"The Song is Ended, But the Melody Lingers On"

A few years ago, when I was going through some boxes of memorabilia, sorting and tossing out the unimportant papers, I found a handwritten paper that had been in my husband's things. I recently ran across it again and I really like the thoughts that are there and would like to share them here. These words commemorate the life of a relative of my husband, and a long time church member, Sunday School teacher and one of the church organists. It seems it was read at one of the ladies meetings at church. After the introduction part of the message is the following. I don't know who to credit writing this, and think that many thoughts come from another writing but that is just a guess. (parenthesis are mine)

" Her life is comparable to a song that was sung. 'The song is ended, but the melody lingers on.' (In Job 38:7 God asks Job, "Where were you) when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

Since "the morning stars sang together" at the creation, the lives of all people can well be described as music. For music is the one art that can express the ever changing moods and events in men's lives.

In it we find love, hate, peace, war, joy, sorrow, harmony or discord understandably portrayed. In music, there are many changes of tempo and expression: slow, fast, loud, soft, soothing or exciting, and there are rests also. As Ruskin says, "There is no music in a rest, but there is the making of music in it."

In our whole life melody the music is broken off here and there by rests, and we foolishly think we have come to the end of time.

God sends a time of forced leisure - sickness, disappointed plans, frustrated efforts, and makes a sudden pause in the choral hymn of our lives, and we lament that some voices must be silent and a part missing in the music which ever goes up to the ear of the Creator.

How does the musician read the rests? See him beat time with an unvarying count and catch up the next note true and steady, as if no breaking place had come in between.

Not without design does God write the music of our lives. Be it ours to learn the time and not be dismayed at the rests. They are not to be slurred over, nor to be omitted, nor to destroy the melody, nor to change the key note.

If we look up, God Himself will beat the time for us. With our eye on Him, we shall strike the next note full and clear.

The life melody of J. . . . . N. . . . .  was interspersed with many rests until, on April 24, 19 . .  at the age of 92 years, the last, sweet note of the melody faded into silence and God wrote the final rest."

Gotta love a small community

This is such a nice community - clean - friendly people -  and helpful people. Yesterday morning several pickups pulled up to the curb in front. They were all filled with high school kids, rakes and push brooms. There must have been 10-12 kids. Wish I had taken time to count them. They proceeded to rake my lawn, removed the debris that they raked up, and then several of the girls used the brooms to sweep all the sidewalks and my side of the driveway. It all probably took them about 15 minutes! I don't have a huge yard but it is a real chore for me to get out there to pick up sticks or rake. Every spring the school does this as part of their community service. I don't know how my name got on their list, but I sure do appreciate it! I wonder how many yards they raked yesterday. I do know they got right down to business and didn't stand around or goof off. They are good kids, good workers, and they didn't even get paid for doing it. I love small town living!

Frustrating

I am frustrated this morning. Oops, it is already 12:05 pm. When I sat down to write here it was still morning. I have spent quite a bit of time looking in my picture folders for one or two to add to this post, but had no luck finding what I was thinking about. For some reason, some pictures have been put in different places on the computer and I can never seem to find them back. Any suggestions as to how I can move them back into my main picture folder?

 

So, unless I find what I want later, this post will be picture-less.

 

I haven't been blogging much lately as I have been in a funk. I haven't been doing much, period. So how do you write about a very boring life? My brain has been a bit foggy anyway, so have had a hard time thinking of anything to write about. Other bloggers are so good at having set themes for each day of the week. Maybe I need to spend more time thinking up some themes so I can do something similar? Maybe I just need to get a life! Why would anyone want to read about me doing nothing every day? Could this just be the winter doldrums? It IS spring, after all. But it is hard to tell that by the weather patterns so far.

 

I like to look out my windows and watch the birds and squirrels, and sometimes the neighbors. <grin> But the windows are so grimy from the long winter, so I am hoping for some warm weather to coincide with a good energy day, so that I can get outside and wash those windows. It is not a job I really love, but I love the clean windows so I will have to get out there and do it. It is a tedious project with this house. All but one of the windows have combination storm windows outside. I hate them! One good thing, this is a one story house and it is a small house. Outside I can't q . u . i . t . e reach all the way to the top of the window when standing on the ground, no matter how much I stretch.  I am 5'8" so you can't call me petite. Because of my bad knees I can't climb a ladder. So what can I do?

 

I have a long handled window washer. It has one side that is like folded Handi-Wipes. Some come with more of a sponge type thing, sort of like a floor mop but without the thing that squeezes the water out. Opposite that is a squeegee. I go out with a bucket of soapy water and that mop/squeegee thing and first wash the top half of the window, then wipe the squeegee with a rag and squeegee the window. It doesn't do the perfect job, but it does work. I will do that with all the windows around the house, not touching the bottom half of the windows since there is screen there. The outside is done! Next I go inside, raise the bottom of the window, remove the bottom glass part of the storm window and clean both sides of that. If they are really dirty I wash them first with soapy water, then use Windex and shine with either paper towel or old newspaper. The newspaper works really well, and  is free.

