3/20/23

 Dear Family,

           

            Having you in my life is a blessing.  People who accept and love are a boon to the soul.  I am thankful for you, my audience.  Your responses are precious, and your love is beyond what I could ask for.          

Bobby visited Adriel in Portland for lunch Monday.  I love getting their pictures and Bobby brought home some doughnuts that were yummy.  How fun to see them smiling.

            Seth gave me his book, “Kindred” by Octavia Butler to read.  I was almost halfway thru one day into it.  My attention was captured, and I am blessed by Seth’s generosity.  This book was from his college class.  It talks about racism and slavery which are subjects not to shy away from.  I was more than entertained.  I was educated.

            Adriel answers my texts, and I am blessed by her being alive.  Hearing that Walmart is moving out of Portland because of theft doesn’t make the town sound safe.  Yikes!  But Adriel assures me she is fine, and I am glad.

             Tuesday night youth group had so much excitement the youth were jumping up and down.  All this over a game that had to do with candy, flour and possibly having to fetch candy out of flour with your face.  They sure are delightful. 

            Wednesday night High school group had Bobby rolling on the ground laughing so hard.  One of the youths coughed as he was trying to get an M&M out of flower with his face.  The plumes were a beautiful array of spray that jump scared many with hops backward. 

This week Bobby cooked Cottage pie and it tasted fabulous.  I am blessed by his love, cooking, and presence.  Bobby mowed the lawn as much as the batteries would let him this week and did a great job. 

Seth mowed the rest of the lawn and teased me about how hard it is (oh the agony).  There was about 3 ft square to mow.  He believes that the more we mow it the faster it will grow.  Sigh.

Family blesses and so does reading.  I enjoy exploring new lands, hearing new ideas, and feeling what the author wants me to feel.  I am glad I have started picking books up again.  Reading the book, “Dream Releasers” by Wayne Cordero gave me a vision for discipling youth.  How exciting to help people grow in faith and in maturity.  I’ll be reaching out to a couple people when the weather is better because I like walking as I talk.  None of this sitting-down business.  Either way, I was blessed by reading the book and putting it in our church library.

May you find joy in a good book.  May you delight in the spring flowers that are beginning to show.  May you be glad for the changes God brings into your life.  Love and hugs, Cristy

Also, Bobby bought a game for camp.  Giant Clue.  When I asked what was different about the game he said, "It's for giants to play."  He wouldn't let that go and I just had to laugh.  Silly man.

3/13/23

 Dear Family,

 

            It is so nice having Bobby at home.  I love his cooking and that it included meat from the freezer.  We also enjoyed playing “Wingspan” which helps us learn about birds and lets me build.  I love building, growing, and creating a team, deck, or creation. 

            Middle school group was filled with a wonderful group of fun-loving people.  They interact with joy and excitement.  They remind their parents to bring them and are glad to be together.  The lesson from last week about stuff was used last night except it was done by Bobby which was completely different.  Instead of talking about the meaning of life, I found I was the main illustration because I had the habit of cleaning up after Bobby.  He would go away for weeks at a time, and I would box up many items, store them under the house, or do general cleaning.  When he came back, he would say, “Where’s my stuff” my answer was, “Where it belongs.” His confusion, “Where is that?”  My answer of, “I don’t remember” didn’t help his situation.  The main theme was to be less possessive of the items you have and be more focused on God and His will. 

                Wednesday night had some interesting insights during our pre-games.  One person mentioned we were playing strip gutter ball.  This brought many questions and looks.  Finally, “What kind of stripping are we doing here?”  And the answer, “He just took his coat off, don’t take this too far guys!”  There was relief and laughter.  Oh, that.  Later we heard Bobby was playing, “Killer checkers” with Sam.  Well, I said, “At least it’s better than strip gutter ball.”  Another came back with, “One person dies, how is that any better?”  Oh dear, he had a point.

                During the lesson, we discussed sharing our story and how we are "compelled" to share (Luke 8:39, John 3:39-42).  The picture was a bit confusing to Rich.  "Why did you include a picture of a 'Scary old quaker woman?'”  This brought up much consternation.  #1 how are quaker women scary?  #2 that’s Obi-Wan Kenobi!  What do you see?

                I enjoy walking with friends immensely.  These are precious times and the sun shone for us for the minutes we were outside.  What a blessing!  What fun.  Even more fun was when we sat down for a bit and her husband acted silly.  Do you see the husband in this picture?

                Home group on Thursday was good.  Everyone is glad to talk about God and sing his praises. 

                Friday, I had a nice nap from 4-6:30PM and was able to function enough to watch some shows with Bobby before we went to bed.  He made a wonderful dinner of chicken and scalloped potatoes.  I am so blessed that he cooks for us.  I really hate cooking.  Saturday we were entertained with a presentation about travel.  We enjoyed being together and figuring out what God’s will is for our future.  Not their sales pitch or the “free” airfare tickets either.  Oh well, it was fun to find ourselves of one mind about those things.

