Once Upon A Time. . .

Once upon a time there was a little princess. She had dark, curly hair and such a pretty face. And my, did she love to talk! When the King's father and mother  took her for rides in their coach, she just could not stop telling stories. She had such a sweet, little voice and an amazing vocabulary. She was a delight to all of her family.



Uncle Kevin Buza with Emily and Joshua

But she grew up to be one of the fairest ladies in all the land. And one day she met a charming prince. He put a ring on her finger and asked her to marry him. Of course, she said YES.

The King's father and mother wondered, "where did all the years go?" And they began to think that grandchildren grow up more quickly than children do.

Jeannie, Emily, Cousin Heather, and Great Aunt Carla

Right now, in May of 2013, we are waiting to go to the wedding. Grampie and I are so pleased that Emily is marrying a Christian man. Grandchildren, that is a top priority. Your home cannot be built by God's blueprint unless the man and the woman have both placed their trust in the Lord Jesus as their Savior. That is where you start.

Last month there was a delightful Bridal Tea at Stephen's and Jeannie's house. We enjoyed lovely refreshments together. It was a time for celebrating love and a time to be thankful for family, especially the new family that is just now beginning.

Great Grammie Ruth was at the tea! We are thankful.

Grampie and I are especially excited that Emily and Jeffrey are starting their marriage in the very year that we celebrate fifty years together. People say to us, "wow! there aren't many people being married today that will last fifty years."  And while we agree that the divorce rate -- even among Christians -- is high, we believe it is possible for people to follow God's pattern of one man, one woman, for life.

There are a few thoughts that we could share. First, in your marriage and in your home there is One who is more important than you are. The One who can hold you together, loving each other in the tough times and in the good times is Jesus. Remember how GOD brought Eve to Adam and the two became one. Someone said that when God looks at a married couple, he sees ONE, not two.

Here are some things for all of our grandchildren to consider as you become adults and as most of you will probably be married. Number ONE priority. Marry a Christian who has the same beliefs and values as you. Pray and ask GOD to direct you to the person that HE has in mind for you. Grampie and I could both see how God brought us together. Once you are married, remember that true LOVE is a choice, not just a mushy feeling. When you are committed to someone and know that God brought you together it only makes sense that this is for a lifetime.

Never neglect your marriage. Worship together. Read your Bible. Pray. Talk about the Lord and your faith. If you can carry a tune, sing together. Hold hands. Say "I love you". It doesn't cost much to be kind, but that is one of the greatest gifts you can give each other. In times of sorrow, cry together and hug each other. In times of joy, laugh together. Keep on dating all of your life. Respect each other. Be quick to apologize and quick to forgive. You are two different people and there will be times you don't see eye to eye. It's a good thing to discuss those differences because both of you have things you can learn from each other. And if God blesses you with children, teach them from the Bible and show them what it means to know and love the Lord.

When you walk with GOD in your marriage, you can live happily ever after!

Gram Went Goose Hunting For The Very First Time

 

Jonathan and his faithful retriever. Blaze loved the hunt and retrieved her last duck in the fall of 2012

There comes a time in Northern Maine when a segment of the male population becomes restless. It begins around the time the trees don their vibrant fall colors and the air becomes more crisp. Listen and you can hear the honking of the geese and see them on their daily flights to and from lakes and ponds to the corn fields that stud the landscape. Quietly some days -- and not so quietly other days -- the beech, the maple, the ash, and other deciduous trees rain millions of leaves onto the ground.

 

That is the season when men hurriedly dress and move around earlier in the morning than at any other time of the year. You have probably heard of the Hunter-Gatherers. It seems that some of our family must have

Stephen and David Buza, all excited the night before the hunt

some of that blood running through their veins. It is fun to watch them. They make sure they have their waterfowl stamps, clean their shot guns, and load the decoys onto the truck. In the dark, over a hasty breakfast they discuss which corn field they should try that day. The mallards, teals, black ducks and wood ducks along with their cousins will fly in before sunrise, so the hunter has to be in place early. Then the Canada geese will descend, hopefully great flocks of them. This is a sight and sound like no other for our hunters!

