Bill and Anna Whitehouse: A Long Line of Love

This is Bill and Anna Whitehouse at our wedding in 1983

"Laurie May, I can't wait until that baby is born!" were the words that I used to hear every time I saw my father-in-law just weeks before Jessica's due date (my middle name is Ann, but Laurie May was his nickname for me).  He loved his grand babies, and couldn't wait to hold a new life in his arms.

My father-in-law, Bill Whitehouse, was every bit a man. My mother-in-law says that she has never seen a better looking man than Bill Whitehouse in a pair of blue jeans--and she means it every time she says it! He was a good looking man in a very manly way. He had dark hair and sparkling blue eyes that couldn't possibly go unnoticed. In fact, I was with him a few times when women would comment on how beautiful his eyes were; he would turn all "aw shucks" and just brush off the compliments...those blue eyes only saw one woman, his sweetheart, Anna. 

My husband, his brother, and sisters had the greatest example of what two people are like when they are truly in love. My husband loved waking up early in the morning, hearing the coffee cups clink, and listening to his parents downstairs talking to each other quietly before the rest of the household got up. Knowing his parents enjoyed one another's company and hearing them enjoy conversing with each other laid a wonderful foundation for his security as a child and for our own marriage. All of Bill and Anna's children are great conversationalists. I am thankful for the great example that they gave their children of how a loving couple should communicate.

My mother-in-law has often bragged on how her husband paid attention to her smallest needs and wants. She has often told how she and Bill were watching television and talking about what they would have for dinner. My mother-in-law is an amazing cook, and I'm sure they were both looking forward to the meal later in the day. Anna said to Bill, "I sure wish I had some fordhook lima beans to go with our dinner." She sort of made the comment in passing not really thinking anything of it. A little while later, she heard his pickup truck start up. She wondered where he was going. A short time later Bill came back with a bag of frozen lima beans. Anna's wish was Bill's command, and in return she would do anything for him.

Bill and Anna were openly affectionate with one another.  It's not unusual to see pictures in which she is sitting on his lap, and it wasn't unusual to see him wink at her or to see them hug. I believe that one of the reasons why my husband is such a great husband and dad is because of the affection that he gives me and each of his kids. My husband learned at the feet of his parents how to be an affectionate husband and dad.

I remember when my father-in-law would decide to work on a household project. He was never alone. Anna was always working by his side whether it was remodeling a bathroom or working on the roof or making the back porch screened in. Debi, Keith, Daryl, and Cheryl grew up watching their parents work together and enjoy each other's company while doing so. Through the years, I have been able to watch each of them work alongside their spouse just like their parents did. They were taught by example to support one another in marriage.

April 20th marks 19 years since Bill Whitehouse went to Heaven. He missed seeing Jessica be born by 9 days.  I know he would have loved Jessica's big, brown eyes and blond hair--she would have reminded him of the girl he loved for so many years.  I know he would have been crazy about all the grandkids and now great grandkids that have been born since his passing. I am forever thankful that Bill and Anna Whitehouse had a relationship of love that has been passed down to their kids and now their grandkids.

As I was writing, this song came to mind:

LONG LINE OF LOVE

I bought a beautiful diamond ring
I offered it to the sweetest thing I know, and she said she would take it.
We started making some wedding plans 

She looked at me, and she took my hand and said, "Do you think we can make it?"
I Said,  "My Granddad's still in love with my Grandma."

 I Said, "My Dad still thinks my mom's the sweetest thing he ever saw."

You see I come from a long line of love.
When the times get hard, we don't give up;

 Forever is in my heart and in my blood;

 You see I come from a long line of love.

The years went by and we had a son;
Now he thinks he has found someone for him;

They're planning a wedding.
He called me up on the phone today,
Just to see what I had to say to him
Did I think he was ready?

I said what his grandfather used to say to me;
Its been handed down for ages,

 It runs in our family.

"Son you come from a long line of love;

 When the times get hard, you won't give up.

 Forever is in your heart and in your blood.
Son, You Come From A Long Line of Love;
Yes you Come From A Long Line of Love."

Bill and Anna Whitehouse gave a great thing to their kids and grandkids--a long line of love.

