Pulling Strings in Heaven

Our oldest daughter, Danielle is about to start her senior year in high school. She will actually only be taking two classes at her high school this year. She will take the rest of her classes at the local community college. Those courses will earn her both high school and college credits that will transfer to whatever college she chooses to attend next year. She is very excited about only spending two hours at the high school each day.

We started looking at colleges last spring. Dani was certain she wanted to stay within the Twin Cities. She wanted to be away from home, but not far away. She has known for several years that she wants to be an elementary school teacher. She loves kids and they love her. She's taught Sunday School and VBS at our church for several years. She also has loved working with kids on the mission trips she has gone on. Kids just naturally gravitate toward her.

This summer, we visited several schools in the Twin Cities. She also wanted to visit Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. It's roughly 90 minutes away from home. It surprised me that she wanted to even visit somewhere outside the Cities. Dani, Lauren and I visited GAC during MN Private College Week earlier this summer. I was astounded by the beauty of the campus. I was also amazed to see the look on Dani's face. I could tell she liked it a lot. She later told me that as we walked around campus, she knew there was something very different about this campus compared to the Twin Cities college campuses, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It finally hit her...it was quiet! No traffic buzzing by, no sirens or honking horns from the bustle of the city. She said it was like someone put a college on a hill in Caledonia (the small SE MN farming community where I grew up). Perhaps that comment should have been a clue that my mom was up to something in Heaven.

We decided that another trip to visit GAC was in order, and that Eric should go along since Dani was seriously considering this college. It made sense to schedule the trip before high school starts up again.

Then, last week while on facebook, I saw a post from a "friend" of mine, Jenni. It stated that she and her husband had just bought a house in St. Peter. I put the word friend in quotes, because I had never actually met Jenni. I became friends with her on facebook after my mom died. I had met her dad, Curt, at my dad's funeral.

Years earlier, Curt showed up at my parent's farm with several kids in tow, inquiring about hunting on my parent's land. My dad agreed to let them hunt and after that, Curt was basically one of the family. He and his kids would visit my parents whenever they would come to hunt.When we would visit my parents, I would inevitably hear stories about how nice Curt and his family were. My mom was especially fond of Curt's daughter, Jenni. She would always tell me "Jenni is such a nice little person." When I met Curt at my dad's funeral, I understood why my parents loved him. He was just a genuinely nice guy.

Curt also came to my mom's funeral. This time, he brought his wife, Deb, along. Curt told us that Jenni really wanted to come for my mom's funeral but she was pregnant with her second daughter at the time and having preterm labor issues, so was unable to travel. I then friended Jenni on facebook and we exchanged a few stories and memories of my parents. I hoped we would one day meet.

So last week, when I saw Jenni's facebook post about buying a house in St. Peter, I sent her a message saying that my parents must still be trying to get her and I to meet. I explained that Dani was interested in Gustavus and that if she chose to go there, Jenni would have a babysitter for her two girls. Imagine my surprise when Jenni messaged back that her husband, Colby is the head baker at Gustavus!  She said to let her know when we planned to visit GAC again.

I know some people still are skeptical about my "red fox moments" as I call them, but like I've said before, when it happens to you, you just know. Not only did Jenni say her husband worked at Gustavus, but he is the head baker. My mom loved baking. She always had cookies and other baked treats on hand in case anyone stopped by to visit. And her dad (my grandpa) owned and ran the bakery in Caledonia when he was alive!

I messaged Jenni when we set up our Gustavus visit for today. I didn't think there was much chance of seeing her, but thought there was a slight chance of running into her husband. I mentioned it to Eric and Dani, but neither really said much, as they didn't know the connection.

The college visit was great, and I believe Gustavus is now at the top of Dani's list of potential colleges. We met with an Admission's Counselor, toured campus and met with the Teacher Education Coordinator of the Education Department. We were told that after that meeting, we would be given meal tickets to eat in the cafeteria. Again, I thought maybe we'd run into Jenni's husband. But Dani decided that she'd rather have lunch somewhere in the town of St. Peter.

The Admissions Office gave us a few suggestions of places to try. We drove by the suggested places and chose one: a bar and grill named Patrick's. We walked in and chose a table. When no waitress came by after a few minutes, we decided to move to a table in another room. As we walked into that room, I couldn't believe what I saw. There were Jenni and Colby sitting with another woman (Jenni's mom) at the first booth we walked by. I was walking behind Eric and grabbed his arm, to tell him who this was. Before I could even say the words, Jenni saw me and jumped up to hug me. We'd only seen each other's pictures on facebook, but knew each other instantly. She gave Eric a hug before he had any clue who she was!

