Mother's Dictionary

Mother's Dictionary
A blog dedicated to all mothers

Bottle feeding: An opportunity for Dad to get up at 2 a.m. also.

Defense: What you'd better have around de yard if you're going to let the children play outside.

Dumbwaiter: One who asks if the kids would care to order dessert.

Family planning: The art of spacing your children the proper distance apart to keep you on the edge of financial disaster.

Feedback: The inevitable result when the baby doesn't appreciate the strained carrots.

Full name: What you call your child when you're mad at him.

Grandparents: The people who think your children are wonderful even though they're sure you're not raising them right.

Hearsay: What toddlers do when anyone mutters a dirty word.

Impregnable: A woman whose memory of labor is still vivid.

Independent: How we want our children to be as long as they do everything we say.

Look out: What it's too late for your child to do by the time you scream it.

Prenatal: When your life was still somewhat your own.

Prepared childbirth: A contradiction in terms.

Puddle: A small body of water that draws other small bodies wearing dry shoes into it.

Show off: A child who is more talented than yours.

Sterilize: What you do to your first baby's pacifier by boiling it and to your last baby's pacifier by blowing on it.

Storeroom: The distance required between the supermarket aisles so that children in shopping carts can't quite reach anything.

Temper tantrums: What you should keep to a minimum so as to not upset the children.

Top bunk: Where you should never put a child wearing Superman jammies.

Two-minute warning: When the baby's face turns red and she begins to make those familiar grunting noises.

Verbal: Able to whine in words.

Whoops: An exclamation that translates roughly into "get a sponge."

Hurry Up And Wait

Another of the writings for my grandchildren.

"I think my throat is closing!"

 

These were the words that I mumbled to Dianne at about 7 a.m.  We were in a Reading motel room, and I had been having trouble getting saliva and swallowing since about 3:30 a.m.  And, it seemed like my problem was getting worse.

 

Jim Herrold, my former college roommate, was getting remarried that morning in a nearby town at 11 a.m.  I was to be the best man and we needed to leave by 10 a.m. to get to the wedding in time.  We had come for practice the night before and after a practice dinner we had returned to the motel to avoid the trip home.

 

Aware of my concern and discomfort, Dianne helped me quickly pack our belongings.  We decided to dress for the wedding, check out and head to the closest emergency room.

 

We arrived at the emergency room before 8 a.m. and shared not only my physical problem but also our need to leave by 10 a.m. to drive to the wedding. While I was having difficulty talking at that point they seemed to understand and appreciate my situation.  They assured me that getting help in time would not be a problem since it was early Saturday morning and only one person was ahead of me.

 

So we waited … and we waited … and 45 minutes later I was taken to an observation room where two ladies began to ask me a battery of questions.  They took all sorts of tests, but never even looked at my throat.  I had hoped that one was a doctor but it turned out that they were both nurses. They kept assuring me, however, that I would be out in time to participate in the wedding.

 

After this battery of questions they decided I needed an EKG and I had to take off my wedding clothing to have this done.

 

With this accomplished, they then put me into a wheelchair and wheeled me to another observation room where a doctor was supposed to finally see me.  By then it was already 9:30 and we had just 30 minutes before we had to leave.

 

Finally another young lady appeared in the new room and again went over my history and problem.  She never looked at my throat either, but she informed me that it was probably mucous caught behind my tonsils.  She said this often happens.

 

She seemed surprised when I told her that this would be unusual since my tonsils were removed years ago.  She then told me that a doctor would soon be in to see me … she wasn't a doctor either.

 

I told her that I only had 30 minutes until I had to leave and asked her if I'd get to see a doctor in that time.  Her reply? "Probably not, and if you really have to leave just let me know."

 

Incidentally, that was the last time I saw her.  And, 30 minutes later I went out to the desk and told them I had to leave.  At first they thought I'd have to sign a form but then they decided that since I hadn't seen a doctor I could just leave.  They suggested that I come back after the wedding.

 

We had waited there for two hours and had seen three nurses, but nobody had even looked at my throat.  They had to be kidding!   Why would I ever return there?

 

Someone volunteered to show us how to get out and we left – hopefully never to return.

 

Incidentally, the longer we were out of the motel room, the better my throat became.  I really believe that it was either something in the room or the air conditioning or something I ate the night before.

