I Wish I Could Tell You

I wish I could tell you I was super excited about leaving home for three weeks and teaching twelve lessons on Christian Womanhood at Maranatha Bible School and that I didn't, sometimes after I was there, count down the days until I could go back home and fry eggs instead of my brain.

But that wouldn't be all the way true.

I wish I could tell you that I remembered to bring along my Warning: Slowest Eater at the Table sign for personal use in the dining area of the MBS gym.

But I didn't. 

I wish I could tell you that forgetting the sign didn't matter because I have made great strides (since I was a student in the same facility 40 years ago) in my ability to finish a meal at the same time as other normal human beings around me.

But I haven't. (Can't decide if it's due to savoring my food too much or talking too much – probably both)

I wish I could tell you I was model of righteousness at Maranatha; that I didn't go back to our apartment following the class wherein I had taught Stewardship of Time and promptly flop on the couch and start scrolling through my social media accounts when there were students' papers to grade, laundry items to fold, and the next days' lessons to prepare.

But I wouldn't be honest in saying so.

I wish I could tell you that I didn't worry a smidgen when Ken got pale-n-sweatin' sick the middle week we were out there; that I wasn't dealing with my own case of inner wobblies as I drove my husband to a walk-in clinic at noon one day and then again to an ER several hours later to get the severe pain in his side checked out; that I didn’t have to keep tamping down rising fear when he later developed a cough that sounded like it came from somewhere deep as his socks. 

But my journal entries from that time would tell quite a different story.

I wish I could tell you that the weekend we went to visit Ken’s sister Laurel and her family close to the one-year anniversary of Verlynn’s death, we brought our robust, cheery selves to their household instead of our sick and weary ones; that I didn’t question God’s ways again when interacting with a beautiful family bereft of husband, dad, and (first-time)grandpa; that my emotional strength caused blessing and comfort to ooze out my pores instead of having my longings drip out and puddle into a soggy mess in front of the Yoders as we circled up for a farewell prayer.

They could tell you otherwise.

I also wish I could tell you…

…how fun it was to return to Maranatha Bible School, to frequent the building in which I was a student for parts of seven consecutive winters so long ago, to walk the same tiled halls and enter the same rooms such as The Library and Rm. 103, to smell the same particular scent combination of laundry detergent and hairspray and snack boxes when approaching the dryers down by the girls’ dorm, to see the sign on the prayer room door and remember the awe-some feeling of meeting God while closeted there, to catch a glimpse of the Yearbook Staff corner and reminisce the moment when Ken came over there and asked me to go with him on a ten-minute walk along the lanes of little Lansing (don’t laugh, that was the extent of romantic beginnings we were allowed as MBS students back then)

…how interesting it was to make connections with the present-day students, to say to them, “I went to Bible School with both of your parents” or “Actually, we’re related to each other – your Grandpa Kauffman is my first cousin” or “Nine years ago when Ken and I were instructors here, your sister was a student in my class.”

…how beautiful it was to get to know my fourteen students – young women who listened carefully and respectfully in class, laughed at my jokes and cried with me when I told them about our tiny babies in heaven, turned in thoughtful homework assignments, entered wholeheartedly into group activities (my, were they ever good at volleyball!), served others willingly, interacted well with the staff children, and were profuse with their appreciation for my teaching.

…how enlightening it was to sit at my desk in the teachers’ room, listening to the male instructors’ conversations going on around me and hearing their robust discussions generated by chapel messages or questions from students in class, and how empowering it was to have these godly men invite my participation in the staff teamwork and sometimes ask for my input on a topic they were teaching.

…how exciting it was to watch God answer prayer during our time at MBS – for wisdom in class preparation, for relief from pain (thankfully, Ken’s bout was due to a muscular injury and not some gall bladder issue or another even scarier cause), for safety in travel and for event-free border crossings when both the principal and the assistant principal needed to return to their respective home communities for funerals within the same week.

…how healing it was to intermingle with Laurel & Co. in their home, to share meals and games and laughter together, to meet sweet baby Adalynn for the first time and to watch her mama’s family dote on her, to see the effect Laurel’s tonic had on Ken – both the home remedies and the in-depth conversation opportunities she offered her sibling.

…how enriching it was to spend three weeks of concentrated study in God’s Word, to learn more of His ways while fellowshipping among His people, to hunger more deeply for God and to find Him so satisfying. 

