Angelina's God Book by Jenna Vick Silliman

How does a child view God? This is our theme for Kingdom Bloggers this week and today is my day to post a writing. My little friend, Angelina, age 8, graciously gave me permission to share some of the entries she has written in her "God Book" as she calls it. Children know more than we realize sometimes!

Angelina wrote:

God is amazing. God is GOOD.

There are hearts open for God.

I love God.

The Bible contains the mind of God.

God, the kingdom is the best.

Love love…sing to the love.

Put your heart into it. –God

God  MOM  DAD  family  LOVE.

The Lord is the best thing I've ever seen in my holl and tire life. Good thing He’s HERE.

I love the King…..He is so beautiful.

God, I am Yours.

Angelina’s sword is from God.

The heavens open yes they do.

My mom and dad are into God.

I love GOD just the way he is.

God is love to me.

The Irish Grandmother

She waved her hand over the jewelry pieces. “Choose something.” We sat across from one another, at my mom’s oval table. Between us, lay necklaces, earrings, and pins. Remnants of a 84 year-old life brought 3,000 miles from a green island to a Connecticut kitchen.

My grandmother died twelve years ago today in Athenry, County Galway, Ireland (February 5, 2001). I know where I was when I heard the news (digging out our van from a blizzard in the early dark of winter). I can still see my eight-year old daughter, leaning out the door, phone in hand. It was the day before my mother’s birthday, Mary Curran’s third child of eleven, second daughter of eight girls. February is filled with the birthdays of Mary Curran’s daughters.

On February 8, my sisters and I joined my mother, her siblings and most of our cousins in the house where Mary Curran bore her children, and in the kitchen where all of her grandchildren, even the American ones, had shared meals, boiled water for tea, and been subjected to the humiliation of having a grandmother iron our underwear.

Mary Curran was a force of nature. She was elegant, tough, educated, demanding, generous, well-traveled, doted on by her children, feared and respected by us all. Make no mistake about it: she was a matriarch. She was the center of the family. She knew comfort, and she knew hardship. She loved God, her family and her country (which, despite a U.S. birth certificate, was Ireland).

When I was a child, she sometimes would refer to our family in the States as "Yanks" (which irked us) or would chide me about some nonsense I said or did, but then a day later, slip me some money to buy something nice for myself: “Don’t tell anyone.” Only many years later, did we cousins discover she did that with all of us: made us feel special, in on a secret with Grandma.

As a young adult, I was once sitting next to Grandma in church. I can’t remember if it was in Connecticut or County Galway. But I do remember my grandmother’s fervent worship in prayer. I could hear her telling the Lord how much she loved him. I was embarrassed, but I was moved. I knew then that my beloved, intimidating grandmother had a personal relationship with God.

My grandmother left behind a huge legacy of Irish, Irish-American and English relatives who enjoy (mostly) one another’s company. I did wonder if the deep ties she had established with extended family would sever in her absence. Her absence is still felt, but the family ties remain.

The jewelry on the table was not expensive or glamorous. But it was my grandmother’s, and I did want something that had belonged to her. It would be an ongoing tie to her life, our family history.  A silver pin caught my eye: it was an Irish coin made into a piece of elegant art. I caught my breath at the coin’s date: it was my birth year.

I pinned it on my jacket.

When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure...by Tony C

This week, your Kingdom Bloggers are posting about the legacy of a grandparent or even a great, grandparent. I've been picking the themes for each week (with the help of Linda, thanks!), and I have to be honest and admit this one is a little self-center on the timing. I look forward to the stories all week.




My beloved grandmother passed away this week, and I'm honestly having a difficult time being sad about it...

Affectionately know by the Southern appellation of Mamaw, she was 98 years and almost 8 months old (months really matter at both ends of a person's life). Until the very end, she had lived a pretty healthy life and had a sharp mind too. But her body was tired. She had lost a lot of her hearing. Her heart and lungs were just tuckered out.

