Fun With Grandchildren

Gramp and I love doing things with all of you. We look back at some very special times with you, and nothing beats being there when some of you were born. What an awesome privilege and what a miracle to hear a grandchild's first cry and see the snuggling between you and your parents.

Some of the other memories include:  apple picking (Gramp loves it), pick-your-own strawberrying, school programs; visits with us to attend VBS or Day camp; flights to Wisconsin with Timothy;

going Amtrak to Chicago with Emily; visiting the Catskills with Kris, Kelsey, Kate, and Heidi; going to the Cincinnati Zoo with Marcia, Amber, and Joshua; visiting the Creation Museum with sixteen of you; having backyard cookouts and birthday parties at your places and ours; attending graduations; traveling to colonial Williamsburg with Kyle, Timothy, Joshua, and David; visiting Cary Lake to see Grammie Ruth and to help on the camp; trips to "the condo" in Island Falls . . . and so much more! We cherish those times and we hope you will remember such times with fondness. As the Lord provides, we hope for some more special memories that include YOU, of course!  

More than anything, we want  you to know that there is one trip that we want to make with every, single one of you. It is the most expensive trip and most important trip in all of time and eternity. That is the one that takes us to Heaven. Jesus paid for it with His very life when he suffered on the cross, paid for our sin, and was raised again. We cannot be good enough to go to Heaven. We go because we trust, by faith, in all that Jesus has accomplished on our behalf. And only HE is good enough to make our salvation and our Heavenly home ours!

Just last night, Grampie was speaking of our newest baby -- and (as we have said of each one of you), he said that he prays that Isaac will know Jesus. He and I both pray -- as Grampie put it last night, "may our circle be unbroken." As much as we enjoy the wonderful people you are and the wonderful things we have been able to do together, all of that is very insignificant compared to the wonders that GOD has prepared for His children. The Bible says that, "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it enters into our hearts the things that God has prepared for them that love Him." So we cannot imagine the glory of being with Him forever more.             

A Virtual Reunion With Our Six "Kids"

           Wayne, Valerie, Jonathan, Brenda, Stephen, Marcia, Kevin, Bethany

On February 18, 2012 we celebrated Grammie Ruth's 90th birthday at our home in Glenburn. A lot of the family was here for a wonderful celebration, but Valerie and Bethany and their families were unable to be with us. After Grammie saw this picture, she asked if I could clone in Valerie and Bethany so we could have a family picture. So I did!  We have not been together at once place for about eleven years now and we hope that changes very soon.

Once the picture was "doctored", I posted it on facebook and people had fun discussing it. Here -- saved for posterity -- is that discussion.

Bethany Sykes hehehhee...I have been pregnant so much the last couple years you could only find one that I was prego ... too cute.
Brenda I had to have you standing up. I wondered if you would notice that. The picture was with Chris and holding onto the sold sign at your house.
Bethany  I thought that was were you took it from. I love the picture though.
Brenda  Not the ideal way to get our family together.
Kelsey Jacobsen Who there is actually there?
Brenda  The "painted in ones" are your Mom and Aunt Beth. I WISH we could all be together again.
Kelsey  Are you all really standng infront of those cupboards?
Stephen Buza Yup, that's your grandmother's house.
Brenda  We really are. That is in our kitchen and we had all gathered there for Grammie Ruth's birthday. I made Gram a book for mother's day from the 90th birthday pictures. [When she saw the original of this picture], she said I should clone your Mom and Aunt Beth in so we could have a family picture, so I did!
Kelsey My eyes are starting to play tricks on me I guess because everyone is starting look pasted in.
Brenda Buza Hahah... I will show you the original picture as soon as I find it. It had a "messy" roaster full of taco meat, etc, on the island, so I cropped us out. [Note: I haven't found the picture, so must have tossed it out.]
Stephen I think she made Valerie taller than she is in real life :)
Brenda Buza Actually, Dad was kinda slumped over in that picture, Stephen.   I tried to compare her to me. But, yuh, I probably gave her a couple of inches. I don't think she and Jon are all that different in height -- I think she is around 5'7" and he is around 5'8", but I'm not sure. That is why I put her beside him, haha.
Stephen Yeah, dad's slouched. Despite the effects of gravity over the years, Dad probably still has an inch or so on me. I think you've got Val about 5'9" or so. But I can't say for sure whether Bethany really has that 1.5" on Marcia or not.
Brenda  I was wondering how tall to put Bethany, too. I'm about 5' 2" and I think Beth is slightly taller, but unsure.
Wayne  Stephen, do the effects of gravity over the years cause a vertical decrease and a horizontal increase?
Kevin Buza  All I know is that if I didn't have bowed legs I'd be as tall as Dad.
Wayne I would be taller if my legs were not so short. I would weigh less if I were not so fat. I would be smarter if (no never mind - you cannot improve on perfection).
Brenda You have the inseam of a shorter man -- so you really ARE tall above the waist. I was thinking, Stephen, maybe Valerie was on her tiptoes!
Valerie:  ‎5' 6"
Brenda Tiptoes!
Bethany  I would not have complained if you had given me 3-4 inches in height.
Brenda Buza ‎Bethany, you know what I say when people complain about being short. "Someone has to stay down here with ME."

I look at that picture and think of the days when our little children were running around playing with the pots and pans, digging in the mud, playing around the junk cars that were left behind our house, riding their bikes, irritating each other -- and look at them now! Some of them have adult children of their own. The first great grandchild has been born. Graduations and college and all the things involved with the grandkids spreading their wings are happening. WHERE did the time go? I cherish these children of ours and their children. I cherish all the memories made and all those in the making. GOD is so GOOD to us!

