Sing to the King

It's happened again! In researching a song on the internet I discovered that it is a re-write of a older song. This time it's the anthem Sing to the King. It has such great lyrics and powerful music. I love it. And it's based on a hymn written in 1910. I think that's really cool. I just ordered a CD by Passion Worship Band called Sacred Revolution that has Sing to the King on it. In a description for a different album by Passion I found this quote:

While the modern worship movement has revolutionized Christian music, lead worshippers realized that in their zeal to write cutting-edge church music they forgot the songs that were cutting that "edge" once upon a time. Add some creative contemporary arrangements and electricity to the originals and you have the composite that makes up the Ancient and Modern Hymns collection.

I very much agree with that. At church I often think of the Mother Goose ditty:

Make new friends but keep the old one is silver and the other gold.

I miss the old hymns so much. I don't have much trouble with most of the newer worship songs (some ARE fluffy, but then again so are some of the old hymns), but I miss the old ones. I'd love to maintain a better balance. To me, it's a bit like having fun and cooing over the new babies in the family and ignoring the grandparents. There is room for them all and something to be learned and enjoyed from them all.

Anyway, I wanted to post the lyrics for Sing to the King. Click here to hear Passion Worship Band sing it.

Sing to the King
Billy Foote

Sing to the King who is coming to reign
Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain
Life and salvation, His empire shall bring
Joy to the nations when Jesus is King!

So come, let us sing a song
A song declaring we belong
To Jesus
He is all we need
Lift up a heart of praise
Sing now with voices raised
To Jesus
Sing to the King!

For His returning, we watch and we pray
We will be ready the dawn of that day
We'll join in singing with all the redeemed
'Cause Satan is vanquished, and Jesus is King!

Read here an article that Billy Foote wrote about his reworking of this song.

I find it interesting that many of the songs that I fall in love with seem to have been written long ago. I guess I'm a die-hard traditionalist!

Menu Plan Monday - April 30, 2007

Monday- Taco Salad
Tuesday- Sub Sandwiches
Wednesday- Chicken & Rice Bake
Thursday- Chicken Fajita Burritos
Friday- Date Night!!!!!

See what others are eating this week and check out my standard Breakfast Menu.

The Persecuted Church

**(4-30-07) Updated to add a comment in the middle and a Scripture at the end.

This bears repeating so I am copying the entire article here. I got this from The Common Room.

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From the Protestant Church of Smyrna

From The Persecution Times comes this horrific reading. I have done what I can to sensitize it for a family blog where (especially of late) I would much rather spend my time talking about books, flowers, cooking, and soft little kittens, where I do not really enjoy exposing our inner griefs and outer terrors on a blog that other people's children as well as my own read, but, as we have said here before:

Certain vitally important current events simply are the stuff that nightmares are made of and they cannot be cleaned up. Many of our readers, including my children, trust us not to direct them to stuff that will give their young students nightmares.

But this particular class of current events is something our young people must be aware of for their own protection. These events are shaping and creating the world they will grow up to inherit. These events are, I believe, the most important issues in the news today, and yet, we hardly ever give them the space they deserve here because they are so horrible they are usually outside the parameters we have placed upon ourselves.

...We do not wish our children to reach their majority without some idea of exactly what kind of war is going on around them and what the stakes are. We are not certain of how to address this without frightening some of them beyond the point of usefulness. We are also not sure that not scaring them to death ought to be quite the priority that it has been in view of the present emergency.

For those and other reasons that should shortly be obvious, we are posting the following, but recommend it largely for mature readers:

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST Ministries

SMYRNA, TURKEY - Smyrna is an ancient city today known as Izmir in Turkey that was founded at a very early period at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia.

It was the second city to receive a letter from the apostle John in the book of Revelation. Acts 19:10 suggests that the church there was founded during Paul’s third missionary journey. Due to the fact that the port city of Izmir houses the second largest population in Turkey today, the site of ancient Smyrna has been little excavated. Excepting the agora, theater, and sections of the Roman aqueduct, little remains of the ancient city.

But there is a protestant church in there that calls itself “The Protestant Church of Smyrna” and it has issued the following letter to the Global Church which was sent to ANS....

Dear friends,

This past week has been filled with much sorrow. Many of you have heard by now of our devastating loss here in an event that took place in Malatya, a Turkish province 300 miles northeast of Antioch, the city where believers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26).