She passed with three of her four remaining children by her side while one rushed from Florida and was no doubt shortly joined by the one that went Home over 35 years ago after losing a battle with cancer. My sister had stayed with her that last night in the hospital and says she was alert yet very much aware her time to go was drawing near. She loved God for His mercy and grace. She knew Jesus...and today knows what He actually looks like.

I find it hard to be sad about Mamaw Cradic passing after she lived a long, blessed life. My memories are quite fond and drift back to a time when playing ball in her front yard was a weekly (daily in the summer) ritual for my cousins and other neighborhood kids. Some would come from up to a mile away leaving moms that only worried if their child would return with torn or badly stained clothes. A few teeth were also left in her yard from games of tackle football. We didn't need Title IX to make play fair and equal for the girls because they participated in all the games too.

Mamaw Cradic could remember dates and lineages to the very end. I can't help but laugh because that skill has abandoned my generation and beyond as we are bombarded daily with useless and unnecessary information at scales never before known in human history. In her time, weddings mattered. Birth and death dates mattered. Events were measured and marked by the impact they made on families. If only we could recapture that focus today and forsake our narcissistic driven culture of how does that really affect me?

Mamaw Cradic was my last living grandparent. My mom's father passed when she was still but a child. I have faded but loving memories of her mother who past when I was only 5. My dad's father passed the year my oldest daughter was born in 1995. She had the opportunity to spend time recently with Mamaw Cradic. Something teenagers today have gotten away from doing... no... something we all have gotten away from doing. It's not fair to point an accusatory finger at a generation that only follows the lead we've provided for them.

My middle daughter will be hard pressed to remember much about Mamaw Cradic, and the two-year old...well...she will see pictures of herself with her great, grandmother. I will make sure of that fact along with telling all three of them stories about each of their ancestors who have already gone Home. If their legacies die, I will have no one to blame but me.

Spend time with your living loved ones this weekend. Share and listen to stories about your roots.

There's not a better education available anywhere else in the world.

Take it up a notch and then don't be surprised...by Tony C

From time to time, I do a little teenager bashing on my personal blog at Tony C Today. Much of it can be easily justified by something stup...excuse me...ridiculous my own teenager has said or done (I can no longer use the stupid word by decree of Mrs. Tony C). Having a teenage girl, a soon to be five year old and an approaching terrible two's toddler gives me greater understanding of the plight of Job. As a matter of fact, there are days I'd rather sit around and scrape scabs to open wounds than listen to one more lame excuse trying to justify the funky smell emitting from a certain person's room or the lack of appropriate attire that coincides with current weather patterns. UGGGHHHH!

But that's not my direction today...as a matter of fact, I'm going a completely different way...hopefully for good. While on vacation a few years back, I managed to get in some long overdue casual reading. Oh, I read a lot daily, but keeping up with the world today requires reading or watching or listening to a plethora of daily scoop....so casual/leisure reading often takes a back seat...or would toilet seat be more accurate. I digress...

One of the books I was able to work through was Do Hard Things by Alex and Brent Harris. I had heard and read good reviews about the book and the premise that teenagers are tired of the low expectation placed on them as a group from society. Interesting....but I needed more information.



Wow! Starting with the Forward by none other than Chuck Norris, this book grabbed and convicted me. The book is not complex, yet it challenges the core belief in most adults today that teenagers are a lazy bunch looking for the path of least resistance in life. You find yourself quickly on the battlefields of WW II where the fate of the world often was in the hands of 17 or 18 years old on both sides of the fight. There are examples from Biblical times up to present day of teenagers making major impact in the world.

Also, Do Hard Things is a book on faith. The authors proudly testify about the impact Christ has made in their own lives. The book won't keep your teenagers out of trouble. Instead, it challenges both them and you to put God at the center and strive to achieve your fullest potential by...well...doing hard things.

Previous ESPN the Magazine article titled Do Hard Things

I've got to admit, the book has had a profound impact on the way I view and deal with my own teenager. Even though I held her to high expectations (or so I thought), I still placed limits on her ability to make a major impact for God and for herself in the world....and it's not just her. Working with youth at church can often be frustrating and painful, but now I see that I create a lot of the negative feelings I have because my own actions and words project low expectations from the get-go.