Jenni invited us to have lunch with them. As we ate our burgers, she told stories about going to Caledonia to hunt with her dad. She said there were times that she would choose to spend a good part of the day visiting with my mom rather than hunting. Just talking with her, I understood why my mom loved her so much. She is kind and loving and funny. She told Dani that if she chooses to go to school at Gustavus that she will be her "mom away from Mom".  Eric commented later that it would be more like "sister away from Mom" since Jenni is no where near as old as us.

As I reflect on the day, I think of how many things fell into place so that Jenni and I ended up meeting. If she hadn't posted about buying a house in St. Peter, I never would have messaged her about Gustavus,  never would have know Colby was a baker there, never would have let her know we were visiting today. If we chose to eat on campus, or if a waitress had come to the first table we chose at Patrick's, we never would have met each other today.

While my dear mom said she "never did a lot" in her life, she sure pulled a few strings up in Heaven to get Jenni and I to meet today. Mother always said she was sneaky and my dad always said that God works in mysterious ways. I am certain they worked together in all that happened today. It was definitely a red fox day. When it happens to you, you just know.

It's too soon to know if Gustavus is where Dani will end up attending college. But I am confident God has a plan. And things will fall into place to happen according to His plan.

See You Next Time

Four years ago today Daddy was called home to Heaven. It was a Thursday: The Thursday after Easter. We'd been to the farm and celebrated Easter with my family on Saturday. On Easter morning, we left to have brunch with Eric's family. Before leaving, I went through the normal routine with my dad. He was having his breakfast and I slipped my arm around him for a hug. As he slowly said "Good-bye", I said, "See you next time." I always said "See you next time" because "Good-bye" seemed to permanent to me.

Daddy had already surpassed the doctor's prediction of "3 to 6 months left to live", so we knew our time with him was limited. Each time we saw him, he was more frail. He hadn't walked since Christmas (with the exception of one day walking from his bedroom to the living room, which no one witnessed.) He needed help with all his basic needs. Each time I helped to dress him he looked thinner than before. We knew it was only a matter of time.

Although he was unable to speak much any more, he always knew his kids and grand kids. But on Good Friday morning, as I sat in a chair just outside the bedroom, he looked at me and said, "Who are you?" I simply said, "I'm your youngest daughter, Kim. You know me. I'm Danielle, Lauren and Evan's mom." He seemed satisfied with that answer. As I helped get him dressed that morning, he looked at me and said, "Where are you?" Remembering his earlier question, I asked, "Where am I or who am I?" He repeated, "Where are you?" I replied, "I'm right here with you." He responded, "I like you!" I said, "I like you too." Months later as I read books about the experiences of the dying, I wondered about those things he asked me that morning. I read that often when people are nearing death, they will be "between Heaven and Earth". They may see relatives who have gone before them yet still see their earthly surroundings as well. I wondered if possibly he was really asking me if I was on Earth or in Heaven when he asked me where I was.

On Tuesday (two days before he died), Daddy was able to wheel the office chair he sat in, across the kitchen floor to the window. He then, some how, pulled himself to standing and looked out at the farm, toward the barn, one last time.

That Wednesday, my sister, Jo, called to let me know that Mother had called and asked her to come out to the farm. Daddy wasn't able to get out of bed that day. Perhaps I should have known and driven down. But he'd been close to Heaven's door a few times and always came back to us. My sister, Kathy, flew to Reno that day for a bowling tournament.

On Thursday afternoon, the phone rang. I answered, "Hello?" No one was there. This happened another couple of times and I was getting tired of it. I assumed it was a telemarketer. So the next time the phone rang, I answered with a smart aleck "Good-bye." Only this time, it was my sister, Jo. It had been her the other times too, on her cell phone which didn't get good reception at the farm. She quickly told me that she'd taken my mom to a scheduled doctor appointment and on the way home, she'd gotten a call from my sister-in-law, Leah who'd stayed with my dad. Leah could tell my dad had taken a turn for the worse. Jo wasn't sure if this "was it" or not. When I got off the phone with her, the kids walked in the door from school. They started telling me something they needed and I snapped at them that Grandpa was dying. I immediately felt guilty for breaking it to them like that. Evan ran out the door. I later found out that he ran to his friend Jake's, two houses away. He walked right into their house without knocking and went to Jake's room for support. I called Eric at work and told him he needed to come home. Between phone calls to my brother, Charlie, to update him and trying to get ahold of Kathy in Reno, time was slipping away. We must have finally left home about 5 pm.

