My Day in Vienna

         Today we spent the day sightseeing in Vienna and recovering from jet lag.  It was a cold

         wet day but what can you do?  This is the day we have.  Here are some highlights.

         As part of my Amazing Race I asked the people familiar with Vienna what I could do for my 

         "road block."  They answered immediately, "You should climb the steps in the tower at 

         St. Stephen's."  

         So I did.

        But I'm afraid I'm not in the shape I once was and I'm going to be sorry about this tomorrow.

Oh, Mary, I need you to help me get in shape for things like this!

            I also took a tour of the Vienna Opera House, one of the most famous performing

            venues in the world.  They perform a different opera or play every night.  It was an 

           amazing place and reminded me of a challenge that they actually did on the TV race.

          Here are some pictures from the Opera House:

The box for the royals is in the back.

Boxes like this circle the stage completely.

Famous composers who have performed here include Mozart
and Beethoven.

                   Work starts tomorrow.  Students arrive Thursday.

          

Amazing Race Part 2

Haus Edelweiss

Some of you who keep up with me know that I have made it one of my life's goals to run my own Amazing Race (you can read more about it here and here.)  Last year I went to Denver during spring break to visit my brother and his wife and see the inner-city ministry they are involved in there.  You can find out more about that trip here and at the webpage for Cross Purpose Ministries.

This spring I am embarking on the second leg of my Amazing Race.  On March 29 I will depart for Vienna, Austria, to serve for two weeks in the ministry of TCM International Institutes.  There I will be working on the campus which brings students from mostly eastern European countries to work on advanced degrees in theology and ministry, so that they are equipped to return to their countries to minister to their own people.

My job during my stay there will be in guest services.  Basically I will be housekeeping, but I'm happy to serve in any capacity.

I got connected to this ministry through my very good friend Robin Beaumont.  She and her husband Terry live in Indianapolis, and I stay with them when I travel there to visit my aunt and uncle.  They have been going to Austria for several years now and are part of the regulars that make this ministry possible.  Ever since Robin first told me about this ministry I knew I wanted to see what it was all about.

Robin and Terry are two of the most gracious people I know.
Their hospitality to me over the last few years has been amazing.

At the end of my two weeks in Austria I will be traveling by train to visit my college roommate, Cheryl Winget.  She and her husband Steve have been missionaries in Budapest, Hungary, for many years and I am excited to see what her life is like there.  I tried to get my sister Penny who lives in Bulgaria to meet me there, but we were not able to make our schedules work together.  I guess that means I'll have to make a trip to Bulgaria later.

I'm so excited to be able to make this trip and learn more about the ministries that my friends are involved in.  It's going to be an adventure!

Doing the Grandma Thing

Hanging out with Madeline on Friday

I became a grandmother for the first time on July 16.  Madeline Elizabeth arrived and life hasn't been the same since.  It is truly the joy that you always hear everyone talk about.

Since the school year started I have been able to keep Madeline once or twice a week most weeks.  We have become fast friends and she always greets me with a big smile.  Phil doesn't always get the same treatment but she usually warms up to him.  Phil says, "She always looks at me suspiciously."

I just thought I'd share a couple of pictures from this week and videos of her as she's becoming mobile.  She's just shy of 8 months old but moving around quite well.  She's like her mom.  A friend who used to keep Kathryn often when she was small often tells me that Kathryn is the only child who could walk under her kitchen table without having to duck.

Wearing the shirt Uncle Will got her for Christmas
"Amuse me, Giants, for I grow weary."

I made links for the videos.  You can see her making lots of noise here.  And here you can see her on the move (this one is a little too long but she's crawling at the end).

She's quite the girl, and I love her very much.

A Different Kind of Fast

I've been thinking for a while about Lent.  I don't always observe Lent, but I'm usually glad when I do. There's something about fasting that impacts your heart and makes Easter something to celebrate even more.  But I can't get one of my favorite chapters of the Bible off my mind.

It's Isaiah 58 and it's been one of my favorites since I stumbled across it while I was making my way through the Bible over the course of a year.  The beginning of the chapter talks about  how the people of Israel were complaining to the Lord that they fast and yet He pays no attention to them.  The Lord responds by saying that they fast for the wrong reasons... to look good before others.  And while fasting they did lots of other things that were wrong.  So the Lord responds with what He wants from the people.  Here it is:

“This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
    to break the chains of injustice,
    get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
    free the oppressed,
    cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
    sharing your food with the hungry,
    inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
    putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
    being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
    and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
    The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
    You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’

 “If you get rid of unfair practices,
    quit blaming victims,
    quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
    and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
    your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
    I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
    firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
    a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
    rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
    restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
    make the community livable again.

