Saturday, September 29, 2012

Funeral Thoughts

Linda Petersen, age 68, died last week and we attended her funeral on Tuesday.  Family and friends filled the church to mourn for this active, feisty lady who loved animals and cared for them and her family members constantly.  Her three children, in-laws and three grandchildren will miss her greatly; she and her husband, Matt, invested much time, money and energy in their lives.  My heart breaks for Matt, because he retired in January and they had planned exciting travel and hobbies.  Instead they fought lung cancer for the entire time and now he faces his retirement alone, having lost his mother and mother-in-law in the last six months as well.

Linda had many woman friends, including my mother before her death (Linda played piano for many of Mom's singing gigs), and she designated eight women as her pallbearers.  She also asked that I "jazz it up" on the piano as I accompanied the congregation on "Precious Lord, Take my Hand."  I did my best, and a few of the women appreciated the effort and thought it was enough.  Our former pastor gave a beautiful tribute to Linda's wisdom, and our current pastor a meaningful sermon on God's grace.  Our kids helped in the kitchen for over an hour and a half while I visited with old friends who had come to support the family; one was Gordy Chalmers and his wife, Claudia (Matt's sister), with whom I toured France on the high school trip.

Camy, Linda's oldest daughter, is almost my age, and, living close, has had to be the strong one- working six days a week in her shop, caring for Linda's animals, helping her own children as usual.  She assured me that she has found time to cry and grieve; I pray she can feel God's arms around her, because as a divorced woman, she cries alone for the most part.  She has started teaching Sunday School, which will bring her out to Svea weekly so we can stay connected.

I pray and trust that the Lord is continuing to work out His purposes in and through Linda's death.


Monday, September 24, 2012

A Pleasant Party

I'm still finding it hard to believe that over 100 people kicked off the new WASH (Willmar Area Scholars at Home) year on Saturday.  We, as board members, thought we picked a winner when Bryce and Kim Holmgren agreed to host a potluck supper, games and a barn dance in their barn/reception hall, but we didn't realize it was SUCH a winner!  Half of the parents' faces were unfamiliar to me, though I'd heard or read most of the names, and of course I knew only a fraction of the kids.  I brought containers of Hershey's kisses and gently used homeschool resources for door prizes, and people seemed energized by filling out their drawing slips and putting on their name tags.  We didn't start eating until 5:45 because people kept dribbling in until 6:00 or even later, but the food tasted delicious and there was enough.  I visited with Stan and Chari Simon during supper.

After Daniel helped a bunch of young kids with bean bag tossing, myriads of boys played soccer (younger) and football (older), and girls found things to do all over the farm in little groups.  What a great location and environment!  Myron, the caller, started the dance a little after 7.  We enjoyed almost two hours of line dances, circle dances and square dances.  All ages could keep up.  I hope the connections made during the pleasant party will help people feel more comfortable attending the exciting events planned for this year by WASH.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Learning Curves

On Thursday night we watched with pride as third-stringer Andrew caught two touchdown receptions for the ninth grade "B" team.  With over forty ninth-graders on the football team, the coaches have limited his play in the first two games to three downs.   Head Coach Brett Aamot assured us that because this is his first year, he is constantly thinking about the plays instead of reacting to the situation or looking for the ball, and he will improve dramatically once the plays become second nature.  Pete observed a noticeable boost in his skills and participation since the Hutchinson scrimmage three weeks ago.

Today I chatted with Michelle on the phone, and we agreed that she is in the same boat.  She's supposed to give "participation" and "behavior" points to use for grading in addition to academic work.  However, she's so busy thinking about how to teach the class that she can't notice who's participating.  Though she certainly notices who's misbehaving, she struggles to think of methods of discipline while concentrating on presenting the lesson and speaking Spanish.   She confessed, "I'm not used to doing something I"m not that good at."  And it has been a long time since she had to work hard at something.  She loves a challenge, though, and will rise to this one.

Learning curves aren't fun, but they're important.  When we persevere through the curve, we gain knowledge and skill, but more importantly, the character quality of perseverance.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Vive la Difference!

On Saturday we attended a wedding in Waterloo, IA.  Emily Marie, oldest daughter of our dear missionary friends, married Mattias, son of a Christian family from Ames.  With David's wedding fresh on my mind, I noticed a number of similarities and differences between the two couples and their weddings.

Similarities:
1.  Both are strong Christ-centered couples and it showed in their weddings.
2.  Both had communion services.
3.  Both used vows from older books.
3.  Both are about 22 years of age.
4.  Both had their families' full blessing.
5.  Both brides wore hand-sewn ivory gowns.
6.  Both weddings inspired confidence that the marriages will last.