We rushed toward the farm, stopping in Cannon Falls at the McDonald's for a bathroom break and to get a bite of food for the kids. I called my sister Jo from there and Daddy was still hanging on. I asked her to tell him we loved him and were on our way. I told her we'd be there around 8 pm. (Just this past week, we were driving to Rochester and stopped at that McDonald's. While we'd driven past it several times in the last 4 years, we hadn't stopped there again. As we pulled into the parking lot, all those memories came flooding back.)

I sat in the back of the van with Lauren and Evan reading a book borrowed from a family friend. It was called, "Someday Heaven". The book was helpful in explaining to children about death, funerals and Heaven. When we were about 10 minutes from the farm, I thought of calling Jo, but decided against it as we were almost there. As we pulled into the driveway at the farm, I saw my siblings gathered on the steps outside. I knew immediately. I knew Daddy had died. He had died about 10 minutes earlier. I was told Mother was in the living room next to the hospital bed where he lay. I went to her and gave her a big hug and the tears flowed out of both of us. I kissed Daddy on the forehead. He was gone.

While I felt bad that we hadn't made it "in time", I had a peaceful feeling that it was the way it was supposed to be. In hindsight, I know that it would have been very traumatic on my kids to see him struggling at the end. As we looked at my dad lying there, I noticed something. He'd long had a wrinkled crease in his forehead. In death, that crease of stress of gone. His spirit was free. I found comfort in that. I knew his earthly suffering was gone and he was in Heaven where there is no pain or sorrow...only joy.

My niece, Kelly, took a picture of the sunset that night. It was within minutes of my dad's death.  She showed us the picture the next day and it is beautiful. There were some clouds and yet the setting sun was brilliant. It really seemed appropriate. Daddy was leaving the clouds of this life behind and going home to God's brilliant light.

 

It is hard for me to believe it's been four years already. Yet it seems like forever since I last saw Daddy. I've changed in those four years. I don't just mean the gray hairs, wrinkles and extra pounds that have found me. Something inside has changed. I like to think it's for the better. I am learning to let go of things that I can't change. I've learned the only person I can change is myself. And I am learning to accept who I am, something I struggled with for a long time. Mostly, I think I've grown in my faith. I've seen many amazing things in these last four years...things that point directly to God. Daddy always said, "God works in mysterious ways." I know he would be happy that I have witnessed some of those amazing ways and that they strengthened my faith.

 

The four years that have passed are but the blink of an eye in Heaven's eternity. I know that I will see both of my parents again, when I am called Home. Until then, I silently tell them those final words I said to Daddy on Easter morning of 2009: "See you next time!"

Snow Days

Our kids had a snow day from school this past week. It was Lauren and Evan's second snow day ever and Danielle's third. It's not that we don't get much snow here. It's just that being in the city, roads get cleared faster and buses aren't traveling country roads. Back on the farm, we had lots of snow days. I remember listening to the radio and TV just waiting to hear that school was cancelled after a big snowfall. The minute it was announced that Caledonia was closed for the day, the cheering began! Here, we just assume that school will go on as usual. But when it is cancelled, we actually get an automated phone call announcing the closure. Early this past Wednesday morning, I was out shoveling the driveway. We had gotten several inched of snow overnight. Suddenly, Evan came out of the house screaming. I thought something happened to our new puppy. But Evan was hollering that school was cancelled! When I looked down at his feet, I realized he'd been so excited to tell me the news, he had run outside barefoot!

While the snow day this week was exciting for the kids, the one they got last year was one I'll never forget. Or maybe it's just the timing I will never forget. It happened on Leap Day, February 29. That was my mom's birthday. Being a Leap Day baby, she only had a "real" birthday every four years. When she had a real birthday, we always made a big deal out of it. The family would all gather to celebrate. Mother would receive cards and phone calls from what seemed like half the town of Caledonia. When I was in high school, the Caledonia Argus did an article on her having this special birth date. She commented in her interview that her youngest daughter (me) was older than she was. By the time of her death in 2011, she had grand kids that were older than she was. I recently found newspaper notices from 1928 and 1932 telling of birthday parties my grandma threw in honor of my mom's first two "real" birthdays.