Be Nice-- But Don't Be Weak!

                                                                    

When Jessica was in junior kindergarten, she liked to wear her little girl jewelry to school--bracelets and necklaces.  One day she came home from school and said with a perplexed look on her face, "Mom, Suzanna said that if I don't give her my bracelet, she won't be my friend."
     I said, "Jessica, you're not allowed to give Suzanna your bracelet. Dad and I bought that for you."
     "But she won't be my friend!"
     "If she is really your friend, then she will still be your friend even if you don't give her your bracelet. Real friends don't ask for their friends things and then get mad when they won't give the things to them," I told her.  She seemed to understand, and I thought we had the problem solved.
     A few days later, Jessica was really frustrated after school. "Suzanna told me that if I don't give her my cookies from lunch, she won't be my friend."
     I realized that I needed to do more than talk to Jessica about this situation, otherwise she was going to keep having a problem.  Obviously I couldn't be there with her at school and stand up to the 5 year-old girl who was bullying her; I had to teach her how to stand up for herself. 
     I said, "Jessica, I am going to be Suzanna, and you are going to be you. We are going to sit here at our kitchen table and pretend that we are having lunch together. Now this is what I want you to say, when I ask you for something. Say, "No.'"
    Jessica looked at me and said, "But, mom, then she won't be my friend!"
    "That's okay, Jessica, because if she stops being your friend, then she wasn't your friend in the first place.  In fact, I'm going to pretend to say to you, 'If you don't give me your cookie, then I won't be your friend,' and you're going to say, 'Then your not my friend.'"
     Oh boy, this was really tough for such a nice girl to do, but we sat there and practiced.

     Me:  Jessica, I really like those kind of cookies that you have. Can I have one?
     Jessica:  No.  (She giggled as she played her role)
     Me:  If you don't give me that cookie, I won't be your friend.
     Jessica:  (She struggled to get the words firmly out of her mouth) Then...you're not...my...friend.

      I could tell it was hard for her to sound firm, so we practiced over and over until she could say those words with confidence. I had to assure her that she was not being mean to her friend; her friend was being mean to her in making demands.

     My husband and I taught all of our kids to be kind to others, to make many friends, and to be friendly to everyone, but they all also had to be taught to live by principle.  They had to be taught that there are character issues that they should develop, and while we wanted them to be nice, more importantly they also had to be strong, moral, and ethical.
     The word "nice" is a very non-descript word that can pretty much mean whatever someone wants it to mean.  When I taught English, and I was trying to teach the students to use good descriptive words, I would often use the word "nice" as an example of a weak word. People say:

                                                              Have a nice day!
                                                              You look nice.
                                                              You're a nice person.
                                                              This is a nice meal.

     What do people really mean when they use the word nice?  If a young man asks a girl to go to a banquet with him, and she spends hours getting ready, and he responds by saying, "You look nice," she may be a little let down! In fact, she might get downright aggravated!
     Niceness is a good quality if by nice, we mean kind, good, or pleasant, but the word "nice" can have a weak quality to it.  The word nice does not carry the meaning of strength and courage with it.
     Did you know that the word "nice" is not found in the Bible one time?  The Bible does give many qualities that a Christian should strive for like being good, gentle, meek, kind, temperate, etc.  These qualities tell us how our behavior should be toward others, but the Bible is also full of examples of the strength of character a Christian must have.  Several times throughout the Old Testament, God calls on the Israelites to "be strong and of good courage."  Living as a Christian in a secular world, we need to hear the voice of God telling us to "be strong and of good courage!"  We need to teach our children to be strong and courageous so that others don't mistake their "niceness" for weakness.
     Even children who are growing up in Christian homes need the training from their parents that will teach them to be strong, courageous Christians amongst their Christian peers.  Peer pressure in the church and the Christian school is alive and well. The Bible teaches principles from which we as parents can become more specific with our children, and our children need for us to be specific! What are some things that need to be taught to our kids?:

