Forgiveness

Today I received a precious letter. It has been "one of those days". During school tonight, Daddy helped D write me a letter to say he was sorry. He must have been a little nervous because he didn't spell his own name correctly! :o) How could I not forgive someone so precious?

Forgiveness has been on my mind today. It seems there has been a common theme this week in Bible study, conversations, things I have read, culminating today in something I heard on television. I watched the dedication of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC. Billy Graham, ever humble, said the first time he was given a tour through it, the only complaint he had was that it was "too much Billy"! It was the usual kind of thing with people giving speeches...some more heartfelt than others, some carefully and politically correct in their wording. After all the speeches, Billy stood up and said, "I feel like I've just been attending my own funeral."! That got a big laugh out of everyone!

To my surprise, the speaker I enjoyed hearing most was Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton is not my favorite person...he never has been even before his personal 'problems' in the White House. Honestly, I like his wife even less. This really is not a political discussion, though it is difficult to separate the politics from a politician just as it is difficult to separate the faith from a follower of Christ when discussing them.

Has God ever asked you to forgive someone that you didn't want to? Or maybe someone you never met? Today I felt God tugging at my heart, asking me to forgive Bill Clinton. Strange, I know. I find God often does strange things...things I cannot wrap my mind around.

Bill spoke of how Billy Graham demonstrates the Law of Love...to "love your neighbor as yourself." He said that the first law was to Love the Lord God and the second was, "like unto it" to love your neighbor as yourself. Like unto it...it clicked in my mind that "like unto it" means that it is not lesser, just as important and really a part of loving God. God asked me to love my neighbor Bill. I am humbled, completely humbled and I realized that if I love him, I must forgive him. I know, some of you may think this sounds crazy. But forgiveness is really important. Forgiveness does not say that what was done is "okay" but that I will not hold that against you forever, that I will not allow it to change me...to make me angry, bitter, vengeful, hate, despise. All those things hurt the one who needs to forgive more than the one that needs to be forgiven.

Does Bill Clinton care if I forgive him? Not likely! But just like my son, when he is forgiven, I can run to my Heavenly Daddy's arms for a hug. It draws me closer to Him. Ultimate Forgiveness was what He gave us in the sacrifice of His Son. (If you want to know more about this there is a "ready?" button to the right) I have seen how unforgiveness can eat away at a person until they are left with but a shell of their former self and how it can destroy families. And unless you think I just blithely write this, I do understand that forgiveness is difficult. I have had to forgive much and I have needed much forgiven. But I didn't do it alone. It was by the strength of God..."I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

I mentioned that this week I have heard this theme in several formats. One of the other places was at Bible study where we are learning about King David. King David was a powerful man who did some incredible and courageous things and he loved the Lord with all his might. And he sinned in some pretty disgusting ways. At the end of the day, God called David a man after His Own heart. The greatest honor of my life would to one day hear from God that I was a woman after His Own heart. I couldn't help but wonder if Bill Clinton too, in all that he has experienced and in recent years with his heart surgeries, had come face to face with his sin and his Savior and known forgiveness. There was a genuine quality in his speech today that made me see beyond the politician and beyond the smooth words that he often uses. Convicted of my own sin, I saw the face of a man I need to forgive. So, tonight the Lord and I will spend some time together in conversation.

Well, I will step down from my soapbox. I just wanted to share some of my heart tonight. If you made it this far, thanks for indulging me. God Bless you!

First Attempt At Digital Scrapbooking

It's a little "rough around the edges" but this is my very first attempt using a tutorial at Two Peas In A Bucket. I used one of their free kits which

was from February 2005. I don't know the designers name. The girls' names are smudged out on the journaling, just for this blog copy and this is low resolution. I need to learn some more so that my pics don't look just "plopped down" on the page. I plan on continuing to learn and hopefully I will improve. I don't know where I am going to find all this free time! LOL

Big Trees Trip With Aunt Grace

My Aunt Grace came to visit on the train. She is my mom's older sister and she is the one who taught me the most about photography and how to "see" and compose. She has had an interesting life, teaching art-mainly oil painting, and traveling around the world. While she was here I borrowed my friends' slide scanner and I have been scanning many of her slides from her travels. With her permission I will be sharing some of her sheepy shots here on the blog in the future.

I wanted to take her some place she had not been before and see a little bit of our countryside, so I took her to Big Trees State Park which has the largest groves of Sequoia trees left in the world. They are found only on the western slope of the Sierra Mountains and are unbelievabl...the pictures really don't show how awesome they are. The coastal redwoods are the tall trees, but the Sequoias are the largest living thing on earth, they are shorter but just huge around. I think the oldest tree in the park is around a thousand years old. It is almost magical walking through the forest. It is a place where I feel God's presence with me as I walk along and I definitely gave my new camera a workout! LOL I have had to experiment with getting the pics small enough to post on a regular basis. So I have made them smaller than usual but hopefully you will get the idea.

