a once in a lifetime gift?

A few weeks back a fine gentlemen stopped Mr. Wonderful and I after church service, shook our hands and then turned to me and told me that he reads my blog. Rob is an author himself and so to know he finds my writing interesting enough to come back to read it is a real gift to me. While we were talking, Rob told me about an experience he once had and said that maybe I could write about that subject one day. After thinking about it over the next week or so I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to put it in quite the words that he could since he is the one with the experience, so I private messaged him and asked him if he would consider writing an article on the subject and allow me to post it on my blog. He agreed to write out his thoughts and experience and soon I had it in my email and I am finally getting it posted on here.

I have no doubt that what Rob experienced was real and wonderful and reading through it sure gave me food for thought. I don't want to give anything away, so I will let you read for yourself in a minute. Along with Rob's words, I have a few pictures in my camera that I thought I would share after his article which I think kind of go with his experience. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I have been enjoying putting it together with Rob.

*****

Cell phones, Fax, Email, Text, Blog, Google, Twitter, Facebook, Face Time, Skype, Blue Tooth, Sync, WiFi, Sirius, GPS. These are all terms used in today's world of tech and communication to make our lives so called "easier." Sounds almost more like a prison to me. My phone, which is not a smart phone, is still smart enough to call someone without me knowing about it. For some reason it dials the number nine a lot which is my sister's speed dial number. It has called her so often that if I want to call her for real she won't answer the phone. So if you have a smart phone, is mine a dumb phone? 

My phone has this sensitive little button on the side for voice recognition. Many times when I put it in my pocket it will activate and say, "please say a command." So I have to pull it out of my pocket and tell it to shut up. Are we any better off than we were fifty years ago? Sometimes my memory takes me back to my boyhood days like when I first learned to skate or walked a mile to school in ten below zero weather only to find out that school was closed and I would have to walk back home again. 

Being the youngest of four boys I had to learn to skate with old worn out hand-me-downs, three sizes too big, stuffing some old socks in the front of the skates to make them fit or use the kind that you strapped some belts around the skates that strapped unto shoes, this kind must be somewhere on The Antique Road Show by now.

Maybe we have lost our innocence  as a society where we enjoy simple pleasures of life like a cow pie. My memory, again, takes me back to the down of an early autumn morning with the air crisp and clear, my breath floating like little clouds catching the first glint of the morning sun peeking over the horizon. My aim was not to just do a chore of bringing in our ten cows for milking but to see what kind of adventure this new day bring. There it was, a fresh cow pie with a steam from its fresh warmth streaming upward. This was my chance to warm up my feet in this pile of cow dung, feeling the warmth squeezing up through my toes is  a memory that still lingers with me to this day. 

Do we take time to just enjoy life? Last Sunday afternoon we went to watch our 8 year old grandson play golf. After a long hard winter it was such a thrill to watch him play with 80 degree Spring weather, riding a golf cart with our other two grandchildren. 

Today, though, I want to share with you something so rare that according to my memory I have found it only once in my entire life. Maybe you could find it some other places on earth like the South Pole but I'm not sure you could ever find it here in Ohio. I've wonder many times in our hectic, on-the-go, got to have it right now lifestyle world when do people find time to talk to God? Or is he someone we just use when we need him or are in trouble? You see God created us in the first place to have a relationship with him. God is our Father and he wants to communicate with his children and give gifts to them. 

This gift so rare was given to me from God himself on a Christmas morning about twenty years ago. Maybe it was the little boy in me anticipating the excitement of Christmas morning that woke me up around four in the morning? This particular Christmas morning, as I filled my lungs with the fresh clean air there was an anticipation and wonderment stirring within me that I had to be a part of. About a quarter mile behind our house is a woods called "Bear Hollow." On this Christmas morning Bear Hollow was beckoning me to come and visit. Standing under the trees that had shed their leaves in the autumn and on a fresh blanket of snow,  it was here that I was given this gift so rare that all I could do was stand in awe. My heart and soul were so touched by this gift that my emotions could not contain it all so I just stood there and cried. 

So, what was this gift that was given me that Christmas morning that was so rare that this is probably the only time in my whole life that I will find it? The gift I was receiving that morning was the gift of total silence. There were no motors running, no cars, trucks or airplanes, no horses hooves clopping on the pavement, no kids yelling, no dogs barking, no wind blowing. It was like standing in the Cathedral of God with the snow tapping a gentle tune on the tree branches and a little brook rippling over the rocks below me. This is a gift I will have stored in my memory for as long as I live. 

