.jpg)
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
I found this in my saved messages (from Martha in 2005)
This was the blog of one of the guys today on Fireflyfans. He puts it a lot better than I ever could.
Today God put the world on hold for me.
That's right, He told everyone else to wait.
He set down everything He was doing.
He did not put me on call waiting.
He didn't look at his caller ID and hope I would just leave a message.
He didn't ask if he could call me after the game was over or at the next commercial.
He didn't stomp His foot and say, "I should have left my IM set on Busy or Away."
He did not try to see if He could "squeeze me in somewhere" or have His secretary make some lame excuse, or ask if we could reschedule.
He did not say, "Let me finish this up & I'll be right there."
No, He did none of those things.
God stopped. He closed His appointment book. He didn't try to finish a few last things on his desk while we talked. Instead He got up from his desk, and came around to me. He reached His gentle and strong hand to me, smiled, said, "Would you like to go for a walk? or maybe an Ice cream cone? I've got all day just for you."
He never said, "Let's talk on the go." But He said, "Here's a nice quiet peaceful place, let's sit here & talk. "And while we talked he looked me in the eye. He didn't snack while I was talking. He did not give me obligatory nods or say, "Hmmm" or "Yes" or "Interesting" He listened. He wasn't watching something across the street or rolling His eyes hoping I would "just get to the point." God listened.
And when He spoke, He spoke strong meaningful words, sometimes they were stern, but they were never condescending, never mocking, never did He once make me feel "stupid" or feel like I was wasting a single second of his time. He spoke words of healing, of life, of encouragement. He made me feel special, he made me feel loved. God listened to me.
Now I know what you're thinking. God would never put everyone else on hold. He's omnipotent he would just listen to everyone at once, after all he's God.
And so you picture in your mind God sitting at a big desk surrounded by papers & forms by which he runs the universe. His E-mail is full of Standard Responses, and automatic replies. You see him with a cell phone in one ear, his speaker phone broadcasting the eloquent prayer of some big name preacher, because after all they are more important than me. And his pager vibrating loudly where he stuck it in his right hand desk drawer. While his monitor is buried under yellow sticky notes with names scribbled so carelessly they can't even be read. And if this is what you see, than you're not seeing God. You see us. For you see this is how we try to "listen" to everyone at once. But that's not God.
God puts the world on hold and listens to me.
And he'll do the same for you, at the same time, with the same love & care & interest.
After all He is God and YOU are his most important child.
-R. Harris
Today God put the world on hold for me.
That's right, He told everyone else to wait.
He set down everything He was doing.
He did not put me on call waiting.
He didn't look at his caller ID and hope I would just leave a message.
He didn't ask if he could call me after the game was over or at the next commercial.
He didn't stomp His foot and say, "I should have left my IM set on Busy or Away."
He did not try to see if He could "squeeze me in somewhere" or have His secretary make some lame excuse, or ask if we could reschedule.
He did not say, "Let me finish this up & I'll be right there."
No, He did none of those things.
God stopped. He closed His appointment book. He didn't try to finish a few last things on his desk while we talked. Instead He got up from his desk, and came around to me. He reached His gentle and strong hand to me, smiled, said, "Would you like to go for a walk? or maybe an Ice cream cone? I've got all day just for you."
He never said, "Let's talk on the go." But He said, "Here's a nice quiet peaceful place, let's sit here & talk. "And while we talked he looked me in the eye. He didn't snack while I was talking. He did not give me obligatory nods or say, "Hmmm" or "Yes" or "Interesting" He listened. He wasn't watching something across the street or rolling His eyes hoping I would "just get to the point." God listened.
And when He spoke, He spoke strong meaningful words, sometimes they were stern, but they were never condescending, never mocking, never did He once make me feel "stupid" or feel like I was wasting a single second of his time. He spoke words of healing, of life, of encouragement. He made me feel special, he made me feel loved. God listened to me.
Now I know what you're thinking. God would never put everyone else on hold. He's omnipotent he would just listen to everyone at once, after all he's God.
And so you picture in your mind God sitting at a big desk surrounded by papers & forms by which he runs the universe. His E-mail is full of Standard Responses, and automatic replies. You see him with a cell phone in one ear, his speaker phone broadcasting the eloquent prayer of some big name preacher, because after all they are more important than me. And his pager vibrating loudly where he stuck it in his right hand desk drawer. While his monitor is buried under yellow sticky notes with names scribbled so carelessly they can't even be read. And if this is what you see, than you're not seeing God. You see us. For you see this is how we try to "listen" to everyone at once. But that's not God.
God puts the world on hold and listens to me.
And he'll do the same for you, at the same time, with the same love & care & interest.
After all He is God and YOU are his most important child.
-R. Harris
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Grandma's Hands
GRANDMA'S HANDS
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.