 

On Monday I tried to make an appointment with my throat specialist at home.  I told her receptionist that I had been to the emergency room and needed a follow up visit.  The first appointment they could give me was three weeks later.  So I guess the Lord knew I had to learn the lesson "hurry up and wait"!

 

Do you find it hard to wait?  I do.  We all want instant answers and instant help.  But sometimes the Lord requires that we wait until He is ready, in His perfect timing, to answer and direct us.  So at times we must learn in our spiritual walk to wait and to trust Him fully.  And, He never will leave us down.

 

The Psalmist must have realized this when he penned the words of Psalm 27:13,14.  "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:  wait, I say, on the Lord."  And waiting on Him is always the best choice.

 

Oh yes, we arrived at the wedding on time and we had a wonderful experience at a Christ honoring ceremony.  I was fully able to participate and to even enjoy the great food at the reception.

 

And one final observation. … the hospital never took my address or my insurance information.  So while I don't know the results of my EKG and other tests, they don't know how or where to bill me. I guess they will just have to wait for a payment.  

 

It was an "interesting" way to spend a morning!

Look Alike (LB)

Looking Back - Another blog which I have posted previously. This was posted in 2012.

          Last week I went to a viewing of the father of a friend who attends our church. The father used to attend our church, but the mother never did because she was of another faith. I only recall having seen her once before and that was many years ago at a wedding.     

          Dianne had to lead a Bible study that morning so she was unable to attend the viewing. But I felt to support our friends I would at least go to the viewing. 

          The widow was seated and I was about sixth in line. I had planned to introduce myself to the widow and offer our condolences. However, when it was my turn, before I could even say anything, she said to me, "You must be a Kauffman". I was stunned. How would she know that? Then she said that she had worked with my father at RCA. But that had to be at least 30 years ago. I guess that the older I get, the more I look like my father. Several people have recently told me that. And I don't mind. I wish that I could be half the man that he was. 

          But what is even more interesting is that several people have remarked that I remind them of my grandfather, Pastor Wolf. I find that very interesting because he was a stepfather and there is no blood line from him to me. My father's real father died when he was just a baby. His mother remarried and Pastor Wolf was the only father my dad had ever really known. And while there is no reason that I should look like him, I am honored that some think I do. He was a great man of God. 

           It is very interesting to look at baby pictures and see how many of our children and grandchildren looked the same, especially as youngsters. Physical characteristics are so often shared in families and it is often easy to tell a member of the family just by the physical resemblances. 

           I know of one father who advised his son when he became of dating age that he should look at the girl's mother because that is how the girl will probably look like 30 or 40 years from now. I'm not sure what I think of that advice, even though it may be true. 

          But there is a more important resemblance that we should strive for, our resemblance to the Lord. Do people see Christ in our lives? Does our countenance reflect the Lord? Does our attitude show the love and grace of the Lord? Are people drawn to the Lord because of what they see in us? 

          Physically we can do little about the characteristics that we inherit from our ancestors. Whether we like it or not, the resemblances will be there. But spiritually we have the choice. Is it our desire to become more like Him each day? That should be our desire and goal each day of our life.

1.  O to be like Thee! blessed Redeemer;

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, 

come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image 

deep on my heart.

2.   O to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wand'ring sinners to find.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, 

come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image 

deep on my heart.

3.   O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer, others to save.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, 

come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image 

deep on my heart.

4.   O to be like Thee! Lord, I am coming,

Now to receive the' anointing divine;

All that I am and have I am bringing;

Lord, from this moment all shall be Thine.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, 

come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image 

deep on my heart.

5.   O to be like Thee! While I am pleading

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love.

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit for a life which Thou wouldst approve.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, 

come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image 

deep on my heart.

A Story. For Easter

A special story to make us think about how rich we really are in these days of inflation and shortages.  We all have so much.  Think about it on this Easter season.

THE RICH FAMILY IN CHURCH

By Eddie Ogan

          I'll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy was 12,and my older sister Darlene 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with seven school kids to raise and no money.

          By 1946 my older sisters were married and my brothers had left home. A month before Easter the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and give sacrificially.