                May you also agree with the ones you love.  May you find peace in God’s will and promises.  May you endure the hard times and be blessed by the easy.  Much love,

 

 

Cristy

 PS if you want some Resturants.com $ or "free" airfare and 2 hotel nights with so many restrictions and a cost of $550 in fees and taxes they weren't worth it for us to use let me know I'll give them to you.

               

 

 

3/6/23

 Dear Family,

                Bobby noticed I was gone at work a lot so he folded my laundry for me.  I appreciated his help and thoughtfulness.

                Seth enjoyed some Chicken and Broccoli stir fry I made while Bobby was gone.   He also delights us during movies with his comments.  I truly enjoy his presence.  We watched Wakanda forever and he was saying how he hopes there will be dancing and happiness at his funeral.  I have been bugging him to fill out his Oregon Advance Directive, so I said, “Put that in there!”  It will be interesting to see what he wants.  Everyone, you need to fill that form out.  It’s important for the world to know what your desires are.

                Adriel welcomed me with open arms in Portland for a late lunch.  It is so good to see her and hear about how life is going.  She is full of love and hugs.  We catch up, reminisce, and delight in being together.  I wish her well in her growth and independence.

                Tuesday night Bobby canceled youth group from Idaho.  He was at a retreat for Camp leaders.  When I let him know it was snowing, we checked if the schools were canceled and therefore had to cancel youth group.  Wednesday night, Rich led High school group and it was a great introspective time about living life differently.  If we aren’t supposed to live life to get more stuff (Matthew 6:19-21) then what are we supposed to live life for?  Great . . . long . . . pause.  Figuring that out took a bit and we talked a little about crowns, winning souls, and good works, not investing in people just because we like having friends but investing because we can help lead them to the one who loves the most.  What a tragedy it would be if the ones closest to us watched us enter heaven and said, “You never told me!”

                Bobby came home from his retreat tired because it was after I went to bed.  I am glad he is back.  When he asked what he could cook one night I said, “Asparagus!” because it was $.99 a lb.  He made a yummy meal around asparagus and there was great rejoicing. 

                May you find God gives you grace for all those you encounter.  May you be glad in your heart when you help others.  May you do good works which God prepared in advance for you to do. 

 

Love,

 

 

Cristy

2/27/23

 Dear Family,

 

                Having Bobby home safe from his trip is fabulous.  I enjoy his company, cooking, and warmth.

                Seth let Pastor Marcus in to work on the house.  I reminded Seth thru text about it while he was at work, and he thought I meant he should let Marcus into the church the next morning.  He was willing to but very glad I meant home when he figured it out.  Being home in the morning is much easier than being out and about. 

                Middle school group was truly enjoyable.  They were so thankful when I made popcorn and I was pleased by how polite and sweet they are.  I was also delighted with their answers during lesson time.  Bobby wanted to keep M as the beginning of words so he had the three M’s of power.  Money, Might and M---------, the guesses included “Manipulation, Monocle, Majesty, and Mmmmmmaaaaaa?”  Bobby was going for Magistrate because he wanted being judge over others to be a thing.  Hilarious.

                I also enjoy the High School group.  They are chatty, engaged, and full of energy.  Bobby told a story during the lesson about helping people.  He was in Portland and walked by a quiet homeless person.  Bobby wanted to help so he went and bought a doughnut to give away.   When Bobby came back the person was yelling obscenities and Bobby felt horrible but couldn’t reinforce bad behavior.  This brought a large question to the mind of the youth.  Do you still have the doughnut?  I’ll eat it!  Much clamor was going on about the freebie.  Bobby could only say, “That was last week.  It would be hard as a rock by now.”

                Game time brings the opposite of the lesson.  We talk about putting others first but when it comes to competition that gets thrown out the door.  I find that kind of funny but also, kind of disturbing.  I wonder what God thinks about sports and competition.  I do know that it is good to train the body. (1 Timothy 14:1-11.)

                Snow days give people pause, excitement, dread, or general cozy feelings.  Adriel and Bobby both delighted in beautiful pictures of Portland blanketed.  Adriel walked to work.  I was glad for clear roads and drove to work a little early to make sure everything was fine.  Bobby enjoyed a day at home.  Seth said, “Online school doesn’t stop for snow.”  How was your snowy experience this week?

                Bobby and I cooked wonderful things on Friday.  I made scrambled eggs, Cheerio treats, mix, and bars in the morning.  Bobby made beef stroganoff in the afternoon, and it was sooooo delicious.  I enjoyed having a day off together because we joined each other for Pokémon raids and cozy couch-sitting.  Having time to relax is wonderful.  Being together is even better!