She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.
When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer
I sat I wondered if she was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at
the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at
me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear
voice strong.
'I didn't mean to disturb you, Grandma, but you were just sitting here
staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to
her.
'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked.
'I mean really looked at your hands?'
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms
up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as
I tried to figure out the point she was making.
Grandma smiled and related this story:
'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served
you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and
weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and
embrace life.
'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.
They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother
taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my
boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.
'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy
and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding
band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.
They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my
parents and spouse.
'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and
shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.
They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest
of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.
And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these
hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.
'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.
'But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and
take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side
and there I will use these hands to touch the face of God.'
I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out
and took my Grandma's hands and put her to rest. When my hands are hurt or
sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of
Grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of
God.
I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.
She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.
When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer
I sat I wondered if she was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at
the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at
me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear
voice strong.
'I didn't mean to disturb you, Grandma, but you were just sitting here
staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to
her.
'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked.
'I mean really looked at your hands?'
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms
up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as
I tried to figure out the point she was making.
Grandma smiled and related this story:
'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served
you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and
weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and
embrace life.
'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.
They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother
taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my
boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.
'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy
and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding
band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.
They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my
parents and spouse.
'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and
shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.
They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest
of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.
And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these
hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.
'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.
'But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and
take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side
and there I will use these hands to touch the face of God.'
I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out
and took my Grandma's hands and put her to rest. When my hands are hurt or
sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of
Grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of
God.
I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.
The Family of Georgina Peterson
We are thankful for the prayers, thoughtful cards,
memorials, phone calls, food, beautiful flower arrangements, hugs and sharing
that have been wrapped around us by family, friends and community at this time. A special thank you to Pastor Bell for his
caring ministry to Mother as well as the uplifting funeral service. Thank you to David Post and Carl Cronquist
for sharing their gift of music at the service and to the women of St. John’s
who served the delicious lunch afterward.
We appreciate all who attended the wake and who braved the snowstorm to
attend the funeral.
We thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Dr. Ippel’s office
and at St. Joseph’s Hospital for their care and respectful treatment of
her. Thanks, too, to the hospice and palliative
care teams, especially Cindy and Diane, for their loving care, and to Jill and
Betty for being friends, not just caregivers.
They all helped Mother fulfill her wish to remain in her home of 50
years.
Thank you to the Leiser Funeral Home for their attentive
assistance with services.
A card we received said, “The only feeling stronger than
loss is love.” We miss
Mother/Grandmother/Great-Grandmother, but we know she is safely in the arms of
her Savior and at peace. Her love for
her family remains strong in our hearts.
Emery Peterson, Pat Fredrickson, Stu Peterson, Kim Peterson
and families
Thursday, May 9, 2013
My first ever blog post!
Wow, what great looking families! It is always unfortunate that we come together in times like this, but when we do, such great memories made! I was wondering if Grandma actually ordered the snow to start after everyone's arrival so that we could all be together. Although I didn't get as much time as I would have liked with everyone, it was still so great to spend the time I had with my AMAZING family.
As many of you mentioned, Grandma and Uncle Doug must have been looking down on me during my travels to Kentucky; it wasn't 20 minutes after we walked into Churchill Downs on Friday to participate in the Kentucky Oaks festivities that we "ran" into Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews (and who I later found out was Randall Cobb). I actually touched Aaarn's shoulder. Talk about star struck! I have a better pic on my phone that you may have saw on fb....but if you look closely you can see Clay's pony tail and a little bit of Rodgers.
As you can see in the above pictures there is a lot of pink! Friday for Kentucky Oaks it is tradition to dress in pink. Aaron and Clay were also sporting pink shirts with thier suits.
This pic is of Orb (#16) the winner of the Derby at the end of the race.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Georgina Goetz Peterson passed away peacefully April 28 at St. Joseph's Hospital at the age of 94 years and 28 days.
She was born March 31, 1919 to Christian and Martha (Grimm) Goetz, the fifth of six children. In her 94 years she spanned a time from riding to church in a horse-drawn sled as a child to being a techno-grandma who kept in touch with grandchildren and great-grandchildren via email and facebook.
She grew up on the family farm and attended the Baker School. She attended high school in Chippewa Falls where she worked for her room and board. After graduation she attended teacher training and then taught in several rural schools before marrying the handsome black-haired man who would pick her up on Fridays after school.
Georgina married Ernest Gordon Peterson on August 10, 1941. They had four children: Emery, Patricia, Stuart and Douglas.
She loved her family, especially reveling in visits from her grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom she'd often challenge to a game of "Kings in the Corner." Those who lived far away kept her supplied with photos and videos.