• Kids need to be taught to say "NO" to sin-- alcohol, drugs, pornography, dirty texting, sending nude and semi-nude pictures of themselves or receiving pictures like that from others.
• Kids need to be taught exactly what sexual behavior is so that they are not deceived into believing that what us older folks call "necking and petting" is biblically unacceptable and is fornication. An example we gave our kids that drives this point home is that if they were married and found out that their husband or wife was kissing (or any other sexual behavior) someone else, would they consider that behavior to be sexual? If it's wrong to practice that behavior while married, then it's wrong before you are married.
• Girls and guys alike need to be taught what being "forward" means.  When James was in junior high school, a girl was giving him notes and shouting "I love James Whitehouse" on a bus full of girls and some moms.  When we found out about the girl's behavior, I was obviously concerned that this girl was being overly forward.  James was no longer allowed to accept her notes, and soon she took the hint and backed off.  When James was in college, a young lady was dating a young man.  They were known as a couple on campus, yet this college girl would send James text messages.  I remember when that girl broke up with her boyfriend and someone suggested that James date her. I thought it was a good idea too until James said, "I would never date her! I couldn't trust her knowing how she would text me about classes and homework and such. She could have gone to any of the other girls in class. She just sent wrong signals." Girls and guys are both very forward these days, and really don't have any type of dating ethics or standards.  There are such great books that can help in these areas, but parents really need to have heart to heart conversations about what behavior is acceptable and what behavior is not acceptable between the opposite sex.
• Kids need to be taught how to stand up for their friends and those who are "different."  Bullying is unacceptable in any walk of like, but if we don't teach kids when they are young to appreciate people who are "different," they will resort to the sinful behavior of bullying.
• The Golden Rule NEEDS to be taught to our kids:  Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them:  Kids need to be taught that they should treat others like they want to be treated.  For some reason, many kids and adults alike have a hard time putting themselves into another person's shoes.  They never develop empathy for others, so they develop a callousness of the soul that causes them to treat people in unethical and immoral ways.  Many times throughout a child's life, he should be asked, "Would you like to be treated that way?"
• Kids need to be taught not to cheat, not to steal, and they need to be taught to be responsible with money.  They need to be given different scenarios so that they learn how to be ethical and responsible in society. We have often talked with our kids about what we would do if we found a wallet with money.  Our kids know that the right thing to do is to take the wallet to the police department and turn it in. What should they do if they find a $20 bill by the side of the road? After looking around and making sure that the money doesn't belong to someone within sight, they then become $20 dollars richer!

There are so many more things to be taught that young people need to know and learn.  Parents need to watch for every opportunity to teach their kids to be strong, moral, ethical, and courageous Christians who are anything but weak in their everyday Christian living!

Forest Lawn Cemetery, Book Stores, and Venice Beach

So what do Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, and Gene Autry have in common with my great-grandparents?  They are all buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills.

We took a drive there this week to see where my great-grandparents, Edna and Orra Stutzman, were laid to rest. 

Edna and Orra were my mom's grandparents. When I was in 9th grade, we lived in Nevada for a while, and my family took a trip to Southern California to go to Disneyland and visit my dad's Uncle Herb (Marshall) and Aunt Edna who lived just a block or two from the Magic Kingdom. We also visited some of my other Marshall relatives in the area. Then we went North Hollywood to see my great-grandparents. I remember them living in an apartment on Riverside Drive.  When we got there, my great grandma had waffles made for us--she sure knew the way to our hearts!

I never knew my great-grandparents really well, but my Grandma Stutzman was really good about sending me a birthday card and a $5 bill for my birthday every year practically until the year she died. Three years in a row she sent me the same birthday card which I thought was hilariously funny! I was a little disappointed when she broke the pattern the fourth year. She always had a nice note written to me inside the cards she sent.

I asked my mom how her grandparents ended up in North Hollywood of all places.  My mom said that they had lived in Michigan and had saved up money during their working years.  They dreamt of moving to California when they retired, so they did.  They bought a four-plex apartment complex, and happily spent the remainder of their years living in the sunshine of SoCal. 



This is the row of graves where my great-grandparents are buried.  Their headstones are at the forefront of the picture.

