Light Will Come.....

There were shepherds camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them.

Luke 2:9

Yesterday, we sat in the glorious twinkle of our beautiful tree. There were a few candles lit, the fire was also giving off a warm glow, but it was the beautiful twelve foot tree with its hundreds of twinkling lights that bathed the room in sparkling light. It was early so we had the lights down low to adjust to the new day. All of a sudden, there was a flicker, and the lights on the tree disappeared! Jim fiddled with the connections, we checked up into the tree to make sure everything was plugged in—they were. Yet the tree was still dark. 

After a few minutes of fussing in exasperation, Jim called the number for this guaranteed-to-stay-lit-tree. The tech determined we needed a new part. They promised to send us one in ten to twelve days. “What!” I fumed. “Christmas will be nearly over! We’re having company tomorrow night. This isn’t at all what I wanted!” After a few more moments of conversation with this crisp voice most likely in India where they don’t celebrate Christmas anyway, Jim convinced him to overnight our needed part. We shall see if it comes in time for our gathering. 

Still frustrated, I glanced over at the shelf where a small light was focused on the nativity set nearby. It seemed bright, even in the darkened room. And it reminded me how dark our world would be without the Savior of the world entering our space. Our beautiful tree is dark. And the world is dark. But there is hope, right around the corner. Born in a little town wa-a-a-y across the world, a Savior was born. It most likely was quite dim. Little did most people know, the Light of the World was in that space.  

We will have light again on our tree. We will either pack it back into its boxes and get another one from the store. Or we’ll wait for that part. Either way, we can glance at the little stable and see the intense light. And the promise of a Savior. 

God is So Faithful

Today is our second wedding anniversary. At our wedding service we sang as a congregation a hymn that has much meaning to both of us. I like this stanza:

Great is thy faithfulness! 

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed, thy hand hath provided;

Great is thy faithfulness! Lord unto me.

I thought it would be fun to chronicle this past year. It has been full of adventures of many kinds. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves:

We took our first cruise on our first wedding anniversary

Yes, a large cruise ship--we loved it.

Champagne breakfast on our deck in the Panama Canal

We were spoiled

After the elective surgery in January, Jim took extra good care of Shirley. In May, we went camping in our new RV and when I was stepping up into the RV, I tripped, fell, and shattered my ankle. It was very serious, but again, I had excellent care from Jim. He took those vows very seriously.

Shirley had elective surgeries

And some not planned...

But God was with me and healing began...

We traveled to Disneyland with the Sagert family--in a wheelchair.  Proudly watched Sarah Rudberg graduate with honors from Kings High School.

Went to Disneyland with the Sagert branch of the family.

Fabulous teaching on the cruise with Chuck Swindoll

That didn't stop us from taking a memorable Inspiration Cruise with Chuck Swindoll

Throughout this year, Shirley, with Jim's encouragement, completed her book.

We took the time to re-enact our first date two years later on September 4. 

Early October, we took a road trip and find we love driving the roads of our beautiful country. Here are some photos from that memorable trip.

We both enjoyed driving..

Eating in Kansas

Getting to know our youngest grandchildren in Iowa

Mount Rushmore

After driving more than five thousand miles, we flew to Paris, France with Joyce and Dick. We had a great time....

Gardens that inspired Monet in France

Yes, that's the Mona Lisa

Awe-inspiring Normandy Beach

And then.....we launched my book.

God has been good to us. Do you understand now why I think the lyrics to the hymn means so much to me? We are now celebrating our two years while we watch a  storm at the beach inside a cozy, warm house. 

All I have needed (and more) Thy hand hath provided. 

PS  My apologies the blog's graphics were not behaving today!

We're Still Celebrating

Twenty-seven months ago, I woke up with suppressed excitement. I wondered if the guy I’d been matched up with would call me and ask for a date. We communicated via email. I’d googled him, saw several photographs, read his family tree. Mostly what I liked about Jim were his expressions of love and commitment toward his grown children and grandchildren. I really liked reading about his relationship with God.  Although his profile didn’t say he was a widower, I believed he was by what he said. Now we needed to meet face to face. I’d been excited to meet someone I'd met on-line before, only to be flatly disappointed upon meeting them in the flesh. Yet, I’m an optimist and expected this guy might be someone I’d like—and maybe even love!

