Where are we and what are we doing here?

It occurred to me, you might be wondering how I got here, or even why I got here. It's not like I have so few opportunities to express my viewpoints. I'm talking all the time! Just ask anyone who lives with me... or visits frequently.

Actually this was a bit of a fluke. Mike's blog (where Rose's days are posted) wouldn't allow comments (he was trying to eliminate spammers) one night, unless you were a blogger. Jere's Djereometer had asked me to become a blogger before, but he set up an special sign in account for me so that I could circumvent it. If I'd been patient, Mike's (the Galley) works like that too, now. Fortunately I can set up my own accounts now. That computer degree from JCC in '77 has finally come in handy. That, and Sarah got me started. She was here with me at work the next day when I posted on my own. So now I can do fancy things like link my scriptures to an online bible program, or my songs to places where you might be able to hear parts of them, or even buy them. I have the capability, I just don't always do it. I'm working on consistency.

My favorite thing about posting is how many of us are doing it now. Steve, Jere, Tom, Rose/Mike, Sarah, Brian, my brother Dave, and his kids Philip and Rachel. It's not like we have nothing else to do or anything, but it's helps us feel more connected. Hope it helps you too.

So thanks for all of the encouragement. I hope you all have a great weekend. Try the Prime Rib - I'll be back on Tuesday. Ba Da-Da Dum.

Know you are loved,

MOM

BORROW MINE
Bebo Norman's Try CD

Take my hand and walk with me a while
Cause it seems your smile - has left you.
And don't give in, when you fall apart,
And your broken heart - has failed
you'll set a light up On a hilltop
To show you my love For this world to see

You can borrow mine
When your hope is gone
Borrow mine When you can't go on'
Cause the world will not defeat you
When we're side by side
When your faith is hard to find
You can borrow mine

Take my love when all that you can see
Is the raging sea all around us.
And don't give up 'cause I'm not letting go,
And the God we know will not fail us!
We'll lay it all down - As we call out
Sweet Savior help our unbelief.
When you are weak Unable to speak
You are not alone
The God who has saved us Will never forsake us
He's coming to take us Take us to our home

2004 Bebo Norman

I'm adding a little feature I like to call Sonny Says. Sonny is the official mascot of Mom's Blog. He's a very wise goat I won in a bar bet. I'll work at getting a picture for you.

Sonny Says: Always save your blog before posting. Every single time. Also, eating a teaspoonful of peanut butter will get rid of hiccups.

Disclaimer: If you are allergic to peanut butter and follow this advice, you may experience worse problems than a few diaphram spasms. Always use common sense when applying livestock medical advice. The views of this goat do not necessarily reflect the views of the host, their sponsors, or any other animal on the planet.

WEEKEND PLANS?


Not much on the docket for the end of this week. I have been organizing the house a room at a time, and I'm still stuck in the kitchen. I'm hoping this weekend to tackle the back room, so that anyone who wants to could walk out there and take a tour. I hope to take the tour myself to find my winter coat, the long black wool one, as that's where we store winter boots and such. If I ever finish that room, I plan to move onto the bigger and better plans, which I'm sure none of you are reaalllly interested in, even if you were dead bored and chained to your computer.

On another subject, I have most everyone's college schedule now, the holdouts being Steve and Jere. But I do know they both have Fridays free. They worked it out that way - comes with experience I guess. I like checking schedules before bothering someone on Im or the phone or whatever. I've been trying to keep in touch at the mailbox too. Everyone loves getting stuff. I have sent small packages to everyone except Steve so far, but he's home every weekend (whose got some Mike & Ike's waiting for him....?). Rose has received more than the others, because she is NEEEEEEEDY. Or maybe it makes me feel more NEEEEEEDED. Note to Rose: your pants and cd are in the mail, your calc notes will come up next week with Dad and Gr. on Tuesday's Dr's appt.

We all (Dad, JD and I) went to the season opening home game for SHCS Varsity Girl's Soccer yesterday. Sarah was in the goal for the Lady Patriots facing third ranked Lyme. When we got there, 2/3's of the way through the first half, SH was leading 1-0. We saw Sa make a number of saves (eventually 19 altogether!). The second half saw Sackets add two more goals to win 3-0, and record Sarah's first shutout. Not bad for the fourth or fifth ranked team by the Times. BAH!! Woot! Woot!

