A Gaggle of Geese

 

Daily Gratitude Year 10- Day 208: Today, I am grateful for a gaggle of geese and Susie.

Apparently, it is a thing. We have a plethora of Canadian Geese in different seasons. Fall is one of them. What I was unaware of is their ritual of stopping traffic in our little village when they decide to cross the road. 

My sweet neighbor, Susie, and I were coming back from a trip to "the farm" as they call it. On a little country road near our homes, there was a line of geese in single file lined up to cross the road. It appeared to go on forever. Not dozens of geese, but probably hundreds. (The picture here is not mine... our geese were much more straight and orderly in their single file line.)

Susie was in the car behind me. We sat and waited... and waited...and waited. She called and we chatted while the geese casually crossed the road. It was quite a sight to see. Oncoming cars waited, too. Nature had decided to halt our agendas. 

Susie said she has seen the geese stop traffic on Courtland Rd, too. Courtland is a busy street that divides Walmart and Culvers from Farm and Fleet and Aldi.  Four lanes of traffic and they take their time. Our village people pause and wait them out. 

As we sat, the sunset was beautiful. Deep colors of purple and red were painted across the sky. We were reminded of the splendor of God's creation that we often fail to see in our hurried lives.  I am so grateful for the interruption and the chance to share it with a special friend. 

Eventually, I began to inch the car forward and we humans took our turn. We moved slowly, bumper to bumper, and they allowed us to break up their march for a minute as we passed through. 

"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Today, I am grateful for a gaggle of geese and Susie.

God Appointments (God Winks)

 

Daily Gratitude Year 10- Day 207: Today, I am grateful for God appointments. 

Well, Cleve may get a couple of days in my gratitude post. This one came from his visitation:

Literally, the day before he died, Cleve ran into a former student from Peoria Alternative High School. Both student and teacher were excited about the encounter. Grandson, Cooper was with Cleve and he  took this picture for her. She was a good kid who had experienced some pretty hard life stuff. For so many of students, that was their story.

Allison Carmack (Marks) did a Facebook create the post as she said she would. Allison didn't know their picture would become a priceless and special memory. Perhaps, God wanted to remind Cleve of his "well done and faithful service" here on earth, before he left it. 

Cleve's ever patient manner of living gave her encouragement, hope and an extra push when she needed it. He believed in her and she knew it. 

The day before his last day... what are the odds?  Before she knew of his passing, she wrote this  Facebook post celebrating their "chance" encounter. I call it a "God Wink" or a "God Appointment". 

Their picture and her post were on the center table at the funeral home. It was a prominent display of his character, his calling and the Christ who called him to pour light into the world. 

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! … Come and share your master’s happiness!’" -Matthew 25:21

Today, I am grateful for God appointments. 

Finish the Race

 

Daily Gratitude Year 10- Day 206: Today, I am grateful for the moments we finish the race. 

I am not a runner. I run to Wal-Mart and the grocery store in my car. I admire those who have the stamina to run for many miles. The St. Jude Runs are happening soon. Some will run many miles between Memphis and Peoria. Others will run long races locally. 

The event amazes me. The people, the stories, the lives saved and the hope that is generated in the battle against pediatric cancer. 

The hours the runners cross the finish line are emotional. Some are in pain. Some are in tears... tears of joy, tears of loss, tears of remembering and tears filled with hope. They finish the race. 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." -Hebrews 12:1

The triumph in finishing the race is beautiful. When exhaustion sets in, love propels them forward.  

There is a bigger race ahead. One we all complete. Dad used to say, "You've got to be paid up, prayed up and ready to go up." I still think of His words. I'm grateful for the two souls I've known to finish their race in the past week. We can only imagine.  

Today, I am grateful for the moments we finish the race.

Cleve

 https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/peoria-il/cleve-klopfenstein-10858122

Daily Gratitude Year 10- Day 205: Today, I am grateful for Cleve.

When you leave home and plant roots in a new place, God sends special people to tend your garden. This guy... we meet through my days at Peoria Alternative High School... is one of those people.

The things I learned watching him and listening to him will be a part of me until we meet again in Heaven. He and Kathleen set the bar high for a Christian marriage. His love for his wife and family were second only to his love for Christ.

I was 22 or 23 when we first met. When I was a new mom at 25, he seemed to exhale wisdom. When I was unsure, he was like a big brother more than a co-worker. His honesty, generous spirit and integrity imprinted a bit of Jesus on all who knew him.