          When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for the offering. When we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible and didn't listen to the radio, we'd save money on that month's electric bill. Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible, and both of us babysat for everyone we could. For 15 cents we could buy enough cotton loops to make three pot holders to sell for $1.

          We made $20 on pot holders. That month was one of the best of our lives.

          Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night we'd sit in the dark and talk about how the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. We had about 80 people in church, so figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would surely be 20 times that much. After all, every Sunday the pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering.

          The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and got the manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change.  We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never had so much money before.

          That night we were so excited we could hardly sleep. We didn't care that we wouldn't have new clothes for Easter; we had $70 for the sacrificial offering.

          We could hardly wait to get to church! On Sunday morning, rain was pouring. We didn't own an umbrella, and the church was over a mile from our home, but it didn't seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill the holes. The cardboard came apart, and her feet got wet.

          But we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about the Smith girls having on their old dresses. I looked at them in their new clothes, and I felt rich.

          When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting on the second row from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill, and each of us kids put in a $20.

          As we walked home after church, we sang all the way. At lunch Mom had a surprise for us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs with our fried potatoes! Late that afternoon the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, and then came back with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was, but she didn't say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 and seventeen $1 bills.

          Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn't talk, just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling like poor white trash. We kids had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn't have our Mom and Dad for parents and a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and see whether we got the spoon or the fork that night.

          We had two knifes that we passed around to whoever needed them. I knew we didn't have a lot of things that other people had, but I'd never thought we were poor.

          That Easter day I found out we were. The minister had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn't like being poor. I looked at my dress and worn-out shoes and felt so ashamed--I didn't even want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were poor!

          I thought about school. I was in the ninth grade and at the top of my class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew that we were poor. I decided that I could quit school since I had finished the eighth grade. That was all the law required at that time. We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark, and we went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally on Saturday, Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor people do with money? We didn't know. We'd never known we were poor. We didn't want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to. Although it was a sunny day, we didn't talk on the way.

          Mom started to sing, but no one joined in and she only sang one verse. At church we had a missionary speaker. He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun dried bricks, but they needed money to buy roofs. He said $100 would put a roof on a church. The minister said, "Can't we all sacrifice to help these poor people?" We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week.

          Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene. Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy. Ocy put it in the offering.

          When the offering was counted, the minister announced that it was a little over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn't expected such a large offering from our small church. He said, "You must have some rich people in this church."

          Suddenly it struck us! We had given $87 of that "little over $100."

          We were the rich family in the church! Hadn't the missionary said so? From that day on I've never been poor again. I've always remembered how rich I am because I have Jesus!

On The Move

Another of my writings for my grandchildren.

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which you should go.  I will guide you with my eye."    Psalms 139:3.   This verse must have been very real to my parents, for in my early years it was move, move, and move.

 

Times were difficult when I was born.  World War II had changed life in America.  Jobs were scarce and the wartime economy put the squeeze on everyone.

 

After I was born in Sunbury in 1941, Grandpa Kauffman found a high school math teaching job in Doylestown.  Making only $1,200 a year, he couldn't afford to have our family live there with him.  So Grandma and I spent our early months living in the parsonage with the Wolfs in Sunbury. My dad came home to be with us on the weekends.

 

While I don't recall much about that year, I've heard many stories and viewed many pictures.  Grandma Ettinger (Grandma Wolf's step mother) also lived there during those years.  Living next door were the Wagners and their daughter, Arlene, who later married Bob Gehret.

 

Then it was on to New Cumberland where Grandpa Kauffman found a job - teaching math at New Cumberland High School.  We lived across the street from the school and I have some memories of visiting the school and attending basketball games with my father.  Grandpa had been allowed to play football while he was a student at Susquehanna University – this was unusual in those days for a Christian, especially a preacher's son.  As a result he was also able to serve as an assistant football coach at New Cumberland.

 

I don't remember it, but I am told that I decided to varnish one of the walls in our house just after new wallpaper had been installed.  Fortunately they were able to replace the damaged paper and repair my paint job.

 

The war interrupted Grandpa's high school teaching and we moved to Selinsgrove where he taught Air Force cadets at Susquehanna University.  I don't remember too much about our short stay there except that my little dog, Penny, was killed by a car when he ran into the street in front of our house while I was playing in the front yard.