The winter of 2011-2012 brought very little snowfall to the Twin Cities. During the last week of February, the forecast was calling for a big snowstorm to hit on Feb 29. I told the kids that Grandma must be up in Heaven trying to convince God to let them have a snow day. Not only was it her first birthday since she died, it was a "real" birthday to boot. As the week went on, the forecast changed a few times. By the time we went to bed on Feb 28, it appeared we would get little or no snow. But while we slept, the snow began to fall. And it began to accumulate. By morning, there were several inches on the ground. Just before 6 a.m. our phone rang. It was an automated message announcing that school was cancelled for the day due to the weather! By about 6:10, our kids were outside playing in the snow. It's humorous to me how early the kids are wide awake on a snow day. On regular school days, they can hardly drag themselves out of bed.



Mother with her 20th birthday cake in 2004



When you lose someone you love, the "firsts" are very difficult. I knew that Mother's first birthday after she was gone would be hard. The fact that it was a "real" birthday would make it harder. But that snowstorm, that snow day, on that Feb.29, made it impossible for me to feel sadness. Of course I still missed her and wished she was still alive. I wished I could call her and wish her a happy birthday and tell her that I loved her. But some how, all I could do that day was think of Mother and smile. Leap Day only comes once every four years. Snow days here generally come even less frequently. Yet those two things happened on the same day. Maybe Mother really did whisper in God's ear and convinced him to give my kids a snow day. That thought stayed with me the entire day and made that "first" a little easier for me to deal with.



Whether or not things like that actually happen in Heaven, I don't know. But I know how much Mother loved her family. I know that God loves us that much too. They'd both knew I would be home alone that entire day if the kids were in school. They both knew me well enough to know I would have had a difficult day as I remembered and missed her. So I can just imagine Mother and God coming up with the idea of a snow day for my kids on that day. That way I wouldn't be alone and the "magic" of the snow day on her birthday would make me smile. The thought of it still makes me smile. And I know that on every Feb. 29, I will re-tell the story of that snow day. Well planned God and Mother....well planned!



Blizzard Babies

How much do you know about your mom's pregnancy with you? How about your birth story? All I know is that I was born on my sister Linda's confirmation day, one day before my due date. I also know that if I was a boy, my name would have been Kelly Dale. In the past, parents didn't share many of those details with their children. My kids have been told far more about my pregnancies and their birth stories than us kids ever were. But, I bet if I asked each of my siblings which of our birth stories they know the most about, they would all answer the same: "Charlie."

In early March of 1959, Mother was due with her sixth child. The winter of 1958-1959 was the snowiest winter on record for Houston County, Minnesota. Almost 92 inches of snow fell that winter, 45 of them in March alone. My mom often told the story of how every weekend in February and March, there seemed to be another snowstorm. At times the snow was so deep that the milk truck could only make it to the neighbors just up the road from us. Then Daddy would put full milk cans onto wooden skis that he had made and skied the milk over the fences to the neighbors to be picked up by the milk truck. The ditches were already drifted full when the snow started on March 5, 1959. Over the next 3 days, 18.5 inches of snow came down. That, accompanied by strong winds, caused blizzard conditions.


The morning of March 6, started out just like any other Saturday morning at our house. My sisters, Linda and Jo, were busy watching cartoons on TV. (They still can't agree as to whether they were watching Mighty Mouse, Pixie and Dixie or Tom and Jerry!) Just a mile further down the road, our neighbors began calling to have a snowplow sent out to clear the road. The reason? The wife, Nadine, had gone into labor. The roads were completely blocked by huge snowdrifts and there was no way Nadine's husband, LaVern, could get her to the hospital. He had gotten his car stuck trying to get out of his driveway. Two snowplows were sent out, but it took a good part of the day to clear the 8 miles to their house. Nadine knew that my mom was also pregnant and due about the same time as she was. So, she called to let my mom know that the snowplows were clearing the road and to see how my mom was doing. Mother said she was fine. Nadine and LaVern offered to take Mother with them, just in case she should go into labor, but Mother said there were no signs of labor. I am willing to bet that she was also thinking that she had four children at home that she needed to care for and that with the weather as it was, she was needed at home. Daddy, though, thought differently. He told her that she needed to go with LaVern and Nadine, just in case. If she didn't, and she went into labor, the snowplows would have to make another trip, as the snow was still falling steadily and the wind was blowing fiercely. I also am betting that Daddy was thinking about my mom's last pregnancy. One and a half years earlier, Mother had given birth to my sister, Cindy, who was stillborn due to a cord accident. I am sure that Daddy knew if something happened to this baby and Mother wasn't at the hospital, she would blame herself. So he insisted that she go to the hospital, even though she wasn't yet in labor. (Luckily, my Grandma Betz lived with my family at that time, so she was able to care for my 4 oldest siblings.)