My hope and prayer is that maybe you also will experience the sound of total silence just once. 

Rob Yoder

*****

As I was reading over Rob's article I could feel his frustration with the cell phone issues and then to be able to go back in his memory to a morning where there was total silence except for the snow and the creek rippling. No one can ever take that experience away from him. 

A few Sunday's ago we had what seemed to be Winter's Last Hurrah and there were some crazy things going on in our lives and so Mr. Wonderful and I actually skipped church and we went out into the wonderful snowy world we lived in at that moment and got some fresh air in our lungs and basked in the beauty of God's creation. I was able to capture some of what we experienced with my camera. What Rob was talking about, that gift of silence. Mr. Wonderful and I experienced some of that silence that Sunday morning we were out and about. Every now and then a car would pass us, but then once they were out of hearing distance it was silent again and except for the clicking of my camera it was pretty much a gift of silence. I will have to figure out how to do panoramic shots on my camera because the fullness of the forest and the snow that day left us totally in awe of the beauty that God had created. 

Click on the first picture to get a gallery view.

I loved how the sides of the trees were snow covered. The contrast of the bark on their sides were just what the doctor ordered. 

The rippling of the waters flowing through a snow covered forest was better than any beautiful song you would want to hear. 

Love.

Almost crystal in feel. I just stood there and drank it in with my eyes.

The creek looks like a giant hallway running through the great room of the forest. 

Even the treetops were singing glory to God that morning.

Reminds me of arms raised high in worship to my God. 

Serene.

The sun shining through and kissing the snowy ground.

Stop! Can you hear the silence?

So beautiful. 

More arms raised high and holy. 

The tree limbs almost remind me of crystal lace as I look at this picture.

The sun really started to appear and right before our eyes the snow was melting and it was noisy, the snow dropping to the ground. I felt heart sick that the moment was passing by so quickly. 

Let all creation sing of God's glory and wonder!

Rob wrote a book called "Dying to Live". I've not read the full of it, but from what I've read it is a quick read and rich in stories about life lessons he has learned. Choice Books sells it and if you are interested in purchasing it, but can't find it, please let me know and I will put you in touch with Rob.

Here is Rob's Facebook link, in case you want to connect with him. Let him know I sent you. 

"A book conceived in suffering and birthed through prayer, Rob's story and his deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ will touch your heart as you contemplate your own spiritual journey." 

ever notice.....

...those barns and houses, white in color with the candy apple metal roof over their head?  It reminds me of some of those celebrity types who have the pale, pale skin and makeup and the bright red lips. 

Kinda like ketchup on a ghost. 

....when you see someone being unkind to another person or animal, is when it brings out the unkind in you? You get those unkind feelings toward the unkind person you've just been observing. 

I hate that. 

...for the creative type you think of your best ideas when you are some place inconvenient, like driving a car, or taking a shower. I've lost tons of great lines and ideas because I was not able to write them down right away, thinking I would remember for later. 

Later. Never. Happens.

...when you get acrylic nails that your nail beds are no longer the same after you take the acrylics off. Punishment for vanity? And I was told it would happen before I had them done.

But I loved them while I had them! 

Kind of like sin...fun while you do it, but regret later on. 

....when you make up your mind to begin a new habit, let's say, walking for 30 minutes every evening and then it rains, and rains, and rains that first night.  

I know it isn't raining because I decided to walk 30 minutes beginning tonight, but still, it makes me feel like my plans have been sabotaged before they began.

....those folks out on social media making vague and/or sometimes very blatant statements, and you know they are really calling out someone specifically and especially the Christian folks seem to be so hard on their fellow Christians. 

I wonder why that is? 

On that same note, I've often wondered what a person would sound like if the only words in that person's life were the words they put out on social media.

My mind goes too far some days, I acknowledge that. But I still wonder. 

 No "Pollyanna" tonight. Just sitting here with a somewhat restless heart, mulling over many things. My heart feels heavy tonight for a person near to me who is in the throes of some really hard stuff. I have no idea how to help this person, so the only thing I know to do is to pray. 