 

Later my dad was hired to work for Dupont in Wilmington, Delaware as an industrial engineer working on the Manhattan Project.  My mother was pregnant with Uncle Terry and until dad could find us a place to live we moved back to the Sunbury parsonage with the Wolfs. 

 

After Terry was born we moved to Wilmington.  We lived in a newly built apartment building and at times I can still recall the smell of the new wallboard and other building materials.  I also remember that we often took the train to Chester to worship in the Chester Mennonite Brethren In Christ Church, long before the name was changed to Bible Fellowship.  That church is now the Wallingford Bible Fellowship Church.

 

I also have special wartime memories from Wilmington.  I can recall the sirens and the resulting blackouts.  All lights had to be turned off so incoming enemy bombers couldn't see any locations.  Those were scary events.  But I also remember when the war ended and my father took me downtown to watch everyone celebrating.  While I didn't really understand the war, that joyous event made a real impression upon me as a young child.

 

Then it was back to new Cumberland where Grandpa returned to teaching math and coaching football.  Since we didn't have a car, I remember taking the bus with my mother to go to Harrisburg to shop.  Grandpa used to take the bus to shop for our groceries. Pastor Jansen Hartman, a close friend of Grandpa Kauffman, used to come and take us to the Mennonite Brethren in Christ Church in Harrisburg.  It was here that I began school as a first grader.  At that time children did not attend preschool or kindergarten.  So after six different homes in six years, I was now in school.

 

But near the end of that school year it was off again, this time to home number seven, in Elizabethtown.  My dad took a temporary job at Elizabethtown College teaching math and physics.  We lived on the first floor of a big house on the corner of the college campus.  My yard was a large portion of the campus and I loved it. My first Boston Terrier, Frisky, joined our family.  Grandpa also bought his first car while we lived here.  What I didn't know until much later in my life was that Grammy and her parents were actually living just a few blocks from us.

 

One memory I have is a fire in the basement of our house.  The professor who lived upstairs carelessly emptied the hot ashes from the furnace and placed them in cardboard boxes.  The fire company came but fortunately there was no major damage.  

 

I finished first grade and second grade and then we moved again.  Grandpa Kauffman was hired as an engineer at RCA in Lancaster and we moved into the big city, on North Queen St.- home number eight.  It was really fun there because we lived upstairs and John and Ellen Derck lived downstairs.  That is probably one of the reasons I have had a very special bond with them.

 

When they moved, we rented the entire house and moved downstairs – I guess that could be home number nine. We often used the extra upstairs rooms to keep visiting pastors, missionaries, and Berean Bible School students who were helping with the establishment of our new church in Lancaster.  I was one of the charter members of our church which was formed in 1950.

 

I loved the city.  It was then safe to walk downtown and I often went there and walked through the stores after school.  We didn't have much of a yard but we had a big house with plenty of room to play.  I walked to George Ross Elementary School where I completed third and fourth grades.  Aunt Kendy was born while we lived there.

 

One more move – my parents finally built a house in Lititz – number ten for me.  I went to Lititz Elementary beginning in grade five and finished by graduating from Warwick in 1959.  I quickly fell in love with Lititz and often thank the Lord that our long journey ended there. It was a wonderful, safe small town with nice people and great traditions.

 

When we trust the Lord, He does direct our paths.  My parents followed the Lord in faith and He did provide all that they needed.  My many moves and readjustments didn't hurt me at all.  In fact I think they taught me many valuable lessons, including the faithfulness and provision of the Lord.  God is so good – all the time!

April fools (LB)

Looking Back is a feature in which I repeat a blog that I wrote in the past.  This one was first posted here in 2012.  I thought it might be appropriate for April Fool's Day in 2022.  Incidentally I no longer "celebrate" this day.

          As a teacher I was always looking for creative and unusual ways to get a point across to my students. I was always sure that given a chance I could teach a fake lesson and my students would follow along, take notes, nod their heads in agreement, and not challenge what I said. 

          And so I began a tradition of every few years on April 1 teaching the Looflirpa Theorem. And I was generally very successful in pulling it off. One year I was so successful that even though the next day my students were told that it was fake and we reviewed the incorrect steps, I still had a student who tried to apply it on the final exam. 