Several hours later, the snowplows made it past our house, and continued on for the last mile to the neighbors' house. A while later, Uncle Dale climbed up the ladder of the windmill so he could see when the snowplows were on their way back. I have always found it funny that he climbed up there in treacherous conditions so he could let Daddy know when Mother needed to be down at the road to be picked up. As the snowplows headed back toward our farm, LaVern and Nadine followed behind the first snowplow in their car (which the snowplow drivers had helped LaVern dig out). The second snowplow followed behind their car. When they came over the hill just west of our farm, they saw Dale at the top of the windmill. They stopped at our driveway long enough to pick up Mother and headed for the Caledonia Hospital. Daddy stayed at the farm to do chores. The plow drivers warned LaVern to let them escort him all the way to the hospital as the streets in Caledonia hadn't yet been plowed. I have often imagined the scene at the hospital when LaVern arrived with not one, but two very pregnant women. It's probably a good thing it was a small town and everyone knew each other. I can only imagine the rumors that would have started circulating otherwise.

After dropping the women off at the hospital, LaVern left his car there and walked to his parents house where he would be staying. The streets were unplowed so his car couldn't make it through. He had recently had hernia surgery and had a hired man at the farm to do chores for him. That was the only reason he was able to stay in Caledonia. LaVern's parents lived near the Catholic Church, which was a good hike from the Caledonia Hospital on a good day. Considering the snowfall and his recent surgery, it must have been a very tough hike for LaVern. When he arrived at their house, there was so much snow that the front door was inaccessible. He climbed a snowdrift to a second story window and removed the screen so he could get into the house. The following morning, he went out the window and down the drift again and shoveled the doors out.


I am not sure if my mom was checked into the hospital as soon as she arrived or if they had her sit in the waiting room, but she still had no signs of labor. Shortly after midnight, on March 7, 1959, Nadine gave birth to her daughter, Beverly. A few hours later, Mother delivered my brother, Charles Michael (Charles after my Grandpa Charlie and Michael after my mom's favorite uncle, Mike). The phone at the farm rang early that morning letting my dad know that he had a healthy baby boy.  I recall hearing that it was several days before the roads were in good enough condition for Daddy to make it to town to see his new son. The first time that Daddy made it to the hospital for a visit, LaVern joked with him and asked Daddy if he needed him to bring Maxine and the new baby home for him too.

In June of 2011, when my mom was in hospice, Bev's sister-in-law, Sandy, stopped in to visit. Sandy and her husband now live on that farm where Laverne and Nadine lived. She works at the hospital where Mother died. LaVern and Nadine had both already passed away. Sandy told us a very touching story of signs from God that she'd witnessed after LaVern's death. As she was getting ready to leave, she said to Mother, "Maxine, I reckon you are getting ready to go and see Earl again.  When you get there, be sure to say "Hi" to LaVern and Nadine for me." That reduced me to tears. I am sure Mother did tell them "Hi" when she made it to Heaven. And I'm sure that Mother and Daddy and LaVern and Nadine are all sitting up in Heaven now, reminiscing about that snowy day all those years ago when Charlie and Bev were born.

Life is Like a Rubik's Cube

In the early 1980's, when I was in high school, Rubik's Cube made it's debut on store shelves.  My brother, Mike and I spent hour upon hour trying to figure out how to solve it. There was no Internet back then so we couldn't easily find the solution. Daddy was convinced that we would never figure it out. That only made us more determined. Daddy then told us that if either of us solved Rubik's Cube without cheating, he would pay that person $100. I know he thought it was a safe bet. I've promised outlandish things to my own kids when I knew there was no way I'd ever have to pay up. Lauren still reminds me of the time when she was about 6 and still sucked her thumb. I promised her a big flat screen TV for her room if she stopped that very minute and never sucked her thumb again. Lucky for me, she wasn't ready to quit yet. Living on a farm in 1984, that $100 offer was as big of a deal to me as the big flat screen TV was to Lauren. Lucky for me, Daddy didn't set an immediate deadline. Weeks later (Okay, probably months later), as I was endlessly working my Rubik's Cube, I made a turn on it, and it was solved! I had no idea how I had solved it, but I had. And Daddy came through on his promise. He paid me $100. To this day, I don't know the solution. I know how to get all the corners correct and then I am stuck. I just checked the Internet to see how many possible ways a Rubik's Cube can be arranged. The answer is approximately 43 quintillion (that's 43 with 18 zeros after it). I'm pretty sure that's about how many ways I had it arranged before it fell into place for me. So what does this story have to do with anything? Maybe nothing, but I'm going to try to make a connection anyway.