I wish I could tell you…

So I did. 

The current MBS students (eating popcorn after Sunday night singing in the halls)

The future MBS students?

Dining tables creatively arranged on Valentine's Day

Justin Martin leading the choir in daily chorus period

Hands-on activity (making a cake while blindfolded) during Team-Building Saturday

Sampling and judging the "blind-mixed" cakes

Indoor Blitz with oversized cards

My students had amazing childcare abilities

Studious, but also fun-loving

All the beautiful ladies posing after The Tea Party in the lounge

A special treat to be at MBS at the same time as our niece April

Dining with the Yoders

"Let's go!"

What a great-niece we have! 💗

Concentration efforts while "Uzzling"

Making music and memories

What's been happening in your life lately? Is there anything you wish you could tell me?😉 I'd love to hear it! 

A Weekend in Wisconsin: Woods and Wood Knots (and other Tree-ts)

Last weekend I had the privilege of going on a road trip to the States because I was asked to do a workshop at a Ladies' Retreat in Chetek, Wisconsin. Ken couldn't get off work (peak harvest season in the orchards) to take me, and besides, what would he do for two days while I hung out at an all-ladies event? So my "sister-in-law" Chris agreed to be my companion for the adventure. 

Our van decided to mess up mechanically one Sunday morning two weeks prior to our departure date. I was so grateful that it happened before, and not during, the trip. Since we no longer wished to depend on our minivan to haul us out to Wisconsin, Chris ended up providing a vehicle, their smart-looking and smooth-riding SUV style Highlander, to do the job. She did a lot of the driving on the 14-hour expedition, as well as being my chief support person at the Retreat. What a gift!

Besides the above-mentioned blessings, there are so many other delights to recount from the weekend. I shall attempt to describe them here, some illustrated with photos, and others without:

The Mackinac Bridge, a 5-mile span linking the upper and lower Michigan peninsulas and connecting Lakes Huron and Michigan, was magnificent in the midday sunshine. Layers of bluest blues in the skies above met the depths of bluer waters below as we crossed "The Mighty Mac" enroute to Wisconsin.

The Northland Ladies' Retreat was held at Luther Park Bible Camp, a retreat center nestled among tall pines surrounding a small lake. This was a very nostalgic setting for me, having spent my childhood as I did among the Northland woods and waters of Wisconsin.

The Retreat planning committee thought of everything! I loved the diversity of expertise that each of the ladies offered to the event. Here they are singing "In Need" during the opening session. The theme of the weekend was Beholding His Glory, and it was amazing to sing the theme song "Behold Our God" with 200-plus women pulling out the stops on lines in the chorus Behold our King, nothing can compare, Come let us adore Him! 

The theme verse was one of my favorites - II Cor. 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." How fitting to receive a glass water bottle imprinted with this verse as part of my thank you gift for speaking at the Retreat. 

My sister-in-law Margie landed on the decorating team, right where she belongs. She and a few other committee members helped to transform the rather drab dining room into a gorgeous, inviting space in which to gather for feasting and fellowshipping. I thought the potted plants and greenery provided a beautiful, homey touch to the buffet and dining tables, but the fireplace mantel was the real show-stealer. 

                                           📷~ My SIL Danae

In my workshop at the Retreat, I was asked to speak on the topic of parenting. Attempting to narrow down the broad subject, I took a look back at my own parenting of young children, and spoke to the ladies about three Woulds - things I would repeat, and three Wouldn'ts - things that I regret doing as a young mom and would not advise repeating. The Woulds included Reading, Routines, and Relationships. The Wouldn'ts were Manipulate, Muffle, and Misplace. 

I liked throwing some puns into my talk, such as "It has become apparent to me that once you are a parent, you never stop being one" and "I can so easily allow the wouldn’ts to dominate the scene, to let the negative aspects tower over the positive until I can’t see the woulds for the wouldn’t trees." 

Later, when I was telling my dad about how the talk went, he said my wouldn'ts fit right into the tree pun, too. "You know, would nots - wood knots," he said. (Well, of cords!) 

My sister-in-law Danae's family was involved in the kitchen goings-on, and all I can say is that they did a phenomenal job with the planning and prep, the cooking, the presentation, and the flavor of the weekend meals and the tea party on Friday night.