Just a little history here:  Forest Lawn Cemeteries are actually a chain of cemeteries. There are many Forest Lawn Cemeteries in Southern California.  The Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, CA has many Hollywood celebrities buried there as does the one in the Hollywood Hills.  Dr. Hubert Eaton started the first Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale. He thought that the typical cemetery was rather depressing, and he wanted to develop a new type of cemetery that reflected a joyous afterlife.  The Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills actually has a theme--the Revolutionary War.  It has a monumental mosaic dedicated to the Revolutionary War as well as statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. There is a beautiful replica of the Old North Church in Boston.  The focus of the cemetery is not on the graves because most of them are flat on the ground; the focus is on the beautiful landscape and tributes to the Revolutionary War. The Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills is right next to Univeral Studios. Before the cemetery was located on the property, the land was used in films.  The battle scenes of the silent movie "The Birth of a Nation" were filmed on the rolling green hills in 1915. The story goes that when Dr. Hubert Eaton proposed a Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, the citizens of the area greatly protested. During one night, Dr. Eaton had four "John Does" from the local morgues buried at the corners of the property. The land became a cemetery overnight.  Apparently the red tape of California government wasn't then what it is now! I'm sure he would have been arrested for the same actions these days.

We also visited some amazing bookstores the same day we went to the cemetery. We were about ready to head home, but the traffic was horrific as it usually is in California every weekday from 3 p.m.-9 p.m., so we decided to visit one more bookstore which just happened to be located a short distance away in Venice Beach. We discovered that the address of the bookstore was located in a venue right on the beach itself.  Venice Beach has a reputation for being an extremely immodest beach--more than usual, but the temperature was only about 60 degrees, so people were dressed (otherwise we wouldn't have gone). Venice Beach was one of the weirdest places I have ever been. 

In the above picture is a homeless man who plays classical piano for money.  I have no idea where he usually keeps his piano, but you can see a pile of junk behind the piano--those are his belongings.  There were several grocery carts piled high with belongings parked in various areas along this stretch of ocean. I didn't take any other pictures because Venice Beach is really a gross place.  There are shops that sell all types of drug paraphenalia, and there were at least three venues for legal marijuana use. 2-4 people wearing hospital-type clothing (like nurse uniforms) with big marijuana leaves on the front would stand outside each "clinic" and urge people to come in. As we walked back to our van, a young woman was kneeling in the grass trying to stand to her feet, but she couldn't. She would start to get up and fall down. She was literally stoned out of her mind, and the young man with her just stood there with a smile on his face. This is an area that is just full of teenagers and young adults who look like they have run away from society. My husband stated as we walked along, "If this is freedom, I don't want it." Man's freedom from God leads to a life bound by sin, and Venice Beach is a sin-sick location. My mind and my heart aches for those who go there longing to fit in somewhere in this world and instead find the emptiness of a life of sin. It was one of the saddest places I have ever seen.

Being that I don't want to end on a downer note, I'll end with this:  We did have a great day together as a family. I enjoyed being able to explore some family history, some great bookstores, and some interesting places with my favorite people.

Be a Supermom!

 For some reason, my kids who are 23, 18, 17, and 14, could care less about any achievements I have had that don't affect them.  None of them ever asked to see pictures of me when I was 17 and the homecoming queen at my Christian school (one time seemed to be enough).  Never once have they inquired about why I was Who's Who in college.  They don't seem too impressed that when I stopped teaching, I got a plaque for being an outstanding teacher. You might think that my kids are hard to impress, until I tell you...

I did James' taxes, and he got a good chunk of money back.  He was mighty impressed!

When we were quizzing each other on Bible trivia the other day, one of the kids said, "You're doing a great job, mom! You really know your Bible!"

Keith got a new book and has been reading it. I was interested in the book, so yesterday I spent some time reading Keith's book. He came into the living room and said, "How far are you, mom?"
     I answered, "Chapter 9."
     His eye widened.  "How do you read so fast?"
     "I've had lots of practice," I responded.
     He smiled and looked proud of me.

A few years ago when James bought a video game called Medal of Honor. Four of us could play at a time, so we would take turns playing as a family.  That was a great game, and I even won quite a few times.  The boys were so proud that THEIR mom played video games and was actually good!