On Wednesday morning, April 18, 2007, 46 year old German missionary and father of three Tilman Geske prepared to go to his office, kissing his wife goodbye taking a moment to hug his son and give him the priceless memory, “Goodbye, son. I love you.”

Tilman rented an office space from Zirve Publishing where he was preparing notes for the new Turkish Study Bible. Zirve was also the location of the Malatya Evangelist Church office. A ministry of the church, Zirve prints and distributes Christian literature to Malatya and nearby cities in Eastern Turkey. In another area of town, 35 year old Pastor Necati Aydin, father of two, said goodbye to his wife, leaving for the office as well. They had a morning Bible Study and prayer meeting that some other believers in town would also be attending. Ugur Yuksel likewise made his way to the Bible study.

None of these three men knew that what awaited them at the Bible study was the ultimate testing and application of their faith, which would conclude with their entrance into glory to receive their crown of righteousness from Christ and honor from all the saints awaiting them in the Lord’s presence.

On the other side of town, ten young men all under 20 years old put into place final arrangements for their ultimate act of faith, living out their love for Allah and hatred of infidels who they felt undermined Islam.

On Resurrection Sunday, five of these men had been to a by-invitation-only evangelistic service that Pastor Necati and his men had arranged at a hotel conference room in the city. The men were known to the believers as “seekers.” No one knows what happened in the hearts of those men as they listened to the gospel. Were they touched by the Holy Spirit? Were they convicted of sin? Did they hear the gospel in their heart of hearts? Today we only have the beginning of their story.

These young men, one of whom is the son of a mayor in the Province of Malatya, are part of a tarikat, or a group of “faithful believers” in Islam. Tarikat membership is highly respected here; it’s like a fraternity membership. In fact, it is said that no one can get into public office without membership in a tarikat. These young men all lived in the same dorm, all preparing for university entrance exams.

The young men got guns, bread knives, ropes and towels ready for their final act of service to Allah. They knew there would be a lot of blood. They arrived in time for the Bible Study, around 10 o’clock.

They arrived, and apparently the Bible Study began. Reportedly, after Necati read a chapter from the Bible the assault began. The boys tied Ugur, Necati, and Tilman’s hands and feet to chairs and as they videoed their work on their cellphones, they tortured our brothers for almost three hours*

[Details of the torture–[the DHM omits these, but if you wish to read them click on the link above] **(I do not recommend reading these details. Cindee)**
Neighbors in workplaces near the print house said later they had heard yelling, but assumed the owners were having a domestic argument so they did not respond.

Meanwhile, another believer Gokhan and his wife had a leisurely morning. He slept in till 10, ate a long breakfast and finally around 12:30 he and his wife arrived at the office. The door was locked from the inside, and his key would not work. He phoned and though it had connection on his end he did not hear the phone ringing inside. He called cell phones of his brothers and finally Ugur answered his phone. “We are not at the office. Go to the hotel meeting. We are there. We will come there,” he said cryptically. As Ugur spoke Gokhan heard in the telephone’s background weeping and a strange snarling sound.

He phoned the police, and the nearest officer arrived in about five minutes. He pounded on the door, “Police, open up!” Initially the officer thought it was a domestic disturbance. At that point they heard another snarl and a gurgling moan. The police understood that sound as human suffering, prepared the clip in his gun and tried over and over again to burst through the door. One of the frightened assailants unlocked the door for the policeman, who entered to find a grisly scene.

Tilman and Necati [were dead. Ugur’s was barely alive.]

Three assailants in front of the policeman dropped their weapons.

Meanwhile Gokhan heard a sound of yelling in the street. Someone had fallen from their third story office. Running down, he found a man on the ground, whom he later recognized, named Emre Gunaydin. He had massive head trauma and, strangely, was snarling. He had tried to climb down the drainpipe to escape, and losing his balance had plummeted to the ground. It seems that he was the main leader of the attackers. Another assailant was found hiding on a lower balcony.

To untangle the web we need to back up six years. In April 2001, the National Security Council of Turkey (Milli Guvenlik Kurulu) began to consider evangelical Christians as a threat to national security, on equal footing as Al Quaida and PKK terrorism. Statements made in the press by political leaders, columnists and commentators have fueled a hatred against missionaries who they claim bribe young people to change their religion.

After that decision in 2001, attacks and threats on churches, pastors and Christians began. Bombings, physical attacks, verbal and written abuse are only some of the ways Christians are being targeted. Most significant is the use of media propaganda.

