Preparing my heart to say goodbye for another year......

Mary Lou and Mother had plans for Saturday breakfast with Mother's siblings. BUT since Mary Lou was in our home the night before, she needed a driver to the restaurant!!  It was a joy for me to be with my aunts and uncles that morning!

Left: Mother, Arlene Hershey, Marian Minnich and Mary Lou

Right: Barb and Wilbur Hess, Paul and Bernice Groff

You see by the #3 sign that something else is coming! It  looks like we got impatient for our dessert!! This is WONDERFUL if you like cold coffee drinks! Ask for a Mountain Freeze - Mocha flavor! (May I give you my opinion of this Mocha drink vs. Starbucks?!!)

I wanted to do one extra special thing with Mary Lou before she goes home. We've been working in my kitchen, (when you make food with Mary Lou, the kitchen smells like garlic!!!) finding a few Reuseit shops, Christmas caroling, etc. I don't know of anyone yet that has given a negative opinion of this coffee shop as I really enjoy recommending it to friends! It's called "Higher Grounds" and is found in Mt. Joy.  For lunch you will notice I had soup and a chicken salad sandwich. Yummy! Best of all was Mary Lou's reaction - "This is n-i-c-e!!" The atmosphere blesses you (the owners are Christians) and the soups "just hit the spot" like we  often hear stated.

Mother stopped in to say goodbye and as always found something helpful to do! The button just was finished as I took the picture.

     Connie stopped in to say goodbye; Dawn is saying goodbye here on the phone. We had just had our prayer time together. I could hardly pray; my voice didn't want to cooperate - tears came instead.  Finally I went for the tissue box.

We're at the Harrisburg airport at 4am. Nevin was taking pictures of Mary Lou and me being silly saying our goodbyes. That's better than tears all over the place. A lady walked by and asked if she may take a picture of the three of us.

We watched her leave; airports are a place of rejoicing and a place of tears - just depends if you are leaving or coming!

May our Father bless you and keep you, Mary Lou. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." Amen.

January 17, 2009

~In loving Memory/Celebration of Gavin Wagner's Life~

(This is especially for Brian and Donna and for those who couldn't be at the funeral today.)

Gavin went home to be with Jesus after a 9 month battle with cancer. For those who do not know the family, Gavin is on the right of this family picture. We arrived at 8am to help prepare the meal for the family and friends. I slipped away for just a bit to take a few pictures before the service began.

What a joy to work together with these dear people. We often hear the expression "many hands make light work" and this was especially true today as we served around 315 guests.

My  Mother - concentrating!

By now you know what our menu was!

This is called - side benefits of helping in the kitchen! There are always crumbs to clean before handing the cake pan over to the sink!!

This best friend of mine is not bothering with the crumbs!!

Martha and Nancy organize this meal; you hear their names called over and over again as we helpers ask many questions. They are a blessing here in the kitchen!! Their husbands organize the fellowship hall as our husbands set the tables up, line them with paper, and then put ALL the place settings on. I heard one husband ask his wife which side of the plate the knife goes on!    We gladly answer these questions as this job takes time!!

Encouraging Messages

I wish I could put on here all the points of the messages we heard today! It was so very encouraging! The theme of this service was - HOPE! And this is the verse that was given to us by Gavin's family:  Romans 15:13  "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  Our elder, Marv Shenk, opened the service with a few thoughts and prayer. Then we sang - "When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul....." then the chorus.

Gavin's Mother's brother, Nate, on the right spoke next. He gave meaningful memories the family is cherishing. He also said that the family was gathered at the Hospice Center as Gavin's life was ready to go to Jesus and just shortly after he died the family sang this song, "It is Well with my Soul!" What a sacrifice of praise to our Heavenly Father.

Ron is on the left and is Gavin's Mother's brother-in-law. Both these men are ministers. Ron brought encouragement from scripture. If you were not able to attend today, I would love to ask you to get a CD of today's messages! If I write all the encouragement I received from this, you would be reading awhile. Besides, I can't tell you like Ron said it!!

This is Gavin's Grandpa Myer on the right (and Grandma next to him.)  Jim had a story for the children. He sat on the pulpit steps and invited the children to come front and sit on the floor. You MUST listen to the CD! It was so meaningful.....things Gavin is not going to need in Heaven.

