Janet's Blog

It was quite a week, that week leading up to our wedding on the 21st day of December in 1974. Bill had insisted on having our wedding right after he graduated from Milford Technical School (now Southeast Community College), so he had just completed finals and his family had driven the nearly 400 miles from Gering to attend his graduation the previous weekend. His dad wasn't too pleased about having to ask for time off work twice in a week's time during the sugar factory campaign, where he worked rotating shifts at the height of the sugar processing season. And the thought of making that long trip four times in 10 days must have been more than a little irritating for the whole family. Mom and I were both attending Concordia College (now Concordia University) in Seward, so we both had finals that week, and Mom technically graduated, although she didn't have a graduation ceremony just then. Mom had to drive back and forth to Seward for each of her finals, while I was still liv...

  Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel, (which means "God is with us.")     Isaiah 7:14 NLT Once again, it's time to wish all of you a Merry Christmas. In a year filled with inevitable ups and downs, we rejoice in God's gift of a Savior, born as a baby in Bethlehem more than 2000 years ago, and still present with us today.  Last Christmas, we were certainly glad that God was with us after Bill's dad died suddenly on December 21st at the age of 98. And then, when Levi and I contracted Covid soon after Christmas and were unable to attend Al's memorial service, it was comforting to watch the live-streamed service from home--an unexpected result of the pandemic. January brought us record-breaking snowfall, but spring arrived early enough that I could plant things like snow peas and spinach in early April. We had an abundant harvest that continued even after June's devastating hailstorm, with more tomat...

We don't get to see our youngest granddaughter as often as we would like, because she lives with her family in Ohio. Little Anna Elizabeth is 13 months old, and Anna is truly a Little Person. Anna She was diagnosed with Hypochondroplasia, a rare type of short-limbed dwarfism, when she was just a few months old. When doctors suggested, even before she was born, that she might have dwarfism, Erin and Reed passed it off as another misconception about their family's relatively small stature. None of them are tall people, and both Erin and five-year-old Will were always near the bottom of their respective growth charts when they saw their doctors for well-child checkups. Doctors had voiced similar concerns before Will was born, but he does not have any type of dwarfism; he is just small for his age.  Will, Erin, Anna, and Reed Anna, on the other hand, has been in and out of the hospital since she was born, first for breathing issues, and then for focal seizures, which are manifested...

Almost every fall, just as the leaves are showing off their vibrant colors, my daughter, Meagan, decides to take family pictures of her children and, of course, she wants at least one good picture that includes Andy and her, too. So, most years, I go along to Northfield Park (or wherever she decides to go) to help with crowd control and snap a few pictures of the whole family with her camera, after she sets it on the tripod and makes all of the necessary adjustments. I usually have to make a fool of myself in an attempt to get everyone to look at the camera, and maybe even smile, but the final results are certainly worth any momentary indignity.  Getting ready for the perfect family photo I love going along because, along with schlepping equipment from one promising spot to another, helping kids with wardrobe issues, and entertaining the little ones who are waiting their turn, I get to snap a few photos with my phone. Unfortunately, sometimes I get to do a little unintentional phot...

It was the first day the bridge was closed on the Scottsbluff/Gering Highway, and I told myself, as I climbed into my car, to remember to turn left at the stop sign. But, wouldn’t you know it, I turned right instead. And in the midst of my turning the wrong way, I started singing a line of music I had never heard before: “It’s gonna take some time to change my muddled mind.” I took that as a sign from God that it was time to write a new song. As I mulled that over, I realized that a lot of us are dealing with much harder changes than an annoying bridge closure.  I had to turn around and head towards this bridge instead,  one of only three others that crosses the North Platte River between Gering and Scottsbluff. Life has been difficult this year for many who have been dealing with accidents or injury, illness, retirement, grief, or one of numerous other unexpected struggles. It doesn't help that the world around us is evolving in ways we never thought possible, with drast...

As I've been walking this week, enjoying the last mild days of autumn, I can't help but dread the long, cold days ahead. Even though this fall has been beautifully balmy, I know what's coming, and I'm not looking forward to it.     Fall might have to be my favorite season if it only lasted longer, and if it didn't lead, inevitably, to winter! I love the crunching sound of the fallen leaves as I swish my way down the winding path. I wish I could enjoy it like I used to, when I was a young child who didn't know what foul weather was just around the corner. I love the majestic Cottonwoods' golden leaves, brightening even the dreariest, drizzly days of autumn. But, it's hard for me to appreciate them as I should, when I know that drizzle will soon give way to sleet and snow. Even worse, I dread the coming of the Brown, when there is not even any snow to add a touch of brilliance to our dull winter landscape. But then, God reminds me that I can become like ...