Danae's brother Donovan recruited a group of his friends to help with the serving, so we ladies had a mannerly crew of young men to bring us our dinner on Friday night, and later, to serve us tea. The most handsome of the fellows were two of my nephews, one from each side of the family - Kenlyn, pictured above, and Aaron, whom I failed to photograph in that setting. 

                                                                  📷~ My SIL Danae

How sweet it was to have relatives with whom to experience the Retreat. My mom, six of my sisters-in-law, three of my nieces, one great-niece, numerous first cousins, and cousins farther back were among the crowd of ladies. I hung out with these two "Martin ladies" quite a bit, probably too much to be fair to all the other friends I could have been gabbing with, or the new friends I could've been making. I did have refreshing visits with others along the way, though, such the short-but-sweet chat with my former student and always friend Marj who claims that I've influenced her life since way back in time. In mostly positive ways, I hope. 

After the Retreat was over on Saturday afternoon, Mom traveled with Chris and me the 65 miles north to my parents' place in Hayward, Wisconsin. We stayed with them that evening, slept at their house overnight, went to their church the next morning, and shared lunch with them Sunday noon before leaving for our trip home. It was such a treat to be with Mom and Dad again, even though we had just been together the weekend before, when they spent some time in our area while visiting "Grandpa B", Mom's dad Ken. 

I noted again the blessing of parents who bring such encouragement and affirmation to my life. At the Retreat, Mom switched her workshop choice so she could support me in attending mine, and afterward told people that I did a good job. Dad embraced me in welcome, both literally and figuratively. 

Their hospitality was large enough to easily include Chris, too. I felt honored that they also invited some of my brothers to come for a visit after supper, the ones that we wouldn't be having lunch with the next day at Eric & Julia's. That's how it happened that I got hugs from my two oldest brothers, and heard stories about carpenter work, apple cider pressing, and the awkward, nonappealing jobs that firefighters sometimes find themselves in.

The only negative thing about this Hayward visit was Ken not being along to experience it with me. It was the first time in years and years that I "went back home" without him. I'm going to do my best to make sure that it doesn't happen again. 

I loved the autumn scenery in my old stomping grounds. The trees in Dad and Mom's yard and over at Eric and Julia's place were starting to lose their leaves, but were keeping their beauty in spite of it. I really wish I would've made a point of stopping at least once to capture photos of the brilliant trees Chris and I saw on our way to the Retreat. I don't know how many times we oohed and aahed over a stretch of stunning trees along the route in upper Michigan and northern Wisconsin, and said, "Look at that!", especially when the scene involved colorful trees at the edge of a lake or river. But we didn't stop to take pictures, so I will have to store all that beauty only in my mind. 

My brother Troy preached the message at Northwoods Church on Sunday morning, so I got to see him & Sharon and most of their family, too, even though they don't live in the Hayward area. After church, I had a brief chat with bro Tom, as well, so now I can say that I got to be with all five of my Schrock brothers and sisters-in-law last weekend. 

Dads, Troys, Chris, and I were invited to lunch at Eric and Julia's place. Julia had the table decorated prettily for Fall, and served the tastiest Fall dish - oven roasted carrots - among other goodies (like Wisconsin cheese!). Niece Annie wrote the names on napkins for our place cards, very reminiscent of Mom-Eva's custom when we had guests in our home as I was growing up. After enjoying the good food and typical banter, laughter, and pondering of deep questions that enter the conversation around a Schrock table, Chris and I pulled ourselves away to begin the trip home.

We talked nonstop for the first several hours, since we had so much to process and relive from our weekend experiences. We went as far as Escanaba, Michigan that evening, and stayed overnight in a motel there, leaving about nine more hours of the trip for the next day. 

Some impressions of our trip home on Monday:

~ the time it takes for the sun to wake up in northern Michigan could be called the mist-ery hour

~ God must have smiled when He tossed a handful of aster seed on a certain hill and thought about one of His daughters smiling when she saw the profuse white and purple flowery results

~ Chris is the perfect book-discusser to have along on a trip, judging by her contribution to our times of reflection after listening to the audio book "Hope is the First Dose" by Dr. Lee Warren (a neurosurgeon who is a Christian)

~ shopping at Hobby Lobby for an hour makes a wonderful travel break

~ it's nice to be able to view northern wildlife in action, not just in roadkill standstill; I saw deer, wild turkeys, an eagle on a branch in a dead tree and an eagle on the wing with a dead treat (a freshly-caught rodent dangling from its talons), and Chris and I are quite certain that the black creature we saw ripping across the road some distance ahead of us was a bear

~ coming home to loved ones after a long road trip is pretty amazing 

From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised, says the Psalmist, and I agree. From the leaving home on a trip to the coming home of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised, is my paraphrase. 

