Memorial Day 2021

          Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. 

          I believe that beside Christmas, Good Friday and Easter, for American Christians Memorial Day should be the most important holiday of the year.  It is a day that we should remember and honor those who made the major sacrifices to preserve our important freedoms, especially our freedom of religion.

          But for most folks the day just kicks off the summer season.  Most celebrate by taking trips to the ocean or to the mountains or having picnics and family gatherings.  A few will participate in small parades and patriotic services in cemeteries.  In high school, each year I did the same with the Warwick High School band.

          While I never had any relatives who died in the wars, several of my uncles proudly served.  On my father's side, Uncle Marlin Derck and Uncle John Derck served during World War II.  Uncle John served at Normandy and compiled a very lengthy and interesting handwritten diary of his experiences during WWII.  We were with him twice on the anniversary of Normandy and he was quite affected by his memories.  He could relate to us hour by hour what had happened that day.  My Aunt Ellen told us that this was the first time that he had ever shared with anyone those experiences.

          Later we led a hymn sing at Pinebrook on Veterans Day and we had another participant of WWII speak on his experiences. We invited other vets to attend and share.  Many admitted that this was the first time that they had ever talked about these traumatic memories.

          On my mother's side, three of her brothers served.  Uncle Bud Wise and Uncle Sam Wise served in WWII while Uncle Richard Wise served in the Korean War.  I remember the excitement when Richard returned but I never heard any of their stories, if they even shared them with anyone.

          My father did not officially serve but he was chosen to teach the air force cadets at Susquehanna University during the early days of WWII.  Then he was hired to work on the famous Manhattan Project in Delaware during the war.  I now wish that I  had pushed him to share more details of that experience but I imagine that he was sworn to secrecy about that.

          Personally I don't have too many memories of the wars.  I do remember about living through the blackouts during WWII.  As a youngster they were rather scary times.  I do remember my father taking me into Wilmington for the celebration the night that WWII came to an end.  I didn't understand then all that it meant, but the actual celebration is still part of my memory.

          Growing up I can remember the drills that we had in school, ducking under our desks to practice for an enemy invasion.  Not sure what good those drills would have done in case of a real invasion, but we practiced.

          While I was doing graduate work at Bucknell I remember sitting in my car listening to the radio as we entered the war in Vietnam.  Many of my friends, relatives and classmates were called to serve there.  It was a scary time not knowing what the future held.

          I remember similar feelings the night that we invaded Iraq.  We were serving in Awana that evening and one of our workers was the wife of one of the soldiers who was part of the invasion.  Fortunately he was safe.

          And so, on Monday, we will pause to remember and thank the thousands who have served and even given their lives.  May we never forget them.  And may we never forget those who are serving today.  Thank you Lord.  God bless America!

Break, Enjoy, Laugh

          We all can use a laugh, especially during a difficult pandemic.  So let's take a break this week and enjoy some items which I have collected.  

          First, here are some signs that will be misread for certain.

          *   TOILET OUT OF ORDER., PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW.

          *   In a Laundromat:  AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT.

          *   In a London department store:  BARGAIN BASEMENT ON 2ND. FLOOR...

          *   In an office:   WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN.

          *   In another office:  AFTER TEA BREAK, STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD.

          *   Outside a secondhand shop:  WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

          *   Notice in health food shop window:   CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS...

          *   Spotted in a safari park :   ELEPHANTS - PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR.

          *   Seen during a conference:  FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR.

          *   Notice in a farmer's field:   THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES.

          *   Message on a leaflet:   IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS.

          *   On a repair shop door:   WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - AS THE BELL DOESN'T WORK.)

          Then there are some interesting headlines in newspapers.