From December 2005, after having a long meeting regarding the Christian threat, the wife of Former Prime Minister Ecevit, historian Ilber Ortayli, Professor Hasan Unsal, Politician Ahmet Tan and writer/propogandist Aytunc Altindal, each in their own profession began a campaign to bring the public’s attention to the looming threat of Christians who sought to “buy their children’s souls”. Hidden cameras in churches have taken church service footage and used it sensationally to promote fear and antagonism toward Christianity.

In an official televised response from Ankara, the Interior Minister of Turkey smirked as he spoke of the attacks on our brothers. Amid public outrage and protests against the event and in favor of freedom of religion and freedom of thought, media and official comments ring with the same message, “We hope you have learned your lesson. We do not want Christians here.”

It appears that this was an organized attack initiated by an unknown adult tarikat leader. As in the Hrant Dink murder in January 2007, and a Catholic priest Andrea Santoro in February 2006, minors are being used to commit religious murders because public sympathy for youth is strong and they face lower penalties than an adult convicted of the same crime. Even the parents of these children are in favor of the acts. The mother of the 16 year old boy who killed the Catholic priest Andrea Santoro looked at the cameras as her son was going to prison and said, “He will serve time for Allah.”

The young men involved in the killing are currently in custody. Today news reported that they would be tried as terrorists, so their age would not affect the strict penalty. Assailant Emre Gunaydin is still in intensive care. The investigation centers around him and his contacts and they say will fall apart if he does not recover.

The Church in Turkey responded in a way that honored God as hundreds of believers and dozens of pastors flew in as fast as they could to stand by the small church of Malatya and encourage the believers, take care of legal issues, and represent Christians to the media.

When Susanne Tilman expressed her wish to bury her husband in Malatya, the Governor tried to stop it, and when he realized he could not stop it, a rumor was spread that “it is a sin to dig a grave for a Christian.” In the end, in an undertaking that should be remembered in Christian history forever, the men from the church in Adana (near Tarsus), grabbed shovels and dug a grave for their slain brother in an un-tended hundred year old Armenian graveyard.

Ugur was buried by his family in an Alevi Muslim ceremony in his hometown of Elazig, his believing fiancé watching from the shadows as his family and friends refused to accept in death the faith Ugur had so long professed and died for.

Necati’s funeral took place in his hometown of Izmir, the city where he came to faith. The darkness does not understand the light. Though the churches expressed their forgiveness for the event, Christians were not to be trusted. Before they would load the coffin onto the plane from Malatya, it went through two separate xray exams to make sure it was not loaded with explosives. This is not a usual procedure for Muslim coffins.

Necati’s funeral was a beautiful event. Like a glimpse of heaven, thousands of Turkish Christians and missionaries came to show their love for Christ, and their honor for this man chosen to die for Christ. Necati’s wife Shemsa told the world, “His death was full of meaning, because he died for Christ and he lived for Christ… Necati was a gift from God. I feel honored that he was in my life, I feel crowned with honor. I want to be worthy of that honor.”

Boldly the believers took their stand at Necati’s funeral, facing the risks of being seen publicly and likewise becoming targets. As expected, the anti-terror police attended and videotaped everyone attending the funeral for their future use. The service took place outside at Buca Baptist church, and he was buried in a small Christian graveyard in the outskirts of Izmir.

Two assistant Governors of Izmir were there solemnly watching the event from the front row. Dozens of news agencies were there documenting the events with live news and photographs. Who knows the impact the funeral had on those watching? This is the beginning of their story as well. Pray for them.

In an act that hit front pages in the largest newspapers in Turkey, Susanne Tilman in a television interview expressed her forgiveness. She did not want revenge, she told reporters. “Oh God, forgive them for they know not what they do,” she said, wholeheartedly agreeing with the words of Christ on Calvary (Luke 23:34).

In a country where blood-for-blood revenge is as normal as breathing, many many reports have come to the attention of the church of how this comment of Susanne Tilman has changed lives. One columnist wrote of her comment, “She said in one sentence what 1000 missionaries in 1000 years could never do.”

The missionaries in Malatya will most likely move out, as their families and children have become publicly identified as targets to the hostile city. The remaining 10 believers are in hiding. What will happen to this church, this light in the darkness? Most likely it will go underground. Pray for wisdom, that Turkish brothers from other cities will go to lead the leaderless church. Should we not be concerned for that great city of Malatya, a city that does not know what it is doing? (Jonah 4:11)

When our Pastor Fikret Bocek went with a brother to give a statement to the Security Directorate on Monday they were ushered into the Anti-Terror Department. On the wall was a huge chart covering the whole wall listing all the terrorist cells in Izmir, categorized. In one prominent column were listed all the evangelical churches in Izmir. The darkness does not understand the light. “These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.” (Acts 17:6)

Please pray for the Church in Turkey. “Don’t pray against persecution, pray for perseverance,” urges Pastor Fikret Bocek.