Read this book. If you have children, work with youth or if you've ever been a teenager...read this book! I'm very glad it was suggested to me and I did. Be warned that your toes might get stepped on like mine did...but in the end...it's well worth the self-reflection and renewed faith that everything will be okay when the kids of today get their chance to run things. We should expect that from them.

My Children by Jenna Vick Silliman

Silliman Family at Daniel and Beth's Wedding, March 21, 2009

One of the accomplishments of which I am the most happy about is home birthing, breastfeeding, nurturing, and mothering my eight children. My desire was to give them the best start in life that I could. Though there are many things I would do differently now, I have no regrets because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I’m thankful we were able to have eight—we wanted a dozen, my husband, Cliff and I. I guess God thought “Eight is Enough”. Hahaha!

From personal experience I can testify that God’s Word is true. “Children are a blessing and a heritage of the Lord. The fruit of the womb is the Lord’s reward. They are likened to the arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are his many children in the gates of his land. Happy is the man who has his quiver full.” See Psalm 127. If you were going into battle with only a bow and a quiver with arrows, how many arrows would you want? We wanted as many as God would give us!

Though their lives are their own accomplishments, and a product of their own choices, hard work, and God’s blessing on their lives, I have you as my captive audience so I’d like to tell you about each one of them.

Peter Stanford is nine-years-old. He is sweet, loving, funny, tall, freckled, fun, smart, and good at math. He likes basketball and playing sports. He loves his kitten, Gus. He is a helpful son. He is a Christian and likes to speak and share what he is learning. Peter is not shy a bit. Sometimes he goes with me to the nursing homes when we do sing-a-longs. Today we will dress up in cowboy hats and vests and he will go with me.

Luke Thomas is twelve, but he’s wise and thoughtful and knows stuff intuitively. He is tuned in to how people are feeling, how God sees them, and what potential they have in life. Luke is smart and does very well in school, but it comes easily to him. Luke is a writer and would make an amazing journalist. He has lots of friends and enjoys being a kid, but he can get in serious discussions with adults too. Luke is a talented artist. He has already entered art shows, has a portfolio of his art, and has tried all different forms of artistic expression from photography to origami paper folding. Right now he’s painting his room black and white!

Stephen is fifteen. He is extremely smart and knows something about everything. He collects facts and loves to share them. He has a talent for math and he’s also an athlete. He’s excelled at basketball and soccer, but his favorite right now is track. He throws the javelin, runs fast, and pole vaults over nine feet into the air. He is a leader on his track team and naturally spurs them on to do their best. He’d make an awesome coach. He’s an all-around great guy and will do well at whatever he decides to do in life.

Joshua is nineteen. He is living at home right now, but he is a naturalist and lived in a debris shelter he made himself for six months over last fall and winter. He studies, enjoys, and lives in harmony with nature. He has grown to love our area, the beautiful Olympic Peninsula of the far Northwestern U.S.A. Joshua works very hard, and enjoys serious and deep discussions, but he has an amazing wit and is so hilarious sometimes. He makes me laugh! He is also a poet, an artist, and a good friend. He has a tender heart and intuitiveness and loves deeply. Joshua is extremely strong and is into health and fitness. He works as foreman in my husband’s business, Father and Sons’ Lawn Service, but he’s also in training with Tribal Edge. He naturally passes on what he knows and I can see him training boys for Tribal Edge, or being a life coach/personal trainer.

Michael is twenty-two. He is heading into his senior year at Simpson University and was elected class president. He is leaderful and has a natural ability to see what is important for people’s lives. He is a smart, articulate, and deeply spiritual man. He had training with Youth With A Mission and has traveled to many countries already. He works very hard. He worked for our family business, Father & Sons’ Lawn Service, and in the summers at college he is a groundskeeper. He is pursuing a degree in cross-cultural studies and then will work towards a Masters in Public Administration as he hopes to be involved in community development. He is also will get his teacher’s credential and would like to teach and coach children and will be an awesome role model. Right now he’s getting ready to go to Uganda and has worked hard to earn the funds, raise support and prepare for this trip where he will work at a school there.