This year during Lent, our church is doing a series of Wednesday night services that piece together our journey from brokenness to wholeness...from death to life. At each service a piece is added to a puzzle that is displayed. My understanding is that we are each a piece of that puzzle and really that each of our lives is made up of pieces that have to be fit together in order for us become whole. I think each of us at times has met someone or had an experience where we felt like a piece to our life puzzle was just put in place.

Last week's Wednesday night speaker was incredible. Mark is a Jewish man who regularly attends services at our church. It kind of sounds like it should be the beginning of a joke: "A Jewish man walks into a Lutheran church..."  Mark's girlfriend, Cindy has been a member at our church for many years. I've known who both of them are for a few years but really only met them at a graduation party last summer. Cindy and I have talked at church a few times. She knows about my red fox sightings and she told me of signs she had seen when her own dad passed away. I had no idea what Mark was going to speak about, but in hindsight, when he started out by saying that he can't speak about God without crying, I should have pulled out the tissues right away. His story was about being in the depths of depression, losing everything he had, and being on the brink of suicide. And by "on the brink of suicide" I mean he met with his therapist and told him he was going to end his life. While the therapist never told him not to do it, the conversation they had that day saved Mark's life. At some point down the road, Mark saw a tiny speck of light...hope. He called out to God in prayer and asked for a sign to be sent to him. Shortly thereafter, he met Cindy. He later realized that Cindy was (in his words) a sign and an angel from God. Never before in his life had he entertained the idea of dating a non-Jewish person. Cindy was Christian. She invited him to a service at our church. He has been returning for years. He remains Jewish and she remains Christian. A couple of years ago, Mark saw an obituary for the therapist who saved his life. The therapist had committed suicide. Mark was unable to attend the funeral and attempts to contact the family were unsuccessful. Then a week later, he and Cindy were leaving our church together when Mark noticed a prayer request in the bulletin. The request was for a woman named Millie, who had recently lost her nephew. The nephew's name was listed and it was Mark's former therapist, the one who had committed suicide. Cindy had known Millie for years and introduced Mark to her. Mark was able to provide some comfort to Millie's family....comfort in knowing that their family member had saved another life, even though he had taken his own. I know Millie, but never knew any of this story before. Millie's family was with her in church, not far from where we were sitting. Also present were Mark's dad and step-mom. Mark told us that he'd had a strained relationship with his dad, but in the past few years, they had reconciled. He thanked both his dad and step mom for being there for him throughout his struggles.

After the service, I spoke with both Mark and Cindy. I told them how touched I was by their story. I've had my own issues with depression and anxiety. I've had my own experiences with signs from God, but the signs Mark received were so incredible. I truly don't know how anyone could not see it as God's hand at work. It was as though God's hand truly was putting pieces of a puzzle together.

A couple of days later, I had a note from Cindy saying that she and Mark would like to meet with me for a few minutes. I was afraid I'd offended them in some way. She assured me that was not the case. When I met with them, they handed me a little box. Inside was a beautiful collectible red fox figurine. Mark and Cindy told me that there was a story behind it. After Mark's talk at church, they had gone out for a bite to eat with Mark's dad and step mom. They were chatting about the church service and signs from God. Cindy mentioned that I'd seen signs in my red fox sightings. Mark's dad asked if they were good signs and Cindy said yes. He then went on to say that he had a red fox figurine and wondered if they would like to give it to me. Mark told me his dad has hundreds of animal figurines and was surprised he remembered this particular one. I hadn't met Mark's dad, but some how my fox sign stories combined with Mark's talk which included several signs from God, inspired him to offer this collectible figurine to me. I was incredibly touched.

Later that evening, it dawned on me that Cindy's name is Cindy. Okay, that sounds kind of stupid. Obviously I knew her name, but Cindy was also the name of the stillborn baby girl my mom had in 1957. I sent Cindy a note telling her the story about my sister and it turns out that this Cindy was born in 1958. It is also interesting that both of them were named Cindy, not Cynthia. I told Cindy that maybe it's a sign that she should be my honorary sister.

