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Greetings from Brainerd, MN. What a spectacular August day! Larry and I flew back to Minneapolis from Miami, FL, last Friday afternoon after a wonderful fun-filled six day vacation. Our bodies and minds were ready for it!
For 25 years, we have tried to plan a time where Larry and I could get together with his two brothers and their wives-Lowell and Connie; Leon and Ronda for a brothers' reunion. Well, we finally did it! After Lowell's youngest son's wedding on August 5th...
For 25 years, we have tried to plan a time where Larry and I could get together with his two brothers and their wives-Lowell and Connie; Leon and Ronda for a brothers' reunion. Well, we finally did it! After Lowell's youngest son's wedding on August 5th...
Greetings from Miami, Florida. What an exciting week! Larry and I flew out of Minneapolis on Friday to Miami to attend the wedding of our nephew, Lance Lundstrom and Paola Shepherd. Lance is the youngest son of Larry's brother, Pastor Lowell and Connie Lundstrom, of Lakeville, MN.
I stopped to watch my little girl
busy playing in her room.
In one hand was a plastic phone;
in the other a toy broom.
I listened as she was speaking
to her make believe little friend
and I'll never forget the words she said,
even though it was pretend.
She said "Suzie's in the corner
cuz she's not been very good.
She didn't listen to a word I said
or do the things she should."
busy playing in her room.
In one hand was a plastic phone;
in the other a toy broom.
I listened as she was speaking
to her make believe little friend
and I'll never forget the words she said,
even though it was pretend.
She said "Suzie's in the corner
cuz she's not been very good.
She didn't listen to a word I said
or do the things she should."
There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of my dad. He was one of a kind! When Dad was fun…he was fun!When he was serious, he was very serious. When he was upset….run! With that in mind, we, kids, really tried to watch our p's and q's knowing it was always better to be good and accountable than to have done something wrong and face the wrath later. It seems before I could tell him what I had done wrong, Dad was already taking me aside to address it. Because of this uncanny ability, I tried to always be up front and honest with him.
Well, there was just one situation that happened that I hesitated to address. Ooooh…I tried to weigh it out….what is safer at this time?
Well, there was just one situation that happened that I hesitated to address. Ooooh…I tried to weigh it out….what is safer at this time?
My dad has been gone nearly 11 years, but he is definitely not forgotten. On Memorial Day we visited his grave located in Peever, South Dakota. Many emotions surfaced as I stood there. While looking at his tombstone, I was reminded of The Dash written by Linda Ellis. In the poem, she speaks of two dates on a tombstone; the first is the date of birth and the second is the date of death. She says that what really matters is the dash between those dates. Dad's dash lasted 79 years. When I looked at the dash on Dad's headstone, memories of years past flooded my mind.
Powerful Weapon #2: ACTION
I have heard the definition of insanity is doing the same old things and expecting a different result! Armed with knowledge we must now make it take action. Action is the key to unlocking the power of knowledge. Inevitably people take in seminar after seminar, conference after conference, get all excited about the facts but return to their daily life and forget to take that knowledge and USE it. Otherwise, we join the crowd of those who hear but never do and become deceived. James 1:22 ... "Be ye DOERS of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." In fact knowing and never doing is sin - "to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17
I have heard the definition of insanity is doing the same old things and expecting a different result! Armed with knowledge we must now make it take action. Action is the key to unlocking the power of knowledge. Inevitably people take in seminar after seminar, conference after conference, get all excited about the facts but return to their daily life and forget to take that knowledge and USE it. Otherwise, we join the crowd of those who hear but never do and become deceived. James 1:22 ... "Be ye DOERS of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." In fact knowing and never doing is sin - "to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17
BEFORE you become a mother you were human. We commonly talk about human "beings" but a more fitting way to say it might be that we are all human "becomings"! Maybe we should think in terms of "rules for being human" as well as rules for being a mother.
______
A Always trust them to God's care
B Bring them to church
C Challenge them to high goals
D Delight in their achievements
E Exalt the Lord in their presence
F Frown on Evil
G Give them love
______
A Always trust them to God's care
B Bring them to church
C Challenge them to high goals
D Delight in their achievements
E Exalt the Lord in their presence
F Frown on Evil
G Give them love
"A cheerful heart is good medicine…" (Proverbs 17:22). Someone once said, "The couple (or family) that laughs, lasts." It's true!Laughter is a great tension-breaker. I used to be a worry-wart. I was a people pleaser. I was a perfectionist-always concerned about what other people were thinking. I missed out on a lot of good times because I'd never learned to sincerely and freely laugh. I'd never trained myself to find the pleasant and entertaining good things in everyday living. I allowed everything to become a crisis!
Here it is August already! July was a hot and busy month. South Dakota had an average temp of 88 degrees for the month (unusual for us) with temperatures up to 116 degrees. It hasn't been this hot and dry in various areas of South Dakota since 1936. Thank God for air conditioning!
Larry and I were reminiscing about those long, hot days of summer when we were kids and didn't have air conditioning. The hot nights were unbearable! If you opened the windows, it was like a hot blast and the mosquitos would squeeze through the screens and have lunch...on us! Then, when the sun came up, the flies buzzed around your face or would take a walk on your nose or mouth to alert you that it was time to get up. Or...maybe the message was, "Please go brush your teeth!" HA! What am I complaining about? We all survived and it made us tough and more appreciative of all the comforts we have today.
Larry and I were reminiscing about those long, hot days of summer when we were kids and didn't have air conditioning. The hot nights were unbearable! If you opened the windows, it was like a hot blast and the mosquitos would squeeze through the screens and have lunch...on us! Then, when the sun came up, the flies buzzed around your face or would take a walk on your nose or mouth to alert you that it was time to get up. Or...maybe the message was, "Please go brush your teeth!" HA! What am I complaining about? We all survived and it made us tough and more appreciative of all the comforts we have today.
Praise the Lord....Larry's back! He arrived in Minneapolis at 4:10 PM last Friday. Our daughter, LaDawn, the grandkids and I welcomed him home with lots of hugs! He looked a bit weary from the long trip from Latvia, Russia. As soon as he cracked a few crazy jokes, I knew he was back safe...and sound??? (HA!)
Larry didn't have much time to recuperate as that evening we celebrated Myanna's 8th birthday with a party. She had a swimming party with a few cousins and friends. Myanna also had, what we call "her twin", Tyra, there. Myanna has been through daycare and the first two grades of school with her. You have to look at them twice to see which one is which. By 9:30 PM, which was 5:30 AM Russian time, Larry was almost...
Larry didn't have much time to recuperate as that evening we celebrated Myanna's 8th birthday with a party. She had a swimming party with a few cousins and friends. Myanna also had, what we call "her twin", Tyra, there. Myanna has been through daycare and the first two grades of school with her. You have to look at them twice to see which one is which. By 9:30 PM, which was 5:30 AM Russian time, Larry was almost...