David is twenty-five and he’s married to Charisa and they live next door in our mother-in-law cottage. He has a dream of becoming a fireman. He’s worked and is working very hard towards that goal. He is a volunteer fireman in Port Angeles and is also in a training program and serves as a “Residential Firefighter” for the city of Port Townsend. David has completed EMT training, lots of other training and passed many testings to qualify as a firefighter. Right now he is pursuing some college classes to make him more eligible for a position next time he applies. He and Charisa are also a dynamic duo with the company Advocare and they are mentors, coaches, and a support team for those pursuing better health and fitness. David is extremely fit and athletic and enjoys many outdoor activities.  He takes along his dog Charlie and has a blast. He also enjoys fixing things, has been rebuilding a VW bug, he loves antique cars, and riding his motorcycle. David is also a leader and has coached a softball team in Sequim for several years. They were in first place last year!

Valerie Joy, our one and only daughter, is twenty-seven and lives in Portland. Her name means “strong, valiant joy” and she definitely lives up to her name. She is smart, wise, and practical at the same time. Valerie is an awesome writer and communicator and is an excellent counselor/support person as well. She is leaderful and a good friend. She has many friends all over the country. She is musical and enjoys going to concerts, many different types of music, playing the piano, and singing (though she hasn't had much time for singing in choirs or playing piano while getting her Masters). She’s very good with her hands, enjoys making things, types fast, and is a hands-on kinesthetic type. She is also an awesome chef and an amazing hostess. She loves to plan events and cook for a dinner party and pulls recipes off the Internet or gets them from friends, to try new recipes. She's growing a little kitchen garden on her deck this summer. She went to college at University of Portland in Oregon and graduated with her BA in Literature. She amazes me how she bicycles everywhere in the city! She lives there in Portland with her partner, Val. She just finished getting her Masters in Social Work, or MSW, at University of Chicago. She’s applying for jobs now and has a bright future before her.

Daniel, our first-born, is now thirty years old. (How can that be?!) He is brilliant. He is a writer. He has been published many times and continues to write his blog several times a week. My Danny is fun to be with. He turns on awesome music and is a terrific conversationalist and also a story teller. He's also an extraordinary artist, photographer, and woodcarver. He plays Scrabble and is impossible to beat. I think he’ll be a world champion at that game some day soon. He is a deep thinker and a philosopher. He graduated with his BA from Hillsdale in Michigan in Philosophy. He also studied Journalism and worked at several newspapers while in college and then worked as a crime reporter for two years on a newspaper in a city near Atlanta, Georgia. He now lives in Tuebingen, Germany with his wife, Beth. Beth is leading a missionary team at Tuebingen University and works with the students there. Daniel is now working towards his PhD in American Studies while he’s in Germany studying under a professor at Heidelberg University.

Crescent Lake, WA, Summer 2007 when Daniel brought home Beth to meet us.

All of our children have a living faith in the Lord Jesus and are loving, awesome people! I have to give the glory to God because I surely can’t take the credit for who they are today. However, I can tell you I am thankful and I am blessed to be their mother. 

One of my favorite photos! All my children in my kitchen, Summer 2003.

"Make it so!"

Movies should be quotable. After all, it is not just the visuals that get the audience hooked, it is excellent writing. Excellent writing usually leads to excellent quotability. Quotability is bonding material in our household.

Our family has seen certain movies enough times that dialogue is permanently etched into our brains, ready to be accessed at an appropriate--or silly--life moment. My 22 year-old filmmaker son might disagree, but 1998’s The Parent Trap is the most quotable movie ever. I am not sure why, but that fun, improbable story contains little diamonds of dialogue that my girls and I constantly apply to life situations. It makes us laugh, and therefore, bond. A few years ago, we discovered that a family we know and love quotes that movie all the time: true kindred spirits.

We quote from the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises (Spock, James Kirk and Jean Luc Picard emitted some especially worthy quotes--who said, “Earl Grey, hot,” “You have been and always will be, my friend,” and  “Khaaaaaan!”?), the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (since our son became engaged in New Zealand this past Christmas, we have made a lot of “one ring” and “my precious” references), and of course the six-part 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice.

My sister Lois and I tend to use Pride and Prejudice lines regularly in conversation. We used to watch it during Christmas vacation together when we stayed at her home. But when Tim and I moved to seminary, we met the witty Kevin Merrit, who does a killer impression of Mr. Collins, and we discovered more nerdy friends who quote P and P like we do.

I was thinking of listing some quotes here, but out of context, the lines don’t make much sense. They are meaningful when shared with someone who knows the film and also how the line applies to life right now. A good film is powerful that way, because its impact continues long after the audience leaves the theater, or long after you turn off the Blu-ray player.

Beyond Riches

In being asked this week to discuss the best 3 things money can't buy my knee-jerk reaction was immediately to think of my children.  My children, Ava and Elijah, are the greatest reward I have received in my lifetime.  I'm one of those women who from very early on knew that I wanted to be a mother.  What greater joy could there be than being an active participant in what I personally believe to be one of the biggest everyday miracles we are allowed to see here on Earth?  Creation is fascinating and mystical to me.  These two very specific children are here because God ordained them to be and for no other reason.  I'm honored to be their mother and I take the role seriously.   

Psalms 139:13
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."

Jeremiah 1:5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

How cool is that?!  I love the concept that we were perfectly created and He knew us even before we were in our mother's womb. 

The second best thing in my life is probably my relationships with friends and family.  I'm a very social bird and without the constant influx of human interaction which my day entails I'm fairly certain I would have already ended up in a straight jacket or tied down in 5-point restraints somewhere.  People are my therapy.  I am fortunate to have surrounded myself with a witty, wise, kind, and compassionate group of people.  We are all straight shooters and tell even the hard stuff to one another, but in the kindest of ways.  My family- mother, sister, aunts, and extended family- are exceptional people.  I realize this is a little onesided, but I promise... they are.  I've never had to doubt their love for me or their desire for my peace and wellbeing, just as I desire for them.  My circle of girlfriends is a lovely mixture of women from all walks and we thoroughly enjoy sucking the marrow out of life.  We are completely, overly analytical and most of our visits turn into therapy sessions or future blog topics.  I've surrounded myself with people who have the same love for Jesus that I do and it's comforting to have that common ground to gather upon and regroup. 

The final item in my list would have to be "peace".  Peace is something which I couldn't put a price on, and quite frankly, has been absent in my life for several years now.  Peace is a desire which I have for myself and one that God and I discuss often.  In the last 16 months my father- whom I adored- passed away from a very unpleasant, rare, and cruel disease called CBD (corticobasal degeneration is much like Parkinson's and Alzeheimers) then four months later my husband of 9 years had me served with divorce papers.  The last year and a half has without a doubt been the most trying of my entire adult life.  I've had my moments of weepiness and "Why me, God?" and I'm certain that without my two above mentioned blessings (children and friends/family) I would have crumbled into a ball of despair.  The comfort in going through stress and trauma as a Christian is that I always know I'm not alone and I always know- even when it feels far away- that there is an ultimate plan for my life.  I know God wants His children to be blessed and to have prosperous lives.  I hold on to that promise.  No, as one who has been without it on a consistent basis for a while now, I can promise you that peace can't be bought and it is something I actively and prayerfully work to achieve. 

It is those things in my life which money can't buy that have taken on the greatest importance and value.  God bless each of you.  May He remind you this week of what is truly important.

Called to be His Royal Bride by Jenna Vick Silliman

The train arrived in the Redwood City train station at 5:50 a.m. In a rush, as usual, and wearing a dress, nylons and heels, I climbed the three steps of the passenger car with my purse, my lunch sack, and my Bible. Men in black suits, with white shirts and ties, filled the seats all around me. They read the San Francisco Chronicle and I read my Bible.