This week's speaker was a woman named Monie. She spoke about the importance of focusing on God, not other things in our lives. The way she explained it was that God designs us as a puzzle, a puzzle where there is one empty space left, one piece missing. Throughout our lives we try to fit different pieces into that empty spot. We might try money, fame, reputation or even seemingly good things like family or friends. But these things never fit perfectly into the empty spot. That is because God is the only piece that really fits. He is the only thing that really completes us and holds us together.

I love jigsaw puzzles and I assemble several every winter. While Monie spoke, I thought of how often when putting together a jigsaw puzzle, I spot what I think is the piece I'm looking for. It looks like the right size, shape and color. But when I try to fit it in place, it doesn't work. I don't give up easily, so I often push a little harder on the piece hoping it will slip into place. But there is only one piece that fits into each spot in the puzzle and try as I might, I can't make the piece fit in the wrong spot. How true is that in our lives as well? How many times do we try the same things over again in the same way we always have, and some how we think we will get a different result? It doesn't work that way. I know I personally have done this with many areas of my life. No matter how hard we try, we can't make the wrong piece fit. The more I think about it, the more I believe that we are each like a jigsaw puzzle. God is the only piece that fits into that God shaped space within us. He is the only thing that completes us.

I also think that our lives are like a Rubik's Cube. We are all held together by one central force: God. Life twists and turns each of us in every imaginable direction. Some days things look pretty good and it seems that everything is starting to fall into place. Then without notice, our lives are turned completely around by a diagnosis, a tragedy, a bad decision, etc. Suddenly, nothing looks familiar to us. We are that green square on the Rubik's Cube that is completely out of place. We are lost in the midst of differently colored squares. Things look frightening from here. Surely nothing will ever be the same. Yet when we are lost in a sea of blue, red and yellow squares, those other colored squares are away from their familiar surroundings as well. They each feel the same way...lost and alone. We can take comfort in each other. Only when we are lost and alone do we learn that everyone is in one way or another. We each have stories, issues and wounds. Each square we touch, each person we meet, has a purpose in our lives. With a twist, we meet someone who understands, is willing to listen, who helps us along this road called life. Sometimes after a while, we feel ourselves getting back to familiar surroundings, the other green squares. But we realize that at any moment, another twist can throw us out of sync again. We are unable to control the twists and turns of life. Yet with each turn our lives are touched by another. With each twist, we touch another's life. Maybe we aren't lost after all. Maybe we are exactly where we are supposed to be. God always remains at the center of us. He holds us all together. We are all connected through him. We are all equal. We are all the same under our colored stickers, under the labels we put on ourselves and each other. God is bigger than any parameters we try to put around Him. He made each of us, regardless of our race, religion, income level, or issues. He is there with us through every one of the 43 quintillion twists and turns of life. He's there when we are in familiar territory and when we feel lost. Just like that internal mechanism of the Rubik's Cube, He is deep within us, binding us to each other and holding us close to Himself.

*When I researched how many possible arrangements there were for a Rubik's Cube, I found that the inventor, Erno Rubik's birthday is July 13. That is also my sister Cindy's birthday. That convinced me to write this post.

Footprints in the Snow

Thinking how often I write about my early morning walks, I realize just how important they are to me. I inherited a love of nature from my dad. Walking so early I rarely see another human. It is just me and nature. Whether I see wildlife or notice the trees swaying in the breeze or watch the sunrise, in these quiet moments, I feel as one with nature.  While these walks are always taken under the pretense of exercise, more often than not, my soul seems to benefit more than my body.  

This morning, there was a light coating of fresh fluffy snow on the ground. Mornings like these are some of my favorites. The fresh snow reveals that I am the first human to walk here today. This feels like a gift to me.  I will be the first to experience the pure beauty of the new snow. As I continue along, I notice mine are not the only footprints in the fresh snow. Rabbits, deer and fox have been here overnight.  I love to see their tracks in the snow. Even though we live in the metro area, we are blessed to have wildlife living nearby. Occasionally I am fortunate enough to see it, either in my backyard or on these pre-dawn walks. Seeing the animal tracks in the snow is a reminder that the animals are always close by, even if I don’t see them.

My mind wanders to thinking how God is always nearby, even when I don’t feel His presence. I think of the Footprints in the Sand poem where two sets of footprints fade into one and the author realizes that when God appeared to have left his side, He was actually carrying him through the rough spots of life. I know that He has carried me on more than one occasion. I think how incredible it would be to see God’s actual footprints in the snow and realize all the places where He had been, even though I couldn’t see or feel Him near.  I wonder what God’s footprints would look like. Every animal has footprints unique to their species. I can identify a few of them. But would I be able to identify God’s footprints if I saw them?

