Siblings

Siblings

Growing up in a large family gave me plenty of opportunity to find fault with my brothers and sisters. I have memories of situations where, as the oldest, I felt slighted, misunderstood or taken advantage of by my younger brothers and sisters. The problem is they have their own list of offenses against their older brother. It must be part of the growing up process.

Recently, one of my sisters came to visit. She is the second oldest in the family and in many ways, we share the same memories of growing up in a large household. The nice thing is that now that we are older our perspective of those earlier years has mellowed. We can laugh and cry about all those times when we thought the world was going to end or at least a major meltdown of family life.

It is amazing that so many individuals can come from the same parents. Yes, we share some of the physical characteristics but in personality and temperament we are individuals. Grown up, married, raising families and in some cases making a geographic move away from the homestead, all of us maintain the identity as the Semsch family.

How our parents survived raising eight children continues to be a mystery to me. Not only the financial responsibilities but the challenge of individual personalities and problems must have driven them to the edge more than once. As I have often said, our parents gave us life, they didn’t give us perfect!

I look forward to those times I can get together with my siblings. I enjoy all the memories, happy and sad, because they give me the opportunity to relive those days long ago. These adult relationships keep alive the family life that I appreciate even more. Those memories enrich my life; a life that I want to pass on to my kids.

To my brothers and sisters who are faithful readers of my weekly blog, I say “thanks for all the memories.” Keep them coming!

Memory Bank

Memory Bank

I take pride in composing my weekly blogs. I love musing about life events as well as past memories. This week I make an exception. I hope you don’t mind. As a Facebook addict (meaning I am on it daily) I read a very inspiring post by Anita Morgan, a woman I don’t know. She posted this on August 30^th of this year. I want to make sure she gets all the credit for what she wrote. I think you will find inspiring if not challenging. Here it is:

“The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. “Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room …. just wait.” “That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away, just for this time in my life.” She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account, you withdraw from what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.” And with a smile, she said: “Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 1. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less.”

Wow!

Smoke

Smoke

You’ve heard the saying, “where there’s smoke, there’s fire!” Well, there is a lot of smoke here in Montana this summer. That’s not news because there are always forest fires this time of year. Last year because we had plenty of moisture there were only a few fires. This summer, with the whole state bordering on extreme drought, over eight hundred thousand acres of timber are going up in smoke.

My friend Hal and I took a jeep ride last week. We drove down the Gallatin Canyon toward Big Sky and made a left turn up Castle Rock trailhead. About eleven miles on a dirt road brought us to a spectacular view of a canyon ravaged by fire. Several years ago, a fire burned through here leaving blackened tree trunks, a graveyard of a once marvelous forest.

An interesting thing about forest fires is that almost immediately new growth appears. Green grass, small shrubs, wild flowers and yes even scraggly pine trees popping up all over the place. The inevitability of an aging forest set on fire by lightening or human carelessness provides the opportunity for new life. It will take years for this wilderness to restore itself, but it will.

Meanwhile, the smoke is causing serious health issues. Without rain or snow, the fires will smolder into late autumn. As smoke settles into the valleys, the mountains seem to disappear. The sunrises and sunsets take on a spectacular glow of bright red, orange and pink. Funny how natural disasters can produce such unnatural beauty.

The Bible talks a lot about fire. The Old Testament book of Proverbs has this to say: “Three things are never satisfied, no, there are four that never say, ‘That’s enough, thank you!’ Hell, a barren womb, a parched land, a forest fire.”

This summer Montana qualifies on two of the four!

Coexist

Coexist

One character trait of a mature person is the ability to get along with those you don’t agree with or like. Unfortunately, the world is full of people who are different than me. Not only do they look different but they also think and act different. The older I get, the greater the challenge to live in such a diverse culture.

There are a lot COEXIST bumper stickers where I live. If you have never seen one they are white with either blue or black letters surrounded by a variety of religious symbols. It was designed by a Polish graphic designer in 2000. You can order one on Amazon.

Coexist is an interesting concept. The dictionary says it means to exist together at the same time; to live at peace with each other. No doubt, the world would be a much better place if that were the case. A cursory reading of world history tells us that this ideal has yet to find a place in the heart of man. Many of the world conflicts have religious ideology as their starting point.

Unfortunately, our culture is but another example of trying to legislate tolerance by political correctness, rewriting history and utopian bumper stickers. All the while mistaking the source of the problem: ourselves. How much easier is it to point the finger at someone else than it is to take responsibility our self. A classical sign of immaturity.