Later in the morning, I was in a meeting and couldn’t take a phone call. It was Jim, calling to see if we could meet for coffee later in the day. I listened to his voice. It was enthusiastic, though he sounded nervous and said he was. I liked his positiveness. I called back and we agreed to meet later in the day. At Starbucks in Portland, midpoint between my home in Vancouver, and his in the Portland area. 

Jim was everything I hoped he’d be—and more! We talked for hours in that noisy coffee shop. And Jim made arrangements to meet again in a few days. AND, he asked for the name of my book, Second Chances, At Life and Love, With Hope. He was the first and only guy who asked what the name of the book was. And right there, on his computer, he ordered it!

This is a reenactment of our first date, 24 months later

Things moved rather quickly after that. Jim got my book two days later, sat down, and didn’t get up from his chair until he read it cover to cover. I heard my cell phone chime at 8:30 that Saturday evening. It was Jim. “Shirley, I just finished your book. Wow! I wish I could come over and just give you a big hug.” He repeated himself several times, and finally, I said,

“You can come over if you want to make the drive.” 

“I really would like to,” he said. 

Things moved quickly after that. But I’m going to leave you waiting to see what happens next. It’s all in the book that is being launched tomorrow evening. 

www.shirleymozena.com

There's so much more to this story and more than that, my love story with my Savior, Jesus Christ. He's been in my life since I was a little girl and He has never failed to be near me. Sometimes it didn't feel like it. But He was there. When I joyously took my vows with my first husband, Bill--and through the forty years we were together--some good, some hard, some exciting, and at the end, no regrets. He was there when I fell in love and married Blair. He was with me when after only 17 months  Blair became very ill and died of a brain aneurysm. He was there when I was alone and my heart was broken. 

It was four years before God brought Jim and I together. We look at each other every day and thank God for the gift of our marriage. Magically, we've learned so many lessons from our previous marriages that our life together is nearly seamless and beautiful. We don't know the future, but we make every day a celebration. 

Today, we'll commemorate  the 27 months we've known each other. On Monday, we'll celebrate our second wedding anniversary. And in between, we'll thank God for the gift of each other. 

" ...Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Nehemiah 8:10b

We are celebrating. Daily. We know not the future, only God does. But we know the maker of the future and that is enough.

Enjoying Brooklyn, but mostly each other

Time--You Cannot Stop It

Time. It moves so quickly! I’ve been more aware of it lately. We just had our four Vancouver grands stay with us for a week while their parents went away for their 20th Wedding Anniversary. The grands are no longer as needy as before. One even drives now. The two youngest still get excited about decorating for Christmas, but the others don’t really care. 

I’m also looking forward to another anniversary. It will be our second wedding anniversary. That might not seem so special to most people, but to Jim and I, it seems like two snaps of a finger instead of two years. Sometimes I just want to stop time and enjoy. Enjoy my new husband. Enjoy my grandchildren who are quickly growing. Soon, they’ll be too busy to spend much time at our house. I understand that. It’s all part of growing up. But again, it’s that time thing. It’s moves so quickly. 

When I get those stop-the-time feelings, I remember Who’s in control. By now you know Jim and I together read a different portion of the Bible each day. On Thanksgiving Day, it was from Ezekiel 48. It was prophecy and without going into all of what the prophecy was, what stood out to me were these four words, all in capital letters: THE LORD IS THERE. 

So, you may want time to just stop, just as I sometimes do. Be reminded, as I was, of those words, THE LORD IS THERE. If time will be no more, THE LORD IS THERE. If it keeps moving forward—like it will—remember, THE LORD IS THERE.

May you be blessed this Thanksgiving Weekend and the upcoming weeks to come. Just remember, THE LORD IS THERE.

Kitty Shiver doesn't care about time--just that the light may be too bright. 

