Reputation

This is a word I don't think of often. It has fallen so far from my general use that I even took time to look it up tonight. Reputation: The honor or credit belonging to one.

We have had several weeks now visiting my parent's farm in northwest IL. This is where I did all of my growing up. My dad still farms with his brother (and my brother and my cousin) on a farm that has been in the family for over 150 years. My Uncle John and Aunt Marilyn live about a mile from my parents. My Aunt Gretchen and Uncle Ray live less than a mile the other direction. My mom's parents live about six miles away. I have relatives dispersed all over the country, but I love that there are still so many here (or not too far away to reunite each summer!). Generations of our family have lived here.

I love being home- whether it's my own home or my parent's. (Is home a state of mind?) I have extended myself on this trip, however, to meet with others. This summer I feel particularly blessed with all I have been learning about health and nutrition and I feel very strongly compelled to share this with others. I've given little talks on nutrition to the high school and jr. high volleyball and basketball teams, a group at church, at my mother-in-law's, and friend Lisa's, and had a little table set up at our town's annual "Old Settler's Days." This has caused me to run into people I know. . . from way back. The minister who baptised me nearly 30 years ago. My parent's friends who have known me since I was born. My past teachers, from grade school though high school. My coaches. My old friends (how sweet to be here to celebrate Kyla's birth with Kim!), an old boyfriend (!) and his family, and many other folks who are woven into the fabric of my life and memory. Many of these people I had honestly forgotten about. I'm surprised to learn that the kids I babysat have kids of their own. So many people who were adults when I was a child have divorced, or passed away, or survived cancer, or moved, or seem to have hardly changed.

In short, I've been away over 10 years and much is different. . . but I'm surprised by the connection and inter-relatedness I feel with these people and this community.

In Virginia (where we have lived for 2 years), or even in Florida (where we lived for 4 years)I had the sense for about the first year or year and a half that I was anonymous. It was kind of fun. I felt footloose and carefree. A bit mischievous, maybe, or just oblivious to what other's might be thinking of me. Now I'm starting to run into people I know around Lynchburg- and I like that. (Well, not so much when my kids and I are struggling!) Reminds me of the theme song for the old show Cheers; I guess I like to go where people know my name. I like the feeling of community.

So, I blather. My point is just that reputation isn't something I've thought of much in the last 10 years because I didn't really have a reputation to speak of. No one really knew me. They didn't have a timeline with me, any perspective. Here, though, I know I have a reputation, even though I haven't been around to do anything to it. My family has a reputation, which is imputed to me. Even though much has changed, I have the sense that reputations don't change so much. It makes me look back and wish I was a lot nicer and kinder when I was growing up, and that I had made better decisions, and it also makes me thankful for the good I did do (could have only been the Lord!). It's great to bring things into perspective again, for I know that everything I do and don't do has eternal value. Even when I feel anonymous, eyes are watching. People do not see the balance of my life, but God sees the sum.

My reputation speaks of my upbringing and my character, how I CHOOSE to live. And even if I don't have much of a reputation within my community, I am always forming one, adding to or taking away from other's opinions. More importantly, however, I am ALWAYS adding to or taking away from my eternal treasures, for the wages of sin is death and the Lord rewards those who earnestly seek Him. It will all come out in the end, and my name is only good because it has the name of Jesus written over it.

Our Favorites

A snapshot of our Livia:

I took Livia and Tate in to visit my grandparents. The kids were falling asleep as we arrived and Grandpa and Grandma were just finishing lunch with Bob, Kristi, and Aunt Sherri. Grandma offered Livia a piece of watermelon. First, Livia shook her head and turned into my shoulder (I was holding her and I suppose she was tired and shy). Then she piped up, "Watermelon is RHYLE'S favorite."

"Oh, so what is YOUR favorite?" Grandpa asked. When Livia didn't answer right away, the adults began to guess. "Strawberries? Apples? Peaches? . . . "

Livia just shook her head. Then she whispered in my ear, "Chocolate."