                May you enjoy your time off with the people you love.  May you find joy in being, love in doing, and strength in resting.  Love and hugs,

 

Cristy

 

2/20/23

 Dear family,

            Here’s hoping you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and that you felt as loved as you are.  Throughout the years I have learned that if something isn’t in the plans (either before the day or later) then I cry on the day of (Valentine’s Day, Anniversary, or Birthday).  Nobody wants me to cry – especially me.  So, I have learned to prepare in advance.  Yes, there would be a youth group on Valentine’s Day, but we had already decided to celebrate our Valentine’s love on Thursday.  Phew!  So that meant Tuesday night during youth group I was happy to be with the youth.  And what a great group they are!  The excitement they show in greetings, gameplay, and interactive learning are delightful.

            As Bobby was playing the guitar and leading worship, I marveled at how precious this time was.  I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.  Yes, my feet hurt from standing all day, but I was happy to stand for songs.  I may have been tired but hearing their laughter and playful banter was so enjoyable.  I can’t quite describe how glad I was to serve.  Also, playing, “Honey if you love me won’t you please, please smile?with middle schoolers is one of the most fun games ever. 

            During the lesson, a theme verse was James 3:6 “⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”  So, Bobby said he was going to put their “Tongues on fire.”  This brought excitement.  Ohhh spicy things, “Bring it on!”  There were many volunteers, and they were entertaining.  Yes, they felt some heat.

            For some reason, someone’s advice during gutter ball struck me as funny.” Just go like this and then let go of the ball.”  That they included, “let go of the ball.”  Had me chuckling.  Yes, you do have to let go for the ball to end up on the other side.

            I was excited to go experience all the fun again on Wednesday with the High Schoolers but went home early from work with a slight headache.  I took a nap at 3:30 but woke up at 4:30 PM with a bad headache.  I took two Aleve and went to bed again.  When I woke up at 9 PM I felt a little confused as to which day it was.  Then I was sad because I had missed youth group.  Bobby was sweet about it.  He had been a little worried.  We spent some time together then both went to bed around 9:30. I slept till 4:30 AM (which is a little late for me) and was ready for the day about 11 hours of sleep later.  I must have needed it. 

            Thursday, we had our Valentine's date.  I enjoyed being with Bobby at Chira’s and the good food.  26 years into marriage and we are settled into routines that include kindness, grace, and flexibility.  It is very nice that we get along.  We have worked thru a lot of issues and God has worked in our lives enough that we can bug each other, laugh, and enjoy the camaraderie.

            Friday Bobby was off to a High School retreat.  He will be back Monday so please pray for safe travels home. 

            Adriel answers the phone to let me know she is alive, and I continue to love that.  Bobby went up to bring her lunch and was glad he had some time to visit her. 

            Seth remains a loving constant.  A vendor at work liked my attitude enough to ask why I was so cheerful all the time.  When I told him it was Jesus in my heart he respected that and even came around to ask if I would work for him.  It came up that I have working-age children and he gave me his card to see if Seth might join the Coke workforce.  How interesting – I didn’t think Seth is looking for a job but have the person's card anyway.  Life sure is interesting.

            May you find interest in the life God has given you.  May you find joy in even your trials because the perseverance this produces is good, beneficial and God's will.  Much love,

 

 

 

Cristy

 

2/13/23

 Dear Family,

 

                Bobby made bean soup out of a frozen ham bone from Christmas time.  I was incredibly happy he used that up.  One of my main concerns is to have first in first out and get rid of things from the freezer.  Yay!!  I love all the good food Bobby makes.  He works hard and I am blessed whenever he puts effort into our meals.

                Middle school group was loud and fun.  They enjoy being together as evidenced by people showing up ½ an hour early.  Goodness!  I enjoyed playing Leng checkers and later, the lesson was fabulous.  I guessed all the blanks before they were announced so – success!

                High school group was grand.  During the lesson, Bobby was talking about being kind with our tongues.  He mentioned, “What if someone was showing off their baby and another person said, ‘That is the ugliest baby I have ever seen!’”  This brought up much speculation and laughter.  “That might not be mean if the parents agreed.”  It could be worse if the mean person said, “And the baby looks just like you!”  Yes, it is very easy to be mean with words.  So, it is good Bobby is teaching about how to be helpful, encouraging, and positive.

                I do find it interesting that practice makes me more proficient.  I used to have a swearing problem in fifth grade.  People would laugh and I love an audience.  I had to be purposeful about changing that habit.  Later I found sarcasm would also bring laughs.  But this was at the expense of another and that also didn’t work out, so I started being purposeful about good words and writing down the good in life.  I don’t struggle like I used to with swearing or being hilariously sarcastic at the expense of others.  I have been purposeful about remembering good things to write here and it has changed me for the better!