For one year I commuted to my insurance office job in the city. I was twenty years old and my dad got me the job. I typed information on insurance forms all day—one of the most boring jobs you could ever have—but I grew a lot spiritually that year.

I was not happy at home. My dad had just gone through his second divorce and my three younger siblings and I were not good friends at this point. Most of my friends had gone away to college so I was floundering about who I was and what to do with myself. I didn’t have anyone to talk to—no one except the Lord Jesus that is.

My favorite was Psalms. My heart resonated with the poetic King David crying out to the living God. Each morning I read a page or two of the New Testament, a bit of the Old Testament, and a Psalm.

One day, it was a summer day, the Lord spoke to me through Psalm 45. I was stunned. Could it be true? Could the God of all creation speak to little ol’ me? Yes! There was NO denying it. This particular passage in Psalm 45, verses 10 to 17, jumped off the page and spoke directly to me.

In my New American Standard Bible the heading says “A Song Celebrating the King’s Marriage…A Song of Love.” This is the passage that spoke to me: “Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear; Forget your people and your father’s house: Then the King will desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him. And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; The rich among the people will entreat your favor. The King’s daughter is all glorious within. Her clothing is interwoven with gold. She will be led to the King in embroidered work; The virgins, her pure companions who follow her, will be brought to Thee. They will be led forth with gladness and rejoicing; They will enter into the King’s palace. In place of Thy fathers will be Thy sons; Thou shalt make them princes in all the earth. I will cause Thy name to be remembered in all generations; therefore the peoples will give Thee thanks forever and ever.

My King Jesus spoke to me about being ready as a part of His royal bride, His chosen princess. Just as He called Peter to leave his nets and follow Him, He called me to leave my family and follow Him, day by day. The divine romance between my Lord and I began on the train that summer’s day. Reading now in my old Bible I see I marked down the date, “July 13, 1978.”

Shortly after that, I did leave my family. I rented an upstairs bedroom, for a hundred dollars a month, from a Christian family in a house called The Birch House—right down the street from the train station. Within a few short years I was married and began a family of my own—after twenty-three years of marriage we had one daughter and seven sons! The Lord truly has made them princes, and one princess, in all the earth for they belong to Him too, and they live all over the world. One son lives in Germany, my daughter is in Chicago, and another son is in Redding, California.

The Lord has given me spiritual children as well. I am privileged to help lead a youth group for our church, Deep River. I love those kids like they are my own! I take them with me folk dancing at the Sons of Norway every Sunday night too. We have such a good time together. I tell them I am the biggest kid--after all, I am the tallest at 5’ 8”. Hahaha! I have enjoyed their company in my travels to hear speakers, go shopping, and once we drove to California together to go to Bethel Church for the Open Heavens Conference.

One of the highlights of my Bethel experience was receiving a prophetic word in the healing rooms on Saturday morning. I was stunned to receive Psalm 45—again emphasizing my identity as a part of His beloved royal bride. Whoohoo!

I am good friends with my pastor’s oldest daughter, Camille, age 15. She and I are both the oldest of our siblings, we share a love of dance and colorful, twirly skirts for dancing, and she is also a teacher/leader type, a writer, and a devoted follower of King Jesus. We both love the colors purple and turquoise. One day last summer she told me she was going to paint her bedroom these colors and then paint a rose and a Scripture verse. When I saw her gorgeous art work I shrieked. She inscribed Psalm 45 on her wall!!! I realized another part of Psalm 45 has come true. The Lord has given me these awesome “pure companions.”

For over thirty years I have kept going back to my favorite Psalm, Psalm 45. I also, spiritually, continue to be led forth with gladness and rejoicing to enter into the King’s palace—His very presence! The Lord Jesus loves me and desires my company!

My Eulogy (Some Day!) by Jenna Vick Silliman

Jennifer Elizabeth Vick Silliman (Jenna) was born on February 18, 1958 and died at age 107 on March 1, 2065. Born in San Francisco, California she was the daughter of James Allan Vick and Jacqueline Frances Pearson. She was married to Clifford Arthur Silliman (Cliff) who preceded her in death. Together they had eight children, Daniel James (Married Elizabeth Jarvis), Valerie Joy, David Arthur (Married Charisa Nelson), Michael Aaron, Joshua Andrew, Stephen Matthew, Luke Thomas, Peter Stanford and ___ grandchildren… and ___great-granchildren…[It will be glorious to have a long list of all the grandbabies here!]