My daughter and I have always had great talks about everything under the sun. Just recently she said to me, "I'm so glad I have you to talk to."

When I made dinner last night, I used a cheaper product, and it really bugged me that the outcome didn't taste like I wanted it too, but as we ate, everyone kept saying, "This is really good!" and they all thanked me for the great meal.

Last week, the opening season for the Cubs was on T.V.  William is a huge Cub's fan, so I let him finish his school work early and watch the game. He was so happy and thanked me for letting him watch a ball game during regularly scheduled school time.

A couple of days ago, I cut Jessica's hair for her.  She has only ever had a salon cut once in her life.  When I was finishing up, she said, "I don't know what I will do about getting hair cuts when I get married one day."
     "Well, I guess your husband will have to cough up the money for real haircuts," I said.
     "I don't mean that--I just mean I know how to explain to you what I want, and you understand. I don't know if I can do that with someone else," she elaborated.  I took it as a compliment.

I know this is gross, but here it goes anyhow.  William called me into the room where he was watching another ball game.  "Mom, Max threw up in four spots. I can't tell what it is," he informed me with watering eyes. Instead of chewing on a beef bone, Max our dog had actually ingested quite a bit of the bone particles.
     I wasn't thrilled, but I had  done this a few times, and I had seen worse messes.  I got some paper towel and swiped up the nasty mess quickly.
    William looked grateful and said, "You really are a mom!"  I knew what he meant. Although he didn't say it in words, what he meant was that I'm a Supermom.

Although my kids are proud of me for accomplishments that I have had, if those accomplishments don't really affect their personal lives, they won't go around thank me for becoming homecoming queen in 1982 or bragging on me for getting second place on a writing project I did in high school. What really matters is what I am able to do with them and for them on a dad to day basis.  What makes me a Supermom in their sight?  Cleaning up dog barf; making a favorite meal; talking about issues that are important to them; taking part in the things they enjoy.  It really is that simple. In fact, it looks to me like any mom can be a Supermom!
    

Missing Bob

                                                           

My stepdad, Bob Lucas, went home to be with the Lord in January.  I've been thinking a lot about him the past couple of days.  He sure loved spring.  He loved going to the nursery and buying new plants whether they be flowers or vegetables.  Bob and Miracle Grow had a special bond--pretty much every weekday you could find Bob in the yard fertilizing or weeding or planting or harvesting. He didn't just have a green thumb; he had a whole green hand! Bob took pride in having the best lawn in the neighborhood. Bob grew up in Northwest Indiana and was used to caring for the type of grass in that region, and he knew exactly how to make his grass the most lush, green grass for miles around.  When mom and Bob moved to Florida a few years ago, he didn't realize the difficulties he would face in getting the same type of lawn he had in Indiana.  No matter how hard he tried fertilizing and weeding, he just could not get the same results.  One day, he had the whole lawn torn out and had sod laid so he could finally get some rich, green Indiana-type grass. Even though Bob was determined, nature fought back, and soon the typical Florida weeds were invading the new sod.  Not only were weeds making his lawn-tending life miserable, but some sneaky gopher moles were making mounds on the property.  Bob had his hands full, but he never let the obstacles stop him. He continously worked hard to have the prettiest lawn in the neighborhood.

If you wanted to have a great conversation with Bob Lucas, you would be pretty wise to choose your topic of conversation from the things he enjoyed discussing:  adventure stories, fishing, Alaska, nature, and...gardening. I enjoyed our talks about gardening even though I'm not much of a gardener. One year  he inspired me to dig out an area behind our deck and plant some flowers. When I told him what I was going to do, he told me he had some moss roses to give me. I followed his instructions in planting the moss roses and in tending them, and I ended up with some beautiful flowers that I was proud of--he was pretty proud of me too! 

Bob grew all kinds of tomatoes in pots, and after seeing his success, I decided to grow some tomatoes at home too.  I bought some tomato seeds, dug out a patch of earth, planted the seeds, and carefully tended the little plants as they sprouted through the soil and grew like weeds. I made sure to pluck any invading greenery that grew around my tomato plants so that they would not get choked.  One day when mom and Bob were visiting, I took Bob outside and proudly showed him my thriving tomato plants.