                Homegroup was delightful.  Interacting with adults is so peaceful and calm.  We chewed on the text and learned more about how going to God first is the best recourse in trouble. 

                Friday Bobby cooked ribs.  My favorite part for both of us is that he is fine with me eating something else.  More for him. I really enjoyed leftovers from his cooking on Thursday, and we had peace.  I am glad we have matured and are not offended like we used to be.  He might have been sad I did not eat what he cooked; I might have been unhappy that he cooked something I didn’t like.  Who cares, there is plenty of other food.  Yay!

                Seth continues to be a loving and ever-present joy.  I enjoy his company and hugs.  Sunday morning he inquired about some cereal and then said, “Well It’s obviously not healthy so I’ll eat it.”

                Adriel and I had a great chat Tuesday on my drive home before youth group.  She is a lovely person and I do miss her.  I am very glad when she answers her phone.  I never answer mine – it doesn’t even ring because it’s always silent.  This makes it special whenever anyone answers the phone when I call.  She also answers my, “Are you still alive texts.”  I am very glad she is still alive 😊. 

                May you find joy in knowing that those you love still live (here or in heaven).  May you enjoy the beauty of nature and the stillness of the morning.  Love and hugs, Cristy

 

 PS, fun games, laughter, yes.  I enjoy youth groups.

2/6/23

 Dear family,

 

            Date night at ‘The Yard’ was especially fun because Bobby and I were able to see one of our former youth in action.  We get to watch people grow up and it is so fun to keep in touch.  The guy that baptized his friends in the river for fun and scared people with a gorilla suit has become an entrepreneur actor, comedian, and dad.  He cares deeply about his children, and I love that.

            Middle school group had great conversation and fun times.  One student explained to me what a ‘sneeze dive’ is.  Apparently in the halls someone will try to swing their binder at him, so he sneezes and then dives to the ground which alerts others.  This brings concern and sympathy.  While lying on the ground the other person who usually gives him a hard time has no chance for smacking.  Genius.

            I brought a game of checkers to teach the group how to play with Leng rules.  It’s hilarious to see the shock when I jump my own man.  What is this new way to play?!!  I enjoy the chaos and confusion just as much as the people who put all 15 balls onto the foosball table again.  Such joy!

            During lesson time a student couldn’t figure out how to make the faucet water cold.  Another student jumped up and helped.  It was fun when Bobby acknowledged how great the group was and how, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”  Later another student collected prayer requests without being asked to.  They are growing up and it is fun to watch the dynamic shift through the years. 

            The High schoolers were in full form on Wednesday.  A new fun fact is that “If you give Bobby your used popsicle stick he will eat it.”  Another student said, “Ewwww, gross, never bring that up again.”  Later, during the lesson about taming the tongue Bobby mused, “I wonder if people would lie more or less if their nose grew when they lied.”  A student answered with an ‘of course’ tone, “More!  Because they would use their nose to poke holes in the wall and climb with it.”

            Bobby brought home and baked Pizza for us Thursday night.  It was very sweet of him to wait for me.  He didn’t eat much all day, so he was really hungry.  I enjoy his company and that he is purposeful about reading a couples devotional every other Thursday (when we don’t have home group).  It gives us something to think about that’s for sure.

            Visiting Adriel in Portland filled my heart.  Her coworkers were delighted to meet me.  They wanted me to know they are taking good care of her.  She is well loved, and they want her to “thrive.”   She was surviving that day as her apartment had no power, but she indeed had a good lunch.  My coworker insisted I had to get food from “Montage”, and it was very good macaroni and cheese.  I enjoyed the food cart garbage station.  Art can be so fun and whimsical.  The Tree farm building I saw on the way to visit Adriel was amazingly fascinating to behold.  Portland has character and a lot of beautiful art.

            Adriel said Seth touched her heart when he wistfully said, “I didn’t know that when you moved to Portland it meant you wouldn’t come over to do laundry anymore.” 

            I did dream she visited.  We had a great chat with hugs.  We miss her dropping by.

            Then she did visit Saturday.  What great fun it was to see her shortly and find out she didn’t have green hair (which was cute, and I did like it) like in my dream. 

            Seth has a lot of mysterious presents.  I looked up national Custodian Day and that’s in October, so I was confused.  His Birthday isn’t till June, so I had to ask.  The answer was, “They are from the Upwards Basketball program.”  How nice.  He is appreciated for what he is doing when he cleans up after them and for when he lets people in.  He does a good job, and I am glad people show appreciation for it.

            May you find that your good deeds go rewarded.  May you feel God’s love as you worship and enjoy those around you.  May your joy be complete when you give out of His abundance to others.

            Hugs,  Cristy