Day 65 Chris and Jesse Go Falconing- Another Guest Writer
On Tuesday, I, Jesse, and my brother Chris, went falconing with someone named Rob Giroux. Let me just tell you, I would not suggest anybody else. He loves doing this and he likes going with other people. At least he seemed like he did. He kept informing us with loads of information.
One of the pieces of information he shared was about predation; when another animal eats another one alive. He spoke of a hawk catching a rabbit. Rob said, "let me just tell you this, if one of my hawks catches a rabbit it's not gonna sound pretty." It might not sound pretty but that's alright its the hawk's way.
What I and Chris love about this, is that it's a team relationship. The hawk looks for the owner who goes around shaking squirrels' nests. "COME ON GET, GET OUT COME ON!", Rob would yell. The hawk just watches and waits and looks for squirrels and rabbits. And if Rob sees a squirrel or rabbit he yells, HOOO HOOO! The hawk has learned what this means because it then comes.
This begins the game of chess. The hawk carefully goes from branch to branch and drives the squirrel up the tree. Most trees split and make a "V" and there the squirrel tries to hide. It is rarely successful. The squirrel continues to go up the tree. The hawk comes in and BAM! The hawk has the squirrel.
The hawk comes down with the squirrel. Hawks eat their animals alive, remember, it is called predation. What Rob does then is he tries to trade a liver, or another organ, from a former dead animal so that he can take the squirrel from the hawk. It really is a magnificent thing and I will definitely pursue more falconing.
I will try to write about the training of the hawk and or falcon tomorrow.
I would take you as you over anyone else. Self worth is realized in the God who celebrates diversity. So much of our day is consumed with self comparisons and self deprecation. There is a love that is so satisfactory that it completely frees us from the need to be like someone else. This is proved through Jesus' actions. He did not make a list of people who fit the part for His salvation and then go to the cross for only them. It would have meant nothing for Him to do so. Instead He proclaimed that "If any man is thirsty he should come to Me!" Jesus wants you as you and me as me. Jesus celebrated diversity by His death and resurrection. We need not compare or self deprecate. This love for collective individuality that Jesus had I also desire in my friendships. So I say to you, I would take you as you over anyone else.
Today was full of conversations. What a lovely time reminiscing, thinking, planning, and responding to friends who are sorry for the loss of my mother- in-law, Elva. My in-law's small group from Rockville Mennonite Church came with food for all of us. What a lovely expression of their love for Dave and Elva.
Lilly, Dave's sister and her husband, Johnnie, came and talked amongst us. It was a time of enchantment.
You do not deserve to be treated with a lack of respect.You were created by a master craftsman. You are full and overflowing with good things. But you find yourself beaten, diminished.You hear disparaging words said about your very person.You must know and believe, you are here on planet earth for a definite purpose.
To fight for your purpose is the fight. But more than that it is to believe your purpose is and was designed by a God of goodness.The fight to believe in God's goodness, let alone in God, is the hardest fight of and for our life.To believe that God is good in the face of such trauma, such darkness, such evil, is the fight to quell and calm the cry and quest of why, why, why, why and to enter into a time of trust despite.
You are hurt, you are deeply sad, you are wounded with words and physical blows. In light of this your focus is to fight and work to believe that God is still on His throne. God is still listening. God is still loving YOU. This is not a walk in the dark down a gnarled path. This work, this fight, is a walk towards light.
Work to the follower is to believe. Work to the non follower is all about planning, strategizing, surmising and assessing the situation and filling this time with copious amounts of worry, fear, and fret. We all have to work and it is always hard. The work of a follower is to believe and to believe is a all about faith. The rub of all of this is that we often decide what we are putting our faith in; an answer, a new plan, a new person, a new situation, a desired outcome. God tells us to put our faith in Him and not in answers. This is a tough one.
You do not deserve to be treated with a lack of respect. You were created by a master craftsman. You are full and overflowing with good things. But you find yourself spoken to with harsh words. You hear disparaging words said about you, your very person. You are here on planet earth for a definite purpose. Work to believe! Work to believe in God! Work to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and all that He said He did, He did!
For Orlando, it is not coming easy - this living. A number of months ago this physical trainer by trade, a tall, beautiful black man, was the epitome of health. So fit, so strong, so tall. But now he looks so small lying on a hospital bed working hard at every breath.
I met Orlando and his partner Josie at church with their daughter Leah. He was not finished, with church that is. For him it ended too early, there were more testimonies to be had (there had been none), and he definitely wanted more singing. I am sure he is use to a vibrant black church where moaning, in agreement, does not cause one to whip their head around in curiosity. He probably loves rousing worship times where swaying is replaced by moving around, maybe even jumping up and down. Our church definitely loves Jesus, we, however, are NOT the audience a famous rock band would desire at their concert. So I invited Josie and Orlando, along with their little Leah, to fellowship over lunch.