 "Those aren't tomato plants," Bob said in an exasperated tone, "Those are weeds!"

Bob wasn't one to mince words or to make me feel less stupid. I could have crawled into the ground and died, but instead we all had a great laugh that day! For a couple of months I had lovingly tended 8 weeds. No wonder there weren't any little tomatoes yet!

I sure am glad that in Heaven we will enjoy many of the same things we have down here on earth but without all the complications.  Lawns in Heaven won't have gopher moles,  and weeds won't look like tomato plants, and loved ones won't be going anywhere else.


   

Getting Ready for Easter Day

We have spent a portion of the day preparing for a dinner with Keith, Tracy, Lauren, and Will Whitehouse tomorrow.  Some of my thoughts are with my mom who will be spending her first Easter without her sweetie, Bob, who went to Heaven in January.  She has had a hard time with all the "firsts" without him, but she has a full day planned for herself. I'm so proud of her!

As I was making coleslaw and deviled eggs for tomorrow, the little girl who lives across the courtyard from us, brought us 2 pizzas and a Star Wars cake--why Star Wars? I have no idea, but we'll take it! I was so happy that I didn't even have to think about dinner--I just had to heat the oven and pop the pizzas in!  God bless good neighbors!

                                                

When I was growing up, my mom made an Easter bunny cake every Easter.  I have also made the same cake for my kids throughout the years.  This year, Jessica wanted to make the bunny cake. My bunny cakes always had the same sweet, simple, happy bunny face, but I noticed that Jessica's bunny appeared to be a little moody (excuse his ears--they weren't quite finished):

Feeling Pensive

Feeling Angry

Feeling Dapper

                                           

We will be attending church at Calvary Baptist Church in Yucca, Valley tomorrow morning.  It's always good to see our friends there, and I always enjoy hearing Pastor Watkins preach.  We are going to spend the rest of the day with the other part of the Whitehouse family in Highland, CA.

What a joy to know that I serve a risen Saviour!  Of all the gods or creators of religions, none but Jesus my Lord has ever risen from the dead. I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter day!

Our Afternoon in Pictures



We took a little drive this afternoon down to Indio to see if we could find a particular bookstore.  We didn't find the bookstore, but we did come across this lovely grove of date palms AND a store that sells all things that have to do with dates--plus some other odds and ends.  Can you see the ladders at the tops of the trees?

Edge of the date palm grove with view of mountains.

This store/restaurant is right next to the date palm grove. Shields has been in business since 1924.

You can get a date shake which is a very popular thing in Southern California; you can also get fresh grapefruit juice.

I never knew that dates came in so many varieties! There must have been 6 or 7 different types available for purchase.

Shields is probably the oldest, or one of the oldest, businesses in the whole Coachella Valley.

If you follow me on Facebook, then you know that my husband and I saw the actor, Val Kilmer, at a thriftstore last week. Unbelievably, we met Fabio at a bookstore today! He was so nice and let Jessica have a picture with him. If he looks a little bit like a cardboard cutout, well...he's been a little under the weather lately. :)

This is our dog Max. He stayed home today, but when you see the next picture, you'll understand why I posted this.

We saw this poster of a cute, little, lost doggy named Pookie.  Hmmmm....I wonder if there is a reward?  Oh, Maaaxxx...I mean, Poooookie!

Gorgeous view of Highway 111 in Indian Wells.

The mountain in view is known as Eisenhower's Mountain. President and Mrs. Eisenhower, in their retirement years, lived in a house on a golf course located in the shadow of this mountain. I wish we could see the house, but it is in a gated area on the golf course. The line in the middle of the picture is the antenna of our van! lol

I took this picture because this is just so beautiful! It's the entrance to a community. There are waterfalls on the left and right side of the actual entrance--you can see the one on the left side pretty well.