The photo above is A and J ready to go. It is one of the cutest pics we have had of the two of them recently. We don't usually dress them alike...but it is easier to tell them apart ever since J gave herself her own haircut! LOL

When someone comes to visit you see things through new eyes. I see the Oleander all the time...white, pink and hot pink. It grows like crazy and is often used as a median break. Grace loved them and we stopped to photograph them...it was the first time I had see what the individual flowers looked like.

This is Angels Camp, California, where we turn off Hwy 49 and head to the Big Trees. They were having the Calaveras Jumping Frog Days of Mark Twain fame and they had these lines of 'laundry' every half block or so down main street. It was part of the decorations for their celebrations and town was pretty busy.

The top picture is D, J, and A...it's blurry but I rarely get a decent (insert hysterical laughter here!) picture of the three of them together, so I'm including it anyway. The second is J and A. I told the girls to hug each other or hold hands and so they took each others' hands and started singing Ring Around the Rosie...it was so cute!

In the top picture, D and A have gone on ahead. This is typical for them, while J takes her sweet time, enjoying every moment of life! :o) The bottom is Aunt Grace and A.

Many of the trees are named for famous people or characteristics. This is the Abraham Lincoln Tree.

Does anyone know what this is? I'm guessing a moth rather than a butterfly. My Aunt got me a butterfly booklet at the gift store at the park and it has lovely sketch/watercolor pictures and handwritten notes, reminiscent of the Diary of an Edwardian Lady. I haven't had time to look it up yet.

The top picture is D...he has had his picture taken here as a baby and a toddler...it was fun to see him again. It was also fitting to have the girls' picture taken here since they are identical twins. These trees are called The Siamese Twins...two trees which are joined at the base. I did take pics that show that they are two trees but obviously can't post every picture here. J is on the left and A on the right. A really looks like her Grandma Ruth in these pictures...especially the one with her tongue out! LOL

This is Aunt Grace and D having a hug and a talk. D is a really affectionate and caring little guy.

In the top picture, A, D and J are climbing through my favorite trees. The middle is D and J and the bottom shows how lovely they look on their own with the sunlight streaming through between them. The trees that you see in the distance behind them are quite large, to give you perspective.

This is the first time I have been in the woods when the wild dogwood were in full bloom. It was lovely, like lacy canopies all throughout the forest.

D is in the top picture...King of the Mountain and the bottom is D, J and A. They had so much fun playing here while Grace sketched and I took pictures.

D, Aunt Grace and A heading out on the last stretch of the trail.

This is northern California at its best (not counting the coast!). This is a ranch off of Hwy 49 in Gold Country that we saw on the way home. The oaks are one thing I will miss when we leave the state. You can't tell in this photo but they spread and sprawl and some are huge...though small in comparison to the Sequoia trees!

I always love taking pictures this time of day, before the sun goes down and the light is warm and golden and sometimes red. Fences and posts seem to be one of the things my eye is attracted to when carrying a camera.

For Deposit Only

My blog is worth $8,468.10.
How much is your blog worth?

I saw this on a blog and couldn't resist. I did this once before and I think it said $0. It must be because I link to some commercial sites?? I don't know but could the powers that be deposit this directly into my account! LOL

Memorial Day

I would like to take this moment to pay respect to the military and all the men and women who sacrifice their time, energy, skills and sometimes lives in honor of freedom! In our family currently, my brother Bruce is on a nuclear submarine based in Washington State. My stepbrother Jack is in Iraq in the Army and my nephew Anthony is at Fort Bragg, NC, also in the Army. God be with you!

And here is proof that there is nothing new under the sun.

Bismarck Tribume (ND) Jun, 2, 1917

MATRON OF SEVENTY-SIX
CARDS AND SPINS YARN
TO KNIT FOR SOLDIER BOYS

The scarcity of yarn has no terrors for Mrs. John Halcrow of Bowesmont, Pembina county. Recently Mrs. Halcrow, who is in her 76th year, "teased" carded and spun the yarn she used in knitting socks and sweaters for boys in khaki. In all she has spun two fleeces of wool and has knitted the yarn into scoks and sweaters. This she did besides knitting her full share of supplies for the Bowemont Red Cross chapter. This devotion to our soldiers by one of the pioneers of the state is a stirring example of the great patriotism with which the women are backing the government.

Mrs. Halcrowis one of the best known women of the state. She is a woman of splendid Christian character and a mother of a most representative family, Mrs. J. G. Moore and Mrs. C. W. Moses of this city, Mrs. John Booth Cooley, Mrs Harry Tisdale, wife of Dr. Tisdale of Grand Forks; Mrs. J. Shingler wife of Rev. Shingler of the Milton Methodist church; Mrs. G. B. Wylie of Bowesmont, state corresponding secretary of the W. C.T.U; Mrs. A. O.D Frate of Jamestown; Miss Mae and Robert and John Halcrow of Bowesmont are her children.

Mrs. Halcrow brought the spinning wheel which she used from her old home in Scotland upwards of 50 years ago. She was among the first to join the Red Cross and has given splendid support to all its activities. The Bowesmont chapter has a membership of 147, while the town proper only has a population of 110. The other members are from the surrounding districts.