Another Change, Yet Blessed Hope

I walked into the room, paused a moment. Where was she? I was looking for my mother-in-law when I saw someone sitting in a wheel chair at a table, ready to eat supper. There was a large blue terrycloth bib firmly attached to her neck to protect her clothing. Her head was slumped, her curly gray hair tousled. Was this Mom? I walked around the table and looked down at her face. Yes, I think this was her. How can things change so rapidly? Three weeks ago, she was sitting up and had a smile on her face as she greeted us, her visitors. 

The disease of dementia is changing Marian to a different person. Not someone I know. Only four years ago, I wrote a tribute to her on her 90th birthday. Here’s a portion of it so you can picture her only four years ago:

She’s my mother in law, but I call her Mom. She was there when I married her son, Bill. Was waiting to hear what our firstborn was--a boy. She was  always ready to babysit--and loved both my kids with a passion!

Marian was an athlete and in this day and age, she most likely would have taken her girls' team to State. Instead, she only was her brother’s catcher who was a professional athlete. She spent countless hours catching his pitches. Then in her fifties, she played catch with my son, her grandson. In her eighties, she played catch with her great grandkids, too.

Marian loved to bake. It was almost an insult to her if you refused one (or multiple) of her  goodies. So, we rarely refused! She was a party girl--she hostessed birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, bar-b-cues and picnics. Christmas Eve dinners at her home. The house was sometimes comfortably large, other times, small but we all squeezed in just fine.

I think Marian would like to mostly be remembered for her faith in Christ. She is the only surviving family member in her immediate family. She’s had to say goodbye to her husband of 59 years, goodbye to her oldest son, goodbye to her sister and brother, yet her faith is still strong and bold….. 

Marian here at nearly 90

A sob caught my throat as I realized, yes, this is Marian, the last link to the previous generation. My parents are both gone. My father-in-law, too. And in a sense, Marian isn’t here either. I swallowed my tears—for they were for me. I dislike changes and here was another one coming rapidly on the horizon. Another goodbye. 

I shook off my sadness and attended to the now. Who Marian/Mom is at this present time. I got a brush and neatened her hair. As I stroked the back of her gray head, I knew her son, Bill, would be happy I was doing a small something for her. 

We sat together for a time, I helped her eat her supper, and then we said goodbye. I’m not sure what she’ll be like the next time I see her. I’m so glad that when she departs from this life to eternity, it won’t be the final goodbye. For I’ll see her again—in heaven—but there’s still a sting in letting go with what was and is now. 

Jim and I share a very special date with Marian. She will be ninety-four on our second wedding anniversary, December 7. We look forward to greeting her on our special day and give a cheer for life. And memories. And God's goodness that we have each other. Hopefully, we will see Marian again in this life. Yet, if we do not, we know we'll have another reunion--in heaven!

And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. (I Thessalonians 4:13)

Music Can Soothe Your Soul

You can sing it, you can play it, you can listen to it. Music is another way to cope on your journey from grief to joy. 

There's me, my head down, staring at my music!

I play violin in a small community orchestra and after my second husband, Blair, died suddenly from a brain aneurysm, I continued to attend rehearsals. For me, playing takes me away from anything but the notes in front of me, my violin blending with other instruments. Sometimes in those early days of grief, the music piece was a pop song and the words brought back memories. The tears streamed down my cheeks as I played, but they were soothing and healing tears. Tears release toxins of sadness.

You might not play an instrument, but your voice is an instrument and you can sing. Join a choir, sing at church, sing with the radio.

Maybe you don’t feel like singing. Then listen to music. I love Pandora Radio (it’s free). You can pick the genre you feel like listening to on a particular day--or moment.

That’s my tip for the day. It’s pretty simple. Try it.

So Many Blessings

I'm home now and my sleep patterns seem to be regulating themselves at last. I'm not complaining, for I've truly been blessed by the ability to travel. 

I think I enjoy my blessings more because of some of the difficulties I've experienced. They seem small, when compared to some people's experiences, yet I don't want to make light of what has gone on in my life, either. One thing that has really been very obvious to me is the comfort I received from my Savior during those trying times. And because I received that comfort, I am compelled to share it with others. That's why Jim and I help with leading a grief group at our church. My heart yearns to soothe the sorrows of people who attend. It really is Christ in me that does that compelling, I believe. And I am obligated to point the way for others. I read today in the New Testament:

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us."
2 Corinthians 1: 3, 4

That's why we do what we do. And in our spare time, we try to reach out to our families--and we have nearly 100 together, counting our children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews. That doesn't count friends, for they are also very important to both of us. 