Sometimes the hunting party is as small as a guy and his dog. But other times it consists of Gramp, Dads, and Uncle, Grandsons, and even Brian's little Grandaughter. Last fall the Grandmother (that's ME) had her first experience in the cornfield! You never know who will go out there on a cold or rainy morning. It took quite a few minutes to space the decoys and gather some corn stalks to throw over the burlap covering the hunters' motionless-as-possible bodies. They helped me get into position in a "chair" (yeah, right) and covered me with a huge decoy cover that should have been obvious to the always-suspicious geese. I tried not to take too many breaths as the sunlight began to streak across the field. Through the slits in my huge decoy, I saw some geese flying low over us. My son's

Jonathan retrieved a goose, and will that ever taste good!

voice yelled, "Kill 'em!" The shotgun fire was close at hand and spent shells rained onto my decoy, rattling as the rolled to the earth beneath me. WOW! That was amazing. We talked about the experience for a few minutes and Jonathan said, "I better go get that dead one over there." Neither Gramp nor I had seen the goose fall and we were both pretty amazed. Wayne and Jonathan went out several mornings last fall. Often they got their limit of 2 birds apiece. But that day we went back to Grammie Ruth's early because, as I am reminded from time to time, "somebody had to go to the bathroom." I contend I wasn't the only one, but it does me no good.



Jonathan and Robert Buza anticipating tomorrow's hunt!

Ever eaten goose? Jonathan and Michele cut the goose into chunks, marinate the meat in orange juice and Italian dressing, wrap each piece in a half slice of bacon and then they usually cook it in a convection oven. Talk about delicious!
                                                                
I have to tell a tale about Robert. His mom packed some snacks for him to take one morning. Well, you know how Gramp is always teasing the kids! He asked for a bite. Robert got Gramp this time. He told his grandfather he was willing to share with everyone but him!

He's a GOOD grandson. He shared with his Grampie, but we had a lot of fun laughing about the right-back-at-you that Robert did! Isn't family GREAT? We love being related to you. We thank the Lord for His many, many blessings every day -- and high on the list of blessings is YOU.
              


My Honey and Me (Not the day of the hunt, though)



Every Baby Is A Blessing

Michele and Robert Buza

It is wonderful to be grandparents. Part of the reason is because YOU have a very special place in Grampie's and Grammie's hearts.  The other reason is that we enjoy seeing our children have children of their own.

While we waited for you, we wondered who you would look like, what your name would be, whether  you would be a boy or a girl. We remember the first time we saw you and how just the sight of you filled our hearts with love and our eyes with tears.

Every baby was a blessing. It was fun to listen to the little noises you made when you were sleeping. We liked to see you smile. It was fun to hear you say your early words and to see you take baby steps. It is fun to watch you grow. My, you are precious! You are a miracle from GOD. We believe GOD chose YOU to be a member of our family.

Kevin, Hope, and Barbara Buza

He gave your Dad and Mom a job to do. He wanted them to love you and teach you manners. He wanted them to help you grow up to be good citizens. But most of all, He wanted them to teach you about Jesus. The most important thing about your life is not having fancy clothes, an expensive house, or sporty cars. The most important thing in your life is for you to learn to love God with all of your heart and to love others as you love yourself. That is what Jesus said! We know you are taught from the Bible at home. And that makes us very, very happy. And as you are growing up, you are STILL a blessing to us. You always will be very, very special!

 

Grammie Brenda and David Buza

Dear Jesus, thank YOU for the wonderful children You have added to our family. Help us to love them the way You want us to love them. Help us to be good examples to them. You know we are weak and we cannot do a good job without Your help. We pray that each one of them will grow up to be godly men and women and live in this world as the people YOU created them to be. That will make our lives complete! Amen

 

 

Some of Our Grandchildren Are Grown!

Once upon a time our grandchildren were all children and some of them were not born yet. Maybe it took us by surprise when all of a sudden they began to graduate from high school, go to college, travel across the world, become engaged, get married, and now we have a great grandson. 