Next weekend Sarah's team heads to DeRyder for a tournament, while John's class goes to Beaver Camp for an overnighter Ropes Course. Dad and I are headed up to Potsdam for a Parents Weekend, I think. It's a good thing gas prices are falling, albeit slowly. We're down .20 cents to $3.39 now in most of the city, although I read it's the same price in Canton. The Attorney General is investigating our overnight $1.00 price hike last week, so maybe we'll get some justice.

If you have opportunity, I hope that you will give a listen to this Sara Groves song off of her All Right Here cd. It's quite jazzy and fun musically, but of course the meaning is what is so important. It reminds me of what Bob Bennett says in Man of the Tombs: "he mistakes his freedom for being free." Freedom isn't free, whether it's our Political and Social Freedoms we tend to take for granted, or our Spiritual Freedom, which we pretty much just avoid talking about altogether.

The enemy would like to keep us off the subject, and we cooperate because it's not a comfortable place for us. Freedom costs something - for some of us, it cost a lot. Inviting the Lord into our wounded hearts is risky for us - and it is painful - I can tell you from personal experience. But it's as worth it as the pain of childbirth was. The pain goes; the fruit remains. And the best part is that the pain - and the control that the pain had over us -never comes back. Can you tell we're preparing for the SFS? We need to appreciate and guard all of our freedoms.

Thank You, Jesus.

MOM


YOU DID THAT FOR ME
SARA GROVES
I DON’T HAVE TO CRY ANY MORE,
I DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT’S IN STORE.
I’VE WALKED THAT ROAD, EXHAUSTED AND POOR,
I DON’T HAVE TO CRY ANY MORE.

AND I DON’T HAVE TO KNOW IT ALL.
I DON’T HAVE TO BE SO PROUD AND STAND SO TALL.
I’VE CLIMBED THAT MOUNTAIN ONLY TO FALL.
I DON’T HAVE TO KNOW IT ALL.

YOU DID THAT FOR ME,
OH YOU DID THAT FOR ME.
YOU WORE THE CHAINS SO I COULD BE FREE.
YOU DID THAT FOR ME.

I DON’T HAVE TO BE ASHAMED,
HANG MY HEAD, AND SHOULDER THE BLAME.
WONDERING IF MY LIFE’S BEEN IN VAIN…
I DON’T HAVE TO BE ASHAMED.

MAN OF SORROWS, WELL ACQUAINTED WITH GRIEF,
BROUGHT DOWN TO THE CITY DUMP
SPREAD EAGLED ON A CROSSBEAM
PROPPED UP LIKE A SCARECROW,
NAILED LIKE A THIEF,
– THERE FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE

YOU WORE THE CHAINS SO I COULD BE FREE…
YOU DID THAT FOR ME

© 2003 SARA GROVES

WEDNESDAY

Pretty nice day today. Soon we'll have colder days and crisper nights. Time to drain the pool and batten down the hatches, wherever they are.

Sarah's first soccer game is today at 4:30 PM. Then she's going to DePauville with the Teen group for a joint meeting with their youth. John too, of course. John's working pretty hard at establishing a Bible Club at Sackets. He's been researching things on the internet, trying to get things up and running by Sept. 21, the "See You at the Pole Day".
Please pray for him as he tries to walk out the commission he believes he's been given. Also he asks if we'll pray for a classmate who is already using both drugs and alcohol. The boy opened up to John about it, and needs help. He also witnessed yesterday to a girl who was receptive. God has done something inside of John this summer. SHCS's Eighth grade may never be the same. Hallelujah!

Know you are loved,


Last night's moon and all, are taking me back to our Rich Mullins period here five or six years ago. No one, in my opinion, better connected with God in all he found around him in nature. He could just take you places with a phrase, and show you things that were there all along, and say "Look!" and it was like you'd never seen it before. Suddenly you were seeing things differently and connecting with God on a whole new level. I wish I had more of his songs..