Twice we had Power Point presentations of their precious Gavin and family times. Oh my, this was so precious (I see I keep using this word but it was exactly that!) as you saw Gavin's healthy days and then his 9 months of sickness. We were reminded in the messages that just as God formed Gavin's body as Psalms 139 tells us, just so God knew all about these 9 months of cancer. He was in control! We believe Gavin's short seven years will/have brought glory to God!

Please notice the notes on these balloons. They say,

To my cousins: "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:5                     Love, Gavin

The cousins took these along to the graveside service. Faye said, "It was beautiful as they all went up - staying together. The sun glistened on them as they went higher and higher." What a verse for adults, as well, to hide in our hearts.

This is Gavin's Daddy's parents - Grandpa and Grandma Wagner. (John and Joyce) John passed on to his sons and grandsons his love of outdoor life - hunting and fishing. One of the bouquets of flowers had a fishing rod in it!

This is Maddie - Gavin's only sister. Just as I was ready to take this picture, her cousin stepped over and gave her a hug. It was priceless! (He didn't see my camera!)

This is Gavin's Mother's sister, Brenda (her son gave the hug.)

And this is Gavin's dear parents, Kris and Jeff Wagner. If you have followed their Care Pages through the hospital, you have witnessed them leaning on the Lord! They have been a testimony of God's grace!!!  I know our church family will continue to remember them in prayer as they adjust to life without Gavin. If you don't know them, join us in lifting them to our Heavenly Father - especially for all the "firsts." We love you, Jeff and Kris.

Back to the kitchen - the meal is over and we're getting everything back in proper place.

The tables are back in place and everything is ready for Sunday School tomorrow morning. Tonight I had some quiet time; I went to Psalms 48.  As I came to verse 14 my heart was encouraged as I thought about this young couple and how brave they have been. They have witnessed this verse; they have seen it to be very true. It has new meaning to me - "For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even unto death."

Our Dear Mary Lou........

Ready to start her morning with her Heavenly Father.

She really appreciates when Nevin takes the time to have a Bible study with her. At her home in California she has to work on Sundays and just misses worship services so much. She is very grateful to a friend who invited her to a ladies Bible study about a year ago for Tuesday mornings. She "drinks in" those times of worship. She brought her workbook along; it was a study with Nancy Leigh DeMoss!  You know that was a rich study time!!

She enjoys keeping the traditions we have made over the years. This is something new for her but I saw very quickly that it will need to become a tradition. We took a friend to a Reuseit Shop in Ephrata and Mary Lou loved it! You can see her time there was successful!

While in Ephrata, this was our next stop! This IS something we do one time each year she is here. She lives very simply at her home and so every little thing you do for her is appreciated.

Thought you might like to know that we didn't order only one Moolatte'!!     We oohed and aahed over them as we sat in the van and enjoyed them to the very last drop.

Our small town pharmacy is another place that goes on our schedule. She does more looking and sniffing - than buying!!  Down the street is Choice Bookstore where you can purchase the books at half price. She was looking for "When God Doesn't Make Sense" by James Dobson. The shelves are stocked in alphabetical order by the title of the book and so she looked, I looked, and the kind lady also looked for this book. "It's not here," the employee and I said.  Mary Lou is gentle but today she seemed persistent about this book and asked me to look again! Then she spoke to the employee about it the second time. It almost seemed out of character for Mary Lou. The employee checked her computer again - and again, came over to the bookshelf and between two large books this paperback, "When God Doesn't Make Sense", was hidden!!  If only I would have had my camera handy!!  We praised the Lord right there!!! We came to the conclusion the Lord had it hidden there just for her! Another memory to cherish!

We are at the same grocery store that Barrie loves to browse! We found our way to the tea and coffee taste testing location!

Back home again. Mary Lou loves our children and grandchildren as if they were her own. She has four adult children and two grandchildren.

This was an extra special day for Mary Lou. She hasn't seen her sister for two years - Gloria, Donald and Donald Lewis. Don't you marvel at the people the Lord puts in your life and you come to love them!  We've been to their home in New Jersey about five years ago. They work in New York and took us to the location where the twin towers came down. Donald showed us where he ran to get away from the horror and confusion. 

We invited Mother to spend lunch and supper with us for Gloria just loves her. Mother knows she likes cracker pudding and prepared it for our noon meal. I wish you could have heard her voice when Donald handed it to her!! Just before I took the pictures she said, "This is m-i-n-e!" 

