They're Cheering in Flushing NY

Having not blogged in a while, it seems appropriate that I would take this opportunity to post on such a magnimous and special day. Yes, it's our lovely daughter's birthday, but that's not to what I refer. It's also the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, but that's not the impetus for this post either.

Who among us hasn't at some time or other, with mild expletives under our breath, had to use the simple little invention called 'the plunger' to unclog a clogged toilet. I know I have. And yet, where would we be without the object of indoor plumbing? So, in case there's a few out there who didn't know it, or appreciate it, Nov. 19th is World Toilet Day.

My daughter pointed out this dubious honor of sharing her special day with her toilet, so I did a little reading up on it. The day, of course, has more merit than just giving your commode a little hug... it's to draw awareness to the 2.5 billion people who live without proper sanitation. And that is a noble reason. And so that got me blogging today.

A little bit toilet training never hurt anyone, so ponder this...

• Archeological remains from 3000 BC Scotland reveal stone huts, with drains protruding from the walls, likely their water closets. The early roots of potty training no doubt began here.
  
• Ancient Rome, famous for it's gigantic communal bathhouses, also had gigantic communal outhouses, with long bench seats. However, they only used these on 'special' occasions and usually just threw their, um... waste products... into the streets.
• The medieval 'garderobe' was a little room in one's castle with a system of trenches that took their sewage out to the mote, as an added deterrent to trespassers.
• Soon after, a flusher was devised with a pull handle and valve system to send water through the ceramic bowl.
• The ingenious 'S Pipe' was introduced in the 18th century, to keep 'foul odors' at bay (yay!)
  
• And, last but not least, in the late 1800's, toilet showrooms came into the marketplace, first accredited to plumber, Thomas Crapper. No kidding. He didn't invent the flushing wonder, but made it available to more people by marketing it in his storefront.

OK, that's enough in honor of modern plumbing. It was Freud, I think, that said fear of deep water stems from childhood terror of toilet training. I think it really comes from a clogged toilet!

Yep.

Here We Go!!

I was verrry sleeeeeepy this morning when it was time to get up... but it was well worth it! We got to bed very late last night, ... well, early this morning... because we were at the Steeler game last night, and stayed to the exciting finish!

Bruce and I were the delighted beneficiaries of our daughter and son-in-law, who drove here from D.C. and treated us to the football game!! I've never been to Heinz field and I was so excited to be a part of the electric atmosphere of thousands of people, all dressed in black and gold, anticipating an evening of great football. We weren't disappointed! It was a great game, we had wonderful seats, and, the Steelers won!

I was especially thrilled to spend the time with Ash & Nate, who are die-hard fans, and who blessed us by taking us along! We joined some other friends at a tail-gate before the game, and then spent about an hour roaming the Great Hall and taking in all of the Steeler memorabilia.

Because it was an 8:20 PM kick-off, we didn't get home till well after midnight (and we all had to work today ;-/), but loved every minute of it!

Psalty's Birthday Surprise

I KNOW I can't be old enough to have a 30 year old child... OK, so I am, and I do... it's not about me...

We were thrilled to be able to attend the birthday party Brad had for Leah on Sunday to celebrate her 30 years. Brad went to great lengths to delight Leah -- He knows she loves surprises, and so he arranged to have a number of surprise guests arrive (us, included). Not the least of which was Psalty, the Singing Song Book, which was a flash from her past.

Now the mommy of an infant, Leah regularly sings songs from her childhood to her baby girl, many from the Kids Praise series she loved. So, Brad bought her a CD of one of her long, lost favorites, AND he dressed up as Psalty and made a fun... and funny... guest appearance! 'Psalty' worked the crowd, read Leah a poignant and humorous 'futuristic' letter from her daughter, and he had Ashley & Nate join us via video.

Psalty's arrival was preceded by a Psalty sing-a-long led by Samantha, and surprisingly enough, all the adults present whole-heartedly joined in the singing (even the hand-motions).