Mrs. Halcrow devotes most of her time to the knitting of Red Cross articles.


This lady came from the Shetland Islands, first to Ontario, Canada and then to North Dakota. She is the mother of the wife of my Grandmother's Uncle, Harry Tisdale (noted in the article). In some other writings it mentions that she brought the wheel with her from Scotland when she came. Can you imagine packing up all your belongings in a trunk and sailing across an ocean to begin a new life? We jet set around today and think nothing of it. It was a big thing back then and I'm sure she didn't bring her wheel solely for amusement purposes, it was probably a necessary part of her every day life at that time. It was interesting to read that she had spun two fleeces for socks and sweaters for the boys in WWI...and we do it today...several of my friends are making socks for soldiers and some are making helmet liners...the beat goes on. Thank you everyone who is helping encourage and support all these soldiers!

The Meme...

Well, to distract you from the fact that I have no knitting news, I am going to share a meme with you...again! LOL I'm exhausted after a week visit with my Aunt, a day trip with her and the kids and I have been having some pain/?arthritis in my finger joints. I'm too tired physically, mentally and emotionally to knit! How can that be? I don't know but it does happen. Maybe over the next week I will share some photos of our trip to see the Sierrra Redwood trees (Giant Sequoias) at Big Trees State Park in Arnold, California. Pictures never quite do them justice but they are amazing! There is literally nothing like them in the world.

So, the meme...for which I have noone to tag because I am probably the last blogger in the world to do this. Amy...have you done this? If not, you are tagged!

Here’s how to play…
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog you need to tag 8 people and post their names.

Eight Random Things

1. If you looked at my house you would see lots of clutter...it's too small, I have too much stuff, there's nowhere to put it. In actuality I am a very good organizer and some things I organize obsessively. I think that I would be a good professional organizer because I could understand the messy person, the space challenged and the creative disarray, but I could also see how to do things better. My Grandma Hopkins always said she was "not a perfectionist, just an efficiency expert." I often organize things so that they can be used more efficiently and like to color code things that get stored. Also when I clean I can't just shove stuff anywhere, like in "Fibber McGee's Closet" (unless there is surprise company! LOL), I have to start in one spot and have it perfect and then move on. My husband has mild ADD...can you imagine how I drive him crazy! :o)

2. I have always been interested in "old fashioned" things. As a child I was often found sitting with the older women, listening. I have never felt comfortable with people my own age because to them I was boring and weird. I loved my Grandma Johnson's stories about growing up in the depression and my Grandma Hopkins nourished my desire to learn about different things like cooking, sewing, crochet, art etc.

3. Photography is a passion for me. Sometimes my shots come out great...sometimes not so much. I have only taken one photography course and I didn't learn much in it other than developing (which I can't remember...except for how hard it was to wind the film on those metal coil things without ruining it by having it touch!). My Grandpa Johnson taught me a bit but mostly I learned how to "see" and compose from my Aunt Grace who is an oil painting Artist, photographer and an art teacher. However, my best shots are created from the deep passion within me that aches and longs to share the beauty and awesome wonder and mystery of all of God's Creation so that others will know Him too!

4. No big surprise...I love to scrapbook, though I rarely have time. I especially love heritage scrapbooking which combines several of my interests. I used to teach heritage scrapbooking classes and I am currently designing a class on sharing your faith through scrapbooking, art and journaling. I don't know if I will ever get to teach it but I am having fun thinking about all the things to include and hope this summer to work on some projects for it. I also hope to learn how to do digital scrapbooking.

5. I love to write and have had penpals since I was in middle school...from England, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Africa, California, Canada...but the ultimate penpal was my hubby who started out as an email penpal in 1996!

6. Many doctors told me I would never have children...now I have oodles...well, okay, 3, but they feel like oodles when you are 40 and have a 5 yo and two 4 yos! LOL DS was conceived on fertility treatments. Fertility treatments are not fun on many levels. The twin girls...well they were a gift from God...a surprise "flu" that just wouldn't go away! :o) And man, those two little girls have the energy and mischievousness of four little boys! When they were born four years ago I had very dark brown, almost black hair...now it is salt and pepper, heavy on the salt! In spite of all the hard work they are a testimony to me of God's faithfulness and working in my life.

7. Spending time at the ocean rejuvenates my soul. It seems to be the only place that I actually *physically* relax. I hate living so far away from the ocean after growing up in Washington State rarely more than 30 minutes from some kind of a beach.

8. Like most Americans I am a Heinz 57 mix, but when it's all put together I am mainly Irish, Scots-Irish and English. There is a large chunk of Swede with smidgeons of German, Polish and Slovakian thrown in. My greatest genealogical road block has been the Slovakian family...Dipko. The most genealogy data I have is on the Hopkins/Wolcott families, but probably the most rewarding families to research were the Johnson/Landgren, Larimore and Tisdale because I started with virtually nothing and ended up with cousins all over the US and Canada and many pictures that I never knew existed.

There you go...8 more things about me that you probably didn't even want to know! LOL Anyone else game to try? Tell me in the comments and I will go learn about you!