We have shared Mother with many, many people over the years!

Guess where Mary Lou wanted to take them in the afternoon!!!  Back to that same grocery store! Donald Lewis found a coffee he really, really enjoyed and got to take a bag of freshly ground coffee back to New Jersey. Believe me, the aroma right here is sooo good! To the right of Donald is an additional long row of coffee!

I have never bumped into my sister at this store before!! It was fun to introduce them to Mary Lou's family.

Apparently Donald and Donald Lewis are still back trying the coffee samples!

I was amazed how Donald Lewis found this to be enjoyable.  Maybe we take our simple joys for granted.

We came back home to find that our dear Mother (who had other errands for an hour or so) had started our soup for us! Time went way too quicly after that and we soon had to say goodbye.       It was a real joy to have them here.

We only have a few more days remaining with Mary Lou! Why does time pick up speed when you see that final date on the calendar come into view??!! I'll finish later with our last days together.

Still Running on Christmas Memories......

We met December 28th, at 1:15pm, for our Christmas family time. Our gathering feels very small with Brian, Donna and family not here. Last year we skyped them and therefore could see and talk to them. Isn't it especially hard at Christmas to have loved ones missing!

This year we decided to sing some Christmas carols to a neighbor we had when Barb and Brian were growing up.  One of them would make something for Olive Fahnestock and we would go to her home, give this small gift, and visit with her and her daughter. For many years that was one Christmas gift for Jesus that one of the children chose to do when they were little. This year the seven of us caroled for her daughter, Ella Jane. She told our grandchildren how she walked to school, was in a one-room school house until 8th grade, etc., and we all enjoyed the reminiscing.

     We tell our family to not have dessert for their lunch so we can enjoy a snack table in the afternoon. After singing for Ella Jane, Barb and I prepared the table for this time we enjoy together.  I haven't made Mocha Punch for awhile so I choose that for our beverage. This is sooooo delicious! Even some who don't care for hot coffee enjoy this. If you have never made this, please ask me for the recipe. I would love to share it with you.

     I will have good memories of this small table this year for a l-o-n-g time. I am not a cookie baker but we all enjoy cookies. A friend with a kind, kind heart made this tray of approximately 4 dozen for me and I felt like I was given a huge Christmas gift. I was so excited about sharing this with my family! I even surprised Nevin with this. Not only was it attractive but so very, very delicious! When I see the Lord in my day, I like to journal what happened for it often strengthens my faith when I read the account at a later time. This went into that journal! (They were even soft cookies, our favorite!)

This is Darin's first time in his 3 1/2 years to try Mocha Punch!!

"Umm.....do I like this??"

HE DID!!

Our circle is small with Tori, Bradley, Brent, and Kelly in Colorado. I appreciate so very much the attitude Matthew, Seth, and Darin have. They don't seem to mind coming with no one else to play with.

We asked Matthew to read the Christmas story before we opened gifts.

The boys thought the youngest should open his gift first! Darin needed help to put his together and I was wondering if those eyes were imploring Grandpa to "Hurry up!" But he didn't say it!!

This took some precision to get the shovel in the narrow truck bed! It gave lots of playtime in the afternoon.  He is going to use it for his sandbox at home!

Matthew and Seth are sharing a Lego Christmas gift as it is something they both would have liked to have.  It was over 1100 little pieces and I wondered, "HOW can this be called fun??!"  I never enjoyed puzzles (and still don't but admire people who put them together) so this looked too much like "puzzle work" to me. But I clearly saw, for them, it was just that - FUN! 

While the boys were occupied with their gift, we adults played Probe. Nevin is good at choosing a word with three letters! Barb needed to stand to get a better view of his word! :)  "Let's see, I already asked for F, and T, and....."

Nevin's enjoying this!!

"YOU GOT IT!"

She asked for the letter W!! 

Someone noticed the sunset and we took time away from games to enjoy the beauty of the sky!

It's time for our Christmas supper which we have kept to a light meal over the years. When it's time for dessert, we sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. (Are we checking if the icing is soft or if it is sweet enough?!)

You can see by the window it is now time to soon close this special evening together. Matthew is back to this project again! I marvel how all these very small pieces make a neat, end result. It will look like a tractor trailer when it's finished. It opens and has many small details inside. (A mobile command center)

This yardstick makes a quick job of what otherwise looks like a real mess to clean up! It's also helpful then for little hand to put things back where they belong.