Our American Idol

Our family has been a big fan of Disney World for a long time... Bruce & I went there for our honeymoon many years ago, and have returned many times over the years with our girls. The live shows at all 4 theme parks have always been high on our list of favorites because of the top quality Disney always aspires to in their productions.

Our talented and musically gifted daughters would often day-dream about performing on those Disney stages, being a part of a top-notch musical production. And, this weekend, Samantha actually did!

Disney's Hollywood Studio theme park has a new stellar attraction, the American Idol Experience. In keeping with their commitment to quality, Disney incorporates fun with fantastic, and re-creates the American Idol TV show, complete with a series of auditions and studio competitions, and a grand finale show. Three judges from the music industry critique the performers, and the audience votes for their American Idol.

Samantha was among about one hundred+ people who auditioned at the Disney Hollywood Studio park early on Saturday morning, and was cast to perform in an afternoon show. Backstage, they did her hair and make-up, and gave her 10 minutes with a professional vocal coach.

She performed the song Reflection, and was chosen by the audience as the winner of that round, and went on to perform in the finale. I know that I'm her mom, but I gotta tell you that she was awesome! And, I wasn't the only one to say so... the judges gave her raving accolades, -- even the one who had the role of sarcastic 'Simon'.

All of this was incredibly fun and soul-stirring, and was topped off Saturday evening at the Grand Finale (where all the winners performed) with Sam winning the whole shebang! Every performer was talented and wonderful, and the studio audience of a thousand people plus a group watching remotely outside the theatre created an electrified atmosphere!

Samantha got a standing ovation, and a 'golden ticket' for an audition for next season's American Idol TV show. It was lots of fun to watch 'fans' come up to her after her shows, asking for her autograph, calling out encouragement and congratulations (not just Bruce & me, either!), mothers asking her to pose with their incredibly cute babies...



We were allowed to take pictures, but not videos, due to copyrights, etc. Some of the pictures I've posted here, but if you want to hear her sing, ... maybe that 'golden ticket' will land her a spot on the TV version of the American Idol experience!

The Next Chapter

Wow! Words can hardly express the experience of being a part of a precious grandchild's birth!

And so the next chapter of the adventure begins.

We are so blessed be grandparents, and so proud and in awe of our daughter and son-in-law, watching them 'labor' together to bring Gabriella Faith into our world. She was born at 12:21 AM and is more darling than I can adequately describe.

A picture say a thousand words, so here are a couple....

18 Months ago, Bruce placed his daughter into Brads arms. This night, Brad placed his daughter into Bruce's...


...Aunt Sam

Aunt Ashley & Uncle Nate...

We're Expecting

I am waxing philosophical today.

I sat down at my computer this morning to do some work, and an Outlook "reminder" dialog popped up. It said, "Baby Day!".

I put that in my Outlook calendar way back in the fall when Leah first told us that they were going to have a baby, and June 19th was the projected 'due date'. After the first sonogram, it was 'revised' to June 20th. But I never changed my Outlook calendar. Mainly because baby 'due dates' are really just a projected estimate of when the baby will pop out, and life will change for all of us, and 'normal' becomes different.

Here's where the philosophical part comes in... we (Bruce, Me, Ashley & Nate) have been semi-preparing for the trek to Michigan from our respective homes, hours away from the blessed event. Ashley's had a bag packed for 2 weeks now. Samantha, and Brad's mom and dad have all worked their schedules to be 'near by' and flexible. We've notified our co-workers and clients that we'll be dashing off to Michigan for the baby's birth, but don't exactly know when that is, but ... just want to give a ... 'heads up'. We don't have the car loaded, but we've been preparing, and we can be ready to leave in just a few minutes. Brad has been texting us everyday for the past week with little teasers, implying at first that the baby's coming, and then switching around to something else.

We know that God already has Gabriella's birthday written in His plan, and the timing will be perfect.