          Well I thought that if I could pull this off in the classroom I could probably do the same thing to our friends by e-mail. And so about a decade ago I began a new "tradition". After we returned from a trip to Florida I prepared an e-mail which said that we had so much fun there that we were purchasing a home and moving there in a few months. My April Fool's Day e-mail was so very effective - the best one ever - that we had friends calling and tearfully saying how much they would miss us. 

           That one has been hard to beat. But every year since then I have sent out an e-mail presenting a "fake" problem - a new law that was passed, a tax increase on gum and candy, a charge for bulk mailing our prayer chain e-mails, etc. Some have worked, others have not. 

         Last year I shared that Taco Bell was obtaining the naming rights to the Liberty Bell and would rename it the Taco Bell. This really upset a number of folks until they went to my link and realized that it was my annual prank. 

          But each year it has become harder to do one since folks now are expecting it and are on guard. I had decided to "retire" this year and give it up. And I probably should have quit while I was ahead. However, several folks wrote to me or talked to me on Sunday morning and wondered when I was going to send out my annual e-mail. A few years ago even our pastor mentioned this "tradition" in one of his messages. 

          So I thought I'd give it one more shot and late Sunday afternoon I sent one out informing folks that I might have spread a virus that would affect everyone in my address book beginning April 6 (my birthday). I always prepare a web page and send folks to it to reveal that it is an April Fool's Day joke. I provided a link to this page telling them that there they would find the remedy and protection for this virus. But this year I ran into numerous problems. Several reported back that the link wouldn't work for them and wondered what they should do to avoid the virus. I either sent them another link or told them to relax since it was just a joke. When I received numerous "complaints" about the enclosed link I had to send out another bulk e-mail with a new link. Some wanted to make sure that the e-mail really came from me before they clicked on the link and got another virus. One waited to have the tech person at work check her computer. A couple of others called us because they were worried about what we had done to their computer. And a few others ignored it completely or assumed that it was a joke and didn't even try the link.   

           Only a few replied that they were tricked and thought it was funny. One said "you got me once again" and another "hook, line and sinker - we are still laughing about it!" It is interesting, however, that despite the reactions and concerns, my counter on the linked web page showed over 130 hits. Maybe that year I may have gone too far. I probably upset a number of folks and have others who didn't check the link worried about the April 6 virus. Hopefully after April 6 I will be forgiven. So maybe it is really time to "retire" this "tradition". 

          Maybe this year I was really the April Fool!

Splat!

          I had big plans for this week.  We only had one appointment scheduled so I planned to do some writing for this blog as well as my hymn blog.  But it wasn't to be.

          We have a second car, a 2009 Toyota, which we seldom use.  And during the pandemic it basically sat on our driveway and collected all sorts of dirt.  It hadn't been washed in over two years and really needed it.

          Our auto mechanic kept suggesting replacing all four tires.  They had adequate tread and looked fine but he felt that due to their age they weren't safe.  But I kept putting it off because we used the car so seldom and tires were expensive.

          Then we saw a good tire sale and decided it was time to buy.  But I was embarrassed to take the car in without it being cleaned.  I was afraid that the automatic car wash would not be good enough so I chose to do it by hand at the local car wash.

          After several times around the car I was almost satisfied.  Except for one spot it looked great.  So I decided to use the brush on that area.  I finished that, returned the brush to its holder and went for a final rinse.

          Suddenly I found myself on the concrete, flat on my face.  It happened so fast.  I don't know what happened.  Did I trip?  Did I slip?  There was blood everywhere and my glasses were broken.  I don't know how I got up, but I did.  My wife got out of the car and tried to help.

          Thank the Lord there was a MedExpress close by and we headed there.  They took me in right away and a nurse began to clean me up.  Finally a doctor came and two hours later I left with 12 stiches in my nose.  The next two days my eyes began to get black and blue and I looked like a raccoon.  I still need to have the stitches removed this weekend but I have no idea how long I will have the black eyes.  And it will take a few weeks to get new glasses.

         I thank the Lord that it wasn't worse.  No broken bones.  No broken teeth.  No concussion.  No damage to my eyes.

          But I have missed a week that I needed for writing.  However, the Lord is in control.