I wonder, do other folks get that restless feeling deep inside their souls, or is it just me?

Would you like to connect with me further? Here is my Facebook link. 

our outdoor space

Hello all my faithful readers and new ones too. 

I've been busy. 

Let me rephrase that. 

We've been busy. 

A few months back I had an idea that was swarming inside this pretty little head of mine and so one day recently I said to Mr. Wonderful. "Mr. Wonderful, I would like to have a porch swing in the front of the house so that this summer we would be able to have someplace to sit and enjoy our fantabulous view. I want just a nook and I think I know where that nook is. What do you think?" 

Mr. Wonderful is not a man of many words, but action. He likes action and so it took only my little idea to get him into action and so he announces to me one day soon after our little discussion that we were going "swing shopping" that Friday night and I was like, "serious?". 

He was serious. 

By the end of that weekend we had a swing on order and it was coming in three weeks. 

That was two weeks ago, I think. 

After "Polly" the swing was ordered we then discussed where for sure to place her and if we placed her where I wanted her, what that foundation would look like. I mentioned I liked those "pavers" that folks are using. Mr. Wonderful and I also discussed how big we would make the "patio" for the swing and came up with from "shutter to shutter" on the garage. and that is it. We would still have a little bit of ground on each side of the patio for some flowers. 

That week we went looking for pavers and after a long and hard search, a swan chasing me, and some discussion with our children we found out that the more people in the discussion, the more ideas, and out of those ideas a project like this can grow in size and proportion. It helps when you have one person on the team who has "been there and done that" before. Our son in law did this kind of work for a long time and so his ideas are wonderful and his help even more wonderful. 

Our son in law explained to us about "sitting walls" and how they provide not only extra seating, but they also provide a certain look of being "done". We were all convinced we needed two sitting walls and the whole patio had to spread out from there to there, rather than from shutter to shutter. 

So, with pavers and caps and sand and gravel and a packer ordered and everyone on one page that this weekend is "THE" weekend to to get this project done and finished, everyone stopped by to help on Friday night already and even one of our friends came to help as well. My dad was involved in picking up the pavers with his tractor and the neighbor's trailer and somehow we ended up with most everything we needed for the project and so the fun insanity ensued. 

No, it really was fun. 

Really! 

Friday, late afternoon, our son in law and Mr. Wonderful started with digging out the foundation. It had to be precise and correct or we would not have had it level with the sidewalk that runs in front of that little piece of ground.

It was raining, raining, raining on Friday afternoon. I thought for sure they would cancel it, but I learned something about the menfolk in our family this weekend. When they say they are going to tackle a project, they mean just that. We don't have "pansy's" in our family! 

By 7:30 PM and five men working at it at various times the foundation was dug out and the gravel and sand was packed in and ready for Saturday morning. 

The only thing us ladies did was eat. And talk. I had made Mexican Haystacks for dinner. The girls had provided cookies and puppy chow for dessert and snacks for Friday night and Saturday. My mom brought a fruit dish along too, so there was plenty to eat. 

Saturday morning came a little bit quickly. I got up at 5:30 to finish cleaning up the kitchen and do my laundry and get my roast beef started for lunch. Mr. Wonderful got up a bit later and the fun began. By 8:30 everyone was back on the job and I've not seen so much teamwork in a long time, especially with folks who normally get together for social/fun functions, rather than big work projects. Our son, son in law and our friend were absolutely amazing in what they did to help Mr. Wonderful! I was just amazed with what they were able to accomplish in a single day. 

There are still a couple more steps to do before we can set Polly, the swing, on top of the patio. We have to water it down and take a brush to a couple of the pavers that have some mold on them. Once those steps are finished then we have to apply a sealer and then it is time to set the swing on top and there is so much room we can now purchase a table and chairs for the space as well. 

Us ladies provided a lot of food for the guys again on Saturday. Roast Beef Au Jus sandwiches, French Onion soup, and a potato casserole were the main dishes for lunch. And then once the work was all said and done and the clean up over with, we ordered pizza from our local little pizzeria and filled them all up again before they all made their way home. 