     *   Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife And Daughter:

     *   Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says:

     *   Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers:

     *   Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over:

     *   Miners Refuse to Work after Death:

     *   Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant:

     *   War Dims Hope for Peace:

     *   If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile:

     *   Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures:

     *   Enfield ( London ) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide:

     *   Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges:

     *   Man Struck By Lightning, Faces Battery Charge:

     *   New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group:

     *   Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft:

     *   Kids Make Nutritious Snacks

     *   Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half

     *   Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors

And the winner is...

     *   Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

I hope these crazy thoughts have helped a little to brighten your day.  We all need to laugh a little to relieve the stress of daily living.

My Anchor Holds

          We all face storms throughout our lives.  We don't know when they will come or how bad they will be.  But we do know that they will come and nobody is exempt from them.  They can seem devastating and at times we can feel like we are drowning.  Will our anchor hold?

          During the past two weeks I have been facing one of these storms and it has been very difficult.  My wife lost her balance and fell just one step but she landed on her side on some soda bottles as we were getting ready for bed.  I couldn't get her up and had to call my son and grandson to come and help her up.  She then seemed fine and actually went to bed and slept about five hours.

          However the next morning she began to have very painful spasms around her chest.  I finally had to call the ambulance and she was taken to the ER.  After x-rays and tests they decided that she should be sent to the hospital for observation.  They finally were able to find a room for her.

           After two nights there it was decided that she should go to a skilled nursing facility for rehab.  It was very difficult but they finally found a couple of places with a bed available.  I had to transport her to the Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Home, about 30 minutes away, where she is still a patient.  As I write this she continues to be in serious pain whenever she moves.  It is so hard to watch.

          The Home is very nice, highly rated and the help has been very kind.  But because of covid restrictions I am very limited in visitation and that is hard.  Sometimes it feels like she is a prisoner and I can't be with her all the time.  In a few weeks hopefully we will celebrate our 59th anniversary and we have always been together during these years.  We miss each other.  But I remember the vows we took, "in sickness and in health".  Now she has pain and is very weak.

          As you can tell, I am finding this very hard.  On Sunday, for the first time I had to watch our streaming worship service without her.   But the Lord had something special in mind for me.  After watching our local service we usually watch the streaming service from Chuck Swindoll's Stonebriar Community Church in Texas.  It is always encouraging with great music and great preaching.  The service streamed is always from the previous Sunday.

          This week the service had exerpts from their children's musical that was to be that evening.  So after the service I found the concert, "My Anchor Holds".  It was outstanding and a wonderful reminder of the storms we all face and the anchor that we have in the midst of these storms.  All the music was appropriate with an encouraging message.  If you have a chance to watch it, please do so.

           And I was reminded of my Anchor that firmly holds in the roughest of storms.  I don't know what the coming days will hold for my wife and I pray for the best for her.  But I am reminded that God is in control of all the storms and somehow He will provide the comfort, direction, peace and companionship which I need.  "Fastened to the Rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love."

          Maybe you need this reminder as well, so meditate on the words of this old hymn.  If you aren't going through a storm right now, then be ready.  One will come your way.  Do you have the Anchor to see you through?

          

1.     Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,

When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?

When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,

Will your anchor drift or firm remain?

  We have an anchor that keeps the soul

Stedfast and sure while the billows roll,

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,

  Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love.

2     It is safely moored, 'twill the storm withstand,

For 'tis well secured by the Savior's hand;

And the cables passed from His heart to mine,

Can defy the blast, through strength divine.

3     It will firmly hold in the straits of fear,

When the breakers have told the reef is near;

Though the tempest rave and the wild winds blow,

Not an angry wave shall our bark o'erflow.

4      It will surely hold in the floods of death,

When the waters cold chill our latest breath;

On the rising tide it can never fail,

While our hopes abide within the veil.

You can listen to it here.    ANCHOR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTfypuXwrMA

Mother's Day

          Many lessons are learned late in life, often when it is too late to make any necessary changes.

           Growing up we never made much of a fuss about many special days such as Mother's Day.  About all that we did was go to church that Sunday where mother's usually received a special gift - usually a flower.  I guess later in life we did give her a card and sometimes a flower.

