Life Lessons

With the final stages of the Inspire Mililani Church renovation & winter break here, Alisa wanted to help dad at the church last Friday.  Since no kiddies are invited to help, the G girls came to stay with Gma.  We watched some cartoons, ate Christmas goodie leftovers & worked on their scrapbooks.  The word for the day was BLESSING and we talked about how we can bless others & identify when we have been blessed by someone else.  I was still addressing & writing notes in my handmade Christmas cards & inserting this year's Christmas letter & picture.

I decided to make Oatmeal Toffee Cookies (from the Heath Toffee Bits bag) & use the leftover caramel apple toppings.  Made 5 dozen from one batch--happy, happy.  Packaged them in 5 bags, attached a tag & card & went around to make the deliveries.  Someone was home at every stop & the girls were encouraged to say 'Happy New Year'.   Blessing 101.

On Saturday, Mrs. Loo came down the driveway with a bag of my favorite avocados & also to check out the walls which Cliff pointed out was just right for sitting.  She found a spot in the shade & we had a nice visit.

On Sunday, Cliff served on the video team which meant we left the house @ 6:30am.  I needed to catch up on my Daily Bread devotions & read 'Letter to a Child':

   Even at the end of his life, C. S. Lewis showed an interest in the spiritual nurture of younger believers.  Although in ill health, he took time to respond to the letter of a child named Philip.  Complimenting the boy's fine written expression, Lewis said he was delighted that Philip understood that in the Narnia Chronicles the lion, Aslan represented Jesus Christ.  The next day, Lewis died at his home in the Kilns, Oxford, England, one week before his 65th birthday.
   The apostle John, in his later years, sent a letter to his spiritual children.  In it we see the joy of a mature believer encouraging his spiritually younger disciples to keep walking in the truth and following Christ.
   John wrote, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (3 John 1:4).  Short by New Testament standards, John's letter demonstrates the joy that comes in nurturing and watching the next generation's spiritual growth.
   Encouraging spiritual understanding in the next generation should be the pursuit of mature believers. Sending a note of appreciation, giving a word of encouragement, praying, or offering sound advice can all be ways of helping others on their spiritual journey with God.--Dennis Fisher
  To help another in Christ to grow
   You have to pay a price
   It takes the giving of yourself
   And that means sacrifice.--D DeHaan
THE JOURNEY IS BETTER WITH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THE WAY.

   I was so refreshed & confirmed that the simple act of baking cookies can become some avocados which became the yummiest guacamole shared with church staff.  God teaches me in so many little ways.  I've been blessed.  It's like a game of tag, you're it.  He wants us to bless people who will in turn do likewise.  Multiplication.  Contagious.  My mango flowers are popping up on both trees as I look out my window.  What opportunities will they bring?

Thankful2

http://www.smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a67354e54637a4e7a453d0d0a&blogview=true

We'll see if this works.

Plumerias, H3, the Garmin, OCC & Focus on the Family

Looked out my kitchen window at the desk that my sweetie made for me & saw these flowers glistening in the afternoon sun.  Too high to take a photo from the front so this is what I saw.  The leaves have fallen from the tree (it's fall in Hawaii or has winter started?) but a few flower clusters remain for my enjoyment.  Thank you Lord for these flowers that remind me of you.  So simple, humble & when you get close the most beautiful fragrance.

So I signed up to serve at the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center again this year.  Last year was my first time & it was in Kapolei.  'Assuming' it was in the same place, I wanted to verify through the facebook page that was very active last year--nothing.  So I found the e-mail confirmation & began my search.  It was now to be at 905 Kalanianaole Hwy, Kailua, Hawaii.  So I looked it up online and instructions said that it was off the H3, take exit 13A.  On the map, the little marker looked like it was in the middle of nowhere with no streets.  I put the address in the Garmin.

Needed gas so left before 8.  The mountains on the H3 were misty & pretty.  I turned on the radio & found Focus on the Family (8 am 99.5 The Word).  Speaker was Debbie Cherry speaking on the subject of Strong Willed Wives.  I so enjoyed hearing her though I don't think I would be considered one.  Turned on the GPS after I got near the tunnel.  Was basking in God's amazing creation & then she says to take exit 11 to Kailua.?  Well okay.  So I'm driving past HPU, it's 8:44 & I should arrive at 8:46.  Turn right at Auloa then left at the light then right back the same way I just came to turn right at Kapaa Quarry Road.  Okay, I see Les Jardins school on the left and she says I've arrived.?  So I keep driving the whole road till I came out the other side, got on Mokapu Saddle Road turned right on Oneawa, drove through Kailua town and all the way to the Castle Hospital junction & see that Kalanianaole Hwy is the street that came from Waimanalo--so I turn right & think, maybe it's behind the hospital?  wrong so I turn around & take Kalanianaole to Waimanalo & drive to the town looking for a place to park & consult my phone GPS this time to see if I will have a better perspective of where this warehouse is.  I try again & I end up turning at Auloa road this time I turn around and then follow the road to Luana Hills golf course where the guard suggests I go to the firestation for directions.  I drive around a little subdivision, find Kalanianaole, the firestation looks closed/no one there & I wander about behind the Youth Correctional Center--beautiful estates...  I'm in Waimanalo again, drive by my Grandma's/Uncle's house on Humuniki Place.  I am completely bewildered at this point and in need of a restroom so I decide to go home.