The girls at work would call him "Your Cleve" because they knew how dear he was to my heart. When I first accepted the counseling position at Peoria Alternative High School, they had no room for me. Cleve generously shared his space. I missed him when they found office space for me the next year. We had so many conversations about students, raising kids, life, family and of course... our faith.

Since Cleve couldn't bring his Kathleen to work... the love of his life... he would bring her recipes (upon request). I have some in my recipe box. Handwritten reminders of their love, marriage and partnership.

Cleve invited Randy and I to bring Chase out to fish in his precious Cabin and the lake when Chase was little. Cleve was as tickled as Chase when he caught a fish. I knew he would be an amazing Grandpa when he reached that season in life... and he was.

Cleve would send handwritten notes at Christmas that often included old photos from our PAHS days. So many good times with the students and staff we loved captured in those images. I didn't get Christmas cards sent last year, but I kept his note on my desk to "write a handwritten note" when I had a chance. That note... sadly... was never written. We never got the chance to share a meal and his scrapbooks like we talked about doing the last time we were together.

This verse, in the KJV I know he knew well, sums up the way Cleve lived out his days.

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." -Psalm 19:14

I am grateful for his life that was well lived. I am grateful for the example, the light and the love. He has heard "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Today, I am grateful for Cleve.

The Job Given

 Daily Gratitude Year 10- Day 204: Today, I am grateful for the job given.

Elisabeth Elliot always touches my heart with her words. She is someone who truly understood the freedom in complete surrender to God's will. Not out of obligation or pressure, but looking beyond any one trial or situation into the face of a God who loved her enough to find a way to rescue her from any sorrow, disappointment or brokenness. 

Turning sorrow and pain into hope is not something this world can understand. Thank God we have a Savior who breathes new life into anything this world may throw at us.

Let us do what he gave us to do, knowing we never walk alone. 

"David also said to Solomon, his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished." -I Chronicles 28:20

Today, I am grateful for the job given.

Comings and Goings

Daily Gratitude Year 10- Day 203: Today, I am grateful for His hand on our "comings and our goings".

We make our plans, and sometimes they stick. Other times, they have to be rearranged. Making plans is good. Being flexible is essential. 

"The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore."  -Psalm 121:8

We go out... we come in... repeat. It sounds pretty simple, but we all know that the hours in between can be quite full. Isn't it comforting to know He is watching over it all? 

As a new week begins, we can rest assured that we are not alone. 

Today, I am grateful for His hand on our "comings and our goings".

Patient... Not Late

 Daily Gratitude Year 10- Day 202: Today, I am grateful for those who are patient for my sake. 

One of the most patient souls in my world is my friend, Cindy. Everyone should have at least one Cindy in their life. A teacher and a librarian, she knows so many things and I think her head is like a rolodex of information. She is a quick learner, hard worker and enjoys trying new things. She is retired, but she is far from old.  She is a gift to all of us who get to share her days (Thank you  Don and Mother Jennings for sharing her with us) . 

Learning new things is good for our minds. It isn't always easy.  Sometimes, we stretch with ease. Sometimes, we ride the struggle bus. I have learned that riding the struggle bus helps me cement the new learning and makes it stick. I don't always like it, but there is a benefit.  Things I learn quickly are often as easily forgotten.

What comes fast and easy is not always good for us. Fad diets have long been risky. Slow and steady wins the race.  God created certain parameters that we can't really cheat on for long. In the end, His way is always best, right and good.  His patience is to be emulated. 

Most healthy growth and learning relies on a certain amount of discomfort. A good example is building up endurance or strength in our bodies. It takes time, work and patience. It is not instant gratification.  

How many times does our Lord allow us to struggle for our own benefit? Do we perceive him to be slow, uninterested or uncaring? I hope not. The scriptures are full of promises that contradict such thoughts.  We are often in one of His training programs, even if we are unaware. 

There is a big difference between slow and late. Our God is slow to anger, but He never shows up late. When He says it is time, we had better be ready. 

"The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." -2 Peter 3:9 NLT 

Such a powerful verse. He is not slow or late. Are we going to be ready when the timer goes off? 

Thank you Cindy for being an example of patience, sprinkling salt and adding light to the world. 

Today, I am grateful for those who are patient for my sake.