I've never gotten over the description of all the things that will result from this kind of fast.  I wrote in my Bible, "This is what I want for my life!"

So during this Lenten season, I'm going to focus on being alert and available to do some of these things.  I don't even know how I would do a lot of these things, but I'm going to see what happens.

I'm open for suggestions if anything comes to your mind.

The Sanctity of Human Life

A couple of weeks ago we had a Sunday set aside at our church called “Sanctity of Human Life” Sunday.  We have observed this Sunday for many years now and the focus is always on being pro-life and opposing abortion.   This year I’ve been thinking a lot about the many other ways we could interpret “Sanctity of Human Life.”

One of the ways I think we devalue life is in our desire to label people and place them in groups, and then we say, either in our words or in our actions, that one group has less value than another group.  We see it in all racial issues in all points around the globe.  It rears its ugly head in gender inequality.  In many societies age is a factor, whether we are talking about the very young (or even unborn) or the very old.  And finally, I think one of the most prevalent ranking of groups happens economically, where the rich are valued far above the poor.

When we think about “sanctity of human life” I think there could be lots of good conversations about how we value life in these various groups.   We need to be challenged not to overrate the groups that we belong to in relation to people we differ from.  I think talking more about poverty and the oppression it creates in people's lives would be good.

As always, we can look to Jesus as our example of how to show what it really means to value human life.  First of all, He became a human.  He did this in great humility, disdaining all the power and glory He has and setting it aside for us.  He did it so He could know firsthand what it means to be human.

Another way He reflects the value of life is through His interactions with all types of people.  In the culture in which He was raised, there were definitely groups in society which were thought to be of less value than others… the poor, the handicapped, the “untouchables,” the outcasts.  And in the gospels we see Jesus going specifically to these groups and meeting the needs he finds in their lives.

In the gospels we also see that Jesus knew the value of each individual life, He knew the value of "one".  Jesus was certainly a man who was in demand by crowds of people.  He could have spent all His time teaching and reaching large groups of people.  But Jesus took time for the individuals who came to Him with their needs.  Think of His interactions with the woman at the well, Jairus, blind Bartimaeus,  Lazarus, Zacchaeus and so many others.  He stopped, He took time, He entered into relationships with these individuals.  He met them where they were and ministered to their needs.

I think in our society we’ve been led to think that helping individuals is a very small work.   I know I can think sometimes that I’m not accomplishing much.  I spend my days helping Will with his teaching, keeping Madeline for Kathryn and Brandon, caring for my aunt and uncle in Indianapolis.  These all feel small to me.  I often think I should be doing more.  But today I am thankful to be reminded of the value of each individual and the example Jesus gave us of taking time for each one.  There will be time for more work, maybe more far-reaching work, later.  These days are meant for these dear ones that I love so much.

So I guess my point is this:  Who are you labeling and devaluing by attaching that label?  Who are some individuals who have needs that you know of and that you can meet?  How are you cultivating relationships with these individuals? 

How are you affirming the “sanctity of human life”? 

The Pleasure of This Day

My dear Madeline

I have felt compelled to recount the joys of this day.  It has been a very ordinary day in so many ways, but the pleasure of it has almost overwhelmed me.

I was able to wake up before the alarm went off and spent the first hour of the day in my quiet spot, reading various books and drinking a cup of coffee.  The next hour I spent taking a walk with my best friend Mary.  Although the temperature was in the 20s, we warmed up quickly.  Over the years of early morning walks, Mary and I have solved many problems, changed our attitudes on many subjects, and shared the hurts and the joys of our lives.  It is a sacred time.

Next I went to pick up sweet little Madeline.  She is a most pleasant child and spending time with her is nothing but a pleasure.  We shared some time with Mary and her mother-in-law.  She took a nap on Papa's lap and then spent about an hour entertaining great-grandma Irene.  I have never been a "baby" person but this girl has me, heart and soul.

I drove her back to her mom and spent another thirty minutes in intimate conversation with my daughter.  We both feel that these stolen minutes of one-on-one time are another sacred moment in our day.

On the trip both to and from the middle school I was struck by the beauty of the day.  I observed a red-tailed hawk hunting above a field.  The golden light of the late winter afternoon shone on the backs of black cattle dotting many of the fields I pass along the way.  It was beautiful.

