Goodbye was also a Hello

It is odd how saying goodbye to Uncle Wayne was also a big HELLO to many cousins I had not seen in years and years. While no one wants to have the excuse of a funeral for a family gathering, it was a blessed event.

We numbered (these are first cousins on the Chandler side, mind you) nine out of thirteen - not bad, not bad at all. From left to right, the first cousin roll call, (in maiden names): Mike Chandler, Jan Vanderhoff, Ann Hagen, Dave Chandler, Judy Vanderhoff, Dan Cain, Jane Hagen, Del Vanderhoff, JoAnn Vanderhoff. Missing cousins: Steve Cain, Earl Vanderhoff, Gail Hagen, Eric Hagen How ironic that our two very youngest cousins are the ones who lost their daddy.



What is wrong with the Vanderhoff's - can't most families just take a decent picture on command? It MUST be the "Genes"

My mom and her dear sweet sister in law, husband less now. When I said good bye to Aunt Wanda, she told me that she wants to join her husband now, and not wait. For the first time of the funeral day, tears welled up in her eyes as she said this. Bless her broken heart.I gotta add, that little lady behind these 2 is Aunt Sylvia - 98 years old! Not kidding - she dances in high heels still!

Goodbye Uncle Wayne

This picture was taken shortly after my mom's stroke. Uncle Wayne came many times from Spokane to just be with her and offer encouragement.

My uncle Wayne is my only blood uncle - my mom had one brother by birth and my dad had no brothers.

Uncle Wayne was so special to me growing up. He was a high school counselor and I am sure I utilized his expertise many times.

He and my mom were super close - we always teased both of them about their noses, although his was much much bigger than hers.

He died peacefully in his sleep and will be greatly missed.

Please pray for my mom to be comforted in this great loss to her, as well as for his wife Wanda, and his 2 sons Dave and Mike.

I Loved This Text From Jordan Today

"I'm doing pretty good! Excited to start using my new mic! Growing a lot spiritually being away from so many distractions and in beautiful nature! Getting inspired in so many areas - the people I've met are amazing and I'm in some small groups. And having Uncle and Auntie to hang with - and a job!! I'm seeing that God (He said Jah but I know he meant God) orchestrated everything in the past 5 months so He could put me in a place to see Him and His hand"

There is nothing more tender than to see your children growing closer to God, and learning to trust Him more and more.

Jordan certainly has had his share of heart aches recently, but this blesses my heart to see how God is using it.

AND Jordan is almost finished with my first requested song - "How Great Thou Art" - I asked if it is amazing, and he said "Bad question to ask me! You'll have to judge for yourself. It definitely went in a direction I haven't recorded before! - with an Acapella feel and jazz harmonies!" I cannot WAIT to hear it!

Goodbye Philippians

After nearly 2 years I think, we finished the book of Philippians in church. I am sad - it was an amazing study.

This morning was the summary.

A. Christ-Centeredness

The apostle Paul was totally and wholly enraptured with the Savior and gripped by Him. His love for the gospel was most evident in his prayers for the church and in his desire to see them embrace the gospel.

B. Single-Mindedness

We are called to unity, and sometimes our unity in Christ requires church discipline to one who undermines the gospel of Christ or is not of the same mind (as point A) As believers, though diverse and different from each other, we have the same mind of Christ.

C. Heavenly-Mindedness

We are now citizens of heaven, our future is secure, we have strength in suffering and our conduct is worthy of the gospel. We are not yet perfected, yet we press on towards the goal.

Throughout the book of Philippians, we are told again and again to rejoice in all things - this may be the greatest lesson I have learned - in ALL things. In fact, at the Thanksgiving table, my family could all thank God for how our family is now - without reservation.

Such freedom comes with great thanks.

3 Generations

I love us - three generations of females, two by birth and one by choice.

MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC!

SO for Christmas, Jordan is giving me: recordings and arrangements of my choice! I get 5 of them

hahah he said between 3-5 (well DUH I choose 5)

VERY tough decision!