We sat around the table and heard their "in progress" story. God works from the inside out and God is doing just that in their lives. Orlando has had the hand of God on him since seventeen when he knew, and everyone else around him knew, he was CALLED. But he paid no attention to that call in a reverent sort of way. Instead, he ran full speed ahead issuing amazing, anointed sermons, puffed up on encouragement, and forgetting to give someone else the glory. There are more things other than pot that can make one high.
Josie, yesterday, upon seeing me walk into the hospital room, smiled from ear to ear. "Lynne" she spoke softly with such welcome. "Lynne, God is all over this man." She walked over to his side, held his hand and spoke with such confidence. "Lynne, God is going to heal him."
Orlando's emphasis years ago was on Orlando and it was lethal. He started living for drugs. The story gets a little foggy for me. However, all I know is that he ended up selling drugs - smart guy with a wrong focus. Long story abbreviated, blamed on memory loss, Orlando's feet are now postured toward God especially in the hospital bed. That Sunday, a while ago over lunch, he spoke of the work on the cross that has been done for him. He clearly spoke of Rest. He said that he is in a waiting period. Yesterday, Josie relayed to me that in one of Orlando's coherent moments she asked if God is speaking to him. He nodded and told her that God is saying to him, "Rest and be patient." He added, "And you, Josie, need to calm down."
Isn't that the truth. "And you need to calm down." Wow! This is stellar, most excellent advice. "And you need to calm down." Yesterday, Josie oozed calmness, as did Orlando's three sisters in the room. The storm is raging but in this boat, while Orlando sleeps, it is still! "And you need to calm down!" Man, do I love that. Orlando preaches from a comatose state. Out of his weakness, God is glorified and shown to be the strong tower!
Orlando never woke up to say hello, he is declining fast. Though I have known him briefly, I missed his smile. It is infectious and memorable. But God is affirming his need for rest. It looks kinda like a forced rest to me, but God will have His way.
All I could think when Josie said he is going to be healed is, whoa God, you've got some work with this one! You better get at it. He's at death's door. But, Josie, I'm all in! I believe in the God who tells a fig tree to wither. I believe in the God who gives fertility to the geriatric community. I believe in the God who brings water to the desert, who makes a roadway in the wilderness. I believe.
I also believe God has the ultimate say. There is another dear friend who believed. There is now a Run 2 Remember 5K/1 Mile Walk for her husband. My friend would prefer her husband over this run any day. God's purpose prevailed.
I asked Josie if we could pray. Yes, but she wanted to get some of his sisters. He comes from a family of nine who reside in Queens. God is working mightily in this family, this is the first any have been sick. The sisters and myself, we had church, bustling, thriving soul sister church. Oh, the moaning. My God you are too good to me! We spoke of not wasting time in mindless banter but giving God the glory. His one sister spoke of how God is directing them to have faith in the Almighty and not in the circumstances of Orlando's health status. Wow! They are not wasting time. In a nondescript room in St. Joseph's hospital, we prayed and were teleported to God's throne room.
In this post I was going to ask you to pray for Orlando's healing and that his momma would come in the room. But he died. After hearing the news I had to delete some of what I was originally writing in this post. So, now I would ask that you pray for Orlando's mom who is not doing so well. She simply could not bring herself to go in the room to see him, she simply prayed. As a mom I can completely understand. Would you please pray that God will flood her with peace! Pray also that Josie and Orlando's family will continue in the faith!
Josie's text this morning:
"Yes my baby is RESTORED!!!! His sisters got to see the glory of God descend upon him, because he glowed, not anything like what he was looking like yesterday, it was amazing, God had breathed life into him for us."
Suzanne Harrington Treichler is a strong woman. Today is the day God graced planet earth with her presence.
She has utilized this life well despite some of the ups and downs along the way that would have taken another individual out of the game. Not Suzanne! She knows how to help you up and out of depression for she walked that lonely road and did it with finesse. She shares deeply and with authenticity. She is a woman of exceptional qualities. She has never had a need to "fit in" and therein lies her strength.
As a little girl I remember so many things she shared with me. Things she wished someone would have shared with her. But instead I was the beneficiary and so much of her insights flow over to my husband, my children, my church and my community. More than once I have shared, "Feelings are neither right nor wrong, they just are." What freedom has been given to so many with this phrase.
She is the one who encouraged me to pay attention to the leading of the Holy Spirit. She is the one who has encouraged me to live high on faith. "When in doubt, don't." This apt phrase has kept me out of many trying situations. I am also the one in the group who shares honestly and only to understand that many times I am sharing the group's sentiments which they were to afraid to share. This is a direct result of Suzanne's wealth of life insights.
