another resource that she is offering at a special price that I plan to look into as well. It is a DVD series titled, The American Heritage Series, that she is offering at a special price of $80. It is a 10-DVD set that is bound to be a valuable resource for any family for years to come.

Personally, I believe in history education second only to biblical studies. As we celebrate our nation's birthday, what better time to make a commitment to learning our history, educating our youth, and getting involved? Karl Marx said, "Take away the history of a nation and they are easily controlled and easily deceived." It couldn't be more evident in the United States that it is now. We are a nation living in ignorance. Our country was founded on Godly principles, and God has all but been removed from everything. The founding fathers fled to the Americas for freedom that we don't understand, don't appreciate, and are more and more rapidly giving away. Now is the time to take a stand. What price are you willing to pay for your freedom? How about taking the time to learn a little bit about the land that you call home? What have you got to lose? What are the consequences of ignorance?

May God bless all of you on this holiday that celebrates freedom. May you grow and learn and share with the next generations it's beauty and fragility. Have a safe and blessed July 4th!

Priceless

Countless dollars spent raising kids until they move out.

$100 on kitchen set for daughter #4 as house warming for first apartment.

$5 on re-purposed end table for same daughter for same apartment.

Deceased father's living room set for same daughter for same apartment.

$300 mini-van hand delivered to daughter #3 a distance of 12 hours round trip at Thanksgiving holiday.

$100 on convertible crib to last through adulthood for first grandchild and first child of daughter #2.

$2K on car deal that went south, leaving us holding the bag, for same daughter and daughter #1.

Another $2K on first year of college that daughter #5 took so seriously she failed.

All items literally disregarded and tossed aside like yesterday's garbage.

Knowing that their children will one day grow up, and they will reap what they sow, priceless.


*Looking to the day that I actually like my five daughters, and accepting the possibility that it may never come.

Don't get me wrong. I do love all of my children. I am just finding it VERY difficult to like them all right now. Hubby and I came to the conclusion that if it were not for the fact that we are biologically related it is highly doubtful that we would ever socialize with them.

It is SO frustrating to watch things that we have spent our hard earned money on just be tossed aside, abandoned, and left for the trash man. The solution? From this point forward be certain to give them the pleasure of spending their own hard earned money on absolutely everything they need or want. Never give money as gifts, and do not spend a lot of money on anything. When at all possible make the gift, and by no means spend a lot of time doing so.

Having this type of attitude and philosophy is VERY frustrating especially when it comes to giving the grands gifts for birthdays and Christmas. As a kind and loving Nana I always want to do nice things for them and make them loving gifts. However, their mothers do not seem to place any real value on anything, so our gifts get given never to be seen again. How do we express our love through gifts that their parents don't even teach them how to cherish?

We are still learning and praying that there is a better relationship in store when we are all a little older.

Feline Photo Shoots

Inspired by the feline blogs that frequent The Zoo Crew I decided to do my own photo shoot with our two resident fuzzies. We have one indoor resident, and we have one outdoor resident. Let me introduce them to you:

This is Boots. He lives on the second floor of our home and rarely ventures downstairs.

This is his "Don't I look thinner from this angle?" pose.

What a guy he is!

"Yeah, Garfield is my hero! So, what of it?"

Midnight basking in the sun on the new porch. She's our resident outdoor feline.

"Don't I look good on my new furniture?"

"I just know a bird will land here soon!"

"I knew they loved me! A new porch and new furniture just for me!"

I have to hand it to the kitty cat bloggers. Feline photo shoots are challenging. A little history on our kitties. Boots was inherited from our daughter, and we have no idea how old he is. Ever since we got him he has stayed upstairs only venturing to the first floor if he knows the dogs are outside or in our bedroom for the night. Which doesn't make a lot of sense to me as he will lay on our bed with the dog at night. Go figure! He's VERY lovable and affectionate and eats like a horse, and he weighs more than our Tibetan Spaniel, Lucky.

Midnight is our outdoor kitty. She used to live indoors, but she developed some bad habits that gave us no choice but to relocate her to the yard. Don't feel bad for her. She has it made! We acquired a cat house through Freecycle for her before winter, and she honestly thinks that we built the new front porch just for her! She won't even move on the couch when you try to sit down. I think that picture of her smiling says it all! Another interesting tidbit is that she has six toes on all four of her feet. It looks like she has thumbs. She's about five years old judging by the age of my son when he rescued her as a stray.

Sunday Stealing Meme

Today I ripped this meme off Stay at Home Mom who ripped it off of Becky from Musings from the Sofa. She credits two bloggers for her theft, the Queen, and also Zoesmom. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as I go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!



A – An advantage you have – Very Organized

B – Blue or brown eyes – Hazel

C – Chore you hate – Putting Away Laundry

D – Dad’s name – Robert

E – Essential start of your day – Bible Study

F – Favorite color – blue

G – Greatest thing you’ve ever done that made you feel really good – Got Baptized

H – Habit you have – Counting Things

I – Issue you hate that the world tries to make you pursue – Perfect Body

J – Job title – Domestic Engineer

K – Kohls or Target – Kohl's

L – Living arrangements – Single Family Home

M – Music you like – Celtic Folk

N - Nicknames – Angel, Teena Weena

O – Overnight hospital stay – Tonsils, Child Birth

P – Pet Peeve – When People Don't Replace the Toilet Paper!

Q – Quote that you like most – "When you give you defy the fear of not having enough."

R – Right or left handed – Right

S – Siblings – 1 half-brother

T – Time you wake up – 7AM

U – Underwear – Of Course

V – Vegetable you dislike – Lima Beans

W – What makes you run late – Stuck on the Phone

X – X-rays you’ve had – Wrist, Tonsils, Chiropractic, MRI, Mammograms, Ultrasounds

Y – Yummy food you make – Mango Cream Pie

Z – Zoo animal – The Snow Monkeys, awww!

A Moment for Dads

Father's Day can be such a beautiful time with dad. We've had fun with them over the years. It seems much of my blog is about transitions. Isn't that what we spend most of our life doing? How many times did our mother's say when we're growing up, "It's just a phase!"? We are in a constant state of transition from the moment of creation.

Our current transition is life without our fathers. That is one thing Pat and I now have in common. I lost my father on April 1st in 2005. That was a big year for us. It signified the end of life for my father, the beginning of life for our first grandbaby, and the formal commitment between the two of us in marriage. This all happened within a five month period. Pat's father just passed away on November 1st of 2008. Life is still learning to continue without his presence.

When Father's Day comes I still find myself with the instinct to look for a card for my dad, and now my father-in-law. It's amazing how much time can pass, and we are still looking to do what we'd known for our entire life. It doesn't fall to the side so easily. I still find myself thinking dad would like that or I should tell dad about this, and he's been gone for over four years. Now, my father-in-law is added to that equation.

It really is true that a loved one never dies completely. They really do always live on in our hearts. This Father's Day was a little tough being the first one without my father-in-law. I know everyone dealt with it a little different. We spent most of our time on the road taking Andrew to Central Michigan University for MAA (Master at Arms) training for Sea Cadets. This afforded my husband a lot of time for quiet contemplation, and I think he needed it.

Knowing Father's Day was going to be so busy we celebrated Father's Day by surprising my husband after work on Friday. We ate his favorite German Chocolate Cake with ice cream after we had a BBQ. We didn't get a special gift, just a card. It was more about the time spent together sharing a good meal and just hanging out. All in all it was a good time. Hope everyone else out there enjoyed their Father's Day as well.