I couldn't help relate all of this excited anticipation to life, in general. I wish I could live this way all of the time, fixed on knowing that God's timing is always perfect, and that He is Good, all the time. Instead of getting caught up in my day-to-day details, my problems and trials, or my disappointments, I need to do more... expecting. More hopeful anticipating of what God is birthing in my life. More joyful awaiting for what He's got up His sleeve for me.

I know in my head that God's Plan is not stagnant. I know that He weaves the details of each moment into a tale of adventure. And yet, sometimes, ... most of the time... my thoughts and emotions get swallowed up in what's in front of me.

But this mindset of living the past few weeks in anticipation, ...getting ready to travel to Michigan to be on the scene, to meet our grandchild, knowing 'something's' coming, but not knowing when exactly... always having in the back of my mind the thought that today could be 'the day', ... it's put me in the mode of expectation.

And I like that! I like living the way I believe God wants us to live... expecting Him to actively orchestrate and surprise me... expecting good decrees from the Throne Room, and expecting the King's favor. I recognize there is a good destination, but I want to more puposefully expect that the journey can be thrilling, under the watchful eyes and mighty arm of a loving Father.

Isaiah 43:19, 48:3 "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. ...then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass."

He Finally Came, And We Weren't Ready

As summer gets into full swing, I usually plop myself in my front yard and plant some pretty flowers. As I was weeding, the other day, I remembered something that happened last year, upon the occasion of my planting ritual.

Our drive is well off the main road, with only two houses on it, and so it's rare that people randomly drive up to the top of our hill. Bruce and I were both in the yard, doing some planting and mulching. And then, we heard it... at first it was distant, and then we realized it was coming up our driveway! We could hear the tinkling bell song, You Are My Sunshine, playing over and over, getting progressively louder.

It was the Ice Cream Man!!

For 25 years we'd been waiting for him. When the kids were little, they'd hear the song, and jump and squeal ... "It's the Ice Cream Man". They'd be very excited, and hopeful, but he never came up our drive. And by the time we'd grab our quarters and try to run down to the road to catch him and buy the frozen delights, he'd be gone. So the tinkling song became an empty hope.

But this day, a brave and curious man drove up our long driveway. When he saw it was just us, and we just stood there staring at him, and he realized that he'd driven up a driveway, he got very uncomfortable, and tried to sneak away.

BUT, after 25 years of waiting we couldn't allow that.
HOWEVER, we weren't ready! We didn't have any money on us to buy anything, and just sort of stood there gaping, thinking, 'He finally came, and we weren't ready!'

So, we didn't get any ice cream that day. But Bruce did stop the guy and talked to him and told him we'd been waiting 25 years for that moment. He told the fella we couldn't buy anything from him, but asked if he could pray for him about anything. ;~D

The guy speedily drove away. Hasn't been back since.

I Just Want to Testify

I went to Michigan this past weekend to visit our kids there, but also to hear our daughter, Leah, preach the Sunday morning message at Church of the King. More on that later...

Saturday night, we watched the NCAA semi-final game between Michigan State and UConn. It was a good game, especially because the 'home' team (i.e., Brad & Leah's 'home') won. In the last minute of the game, Michigan State sunk a free throw to put them up by 7 points with about 45 seconds left on the clock. Brad excitedly said, 'that's the game'! But me, ever the 'cautious' one, said 'there's still a lot of time left'... I didn't want to be too optimistic, and then disappointed, if the tide suddenly turned and the Spartans lost -- remembering times this has indeed happened in these kind of high-adrenaline games.

Brad, ever the 'wise' one, tolerated my comment, but smiled, fully confident of the outcome even then.

I bring this up because this morning, my husband (also very wise) encouraged me to read a chapter in a book he's been reading, Strengthen Yourself In The Lord, by Bill Johnson. The chapter is titled Keeping the Testimony -- Testimonies of God connect generations to His promises. Johnson reminds us that

"The testimonies of God are the tools that equip us to walk in our purpose to demonstrate what He is like through the miraculous... The Hebrew root word for "testimony" means "do again." Every record of what God has done in generations past is a promise of what He will do again in our lives, because He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and He is no respecter of persons (Heb. 13:8)."