The Church is better having lost our brothers; the fruit in our lives, the renewed faith, the burning desire to spread the gospel to quench more darkness in Malatya …all these are not to be regretted. Pray that we stand strong against external opposition and especially pray that we stand strong against internal struggles with sin, our true debilitating weakness.

This we know. Christ Jesus was there when our brothers were giving their lives for Him. He was there, like He was when Stephen was being stoned in the sight of Saul of Tarsus.

Someday the video of the deaths of our brothers may reveal more to us about the strength that we know Christ gave them to endure their last cross, about the peace the Spirit of God endowed them with to suffer for their beloved Savior. But we know He did not leave their side. We know their minds were full of Scripture strengthening them to endure, as darkness tried to subdue the un-subduable Light of the Gospel. We know, in whatever way they were able, with a look or a word, they encouraged one another to stand strong. We know they knew they would soon be with Christ.

We don’t know the details. We don’t know the kind of justice that will or will not be served on this earth.

But we pray– and urge you to pray– that someday at least one of those five boys will come to faith because of the testimony in death of Tilman Geske, who gave his life as a missionary to his beloved Turks, and the testimonies in death of Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel, the first martyrs for Christ out of the Turkish Church.

Reported by Darlene N. Bocek (24 April 2007)

Note from the church: Please pass this on to as many praying Christians as you can, in as many countries as you can. Please always keep the heading as “From the Protestant Church of Smyrna” with this contact information:
izmirprotestan@gmail.com http://www.izmirprotestan.org

Praying indeed for the gospel message to go out everywhere, changing hearts and minds.

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Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses,with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

Message to Smyrna
8"And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:

9'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

10'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

11'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.'

Revelation 2:8-11

Shining Light

My grandma has a devotional published over at MustardSeed Ministries.

I first knew Letha as the sweet older lady who taught our small daughters’ Sunday School class. They loved her, and my husband and I appreciated her excellent teaching. I, also, learned from her. Whenever I felt disturbed, she always had the right words to comfort me. She spoke the truth. When I needed a stern word, she challenged me...

Read the rest here.

She also wrote these books:
What A Year May Bring Forth, and
Who Was This Boy?: The Story of a Troubled Child

Menu Plan Monday - April 23, 2007

Easy week (I'm cleaning house)...

Monday- Kids at Grandma & Grandpa's, Jim and I go out!!
Tuesday- Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Salad
Wednesday- Roast Hotdogs in our firepit outside (weather permitting - it's been pretty windy)
Thursday- Spaghetti, French Bread, Salad
Friday- Out to dinner with my mom, dad, sister, and nephew (Yay! Company is coming!!)

Check out the other menus for this week at Organizing Junkie and my standard Breakfast Menu.

Have a tasty week.

WFMW - Breakfast Menu

This week's Works For Me Wednesday is a repost of this week's Menu Plan Monday (hosted by Laura at Organizing Junkie)

Since I participate in Menu Plan Monday's hosted by Organizing Junkie, I thought I'd also share my breakfast menu plan.

I have the same menu planned for each week. It's such a time saver to have breakfast always already decided. I love auto-pilot!!

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Monday- Bagels & Fruit
Tuesday- Cold Cereal
Wednesday- Waffles or Pancakes
Thursday- Eggs & Toast (sometimes bacon or sausage too)
Friday- Hot Cereal

Sometimes the menu gets varied because I forgot to get a package of bagels out of the freezer or forgot to put some needed item on my shopping list. Sometimes the days get mixed up because I wake up and start making eggs only to be told by my kids that it's Wednesday and they were really looking forward to waffles. Oops! For the most part, however, it works out really nicely and everyone here is pretty happy with it.

See what works for others at Rocks In My Dryer.

Praise You In This Storm

In light of yesterday's massacre at Virginia Tech, I think it's a good time to point out the new music video that I have posted on my left sidebar. I've been noticing several great songs lately by Casting Crowns. Here's the one that God has placed in my path in the last week or so:

Praise You In This Storm
-from the album Lifesong

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

Chorus:
I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am (emphasis mine)
Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

Chorus

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The maker of Heaven and Earth

Chorus

Remember to listen to the song. It's on the left sidebar.