Well, this garage has held many joyful memories over the last several months as we leave the carpet down until our gatherings are over. The tables are stacked and then the chairs.

We roll the carpet and stack it along the one wall. I will miss my extra room but it's also nice to get the van back in its place.

We never had an audience when we did this in past years; Mary Lou is operating the camera!

January 6, 2009 she went home; we left here at 3:30 am to take her to the Harrisburg airport. It feels like some sunshine is missing in our home. Next time I will tell you some of the meaningful times we had together.

More Memories To Tuck Away!

Christmas with my family!   We have this Shady Maple tradition about 15 years or so. After Daddy died Mother wanted to continue this. She takes us there for lunch and we all come back here for the remainder of the day.

Can you tell Darin has a full belly and it's about time to leave!!

Activities throughout the Afternoon.......

Each lady in the family brings her Christmas pictures received in December. It's so special to receive them and then we enjoy seeing other family members' friends.

They are NOT laughing at pictures; just having a fun moment!

Mary Lou is showing Courtney how to make a little "house" out of Christmas cards. They made the one side of the roof as a type of hinge; it lifts and you can put small items inside.

Just about finished!

Our pictures go up on poster board. This year they spilled over onto the wallpaper! I appreciate each one. I think each year I leave them up a little bit longer. Connie is reading Mary and Lenny Cater's family letter.

I keep our nieces and nephews childrens' pictures at eye level on the fridge for the little ones to enjoy. They are in plastic so they won't be ruined. As you see they get very rearranged (one on the floor.) I had to rescue the one in her hand as it was about to go into a bending motion!!    She had her own set of pictures she was enjoying as we were looking at ours! Mikayla was one year old November 4th.

More activities throughout the house.....

Lamar's cards are to Doug's left - I'm disappointed I missed him. We had a large bowl of party mix in the kitchen but I noticed that the cheese balls found their way to this table!! They had their own personal bowl!

Visiting! You will remember I talked about Glenn - my brother-in-law with the brain tumor. We were so very grateful he could be with us for lunch....we weren't sure until this morning. But then he needed to go home to sleep so he could join us for the evening. To the left is Caleb, my sister, Connie's husband and on the rocker is my best friend.

This is Matthew, Dan and Larry. It was fun watching them from the kitchen window throwing football! They were the only ones who worked off their lunch! It was sooo cold outside and as I made a quick dash for their picture, they had just stopped for some conversation. I wasn't willing to wait for the action!

Megan was one year old December 4th - just one month younger to the day from her cousin, Mikayla.

This snowman is 26" (was 26"!!) and on a stool. Dear little Heath somehow pulled Mrs. Snowlady down and it looked like he was enjoying his newly found "stuffed animal!" The blue is her hat! This snowlady is nice and soft so she went back to her original shape as soon as we could rescue her!!

Mother has 14 grandchildren (including their spouses) and 15 great grandchildren. If you spot Wendi, you can tell another precious one is due in a week or two!!!

Thank You Heavenly Father for each one here today - from the oldest to the youngest. We praise You! But we really missed Brian, Donna, Tori, Bradley, Brent, and Kelly. If only Colorado wasn't so far away!

Now I need to find time to put these memories into a Creative Memories album!!

 Fresh-Air Children.......

Sally, Barrie, and I mentioned another dear one will be coming......

Maria, Mary Lou, Louie! She'll answer to all these!!

She says the Lord sent the snow just for her!  I could enjoy it inside - looking out! Not her! We needed to go out in it! It was a reminder to me to see the joy in falling snow. She even had to make a snow angel!

Continuing to Celebrate Jesus' Birthday!

     I love Christmas caroling! The first stop for our Sunday School class was to sing for Mary Wagner, Edna Breckbill, and Nora Myer. Because I'm a bit new at this, I forgot to take a picture!   It was a joy to see them sing along with us.

     Here we are singing for Marie Fahnestock. Her husband, Rufus, was one of our ministers who went to be with the Lord February 2nd of this year. Joann Patches would have memories of spending time with Rufus and Marie as she is also a minister's wife.

Paul and Fern Fahnestock, also in our Sunday School class, couldn't be with us so as we sang for Marie, Meredith held the phone so we could bless them also.