Snapshots of Summer at the Farm

Simply Trusting

I just wanted to share this thought from a dear friend of mine. It's a poignant reminder of the truth of God's faithfulness. Thank you for this, Priscilla.

"God is so faithful. He does what He does because He knows what He’s doing. I coined this phrase a couple of years ago to obliterate the struggle going on in my heart. I desperately needed to solidify the truth that God always knows what He is doing and why He does what He does. I am learning over and over again that my role is simply to trust Him." (P Malin)

"Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art
And Thy love so pure, so changeless, satisfies my heart
Satisfies my deepest longings, meets supplies its ev'ry need
Compasseth me round withblessings
Thine is love indeed!

Ever lift Thy face upon me, as I work and wait for Thee
Resting 'neath Thy smile Lord Jesus
Earth's dark shadows flee.
Sunshine of my Father's glory, Sunshine of my Father's face
Keep me ever trusting, resting, fill me with Thy grace.

Jesus, I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart"
(from the song Jesus I am Resting, Resting).

I'm Not Always So Sharp. . .

Tonight I left Livia in the bathtub while I put Tate to bed. Before I left, I admonished her not to splash any more water on Grandma's mirror. I thought I would return quickly and doubted that she could find any other mischief.

When I came back I took her out and toweled her off. She pointed out to me the scratches on her belly. (It's summertime- my kids all have scratches all the time!) I was puzzled, however, because she said she got them in the tub. "Are you sure?" I asked. Yes, she was sure. I didn't see anything sharp in the tub, so I asked her again where the scratches came from.

"From that orange scrubber," she pouted.

OH. That orange scrubber, which I had overlooked, was Grandma's RAZOR.

Minus Car

I've added a link to this blog (okay; I've added two.). Braden's cousin, who lives in Sioux Falls, has a really interesting blog. Our families connected recently in Bloomington to celebrate Braden's parent's anniversary. (is this getting complicated already?!) We were talking blog and wa-la, now we are linked!

So Mike added me to his blogroll as a "curious one." I have no idea what YMMV stands for. I hope it's something cool. And really, I think that Braden and I qualify for a minuscar title or something. We've been doing the one vehicle thing for about four years now. We're a little green like that. And a little unemployed. And we like to keep things simple. Oh, and we do have at least EIGHT bikes for our family of six. WE have a bike trailer for kids and a hitch on our van; we brought three bikes across the country on this trip. (See how bikey we are?!) We did borrow a car this summer for Braden's stint in Alabama. . .

I guess that makes us MINUSminuscar.

(If you don't get my joke, read previous post about said car's dead engine.)

Tuesday Night

Tonight as I lay in bed with the three bigger kids we talked about all the things we wanted to thank God for today. Here are some of them:
1) Riding the four-wheeler (Rhyle and Liv; Owen commented that he did NOT get to ride today)
2) Touching the new baby's head (Livia was enthralled with my friend Kim's new daughter and her silky black hair and soft head. So was I!)
3) Bible school (VBS) and making new friends (Owen and Rhyle)
4) S'mores and extra marshmallows at our bonfire tonight
5) Climbing trees with cousin Emily

I said that I was glad that Daddy got to see cousin Rob tonight.

"Why does that make you happy?" Owen asked.

"It's just nice to see a friend" I explained. (Especially since Daddy is in Alabama, where he doesn't know anyone. His living situation isn't worked out yet. The car he drove down needs a new engine, so he can't really get around. He's clearly a Yankee; especially when he shows up at a Southern ball honoring Jefferson Davis and everyone is in period dress- except him! I'm sure it was good to see a friendly, familiar face today.)

"Well," Owen says matter-of-factly, and speaking from his current experience, "Daddy needs to be making NEW friends."

First Golf Outing

Grandma took Owen golfing today. She is an excellent golfer; she even coaches golf. It was Owen's first time on a golf course. (Braden and I do not golf, though Braden may need to practice up for when he becomes a lawyer. Besides, can you imagine us taking our four children to the course for a leisurly game?!).