She always hopped in bed with me when I was afraid - this was not just when I was little.... She took such good care of me when I was sick. She would heed my call from school and bring me new clothes, yes! She would do this for me. There were no cell phones. She knew if I called I was really struggling. She loved well and some would have called this enabling. She knew it was healing. It was mom - I can never thank you enough for that.
Her meals were balanced and regular and this was when she struggled with depression - who knew this could be done? She enjoyed simple things and passed this on to me. She has always been herself and has given me the freedom to just be me. Why try to fool anyone? Just be you.
There was a time when she tried wood working and created amazing christmas ornaments. She owned a metal detector, much to Doug's and my embarrassment - she cared less about what we thought. She loved trying new things, who cares what others think! I love that about Suzanne. She collected baseball cards. Maybe someday she will cash in on that collection? She did what she wanted. She refinished furniture as a young bride, many of which I find in my home. She took really good care of her material possessions but not with a sense of stupid pride, just honoring what she had been given.
She talked all the time of God's goodness and this in the face of some very personally hard times. She walked alone in the midst of many people on many occasions but never without her God. For her relationship to Him has been such an abiding one. She cares not for theological discussions that are too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good. She is real and she applies everything to daily life.
There are hundreds who have benefitted from her care and her desire to help. Years ago she was making a decision to go big with her home day care - should it be a ministry in a church or privately owned. Thirty years later it is still a thriving ministry in a church. Her daycare was known throughout the state of Rhode Island. The daycare she had in her home would make a woman bent on staying home with her children - CHANGE HER MIND!
Suzanne's daycare was filled with wonder, adventure, regularity, and gobs of love. Your child might come home with a hair cut. You were not considered. Suzanne just cut and you appreciated, for you had no other option. Your child also had videos, which you probably still have to this day. Videos with a sound track of Suzanne's comments - her commentating was priceless. She had a lovely cart that fit eight children. She would place them in this cart and take them on an adventure filled stroll that always ended in someone's back yard to feed their pet bunny. Suzanne is good at simple adventures filled with wonder.
Suzanne is a nurse, though not trained - that would have been too confining. She is a caretaker and the stories are the best. One day she called Bob to help her lift a woman who had fallen. This woman had fallen more than once. She had already lifted her out of depression, this time it was simply that she had fallen. Bob came, they helped her up. One family member started to inquire why had they not called 911? I could have answered that. Professionalism - protocol- and Suzanne- YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING. Suzanne's motto - just get er done! As a result, Suzanne was banned from this woman for a year, she was fired from the job as well. Her heart was broken. You want to know why? Her main question was, what is this woman going to do? She gets depressed so easily. And sure enough the woman did.
Guess what? Yes, they called her back on the job but this time it was a private arrangement made by the family. Life and its twists. Suzanne would be your get away car especially if the need was great. She has been. I know the man who is forever grateful. I'm still not sure how I feel about that story but guess what - Suzanne could care less. She will do what she feels she needs to do. I love that about my mom.
Her fruit is evident! The amount of women who have profoundly been affected and helped by her and the books she has shared with them are many. I never saw her wondering what she should do! Boredom is not her word. She was never focusing on redecorating, buying clothes, buying furniture, her main focus was people. Thank you mom for this!
She has also been one of the most attentive wives I have ever known. Her and her husband have had so many guests in their home. Doug and I benefitted from this and to this day Doug and I, in our respective homes, have revolving doors as well. Mom fed so many folks and because of that we heard many enriching conversations around the table! Mom, thank you for passing on the gift of hospitality. But I will never come close to your gifting in this area.
You have blessed me above and beyond. I am so thankful that you are my mother! Thank you for helping me to understand the word no. Thank you for helping me love my children in a Suzanne sort of way. Thank you for helping me see my God as the personal Father He desires to be. Thank you for you honesty that has helped me to be just as honest. Thank you for your vulnerability as I have watched it give freedom to others. Thank you for your love of plants. Thank you for loving me, I am a better person because Suzanne Harrington Treichler is my mom!
You know players from the New England Patriots, from the Boston Red Socks, you have served them. But you never feel the need to talk about it. They are just people and you passed on that gift to me. We are all people who need each other. I will NEVER win awards at giving physical gifts. But I do love to write and this is my gift to you Suzanne! Mom, we are so different and yet so much alike!
Happy Birthday and may you have at least thirty years more!
On Tuesday, I, Jesse, and my brother Chris, went falconing with someone named Rob Giroux. Let me just tell you, I would not suggest anybody else. He loves doing this and he likes going with other people. At least he seemed like he did. He kept informing us with loads of information.