That's why God instructs His people to build altars of remembrance, to set our hope in God by remembering what He has already done in our lives to deliver, help, save, encourage, and heal us. And to know He can/will do it again. When the people didn't remember God's Words and His Works, they lost their battle, even though they were armed and dangerous. (Ps. 78: 9-11)

This is all very significant to me because I am in a 'place' right now where I need to remind myself of God's character, His nature and His promises. My mind is too prone to focus on disappointments and fears, and that drags me down. So today, I purpose to do better, and to go into my battles armed with the testimonies of God's goodness, mercy and kindness to me and my family.

Which brings me to my final testimony... This weekend, I watched our daughter, Leah, preach. She delivered a word of Truth and power, and I was so proud, yet so humbled. In the same service, I listened to our daughter, Samantha, sing words of Truth and power, and her singing gave me chills up and down my spine. And later that day, I spoke with our daughter, Ashley, who was fulfilling a mission of global importance, and I was yet again proud, and humbled.

Proud that they are our kids... and humbled by remembering and witnessing the fruit of what God has fashioned. They are His Testimonies.

Leah's message completed the sermon series, Remember, at Church of the King. They are all well worth a listen here, and they are testimonies well worth remembering.

Roots

A few weekends ago, Bruce and I visited Church of the King in Berkley, MI, and got to experience a service in their new venue at the Southfield-Lathrop High School. It was a dynamic service and I was favorably impressed with the way the church members totally transform the school lobby and auditorium into a professional and contemporary area to gather and worship. And,... in the lobby, ...there is a wall of windows, with about 5 tall beautiful flowering hibiscus plants.

These hibiscus plants reminded me of the one Samantha gave me last Spring for Mother's Day... because the hibiscus is one of my favorites!! My plant is actually three plants, about 6 feet tall, with stems woven together, and is intended to be a house plant. When Samantha first gave it to me, it was full of gorgeous blooms!

I love my hibiscus, and because I'm not typically successful growing things, I did a google search to learn how to care for her (...yes, she is now affectionately known to me as Cynthia :-D ). One of the articles I read said it was important to replant her in a pot that would be about 30% larger than the one she came in, before she outgrew it, so she would have room to grow. Otherwise, she would become rootbound.

So what's rootbound? Rootbound is when there is no effective space for new roots to occupy. One of the first symptoms of being rootbound is, in fact, that plant growth slows despite favorable environmental conditions (light, water, fertilizer, etc)."

I sure wanted Cynthia to be healthy, and to grow, so I hustled off to Home Depot, and bought her a big new pot.

The article warned, however, that hibiscuses are very sensitive, and that this change would initially cause some trauma to Cynthia, ...and did it ever! Leaves started turning brown and dropping off dramatically, and some of the new little buds never opened, but also fell off.

I was concerned.

For months, my beloved plant went downhill. She made a half-hearted effort to bloom again, but only 3 flowers made it to fruition. Not only was she not 'growing', I feared she was dying. She was looking pretty feeble, in spite of my attempt to perk her up with string of twinkle lights.
But I have continued to water, feed, and nuture her (and even, um, talk to her). In spite of my lack of horticultural prowess, she's been hanging in there.

And this week, I finally see new growth appearing on the naked branches, and her falling leaves have drastically subsided. So I am hopeful that she's turned the corner, and is heading back to her happy place.

The hibiscus article I read said, "At times we have been amazed to see the difference in our flowers once the plants had room to grow larger root systems to provide the hibiscus with all the water and nutrients they need." That's what I'm counting on!! Go Cynthia!

So, a lesson from the plant kingdom, and maybe even the Heavenly kingdom... though up-rooting can be a bit traumatic, don't get rootbound. Stretch out, and keep blooming.