When I get home, I open up the e-mail again & find the map (felt like a dummy) that shows it is actually on Kapaa Quarry PLACE!  Why oh why?  Anywho, I call up the number & ask if I could be rescheduled & she put me on for Friday--same time 9 to 1.  Lesson learned:check the provided map first also it wasn't the GPS's fault.

Everything went well on Friday & listened to Focus & heard Sheri Rose Shepherd "Preparing Sons to Be Great Husbands & Fathers pt 2.  I was ever so blessed & had some tears too.  Listened to part 1 this morning & she has an 'only God' testimony.  Her son serves/served at the LA Dream Center!  I so understand now why I had to go twice.

Had a lovely time at the processing center.  Met Akiko who after talking with her at a water break, is Amanda Frazier's mom.  So Blessed.

overcast skies

We've been home for a week now,  On the day we left, Oct 23, saw the first mango flowers of the season on the white pirie tree,  Today, I saw a few clusters of flowers on the shibata tree,  Oh happy day!  I will need to pray for my trees.  How I've missed their lovely fruit & grateful for the shade they provide in our new sitting area.  What a pretty day to work in the yard, overcast, slight breeze, not too hot.  Perfect.  My sweetie just ran the weed wacker around the sidewalks and down the stairs.
Went to Paala'akai bakery for some pastries & got a few for Patti & Tim.  They looked so delighted to have them.  They've been hard at work in their yard too.  An eclair & ensemada.  I advised them to refrigerate & cut them in half.
Pulled some weeds.  Savoring the sounds & sights of our home/yard...the roosters, sirens, birds, cars on the freeway.
Koa Ridge.  Does God have a place for us there?  I'm thinking the only way I'd leave here is if we are able to get another place that I would love.

Being a Higa Girl

Two ladies came to my door today to share with me the Awake magazine.  The Japanese lady in back recognized me right away & said, "you're a Higa girl?"  I said yes & we proceeded to talk about my sister, Harriet, married to Jerviss.  She didn't know I had two more older sisters & a brother.  She still lives in Waipio on Waimakua Place.  Think the family moved into the house that Harriet's friend, Barbara lived in long ago.
Yes, we were known as the 'Higa Girls' by the neighbors and friends that knew our family.  Goodness, it's been 55 years since mom & dad bought their first house in Waipio Acres & now we are back in the 'hood' for Inspire Church--Cliff working on the demolition of the old parts (almost done) & will be involved in the renovation to soundproof & air condition the sanctuary, etc.  I am hoping to be involved with Hospitality (what a great kitchen) & Greeting.  Believing God is placing me there because of my history & the good memories there.  Yes, there are areas that are run down but also newly built homes.  Fields ripe for the harvest.

"Everything will be okay in the end...if it's not okay, it's not the end."

Reunion Fun

Somehow I missed the meeting notices for reunion planning all these months until I saw classmate Roz having lunch on June 21.  She told me about the meeting that night.  So I went & of course volunteered for this and that.  Next meeting July 7, hadn't done anything except to decide that I would be making a photo frame with watercolor paper & backing it with a 20x30"x1/2" foamcore board I had used before (covered with fabric) as a place to pin nametags for a gathering.  So, the night before the reunion, I cut out my wording on the Silhouette, matted them,  laminated all, cut them apart then attached the little flags to chop sticks with duct tape.  Couldn't figure out right away how to affix the date since I wanted to be able to use it for our October reunion in Las Vegas & had to change the Class of '68 & Class of '69.  Found three small clothespins that I would use to hang Christmas cards on garland & glued them in place.  Design solutions!

I used my old blow pens to blow light blue to the sides to mimic clouds & it hit me that I should make a rainbow across the top.  All-occasion right?  With pencil, I sketched the lines which didn't go well at first but took my ruler & measured one inch increments & joined the lines.  Then painted with h2o paints while watching Mrs. Doubtfire.  I'm really happy at how it all turned out.  Also remember talking to Jo-Lin earlier in the day & how an older lady had advised her to finish the back of the projects she did.  To clean up the inner cut of the foamcore, I found 5/8" white satin ribbon & glued with Tacky the morning of .