This is Marie's granddaughter, Dorinda, and her great granddaughter, Teryn, who were visiting with her tonight! Dorinda's Mother, one of my dear, dear friends, is also in Heaven. She was in her early 50's when the Lord took her Home.

     This is a picture of two people I love - my brother-in-law, Glenn, and my sister Dawn. This picture was taken the week of Thanksgiving. We caroled for them tonight because Glenn just had another seizure last week. About 16-17 years ago the doctors discovered he had a brain tumor. He's had a healthy life since then until September of 2007. He had a seizure then and after tests they saw three small tumors. Since that September experience, he had another seizure in December of 2007 but was doing so well again until October 2008 and December 2008 when he experienced two more. Our hearts hurt deeply for these two as each time it leaves him very, very tired. It was hard for me to sing tonight as I pictured this strong man up and about and now so very weary. They really appreciate our prayers.

        Our last stop to carol was with Glenn and Romaine Hershey. This was Nevin and my first year to be in  this   class for Christmas Caroling. (In September we moved from our previous class into "an older" age  group!  )          Oh my! I wish you could have heard the tenors and bass from this group! It was beautiful praise lifted to our Lord!  Mary Lou really enjoyed being part of our singing tonight!

Then we went to the home of Joyce and Meredith to finish this special evening with food and fellowship. Each person brought something to add to this lovely array. Joyce's hot ham and cheese sandwiches just hit the spot! It was cold and damp outside.

Some of our Sunday School friends....from the left: Carol and Larry Rohrer, Charlene Fahnestock.....you might remember Charlene is the one we took our two day mystery trip with in October. Her husband, Earl, is still filling his plate!

Judy Myer at the punch bowl and our neighbors Jane and Marlin Snavely. We sat across from Jane and Marlin as we ate and had such fun reminiscing. It was a wonderful evening of fellowship! We thank the Lord for our church family!

Judy talking to Sue and Marv Shenk. He is one of our ministers and also our elder. They have a huge heart for reaching out to our church family.  We were surprised to see that it was 11 pm and we were still visiting!! We all know time flies when you're having fun! Thank you Joyce and Meredith for organizing the evening and opening your home to all of us!

December 21st - a snowy morning and one more time for our girls to carol.......

Erma Kreider lives close to our church so we decided to use our Sunday School time to walk to her home and spend a short time with her - caroling and doing our skit again. I had mentioned when we did our little "program" for Verda Fahnestock that one of our girls couldn't be with us. That was Lindsey. We were happy she could add her voice to ours as we sang for Erma. She is the one with the scarf.  2009 caroling will find about five of these girls having moved on to the next class. We are grateful to have the opportunity to learn to know each one!

Dear Family and Friends,

My Christmas List of Blessings.........

My Christmas list is more than just a way to keep track of the special people God has brought into my life to love. It's like a treasured scrapbook filled with pleasant memories of all the times God's answered prayer through friends and family.

Every name's a touchstone that leads to a place and time, where God has used another's heart to reach out and touch mine. It may have happened years ago or even yesterday, but every person on my list has changed my life some way.

Through simple conversation, a warm hug or a shared meal, every person on my list has helped me grow or heal, or laugh or love or learn or smile...the blessings never end as God allows our paths to cross as family and friends.

So please know that this greeting is more than a Christmas wish. It's a "thank you" card to God for putting on my list each and every one whose name I've come to hold so dear.....those who've shown me Christmas joy each day of the year.

Celebrating The Gift of Jesus

With You

This Christmas!

 Some Joys of Christmas!!

Every December our Sunday School class has a Christmas party in one of the teacher's homes.

     These are our 6th and 7th grade girls. Throughout the two years they are with us, they come to have a special place in our hearts.  One of our girls is missing tonight - Lindsey.

     (Abigail, Sarah, Joanna, Jamie, and Katie)  We invite an elderly lady from church into our home and the girls have a skit for her, sing carols, etc.

     Tonight our skit is "The Christmas Day Guest." Our main character is Conrad, the cobbler.  He is a kind old man,  but lonely. There were times he felt like the Lord had forgotten him.  On Christmas Eve., as he was working at his bench repairing shoes, he became so weary and tired. He fell asleep and soon heard, "Conrad! Conrad!" After asking who was calling, he heard a voice, "I am the Lord. Look out in the street tomorrow for I shall come to visit you."