We remember when we experienced those days when the time to leave home drew closer and closer. On the one hand, we were excited and on the other, we were terrified. We wondered if we could really make enough money to pay rent, keep a car running, buy groceries, heat our apartment, and all of the other things that independent living expects of us. 

Just because you are going "on your own" doesn't mean that we no longer have an interest in how you are doing. It is our most certain prayer that you will just be the people that GOD created you to be. You were made in His image and your life really belongs to Him. He placed you in the home where He wanted you to grow up. He gave you the parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that He wanted you to have. And He put love in all of our hearts for you. 

As you make those changes in your life, there is one thing that is more important than everything else put together. Make very sure that you are in partnership with Jesus. The greatest indicator of success is to have a life of love for the Lord, serving Him, loving others, and using the "Owner's Manual" -- the instructions for life that were written for you -- the Bible itself. 

Grampie says once in awhile, "I wish I could sit down and talk with my Dad one more time." He says that because not only does he miss his dad, but he learned to respect his father's and mother's opinions. That is a very good quality, because whether you know it yet or not there is nobody in all the world who wants the best for you any more than your Dad and Mom. Ask them for their advice, ask them to pray with you. 

Grampie and I will pray for you as long as we live, too. We love you more than you can know and we always will. We thank God for you and ask Him to draw you to Himself. 

There is a little song, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." Well, in YOU we have lots of "sunshines". We love to spend time with you. We love to talk with you. And the older we get, the more important you are to us. YOU are counted among our dearest treasures. 

In the top picture: Kate, Alicia (barely visible), Kelsey, Heather, Heidi, and Kristen
In the second picture: Emily and Erika decorating a cake
In the third picture: Timothy and Kyle by our little brookside in Marshfield
In the final picture: Joshua and David at a school concert in Machias. 

Remembering Fun Times At Home

When Grampie and I were children we thought about growing up. We wondered what we would do for a job, where we would live, and who we would marry.

I don't know about Grampie, but I was a dreamer. One thing that was fun to think about was the children I would have someday. Once, lying on the grass near Grammie Muriel's flower garden, I thought I would have six children and name them after flowers. There was Daisy, Rose, Iris, Violet, and two more. The other two names no longer come to mind. My dream was to sew beautiful dresses, all alike, but maybe in six colors. They would be the loveliest girls in the land.

As you know, that dream did not come true! But what really happened is far better than what was in my childish imagination. God ALWAYS has the best plan! We had SIX, but an equal number of girls and boys. Isn't that cool? We are so blessed with the children that God sent to us. Each one is very special and we love them more than they can know.

This picture was taken around Christmas. Notice the foil chain someone constructed to decorate our tree! Now my imagination is taking over! What were our children thinking? I wonder if Kevin was sitting on a package with his name on it? Stephen always looked so handsome in that sweater -- dark blue with yellow around the neck. He loved it. Jonathan, where are the laces for your boots? Valerie is caring for the two little ones and wears a very "seventies" outfit. Bethany is wearing a contented face and I wonder what she is holding. I love the way Marcia is clasping her hands for this photo-op! Maybe they were getting ready to do the play that they presented for us year after year at Christmas time.

And here is another dream. Wouldn't it be fun to time travel back there and give each one of those children a special hug and kiss? Wouldn't it be fun to hear their childish voices and laugh with them? I miss those days, but I wouldn't trade them for NOW. Why? Because now you are with us. You help make our family complete -- and so will your children.

There is something I want you to know, so will you remember this? Wherever you go, whatever you do, however you feel, whatever you are thinking there are some things that will always remain true: Grampie and I love you. More than that, GOD loves you. He loves you most of all.

Someone wrote a song and the chorus to it is related to my prayer for this family -- for all of us together:

May the circle be unbroken
By and by lord, by and by,
There's a better home a-waitin'
In the sky lord, in the sky.

One of these days Grampie and I are going to Heaven. Our most sincere prayer for you is that you will be there with us, as a member of God's Forever Family. What a joyous thought!