Breakfast Menu Plan

Since I participate in Menu Plan Monday's hosted by Organizing Junkie, I thought I'd also share my breakfast menu plan.

I have the same menu planned for each week. It's such a time saver to have breakfast always already decided. I love auto-pilot!!

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Monday- Bagels & Fruit
Tuesday- Cold Cereal
Wednesday- Waffles or Pancakes
Thursday- Eggs & Toast (sometimes bacon or sausage too)
Friday- Hot Cereal

Sometimes the menu gets varied because I forgot to get a package of bagels out of the freezer or forgot to put some needed item on my shopping list. Sometimes the days get mixed up because I wake up and start making eggs only to be told by my kids that it's Wednesday and they were really looking forward to waffles. Oops! For the most part, however, it works out really nicely and everyone here is pretty happy with it.

Menu Plan Monday - April 16, 2007

Continuing on with cleaning out the freezer and pantry...

Monday- Tostadas, Chips & Salsa
Tuesday- BBQ Pork Ribs, Corn, Salad
Wednesday- Chicken Parmigiana, French Bread, Salad
Thursday- Porcupine Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Friday- Pizza

Be sure to check out my Breakfast Menu Plan too.

See other menu plans at Org Junkie.

A lifetime ago

It's been nineteen years ago today that I got the news that there had been a terrible accident that morning and my friend was dead. Killed by a drunk driver. I was nineteen and it's been nineteen years - it feels like yesterday and it feels like forever ago. But I'll never forget. I'll never forget your smile, I'll never forget your very infectious laugh, and I'll never forget that you left us much too soon.


John Cole Harris
November 13, 1965 - April 12, 1988

Until we meet again...

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UPDATED to add article.

(Click on photo to actually be able to read it.)

This too shall pass

Last Friday afternoon (4/6) I passed something that I thought might finally be the end of the miscarriage. It was SO different than the other "stuff" that I had been seeing that I decided to demand that a pathology test be run to identify it. Since it was Friday afternoon, it wasn't processed until Monday and I didn't hear any results until today. I was right!

The doctor had told me the previous Friday (3/30) that the pregnancy had passed and that I only had a couple of days left to finish up. By Friday April 6, I was feeling so miserable that I called the doctor back and asked to be seen. She said that everything sounded normal and didn't think I needed to come in. She did, however, prescribe antibiotics prophylactically. Jim picked up the medicine on his way home from work. Before he got home, though, I had passed that "something" that I wanted identified. Almost immediately the severe symptoms abated. That marked difference really made me want to have the pathology test run. After quite the run-around from the medical community I got my wish and today I have the results. It was the pregnancy that I passed 11 DAYS after my ordeal began!

I'm very glad to have that information. I think it will help me in the future to trust my instincts. I knew something was still wrong and the doctors just don't know everything! My doctor did say that apparently she was wrong the week before when she said the baby was out. This is why I never blindly trust what a doctor tells me. She also congratulated me on doing this "all on my own and avoiding a D&C". Not sure what I think about that!

I'm still crampy and bleeding a little but I am definitely on the road to recovery. I'm taking the antibiotics and I feel SO much better.

Thank you all for your kind comments, emails, thoughts, and prayers. God is faithful.

WFMW - Rinsing Toddler Hair

When Adam was little I printed off an 8X10 photo of him and taped it to the ceiling above the tub. Whenever I needed to rinse his hair I told him to look at the baby. It worked like a charm!

Works for me!! For more tips visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer.

Menu Plan Monday - April 9, 2007

This week it's clean out the freezer and pantry week!!

Monday: Taco Salad, Chips & Salsa
Tuesday: Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo w/Penne Pasta, French Bread
Wednesday: Roast Venison & Carrots, Potatoes & Gravy
Thursday: BBQ Chicken, Corn, Salad
Friday: Chili & Cornbread

Check out other menu plans at Organizing Junkie.

Favorite (F)oto Friday: Grandpa

My Grandpa, Kenneth Fox.

Still Going

I have to say that I feel perfectly lousy. This business of miscarrying "naturally" is the pits. I'm living on Advil and Vicoden. I'm still in favor of avoiding having a D&C but it sure does take longer this way. I'm not convinced that things are really okay so (thanks to the prodding of my mom) I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow and insist that I be seen to rule out the possibility of an infection. I called my doctor today (yesterday, really, because it's after midnight now...) and recited my list of symptoms. She assured me that all of it was within the realm of normal but I'm just not feeling "right". You know what I mean? I don't have any experience with this but I'm going with my intuition. My list of symptoms, if you're interested, follows. If you not interested, I don't blame you. Just move right along and listen to some nice music on my sidebar. It really is more pleasant!!