William and Jessica

Wednesday Evening at Faith Baptist Church in Wildomar, CA

Dr. Bruce Goddard asked my husband to preach the Wedesday evening service at Faith Baptist Church in Wildomar last evening (Pastor and Mrs. Goddard are on vacation).  So we packed ourselves into our faithful Town and Country and drove ourselves on over to the church--about 90 miles from where we live in Yucca Valley.  We made it there in plenty of time thanks to our handy dandy GPS--praise God for that little device! We've been to the church a few times, but it's easy to get lost on the California highway systems.

             This is Keith, Jessica, James, and William getting ready to make their grand entrance.
                                  James hasn't taken a serious picture since he was born!

Obviously, this is the front of the church--isn't it beautiful?  To the right of the church complex, which you can't see in this picture,  is another building which used to be small hospital. The church bought it several years ago, and it now functions as the school, church offices, Sunday school rooms, etc. 

I asked Jessica if she could get a picture of her dad at the pulpit without making a spectacle of us by allowing the camera to flash, but in the hurry to take the picture, she forgot to turn the flash off! It was okay though--I don't think anyone either noticed or cared.

Of course my husband did a great job, and we enjoyed the special music which was brought to us by the teen choir. I was able to see some wonderful friends from our Hyles-Anderson days. Jessica even got to see her piano teacher of many years ago, Denise Fletcher. One of the highlights of my evening was getting to talk for a while with Jennifer Beil. Years ago, when my husband and I worked with public school kids from our church, Jennifer went on an activity with us, and she was such a blast to be with. My kids were really young, and they thought she was hilarious. Jennifer is now a young mom who has been on the mission field in Ghana, Africa with her husband Brett (one of my former English students). Jennifer and Brett were forced to return to the United States recently due to Jennifer's health. It was thought that she may have cancer, but now doctors think she has some mysterious tropical disease. Keep these folks in your prayers as they try to get Jennifer healthy.

This is a link to the Beil families blog, so you can get to know them and pray for them too:
http://ghanaforchrist.yolasite.com/blog.php

Enjoying the View

We had really crummy weather on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It was cooooold; the wind was howling like crazy; and we even had snow and hail. All this crazy weather activity was occurring while my friends in the Midwest were basking in temperatures of the 80's.

Sunday morning we drove down the hill--as seen in above picture--and delighted in seeing San Jacinto covered in snow, glorious snow! Gorgeous doesn't begin to describe the scene, and my pictures don't do it justice.

We saw lots of friends at Parkway Baptist Church on Sunday morning, and my brother-in-law, Dr. Ray Young, preached a great message. Pastor Beard and his wife April have done an amazing job with the church. I have chided myself for not bring my camera and getting some great pictures, but they do have an awesome website. I love the song playing in the background. Here is the link to their church:

http://www.pbchemet.org/

If you are ever in the Hemet area, you've got to stop by and see what God is doing there!

 
Today my husband and I attended an alumni meeting in Hemet for Hyles-Anderson College. Once again we met with wonderful friends and fellow workers in the ministry. We were able to see Pastor and Mrs. Goddard of Faith Baptist Church in Wildomar, Pastor and Mrs. Tom Hertzel of Grace Baptist Church in San Gabriel, Pastor Richard Szydowski of Mountain Avenue Baptist Church in Banning, and many more. The meeting was hosted by Pastor Kirk Beard and Dr. Ray Young was able to be there. What a great time of fellowship! This time I remembered my camera...but I forgot to take pictures! So I took a few more as we drove home and ooohhed and ahhhed over the snow covered mountains.

Happy Birthday, Keith!

My "baby" had his birthday this past Sunday, and he turned 14.  Anytime I call Keith my baby, he always says, "I'm not a baby," and in return I say, "You're MY baby." In spite of his not wanting to be a baby, I think he kind of likes our banter about the subject.

Sometime this past year, he grew taller than me. I am 5'11, and he is now 6'2. I feel very protected when I am with all of my big, tall men. James, who is our oldest son, is 6'3, and William is 6'10 (17 years old). We no longer have "hand me downs," we have "hand me ups"; the clothing that William and Keith grow out of often goes to James!

Keith has grown to love reading this past year, and he wanted a book for his birthday, so we bought him The Count of Monte Cristo. We got him one of those nice, leatherbound copies from Barnes and Nobles--and he loves it!