After a supper of stir-fry I drove out to spend another pleasant time I observe regularly-- I go and watch Jeopardy with my mom.  As we watch and play along, we also share the details of our day.  It is a long-held habit, and one that I am thankful we both enjoy.

As I drove between our houses, I watched the full moon rise in the sky.  It was so bright, it was almost startling.  There is no need for any other source of light on a night like this.  It is perfect.

As I said, it has been a very ordinary day.  Yet, I don't want to forget it-- this day full of every-day joy.  Not to be taken for granted.  Not to be forgotten.

Aunt Pauline

One of our adventures... traveling with Flat Stanley

My aunt, Pauline Swift, was 86 years old.  She was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and lived there most of her life.  Her childhood and teenage years were spent in Wiliamsburg, KY, and she will be buried there with her mother, father and sister Dorothy.  She was my mom’s sister and best friend, and she will be missed.  Although her death came unexpectedly, that is not to say that she was unprepared.  She had a firm faith in her Savior Jesus Christ, and was always ready to give an answer for the hope that was within her.

Pauline was a caring and responsible person.  When her mother died she stepped into the responsibilities that were left behind.  She began to assume the role of mother to my mother who was only eighteen months old at the time.   Although she had several suitors, she felt strongly that she needed to remain with her father and some of the siblings who needed her, and because of this she did not marry for many years.

When I was small we lived in a duplex in Indianapolis.  Pauline lived in the other side of the duplex along with my aunt Dorothy and my grandpa.  Pauline worked as a teletype operator at a company called Mallory’s to support her family.  Even after we moved to the suburbs, my family spent lots of time at Pauline’s home, celebrating birthdays and holidays and visiting with out-of-town visitors who dropped in regularly.  Pauline’s home was a gathering place, and she was a gracious hostess.

In regards to living out her faith, she was always finding ways to serve the Lord.  She was saved as a teenager, and shortly afterwards began teaching Sunday School.  Throughout her life she worked with children and youth, planning activities and programs for their enjoyment and spiritual development.  As she grew older she was active in visiting friends and relatives who were in nursing homes or just in need of a friend.  She took friends to doctor’s appointments and ran errands for them if she was needed.

Pauline finally did get married to Earl Swift in 1977 when she was 49 years old.  They made a happy life together until his death due to cancer in 2000.  They were married for 23 years.  Earl’s children told me that they were so thankful for Pauline being there for their dad and that she was a wonderful stepmother to them all.

Pauline was very active politically.  She voted in every election and called her representatives and senators regularly to voice her opinion on the issues of the day.  When I was going through her address book, when I got to the W’s, she had an entry for the White House.

Although she often said to me, “I hate to say too much because my voice sounds so bad,” you didn’t have to be around her too long to know that she was not shy at all and spoke up regularly in her Sunday School class and in church when the opportunity arose.  She was not at all hesitant to share her faith or to tell people who were facing hard times that they needed the Lord, that He would get them through.

I learned many things from my Aunt Pauline…what to do if you want to wear shoes with no socks, what to do if you run out of chocolate icing when you make a cake, how to find your car in a large parking lot.  But most of all she’s been a good example to me of how to grow old.  She left her home in Indianapolis after living most of her life there and moved to Dunlap two years ago.  She did it while she was still able to make those decisions and didn’t wait until it was too late.   Having lived alone in downtown Indianapolis for many years, she was cautious but not fearful.  She minimized her risks.  When she first moved to Dunlap she kept everything locked up tight as she had before, but she became more comfortable and realized that Dunlap was a safer place.  She no longer felt the need to barricade the door at night.  What I’m saying is that she was still capable of changing her habits. 

Never wanting to be without a church home, she joined our church the week after she moved in.  She was a faithful member and joined in to all the activities we had to offer.   She always had encouraging words for those around her.  When we went to Canada last summer she paid for a scholarship for a camper, so she remained a generous giver to the Lord’s work to the end.  She was faithful in prayer and Bible study and had a Bible that was well worn from use.

A few weeks ago she went for a routine checkup at the doctor’s.  She was very healthy aside from some pain in her legs.  Dr. Daniel asked her if she had a living will.  She told Dr. Daniel that she didn’t want to make one, that she would let the Lord take care of it.  Of course, I was rolling my eyes at that, thinking that I would like for her to help us make some of the decisions that I knew could lie ahead.  But in the end, she was right, the Lord did take care of it.  And for that, we are all really thankful.