Found Treasure

This morning I found some treasure. I was left with my four grandchildren from Africa to get them up and take them to Uncle Mike and Aunt Koni's house. Everybody was sooo pleasant and helpful (they must have thought that Granddaddy might fall apart in the normal confusion, and they were probably right). I delivered them and all was still peaceful - when I left they all wanted to hug and kiss me and 2 year old Silas hung on to my neck because he didn't want me to go. What is the treasure? Four precious little ones who love a gruff Granddaddy who lives half way around the world. There is no treasure like it.

Mike took me to the computer while I was there. He had come across the State web site that lists the names of people with unclaimed amounts due to them. My wife has an amount above $50.00 due her. We haven't lived at the address listed for 27 years. What could it be? How much? Found treasure! No matter what the figure is, it won't come close in value to a Grandchild's hug with a whispered or implied "I love you."

Who can explain?

Sometimes it is impossible to explain why things happen the way they do. I could talk about slipping on the ice and breaking three ribs the week before Christmas. Who can explain why I spent a week fooling around with the Christmas decorations, and hadn't done any shopping before I fell? Or I could ask for someone to explain why it hurts so much? Who can explain why a Deputy Sheriff robbed a store to get the same pain pills the doctor had prescribed for me and which Phyllis had just picked up from Kaiser - they only cost 10 cents each [basically a codeine/tylonol combination]?

These aren't really what I want to ask about. Yesterday Phyllis' sister called to tell us that her estranged adult son had been shot 2 days before Christmas and died instantly. No he wasn't in Iraq. No it was not gang related. He had a gun which he wanted to sell and was showing it to a buyer. You guessed it, he was killed by an "empty gun." All of a sudden my broken ribs seemed awfully unimportant. No matter how strained the relationship, a mother should not lose her child this way.

Who can explain why we let relationships get so messed up, when we love each other? Why can't we just mend the hurts? Why can't we just let our pride go and take those steps so needed to bring us together with those we've somehow hurt, or who have probably unwittingly hurt us? To grieve a child who has died is beyond what I can imagine. To grieve one who has been taken by a stupid mistake would be even harder, but to lose a child who had an issue with you, knowing it will never be resolved, must be about the worst thing that can happen to a parent.

I know, both must be willing. --- We have good friends whose 13 year old granddaughter has run away -- she's been brought home several times, but runs as soon as she can get out the door. Emily, I know you will probably not read this, but this is what I would like to say to you. "No matter what has happened either at home or elsewhere, this is not worth the pain to you or your family. Even though they may not know how to show it, you will never know a love like that of your parents. Please for the sake of your Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus come home. Try to make things right. If anything should happen to you or them, the pain and regrets will never leave the survivors." God, help her understand.

Who can explain? Help me understand.

Such a short time.

I was reading my daughter Kristi's latest blog, and suddenly I was caught in a time warp. She was lamenting the fact that her preschool daughter, Trinity, would be going to school all day beginning next month. Has it really been that long since Kristi started kindergarten? They didn't have much preschool then. It seems such a short time. I was transported back to my first day in school. It was the first grade, since kindergarten did not even exist back then. I could see the kids and the teacher, observe the classroom arrangement, even the books on the shelves under the windows, and smell the classroom odors. There was a door between our room and the other first grade classroom. The door opened and they brought a kid from the other room to ours - I felt sorry for him because he had gone to the wrong room on his first day of school, and we had already started class. Everybody was looking at him and he looked like he wanted to cry. I have always felt sorry for the underdog, but that is a different story. I remember how oblivious I was to so many things as I went through my elementary years, and then what a trouble maker I was in Junior High. Then I was graduating from High School, then college followed by the Masters Degree. It was such a short time. I watched Kristi go from kindergarten through the pain of Junior and Senior High, and then she was marching across the stage to get her Master Degree. It was such a short time. I've watched Jeff go through all of the steps, and now he is working on his Master Degree. It has been such a long time!!! Just kidding, Jeff. Suddenly I could see Trinity marching across to get her Doctorate, and it will be such a short time. I hope I will be around to see it, but life is such a short time. Eternity is such a long time - I hope to share it with you.

A Foretaste of Heaven

Everybody needs a special place to relax and think about
things good - like family, God and the wonderful world
he made for us. So come into our garden - it is such a place. These pictures are a sample, like the beauty found here on God's earth. Look around you and try to imagine beauty ten thousand times (plus) more beautiful than anything you see on this planet. Why would anybody chance missing it?














Walk across our bridge for a relaxing brunch. Enjoy the sounds of birds singing and water running over rocks. You might hear frogs, or even see a hippo spouting water. Close your eyes and imagine wonderful things.

God gave us beauty in the form of flowers and plants, rocks, water, a hillside, and retirement. He seemed to be saying, "Put these things together and see what you can come up with. With a shovel, a pump, some pipe, and lots of work we put together our own little Eden - it even has an apple tree. It has taken three years of loving labor to create a 70 foot stream, waterfalls, pond and garden - God did the whole earth in six days; now that's impressive! I did it for Phyllis -- She did it for me. God did it for all of us, then he said, "just wait until you see the real thing."

It's amazing how we have come to rely on our transportation to get us where we want to go, when we want to get there. We leave with just enough time to get where we are going. If it is 50 - 60 miles, we allow an hour, if 100 - 120 miles we allow a couple of hours. Friday we were going to the Metro church family retreat at Camp Yamhill. Our plan was to meet another couple in Newberg at 5:00 PM for dinner. Being Friday evening we figured there might be some extra traffic, so "let's leave a little early." We left a little before 4:oo know it was only about 40 miles. (Actually it was 42.) It was 6:30 PM before we pulled into the parking lot. 2 hours and 35 minutes to travel 42 miles. Bumper to bumper the entire distance. The news said the highways were clogged in every direction from Portland. We had rain - the first real downpour since July. You would think that Oregonians would know how to drive in the rain. Of course the truck which crossed the median and wiped out 10 southbound vehicles near Wilsonville, didn't help matters - actually that was the main cause of our problem. We were wondering what would happen in Portland if we had a hurricane here - I hate to think about it. Grumble, grumble, gripe, gripe is about all we heard from others. Then we thought about some of the people we know of in Africa who must allow more than a couple of hours just to get to church - walking or riding a bicycle. To travel 42 miles they must allow a day or two in the hot sun. We were in a comfortable dry car, with our choice of heater or air conditioner, our choice of radio or CD (stereo), no pot holes, tilt back leather seats [I didn't exercise that option while driving]. We could have stopped at any one of 50 restaurants along the way if we had wanted to. We weren't concerned about the other couple because they were only a couple of miles ahead of us and we were talking with them by cell phone. Really rough, wasn't it? God forgive us for our selfish griping, when he has blessed us with riches beyond the wildest dreams of most of the world.

Sometimes kids can say things innocently which really hurt, but other times just an off-hand remark can make your day. Sunday we had the Portland portion of our family up for a combined birthday party for Trinity and "Aunt" Koni. It was a good and pleasant time. Active little 2 1/2 year old Connor was playing on the livingroom couch, fell off and hit himself on the coffee table. His Mom rushed to him and picked him up trying to speak and kiss the hurt away. His Dad took him and hugged him, when out of his sweet mouth came the words, which I heard in the kitchen, "I Want Granddaddy." Oh, yes!! He had his Mom, he had his Dad, but who he really wanted was GRANDDADDY!!! Connor, you didn't know it, but you made my day.

Later in the evening, Connor was jumping all over me playing, and while he banged my head with a balloon, his mother said, "Connor, you have really missed your granddaddy haven't you?"
Without missing a beat and without even looking up he replied, "Yes, and Grammy!" Now there is a kid who could give polititians lessons. Twice in one evening he managed to certify the goodness of being a grandparent, and with three words he swept Phyllis and me together as a couple, with a simple and pure love. Connor, you didn't know it, but you made Grammy's day, also.

That day it was Connor, but of course other days have belonged to one of the other grandchildren. Each has made us feel very special at some time when they didn't realize it. Sometimes it is a hug at church, or a request to play or go for a walk with them, or a phone call from thousands of miles away. It may be something as funny as Alex telling his Dad while shaving the hair off of his head, "why don't you leave some on the back and sides so you will look cool like granddad?"

You're right, it doesn't take much to make a grandparent feel good.

Today is a special day for our granddaughter, Trintiy. For her 5th birthday she wanted a girls only Princess Day. Every five year old girl should feel like a princess, but not all of them do. Some families do not even know how to create happiness. I was watching the news a while ago, and a mother and father of an adopted daughter were convicted of starving the little girl who came to them in order to have a better life and find some love. Her blood parents were drug users. Now she will be placed in another home or put in the foster system, hopefully to find some happiness. My prayer is that she may someday have that princess feeling. Of course in The Lord, we are all princes and princesses and when we get to heaven we will have a special place with the King of Kings. It would be nice, however if that little abused girl could find some specialness while still on this earth. I may give up watching TV because so much of it makes me sad.

However, with such wonderful grandchildren, I am always cheered when thinking about them. No two of them are alike, but each is special and deserves to be treated that way. Thank you to all of my children and their spouses who love your kids and treat them with respect. [O.K. so they are all a little spoiled - granddads are allowed to brag (lie) a little.]

Phyllis just got home and said that Trinity had a wonderful party. Trinity, I hope you always feel special.