REVELATION ... REVEALED, REJOICEFUL.

 

 

 

 

While spending another couple weeks in the Northwest, going around and about, I have unusual access to computers.  I can't re-create my stories, download photos, etc.  So, the best I can do is pull some other bits and pieces together.  I know you saw the photo where I connected my poem.  I also re-added a post from 2010 and connected the two.  I would LOVE to look at your posts to Sandra and Deidra, but can't get around and see.  I'm way up in the hills over Columbia River and nothing is easy to connect to.  Next month, when I'm back home, I'll read you over and over again.  Try to catch up.  So here's the other bit I wanted to add from 2010:

 

The Lord laid Revelation on me to read, probably over and over -- He's done that before. It ranks right up as a favorite book, and I enjoy it... it thoroughly excites me.

Chapter 7:12 has one of my favorite portions. The host comes from every nation, tribe, people, language... then the angels and four living creatures... and then they all fall prostrate before the throne and worship God and the Lamb of God... and this verse just explodes -- I have it underlined big time and read it with a loud, roaring, "hallelujah-ing" voice:

Amen! (So be it!) they cried. Blessing and glory and majesty and splendor and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might [be ascribed] to our God to the ages and ages (forever and ever, throughout the eternities of the eterities)! Amen! (So be it!)  [Amplified]

SEATTLE'S GOOD AND CHALLENGING

    While on a ferry, this is one of my favorite views of Seattle.  So excited to see the sky scrapers and the Space Needle.  The Space Needle was built in 1962; I arrived in Seattle in Mar, 1964, and walked to and from that area and went up the Needle.  I was 18 the first time.

 

The ferris wheel is new, and draws a lot of attention on the waterfront.  I don't have the courage to go on it.  But looks like fun.

   On Monday, July 8th, we went over from Bremerton and had a great ferry ride.

   Then we went to Space Needle.  The "we" was my daughter, my granddaughters, and me.  The boys had stayed in Bremerton for a couple hours to go to the Navy museum, etc.  They arrived on the waterfront later.

   The problem of the day, in spite of lots of rejoicing, was me.  I was in significant pain of my abdominal area.  I would have to bend over, even when walking.  I could hardly breathe, because of the pain.  So, instead of staying in Seattle for another couple hours and playing, we had to hit the ferry again and head for Tacoma.

   I've been told that we will go to Seattle again next week.  Later that night, in Vancouver, WA, area, I ended up in ER about 11:30.  Was released about 2:30.  Had a signficant bladder infection.  Now, through a variety of pills, etc., I am coming to a place of healing.

   All that to say... it was a blessing to be in Seattle, a blessing to be with my family, a blessing to have non-cloudy times from the Space Needle and able to see Mt.Rainier and some of the Olympic Mts.

 

HOW COULD I COMPLAIN ANY TIME?  OR WHINE???  UH-UH!!!  LOVE IT SO MUCH!

 

WILL SEE IT NEXT WEEK... AND REJOICE!

 [The computer stuff I'm using/doing ain't easy.  I'd love to show more, do more, but can't until I'm home in a couple more weeks and have access to my own computer aspect and photos, etc.  Please put up with me!]

KLICKITAT YESTERDAY

What a birthday for me!   I left my friend, Linda's, in Camas, WA, with my grandkids.  I went to Vancouver, WA, and met with 3 sisters, my daughter and her husband, and we mixed all around into 3 cars and we all drove on the Oregon side of the Columbia River interstate following each other to Multnomah Falls.  We climbed all over the place and just had a wonderful time there. 

We then went to Klickitat, WA., crossing the bridge in The Dalles, OR.  One of my sisters, Betty, hadn't been there since we left originally 50 years ago, and she would have been about 9 years old.  