I'm over here thanking God for safety on the journey, for the beauty of His Creation, for the joy of Retreat-ing with His people, and for the moving of His Spirit in the lives of many ladies, including my own. 

In The Yearview Mirror: 2022

Last weekend, I heard that January 7 is the last day of a new year that you're allowed to wish someone a Happy New Year and have it count. Well, then. I won't be wishing you Happy New Year anytime soon. But...no one said anything about the last day a blogger may post a review of the old year and still have it count, so here goes! For this reflection of 2022, I decided to choose one photo and one brief description of events per month. I found out that although this can be a valuable exercise, it is also a considerable piece of work for a click-happy photographer and verbose explainer like me. 

Note: The starred event is a type of caption for the month's photo. 

JANUARY was the month of

~ hosting the IGo Board meeting here

* fellowshipping with our friends/mentors Merle & Edith Burkholder and our Pakistani friends new to Canada - the Amar Family

~ helping some of our church family to serve a meal for the homeless in Kitchener

~ supporting our friend Bear by traveling to South Haven, Michigan to attend his mother's funeral

~ still needing a negative Covid test to cross back into Canada after visiting the US

FEBRUARY was the month of

~ subbing for Kerra a few times in her Grade 2 classroom at Countryside School

~ visiting Carlin & Kayleen and being astonished at the renovations progress in their "new" house

* relaxing with Ken at an Airbnb cottage for several days in the Finger Lakes region of New York

~ attending the funeral of our friend, neighbor and co-worker Brian Martin

~ making gyro meat, pitas, and tzatziki sauce for a meal to share with the Kenites

MARCH was the month of 

~ going to Mom Martin's house for a fun quilting and gab session with the in-laws

~ rejoicing in the lifting of the mask mandate

~ attending the REACH conference in the Lancaster, PA area, along with a couple thousand other people

* babysitting my great-nephew Chet (niece Holly & Trevor's son) one day a week and enjoying his steal-your-heart grin 

~ taking my friend Debbie to Hamilton for a dr. appt and getting the van stuck on a broken pylon in the hospital parking lot 

APRIL was the month of

~ babysitting grandson Seth and chuckling over his descriptions (on a very breezy day he told me the leaves are “running” over the lawn)
~ celebrating Seth’s third birthday at Rolin & Joy’s with both the Martin & Cressman families (first in-person birthday party ever we could have for the lad)
~traditional gathering times with The Martin Ladies at a restaurant or someone’s home when one of us has a birthday
* Oasis Church ladies enjoying delicious food, inspiring discussion, challenging games, and humorous “emotional” skits at our annual Retreat (photo featuring Yolanda L and Kerra)
~ stiff competition in Boggle games with Ken who is the ultimate winner of our YBT’s (yearly Boggle tournaments)

MAY was the month of

* a lovely in-person visit from Mom & Dad Schrock, during which Dad fixed the wooden feed truck that Seth plays with when he comes to our house
~ Ken and Ricky discussing chess moves whenever they get together, especially soon after one of Ricky’s Saturday night chess tournaments he arranges online
~ discovering Spring nature scenes (such as a mallard mother and her 13 babies!) with friend Debbie in our weekly strolls along the St. Jacob’s Mill Race Trail
~ helping Carlin & Kayleen move to their newly-renovated old house
~ an afternoon rendezvous with Sharon Kuepfer and Tina Fehr, two of my writing buddies, at a local restaurant to exchange word craft tips and to dole out encouragement for flagging spirits

JUNE was the month of

~ a fun night of games and appetizers for the Kenites at Rolin & Joy’s apartment when we finally could cash in on a Christmas gift certificate that our children had given us pre-Covid
~ the Kenites Family photo shoot in St. Jacobs, another gift from our thoughtful children
* gathering with the Leighton Martin clan for our annual Family Camping weekend at Hidden Acres Campground and adding a new group activity: a cornhole tournament
~ a trip to Pennsylvania for a two-day IGo Board meeting and a short-but-sweet visit to Carlin’s – first overnight guests at their new location

