Father's Day 2025

    Father's Day this year was very special. First of all, we were glad Leroy survived his open heart surgery and is healing rapidly. Second, with a daughter living out of state it is nigh impossible for all our children to be with their dad on Father's Day. As far as I can recall that has not happened since 1991 when she got married. But this year our annual family cabin weekend happened to fall on Father's Day.

    The cabin we had been going to for many years was sold so this year we tried a different cabin. It was a rainy weekend so the children couldn't be outside much but everyone seemed to be enjoying the weekend.

   On Saturday morning we discovered that without preplanning most of the younger grandchildren were wearing yellow. One of the two girls in pink and the smallest boy with a yellow shirt are great-grandchildren. The 1-year old held by his sister are grandchildren. 

   We filled two tables at meal time.

   There were crafts for the small fry,

   games for the older ones,

   a puzzle for the adults

  and relaxation for young and old.

  Everyone attended the church of their choice Sunday morning and regrouped at the cabin for lunch. With Father's Day in mind, our daughter provided some of Leroy's favorite foods---shrimp and a cherry cheese pie. We froze the historic moment of father and children all together on Father's Day. (Two deceased children will always be missing.)

 Before anyone left we preserved another moment of all of us with the 1967 Chevelle we drove for many years. They lined up by age behind the car. The oldest was 15 when the youngest was born. We had that car crammed full with six children for one year until the oldest could drive. That would not be possible today but car seats were not required in 1983 when the youngest was born. 

   The weekend passed by much too fast but the memories will keep us smiling.

Gold or Yellow?

    Yesterday I was sitting in a waiting room while my husband got an x-ray. Sitting beside me was a black lady who was doing the same thing. She was on her phone a minute or two and then turned and apologized for not saying hello immediately. She said in the country she came from you always say hello to people you meet.

    She spoke English with an accent so I asked what country she came from. She said they were from Kenya and had been in the US a long time but now were going back to do "charity work." From then on, the rest of the things she said were about how they want to tell everyone about Jesus and what He has done for them. She knew her Bible well and quoted Scriptures freely, saying people are too materialistic and that is not what life is about. I agreed with everything she said. She put me to shame. When have I ever had a conversation with a stranger that was all about Jesus and spreading the Good News?

    The early Anabaptists in Switzerland were passionate about evangelism and spread their faith everywhere they went. They were not fazed by the high cost. If a man was ordained he could expect to be executed in about six months. As persecution drove them to more tolerate areas of Germany and France, they accepted the terms of not proselytizing and kept to themselves. When our ancestors came to America, they continued the isolation from society and became known as "the quiet in the land."

     Sad to say, too many of us are still quiet. We don't see meeting a stranger as an opportunity to share our faith. And I  am as guilty as anyone. I never asked the lady what her name is but her enthusiasm for sharing her faith will stick with me. Silence is not always golden, sometimes it's plain yellow.

The Prayer of Faith

    Since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, human life has been a terminal condition. We know that no one lives forever but it is easy to ignore the fact, especially when we are young. As the years roll along and we age, we think about it once in awhile that our time on earth is rushing by. But life continues as usual and we go along without dwelling on the possibility that we are living our last days. Of course, there could be an accident or something that brings life to an abrupt halt but there are no dark clouds looming on the horizon. We had some things in order in case something happened but saw no dangers of life ending any time soon.

    That's how we were living until Easter this year. When Leroy admitted he was having some chest pains, he saw his cardiologist who ordered a cauterization. He had three stents put in three years ago and we thought he probably needs more stents. The cauterization showed stents would not help and he needed open heart bypass surgery. With the condition of his clogged arteries, he was in danger of having a heart attack at any time. Suddenly we were staring the possibility of death without a moment's notice. What would I do if I was left alone?

    Leroy was scheduled for surgery on May 21. We prepared with an anointing service on May 18. It was a solemn service as all the ministry laid hands on him and prayed for healing and peace of mind. I had peace of mind as well and felt confident he would survive.

   Surgery had to be postponed two days due to a tangle with the insurance. We left for the hospital at 6 a.m. on Friday, May 23. Our son and another son's wife sat with me in the waiting room until the surgery was completed. Leroy was taken directly from the OR to the ICU where he was for two days. He doesn't remember much of those days.

    He spent four more days in a private room and came home on May 28. Then we tackled the hard part of doing therapy to get him going again. He cooperated and responded well. Our children took turns being with us,. The first two days someone was here around the clock. Then we were alone at night and soon I was able to help him and take him on walks myself. 

   Twelve days after surgery, he was back to making his own breakfast and able to walk one-third of a mile. His rapid recovery exceeded our expectations. He has not regained his full strength but the visiting nurse who comes to the house said she was amazed how well he is doing in such a short time. The physical therapist came, did an evaluation, said you don't need me, and discharged him. In a few more weeks he should be back to normal.

    Leroy had a good doctor and nurses. He did his therapy faithfully. But the credit for his rapid healing goes to God and is an answer to prayer. To God be the glory!

   "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick." James 5:14-15a