What I Shared At Mother's Funeral

Mother was an avid reader.
She read for herself and also read to us children, many times for an hour
every night.
She read us Bible stories, The Little House Series, and other classics.
She'd read until her voice got hoarse and then one of us would jump up
and get her some water so she could read some more.

She wrote down poetic thoughts on little pieces of paper and
when they came together in the way she liked,
she sometimes sent the finished poem to Gospel Herald
or Purpose magazine.
The editors recognized her ability to capture beauty
in everyday life and many of her works were published.

She kept a diary of our family life and described
our childhood antics and words.
She called this diary, "All in a Day."

She also kept a Devotional Journal in which she recorded
her Biblical insights and favorite quotes
from other writers.

Several years ago, I began to blog portions of her
Devotional Journals, using her chosen pen name,
I.B.Lieve.

As a matter-of-fact, when I recently told my mother
that people from all around the world were reading her
writings that I had blogged,
she shook her head and said,
"I can't think of anything I have written
that anyone would want to read."

The first poem I'm going to read was written
about me when I was 3 or 4 years old
upon finding a purple weed in the asparagus patch.
It was published in The Gospel Herald, June 4, 1963.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TO A WEED

You're just a lowly, common weed
Casting forth unwanted seed
But, then, one shining, golden hour
You changed into a lovely flower.
A little girl had chanced your way,
Stooped to touch you and to pray,
"Thank-you, God, for this flower I've found."
I felt I stood on holy ground.

Weed though you may be,
Henceforth I'll touch you
reverently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STORYTIME

Our house isn't as big
As the one next door
We need paint on the walls
And rugs on the floor
But I am as rich as rich can be
I have a mother who reads to me.

We have a big yard
But it isn't as neat
As lots of the other lawns
On our street
But I am content as I can be
I have a mother who reads to me.

And we do not have
The best thing in clothes
The shirt that I'm wearing
Used to be Joe's
But I am as proud as I can be
I have a mother who reads to me.

Oh, we do not own
A shiny, new car
With push-button windows
And hydraulic power
But I am happy as I can be
I have a mother who reads to me.

Our trips never take us
Far out-of-the-way
My dad doesn't have his
vacations with pay
But I have trips across the sea
Since I have a mother who reads to me.

(Written in the 1950's)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mother recently recited the following poem to Rosalee.

HYACINTHS

Oh, gathered clumps
Of the rainbow's hue;
Though it was enough,
He gave perfume, too.

(Published in Gospel Herald in the 1960's)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(When "Winter Storm" was published on the cover of Purpose magazine,
my Grandpa Diffy was really proud of Mother and her poem!
December 7, 1980)

WINTER STORM

Soft Snow Sifted Soundlessly
through Sodden Starless Skies
While Winter Winds Waited
till the Whiteness
was Wide and Deep.
Then Blew Boisterously
Billowing into Beauty
Boulders
that Blotted out
old Ruts and Scars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And my favorite.

AND WHEN THEY HAD SUNG A HYMN
Matthew 26:30

Wouldn't you like to have heard Him sing?
This man from Galilee,
The Creator of the universe,
The Master of land and sea,
Savior of the sick and sinful,
Bringing hope and harmony.
Wouldn't you like to have heard Him sing
That night before Calvary?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This poem was published in the Gospel Herald
in the 1960's.

A WAY OF ESCAPE

A way of escape
When the burdens press
And the spirit grows heavy
With the strain and the stress?

A way of escape
When the heart freezes with fear
As we watch o'er a loved one
And death seems so near?

A way of escape
When temptations come fast
And we weaken and tremble
Beneath the strong blast?

Yes, He has promised.
Relax in His care.
In a way least expected
He'll answer your prayer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now I'd like to share some thoughts from her devotional journal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Darkness and God
"The people stood afar off, while Moses drew near
to the thick darkness where God was." Ex. 20:21

What a contrast. And what courage Moses had.
I'm sure all his previous experiences with God
enabled him to do this.
God and darkness do not seem compatible.
How does this relate to those dark times in our lives?
Certainly, He is there, for one thing.