In all my thinking/planning/reminiscing for the reunion, I realize how affected I have been by my upbringing--kinda rural, simple, innocent.
...that Waipio Acres where our family moved to in 1958 is where my memory begins.
...that Kipapa School & the teachers, kids are significant threads in my tapestry;
...Wahiawa Intermediate enlarges my world to include the town of Wahiawa (no Mililani Town until the year I graduate in '68), riding the bus, meeting kids from Schofield, Kunia, Wahiawa El, Whitmore, Helemano, Poamoho, Kaala;
...and then there was high school--dances at the Armory, football games that we attended but didn't watch cause we were so busy checking each other out--or hoping we'd be checked out, clubs, annuals, Mr. Yagi's geometry class, Mrs. Yagi's French classes, (I saw them a couple of weeks ago at Costco), Miss Molina's spanish class (which I did not take but she was an advisor & we hung out in her class), fishnet stockings, hawaiian print jams, bell bottoms, long hair with a part in the middle, The Young Rascals' Groovin', the Beach Boys...
...church on Sundays & church camp during the summer.  Sweet, important memories.
...Leeward Community College:meeting first at a former elementary school in Pearl City before the campus ready, sitting on kiddie chairs, playing my tunes on a cassette player with shoulder strap, being introduced to The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Jose Feliciano, Wes Montgomery, Van Morrison...
...meeting my sweetie at the Clock Drive In, getting engaged a month after we met, married four months later when still 19 & he was 22.  Ahh, another chapter.

And then in all of these pleasant memories, I knew then & know still that God has been so Good to me.  I don't know why.  Surely I have not done anything to deserve his blessings.  He is Faithful & Gracious.  That's why I am grateful.

Getting Myself in Order

Goodness, so much to do, so little time.  A month away from the arrival of my six houseguests: brother Jim or Junior, wife Alice, son Branden, wife Tori, & their kids: Kai and little Maile.  We've known they were coming for Jim's 50th class reunion--Leilehua High School Class of '63.  My 45th is coming up in two weeks:LHS Class of '68.  Since we're five years apart, we celebrate in the same year.  Had a nice conversation with him today about the coming Event.  Took notes on all the things they wanted to do, eat, who to see, where to go.  Getting excited!

Been very busy cleaning up, moving things from room to room, tossing out the old, making bags of things to give away, FINDING things--my favorite!, adjusting shelves, repurposing drawers, discarding--letting go of what I'll never get to; making my sewing space more efficient, workable/sensible.  It's good to be retired.  I am actually accomplishing more in the last weeks since we returned from our month long vacation than almost the whole time since I first retired.  It feels so good--finally.  Little lessons I'm learning are to: work in an area for a little while, if I see something that needs to be put in it's designated space, take it right then.

Grateful for Ju who has gotten all the Outreach groups at church to record monthly activities on the Google Drive.  I'm studying how to use it & think it will be useful for Threads of Hope, Bread for the Hungry book, Higa Ohana '13 Vol 2.  The only thing is the learning/teaching others how to use it.  Makes plenty sense that all can edit, add directly.  Would even be good for the Propel E & I Servant Care organization.  Will have to mention to Naomi or just set something up and send it to her in that form.

Gramma's School 2013

This is a test.  Trying for the first time to include a Smilebox to the blog.  Here goes:
http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a557a4d6a55354d6a513d0d0a&blogview=true

Cool.  Finally after like five tries.  "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."  Who said that?  I remember hearing, memorizing that from when I was young.

Happy New Year 2013!

This first month of the year just about gone already.  It's been so busy with our Arise Women's Conference at church Jan 16-18 with great speakers: Andi Andrews, Lisa & John Bevere, & our Pastor Lisa Kai.  I am so full with all the downloads that God has flooded my mind & heart.

Ivey encouraged me to include this scripture in our Threads of Hope brochure: 

Luke 10:2 These were his instructions to them: "Plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers to help you, for the harvest is so plentiful and the workers so few.

I heard it more than once during the conference--confirmation!

Here are a few of the God-thot downloads that I got:
1  "Use what you have" ministry--Helping sisters to 'do the best you can with what you have'=skills, voice, resources, stashes, etc. to bless others as well as themselves; connecting them with others who need what they have (or don't even know what they have)=cooking, sewing, mothering, writing; discovering their potential when given to God what amazing things await.

2  Starting up my blog again & calling it "What Have I Learned?" or "Talking to Myself" or "Learning What NOT to do Next time" or "Note to Self:".  I'm surprised to think that I have something to offer someone else in the way of advice or encouraging words.  In school & since, I have been intimidated with writing, journaling, letter writing...never sure of myself, that what I said would be grammatically correct, et al.  But looking back, I think I've done okay for myself & will give it a try.

3  Work on my 62 Lists instead of a bucket list (sounds so end of life) or resolutions or even goals.  
I have put the names of my bff of 42 years first; 
2 first born 3 first born's spouse 4 first born's first born 5 first born's second born 
6 second born 7 second born's spouse 8 second born's first born 9 second born's second born 
10 third born's 11 third born's spouse 12 third born's first born 13 third born's second born 14 third born's third born 
15 fourth born 16 fourth born's spouse  
then siblings
then church
then friends
then Sewing
then other crafting
then places I'd like to do
food I'd like to eat/cook
Another recipe-family story book

My plate is full.  Grateful to be retired, healthy, able to wake up each day to serve Him in my own little ways, ahh...bliss.

Found this link to a video through Dress a Girl Around the World on facebook--sharing with you:
http://www.oprah.com/oprahs-lifeclass/Pastor-Rick-Warren-Compares-Life-to-a-Game-of-Poker-Video  
Hope you watch the whole episode...it get's even better.  no complaining...