 

Amazingly, when I thought we'd just be driving by the Klickitat River swimming "pool", so the family would see where I "lived" ... my sisters too young to swim in this place back then ...  my grandkids jumped out of our cars and started swimming.  Dyllon, who is pushing 16, swam across in swimming trunks and shoes.  WHY?  Because he was going to climb up the cliffs/rocks and jump off.  My granddaughters, who will be 16 this week, also swam across and did some jumping.  This really caught our attention, because it's not the easiest, safest place swimming and jumping can take place.  In fact, at one point, Dyllon started climbing up higher and higher, and all his aunts with our big mouths were hollering "NO!!!  Come down to 'green'!"  He  responded wisely, stepped back down that few feet before he jumped in again.

I sure understood.  When I would be swimming across the river those many years ago, early 1960s, I would start a number of feet further up the river, swim aiming up the current, and that would have me floating down to reach the rock area without floating beyond them, which could be a problem, believe me. 

It was so much fun watching the kids play.  The younger ones just played on our side of the river. 

While all this was going on, I was standing next to an elderly man.  Found out he had been there for many years.  When I mentioned our family, he said he worked with and knew my dad.  He knew my mom.  And Susie's parents.  Was so impressed wth them.  And all the other people I knew back than and brought up.  John and I suddenly became good friends! We exchanged addresses. I'll be sending notes to him. He's 80. I was able to share the Lord with him a bit.   And I left one of Dave's CDs with him.  [John's great-grandson was playing there and he is from K.C., MO.  Who'd a thunk that?  Omaha and K.C. at KLICKITAT, 1700-ish miles away, at the same time?]

It was a true blessing.  We had photos taken of us standing there.  When I get home, you'll see more of this.  I took this photo about 3 years ago when driving through town to show it to Dyllon when taking him out to my mom's 90th birthday party in Tacoma, and posted it, so, even with all the computer issues was able to copy it here for you to understand the joy of the day.

 [Now, just FYI, my ER situation re: what was determined as bladder infection, just as my birthday hit at midnight -- how strange is that? -- I'm doing a bit better now.  I still have pain in my leg where they gave me the shot and some pain in my abdominal area, but not nearly as bad as when in Seattle at the Waterfront and Space Needle.  I'll be posting about that time at the Seattle event.  FUN in some ways, FRIGHTENING in others, b/c of me.  But the ferry from Bremerton and those other scenes just kept me grinning, even when I was in such pain.  Many of you prayed for me; greatly appreciated!]




 

REJOICING ANCIENT PATHWAY!

Again, I'm posting about something special that has occurred on this trip to the Northwest.  My blog friend/sister, Gayle Roberts, took a photo of me, but I can't download it since I'm on a computer I couldn't arrange it on, BUT the story is AMAZING!   The church mentioned in third paragraph was the one through whom I was led to the Lord.  I attended there until leaving town in 1969.  Have gone by it several times over the years when in Tacoma, but it was changed several times, and also empty the last time I drove by it a couple years ago.  However, today I wanted to show Gayle where I had come to the Lord. 

 When I was driving by, I noticed it was now a church again... Gathering Together ... and I wanted to pop my head in and see what it looked like.  Gayle stayed in the car.  I opened the door, and a lady saw me and came out of the sanctuary.  I told her I was from Omaha, and that I had come to the Lord through this church 47 years ago.  She hugged me and said she wanted me to come in and give a testimony.  I ran out and got Gayle and we sat there while the pastor was preaching.  When he finished, his wife stood up and said she had met us and she wanted me to testify about the church since it was where I had come to the Lord.

 

I spoke for several minutes, being quite blunt about my background and how the Lord had broken through and how I had ended up at that church.  The people rejoiced.  One reason was because the sermon was about ancient pathways ... and I was proof that this church had worked well and I was the "ancient pathway".   They prayed for Gayle and I, she connected with one of the ladies and is planning to go to her farm.  I have been asked to stay in touch with them. They want top read my stories and books and look at my blog. I gave them 6 of Dave's CDs and they said they want to listen to his/our music. 

So, that was my amazing day. 

 

I never could have imagined being used in this way... a preacher, teacher, blunt testifier, and an "ancient pathway".  [Need to have a t-shirt made someday that describes me that way.]