I think about the snow itself. Few things can rival the beauty of a gentle snow fall. Even those who despise winter can’t help but smile as the fluffy flakes gently fall around them. The snow doesn’t discriminate where it lands. Nothing is too lowly or too mighty to be touched by the beauty. The world is transformed into something pure and peaceful. It’s as if a bit of Heaven is falling to earth.

Then it occurs to me that the snow itself is God’s footprint. Everything in nature is. We just need to learn to recognize it as such. Seeing God’s footprints is exercise for my soul. Perhaps this is what draws me out the door early each morning.

A Twinkle in His Eye

I've recently started attending a Wednesday morning bible study at our church. It's a small group of people who meet with one of the pastors each week to discuss the bible verses which will be used in the coming weekend's services. This week one of the readings was Jeremiah 1:4-10. It is about Jeremiah being called by God to be a prophet when he was just a young boy. Jeremiah doubts that he can do what God wants him to do. But God basically tells him that He has known Jeremiah before he was even born and will provide him what he needs to do the job.

When I read this, I thought of myself recently being asked to be on the church council. When I initially received the call about it, I wondered why they were asking me. Yes, I go to church and worship there. I love our church and the people there. But I know nothing about "running" a church. I wondered aloud if others had already said "no" to being on council and if perhaps I was a 2nd, 3rd, 12th or 274th choice. I was assured that my name was brought up and well received by the nominating committee and that I was in fact first on the list to be asked. My next question was about who was on the nominating committee. I did know several of the people, but I still didn't understand why they thought I'd be a good fit for council. I met with one of our pastors and asked if he thought I would be an asset to the council. And I told him to be brutally honest in his answer. He said that yes, he thought I would. But he did remind me that I'd told him previously that I prefer to "stay in the background". Then he also said that maybe it would be an opportunity for growth for me and maybe I'd discover it was something I was good at and liked. Quite a lot for me to think and pray about. I did both. It is very true that I like to stay in the background. I know much of it is self doubt on my part. But I felt God tell me to take a chance and that He'd get me through it. So I said, "Yes". Then I was asked to be the council secretary this year. Yikes! This meant I'd have to pay attention in meetings and take notes and write up minutes. (Not that I didn't plan to do the first two of those three, but it was the third one that scared me.) I have been a stay at home mom for the last 15 years. I can make up a pretty good grocery list, but meeting minutes I wasn't so sure about. I kept hearing my high school shorthand teacher's favorite saying over and over: "A good secretary always carries two pens." For the record, I haven't used shorthand since high school and I wasn't even very proficient at it back then. But surely, if God was going to get me through being on council, He could probably get me through being secretary too. So I said, "Yes."

Now back to the reading from Jeremiah. Something in it really struck me: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." Wow! God knew me before I was born, before I was even conceived. And He had plans for me then. It made me think of when Mother used to say, "That was back when you were just a twinkle in Daddy's eye." Even though all she meant by that was that something had happened long before I was even born, to me it always meant more. Hearing that I used to be a twinkle in Daddy's eye made me think I'd been thought about and wanted before I was born. As I grew up and got married and we struggled to have children, I knew how much that "twinkle" held. It held the hope of having a baby. It held the dreams of raising a child and teaching it and watching it grow. Now, years later, as a mom of three I know that "twinkle"holds even more. It holds the amazement of seeing your baby for the first time, the joy of seeing your child smile, laugh, walk and say "I love you". The "twinkle" also holds tears for the things you can't fix for your child. It holds the heartbreak of seeing your child struggle with something, perceived imperfections they see in themselves. But mostly, in fact always, that twinkle holds love. Pure and simple love.

God knew me and all my strengths and all my imperfections before I was born or even conceived (or in other words, back when I was just a twinkle in His eye.) And He loved me. He knew the joys I'd have and the struggles I'd face. And He loved me. He knew about every scraped knee I'd ever have. He knew that when I loved it would be with my whole heart. He knew the self doubts and anxieties I'd struggle with in my life. And He loved me. This amazing God had a plan for me before I was "me". He's watched me on my path of life, straying off now and then from His planned route for me. And He loves me. He continues to walk beside me every step of the way and He will continue to love me. Pure and simple love.

I always felt special when I was told I used to be just a twinkle in Daddy's eye. Imagine what abundant joy I feel in hearing that I was also a twinkle in God's eye!