JULY was the month of

~ traveling with Rolin & Joy to South Carolina for nephew Anthony & Megan’s wedding
~ a trip to Ohio for nephew Jeremy & Amanda’s wedding (on the way we received The Triplets Announcement)
~ enjoying Kerra’s tales after she returned from a week in the north where she helped to teach summer Bible School at Slate Falls, ON
* the Tribe of Dan Reunion, held at the homes of my brothers Eric and Tom in Hayward, Wisconsin since border restrictions prevented us taking our turn to host the gathering here
~ a group of us church ladies meeting weekly to discuss another chapter in our book study (Stop Calling Me Beautiful), sometimes in the shade of the maple tree in our front yard

AUGUST was the month of

~ giving our Trinidadian friends, the Sanchez family (four people from three generations), living space in our home for several weeks while they visited relatives in our area and blessed our lives, meantime
* sharing a beautiful vacation time with our family at the Rose Cottage in Leamington, ON overlooking Lake Erie, the weekend including a traipse out to the very tip of land at Point Pelee
~ receiving difficult news of our bro-in-law Verlynn Yoder (married to Ken’s sister Laurel) being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, as well as grieving the tragic loss of 9-yr-old Everett Freeman who drowned during his family’s camping trip (he’s the grandson of our good friends and the son of the photographer at our family’s photo shoot this summer)

SEPTEMBER was the month of

~ Kerra and I having some eye-opening experiences while accompanying Esther Bean on her food delivery route to some needy people in Kitchener on a warm summer evening
~ accepting new Sunday School-teaching responsibilities at Oasis – Ken for the adult men, and I for the seven students in the Primary class
~bins and bins of apples being harvested from the Vienna Orchards, causing Ken to exclaim almost daily over this year’s phenomenal crop
~creating a fishing activity to contribute as one of the booths at our Fall Fun Fair social, which involved making fish out of pool noodles and fishing poles equipped with magnets on their lines
* a most delightful dress-up tea, to which the Oasis ladies, young and old, were invited

OCTOBER was the month of

~ helping Rolin & Joy and family move from their small apartment to a 4-bedroom/3-bathroom house in Waterloo, where we can continue saying they are located fairly close to us
~ the 60^th wedding anniversary celebrations for Ken’s parents, including an Open House and a Family Dinner, all of us incredulous and grateful that Verlynn & Laurel could travel from Minnesota to join us in spite of Verlynn’s treatment for his tumor having been so recent
~ attending the NYP Board Meetings in Dryden, enjoying chat times with missionary friends and reveling in the outdoor beauty of the north
* celebrating our 34 years of marriage, and going on a hike back to the cabin and through the brilliantly-colored forest with Mom & Dad Schrock who happened to be here right on the day of our anniversary
~ finding out that Carlin & Kayleen are actually expecting TWO babies!!

NOVEMBER was the month of

~ learning to take my tears and fears to God when we get news such as Carlin & Kayleen’s twins having Stage III Twin to Twin Transfusion, and requiring an intervention called the Solomon Procedure
~ Bear’s visit and the subsequent baking, music, hosting, humor, wisdom, etc. that hosting him entails
* Early Christmas with the Kenites at our house: two nights and three days of relaxed fellowship and games, lots of new (and some old) books, late-night discussions (Is the world getting better or worse?), and way too many cookies and truffles
~ Advent service at Oasis in which we3@home sang In the Bleak Midwinter, adding English to the myriad of languages represented in the various singing groups that contributed

DECEMBER was the month of

~ Ken & I having our anniversary get-away in Niagara-on-the-Lake, taking in a classic play, “A Christmas Carol”, going on a walk along the Welland Canal one afternoon, and playing scads of Boggle games
~ getting to do in-person Christmas events again, such as our church’s Christmas Banquet social, “Messiah” at Centre in the Square, and the traditional Christmas Program at church in which each Sunday School class shares their own mini program with the group
* surviving the Epic Storm over Christmas weekend, delaying our trip to visit Carlin & Kayleen a bit, ending up traveling there the long way since the border crossing in Buffalo was closed for several days, and having a marvelous together time when we finally got there
~ spending an evening here with Ricky & Jasmine, as well as our friends Renee (Jasmine’s sister) & Austin, and sharing a meal which involved us making our own fresh spring rolls to dip in a peanut-chili sauce
~ gaining excitement for the New Year and what it holds, while making goals and resolutions, and choosing a word for 2023: Surrender