 

This year, when I have used the last of the Windex I have on hand, I plan to try the homemade version that so many bloggers swear by. I have  seen it on Pinterest too. There are different mixes out there, but this is the one I thought I would try:

 

2 c. water

1/2 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. rubbing alcohol

 

Mix and put in spray bottle.

 

Then I wash out the sills in between the windows. If I am feeling energetic I will get out my hand steamer and steam clean as it gets in the cracks and narrow spaces a little better. An old toothbrush does a decent job as well. I also wipe off the screens with a wet rag or sponge. Then the storm window goes back in, the window closed, and then I Windex the interior windows and I am finished.

 

Some of you observant people might have noticed that I did not clean the outside of the interior windows, nor the inside of the top half of the storm window. Good grief! How much energy do you think I have??? If I were younger, slimmer, had good knees and back, and had lots of energy, that would be done every time as well. (maybe) A perfectionist I will never be! Really, how dirty can those parts get? They are not exposed to the elements. If they do get really bad I will attempt to clean them, but that means having to go outside again, and moving windows up and down. That really works better as a two person job, and I am not two people. I usually have to do windows room by room, with one room per day, or sometimes per week.

 

If I can get myself on the ball, when I finally get around to washing windows I will try to take some pictures.

 

Well, this was not what I had planned to write when I started! I do have something else to tell you about, but will do that in another post after I eat some lunch, unless I get sidetracked again.



Happy Easter

Just dropping in to wish you all a very blessed and happy Easter.

 Hopefully you can spent it with family.

 Remember the reason for this holiday and what it means for us.

"He is Risen!"

"Christ is risen indeed!"

 

 

Aaaahhhh. . . . .

My type of day

 

Relaxed

 

Lazy

 

Do nothing

 

 

At least that  is the way I have been feeling this week. I don't know if it is because I was so busy last week and got worn out, or what? Spring fever? Cabin fever? All I know is that I don't feel like doing anything that takes energy. Not sick either except for feeling tired. . . . blah. . . . blech.

 

I do have low thyroid and take meds for that, so when I feel this way I often wonder if the generic Synthroid is not giving me a consistent dose every day. Or it could be that I am not eating the right food (which I am not), or drinking enough water (am not), or a whole lot of other things. All I know is that I am tired, the brain is tired, and I don't feel like talking or doing the things that I should. Therefore I have been a bit quiet here and in my groups lately. But I will be back! Just give me a little time to regroup. See you later!



Boing, boing, boing. Spring?

It feels like spring here today for the first time. There is barely a trace of snow left, although 15 miles southeast they still have quite a bit of snow. Today it warmed up to 54 degrees, a rare day without wind, and full sunshine to help warm things up. It felt so nice to be in the sun. I opened a couple of windows this afternoon and still have one open about an inch. Love the fresh air! Felix is loving it too, as he sits in the window and smell if another animal gets near. He goes from window to window. I even heard a lot of birds singing while sitting at the computer this afternoon. The first time this year! What a wonderful sound. I also heard the rata-tat of a woodpecker nearby. The world is awakening from the sleep of winter. Yawn and stretch! Tomorrow is supposed to be even nicer than today unless they changed the forecast on me. But, being a transition period, there is some colder temperatures coming back in a few days, along with the possibility of snow flurries. They won't last long.

Basketball

I have been busy listening to girls' basketball games at the State tournament, and watching the championship games on TV. Two of our area teams are state champs, one is from the Christian school in my town, and the other is from the first town north of us, which is in our public school conference. Hooray for northwest Iowa!
 
 

 

This afternoon I listened to our boys from public school play their first game at State. It was a really close game and our team was behind for awhile. But they have always been known for being a 4th quarter team, and they showed it again today . . . . and they WON! They were champs last year so hope to do it again this year. The announcer said they have been to State 5 out of the last 7 years (if I remembered that right), and were there many times before that.

 

After I married Les, 23 years ago, we started going to the local games. We went to almost all home games as well as most of the away games over the years. If the team went to State we went to the games, which are held in Des Moines, about a 4 to 5 hour drive, depending on how often we stopped along the way. If they won their first game they were guaranteed to play two more games, semi-final on Thursdays, and either championship game or consolation game on Fridays. Sometimes we stayed there the whole week if they won on Monday, and watched the other teams from our area play their games as well. Good memories of good times. I wish I could be there again this year.