All of our kids know that they are each unique and special to us. Keith was our surprise child (not an "oops," just a surprise--in a good way). We can't imagine our family without him. These are some of the things that makes Keith special to us:

• His big bear hugs
• His friendly way with people--he is everyone's buddy
• He is the person in the family who know how to work all the electronics
• He likes to cook
• He likes to help people
• He loves animals
• He is affectionate to his mom and grandmas
• He is a kind person to all--he is never mean

Happy birthday, Keith!

When Life Throws Curve Balls, Make Lemonade --Or Something Like That!

     I'm not really up on sport's analogies, but most people are familiar with the statement "when life throws you a curve ball."  Obviously that means that something has come along in life that was totally unexpected. Life is full of these "curve ball" experiences, and as our family is going through one, I want to share what God is doing. This is a lesson I am learning right now:  When going through the hard times, look for how God is revealing Himself to you, and you WILL see Him! I was reminded of this gem of advice while I was reading a copy of My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers that I picked up at a thrift store for .50 cents yesterday.  "Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you who He is." Our curve ball was this--my family is no longer at the church that my husband came to pastor nearly 15 months ago. My husband had amazing counseling from several godly pastor friends who counseled him to resign. This has not been one of the easiest times in our lives, but God has given us such peace and assurance. Right now we are in the weird world of waiting--waiting on God.  Meanwhile, God is revealing Himself to us--I have to remind myself of that when I want is a clear picture of where God will place us next.
     So, how has God revealed Himself to us lately?  By bringing a part-time teaching job at West Coast Baptist College to us. We have met so many new people, and we get to see James and Jessica there twice a week--you can't beat that! Not to mention, there is some added income! We have been able to connect with our friends, Mark and Katrina Ksiazkiewicz (don't bother trying to pronounce it :).  We knew Mark and Katrina year and years ago back in Indiana. My husband worked with Mark at a service station as they both made their way through Bible college. Mark and Katrina moved to Lancaster about the same time that my husband started working there. I do believe that God brought them back into our lives! We are having them over for Thanksgiving next week--can't wait!  God has also allowed us to reconnect with Dr. Mark Rasmussen, the vice-president of WCBC, who has been such a godly friend to our family and is just the most encouraging, pro-active friend anyone could imagine.
     God has also revealed Himself by providing for us in various ways. James thought that he would be able to transfer to Home Depot in Lancaster or Palmdale, but that has not worked out, but WCBC offered James and Jessica the opportunity to work for a ministry which helps to pay their school bills AND just as James' bank account was getting pretty depleted, he received a really nice, very necessary, unexpected check in the mail. James was shouting for joy on that one!
     God has also validated the many months in which we poured our hearts and souls into the ministry here in the desert. We have received so many kind letters and phone calls from people telling us that they love us--and some have even said that we helped to change their lives--we know that God did the changing, but it sure was wonderful to be used by Him in that way.  Our experiences here in the desert have changed us too. We know that wherever God leads us next, the situations that God allowed us to experience were only to refine us and make us more useful for His work. It wasn't for naught!
     So many times I wish my life had a written schedule that told me what I could look for next, but even though I don't know what will be next, God does. When the curve balls come, and they will come, I just have to be patient and look for God to reveal Himself all along the way--and possibly make some lemonade!

Thanksgiving Excitement!

   


  I'm so glad that Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away! We have some old friends and their son coming, and Jessica has a friend from college coming for Thanksgiving too. My husband gets so excited thinking of having a full house (well, apartment); he gets really caught up in the holiday spirit this time of year--I'm so thankful to have a husband who loves to celebrate the holidays. He has been counting the silverware to make sure it's all there; he's been cleaning cabinets so that we won't be embarrassed when company comes; he purchased a new Thanksgiving tablecloth and a pretty glass pitcher for our Thanksgiving table; and he's been planning how we can arrange the Thanksgiving table to fit all of our company. I'm a very blessed wife this time of year!  Oh sure, I could knit pick and ask, "Are you sure we need to spend this money?" but I have a very smart husband who budgets and works the figures so that he knows what we have and how much we can spend. I learned a long time ago to just go with the flow and enjoy the excitement!