Sunday, January 21, 2007

winter 1980


keeping to the snow theme, here's a look back ...

this particular snowy day happened in 1980 ... leo was still healthy and strong ... it didn't phase him if we got 3 feet of snow, he had a shovel and could dig us out of any storm ...

my dad was spending a few days with us after a week in detox ... he was just starting to regain his strength ... in the pic, he was actually using the shovel as a cane ... his legs were still on the wobbly side ...

i remember being so thankful for the snow ... it gave us a good excuse to keep dad with us for a few more days ... we lived in the country and just told him we didn't want to go on the highway until it cleared up ... i think the extra rest did him good ...

when you look at the picture, my dad looks so small and frail beside leo ... it's hard to believe that i used to be afraid of him ... now i just think "my little dad" ...

bittersweet memories ...

i look at the picture and still remember the sadness, sure - but i also remember the joy ... a time spent with my 2 special men ... cooking for them ... playing board games ... laughing at the dogs as they played in the snow ... and hope ... always the hope that dad would be able to leave the drinking behind ... but even more important than being sober ... we prayed for his salvation - that he would place his faith in the God who could give him a future ...

though my dad has now left his earthly home ... the story cannot be concluded until i walk through heaven's portals and scan the eyes of the saved ones ... to see if Dad did accept Christ's free gift of salvation ...

until that day ... i still keep my hope alive ...
~~~~~~~~~~~

1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.
2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’

9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things?
11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony.
12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

John 3: 1-7; 9-18 (New Living Translation)

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice snowy picture.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I wish you knew for sure that he did! Well, hope is what we keep alive, for those not saved yet and those we do not know about! I have a child who is an atheist she says...but we keep hoping and praying. We know GOD will do HIS best to reach her, so we can ask no more.

Jammie J. said...

Leo looks quite robust and your father, well, not so much. God gives us the gift of hope to keep us going. There have been times I've lost my hope, for sure, and it's those times that the support systems kicks in to remind of the hope. :) Soooo, I hope your father's there in heaven.

Anonymous said...

Bernese Mountaindogs? You had Bernese Mountaindogs???!!! Awwwwwww! I used to have one, and I've lost my heart forever for that breed... And just today my colleague told me that there would be two puppies without homes... But I can't, I just can't take a big furry dog lika that. Not now.

Bernese Mountaindogs... Sigh.

Anonymous said...

I haven't been by in awhile. Glad I stopped in. You always have something to say that touches my heart.

Saija said...

joe ... it was one of those magical days ...

elizabeth ... the greatest hope is when it is "still day" - and a person has time to accept the Lord ... i pray your daughter will find that saving grace ...

jeanette ... leo was such a burly guy! i used this particular pic in the photo collage i did when dad died ... those moments that stay with you ... and yes, "hope springs eternal"!

eija ... *grinning* ... they were huge dogs, standing up - they must have been taller than me ... though these ones were half st. bernard and half wolfhound ... or so we thought? gentle giants though ...

c.h. ... some stories are harder to tell then others, aren't they? though this was a short post - it took me awhile to put it together ... i loved my dad and have my regrets at times ... blessings ...

Anonymous said...

Hi there, came by your blog via joebloggs's blog....snow in Canada today eh? Hmm we have been expecting snow for days now, but apparantly this week is definately IT! (again)

I too miss my dad, he dies in 1986, but aren't photos a fantastic living memory!

Take Care,
Dx

Anonymous said...

How sweet Saija. Yes, without hope, we might perish. And so we hope. And God will wipe away every tear.

Saija said...

Dx ... snow can be lovely! though i see the desert parts of arizona got some, which is unusual! ... and we never stop missing our dads, eh? blessings on you!

antibk ... i'm counting on the "wipe away every tear ... " part! :o) ... i'm glad He has left us with "hope" ... always hope ...

Catherine said...

What a sweet picture! I love the dogs!

Anonymous said...

We'll never know until we reach the other side if that loved one is there to greet us. Cling to the hope that your Dad did receive Christ as his Savior before he left this world. Only God knows. The picture is so nice. I love the snow, as long as we don't have it here! :)

Maggie Ann said...

You know, at first I thought your dogs might be bears..such an imagination I have, I must curb it...grin. A wonderful picture and a precious hope!

Saija said...

catherine ... they were such sweet dogs - friendly giants ... loved everybody, tho' probably terrified folks who didn't know that!

barbara ... yes - hope is alive in my heart - i know dad heard the gospel on numerous occasions ... and i hope you don't get snow as far south as you live! blessings ...

maggie ann ... i have a picture of me and the dogs, and you would think that there were 2 bears walking along side me ... they did have that look to them ... !

Anonymous said...

After the nice comment you left on my blog,I just had to pop over for a visit. I am really glad I did. Excellent post, great pictures. I will be back
Bill

Saija said...

Bill ... thank you for stopping by ... i have been keeping you in my prayers since i read Lindor's column - and then went to your blog ... the Lord has meant it all for a purpose ...

Terry said...

Dear Saija..I was too sad to comment on this posting before and really I still am.

In the line of work that I did with elderly people, I saw it so many times that the Lord has given one more chance to some of those folks that are on their death beds.

I will never forget old Mr. Fortier. He was a man who had drank all his life and was really wild.
When the week came that he was dying, I wanted to help him so much but with his being French, there was a barrier so I asked one of my friends from church who was French if she would come and visit Mr. Fortier...When he saw her, he said to her in English.."I dreamed that I was in heaven", to which Francis promply said.."Would you like to go to heaven Mr. Fortier?" and he said, 'Yes!"
I told Francis to please tell Mr. Fortier in FRENCH how he could be saved and sure of heaven.
She did just that and then we left shortly after.

A couple of day later as I was walking down the hospital halls, I spotted Mr.Fortier in a different room and he had oxygen on him. He was dying..
I stepped into his room for one second and asked him, "Is everything OK Mr. Fortier?" and I pointed up with my finger and Saija. I will never forget this. He said, "YES!!'

So dear Saija, you WILL be looking for your dad in those halls of heaven and don't you be surpised when you see him.... And I am praying for the same thing for my own dad!...Love Terry

Saija said...

terry ... i remember when you blogged about your dad ... it is such a heavy place to be in, when those we love either don't understand - or - they completely ignore the gospel ... i have personally witnessed to my dad ... and he also came to a leighton ford crusade with us one time, where he was so convicted that he could hardly keep from crying ... but as far as i know - he still didn't ask Jesus into his life ... but there is always hope that he did this before he died - and i thank you for sharing your story and for your encouragement!