"I lift up my eyes..."

"I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord,the Maker of heaven and earth."Psalm 121:1-2

God's creative beauty is seen in Norway.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1

Yet, all the grandeur of the mountains, the beauty of the spring flowers, the majesty of the rushing streams, or the peace of the valleys does not compare with the creative mystery of the human soul. 

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14

Train up a child...

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." I have known the truth of this Bible verse as it speaks to parents and seen it "in action" with my own chidren but does it also apply to grandparents? What is a grandparent's role? I have heard it said that a grandparent can spoil their grandchild all day then return them to their parents to do the hard work of training. This might sound like fun, after all, haven't we as grandparents already "put in our time" raising our own children? Yet as Hunter and I spend time with our 8, soon to be 9, grandchildren I see this verse as applying to a grandparent's responsibilities too. So how do we do this effectively? 

One day, thinking about this question, I complained to my son-in-law that I just couldn't run after the boys like I used to do-physically I was slowling down, largely due to my disease and I was a bit depressed at the prospect of limitations that would affect my relationship with my grandchldren. He responded by explaining that it is not so much what I DO with the kids as just my presence WITH them. Quality and quanity of time does not necessarily have to translate into physical activity. In other words even from a wheelchair, a bed, or 1000s of miles apart we, as grandparents, can "train" our grandchildrren. We just have to be creative and recognize our important role in their lives and seek out ways to be part of their world. So any grandparents reading this remember, you are needed in the lives of your grandchildren. Be involved and you will be training!

Tickle time!

Water fun in 100 degree heat!

Biking together!

Trampoline jumping!

Biking in Europe-The Netherlands-day 7(The End)

On the final day of our bike ride we experienced picture perfect weather. Even I removed my jacket and  felt the warm breezes off the beaches of the North Sea.

A final glimpse of a towering windmill was bittersweet as we crossed a portion of the sea in a large ferry.

At the ferry ticket office it was necessary for us to show a voucher in order to board the ferry boat. Without the voucher to exchange for a ticket we would be denied passage to the other shore. While enjoying the views during the crossing I was reminded of the verse in 2 Corinthians 1:22: "He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put His spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." I have a guaranteed voucher which will safely transport me from earthly death to the shores of God's heavenly kingdom! Praise God for freely giving this gift to me through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus! Be certain, you, too, have that all important voucher!!

 Brugge, Belgium was our final destination and we arrived by early afternoon. Deb and I then had three goals in mind: experience the sites of the market square with its magnificent architecture, eat REAL Belgium waffles and buy lots of Belgium chocolates. Mission accomplished!

A delicious good bye to a memorable vacation!

Biking in Europe-the Netherlands-days 5 & 6

As the temps begin to rise and the clouds give way to more sun biking becomes more comfortable and the countryside beauty more vivid. The Netherlands has a fluid mixture of water and land, wildlife and grazing herds of cattle, horses, Shetland ponies, sheep, goats, and even an occational lama thrown in for good measure. There is beauty on both sides of the dikes, as well as historical buildings galore!

Biking in Europe-The Netherlands-day 4

Cold and wind were the words to describe this day! We shivered and battled a strong northeast wind for hours. No other choice is possible when on a bike tour-forge ahead. To add "insult to injury" we got lost, for three hours! The biking company provided portable GPS devises for each bike but there was no alternate routes when you encountered bike trail construction! In and around the town of Dordrecht two sections of the designated trail were blocked. Before we finally located an alternate route we crossed one bridge three times and asked at least 8 different Dutch citizens which direction to follow!

When we finally left the area we looked across a field and discovered we could still see last night's hotel, (after 3 hours on the bike!).

Yet in the midst of this tough day we discovered two little spots of rest and rejuvenation. Around 1:00 p.m. we all realized our stomachs were demanding some food but the size of the little hamlets we were biking through did not warrant restaurants. Our supply of fruit was gone so Larry approached a local and with little language skill demonstrated our need to eat using hand gestures. (He is quite clever!) The Dutch lady understood and pointed to a cheese and snack truck located not eveb a block away. Could cheese, salami, and a few strange crackers taste so good?? Then an hour later with cold hands and wind blown faces we happened upon an Asian-run coffee shop. Generally I don't drink coffee but a warm cup with a cookie was the perfect jolt to energize.

For me, it was another "God thing"- providing just what was needed at the right time! "My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

Biking in Europe--The Netherlands-Day 3

Windmills are the iconic symbol of Hollland. We rode through a town which boasts 19 of them: Kinderdijk. Kinderdijk is the name of a town in the province of South-Holland. Two rivers, the ‘Noord’ and the ‘Lek’ come together here. Nowhere in the world can you find so many windmills together. The mills used to pump the overflow of water out of the Alblasserwaard polders (which are below sea level), into the river Lek. River the ‘Lek’ is connected to the North Sea. These windmills were constructed around 1740 and now are on UNESCO's world heritage list.

Besides the windmills sheep are everywhere. Loved observing the many varieties. Little did I realize they were all unique. I was often reminded of Psalm 23.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside the still waters,

He restores my soul.

He leads in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil,

You are with me.

Your rod and staff will comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil,

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"

I am happy to be a sheep in the "herd" of Jesus, my shepherd!

Biking in Europe-The Netherlands-day 2

Serenity

After Amsterdam's teeming crowds of people and noise on Saturday night the quiet of our early morning ride out of the city was extremely pleasant! We rode over dikes with views of grazing sheep, horses, ponies, dairy cows, swans and a seemingly manicured countryside. The dikes were not for bikes exclusively so we road around pedestrians, motorbikes, and even cars covering the entire width of the dike!

Along the route we feasted on a delicious traditional dish called poffertjes, small powdered sugar covered pancakes and fresh mint tea.

Along this day's route we boarded a ferry for a quiet, peaceful hour long ride through lovely little canals full of blooming lily pads and teaming with a wide assortment of wild life. It was a precious time to quietly reflect on God's amazing creation!