     He awakens and quickly prepares his home with holly and evergreen and places  food on his table to serve the Lord.

     Above are the 6th grade girls who are playing the part of the neighbors who come to visit Conrad early Christmas morning since they know he lives alone. They are surprised to see their cobble friend's wrinkled face so radiant and his home so cheerful! "Are you expecting guests?" they ask.  Conrad tells them his dream and how the Lord said He wants to be his Guest on Christmas Day. "I'm preparing for His visit," Conrad tells them joyfully!

     As Conrad works at his bench on his shoes, he also keeps his eye on the window, waiting for the Lord. He soon sees an elderly man who looks cold, tired and hungry. His shoes were too ragged for the cold winter weather. Conrad (on the right) invites him into his small home and gives him something to eat and shoes for his cold feet.

     When the elderly man leaves, he again keeps his eyes on his window (the screen!) Suddenly he hears a baby crying. He invites a young Mother and her small child into his home. He gives milk to the child, warm tea and fruit for the cold Mother.  He provides a blanket and shawl for them.  Then He bids them God's blessing as they leave.  "Oh, is the Lord your friend?" asked the young Mother. "Surely He must have sent you to your window!"

     Next Conrad sees an old woman carrying a heavy bag of wood. (Sophie drug her load, looked weary and rested awhile at the table where she was served a meal.)

     After the old woman left Conrad's home, he dropped to his knees. In a pleading and slow voice he said, "O Lord, why could not the dream be true? Could You not have come to visit me today?" Then softly, in the silence, a Voice Conrad heard.....(the Lord is on the right in the blue) -

     "Lift up your heart, Conrad, for I kept My Word. Three times I came to your friendly door, three times My Shadow crossed your floor. I was the elderly man with bruised, cold feet; I was the young Mother given fruit to eat; I was the old woman in the lonely street. Three times I drew near, three times I came in. And each time I found the warmth of a friend."

     They acted this thought out so well....."Whatever you do to one of these - no matter how small he be, whatever you do to your brothers and sister, Remember: you do unto Me!"

     These are the 7th grade girls......our narrator is Kierra; our actors are Taysia, Stephanie, Sophie, Kelsey and Chelsey at the table. They were encouraged to speak slowly and clearly for our invited guests. They each did SOOO well!  Kierra closed with this thought......"From this story, may our goal be to remember I John 3:18....'Let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed.' "

     Our invited guest, Verda Fahnestock and her daughter, Nancy. The girls each bring one small gift to bless our guest - something that is a favorite to her. This gift is mint tea. The girls pulled their chairs into a semicircle and some sat on the floor.....watching as Verda opened each gift. After these two ladies left, I told our girls I was so proud of them.  They were very respectful and kind. I could have hugged each of them! 

We sang some Christmas carols and Sarah played her recorder.

     They each bring a wrapped gift and we exchange them in a fun game. This was Stephanie's neat gift! Beside her is Conrad out of uniform! (Chelsey)  After this game, we had our snack and enjoyed talking!! With 12 girls and 3 teachers, we had plenty of that!

     Now we had time for one game before the parents came for their daughters. Sophie is closing her eyes and has two turns to see how many cotton balls she can get into the dish Jamie is holding on her head. It's a game they get enthused about!

I just appreciate my team of teachers! This is Darlene Miller carefully and slowly lifting her spoon to her dish. Kierra's eyes tell the story!

     Another dear teacher is Louie Zuck. I think Abigail might be holding her breath!! Louie was our grand prize winner!! This closes our evening of a special time together! 

 Traditions Continued.......

    Tradition #3 - We have a nearby Country Store; each year we find ourselves in the bulk food aisle....especially where the dried fruit, nuts, and candy is located.

      She buys bags of the above, counts the contents of each bag, and now takes a specific amount from each group and makes individual gift packages. It never fails; it is received with great appreciation by friends and co-workers. This year she attached a tea bag to the bow. It was really attractive.

Tradition #4 - Since Barb's birthday is near to Barrie's visit, Barrie's gift to Barb is a birthday meal at Olive Garden (almost a tongue twister there!)  Barrie clued the hostess about this special lady having a birthday!!

Enjoying the song!