  What a treat!

 

I posted this April 15, 2010.  That's the only one I could find to share that had that church's name.  Makes me grin; hope you do, too.

[and sometimes I can't get the font, bond, color, etc., to look normally.  I end up being forced to do whatever the guesstimating computers do.]

=========================================

HAPPY RE-BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

For most folks this is IRS day, for better or worse, refund or payment. However, in my heart, this is MY day. On April 15, 1966, at 6:30 PM, I asked Christ into my life. Four months shy of my 21st birthday, living a life of heavy-duty sin and headed towards a significant amount of trouble, the Lord broke through. I have never doubted or questioned or regretted it. He had arranged for seed to be planted in my heart off and on since I had been very young, but the seed hardly survived. And then ...

I was living in Tacoma, WA. Towards mid-March a young woman at work, Carol, 18, was suddenly without a place to live and couldn't afford to fly back to her family in the St. Louis area. Someone at work said, "Hey, Joanne, you have room in your apartment. Let her move in with you." I didn't know Carol very well, but knew she was a sweet person -- and I WAS NOT!!! I knew it was the right thing to do, so agreed that she could, but I also said to her: You can move in with me. But I go out when I want to go out, I come back when I want to come back, and if you don't like it, you can leave.

Amazingly, even hearing that "jerky" statement, Carol moved in. What I didn't know was that she was a Born-Again Christian. I didn't know what that was, anyhow, so it wouldn't have sunk in. Over the next couple of weeks we yammered about religion for hours nearly every night. She couldn't always come up with answers for me, so she connected me to Stan, a man in her church, and he would hammer topics out with me on the phone. Very straight-forward, which is what works best with me most of the time. I decided to go to church with her -- Portland Avenue Baptist Church. My second Sunday, on April 10, Easter, there was an altar call and I knew I was supposed to go forward. I could feel the pressure in my heart ... my whole body ... in a way I had never experienced before... and I held on tight to the back of the pew in front of me so I would be able to not give in. I left church feeling pleased that "I won the battle."

The next Thursday, at work, Carol had a head injury and ended up in the hospital. She was there until Saturday. I was invited to dinner at Stan's house on Friday, and enjoyed dinner with him and his wife and four sons. After we finished eating, and Anita had cleared the table, and the boys had disappeared to the living room, Stan had me stay in the kitchen with him and he laid the facts of Christ's sacrifice out for me very clearly. Stan knew how sinful I was ... he had a similar history ... and he didn't look down his nose at me at all. He knew God could turn my awful life around, no question. I told him that I believed what he was telling me about Jesus and His sacrifice and the possibility of salvation, but I said I needed to straighten up first or I couldn't come to Him. Stan, of course, said it was the other way around -- come to Christ and the changes would start to take place. I knew he was right, and I made the commitment and invited Christ into my life. In my mind, because of all the abuse I had experienced from many others, mostly men, this was simply a "contract"... no emotional attachment to the Father or Son, just an agreement to follow the rules He laid down and, if I messed up, take the punishment that would hit me. After my prayer, Stan and I went to a young adult Bible study, so only an hour after I was saved I made the public statement and people rejoiced. I remember that the next morning when I woke up my first thoughts were about the new life I had before me.

And it was and has always been. Even though I was far from perfect, the Lord kept moving me along; He didn't give up on me. Stan wrote an article for a Baptist teachers magazine a year later and described someone who walked with the Lord, fell on her face in the mud, and climbed back to her feet again, and went forward and... fell on her face in the mud. How often this took place. He also said it was the climbing out of the mud and back onto her feet that made the difference. And that he trusted that as she grew in the Lord the pattern would simply be the walking.

After all these years, most of the time I can say that is true. Occasionally, I do end up with a little mud on my face, but it wipes off thoroughly ... by the blood of Jesus.