Kevin  Where did the time go? Into the past! Ps 39:5b ... "Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor."

Bethany  Kevin, I think you have as much gray in your beard as does does...lucky for you that you still have hair on your head :)

Kevin Buza ‎Barbara says she likes it, makes me look distinguished. I will confess, though, my forehead is larger than it used to be.

Stephen You whiner

Bethany  Well of course Barbara likes it! I on the other hand enjoy teasing you about it :)

Kevin Tease away, Sis. You can't tell in the photo, but there is some graying at the temples too.

Bethany Stephen, you have no room to talk...I didn't think it was possible, but you have far less hair on your head then Dad does. bwahahhaha  Oh and he only has about three.

Stephen  He's whining about his forehead. I have something like a foot of forehead, so I have 12 inches to talk. That's plenty of room.

Kevin  Stephen, you misspelled "winner".

Stephen  ‎:) Sure. That's what I meant.

Bethany  I look out of place in this picture....I am the only blonde here...of course you all used to tell me I was adopted or found under a rock or something.

Kevin  ‎... under a cabbage leaf as I recall.

Stephen  I'm the only one that doesn't wear glasses (aside from one sister who had her vision correct with lasers).

Bethany You don't wear glasses because you don't want to see the world as it is...hehehe.

Stephen  heheh.. I wear invisible rose colored glasses I suppose. I do have glasses, somewhere, that an optometrist made me buy once. He said my vision gets blurry when my eyes get tired and that I might want to wear them at night sometimes after a long day of looking at computer screens. He also said he doubted my vision would ever get worse. But, I never wear them, because they give me a headache.

Kevin  I only wear glasses because they look cool (and it is cool to see the world).

Brenda  [Back to the other topic] You are ALL cabbage patch kids. Not one of you has my genes --- not by the way you torment each other. hahaha.

Stephen  Mother, let's be honest here. We trace our ancestry back to the Marquis de Sade through your side.

Brenda  That's what they say ... was he the one who had the tormenting genes? [Did my elder son just call mine a family of sadists? I thought it was the Buzas who had such a propensity for teasing and arguing.]

 

Of course, this type of interchange has been typical over the years. I love you all so very much and love the fact that you can have so much fun and laughter when you are together (even in cyberspace). If you missed out on it there is space for adding your comments below or you can email them to me and I will insert them in the body of this text.

 

 

 

 

Just Talking About Mothers and Love

This past Sunday was Mother's Day 2012 and I just want to say how blessed I am to be coming upon my 69th birthday and still have my Mom. I wondered how many people still have their mothers at my age, so I looked up the oldest living Mother/Daughter pairs. It was amazing to find that the oldest known mother (Sarah Knaus) and and daughter were 119 and 96 when the mother died. After reading that, I concluded that my mother and I are highly unlikely to break the world record (not that I thought we were about to do so).

This year my Mother's heart was touched by love messages. Two of them were sent to me on facebook and . . . well, they made me cry. I want to preserve them here so that when I need comfort and encouragement they can be found readily. You may read them if you wish:

This one is from Marcia:

Mom, Happy Mothers Day! Thank you for your love, thank you for teaching me about the True and Living God as the only way to inherit eternal life, thank you for being an example of someone who strives to walk with Jesus, and thank you for the advise you give....if only I had taken your advise at the age of 18--but when I was hurt because of my choices, you WERE there waiting for me years later to give me more sound advise, you forgave me as Christ does, and you love me in spite of it all--THANK YOU------oh, and I think you are such a classy Christian woman-who wouldn't want to just hang out with you? Have a great day, Mom!

The reply was from my very heart:

Ahhh ... Marcia R. Buza, I can truly say that you have blessed my life over and over and you still do. As for the detour, that sadly happens in many lives. But let us take this opportunity to say without question that God is faithful to forgive, restore, and use us in His Kingdom. I am so GLAD to see that in you. I love you, dear daughter, and pray this is a very good Mother's Day for you, as well.

The other facebook message(s) came from Bethany and I cherish them, too:

Mom ~ Happy Mother's Day to the most wonderful mom in all the world! :) I am so blessed that God choose to put me into your loving arms. You have been such a wonderful influence in my life. I would not be the person I am today without your love, support, understanding, forgiveness, and your tender loving heart. I love you my dear sweet Momma.

The tearful reply: Thank you SO much, Bethany Buza Sykes! And I am so thankful that God sent you into my arms. What a sweet, little bundle you were (what happened to you, LOL). No, seriously, I am very blessed to have you in my life. . . please pass the tissues because you made me cry!! I love you, honey.

The reponse? I love you so very much! You are my greatest teacher! You mean the world to me! (tissues passed)

Grandchildren, I made this blog for me -- to remember and cherish the love that was poured out on me a couple of days ago. But if you are reading this, please keep a couple of things in mind:

#1: Your mother will be one of your best friends for your whole life, even when you go through an inevitable time when you question that fact or don't believe it at all.

#2: If you have a Christian mother, she will not stop praying for you. She will do everything within her power to help you and care for you. She will rejoice in your triumphs and will weep over your sorrows.

#3: Your mother loves you MORE than her very own life. There is nothing she would not give or do if she believes it is for your good.

#4: Sometimes being a mother is a very hard job. But when she hears things like I heard from the letters, phone calls, facebook messages, and card that I got on Sunday she knows it's worth it! It's worth every tear, every hard job.

#5: For the Christian woman, being a mother is a HIGH calling and is filled with blessings.

LOVE your mother and let her know it! When you are a parent you will start to understand how much she loves YOU...