The Bible which itself is full of intolerance among people does hit the nail on the head when the prophet Jeremiah says, “The heart of man is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”

Thank God!

We Can Be...

We Can Be…

As our family grows, it’s important to make time to be together. Given geographic distance and time restraint, planning ahead for family reunions is crucial. Judy and I just returned from Sandpoint, Idaho where we spent a week with our four adult children and five grandchildren (actually six because there is one in the oven).

We discovered a get together plan that works for us. First, we set an agreed date one year in advance so everyone can get vacation time. Second, an intense search on the internet for a rental house with enough bedrooms, bathrooms and living space to accommodate nine adults and five (next year six) children that is within a day’s driving. Third, we pay for the house rental and our kids pay for the food.

Last year, we met for a week at a lake cabin in northern Minnesota. This year we rented a very nice home at the Idaho Club near Sandpoint, Idaho. And what fun we had. Lots of noise and conversation around the dining room table. Splashes and squeals at the outdoor hot tub. One day on a rented pontoon boat and another day at the beach. In between some golf and just enjoying family life together.

 As we gather, we experience how fast life is changing. Our kids are not only taking care of their own children but they are also taking care of Judy and me. They do the cooking, cleaning and organizing while we watch with awe at their proficiency. I guess that’s enjoying the fruit of our labor.

The best part is we all get along. The days of adolescent competition and complaining are gone. Enjoying each other’s company and mutual respect have somehow found their place in our family. No, we aren’t the perfect family but we are a happy family.

When are kids were young, we taught them a song that has found a place in their hearts. It goes like this: “We can be a family of friends, a family of friends. Oh! We can be a family of friend. We can be a family.”

Yep!

Paraprosdokian

Paraprosdokian

If you frequently read my blogs, you know that I like strange words. It must have something to do with classical education and my preaching vocation. Although I had several years of Latin, I am not proficient in it. Because the Bible, as we have it, is a translation from the Hebrew and Greek, I have an academic familiarity with both. That plus an addiction to crossword puzzles should explain my fascination with obscure words.

Paraprosdokian is a combination of two Greek words meaning “contrary to expectation.” A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected and frequently humorous. This is a favorite ploy of comedians and people who cultivate a refined sense of humor.

Here are a few examples:

·      Where there is a will, I want to be in it.

·      The last thing I want to do is hurt you…but it’s still on my list.

·      I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

·      I used to be indecisive, but now I’m not sure.

·      You’re never too old to learn somethings stupid.

·      If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.

·      I don’t belong to an organized political party, I’m a Democrat. (Will Rogers)

I think life is tough enough but when you can’t laugh at a quick turn of a phrase you might be in need of a therapist. The Bible reminds us that laughter is good for the soul and that’s from a good book that’s got lots of serious stuff in it. I like a quick turn of a phrase because it catches me off guard and tickles my funny bone.

There is a small plaque in our guest bathroom that I frequently ponder on my visits there. It reads “Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.” I think that’s a paraprosdokian!

Fairy Lake

Fairy Lake

Montana is a feast for the eyes. There is hardly a spot that doesn’t showcase the grandeur of Big Sky Country. Whether it be the prairie lands east of the Continental Divide or the majestic Rocky Mountains, Montana is a beauty to behold.

Among my favorites is a small out of the way place called Fairy Lake. Located about 26 miles north of Bozeman, snuggled in the base of the Bridger Mountains at the foot of Sacagawea Peak is a small aqua-green lake surrounded by a pine forest. It is not known who named the lake but it is easy to see that fairies could live here.

Don’t let that nice paved road from town fool you. There is still eleven, bone jarring, tire puncturing, muffler smashing miles before you get to the lake. A construction crew of bad elves must have designed this road from hell. Strewn with lots of rocks and ruts, it takes an experienced driver and a tough vehicle to make it all the way.

Taking the mile hike around the lake shoreline provides breath-taking views of God’s handiwork. The lake itself is spring fed from the mountain snow that rarely leaves the higher elevations. A small herd of mountain goats live just above the lake. If you take the trail to Sacagawea Peak, you can see them up close grazing in the alpine meadow.

Over the years Judy and I have brought visiting family and friends to Fairy Lake. We never tire sitting on the shore sharing a picnic lunch taking in the grandeur of God’s creation. Once I braved the hike to the top of the mountain and experienced a panoramic view of the Gallatin Valley.

Fairy Lake what a magical place.

The Psalmist sings: “Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven, praise him from the mountaintops…oh let them praise the name of the Lord.”