I would rather go into the darkness where God is
than to follow that 'angel of light' to where He is not.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In My Boat

The disciples were rowing the boat across the Sea of Galilee
and 'the sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.'

But when Jesus came to them,
walking on the rough sea,
and got into the boat with them,
'immediately the boat was at the land
to which they were going.'

What an experience that must have been.

From severe struggles to an instant arrival
at their destination.

And I wonder about that.

Does He do today for His disciples?

Or does He stay with us in the storm
till we reach our destination?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catch up Thanksgivings

I've been forgetting to number and write down my thanksgivings list. From what I can figure, I am ready for number 763. I've got to crack down and keep record because Danielle is treating all those in the KNIT group who reach 1000 Thanks by the first of July to Sweet Frog frozen yogurt. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 763-I am thankful for all of the prayers that have been prayed for my family these past weeks. 764-I am thankful for the wonderful woman I've known all of my life-my mother. 765-I am thankful for the letters I wrote that she saved. Especially the few sentences written in 2007-"I pray that you will not die from this disease...that you will fall asleep in Him...and you will, at the right time, and not a moment sooner. So live and breathe and move and have your being in Him, because you will just go to sleep in one room, and wake up in another." 766-God answered that prayer. I am overwhelmingly thankful that He did. 767-For the verse mother had claimed for me, written in back of one of her journals, "Those who fear the Lord, receive from Him." 768-For Freedom in my soul 769-For the depth of those at church who have been through much recent suffering and for how very real they are. 770-Sunday Evening Popcorn 771-For flowers replanted from Mother's garden into mine. 772-For this Sabbath Rest 773-That Micah is running around, free from pain and disability 774-Getting to see Michael today for a few hours and falling asleep on the easy chair while he played the guitar. 775-Dictionaries and 776-The Strong's Concordance 777-Finding 'Blue Like Jazz' for 50 cents at Re-uzit. I've been wanting to read it. 778-For the books from Mother's library with her markings and exclamation points to glean from. 779-For her New King James Version Life Application Bible. I started at the beginning and am going to read everything she has marked and underlined. It makes her seem near. 780-For face book and the way it helps me keep in touch with friends like Gil and Lindsay and their two little girls.

Scammed

I want to tell you about a scam that happened to one of Phil's relatives. I told this man that I wanted to write about it. Uncle P. got a phone call. The man on the line said that he was his grandson,(I'll call him 'Ryan') and that he was in jail in Bolivia, for getting into a car accident. He needed $2500 wired to him right away so he could post bail. He made it sound like he wasn't safe. Uncle P' said, jokingly, 'So you're doing the jail house rock,' and 'Ryan' said, "Grandpa, it's not funny." He also had told him not to let his parents know about this because he didn't want them to worry. So, the rest of the day, Uncle P. spent at two different places trying to send money to 'Ryan's' lawyer in Bolivia. Western Union refused to do it. They said that Uncle P. was being scammed. When the lawyer called back to see if the money had been sent, Uncle P. asked him lots of questions. After awhile, the 'lawyer' hung up. Then Uncle P. made some phone calls. He called his daughter and then his grandson, who was alive and well an hour away. 'How could I have been so foolish?' Uncle P. asked. I think it was because of two things. He was harmless as a dove and trustworthy. And he loved his grandson and was scared for him. Trust and Love-based-Fear. Some conniving person used those two human qualities and emotions to try to scam Phil's uncle. I wonder how many people they've scammed. I forgot to say that somehow, they got a recording of 'Ryan's' voice, and using a computer program, were able to sound just like him. So, be careful. It's a jungle out there. Be as wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove, and if someone calls you with a wild story, call them on their cell to see if it's really them.