I am thinking:

How Great Thou Art
Holy, Holy, Holy
Rock of Ages
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
The Old Rugged Cross...

YES I think that is great!

Mama

I just love it when Julianne calls me "mama". It is endearing and reaches my heart each time she says it.

Silly as a name is, it truly conveys a deeper truth. When the boys say "mom", it also touches me - it means something.

We take for granted what this simple word can mean - to us and to the person saying it. It shows a certain knowledge of something, that is personal and intimate.

I have no relatives who call me "JoAnn" or "Mrs. Tolentino" - that would be a strike in the face - instead, endearing terms are for those who you have a special relationship with.

I don't know why I got on this tangent - it is just because Julianne just called me "Mama" and my heart warmed a few degrees.

Today, please call your mom's and say hello - using "mom", "mama", or whatever you use. It will warm their hearts.

Trust and Obey

At my mom's church Sunday we sang this old hymn. We both realized that words like this are timeless - unchanged truth - untainted by culture, relativism, or what man may try to do with the Bible.

Is life easy? Any fool knows the answer to that - regardless of your religious persuasion. The fool dismisses the Bible as being the infallible rule of God. A believer knows that the words contained in the Scriptures are the Words of God, and that "all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness". People who dismiss this truth want nothing to do with the Author of Scripture.

Most people apart from God know what trust is - but obey...NO WAY...don't even go there. This great hymn reminds us that the two VERBS are inseparable.

Take a few moments to meditate on this great song.

Trust and Obey
by John H. Sammis and Marc Hedlin - Copyright ©

When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word
What glory He sheds on our way
While we do His good will
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

chorus:
Trust and obey,
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt nor a fear,
Not a sigh nor a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
(chorus)

But we never can prove
The delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
(chorus)

Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we'll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go,
Never fear only trust and obey.
(chorus)

Hats - to Flowers - to Cocoons!

Really now - this yarn needs to be used up. Kate O'Connell, who just had her second baby, sent me a picture of what she wants me to knit for her new baby Ruby.

Oh my goodness! These things are adorable, practical, and the sky is the limit to the creativity one can embark on.

SO, of course, I rely on my one-handed mom to be my mentor for knitting. I spent the weekend there, and we made 3 sets! I love these! I made one for Ruby, one for Olivia D'Haiti, and my mom made one for her new great grand baby Ali Jacobson....AND I just found out that my niece Dolly is pregnant with #4! Oh babies, babies, babies! What a blessing from God!

Done with Hats

We are moving on - well I am. Susie is still making hats, on account of her future move to Alaska. For me, hats are just not very useful in Seattle. However, we have been frequenting JoAnn Fabrics - like way way way too much. We roll and bounce from one creative idea to another, playing off of each other's brilliant ideas. We decided that we are TWO BIG CUBES ROLLING DOWN A HILL. Think about that. Think hard. Have you ever seen a cube roll?




So after making about 30 hats,I am pretty much finished with hats. BUT I have all of this yarn that needs to be used. Of COURSE, we will now make yarn flowers! Oh! We can put BEADS on them too! We need more beads! Wait! We need that sparkly yarn!!!







Now don't the centers just SCREAM for sparkling beads?



















































Oh my goodness...anyone want a flower pin for your hat?

Change Change Changlings

Happy New Year! Change seems to be the theme so far.

Change - NOT brought on by myself. Change out of my control. Change, I know I can trust God.

In 2009, I went from a household of 7 people and two dogs to 3 people and no dogs.

Two sons are now homeowners, one son is moving from one state to another.

Husbands job is moving to Pennsylvania!

Change - out of my control - excited to see what God is going to do. The only hope for the future is the fact that I KNOW He is sovereign.

I remember younger years when most change was brought on by my choices - change like those are understandable.

I pray that these changes will bring honor to God.