This year they invited me to help celebrate! My first response was, "No, this is your evening to catch up in each others' lives." I guess it was too feeble   they convinced me to join them!!

     Tradition #5 - her favorite! Thanksgiving Day starts with a quickie breakfast and then off to our Thanksgiving testimony service. 

      In the evening we gather together with Nevin's family for food and fellowship. (We outgrew our kitchen and then tried to be creative with our garage. We gave it a face lift through paint. After 27 years, it needed it badly! We put carpet on the walls to keep the noise level down.) Barrie looks forward to being with our families; they do a wonderful job at making her feel a part of all of us!  Nevin's sister, Marj, is seated on the left.

Barb, Melissa, and Erika made the desserts for tonight. This yummy chocolate cake is Erika's creation!

Nevin's sister, Pat, with her two youngest grandchildren.

Conlin is enjoying Nevin's homemade grain bin!

This is the third year her Dad joined us for Thanksgiving Day.  Each time he asks, "When are you going to adopt me?!"  We enjoy his visits.

One  blessing we give God thanks for today is still having Nevin's parents with us at age 84 and 85.

     We are about to close this Thanksgiving 2008 chapter with Barrie. Nevin usually takes a day off from work so we can all spend some quality time together. Barrie mentioned that she has never been to Hershey Chocolate World - which I hadn't realized. So those were our plans for Friday, her last day with us.

     We decided to take a trolley ride through the town of Hershey to learn more history (which she loves!) That was the icing on the cake as they add humor to history. On the left is our tour guide....on the right is an "interesting guest" on the trolley. I can't give away the story but if you have an opportunity, please be sure to include this in your day at Hershey Chocolate World!

     I was so impressed and blessed - we sang Christmas Carols while touring Hershey!  Yes - using Jesus' Name!

     We said our goodbys early Saturday morning at the airport...waving until we couldn't see each other anymore. I miss those days when you could go with them right up to the time when they boarded the plane! God bless you, Barrie!

"Fresh Air Children"

     Our town and neighboring towns have an organization that goes into New York City and brings children into our homes for the Summer. You have a choice of hosting these children two, four or six weeks during the Summer. This privilege goes back as long as I can remember.   

     Our neighbor, Miriam Cassel, was in charge of organizing our area so my Mother asked her if she would try to find a little girl my age. (4) At that time these ladies took the train from Lancaster and went to New York to meet ALL the children who were coming into our area. Did Miriam find a little girl my age? It wasn't like Anne of Green Gables where Matthew came back with Anne instead of the little boy they were expecting to meet at the train station!   But Miriam found Sally, a little Italian girl from Brooklyn whose birthday was the same day, month, and year as mine!!! I could write a book about our 12 Summers together! We still keep in touch! 

     This had an impact on my life so when Nevin and I were married, we decided to do this for our children. We did the same thing - asked for a little girl about the age of our daughter. We were blessed with Barrie, a four year old.....one year younger than our daughter.  (Mothers - can you imagine sending your little 4 year old away for several weeks...to strangers...in another state!) Barrie became a part of our lives.  

     The most exciting thing about these three girls (December 14th another one arrives  - will update you on this precious one later) is each one has learned to know Jesus and purposes to  live the Christian life. 

     Now each year Barrie spends the week of Thanksgiving with us. Family traditions mean so much to her as she holds that as a valuable gift for she does not have that blessing as of yet.         

                                         Arrival Day - November 23rd

She enjoys meeting old and new friends!

Seated are John and Reba Hershey,

back left to right - myself, Anna Ebersol, Barrie, Phyllis and Tom Althouse

Because she holds tradition so dearly, we try to repeat them each year. One of our local food markets also specializes in lawn, garden, and seasonal displays. Their Christmas section is a place where we slowly walk and savor the beauty with our eyes!  We must be tired or hungry  - being silly with a Christmas wreath!

This is the first time we've seen them display a tall tree on the center of a dining table prepared for guests! It's a good thing they don't charge to look!!

Tradition #2 - This is high on Barrie's list...visiting a local tea shop. My sister, Connie is to my right and my daughter, Barb, to my left. (We wish you were here, Donna, instead of Colorado!!)

Story-time!!!

As scripture says, "Laughter doeth good like medicine!!"

I will continue next time. But as you finish reading, please pray for a xanga friend, Amber, who just lost her dearly wanted baby through miscarriage.