We have a future and blessed hope

As we look to a New Year, it is impossible for us to know where we will be on December 31, 2011. We do not know the joys and sorrows that will come our way in the meantime. Even so, Christians can remain totally confident that no matter what circumstances we face on this earth in 2011, we have a future and a blessed hope that extend for ever and ever beyond this life.

This belief in our future life is not a new idea. In Hebrews chapter 11--termed the "Faith Chapter of the Bible" -- is an account of a man who lived about 5,000 years ago. It says that God promised him a new land. The Book of Genesis recounts how God called Abram (Abraham) to leave his city called Ur (probably in Iraq) and move to the land that we now know as Israel. It was probably a hard trip. There was no "Google Earth" or "Map Quest" and there were no four-lane highways. There was no way to text-message his family and friends to keep them up to the minute on his trip. It was a journey into the unknown, but Abraham believed God and trusted His promise. He willingly followed God, not knowing anything about Canaan. But his hope went beyond this world and his circumstances! In his heart, he knew that his new geographical location would not be his final destination. Here is part of what that that faith chapter tells us about Abraham's life:

"Even when [Abraham] reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.  Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God."  

Abraham was certainly looking forward to Heaven! And so am I. There is an old song that says, "This world is not my home, I'm just-a passin' through." Your Grandma Buza believed that, too. She agreed with the Bible, that tells us the Christian's "citizenship is in Heaven". Here, in one of her many poems, you can get a glimpse of Grandma's thoughts on that topic:

Lessons From Life

Several years ago, I was asked to write down the important lessons I have learned in life. Here is what I said at the time:

1. The LORD loves me and He is concerned with every, little detail of my life.
2. Even if we have only a tiny amount of faith He will honor our trust and bless us abundantly.
3. Don't "sweat the small stuff". In other words, try to think "what difference is this going to make in a hundred years?" Much of it doesn’t matter, so try and focus on what does.
4. There is joy in serving Jesus.
5. Family is SO important! I’m so blessed.

While all of that is true, I think the list was made to look pretty. Only the positive lessons were shared. Now on reviewing it, I've thought of others:
6. I have not "arrived".  As the years pass, it is becoming abundantly clear that life is not long enough to "make me what I ought to be".  That initial list was TRUE, but the question that remains is this: how much of that have I REALLY learned?
7. No experience in life is ever wasted! In times of grief and pain, there is the temptation to wonder, "is it worth it?" The resounding answer is "YES". Through the troubles and challenges of life, character is formed. Those times can make a person more patient, more understanding, more compassionate, more focused on what is truly important in life, and more loving, and less selfish. This may sound odd, but the necessary suffering of life is to be valued, cherished! The Bible says to "count it all joy" when we fall into trials and temptations. Why? Because God is there to love us, to strengthen us to overcome for His glory and to continue making us into the image of the Lord Jesus!

And there is more . . . so much more, until this life is over. Until then, He is "the Potter" and I am "the clay".  He is working in my life. He is preparing me for my Heavenly home. Then and only then will I be what I "ought to be". Then and only then will there be perpetual joy and peace. Hallelujah!

An Apple A Day!

Your grandfather looks forward to apple picking in the fall. He likes to watch online to see when the various varieties of apples will be available. Then he picks a good day and finds somebody to go with us. To Grampie, there is something special about picking a ripe apple to take home! Some of you have made that trip with us and others haven't yet. More opportunities lie ahead if God wills. Hopefully we get to share one of those days with YOU if we haven't already!

We like the company, the scenery, the fresh air of fall, and -- of course -- the taste of freshly picked apples. We also like to make up applesauce seasoned with a little vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mmmm. We don't make a puree applesauce, but the chunky kind. Having a few chunks of apple and a little of the peel left on for color just lets us know these were freshly hand-picked by us from the trees.

Of course, part of the routine is to have the camera along to keep some lasting souvenirs of our day. The pictures above represent three different apple-picking days and a visit to a corn maze.

Pictures left to right / top to bottom:  Joshua; Amber; Uncle Stephen; Erika, Grampie, Aunt Marcia; Aunt Bethany; Uncle Chris; David and Samuel; Rachel and Aunt Beth; Kyle; Grammie; Grampie & Erika; Emily & Jeffrey; Apple (held by Grampie & Erika); Joshua; Timothy; Uncle Stephen & Aunt Jeannie; Timothy & Kyle; David; the fruit of our labor!

Simple joys like picking apples together are so important -- those are the times that we make memories. We are so blessed to have a wonderful family to enjoy these times together. Sometimes after apple picking, we stop off for lunch. Here are a couple of examples of those times:

Here in the first picture, Amber, Erika, and Marcia are enjoying lunch at Governor's on Broadway in Bangor. (In case you wonder about the decor, I "painted" some other clients out of the picture.) 











David enjoyed the computer games along with his Happy Meal while Samuel worked at discovering his toy at McDonald's in Bangor.

It Was a T-Shirt Birthday Party!

In 2010, we bought very special T-shirts for some of our family members. These shirts featured original artwork by Aunt Barbara Buza. The first lot went to Valerie's family. Each one picked from a wide selection of paintings done by their aunt. And what fun when the packaged arrived.



Left to right and top to bottom: Amalie wearing the peace rose; Erik wearing a hyena; Katelyn's shirt has a sunflower and bee; Gunnar's features a "Westie"; Kelsey's is a yellow lab; Heather is wearing wild irises; Alicia's has the sunflower and bee; Heidi's shirt features an elephant; Kristen's has Easter lilies; and I don't know the name of the pretty, little flowers on Rebekah's shirt. The only one missing from the collage above is David. His had a handsome beagle on the front!

We all admire the incredible art work Aunt Barbara does -- check it out for yourself if you wish at livingworddyed.com.

When it Snows!

It is December 1, 2010. We only have a dusting of snow, but any day we could have more than enough for a lot of fun and hard work. This picture of Rachel and the Snowman Family was taken in our front yard in 2007.

The rest of this blog will be focused on our family members in the "white stuff". Enjoy!

Grampie always appreciates the help of anyone who is willing to pick up a shovel and "clear the deck". Here Rachel and Kyle put forth a brave effort against the snowy pile-up.

I remember how much I really LOVED snow when I was a little girl -- snow forts; snow men; "fox and geese" ... a tag-like game; snow angels; and even some snow shoe-ing! I also loved looking at decorated shop windows and Christmas lights when the snow was falling lightly around us.   The older I got, the happier I was to just watch it through the window.

And here are a few more memories of snow & winter: