Connecting with My Brother

I forgot to tell my readers that I was able to connect with my brother from Pennsylvania this month! For 10 years he has been going on an annual “Baseball tour” with a group of men and some have their sons along… they go for a long weekend, and hit different stadiums and games each year. Three years ago they came to Minneapolis’s Dome for a Twin’s Game, and we met my brother and the group at the dome and watched the game with them. This summer the tour included Mpls. again, because they were in Milwaukee and one of the men had missed the year they came to the Twins, so they came again this year. It's the closest to Duluth that my brother has been since they visited us a good 25+ years ago. We met the bus as it pulled into the Holiday by the Metrodome, on August 11th, and we were able to visit and have supper together before the game, and then since we stayed overnight this time, we visited after the game too. My brother met his 8 year old “great niece Madelyn” for the first time, and saw his niece and nephews; we enjoyed the Yankees/Twins game along with him. It was a great family day and evening. The next morning they flew back east and we drove back to Duluth. It was sure good to see my brother!

P. S. We told them they will have to come back again to see the "New Stadium" when it's completed. Boy, I feel old...I remember when the "Metro Dome" was the "New stadium"!!!!

Where Has Our Summer Gone???

Oh my! I just realized today that next weekend is the Labor Day Holiday weekend. And, you know what that means…yes, it means that our summer is over, it means school starts again, we will notice the days to be shorter and cooler, and pretty soon the leaves will turn. So many at church this morning before and during our coffee fellowship were talking about how “short” the summer was, how “fast” it went, and how they didn’t get to do even half the things they thought they would do these last three months! Yes, it is hard to believe that August is almost over. It’s hard to believe that I haven’t accomplished the things I wanted to get done, and that I haven’t enjoyed our beautiful “Duluth perfect” days to the fullest extent that I’ve wanted to. Even this afternoon, was so beautiful, I should have spent the whole day outside, but I didn’t. When working full time, there’s just so much that seems to hold us inside on the weekends, and I don’t know why I allow it to. Maybe because I really have nothing “planned” to do outside, so then the afternoon just goes by, without getting out. The time flies, and the day goes by before I know it. I did sit out on the deck for a while this afternoon reading a book, but then I think it was because I "felt guilty" and found myself back inside doing things around the house!

We are having a pot luck luncheon at work tomorrow, so I had to make the "Calico Beans" that I signed up to do. That led me to making something that can be warmed up for our supper tomorrow night, and ended up spending more time in the kitchen than I wanted to. We always make our pot lucks for a Monday, so we don't have to scramble on a weeknight to make something.

I will have to be very careful during the lunch, not to eat too much of all the goodies I know will be there. I'm still on the "straight and narrow" with my good, healthy, low carbs, high protein and low sodium" diet, and I do NOT want to get off track! Of course, I had to taste the beans I was making today, but that counted as my supper (beans - protein!). The scales showed another 2 lb loss this morning, and hopefully it won't be up tomorrow. I won't be eating any Calico Beans tomorrow. I am 4 lbs away from my inital goal of losing 40 pounds... when I hit the 40 lb I plan to work on the next 20 .. having a goal of 20 at a time. If I accomplished nothing else this summer, I've accomplished a weight loss and a habit of being healthier! So it has been a good summer!

Our Brave Duluth Mayor

I’ll bet that none of us would want to be in Duluth Mayor Don Ness’s shoes these days! I give him a lot of credit for tackling a job that has been put off by the previous few administrations, doing the cuts that are very hard to do to the city’s budget, so that it can be balanced by the end of the year. No one wants to see these cuts being made, but they are necessary. The city simply must find more efficient ways of managing the budget. He is being responsible and more realistic. Poor Mayor Ness has received a lot of heat these days. One newspaper article pointed out that the Mayor and the councilors are surely getting a lot of negative comments and mail from those blocking the mayor’s budget repair initiative.

I would like to encourage, as the writer of the article did, that if you “applaud and support” the mayor’s efforts, that you let Mayor Ness and the councilors hear your voice and hear positive as well as negative responses. The mayor’s e-mail is: dness@duluthmn.gov and the councilors can be reached at council@duluthmn.gov. I know that I am planning to do so. Give them encouragement!

House and Marriage Blessings

Yesterday, our Grandson Skylar, Matt and I had an interesting experience that we have never had before. Skylar’s Aunt and her husband, invited us to their “House Blessing” yesterday. Have you ever heard of this before? I never had, but the three of us thought it was very meaningful and were delighted that we were included for this.

Together this couple moved to Duluth, from Minneapolis to start a new life and to start fresh. They bought a house on the hillside on one of the city’s very steep avenue, with a lovely view of the lake from their yard. It is one of Duluth’s older homes, but as we all know, it’s the older homes that have the character and this house does…they have made the house into a home. They have also between the two of them, merged a family together. Skylar’s Aunt has two lovely daughters, and her husband has two sons. They wanted to have their house blessed, as part of a commitment ceremony to acknowledge that each of them accept their partner’s children, they wanted each of them to know that they always had a home to come to. (Her husband’s sons are both grown and live out of state). It was important to them that their children knew that they were not only committed to each other, but also to them. It was a touching ceremony. They wanted to acknowlege that The Lord would be present in their home.

