Birthdays....Dates.....and Such

Birthdays are always special to me. Especially mine. As a child, Mom would make a special meal and for dessert, cake, of course! My grandpa and grandma would usually be there, journeying some eighty miles. I loved it when my birthday fell on a Sunday. No school with lots of attention at church.

My tenth birthday fell on a Sunday. A brilliant sun was out with deep blue skies. Most early May days were like that. After church on this day, we went to the zoo. I'm certain Mom and Dad gave me a gift. But the one I remember the most--and still possess--was a brand new zippered King James  Bible. It had both testaments in it and best of all, lots of pictures.  There was one of Adam and Eve being ushered out of the Garden of Eden. Noah and his ark. Daniel in the lion's den. David killing Goliath. The New Testament featured pictures of Jesus healing the sick. Teaching. Loving children. Dying on the cross. There was a picture of the empty tomb. Many times when my mind wandered at church, I looked at those scenes and never tired of seeing them. I used that Bible all through my childhood. There were notes from sermons I took in my childish scrawl. Growing older, they had a more rounded script, the i's dotted with circles. And though I don't use that Bible anymore, it's right there on the shelf.

Though my birthday is in the spring, many of my immediate family members celebrate their day in the fall. Special days in September are the 11th, 17th, 26th and 30th. October has quite a few, too. 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 9th. Today, September 26 is Bill Rudberg's birthday. Bill was my husband of forty years and the father of my children.

Do they celebrate birthdays in heaven? I'm not sure, but I'd like to think so. We're the same person there as we are here. This would be Bill's 9th celebration up there. 

Birthdays are important dates to remember. To honor the person we love and cherish. To show them how much they are loved. I think it's good to remember those who aren't here on earth anymore, too. So today, on September 26, I will remember Bill. Happy birthday, Bill! We remember you. Love you. Miss you. And we'll see you again someday. At the banquet table!

Yellowstone, Old Faithful, and First Dates

One week ago today, we were in Yellowstone National Park enjoying it with our daughter and family along with other students enrolled in a special outdoor school. Two teachers, who were experts in volcanoes and geology gave us many insights where we saw firsthand the many sights at the Park. It was a wonderful time as we enjoyed God's creation. Here are a few of the sights:

Bison, casually grazing right next to our car

Firehole Falls

Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Falls

Paint Pots

Thursday, September 4, was a  special day.  It was the first anniversary of our first date. While driving through the national park, we reminisced about the day. It was September 4, 2013, during a meeting that I saw my silenced cell phone brighten up with an incoming call. It had no personal identity, but I noticed it was a 503 area code--the Portland area. Could this be that guy from Corbett? The one whose voice I'd never heard. Whose face I'd only seen in a still photo? I quickly left the meeting to check my messages. Indeed, it was Jim! I called him back and we arranged to meet at a Portland coffee shop at 12:30 pm. I was a little late--it was 12:34--when I walked toward the shop. I scanned the people sitting outdoors and didn't see anyone who resembled Jim. I quickly made my way inside the crowded room to find this Corbett guy. There was a man halfway standing up, peering over the crowd across the room. It looked like it might be my date. I walked up to him and said, "Are you Jim?"

"I sure am!" He said. Quickly he flipped his laptop open, looked at a photo of me, nodded his head as if confirming  it was me displayed on the screen. He stood, offered his hand to shake mine and said. "You must be Shirley! What can I get for you?" We drank our coffee--mine was a cappuccino, he had a latte. We talked and talked and talked. The date lasted for more than two hours. Before we concluded our date, Jim asked for another--and that's part of the story. If you've been reading my blogs, you know that on December 7th, we were married.

Let's fast forward to this September 4, 2014, when we were at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. We pulled into the Visitor's Center and saw that in only 10 minutes, Old Faithful geyser would erupt. We quickly walked out to the site and waited with many other people in the clear sunny skies. Soon, it began smoking and sputtering and in no time, it was spewing hundreds of gallons of water up into the air. People around us were clapping and oohing and ahhing at the sight. Soon, it slowly came to a stop and it was done--for another ninety minutes. As we walked back toward the Visitor Center, Jim looked at his watch. Old Faithful erupted at exactly 1:34 pm, Mountain Time. That meant it was 12:34 pm Pacific Time. One year later, at the exact time of our first meeting Old Faithful erupted and helped us celebrate that wonderful meeting! Was it coincidence? Maybe. But maybe, just maybe, it was just another nod from God and His sense of perfect timing to remind us of His love for us and also remind us how much He loves us as individuals.

Old Faithful, beginning to erupt

Either way. I love the coincidence. Happy first anniversary of our first date, Jim! I'm so glad I said yes!

Celebrating our first at the Bear Pit at Yellowstone Inn