Hatching of a Heart
rich mullins
"Well the night was cold
and my heart was Hidden very safely in a shell
But I knew somehow I'd have to run that risk
Have to open up myself
Look at the stars on the face of the sky
They're the same ones Abraham saw
Come under my wings I will make you shine
Give you strength enough to love

Oh now I'm getting strong enough
You helped me chip my way out and open myself up
And for the snow that comes with winter
For the growth that comes from pain
For the joke I can't remember
Although the laughter long remains
For the faith that brought to finish
All I doubted at the start
Lord I give you praise for all that makes
For the hatching of a heart

Well my face was smooth and featureless
Just like an egg
And if I was moved you would never guess it
By the look upon my face
But You said man looks without but I look within
I can see the love you hide
It's a matter of doubt it's a symptom of sin
It's a problem of too much pride
And I now I'm opening up wide
Wet feathers pulled out from beneath me
And You're teaching me to fly

For the strength that comes with friendship
For the warmth that comes with hope
And for the love time can't diminish
And for the time love takes to grow
And for the moonlight on the water
And for the bright and morning star
Lord I give you praise for all that makes
For the hatching of a heart

And for the moonlight on the water
And for the bright and morning star
Lord I give you praise for all that makes
For the hatching of a heart

Hello all:

It's another first day of school at our house. I can remember in year's past, we'd all be up and outside at the bus stop waiting for Gayle the bus driver (or whomever) to pull up over the hill to take away our offerings. Today we were down to two - quality offerings though they were. Since 1985 - exactly 20 years ago - we've been out there repeating this scene. We have proof enough - just look at all all our pictures sometime. Why we even have videos of some of the years. And we still have four more repeat performances before we pack it up and move onto another chapter in our lives. What will we do with ourselves? Do we even have other plans in the works? I guess we'd better get working on it.

This was a quiet long weekend. Sarah and John were at the Awakening Conference all weekend (Fri-Sun nights until 10 or 11PM), so Dad and I were left to fend for ourselves most of that time. I filled Saturday by taking Sarah to soccer practice, then JD to the Conference, then picked up Sarah and dropped her at the conference . Since I was right there...I stopped over to see my nephew play college baseball against JCC at the Fairgrounds diamond. He played third base and did a great job. They won 13-2.

While at the game with my sister Sherry, I was given some great tips by her on preventing Rose from starving as she learns how her meal plan works, and what's open and when. So I took her advice and hurried over to Sam's to purchase the life-saving staples. If I got back in time she promised to deliver the things for me after church the next day. What a great sister, eh? I made it, and I believe everything was much appreciated. We can all breathe easier, except for normal college student malnutrition concerns. Eat vegetables! Onion Rings are not vegetables.

Yesterday at Grandma Maxon's Annual Labor Day Picnic there were only six diners. Steve stayed around for the dinner, joining Grandma, Sarah, John, Dad and I at Gr.'s table. We enjoyed speidies (steak grilled in small strips), salad with fresh garden tomatoes, fresh (? it came home with us from the Potsdam trip of 8/26 - but it was good!) corn on the cob and a chicken dish prepared by Grandma in the oven with peppers, onions and spag. sauce. We finished off the meal with ice cream, and some fun conversation around the living room until Steve had to head back to Syracuse to prepare for today's law classes . We missed the Snyders who are caught up in a communal case of bronchitis, and had stayed at home to prevent the spread, and to rest of course. Maybe soon, we can all kick back and enjoy the big group again. It was fun this summer having everyone home due to Ben's wedding.

Dad finished his evening by cutting down the fallen tree out in Gr's. yard. He had just gotten his little chain saw working and celebrated by cutting down one of our hammock trees Saturday, so he was all revved up to take on another one. This tree was pretty big, and it took out a lot of the tree it had fallen into, while coming out. But it is out finally. It was sad to cut down our hammock tree, but it had to be done. We have three trees supporting two double hammocks now, so it's not that bad. It was blown down early in August during a nasty storm, and had been threatening the very peace of our hammock area by it's menacing presence.

So now we have to get on with the rest of our regular week. Music meeting tonight. Woot! We're adding Bebo Norman's "I Have Nothing". And I get to sing with Steve!

Know you are loved,

MOM