Since I’ve never known anyone that had a house blessing and didn’t know much about one, I googled “House Blessing” and this is what I found:

Scriptures and Reflections about Homes and God's Care (Offered by friends and by the Pastor)
1. The Bible teaches us that a home is far more than a physical building. Proverbs 24:3-4 (RSV)
By wisdom a house is built,and by understanding it is established;by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

2. We need God's presence, power and direction for our lives and homes to be fruitful.
Psalms 127:1 (RSV)

3. The Bible indicates that it is important to dedicate our homes to God.Before going into battle, the men in the Bible were warned to dedicate their homes! Deuteronomy 20:5 (RSV)
Then the officers shall speak to the people, saying,'What man is there that has built a new house and has not dedicated it?Let him go back to his house,lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.

4. God told his people to write his word on the doorposts of their homes. As the flames point upward, so our thoughts rise in gratitudeto God for this home, and in prayer for God's blessings upon it.

Yesterday the Blessing was done by their Minister. Friends, their children and Skylar, Matt and I gathered together and followed a written ceremony that the minister led. We went into each room and “blessed” each room, even the bedrooms upstairs. It was very touching.

After the Blessing, the couple stated their commitment to accept each others children, in another touching ceremony, after which they gave each of the children a ring, chosen specifically for that child, to signify the merging of their families together. What a neat experience it was!

This morning they had their civil ceremony blessed by the Church. This took place during the worship service at their church. Again, the children were all there, and stood up with the parents to show their acceptance of their parent’s union. And, Skylar and I were there to witness the blessing and to show our support.

(look at my post below for more).

"There For A Friend"

Our Grandson Skylar's Aunt has had a number of very rough years in her life, after what seemed like the "perfect life & perfect marriage." Three and a half years ago, her and her children's lives feel apart in a matter of one day! She had a hard time dealing with all that was thrown upon her, and she personally fell apart. In an effort to turn her life around and make a fresh start, she moved to Duluth from the big cities area. She, as she says, "ran away". She had to leave the city and make an attempt to have a better life, for her own sanity and for her girls. Her life is completely different now, She is recovering and is living her life again...she is moving on...and she is very much happier these days. She met and married, in a civil ceremony, a very nice guy...they love each other very much, you can see it in their eyes, you can see it when they are together, and we are so happy for them both, and especially that she is coming out of the horrible dark days that she went through these last 3 1/2 years.

When our Skylar was only 3 years old, Dawn moved to the cities for a better job. Until Dawn got on her feet, they lived with Stephanie and she, Dawn and Skylar became very close. When Dawn's relationship broke with Skylar's Dad, Stephanie was the only one of Skylar's Father's family that showed Dawn support, she was there for Dawn and Skylar and has always been there for them. My husband and I always appreciated all that she did for Dawn and Skylar and appreciate that she keeps in touch with them. Now that Stephanie has been going through a tough time, Skylar and Dawn, and my husband and myself, are there for her! Her family was upset that she moved to Duluth, her Mother and brothers will not talk to her... so we are her now her family.

Anyhow, the reason I'm telling you this is that she invited her family to a "House Blessing" yesterday and a "Marriage Blessing" this morning at their church here in Duluth. Skylar and I were the only ones, of her side of the family, that were there yesterday and this morning (our daughter wanted to be there, however Madelyn had a dance event that she had to be at in Hudson for...). It meant so much for her and her husband and children that we were there. (I''ll write in my next post about the "blessing" rituals.)

Skylar and I were so happy that we could be there for her, her husband and their children. It was a special weekend for us. It was the best opportunity to show support and compassion to those that need it.

Grease is the Word...

Being a child of the 50’s, a teen of the 60’s, and a Mother of a daughter who watched "GREASE" when it was made into a movie, I absolutely love GREASE, I love its energy, and especially its music. The music and choreography is so much fun!

Our Grandson and his friend Matt visited us this weekend from Hudson. Skylar has two cousins on his Dad’s side that are in the Community High School’s production of “GREASE” that was put on this weekend at Denfeld High School’s historic auditorium. The three of us went to see the show last night. His cousins did a great job in the show, and all of the cast gave us a fantastic show! The music, the dancing, everything was so good. It was so much fun watching the show and seeing the show with Skylar and Matt. Matt had never seen the movie or the show. We were excited for him to see it.

What a great time! What fun we all had visiting with the guys! Skylar did get a bit wary of hearing his Grandma sing the songs from Grease when we were in the car!

TALL SHIPS in DULUTH!

Duluth welcomes the Tall Ships today through Sunday. For Duluth's Maritime Festival. Check the web site www.visitduluth.com/maritimefestival/

The Madeline (a reconstruction of a mid-19th century schooner), The Pride of Batimore II (built to the lines of an 1812-era Baltimore Clipper), and The U. S. Brig Niagara (Built in 1988 as a reconstruction of the warship aboard which Oliver Hazard Perry won the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.)

The ships came in this afternoon, to lots of people there to greet them. After visiting the Fight Back Bus, I stopped by the harbor where they were docked, very congested with people there looking at the ships and slow traffic. Traffic moved so slow I had a good view of them, though they didn't have their sails up. Tours are available all weekend, and I purchased my ticket earlier in the day at the DECC ticket office, and hope to get down sometime this weekend. There will be Fireworks tomorrow night at 9:15 as part of the festival.