Mr. Wonderful and I were so tired out, we were in bed by 8:30 last night. I know I was asleep before 9 PM. It was a good tired though, but we both figured out we aren't as young as we once were and we really do need our kids sometimes to help us with projects like this. Sure, we could have hired someone to come do this for us, but it ended up being a fun project for us all and the children and grandchildren and our family and friends will all get to enjoy this little outdoor room when they come over. We feel so blessed to have children and friends and family who are willing to help us out

So, now for a bit of show and tell. Here are some pictures. As we decorate and add things to our little outdoor space, I will try to add pictures on Facebook this summer so you can see what it really looks like in the end. 

The famous "before" picture. At this point the plants had all been pulled out, so it looks a little bit messy.

Another view of the before look. 

Our son and our friend posing for a picture. 

Digging out the foundation. Our son in law hard at work. Mr. Wonderful taking a break. I didn't get many pictures of the digging part because by the time I arrived home from my 8-5 they were half way through with that little project. 

My dad supervising. 

The dumped the dirt in our pasture. I wish I knew how many wheelbarrow loads of dirt they hauled out to the pasture. 

We had many helpers, all arriving in various modes of transportation. My dad's tractor and his neighbor's trailer brought the pavers over from a local surplus store. They don't deliver, so we did the next best thing we had. Dad and his tractor, or as my sister and I have dubbed the blue piece of machinery..."truckster". Because dad uses it more like a truck than a tractor. smile.

The first layer of sand and gravel have been carefully placed and leveled out literally. Our son in law was very careful about the leveling part of the project.

Friday night when the fellows went indoors to eat Mexican Haystack, I slipped outdoors to take a few pictures. I loved this one with the wheelbarrows all in a row. 

Pavers lined up for tomorrow. (Saturday morning.) 

Saturday morning, bright and early, placing the second layer of sand and gravel on the foundation. 

I like our son's stretched out look here. 

You can see just how thick this gravel had to be. I was amazed it took so much, but I guess that is how you do it. 

The border pavers have been laid down on top of carefully placed sand over the gravel and the inside pavers are now being laid down. 

Everyone is a busy bee. Teamwork to the fullest and a lot of joking around. 

Our daughter and "little guy" checking out the progress. Here you see a better view of the sand and the lines in the sand, everything was carefully done so there wouldn't be crooked lines and dips in the floor of the patio. 

Since we have some downspout coming down on the corner of our garage they had to take some care with that. Here is they are taking care of things. 

Another shot of them working with the downspout.

Our son placing more pavers where the go next. 

Of course, on a beautiful day, I will capture anything that catches my eye. Our neighbor's horses were out and about in their pasture. I noticed the green of that pasture more. No more dead wintry brown, but beautiful and glorious summer greens! 

The project is really taking shape. 

At the end of the patio you can see a sitting wall taking shape. 

And there they are, but sitting walls and pillars. 

This is the packer. It is noisy as all get out, but somehow pounds the pavers down into the gravel and sand and creates a sturdy floor. It was amazing to watch it. 

Our yard was a mess for a few hours. 

Little guy was having so much fun...he is always carrying something. 

Starting to clean up, hauling pavers out behind the barn for another project some day. 

Our daughter in law coming out to see how things were going. 

Little guy inside the garage looking out. Look at that grin. 

This picture should have been inserted before the packer. In this step our son in law spread a special sand all over the pavers and then swept the sand into the cracks. After the sand was in the cracks to his liking was when he did the packing with the packer machine. 

Little guy found the dirt and excess sand. 

He was totally in dirt heaven. 

Just nothing like sand to dig your hands into when you are a two year old. 

I like this picture. Brother in laws discussing something. Our son is already sitting on one of the sitting walls. 

There is the finished product. We still have to apply a sealer after we clean up a few of the white stones...they have some mold on them and need to be cleaned before we can seal the whole thing. 

Of course, if a cat is around, I have to take his or her picture. I liked Ace in this picture, her little paw in the air. 

Here is our mean girl cat, she is cranky as all get out but I love her anyway. I like this shot of her. 

One more view of the after. Can't you just see Polly, the swing sitting there? And a nice table and chairs? I can! 

To think we initially had planned to just go from outside shutter to outside shutter and no sitting walls to what we have now leaves me feeling so blessed that somebody else knew better than we did. It is so pretty and I can't wait to spend a few minutes on this little space before I start my days this summer and then to end our evenings on here as well.

So happy we did it! 

And to put a period at the end of the day, this glorious sunset! It was just beautiful! 

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