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Blog“Just Over the Hilltop”

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Good afternoon from “just over the hilltop” in Norwood on this lovely Monday. The air is thick at 87 degrees with a slight breeze and clouds rolling in. Dick is painting and I’m sure he’s grateful the sun is now behind those clouds. The glare of freshly painted wood in direct sun is exhausting. He is trying to finish this job in between the rainy days so he can go on to an inside painting job. He doesn’t want to move equipment and materials back and forth.

Until the last few days the weather was still cool and damp and I’ve been wondering if the spring flowers would come before summer began. Yes, the purple irises at the schoolhouse are now opening and the white lilacs here at Rose of Sharon just passed their prime. There is hope the others will follow and brighten our days soon.

Family fun

Last weekend we visited at Eric’s and Andrea’s on Sunday and I was reminded just how much I enjoyed our children at youth/adult stage. Matthew, Elizabeth, and Jessika sat and engaged in different topics of conversation with us and their parents. I love listening to their thoughts and input, which indicates their parents talk with them. Great parenting.

he’d remember the antics of TinTin and Captain Haddock and start laughing all over again

Then Monday Karen, Jami, and the four little grandchildren stopped by for lunch and a short visit. They had spent a couple of days with Jami’s grandpa and on their way home. Garrett and Heidi asked Papa to read to them and Heidi chose a Tin Tin book. It was a long read yet they stayed cuddled next to Papa staring at the cartoon pictures as he read. All of a sudden Garrett started laughing and couldn’t stop. I delighted in his continuous laugh while Papa waited for him to stop. When it seemed he was ready for the story to go on, he’d remember the antics of TinTin and Captain Haddock and start laughing all over again. Eventually they finished the book and I was in awe at them sitting to listen for so long, but Karen said they have started listening to “The BoxCar Children”  and “Encyclopedia Brown” books on audio. They are about 2 hours long and if they should fall asleep, the children will just start the book going again on their own. Amazing. Also great parenting.

Sacred Duty and Honor

With the 75th Anniversary of D-Day being remembered across the world, We have thought about Dick’s Dad, of whom he is so proud. Six days later on June 12th Dick’s Dad reached France. He was a Master Sergeant in charge of the pontoon bridges that took our soldiers and supplies across France, Belgium, and into Holland, rescuing Europe along with our allies. Interestingly, he never bragged on his position or heroism and according to him, his greatest pride was the day he was in Washington and sent to stand Honor Guard as President Roosevelt passed by. His head was instructed to follow the President as he entered his range of vision but was to stop when directly in front of him. This was Dick’s Dad’s hero and though he stood at attention and obeyed to hold his head erect, he allowed his eyes to follow his hero for a lingering look. What do our heroes look like today and why are they our heroes?

what do our heroes look like today and why are they our heroes?

Thinking about this I thought of honor and sacred duty to which we are all called. Honor our parents, honor our police, honor our elected officials, honor our neighbors, and honor our faith. Ethan, our youngest son, was a sentinel at the Tomb of The Unknowns which honored the fallen that lost not only their lives but their identity. Ethan recently went to meet the author of “Sacred Duty” by Senator Tom Cotton, who also served in Arlington but not at the same time Ethan was there. Ethan sent us a signed copy of his book, to which we started crying and then cried again when we saw a picture of Adam Dickmeyer’s grave, who was Ethan’s Sergeant and friend. The book was quite emotional for Ethan, too. May we never forget history. Do not let it get erased or neglected even if we don’t agree or might be ashamed of some of it. It is sort of like my life. There are things I wish I hadn’t done, things I wish I’d done better, and things that I’m pleased with. But all of it is my life and I will embrace and learn from it. May we do the same for our country’s history.

Our boat is finally reaching shore and will be docked shortly. What boat you ask? The boat of disruption in our lives the last several months. I have not written about it but I can tell you that when the disruption came we were sad, in shock, and disappointed. But our anchor (faith in God) was strong and deep and though we felt like we were drifting about in a little boat tossed by the winds and waves, our anchor was sure and steady. We knew from past experiences that eventually we would find purpose in our spiritual walk again one day and we were content to float until then. So….we are getting closer to embarking on a new faith project, that as soon as a few more details are finalized, I will share our crazy story with you. We may be 71 and almost 69, but we still have energy, health, resolve, and much work to do while we can. We are excited about what God may do in and through us. Stay tuned if you are interested and we definitely ask for your prayers as the boat gets closer to shore, gets tied to the dock, and off we go. Until then, have a blessed week and I’ll be back next week. Love, Sharon

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