A Godly Heritage

In her casket were two bottles of Old Milwaukee beer and a cigarette.

We certainly were surprised as we viewed the body of the mother of one of our Awana leaders.  We heard that she had told her family that she wanted to be buried with her beer and her cigarettes and the family honored her wish.

 

I imagine that her son was probably embarrassed by this family decision and it made me realize how difficult it must be to be the only Christian in your family.  As we drove home from the viewing my mind was directed to Psalm 16:6 that proclaims, “Yea, I have a goodly heritage.”

 

Yes, I am so very fortunate to have a goodly, Godly heritage, and so are you.  Please don’t ever forget it and never take it for granted.

 

Your heritage begins with your parents.  Your dad and your uncles, Craig, Ken and Tim, all came to know the Lord as children.  The Lord allowed all three to marry wives who knew the Lord as Savior.  All have tried to raise you and their families to honor the Lord.

 

Grammy and I also asked the Lord to be our Savior while we were young children.  We have tried to live lives that please Him.  On our honeymoon the Lord led us to Psalm 92:13, “Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.”  We have tried to follow this promise all of our married lives.  Elsewhere in this book you will find the principles that we have tried to model and pass on as our legacy.

 

Your parents also had uncles and aunts who loved the Lord and were active in many areas of service and ministry.  Uncle Terry, Aunt Kendy and Aunt Sue also accepted Jesus as their Savior when they were children.  Uncle Leon served as a pastor in several churches after completing Bible school.

 

The goodly heritage also includes your great grandparents.  Grammy’s parents – Gramps and Muz Bickle - both loved the Lord.  They made Him central in their family life after Gramps accepted the Lord as his Savior later in his life.  They loved to entertain visiting preachers and missionaries.  Muz taught Sunday School.  Gramps (Glenn Bickle) had a special gift of evangelism and was responsible for leading many people to the Lord.  Sharing the Gospel with others was his greatest joy.  He was very active in Gideons, taught Sunday School and led prayer meeting.  He and Muz were very faithful in their prayer life and they prayed daily for their children, their grandchildren, and their great grandchildren.

 

Muz  (Mary) was a Deitrich and was the youngest of five children – Ray, Bob, Ethel and Hattie who died as a child.  In the latter years of his life, Grandpa Deitrich lived with Gramps and Muz until he died. His father was a preacher. Gramps had two sisters, Ruth Lewis and Miriam Hubler and one brother, Floyd, who died when he was young.  Your dads might remember Mom Bickle who came to know the Lord in her later years.

 

My parents, Grandma and Grandpa Kauffman, were charter members of our church, Faith Bible Fellowship Church, in Lancaster.  They were very instrumental in getting the church started in 1950.  Grandma taught Sunday School, was active in Womens Missionary Society and Awana and had a CEF club for children in our home.  They took us to almost every church service, all of our lives, even when it meant going by train or bus or driving 40 miles to get there.  For well over 50 years Grandpa (Horace Abraham) taught Sunday School, was an elder, served as church delegate, handled the church financial records, and served as financial secretary for the Bible Fellowship denomination and worked in Awana.  He also served on the boards of Berean Bible School, Lancaster Christian School, and Calvary Homes.  His life was devoted to serving the Lord and setting an example for his family.

 

Grandma (Aletha or Dolly) Kauffman was a Wise and grew up in the Herndon area before moving to Sunbury.  She was one of seven children born to Mammy (Alice) and Pappy (Lloyd) Wise – Sis Neidig, Anna Mahlon, Phyllis Gaugler, Bud, Sam and Richard Wise.

 

Your great great grandfather, Grandpa Kauffman’s real father, Horace Abraham Kauffman, died during the flu epidemic of 1918 when Grandpa was just 16 months old. He had one real sister, Ellen Derck.  Grandma was then encouraged to marry a friend of his, Norman Wolf, and they had two daughters, Beatrice Derck and Thelma Smock.  Thelma married Bob who became a pastor for over 50 years in our denomination.  Ellen and Beatrice married brothers – John and Marlin.  All the family loved and served the Lord and they were all very instrumental in my Christian growth.

 

Norman Wolf became a real father to Grandpa Kauffman and a special grandfather to me.  He served as a pastor for over 65 years.  He performed our wedding ceremony and was our pastor for several years while we were in Sunbury.  He was a real pastor with a heart for his congregation.  He was a man of prayer. He was the most Godly person I have ever known and was a great influence on my life.