She was active in St. John's Lutheran Church her entire life, except for the years Gordon was teaching in Dallas and Antigo. She sang in the choir, taught Sunday School and held offices in the LWML and Ladies Aid. She was also involved with Cub Scouts, Cadott Women's Club and the Cadott Area Historical Society.
She is survived by children Emery (Barbara) Peterson of Cadott, Pat (Jim) Fredrickson of Lewistown MT, Stu Peterson of Cadott and daughter-in-law Kim Peterson of Billings MT. Grandchildren and great-grandchldren include Peggy (Jeffery) Banks, Brianna and Dalton, of Eau Claire, WI; Penny (John) Kowalkowski of Chicago, IL; Ernest (Megan) Peterson, Evander and Hazel, of Blair WI; Patrick Peterson and Ryan Peterson of Cadott; Martha Hodge of Moccasin MT; Frank (Erin) Hodge, Ava and Julian, of Dallas TX; Codee Peterson of Marshfield WI; Stori Peterson of Colorado Springs CO; Chris (Joanna) Peterson, Christian, Manaia, Eason and Moeana, of Worland WY; Staci (Dan) Elggren, Isla and Porter, of Colmar PA; Scott (Rebecca) Peterson of Missoula MT. A sister, Joyce Kulas, of Rutherfordton NC also survives as well as Pierre Richez of Paris, France who was an A.F. S. student with the Petersons in 1962-63.
She was preceded in death by her husband Gordon and son Doug.
The family wishes to thank Jill and Betty for their care of Mother . Special thanks also to the hospice and pallative care teams whose loving care allowed her to remain at home these past years.
A celebration of her life will be held at St. John's Lutheran Church in Cadott on Thursday, May 2 at 11:00 a.m.with Rev. Raymond Bell officiating. Interment will be in Brooklawn Cemetery. Friends may call at the Leiser Funeral Home in Cadott on Wednesday from 4-8 p.m. and one hour before the service on Thursday.
The family suggests memorials be given to St. John's Lutheran Church or the Cadott Area Historial Society.
She was born March 31, 1919 to Christian and Martha (Grimm) Goetz, the fifth of six children. In her 94 years she spanned a time from riding to church in a horse-drawn sled as a child to being a techno-grandma who kept in touch with grandchildren and great-grandchildren via email and facebook.
She grew up on the family farm and attended the Baker School. She attended high school in Chippewa Falls where she worked for her room and board. After graduation she attended teacher training and then taught in several rural schools before marrying the handsome black-haired man who would pick her up on Fridays after school.
Georgina married Ernest Gordon Peterson on August 10, 1941. They had four children: Emery, Patricia, Stuart and Douglas.
She loved her family, especially reveling in visits from her grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom she'd often challenge to a game of "Kings in the Corner." Those who lived far away kept her supplied with photos and videos.
She was active in St. John's Lutheran Church her entire life, except for the years Gordon was teaching in Dallas and Antigo. She sang in the choir, taught Sunday School and held offices in the LWML and Ladies Aid. She was also involved with Cub Scouts, Cadott Women's Club and the Cadott Area Historical Society.
She is survived by children Emery (Barbara) Peterson of Cadott, Pat (Jim) Fredrickson of Lewistown MT, Stu Peterson of Cadott and daughter-in-law Kim Peterson of Billings MT. Grandchildren and great-grandchldren include Peggy (Jeffery) Banks, Brianna and Dalton, of Eau Claire, WI; Penny (John) Kowalkowski of Chicago, IL; Ernest (Megan) Peterson, Evander and Hazel, of Blair WI; Patrick Peterson and Ryan Peterson of Cadott; Martha Hodge of Moccasin MT; Frank (Erin) Hodge, Ava and Julian, of Dallas TX; Codee Peterson of Marshfield WI; Stori Peterson of Colorado Springs CO; Chris (Joanna) Peterson, Christian, Manaia, Eason and Moeana, of Worland WY; Staci (Dan) Elggren, Isla and Porter, of Colmar PA; Scott (Rebecca) Peterson of Missoula MT. A sister, Joyce Kulas, of Rutherfordton NC also survives as well as Pierre Richez of Paris, France who was an A.F. S. student with the Petersons in 1962-63.
She was preceded in death by her husband Gordon and son Doug.
The family wishes to thank Jill and Betty for their care of Mother . Special thanks also to the hospice and pallative care teams whose loving care allowed her to remain at home these past years.
A celebration of her life will be held at St. John's Lutheran Church in Cadott on Thursday, May 2 at 11:00 a.m.with Rev. Raymond Bell officiating. Interment will be in Brooklawn Cemetery. Friends may call at the Leiser Funeral Home in Cadott on Wednesday from 4-8 p.m. and one hour before the service on Thursday.
The family suggests memorials be given to St. John's Lutheran Church or the Cadott Area Historial Society.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)