           Now, when it is too late, I wish that I could do much more to honor and thank her.  But 28 years ago God suddenly called her home in an automobile accident.  And I still miss her greatly today.  I wish that I could take her out to dinner, buy her something special and above all else, just talk to her once again.

           God gave me a very special mother.   She loved and served the Lord.  She knew how to work hard especially in very difficult times.  She had a heart of gold and a special gift for caring and encouraging others.  She touched many lives.  And she loved her children and her grandchildren and had a memorable impact upon their lives.  Unfortunately she never got to know most of her great-grandchildren - but she will someday in a better place.

          My parents were married in the early days of World War 2 and jobs were scarce.  As a college grad my father's first job was teaching in Doylestown, PA.  His salary - $1,200 a year.  That wasn't enough to care for a wife and eventually a child so for a year we were forced to live with his parents while he commuted to work each week.

           Then he got a temporary job teaching Air Force cadets at Susquehanna University.  Then it was a brief stint as a high school math teacher in New Cumberland.  Then off to work on the secret Manhattan Project in Wilmington, Delaware.  Then it was back to New Cumberland H.S. where he also coached football.  Next it was Elizabethtown College where He had a temporary teaching job.  Finally it was a permanent job in Lancaster at RCA.  One final move took us to Lititz in the first home that they owned.  And it was in Elizabethtown, despite all these moves, that they finally were able to buy their first car.

          I never heard mother complain about all of these moves - nine of them until I was in fourth grade.  But this had to be very hard on her.  In addition she cared for us as dad was often gone working extra jobs such as with the railroad.  Times were tough but she helped us survive those stressful years.

         The moves never disrupted our faithfulness in attending church every Sunday and often on Wednesdays.  And mother was faithful in teaching us the scriptures at home.

          Finally, in Lancaster dad took the lead in establishing our church in 1950.  Then mother was able to use her gifts of hospitality by housing Bible School students who helped our church in summer tent meetings.  Over the years she also became the host for visiting speakers and missionaries, again providing housing and meals.  This had a real impact on our lives and introduced us directly in our home to many servants of God.

          When we moved to Lititz mother got involved with Child Evangelism Fellowship and she hosted a Good News Club in our basement for neighborhood children.  This is where I got my start in ministering to children as I became her assistant each week for many years.  She also taught Sunday School for many years and later became a listener in Awana.  We learned much about her impact upon lives after her death.

          Following her death we received numerours messages from adults who had attended her Good News Clubs over the years.  They shared how much they had been impacted by her and her teaching.  Many city kids who she had helped in Awana were in tears when they realized she wouldn't be there anymore.  She was like a mother to many of them.

          Mother also had a major impact upon church members and neighbors because of her loving, caring actions.  She also worked for years as a volunteer at the Lancaster County Home where she helped the aged and informed.  She was honored by the county commissioners for her work after her death.

          There is so much more that I can share about mother.  Her impact upon the lives of so many was a quiet but tremendous ministry.  She supported my father in his many ministries in our church, in our denomination and in the community.  

          But maybe the biggest impact that she had was on her family and especially on me.  And my heart is filled with thanksgiving.  I could not have had a better mother - she modeled Jesus to me.  I miss her.

          Several times I have shared in my blogs her favorite hymn.  As I do I can picture her walking and talking with the Lord - and probably with my father and brother as well.

(1) I come to the garden alone

While the dew is still on the roses

And the voice I hear falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

(2) He speaks, and the sound of His voice,

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

(3) I'd stay in the garden with Him

Though the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go; through the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

Spring in Fall

An Old Spring Friend

             Spring in the Fall.   An unusual thought.  But for many of us it is a real life situation.

          Now there is something very special about the Spring season.  It is exciting to see new life explode from the dreary days of winter.  I love to see the trees, bushes and grass begin to display their beautiful green foliage once again.  We have a crabapple tree that has been ours for decades and is filled with spectacular blossoms.