**Warning-- Gross details ahead!

For the past three days:
1.) low back pain, dull and achy
2.) severe, horrendous headache (add to that, significant visual disturbances tonight for about 20-30 minutes)
3.) continued bleeding (that reeks. sorry if I'm being too gross !)
4.) sharp, sharp pain in my lower abdomen and right under my sternum that gets worse as the day progresses

I've had no fever but I also had a post-partum infection for 3 months (back in 1996) without a fever so I don't think that's a good indicator to me. I'm perfectly willing to wait this out several more days if that's what it takes and I'm also perfectly willing to go in and have a D&C if that's what is necessary. I just need to figure out what the "right" thing is so I can go do it. I'm going to tell them that I need a blood test or something to see if I need antibiotics or to try to figure out what's going on.

Pray for wisdom. And patience.

4/6/07 - 9:41 am - Updated to say that my doctor called me back this morning and she is prescribing some antibiotics. I hope this does the trick...

Three Things Thursday

Three places I have lived:

1.) I was born in Coos Bay, Oregon but I was raised in the beautiful Willamette Valley. I miss it very much and I would love to move back there if God wills it!

2.) When I was 19 years old I moved to Boise, Idaho to attend Boise Bible College. I haven't ventured far from the Boise area since college except for about 3 months when...

3.) I moved to Northport, New York at the age of 21 to be a nanny. I despised the job. I guess it was the situation I really despised. I was also extremely homesick. I only lasted 3 months then I returned to Idaho!

Thanks, Shelia, for the location theme this month!

Remembering

I just read a beautiful post yesterday written by Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer who was remembering her own miscarriage 11 years ago. It was pretty timely for me to read that post while I'm dealing with my own miscarriage right now. Here's an excerpt:

I remember the early days of my very first pregnancy, blissfully cloud-walking at the thought of becoming a mother. I remember the sound of my parents' voices when they heard the news that I was expecting their first grandchild....

...I remember the crushing weight that collapsed onto my chest in that ultrasound room at 10 weeks--not only had the baby died, but the baby had died 5 weeks earlier and my body simply didn't "get it"....

Read the rest here.

Menu Plan Monday - April 2, 2007

Monday: Sloppy Joes, green beans, salad
Tuesday: Grilled Pork Steaks, grilled zucchini, steamed baby reds
Wednesday: Spaghetti, french bread, salad
Thursday: Baked Chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy
Friday: Tostadas, chips & salsa

See this week's menus at Organizing Junkie.

I Am From...

I first saw an "I Am From" essay on A Path Made Straight. I followed her link and used (sorta) the template she suggested. I LOVE how she ended her essay and I used incredible self-control to NOT use her ending!

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I Am From

I am from banana-seat bicycles, Pop Shoppe soda, creamed honey on toast, and blue & green shag carpeting.

I am from a home with solar panels; drapes sticking to the frozen condensation on the sliding glass door; old, mysterious, non-functioning heating vents; and an attic with an old lifejacket and a huge boot hanging from the rafters.

I am from slender home-grown carrots with a "little dirt that never hurt", bluebells, dogwood trees, and blackberry vines creeping through the fence.

I am from Cones and Hoyts, Macdonalds and Foxes, Christmases of treasure hunts instead of stockings, word games, late night returns from holidays up north, and people talking very fast. Non-stop.

I am from "Sweet dreams" and "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite. If they do, take a shoe, and beat them 'til they're black and blue", and gift songs before bed.

I am from Wednesday night services, singspirations, Bible drills, and revival meetings. I am from evangelism filmstrips in homes I visited with my dad, the "bee"attitudes, and all-church retreats.

I am from the Pacific Northwest, the coast, the Willamette Valley. I am from broccoli/cauliflower/tofu casserole, clam chowder, and pecan pie.

I am from an uncle who, as a boy, built a chair in the basement that was too big to move out of the room; from two aunts adopted from Korea; from a grandfather who was a World War II glider man with the 101st Airborne Division; and a great-great-grandfather who was a missionary to China

I am from Mossyrock, Milton, and Minneapolis. I am from Oregon, South Dakota, and Alaska. I am from America, China, and Brazil. I am from people who love each other, people who value each other, and people who enjoy each other.

I am from home.