Troy

Well, the BIG weekend for Steeler fans everywhere is finally here!! The news stories on all of our local news have been headlined every day by what's going on in Tampa in preparation for the Super Bowl. Bruce has been watching REPLAYs of all of the past Steeler Super Bowls and Championship Games on the NFL Network for 2 weeks. I am ready for this game to begin.

Leah told me about this great and inspiring article on nfl.com about Troy Polamalu... one of our favorites on the team! Here is a link to the article in case you missed it:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80e68a8d&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true&icampaign=SB43_Tue_2column_1

So glad that Troy had a great game in the AFC Championship!

Our daughters are ALL super Steeler fans. And... our youngest, Samantha, lives in ... TROY !

Steelers in Space

Gotta love dem Stillers!

Steeler fans are die-hard and go to great lengths to see their guys play... hope this Pittsburgh Fan got to view the game somehow... maybe by,... satellite.

http://www.truveo.com/Steelers-Space-Fan/id/2201822174

FIt to a Tea

Bet you never wondered why a 'teaspoon' is called a teaspoon, or a why tiny little round candles are called 'tea lights', or what's so special about a 'tea towel'. So, today, while I prepared a pot of perfectly brewed Monkey Picked Oolong / Silver Needle blend tea and measured out 3 'teaspoons' of the leaves , the little 'tea light' went on in my brain. The 'tea-spoon' began as a measure for brewing a cup of tea!

With the popularity of coffee in this country, tea has been long over-looked. But it's making a comeback. Actually, tea has been recognized for its medicinal and taste benefits for centuries. It began as a beverage for emperors, and became a sought after commodity in Europe, enjoyed mainly by the aristocracy. As it became more available to the masses, it was still highly valued as a social centerpiece. Porcelain tea sets were so important to British families, the mistress of the house would dry them herself with a special linen cloth--her 'tea towel'.

I've wanted to cut back on the caffeine and coffee, and found that teas are varied and flavorful, and I've come to prefer tea over coffee. I am most intrigued by the health benefits of tea, and it's great to think that I'm actually enjoying something that's good for me!

If you are interested, here are some general qualities of the four main types of tea:

White -- the least processed tea, very high in antioxidants (studies show that antioxidants in white teas help to reduce the risk of cancer, particularly lung, colon, and skin cancer, and also strengthen your immune system and help with metabolism), very low in caffeine; excellent for hydration of the body and the skin, which acts naturally to reduce the signs of aging (fine lines and wrinkles); aids in detoxifying your body. A cup of white tea only has about 1% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee.

Green -- very high in antioxidants that boost the immune system and may help to reduce the risk of cancer (polyphenols), particularly lung, colon and skin cancers, helps to regulate your blood sugar, resist cavities and gingivitis, and it is good for your skin. Green tea also contains EGCG complex, which is very good for metabolism.

Oolong -- help to lower the intake of fat content from high-cholesterol meals and increase metabolism (this is why it is known as "diet tea"). The tannic acid in Oolong teas also helps to lower cholesterol levels. Good for the skin as well. Typically a very relaxing drink, although it does have a slight amount of caffeine.

Black -- Medical research suggests that black teas assist in lowering cholesterol, preventing the absorption of cholesterol into the blood, gently stimulating the heart and circulatory system, keeping blood vessels soft, regulating blood sugar, and lowering blood pressure. It can help prevent heart disease and strokes. Contains 20% of the caffeine in coffee.

And, all tea includes fluoride, which strengthens tooth enamel and reduces the formation of plaque.

Good tea doesn't come in bags from the grocery store, but from a good tea store which sells loose leaf teas, which are higher quality and fresher. They can tell you how to brew each specific tea, too.

Keyboard Shortcuts

I spent about an hour the other day trying to find my old 'cheat sheet' that had keyboard shortcuts for punctuation, foreign language and symbols. There are lots of ways to use the number pad (for Windows) and/or just simple key stroke combinations for laptops (MAC and PC).

I never did find my old faithful list, but found a quick Internet search led to several listings online. None of them are as user-friendly as the one I've misplaced, but in case these would be helpful to anyone else, here are the links...