New Years Eve 2009

Good conversation...
Food....
Catch Phrase, of course

I love little munchkins - the future of tomorrow - all gathered in my basement, squished in like tiny sproutlings

The countdown to the atomic clock was too much
So we tried to distract the wait


Fun time - I love these people!

Fire in the Manger

What a sermon title! Yet, one of the most compelling sermons about Christmas I have ever heard.

There was fire in the manger along with the "Love came down at Christmas" sentiment. God's fire is either a refining fire for the believer, or a consuming fire for the unbeliever. To summarize a 45 minute treatise into a simple blog is not worthy - however important enough to try.

Pseudo Christianity says "God is love" and ends there. True Christianity knows and declares the love of God equally with the judgment of God. God Himself shows us Who He is - we don't create a system of beliefs - He tells us in His Word how we are to see Him.

If we take out the judgment of God, we also take away our need for a Redeemer! Oh the cheapening of the true meaning of Christmas should put us all to shame, and cause us to declare the entire counsel of God!

Thanks be to God for peaceful sleep, for acceptance of things I cannot change, for knowing that He is a consuming fire, and for me that means life.

As we end another year I am so grateful for forgiveness, redemption, and God's purifying fire in my life. A favorite verse stands out to me: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Yes, it IS OK to play with fire - and not get burned :)

I Still Make Jammies for my Kids

'Nuf said....

I Love Christmas!

Christmas is just not Christmas without hearing Oh Holy Night by the Northwest Boychoir and Vocalpoint, joined by the Alumni.


Before the evening, Kelly and Julianne exchanged their Christmas gifts - and I made hats for each of them.

Dressing up and going to dinner before was a nice treat - Kelly came along (Julianne's "adopted" sister). Those two girls warm my heart in how they care for each other.

I never tire of hearing this choir - and Benaroya was and is amazing.

Love So Amazing - Perfect Christmas Song

I love this song at this time of year! Not one of us can claim that we have deserved or earned God's mercy and grace in our lives. Truly, it is Love so Amazing!


He became sin Who knew no sin,That we might become His Righteousness
He humbled himself and carried the cross: Love so amazing, Love so amazing

Chorus:
Jesus Messiah, Name above all names, Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners, The ransom from Heaven, Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

His body the bread His blood the wine Broken and poured out all for love
The whole earth trembled And the veil was torn, Love so amazing
Love so amazing, yeah

Chorus:
Jesus Messiah, Name above all names, Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners, The ransom from Heaven, Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

All our hope is in You. All our hope is in You. All the glory to You, God
The light of the world
Chorus:
Jesus Messiah, Name above all names, Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners, The ransom from Heaven, Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

Went to a Christmas cookie exchange with wonderful friends:



Crazy hat making with sister in law and mom at my mom's house for 3 days - we made 20 hats over the weekend!

Mary, Did You Know?

Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I am.

Please take a few moments to listen to Mark Lowry perform this song - he wrote the lyrics, and this arrangement does it justice...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0WIJw8JVeU

December #2 Gratitude Hangover

Yes - gratitude hangover. I think that is exactly what I have. I have been trying to figure out my heart wrenching feelings at these Christmas songs - playing non stop in my house. Some of them bring tears to my eyes (Mary Did You Know and Joseph's Lullaby, by MercyMe to name a few).

By the way, the music is especially wonderful this year due to Joseph's (my husband, not Mary's husband) amazing brain - he hooked my wireless laptop so that I can play Itunes, Pandora, or anything directly to my home stereo with no wires (wireless). Oh man, I am really grooving on it!

So, these Christmas songs - I remember my first Christmas after I really knew who Jesus was. It shocked me that the words had true meaning, that they were about a real baby who was really God. I was about 15 years old. Ever since then, Christmas songs have a totally different impact on me. Sure, there are lightweight songs about bells and snow that I enjoy, but the ones that proclaim the birth of the Son of God just break me.

Yup - I have a gratitude hangover and hope it will last well into March. Wanna join me?