 

Grandma (Esther) Wolf also came from a family of believers.  Her brother, Timothy Gehret, was a pastor and a presiding elder in our denomination for many years.  Another brother, Myron was an elder in our Bethlehem church.  His wife, Lizzie, was a brother to Grandpa Kauffman’s real father.  Grandma Wolf’s father, A.B. Gehret, was also a pastor.  I remember her mother, Grandma Ettinger, who died in 1944.

 

Your great great great grandfather was Charles L. Kauffman (1861-1942).  In 1896 he was appointed postmaster of Zion Hill.  He too loved the Lord and several times took Grandpa Kauffman to services at Holiness Camp Meetings. Part of his farm was used for the Zionsville Bible Fellowship Church where the Wolfs are buried.  His father – your great great great great grandfather Abraham Kauffman (1840-1889) was the last secretary of the church to write the minutes in German.  His father was Samuel (1840 – 1889) and his father, your great great great great great great grandfather, Abraham (1780 – 1860) was one of three brothers who came here from Germany.  He settled in the Lehigh Valley.

 

There are so many more stories that could be told, but I hope that you see that you indeed do have a goodly, Godly heritage.  However, such a heritage means nothing when it comes to your personal salvation.  It is your responsibility as an individual to accept the Lord’s free gift of salvation and experience the forgiveness, which he gives.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.  It is my prayer and my deepest hope that you will make this vital decision and someday when the Lord returns you will be with the Lord and all of us who have gone before you.

Beware - March 18, 1958 (LB)

Looking Back - While listening to the weather report for this weekend, my mind went back to 1958 when a weather forecast called for snow flurries.  But the weather on that Saturday was much more than just some snow flurries.  So I am repeating this blog which I shared a few years ago.  Hopefully this weekend will not be a repeat of 1958.

        It was Saturday, March 18, 1958 - 59.  I was excited because my high school choir director was taking me and a classmate of mine to Harrisburg to hear the concert of the district high school choir.  At that time beither of us knew that the following year, our senior year,  both of us would audition and be named to the choir.
         What we also didn't know was that an unexpected snow storm was about to hit.  The morning weather forecast made no mention of snow, except for the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal which did call for a few snow flurries.  But by late afternoon a light rain began to change into big wet snowflakes.  I don't recall these huge flakes, but one report said that some of them were two inches in diameter.  And the snow fell for over 28 hours and had a huge impact on the region. While only 13" of heavy wet snow accumulated in Lancaster city, 2 to 3 feet of snow fell across the higher terrain of northern and eastern Lancaster county, including Lititz. About 30" fell in the Ephrata/Adamstown area and an astounding 50" was measured at the Morgantown exchange of the PA Turnpike.

          In Harrisburg we first stopped for a brief visit with our choir director's mother and then we headed for the concert.  When the concert ended we were surprised to find that several inches of snow had fallen and we began our trip home to Lititz through heavy snow.  I don't remember how long that trip took, but it was memorable.  Numerous times we had to push our car as well as other cars that were stuck on the highway blocking our way.  At times the highway was impossible to see.  But thankfully some how we finally got home.  It was a scary trip that I will never forget.  Later, after becoming a teacher myself, I began to realize what a difficult experience it must have been for our director to transport two of his students through that dangerous experience that night.  I hope that I thanked him.

          But that wasn't the end of the experience.  Under the weight of the wet snow, it didn't take long for trees to start snapping. Wide spread power outages took many days to restore and even the PA Turnpike was closed for a number of days. Drivers were stranded on the Turnpike. Even the trains of the Pennsylvania Railroad capitulated that last full day of winter. There was no service at all between New York and Washington after a power failure at Havre de Grace. Six passenger trains were stranded there.

          By March 20, the newspaper was calling it a "sneak storm" that left 75,000 homes without electricity, with "no estimate of restoration."  Meteorologists now suspect that this storm was a powerful "nor'easter" that blew up the Atlantic coast.  Milder temperatures at the shoreline meant that larger accumulations came inland.  Philadelphia and New York City each got 11 inches.

