Shifting gears

This week we shifted gears from this 93 Buick Regal with 268,000 miles

 

 

to this 2004 Buick LaSabre with 51,000 miles.

 

 

We hope it goes places and takes us along for a long time. This is our 10th vehicle.

We went to CA with the 62 blue Pontiac that belonged to Marvin's Dad. Then we bought:

 

#1- 1963 black Ford (1965-1967-old police car- lemon)

#2- 1966 blue Chevy II  (1967-1973- good little car!)

#3- 1969 chocolate brown Chevelle station wagon (1973-1979 -served us well)

#4-  light brown Chevy station wagon (1979-1980 Wrecked)

#5- 1978 or 1979  blue Chevy Impala station wagon (1980-1988- wrecked)

#6- 1985 white Plymoth Voyager van - (1988-1993)

#7- 1987 Plymoth Voyager gray van (1993-2001)

#8-1995 Dodge Caravan blue van (2001- 2006)

#9-1993 blue Buick Regal sedan (2006-2013)

#10- 2004 gray Buick LaSabre (2013-

and maybe the last one we will ever need.  Guess that is up to our Commander-in-Chief

Historical Center shadow increasing

Progress report of building expansion at the Juniata Mennonite Historical Center

 

June 3 - The last board meeting in the old facility. Notice the bare walls. We are preparing to move out of this building into a temporary office trailer soon.

 

June 3- Building committee chairman, Harold Saner ( on left in blue plaid shirt)

 gives some more last details on the plans.

 

June 4- the first dig for the expansion! Digging out a pine tree stump.

 

- June 4- The site is being leveled.

 

June 5- Pouring the footer.

- June 11 -The block wall is going up.

 

 

June 11- Donna Fultz, our volunteer at work on the obituary collection.

She is a very important part of our crew!

 

 

June 11- Mary Alice Charlton- my assistant- organizing card catalog

 

 

June 11- Betty Ann working on the July 2013 issue of the Echoes

 before we move out of our tiny familiar office.

Local historical center to expand - LewistownSentinel.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Central PA — Lewistown Sentinel

Local historical center to expand - LewistownSentinel.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Central PA — Lewistown Sentinel

Grandmothers

If It Weren't For Grandothers

by Lois Kempton

 

If it weren't for grandmothers, how would we know

How everything was in the long, long ago?

The changes that come and the changes that go-

If it weren't for grandmothers, how would we know?

 

The way people ate, and the way they dressed;

The way they suffered, and how they were blessed;

 The beauties they saw, and their fun, and their woe-

If it weren't for grandmothers, how would we know?

 

 

Oh, see her bright eyes as she tells of the way

Your Grandpa proposed! And the sweet wedding day;

The funny adventures that babies bestow-

If it weren't for grandmothers, how would we know?

 

For they are the keepers of memories untold;

The legacy treasures more precious than gold;

Oh, cherish their stories! Rejoice in their glow.

If it weren't for grandmothers, how would we know.

 

Taken from Poems Sublime and Ridiculous

 



You cannot...

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could do for themselves.

Abraham Lincoln

His Love Will See Us Through

His Love Will See Us Through

 

Only God knows the future;

He holds it in His hand.

And when our questions find no answers,

He's the One Who understands.

His presence still goes with us;

His love is ever near.

The whispered cries within each heart,

The Lord will always hear.

No matter what each day may bring,

His promises are true:

He'll never leave us,

And His love will see us through.

 

unknown

 

This poem was on the front of the bulletin for Benny Shertzer's funeral last week.

So fitting for all of us, regardless what we face in life!

Do remember to pray for Ruth Shertzer and the family. They parted with four children between 1997 and 2002, due to cancer. Now the father developed cancer six months ago- and went to be with his Savior and the four children. They have three living children - two of them are married and there are seven grandchildren. Two grandchildren are in heaven too. 

Coming to terms with aging

    Yesterday I was jolted when an acquaintance referred to a 72 year old couple (friends/peers of ours)  as "elderly"! And I wondered, "When do you become elderly?" Will we be termed "elderly" in five years or less?
    I am accustomed to being called an "older woman". My first brush with that idea was in my 50's when a student at 6th St mission in Philly passed by my sister and I in a hallway at the mission and asked his buddy, Who are those old women?' I looked around and did not see any old women- so I asked him, "How old do you think I am?" His first guess was 103! Whoa! What a joke!
    But since then my hair color has changed and other signs of aging have appeared..like the onset of Medi-care, senior discounts plus other advantages or disadvantages. Even though my husband is fast approaching the big 70- we continue to think of ourselves as "young seniors".
    But "elderly"??? -wait a minute!!! I checked the dictionary. It says "Seniors, somewhat old, beyond middle life."  OK, so we are somewhat old and beyond middle-aged. Since most of our children are middle-aged, it is not hard to recognize that we are beyond middle-age. But elderly- that is a new thought! Do we need a new definition for the word - or what?
    There is one consolation- I looked up the word "aged" too. The definition for aged is "VERY OLD".  OK, so we may be about to move into the camp of elderly- but we are not aged or ancient quite yet. After all, we still work for a living,  have our driver's license and a valid passport. We have not celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary,  put in a reservation at a nursing home or become great-grandparents yet.
    But then, in third world countries, it is a great honor and blessing to arrive at an old age. God has blessed us with life! Have we let the world pour us into it's mold of thinking old age is undesirable? The only other choice is to quit breathing- and we thank God for life- even if it feels like a transition to be viewed as "elderly". We dreamed of growing old together- and thank God for the privilege of spending 47 years together in our "Landis Home".