Three is a Magic Number

Just have to share this because I am so proud of my parents... My parents are supposedly retired.  For the last several years, they have chaperoned teenagers on mission trips.  Every year, they seem to go some place different.  I hope I am going on mission trips with 16-year-olds when I am in my mid-60s.  I truly aspire to be that crazy and giving.  For those of you who can't pick them out, my dad is farthest to the right and my mom is the person farthest to the left who is kneeling.

Faith, Em, and I walked in a parade today for a teacher who is running for a political office.  We got home and Faith said, "There was a lady who looked at me and put her thumbs down.  She kept doing it."  I told Faith that I saw it, and I was glad that she (Faith) just smiled and waved at the lady.  She said, " I didn't feel like throwing her candy much.  But she was a very old lady, so I threw her some anyway."

My great-aunt Auntie (real name Viola) died this week.  She was a teacher in a one room schoolhouse.  She was 99.5 years old.  As you can tell, she gave me a very important gift--she taught me how to learn.  Below are portions of the letter I sent to her sons. ---- I am saddened that I did not share the contents of this letter with Auntie personally. When in elementary, school was very hard for me. Even after much reflecting, I have never really been able to pinpoint what my issues were. I was slow to read and slow to learn math. I did get some services in school, but additionally my parents had me see Auntie every Saturday morning for personal tutoring. I remember her house and my time there well—the cookies, the kitchen table covered in “learning materials,” the handkerchiefs, the math grids, and decodable books. I remember her patience when I became frustrated with reading hard words. I remember her catching me when I tried to add or subtract usi...

These are pictures my sister posted to her blog, but I had to steal them.  Trying to get a picture of all of them is totally impossible. 

Some years I try to be intentional about Lent and Holy week.  I work at being clay in God's hands.  Sometimes this "intention-ality" is productive.  But I have to admit, most times, I am just left empty after putting effort into Lent.  I don't know why, but it just happens.  Probably has something to do with my approach. This year, I had NO plan to be intentional about the whole thing.  Things are busy at work and with other activities.  But I was surprised this year by God.  Event 1: I attended just one lenten Wed. service.  The speaker was a Stillwater father who lost his son in a mountain climbing accident.  Jon, the son, was a youth director and was suppose to attend Luther Seminary in St. Paul the next fall.  The dad could not make sense of why God would not have intervened in his son's death.  And as he went through some of his son's college papers, he found a quote by Jon, "I will live the questio...

Here is a neat one of Samuel building with Legos.  Can you tell the scene he built?  Hint:  Francis Scott Key

We are really hoping the weather would warm up.  Can you tell?  Last weekend the girls' soccer games were played in 2 inches of snow.  I wish I had a picture of that, but I forgot the camera.