So my mom golfed and Owen rode/drove the golf cart and observed. She told me tonight that at the ninth hole he noticed the ball washer. (He must have been too busy looking at other things up until then, or just not very thirsty.) He asked her, "Grandma, how do you get a drink out of that drinking fountain?!"

Notes from Nila Mason

My quest for more information on health and nutrition continues.

My mother-in-law went with Rhyle, Tate, and me to hear Nila Mason speak in Peoria, IL this week. Nila shared a lot of great information. Some of it was new to me, and some things she reminded me of were still quite shocking.

The average American eats more than 700 donuts every year. And more than 300 hot dogs. And three pounds of sugar a week.

95% of American's are constipated. If you only go to the bathroom once a day, you are, too. The two most used over-the-counter medications are Preparation H and antacid. Our elimination response is supposed to kick in after we eat- so that would be about three times a day. That's normal.

If you have cancer, you should load up on cruciferous veggies. Cancer often shows up one to two years after very stressful events. It takes years for cancer to develop.

If you have a family history of heart disease, eat lots of berries and grapes. Half of all heart attacks are fatal.

Good nutrition can improve virtually everything. 70-80 % of disease can be prevented or lessened by proper nutrition. Proper nutrition means lots of RAW fruits and veggies and whole grains, seeds, and legumes.

Go eat a salad and have some fruit for dessert!

Travel (B)Log

As you have noticed, I haven't been posting recently. We have been on a fast-paced circuit as a family.

First stop: Pleasant Gap, PA. We stayed with my cousin's lovely family, enjoyed playing outside with them and Aunt Gret, sat at their yardsale, and borrowed their car for the duration of the summer.

Second stop: Geneva-On-The-Lake, OH. We went for fellowship and training to help us better recommend health and our favorite capsules with fruits and veg. It was wonderful! We were on the shore of Lake Erie and we had a great time walking, swimming, and enjoying our first family time in ages.

Third stop: Cleveland, OH. A picnic at a park to visit friends of ours who lived in FL when we did and who moved to Ohio to start a Chic-Fil-A. Fun!

Fourth stop: Ann Arbor, MI. Another (more sophisticated)park picnic with two MI cousins and my dear Aunt Paula. More time to play and catch up. We visted Ann Arbor several times over the next few days to get in as much time as we could. Delightful!

Fifth stop: Dundee, MI. We stayed several nights with good friends who moved from IL. Braden used to work with Carole when he did video stuff. We got to swim and relax. These sweet people are like grandparents for our kids and we all felt so loved and well-cared for that we hated to leave!

Sixth stop: Ypsilanti, MI. Cousin Jenny and her husband have a small apartment with 34 fish tanks. (Come on, that is DEFINITELY worth seeing!) Another yummy picnic and a walk to the park where the kids played and Braden and I started falling asleep. (Too much driving and visiting in such a short span of time!)

Seventh stop: Lanark, IL. To the farm at last! The kids couldn't contain themselves. They burst out of the van whooping! The three bigger kids did their best to get as many 4-wheeler and tractor and semi-truck rides in as they could in our brief stay. Hot and muggy. We sure hope the pool will be ready soon!

Eight stop: Bloomington, IL. A 40th Anniversary Celebration for Braden's parents. Put on by his sister and me. A flurry of activity, and the joy of the kids meeting the first FIRST cousin, baby Rachel. Precious!

Ninth stop: Morton, IL. An outdoor extravaganza with Braden's best friend from college and his growing family. Our four kids are similar ages to pair with his four and we loved watching everyone play (including the daddies!).

Soon we will be headed back to the farm as we extend our visit there. So many people to see and so much to do! It has been a blessing to reunite with friends and family. Our hearts are swelling with gratitude and thanks for renewed ties. Just hoping that our van holds up all the way back to VA!