This Saturday evening, we'll have six of our grands, ages 8 to nearly 13, stay over. We'll have pizza, play games, watch a movie, and hopefully, sleep. See what I mean about being blessed?

We also get to travel and when we come home, we give a sigh and wonder why we would ever want to leave our cozy home with all of its familiar comforts. 

Somewhere in Central America

In our travels, I enjoy photographing doors. Very amateurishly, I photo them with my iPhone 5 and they look pretty good. Here's a few of them for you to enjoy. 

Notre Dame Cathedral

Panama

Giverny (Monet's village church)

Medieval Cathedral in Rouen

Paris City Hall

My favorite door...ours!

Thanks for reading my blogs. You lift my heart as much by reading as I hope you enjoy reading them. 

Have a wonderful weekend. The weather here in Vancouver looks promising. Think I'll go for a walk with my Jim and reacquaint ourselves with our world.

Last Day and Evening in France

This is the view from our stateroom. I'm sitting on the bed, looking at the Seine River

Yes. Today's our last day. We've been very busy each day and I'll try to summarize some of our trip briefly.

This is Sunday. We opted to stay here in a suburb of Paris called Le Pecq. One of the things we've enjoyed the most during our stay is leaving our ship and walking through the small French villages. This morning we walked up, up, up to the top where the old beautiful buildings as well as the terrace of King Henry IV (I think) was located. We walked another direction, saw a church and decided to go in and the service was just beginning. The building was full, we believe because today is All Saints Day and there were more in attendance. There were people young and old.Those in wheel chairs, babies in strollers,  and parents trying to keep their toddlers close by. The sanctuary was very full and we were directed to walk to the front and around the altar area to sit. While there, we could watch the altar boys perform their tasks. Some of the altar boys were as young as six years old, as well as young teens serving. Jim whispered to me what they were doing as he remembered from being an altar boy many years before. The service was in French, but I enjoyed watching and thinking about the common thread of our Christianity. 

The back of the church

Yesterday, Saturday, we went to the Louvre. I had to pinch myself to believe I was standing in front of these masterpieces. We had an excellent guide who spoke very understandable English. I will show you some of the greatest and most famous pieces of art:

Venus de Milo

The Wedding at Cana--the miracle of Christ changing the water to wine

Yes, this is the Mona Lisa

Winged Victory of Simothrace

On Friday, we visited the beaches of Normandy, and the American Cemetery. This was very moving to see all of the white crosses and Star of Davids. There were nearly 9400 service people buried here. I'm  glad we visited the Eisenhower Library only two weeks earlier, for we had a much better history of that momentous event that took place on June 6, 1944. There was a ceremony before we walked among the crosses. They played the national anthem, taps were sounded, and then there was a moment of silence. Those who had served in the Armed Forces were asked to come forward to near the statue honoring the Americans. We applauded them as they humbly accepted our appreciation for their service.  We then were each given a rose to place by a grave. We chose to lay our roses by a grave from Oregon and Washington respectively. 

 Pvt. Robert F. Umscheid of Oregon

Cpl. Richard W. Stork, Washington

127.5 acres in this cemetery

We walked Omaha Beach. Jim picked up a handful of sand from that beach. We felt honored to be here on this hallowed ground. I'll write more later about this place. 

Omaha Beach

There's so much more to tell, and I will. Right now, I want to enjoy my last full day in France, near Paris. The weather is glorious and has been the whole week we've been here. The food has been outstandingly wonderful. We've enjoyed meeting many different and interesting people. 

To close, I'll post a few pics of food. 

Top and bottom food before our visit to Omaha Beach. The food only so-so.

Very good chocolate mousse

Yes, Frogs Legs (Dick ordered them)

I will close for now. I may take a nap, for tomorrow will be a long day. A ten hour flight, then the drive back home from Seattle. I'll write more when the internet is faster. We ask for your prayers for safe travels. 

For now, Bon jour!!