Where would I be if this all had not come to pass 44 years ago? Most certainly no one would know me today. I would have been a victim, or cause of, violence, domestic or otherwise; a suicide statistic; dead from alcohol-based illness. No friends, no family, and, most certainly, no hope for my future.

So the key word today is HALLELUJAH!!

HEADING NORTH... YEA! MT. RAINIER

I'm hitting the road in an hour or so from northern Oregon.  Had a wonderful time here in this past 3 days and will be back in 3 more days.  In the meantime, I'll be all over Tacoma and Seattle.  Spending tomorrow with my blog sister, Gayle Roberts, and Monday on a ferry to Seattle and playing very happily.  Love the Sound and dear family and friends ... but LOVE Mt. Rainier.  Can hardly wait.

I wrote these poems about ten years ago.  They ain't perfect, but just couldn't NOT share them today when I have this mountain on my heart today.

This is what I shared about 3 years ago.  As I've often said now, since I don't have common computer access, I'm often just re-sharing my heart.

=================

At yesterday's service, the last song was I Stand in Awe of You. It's one I like, but I had no idea it was going to overwhelm me. As soon as the lyrics showed on the screen, so did Mount Rainier.-- [An especially wonderful treat to swarm my heart and eyes here in Omaha.] -- A beautiful picture. My favorite sight ... period. Even though I've been blessed to see wonderful, breath-takingly beautiful scenery in other places in the world ... this one is "it" for me. A couple of my sisters who live in the Northwest have told me before that when they see the Mountain in all its glory they think of me and how much I would enjoy that particular sight at that particular moment in time.
I have lots of photos of the Mountain, but even the best of them lacks the true reality of the view.

Back in March, 2003, while I was visiting in Tacoma, a time when seeing the Mountain is not so frequent because of the cloudy spring days, I was seldom able to have the blessing of seeing it. However, there were a couple of times... and I wrote some less than wonderful prose/poetry about it. But decided that I would pop it your direction and you can laugh/roll your eyes and wonder about my addictive personality -- well not "wonder" about it, but have it proven once again.
         

--------------------------

MOUNTAIN GROUPIE

I’ve pleaded with The Creator for just one more look –

 

Climbed atop my car in parking lots to take a photo

sans

 

 

poles and power lines.

I’ve begged for a seat on the Mountain side of a plane

so I could gaze

– just one more time

 

–

When exiting the area.

I’m not sure why any of this is true.

Maybe I have a hole in my faith that needs visual reminders

that no matter the problems

or the challenges

The God Who made the mountain –

Can handle my molehills.

======================================================

MOUNTAIN GROUPIE – PART 2

 

I’ve never thought of myself as a “groupie”

I’m not easily OVERimpressed.

But, today,

on a plane –

rubbernecking and photographing –

I realized

I am an unabashed,

uncontrolled, uninhibited, overawed

Mount Rainier groupie.

I don’t, like some, worship the Mountain,

I worship the Maker of the Mountain –

He who made the rain –

Made Mount Rainier.

 

I’m so glad He did.

=======================================================

FROM THE FERRY

Seattle to Bremerton

I despaired of seeing

“my” Mountain –

Too many gray days,

overcast, clouds plumping

around the sky edges...

BUT – on the ferry – out on Puget Sound –

we broke ‘round an island

and

in majesty

SHE rose off the horizon

– Center stage –

Robed in Light.

 

[I was ready to jump up and down and scream with delight!]

If you’ve never seen The Mountain –

You can’t possibly understand

the rush of awe, of joy,

I find with every encounter.

GAPING-HOLE SOUL.

"HOLEY" HOPEFULNESS

There's a gaping hole in my soul

Big enough to drive a truck through.

It's not a fearful emptiness
No reason for panic

But--

Anticipation -- Breathlessness

WAITING

HOPING


nose-pressed-to-the window

EXPECTING

my God

HIMSELF

to enter in.

 

 

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Wrote this years ago, shared it September, 2010, not long after entering this blog-world.  Since I can only do bits and pieces of posts now, I decided to share this one.  Don't want to NOT spend time with my dear friends. 