          The storm cut off all access to Lititz for over a week.  Huge drifts closed the Lititz Pike (Route 501) and all the smaller roads into town.  There were pictures of drifts as high as the telephone poles near the Lititz Airport. Half of Lititz lost electricity.  Fortunately our half of town retained power.  My friend actually stayed at our house for several days because his parents had no power or heat at their home. Shrinking supplies of necessities also created a problem for borough residents.  Several days later, a train was finally able to get through the drifts to deliver bread, eggs and milk to the residents.

          As I recall this experience, I can't help but be thankful for the Lord's protection, especially on that dangerous trip home.  

          But I also recall how times have changed things.  Today we have instant weather updates available on television, radio, smartphones and the internet.  None of that existed in 1958.  And today we have huge modern plows and blowers to open the highways and we have workers trained to deal with these situations.  But, unfortunately, drifting and loss of electricity are still dangers to deal with.

         And so when people think winter is over when we hit March, my wife and I often reply, "We remember 1958", and we do!

          As I was doing some research for this blog I came upon an interesting video of the "Storm of 1958".  Here is a link in case you are interested.   1958.

Horror

          Today television brings the horror of this sinful world right into our living rooms.  We helplessly view while others suffer.  We see real situations that we could never predict.

          It was just yesterday that we watched while people tried to get out of Afghanistan as America left many of them behind.  I will never forget scenes of people trying to hang on to airplanes as they were taking off or of parents handing off their babies to those who were leaving.  How scary it must have been for those left behind.

          Now this week we are horrified by the images and news of those in Ukraine as their homeland is being invaded and destroyed by the Russian army.  More pain and sorrow than we can even imagine.  What would we ever do if we were in their place?

          Many folks are hiding in their basements or bomb shelters or in subway tunnels as the invaders destroy their neighborhoods with bombs and missiles.  They are running out of food and water.  They have no hope.

          It hurts to watch pictures of pregnant women or even worse, hospital nurseries which have been forced to relocate to the subway tunnels for protection. Will they survive? If they survive, what hope do these babies have?

          Then there are the scenes of huge lines of cars and trucks and overloaded trains as millions try to escape their homeland.  And then there are the tearful scenes of fathers saying good bye to their wives and children as they are separated at the border.  The men are prohibited from leaving and must stay to fight the invading Russians.  How heartbreaking!

          And yet one must admire the way the Ukranians are trying to defend their country, making bombs and blocking the roads.  They are willing to sacrifice their lives to try and defend their homeland.  But what chance do they really have against the massive Russian force?

          And who will help them?  Unfortunately not sanctions as severe as they may appear to be.  The world is being deceived while Puten laughs.

          I believe that we are watching a real Satanic battle.  Puten must be controlled by Satan to lead this evil battle.  He reminds me of Hitler and his evil attacks.  I wonder what is was like here in this country as Hitler captured one country after another. Of course folks didn't have television then to bring that evil display into their living rooms, they just had radio and movie news clips.  And the world waited almost too long then to stop Hitler.  Could the same thing happen again?

          So we will just have to watch and see what happens.  How many will die?  Will the invasion spread to other countries?  Will oil costs and disruptions affect the world?  Will our finances suffer?  Will the world be looking for a new leader?  I can't help but wonder how all of this plays into the end times.  

          What would be the best solution?  That's easy, the rapture.  Hopefully it may be sooner than we think.

(1)   This world is not my home, I'm just passing through.

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.

The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

O Lord you know I have no friend like you

If Heaven's not my home, then Lord what will I do?

The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

(2)   They're all expecting me and that's one thing I know.

My Savior pardoned me and now I onward go.

I know He'll take me through, though I am weak and poor.

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

O Lord you know I have no friend like you

If Heaven's not my home, then Lord what will I do?

The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

(3)   I have a loving Savior up in glory-land,

I don't expect to stop until I with Him stand,

He's waiting now for me in heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

O Lord you know I have no friend like you

If Heaven's not my home, then Lord what will I do?

The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

(4)   Just up in Glory Land we'll live eternally.

The Saints on every hand are shouting victory.

Their song of sweetest praise drifts back from Heaven's shore

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

O Lord you know I have no friend like you

If Heaven's not my home, then Lord what will I do?

The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.