Blissful November Days

The harvest is finished. The days are still warm and golden.

What more can we ask?

Celebrating Aunt Grace's homegoing

October was one of the most golden months! Sunshine, mild temperatures day after day. However, it also was the month our family spent thinking and praying for our Aunt Grace who was dying of cancer. Columbus Day weekend we got Mom and went up to Minnesota to visit Grace. Mild, sunny days all weekend made it a wonderful weekend just to sit outside on the porch and visit..

However, we were back up three weeks later for her funeral. How happy we were that we went up earlier and that we took Mom with us!

We have a wonderful time when we get together with family! What wonderful spiritual bond we have as well as being related!

Coffee is always abundant...and I had my cappuccino!

The sunsets were brilliant every evening!

Ah, to be at Gramma's house!

Usually some theological discussions take place.

Nelsons' pond has never been more beautiful.

Next generation carving their Jack-O-Lanterns

Even trick or treating

A mile down the road to the old bridge

Home Sweet Home

Another great hymn

Thou Hidden Source of Calm Repose
           Charles Wesley (1749)

Thou hidden source of calm repose,
thou all sufficient love divine,
my help and refuge from my foes,
secure I am, if thou art mine; and lo!
from sin and grief and shame I hide me,
Jesus, in thy name.

Thy mighty name salvation is,
and keeps my happy soul above;
comfort it brings, and power and peace and joy and everlasting love; to me, with thy dear name, are given pardon and holiness and heaven.

Jesus, my all in all thou art; my rest in toil, my ease in pain,
the medicine of my broken heart, in war my peace, in loss my gain,
my smile beneath the tyrant's frown, in shame my glory and my crown.

In want my plentiful supply, in weakness my almighty pow'r
in bonds my perfect liberty, my light in Satan's darkest hour,
my help and stay when e'er I call,
my life in death, my heav'n, my all.

One of my aunt's is dying.This hymn came to my mind as I thought about her, her faith in Christ, and my/our own loss in thinking about losing her.

The Project is Finished. period. (full stop)

As I sit listening to the hum of the dishwasher for the first time in over a month, I am happy to say the project officially ended today, September 25th. Not bad for an early birthday present!

Monday morning project

Haha! Here we go for the final touch. It's been fun watching the process and the progress across the wall. Dresses things up nicely, eh?

Almost there!

The countertops were installed on Friday, hooorayyy!

The plumber isn't coming until tomorrow, and the tiling is supposed to get done sometime this week. Then we can say, "finished!"

Precious in the sight of the Lord

Our precious friend went to be with Jesus last night. Here she is with good friends Hans and Gretchen Deutschmann in her cozy house filled with books, plants and music. What a wonderful place to pop in to, what a wonderful woman to be there and who remembered me and every member of my family and asked about them!

This is my tribute to a dear woman.

We moved to Iowa 45 years ago this August to go to Cono Christian School. It's unbelievable to think she was only 46 then! She put us to work, and we weren't even her kids! We didn't think twice about it. Just did what we were told. That's how it was with her. Just do it. My mom was telling me about an instance when a girl was asked to do something she didn't know if she could do. Mrs. Belz just took her arm on the inside and brought her to the task and said she could do it. She was close. She was an enabler. Nothing was too hard for us to do. Both Max and Jean were like that. I'm amazed at the things they just expected us high schoolers to do. Like drive half-way across the country with a load of teenagers! And get there and get set up for a concert. They expected us to do it, so we did. "Just do it." was her lesson to us. And stop the complaining!

Music was also part of her impact on my life. She was my patient, persistent piano teacher. I can still hear her singing "Drink to me only with thine eyes" while I played my piece on the piano! :) I can also hear her alto voice singing just about any hymn in the old Trinity hymnbook. A rich warm voice to me.

She was such an influence on our mom, too, that the things I learned from Mom were also strengths from Mrs. Belz. Baking. Great cinnamon rolls, bread of any kind. Good home-cooked meals. I loved being invited to Belzes in the summer for dinner. We had a pancake supper one night. Yummy!

What I remember about her. Her frankness. One year we were there for Cono Homecoming and had to leave before church to catch an incoming flight of a friend. We told Mrs. Belz we had to leave and she said, "Before church?" in a voice you who know her would understand! Dennis never forgot it!

Another blessing of being part of the covenant community. "All your children will be taught by the Lord and great will be your children's peace." We are her children. Thanks, Belz children, for sharing your mom!