Won't be able to be "normal" on my posts for nearly a month. 

Please put up with me.



MY SISTER, NIKI... AGAIN

I'm at Niki' house again.  I reached here last night after about 2000 miles from Omaha and lots of side travel.  One tired cookie.

But wanted to let you know about her again.  My computer is dead and I can't pull photos together, etc., and when I get home in a few weeks, I'll have to show you at least one or so photos.  You'd laugh.  She and her husband and I danced at the reception when the song, "Old Time Rock and Roll" was played.  Both Niki and I expect to have that played at our funerals.  Funny how we both love that song so much.  A few pictures were taken of us dancing.  In August, I'll probably post 50 times that month, with Word and photos and family or other stories.  So, here tis.  Hope you'll love her, too.

===============================

My sister, Niki, turns 60 today. Hard to believe. [I'm older than she is by 4 years and 10 months... so guess where I'm headed... heavy sigh!!] No two people could be much more opposite in character, gift areas, personality strengths and/or weaknesses. And, in these past forty-plus years, we have developed a great deal of respect for each other, which could have been the opposite if the Lord hadn't stepped into my life, especially, and softened me. He also, however, stepped into hers and she began her walk with him just a few years after me. By then, I was living in California ... then Omaha ... then Oklahoma ... and back to Omaha, and, until 25 years ago, when I married my dear husband, I rarely had any real time with my "Tacoma-based" family, through poverty or otherwise, sometimes as long as seven years without seeing them. So, I hardly ever saw Niki from the time she was turning 19 until she was 35. A bit tough to keep up to date, except through the rare phone call or letter.
=========
Here're some stories.
When I was 18, nearly 19, and she had just turned 14, she was staying with me in my apt in Seattle. It was a summer night. I remember the lights were out and we were laying in bed, a slight breeze floating through the window, but too hot to sleep, and she started telling me stories about her school experiences that I had never heard.-- In 2nd grade, the teacher told the children to draw pictures of a pot. Then, row by row, they got up to show them. Niki said she realized she was in trouble, because the first row had pictures of flower pots and tea kettles and coffee pots, and the 2nd row had the same. And when her row got up, she knew she would be the only one with the picture of a toilet.

-- In 8th grade, the class had turned in science reports. She said some parents were helping grade the papers and were sitting in the back of the classroom and started chuckling and passing a report around and she just automatically knew it was hers... and it was. She had said, "A female frog lays its eggs and the male frog sterilizes them."
While she told me these and other stories, I laid there and roared with laughter.

A few weeks later, the Summer of '64, when the Beatles were "new" world-wide stars, and were coming through town, Nik wanted to go see them as they drove through the Seattle World Fair Center on their way to their venue. I wasn't a Beatles fan, and certainly thought this was a waste of time, but she LOVED George Harrison and insisted and I finally caved. I lived only about two miles from that spot, so we walked down Queen Anne hill and I let her go and told her where to come and meet me. WELL, I waited one long time!! When she finally came up, I was ready to nail her for keeping me there so long. But she was so excited she didn't even listen to my grouching at her. She said, "I saw them." And I said, sarcastically, "OF COURSE, you saw them... that's why we came." "No," she said. "I SAW them. A girl was by me in the crowd and had an extra ticket -- and gave it to me!" So, while I was waiting, she was at that concert. Talk about a kind gift to her. We never could have afforded anything like that. I recognized that this was something I couldn't nag her about, so I actually shut up.

I'm not sure when this happened, but it's just a typical Niki -- AND, unfortunately, a typical "me". I was kid watching and she and the younger ones were in their bedroom and there was all this noisy thumping going on, probably jumping from bunk bed to bunk bed, and tossing things around. I went in there hollering something similar to "WHAT'S GOING ON???" Niki sang a line from "It Is No Secret What God Can Do." Her line? "Someone slipped and fell...". She may have been funny, but my response was everything less than that, unfortunately. But, NOW, I grin when I think of it.

In March of '68, when I returned to Tacoma after a very wild year in East St. Louis, while working with an Inner-City Christian organization -- can STILL write crazy stories about that -- my sisters had begun to be invaded with drugs, etc. They were in the 13-to-17 age range. I was 22 and was pretty good at "dressing down" and looked about 16 if I chose to. So I kind of sauntered towards Nik and said, "Hey, take me to one of the parties so I can meet these folks." She said, "No." And I asked why and she said, "Because they will find out that you are there to get their names and find out where they're from so you can turn them into the police, and then they will kill you." I just shrugged and said, "Oh." Because she was absolutely right! I wanted to protect my sisters from being drawn into that dangerous way of life -- and God used her to protect ME.

Then lots happened... most of it not so good ... in lots of our family lives and situations. I'll skip all the "not so good" stuff.

When she was 19 years old, she came to the Lord. I was thrilled when I heard that; wish I'd kept the letter that blessed me with that news.

For years I've referred to her as my "Little House on the Prairie" sister. She has lived in places I would never have dreamed would be a possibility:

-- She had recently remarried and she and her husband and her 3 older kids lived on a piece of property in the area of Mount Rainier. They had built several lean-to style units... a kitchen, storage and outhouse, some bedrooms ... separated by a bit of a pathway. About as "pioneer"-style as most of us can imagine. The area around it was gorgeous. However, when winter hit, it was too challenging and had to be abandoned after a stretch of time, first temporarily working around winter, and then permanently.
-- They built a log cabin up in the wilderness portion of north-central WA, not far from the Canadian border. I visited once. Comfortable, though unfancy house -- in the attached photo you will see the bathtub. And no indoor toilet. The outhouse was doorless so the "inhabitant" could enjoy looking out over the hills and lovely scenery... it WAS turned away from the house, so no one could see directly into it, but I still was nervous about using it so "openly."

-- They lived in an RV in a small community near the Columbia River west of Portland. Niki's older three, children of her former husband, had all moved on in life. With her "Mount Rainier" husband, she now had three girls. The girls' bedroom was the space over the cab. I visited one afternoon, during a drive along the Columbia; there most certainly wouldn't have been room to spend the night.

And other homes, places, until a few years ago, Niki was always adjusting to something unusual. In a way, still is. But what amazes me about her is that she is always able to be creative with art work (hers and others) and makes certain that the walls aren't just plain ol', plain ol'; flexible in what is available for use and what isn't; adjusting her cooking and cleaning patterns depending on where she is and what her options are. As I said, it amazes me. "Me" would definitely not be "She" in those ways.

About twenty years ago we finally came up with a good way to describe our "approach to life" difference. As kids, when we woke up in the morning, Niki would think, with excitement and joy, "OH, another DAY!!!" I would wake up and think, buried in depression, fear, and anger, "Oh, another day!"

What else does Niki do? She speaks for Stonecroft in the WA/OR area. She ministers to people who have tough and rough backgrounds or are dealing with drug and alcohol addictions. She has homeschooled for years, plays guitar, sings, LOVES to dance, draws, writes cartoony funny stuff. When we're together every couple of years we try to head for the Oregon coast -- she only lives about 30 miles from Astoria -- and we go to Cannon Beach and spend the day walking and talking --- talking over each other and interrupting each other --- and laughing and laughing and laughing and praying and praying and praying and singing and singing and singing some more. All intermixed with serious discussions about the present and our hopes for the future.

[Oh, just so you know. She's not perfect! Darn! I bet she seemed that way as I was telling the stories. But she's one good woman!]

I'll be seeing her in July and am already planning my day with her, just because I know I can be myself, "what"ever and "who"ever that is. I know we will laugh; she breaks through my seriosity and, as a result, MY humorous and funny side comes out that others tend to miss. And because of that, her girls and husband enjoy me, too, and I'm quite welcome to their world. Rather nice, doncha think?

SO, dear Sis... happy birthday. You're a joy!!