          I love to see our flowers grow and begin to bloom once again.  Crocuses, daffodils, and tulips are among the first, displaying their rainbow of colors.   They can bring cheer to our life and our attitude.

          Then the azaleas burst into bloom.  Unfortunately the blooms don't last very long but they are beautiful while in bloom.  We have several of them in various shades and we love them.

         Next come the rhododendrons and their amazing blooms.  We have one huge purple one that has also been part of our family, probably for about 50 years.  It continues to thrive and provide us with a beautiful, although very short, spring spectacle.

          And I shouldn't forget to mention the many birds that return in the Spring.  The robins are usually first but many beautiful ones also return to fight the squirrels at our feeders.

          Spring is a beautiful time and it can give a real boost to your spirits, especially after winter and even now even more so, after the long isolation of the pandemic.

          But how does Fall enter into this picture?  Spring in the Fall?

          Well the different periods of our lives can also be described as seasons.  This year both my wife and I have now reached eight decades of life and realistically we know that we are in the Fall season of life.  And many things change during this season.  There are now so many things that we could do for ourselves even a year ago that we can no longer do today.   The body quickly wears out.  That can be very difficult and even discouraging at times.  We wonder how we got this old this fast.

           Now instead of doing things yourself, one must consider moving to a new facility where these things are done for you.  But this is not only expensive and much work, but it is difficult to leave a home where you have lived for six decades.

          The other choice is to pray about it and look for others who can help you with these chores around your house.   But it is hard to admit that you now need help and it is often hard to find those who can help.  And sometimes help also gets expensive.  And so our Spring in the Fall of our lives is a new challenge for us as it must be for other seniors.  Getting old is not easy.

          One of the big Spring needs is the cutting of our grass.  That takes 45-60 minutes using our riding mower.  Thankfully our oldest grandson has been available and faithful in doing that for us each week.  Spring in the Fall.

          We have also been able to hire a lawn service which fertilizes our grass, sprays our trees, and mulches our many flower beds.  They do a great job, but they are very expensive.   Spring in the Fall.

          Then there are the flower beds which at least twice a year need extensive weeding.  Thankfully the Lord has provided a neighbor who does this as a supplemental job.  She and a friend have helped us out twice a season at a very reasonable price.  Spring in the Fall.

           Bushes need regular trimming if they are to bloom and grow properly and look nice.  Last year the Lord led us to another person who does this work on the side.  He did an excellent job for us at a very reasonable price.  He even came back this week to dispose of a huge pile of tree limbs that have fallen over the winter.  There was a time not long ago that we were able to do that ourselves, but no longer.  Spring in the Fall.

          We still have some needs with planting some flowers and with some minor outside repairs.  Hopefully the Lord has somebody He is preparing to do that for us.  Then we need major work on our many huge trees.  We will need to hire somebody for that large and expensive job.  But we are trusting the Lord for that.   Spring in the Fall.

          And so we are enjoying the Spring.  We can see the Lord working with our numerous medical challenges as well as the many challenges we have as senior homeowners.  And as we enjoy many of our trees, bushes and flowers that have been with us for decades, we rejoice in the knowledge that not only is God good, but that He continues to provide just what we need.  Even during the Spring while we experience the Fall season of our lives.

1.     Walk boldly to stand in His presence

Lay claim on the promise He made

Your soul can be cleansed

Beneath the flow of His fountain

His Blood washes guilt all away

Chorus

Just bring all your needs to the altar

Bring all your needs to the Lord

He is so willing and able to help you

Bring all your needs to the Lord

2.    He watches the fall of the sparrow

Concerned with the lilies so fair

How much more He cares

For the sheep of his pasture

So bring Him the burdens you bear

Chorus

Bring all your needs to the altar

Bring all your needs to the Lord

He is so willing and able to help you

Bring all your needs to the Lord

Bring all your needs to the Lord