Tag: Scripture

Snippets from this Past Week

Here are a few photos depicting life these days…

This scene captured my heart…I feel it shows the essence of this pandemic…isolation. This young man sitting alone under the tree…contemplating these crazy times I’m sure.
Our online church services, including taking communion at home.
Learning to use new technologies…Zoom became a popular connection tool. These are my wonderful bookclub friends meeting on Zoom. We use Zoom to connect with our two sons and their families too.
Sadly, this fresh milk is going down the drain on my sister-in-law’s dairy farm in Pennsylvania. Evidently there is an over supply of milk due to the massive closings of schools and restaurants. Photo by sh
Picnic areas, playgrounds, and gathering spaces fenced off.
Cool Blue and his babe Lil’ Oaty sit on our deck railing watching children walk by on the sidewalk that leads to walking paths and ponds in our neighborhood. The Teddy Bear movement is making a bear or stuffed animal visible for children to hunt for while going for a walk.
Signs of spring and hope!…daffodils recently seen on my daily walk.
…and some bright color crocus’ too.
Photo by ba
Be still and know that I am God.     Psalm 46:10

As March Ends…

Each year I have a book printed of my blog postings as a birthday present to myself. March 31stis my cut off for the previous twelve months so I wanted to record a little of what’s been happening in our world with this global pandemic.

An example of “social distancing.” I watched these two friends keep their distance as they chatted after putting their groceries in their cars. They walked toward each other but stopped to keep at least 6″ distance and visited for several minutes.

Life as we knew it changed dramatically this month (March 2020).  About March 13 the WHO (World Health Organization) declared a Pandemic. Within two weeks we went from normal, busy activities to being ordered, on March 27 (State of Minnesota), to “stay at home” to keep the COVID-19 virus from spreading.  Restaurants have closed and non-essential businesses have closed. People have been asked to work from home. Schools have gone to online teaching…no children are meeting in schools.  Our church services have been cancelled and services are online now. 

We’ve learned new terms such as “social distancing” – keeping six feet away from others when talking with or meeting a person, and “flattening the curve” – trying to slow down the number of people who are getting infected with the virus to avoid overloading the medical system. We are learning how to use online video applications such as Zoom to stay connected with others.  

Some activities in our personal world right now…jigsaw puzzles, the game Bananagrams. And see “Cool Blue” the blue kangaroo in the window? People are putting stuffed animals in their windows so children can have stuffed animals to look for when they go for walks. I love that idea.

I’m grateful we are allowed to get outside and walk and bike. I walk daily.  Gary continues to either bike or walk.

Many of us are experiencing grief…the loss of control in so many areas of our lives. No one knows what comes next. And no one has the answers. This is unprecedented. 

There will be many financial repercussions too. This is a difficult story. 

I lean on one of my favorite scripture verses:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
Lean not on your own understanding
Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways 
And he will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3: 5-6
Coloring is another calming activity for me.

An article I read recently labeled the next generation as “Gen C’s”… C for coronavirus… since the world will never be the same from now on. Gen C’s will only know life after the coronavirus… life after the ”new normal” sets in.

Our world has turned upside down! I wonder what the new normal will be… 

Spring is Here!

I’m used to celebrating spring on March 20 so I was surprised to learn that today, March 19, 2020, is the first day of spring this year. The spring equinox begins tonight at 10:49 pm.

The COVID-19 pandemic is on all of our minds these days…the uncertainty of it and the bigger picture of the fallout…is scary. I will not be posting much about it…it’s too overwhelming…but I am grateful for my faith to see me through.

The clouds have been particularly beautiful and unusual in the past two weeks and I’ve captured a few photos. 

Psalm 147: 7 & 8
Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
    make music to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with clouds;
    he supplies the earth with rain
    and makes grass grow on the hills.

Here’s to spring! May it lift our spirits a bit during these difficult days.

Rime Ice

Over the weekend we got 8-10″ of fresh snow. It was a nice clean blanket covering the ground, although a lot of plowing had to be done.

Then, the morning after, came rime ice (a new term for me…it’s thicker than a hoar frost) covering every single branch with ice crystals. It was breathtaking!

I knew pictures would not do it justice but I couldn’t stop myself from taking a few anyways…

Stunning beauty, everywhere.
Into the woods, a favorite spot of mine in Riverbend Nature Center.
Looking up…every branch covered.
The trees were like flocked Christmas trees, along the roadway.
Straight River flowing through Riverbend Nature Center.
Rime Ice – a new term for me – it’s thicker than hoar frost.

Psalm 148: 7-9

Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
    stormy winds that do his bidding,
you mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars…

Happy Thanksgiving

Our tree (a lilac branch) of Thanksgiving…a tradition we started when our sons were little. As we go around the table we add a leaf and say what we’re thankful for. Simple but special.

“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” Colossians 3: 14-16

A Post Script

The inviting photo on the flyer advertising Northfield Shares A Dinner.

P.S. to my blog posting on Northfield Shares A Dinner.

I learned from a friend who was working the registration table that no one was turned away from the event. People who were on the waiting list were notified that they could come down and eat, and others who “just showed up” could also get a purple wristband and look for empty seats (no-shows) and sit down to eat. Many people commented on how welcoming that felt…not to be turned away.

All in all, Northfield Shares a Dinner shared dinner with about 1,200 people, and there were a few leftovers. It’s likened to the Bible story of the loaves and fishes in Matthew 14: 13-21.

Way to go, Northfield!

Fly Me to the Moon

50 years ago today, July 20, 1969, the famous Apollo 11 mission allowed the first man to step on the moon. We all know he was Neil Armstrong who died in 2012 and is not here to help commemorate the anniversary of this historic event. Buzz Aldrin was the 2nd man to step on the moon, while Michael Collins remained in the command module. There are lots of celebrations being planned for the 50th anniversary, and many remembrances retold and some revelations of seldom told stories. 

One story being that Buzz Aldrin carried communion elements along with him to the moon and asked for a private moment to take communion and read a verse from the gospel of John after they landed on the moon. 

From Fact Check – Snoops -This is Buzz’s own account of what happened:

“In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.’”

I like that story.

And another very little known story from that era… when I was a teenager I sent a letter to Pan Am Airlines asking to be put on their waitlist to go to the moon. And, believe it or not, they wrote back and told me the wait list was full! HA! 

I guess I’ve always been adventurous. I wonder if any airline is taking reservations to the moon at this time???