But the differences were even more striking and made each ceremony unique and enjoyable:
1.  David & Callie wed outside at 7:30pm, with seven attendants each including her three sisters and his four brothers, plus cousins and friends.  Their reception was in a barn across the yard.  Emily & Mattias wed in a church at 11am, with their combined three sisters and three brothers as attendants.  Their reception was in a school auditorium a couple of miles away.
2.  Callie's aunt Margo made her form-fitting dress with a lace overlay and a 40's-looking short veil.  Emily made her own dress of satin with a long train.  Emily also had a Sandquist family heirloom tiara holding her long veil.
3.  David & Callie along with their attendants and parents served communion with homemade (by me!) bread to the guests at four stations.  Emily & Mattias received communion along with their guests in the midst of a full liturgical worship service.  The whole wedding party sat down during most of the service.
4.  David & Callie's families sang a special arrangement of "Be Thou My Vision" commissioned for their wedding, and a soloist sang a song Callie wrote.  During the Iowa worship service, the congregation sang three hymns and the wedding service was just a part of the overall service.
5.  Pastor Grandpa Stadem said, "You may kiss the bride" at the end of the service, and David enthusiastically complied.  Mattias kissed Emily (for the first time) only after leaving the church.
6.  The dance at the North Dakota wedding was typical, with DJs playing the Chicken Dance, the Hokey Pokey, oldies and new rock songs.  The Sandquists hired a caller to teach us Celtic circle dances and the Virginia Reel.
7.  David & Callie are musical performers and sang "Lucky" at their reception.  Emily & Mattias are cerebral; the story is told that when they first met Mattias spent two hours lecturing on biochemistry - and Emily wanted more!

Our Lord Jesus brought two unique couples together and they celebrated His love for them in unique ways.  Neither wedding glorified God "more" than the other; neither reception was "better."  Both couples vowed to love and to cherish "until death do us part," so neither marriage will last "longer" than the other.  No comparisons are needed; praise God and "vive la difference"!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

A Wonderful Wedding Weekend

Well, David tied the knot!  Unbelievable - I'm a mother-in-law!  The whole weekend brought much joy to many; Grandma Dee summed it up by saying, "How beautiful, and what a great focus on the spiritual growth needed for marriage."

On Thursday we drove up to Northwood, checked in to the Northwood Inn (highly recommended for a clean, comfortable room), and made our way to "Newberg" (the New Berg home, out in the country, as opposed to the old Berg home in town) for a delicious meal of soft shell tacos with vegetables fresh out of the garden.   After visiting a while with Callie, her parents, two sisters, a brother-in-law and two nieces, we all changed into our swim suits and enjoyed the indoor pool.  Our boys especially liked swinging on the rope attached to the ceiling before splashing into the cool water.

Friday morning we relaxed before heading out to the house again.  Pete took the twins golfing; I helped Laurie with the reception seating chart while Philip played in the pool.  We discovered that Michelle had missed her flight, but Andrew's flight would be right on time (Grandma & Grandpa Norling brought Andrew up in the little airplane because he had his first football game Thursday night).  After I picked up the three at the little Northwood airport, we all got dressed at the motel and went out to the Draxton Farm for the rehearsal.  First I led a rehearsal of "Be Thou My Vision," arranged by Callie's friend Emily and sung by the Berg and Stadem families.  Plenty of people needed parts played, but it sounded fairly good by the time we finished.  During the actual wedding rehearsal, I was distracted by texts about Michelle's situation and trying to make sure the groom's dinner would be served.  The final word from Michelle was that she would fly in to Grand Forks at 4:40 pm Saturday.  Britta and Aanna would pick her up and they would arrive at the farm by 7.  Yikes!

On Saturday we relaxed at the motel before realizing that the groomsmen were supposed to get to the farm earlier than we thought.  Photos took a long time, however - from 1:30 until 5:45 or so.  The wind blew all afternoon at about 25 mph; that took the edge off the heat, but left the boutonnieres wilted.  Fortunately, the ladies had fashioned extra boutonnieres so the groomsmen wore new ones for the wedding.  Michelle arrived at about 6:40 and we took a family picture, then had some private time in the dining room of the Draxton house where everyone affirmed David and we prayed for him.  The Bergs did the same in another room.

During the wedding, our rendition of "Be Thou My Vision" surpassed the practices.  Maren Jacobsen sang a song Callie had written - a surprise to her.  We served communion from four stations - bride & groom, best man & matron of honor, both sets of parents.  Quite a few guests canceled at the last minute, so the crowd may have shrunk to about 300.  (ha!)  Afterwards, Callie & David rode around in a horse-drawn carriage while the ushers brought the chairs to the barn and I put a couple more pictures from today on the slide show.   While we all ate delicious apple or rhubarb pie, a live band played several numbers, the attendants proposed toasts, David & Callie sang "Lucky," and we played the PowerPoint slide show.  Then the dancing began.

I haven't seen crowds like that on a dance floor for a wedding reception.  Of course the Stadem crew was well-represented.  The Norling cousins boogied out there.  Many Berg and Augie connections cut a rug as well.  Groups of guests danced more or less wildly until midnight, when the DJs finished (David & Callie left half an hour before).  We helped clean up for an hour or so and fell into our comfortable motel beds at 1:45 am.  They're married!