For MACs http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/international/accents/codemac.html
For PCs http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/international/accents/codealt.html

Next time I 'lose' my 'cheat sheet,, I'll just use my 'cheat blog'/. BTW... the photo has nothing to do with the posting,... I just wanted to make it a little more interesting.

Who-rah!

Ever been to a big parade celebrating the return of a hero(es)?

I was at the parade for the first Steeler Super Bowl victory, way back when. It was such a big deal that the mayor declared the day a holiday, and the businesses gave their employees the day off. And, in spite of the frigid temperatures, and long.... long... wait for the team to arrive, all of the fans stayed there for their opportunity to cheer for their city's heroes, and to be a part of the big celebration, and to claim some of the glory, almost as if we had something to do with it. The excitement bordered on worship as fans sang the Stiller song and called out the names of the players riding by.

This memory was sparked by something I recently read in Jack Hayford's book, The Reward Of Worship. Hayford is describing a scene from the book of Revelation (chapters 4 & 5), which he says is an account of the apostle John witnessing the moment when the Son of God, the Lamb, having defeated sin and death, returns triumphantly to the Heavenly realm to take His throne. The Heavenly fans have been waiting, and watching, maybe even holding their breath. But when the Hero returns, they break out in spontaneous praise, and worship. They can't help themselves.

There's much I don't understand about the book of Revelation, but having read this, it was as if a light went on in my little brain, and I gained a new pespective. Having experienced a little of fanaticism for our football team bringing glory to our town, I can only imagine the eurphoria inspired by the victory of the Christ, bringing salvation to the human race.

Hayford says that while the book of Revelation arouses speculation on its symbolism and end times prophecy, it is at its core a book about worship. When the heavenly beings continually declare, "Holy, holy, holy...", it's not because they are mindless robots caught in a habit, but they are so awestruck, tongue-tied maybe, that it's all they CAN say.

And, while it's great fun to cheer so fervently for the Steelers, the Penguins and the Nittany Lions, it's life-changing to cheer for the Lamb.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

I used to have a sign on the wall of my office that said "Bloom where you are planted". It was meant to be a reminder to me to make the best of each situation and to do my best to thrive wherever I found myself.

We have a crabapple tree in our yard that blooms each Spring with glorious pink blossoms. When it's in full bloom, it evokes a sense of hope in the coming spring season of new birth after the dark, dreary, cold winter.

We're well into Fall now, have had some frosty mornings and even a few snow flakes. And we've also had some unusually warm weather for this time of year. But in spite of the above average temps, I didn't expect to see this when I opened the garage door ...

One branch of our little crabapple is in bloom! It's pretty, but odd. So, of course, I googled "crabapple trees that bloom in fall" and found that while it's not usual, neither should I call Dean Cain to come over and shoot an episode of Ripley's Believe It, Or Not.

A plant (tree) that blooms out of season is usually caused by some stress during the normal growing season, which throws off the tree's internal mechanisms that control flowering. So, when temperatures and/or rainfall repeat the conditions present during the normal bloom time, the confused tree produces flowers.

We were pondering this phenomenon. The tree's response to stress and changes in its environment, was to bloom! It dug deep into its xylem and phloem, and instead of shutting down, it made pretty flowers. This is certainly contrary to the pattern I see in my own reaction to stressful or confusing situations... I fret; I hyperventilate; I get, well, ... crabby.

The Fall blossoms won't be producing any fruit... we've got some yukky cold weather forecast in the next few days which will likely put an end to the blooms. But, I've read that the Spring flowering of the flowering crab probably won't be adversely affected by its Fall florescence. It will adjust and adapt and recover from the stress, and be back to its old self by Spring, and it most likely will flower and bear fruit in due season.

And so, for however briefly, the contrast of the pretty pink flowers amid the backdrop of the brown and bleak landscape is a reminder to me that perspective is pretty important. If we tap into the hope that lies within us, we can bloom in spite of the season, and may even look a little prettier in the process.