Year of Retirement

    One year ago today Leroy was honored at a Shank Door company meeting for his 48 years of service with the company. His retirement would be effective on March 5, 2021. He received a nice cash bonus and a big poster of pictures from his years with the company.

   On March 5, exactly 48 years from his first day with Shank Door, he turned in his company truck, cell phone, and uniforms and walked out for the last time. It was a bittersweet moment, but he was 77 and felt he was no longer able to get enough work done in a day to earn what he was being paid.

    Retirement was a big change in our lives but was not a difficult adjustment. His plan for retirement was to do volunteer work and he began with helping to pack food at Christian Aid Ministries. As the year moved along, he found three more places to volunteer and often went somewhere at least once a week. The place he went most often was to Lantern Books, and I went with him. I could help put price labels on books while he put them on the shelves. It was a sitting job I could do but I couldn't stand all day to bag food at CAM.

   Leroy's fifth volunteer job was right here helping me around the house. He was quite willing to reach and carry things for me. He actually enjoyed hanging laundry on the line and helping with the dishes every day. It was a blessing to have him go shopping with me to load and unload the bags of groceries. I really needed his help during the months I had severe pain in my hip and could hardly walk. He did not complain about being my go-fer. There is enough farmer in him to enjoy taking care of the garden, and without him there would be no garden. Of course, he also did the yard work and maintenance around the place and played with his tractors. We had time to go places and do things together during the week that we couldn't have done before.

   Since I am the one who has always handled the books, I wondered how the finances would hold out with no paycheck coming in. Now, almost a year later, we have had no problem. The resources we have were more than enough to meet our basic needs and even a few extras.

   We are enjoying retirement and spending time together. If you have trouble getting along before retirement, it will only get worse afterward. Our children say they never heard us argue. We did not always agree on everything but worked things out privately. The secret to the happy golden years of retirement is to build a strong marriage before retirement. This has been a year of blessing and we look forward to many more, as long as we both shall live.

Empty Arms

 Listen to my brother, Merle Burkholder and his wife, Edith, share their experience about the death of their first child. Click on the link to go to the podcast.

Empty Arms: Trusting God When Dreams Die - YouTube

God of Wonders

   Yesterday I watched a documentary on YouTube called God of Wonders. It won't let me post it here, but you can find it with this link:  God Of Wonders The Documentary (2009) Full Length - YouTube It's an hour and twenty-four minutes but well worth your time to watch. 

   The orderliness and precision of the universe, from the vastness of the heavens to the minute intricacies of things on earth, speaks of a Creator. How can anyone believe these things evolved of their own accord? 

   God's wonders surround us. And these marvels reveal much about our Creator. Through creation we glimpse His power and wisdom, His majesty and care. Creation is speaking to those who will listen...

Join us on a remarkable journey of discovery as we explore the Creator's handiwork and what His creation reveals about His character. Survey the unimaginable size of the universe and ponder the vast energy present in all matter. Examine the elegant water molecule essential to all life and discover how God combines these molecules to form beautiful and symmetrical snow crystals. Learn about the incredible complexity of DNA and the miraculous workings of the tiny seed. From the design functionality of birds to the incredible transformation of butterflies, these and many other features of creation are highlighted in this visually stunning presentation.

God of Wonders is a breath-taking tour of God's creation wonders, visible and invisible, and the greatest wonder of all -- His redeeming love!

Here Is January

 

   Here we are in January 2022. I was twelve in January 1960. It seemed strange to write 1960 for I did not remember anything other than the 1950s. I wondered how many times I would see the third number of the year roll over. Could I possibly live to see the year 2000? I did a little math and saw I would be two weeks beyond my fifty-second birthday in January 2000. I could not imagine being that old but knew people did live that long, so it was possible I'd see the year 2000.  The years sped along, 2000 rushed past, and here we are 22 years later. I'm still kicking (but not as high) and now 52 seems young. 

   January is my introvert season. I don't care to venture out more than necessary. I am happy sitting at home crocheting and scrapbooking. This winter, for a change, I'm not writing a book. Now and then I'll write a short story, but I have no big projects going on and nothing planned. Since Leroy is retired and at home every day, we do things together. He volunteers at four different places, and I go with him sometimes. Winter is the resting season, a time to reflect on the past and recharge for the future. 

Here is January, partly done---
Not as rare as June with its warming sun,

Or soft like April with shades of green,

Ot hot like July with mosquitos and screen.

It's January--cold and iced in pure white,

When the day seems so short, and long is the night. 

When "thrift" is the word which father pronounces;

"Less spending this year!" he firmly announces.

Mother's still finding pine needles about,

Bits of tinsel, broken presents to be carried out.

January's good to the children around,

With its ice and good skating, and snow on the ground.

It brings to the feeders many colorful birds,

Whose beauty and swiftness defy written words.

It brings sunrises glorious over snow-covered rills

And breathtaking sunsets beyond the far hills.

There's beauty in January, and time to remember,

We're closer to spring than we were in December.

Florence D. Brown

2021 Highlights

The beginning of the year I quilted this quilt. I had embroidered the blocks earlier. 

In February we replaced our landline with a smartphone.

Leroy worked for Shank Door for 48 years, from March 5, 1973-March 5, 2021. They made this huge poster of pictures from his years with the company. On the table in front of the poster are some of his old tools, canceled pay checks, and work orders. Retirement changed our lives. It was a good feeling for him to leave with two of our sons working for the company. Daryl (left) does service work and Gene (right) is in management.

Our third great-grandchild, Elijah Stauffer was born May 20.

We took a five-generation picture in June.

We celebrated our 54th anniversary in July by going on a one-day train trip to Jim Thorpe.

We had a mini-split installed in the kitchen on July 26. For the first time in our lives we have air conditioning in the living area.

On August 20 I took Grayson and his mother to Cherry Crest Adventure Farm. They went down the giant slide. I couldn't resist and did it too.

We helped celebrate Abigail's first birthday on September 24.

In October, Cheryl had a full house when we, all of her brothers, sisters-in-law, and some nieces and nephews made the trip to Ohio to celebrate her 50th birthday.

I started my first winter project for this year on October 1, embroidering a tablecloth. I finished it on November 22.

And of course, we wound up the year with Christmas dinner. It was on December 18 this year.

It's been a year of change, challenges, joys, and sorrows. Pretty much sums up life, doesn't it?  Tonight, we close the books on the year and step into a new one. Only God knows what it will hold, but we will follow as He leads the way.

Joy To The World

  The traditional Christmas carols are so familiar we often sing them without thinking about the words. There is a lot of theology in the words we so glibly sing. Consider these:

• God and sinners reconciled (Hark the Herald)
• Word of the Father now in flesh appearing (O Come All Ye Faithful)
• His law is love and His gospel is peace (O Holy Night)
• He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse [of sin] is found (Joy to the World)
• He came down to earth from Heaven who is God and Lord of all (Once in Royal David's City)
• The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight (O Little Town of Bethlehem)
• For lo the days are hastening on by prophet bards [inspired men] foretold (It Came Upon the Midnight Clear)
• He will bring us goodness and light (Do You Hear What I Hear)
• Son of God, love's pure Light . . . the dawn of redeeming grace (Silent Night)
• The King of Kings salvation brings (What Child Is This)

   Think about these words as you sing this Christmas. Jesus came to earth on a mission trip, for a specific purpose. His birth was the "dawn of redeeming grace" but it cost His life for "God and sinners [to be] reconciled."

Shalom - Peace