Jenna was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended Canada, a community college, for two years studying general education. She married Cliff at age 22 and homemaking was her chosen career. She resided in Sequim, Washington for 65 years.

Jenna met the Lord Jesus at the age of 16 and followed Him all her life. She delighted in meditating on Scripture and sharing spiritual insight through her writings and teaching children. Jenna was a glory dancer and a flagger in worship of the Lord Jesus and wrote a book about this called “Shall We Dance?” She also taught folk dance to both children and adults. She was a member of the Sons of Norway for ___ years. She was a published author and also self-published many booklets on a wide variety of subjects regarding mothering, healthy living, and the life of the Christian. Jenna visited nursing homes every week and enjoyed leading sing-a-longs and dancing for the residents. She was known for her colorful clothing and joyful attitude and will be missed by many.

Mrs. Claus

~

I climb a lot of ladders for my job. Kids must think it’s cool, because whenever they’re around, and I’m up on a roof-top, they point and stare. I usually ask their names, and then say “Nice to meet you, what’s my name?”

They giggle and say, “I don’t know.”

“My name’s Santa,” I tell them.

They giggle a little more, and before they can say anything, I say, “No, just kidding…BUT I do work for him.”

“Huh?” Wide eyes get wider.

“Yeah, I check out the best places for the reindeer to land and stuff so Santa doesn’t get hurt.”

“Wow!”

I was reminded of this while pondering what I’d share with you today. You see, this week we’ve been honoring our parents. And Mrs. Claus is my mother-in-law, or at least I think she is. Or, maybe, she just works for him – Santa Claus; Papá Noel.

At eighty-five (she’ll be eighty-six Feb. 4^th) she has limited mobility. She can use a walker for short distances, but other than that – she’s either in a wheel chair or her recliner-type chair that elevates at the seat, to help her get up. Her hands are starting to show signs of arthritis and her eye sight is growing dim, yet, even though her body is aging, she’s still a wide-eyed-child when it comes to her soul.

With over a hundred and some ought grand-kids she manages to keep track of them all. And all year she sits and knits, spins and weaves some kind of Christmas magic into hats and scarves and baby blankets. And somehow, at Christmas, without even leaving her chair, she manages to have gifts for everyone. She has spent more time making gifts for others than many folks have been alive. She MUST be Mrs. Claus – or related in some kind-of-way, right?

She watches, too. With dimming eyes and one finger at a time she taps at a lap top and – like a mother-hen – she watches her brood banter on face-book.  

Although confined physically, she’s a world traveler in her soul. Sit by her side and she’ll take you places decades from here, with her stories. Like the first time she met the love of her life at Coney Island: Santa. No, just kidding – Henry Joseph DeVlaeminck. She’ll walk you through the depression and wade through life on a pig farm. You’ll ride her words to school with horse and sleigh. She’ll tell of the trials and laughter of raising fourteen children – the birth of some…and the loss of others. 

With a twinkle in her eye and a never fading smile, she’ll tell of how she saw Jesus in a dream and how she prays for others.

Her house in nothing fancy, but her Home is a mansion. Each day her house fills with family, including ex-husbands, ex-wives, ex-this and ex-that, once in you're IN. I’ve said it’s easier to get out of the mob than out of this family.  She’s soft spoken, just above a whisper, but she can move an army of adoring children with a simple word.

Maybe my mother-in-law isn’t related in any way to Santa. BUT – she IS related to the Greatest Gift Giver of all. And she works for Him. And, maybe her family isn’t anything like being in the mob with the Godfather and all that stuff. BUT – she is tight with God The Father.

And I am honored to share her with you today. Her kids call her Ma, but everyone else – whether related or not – calls her Gramma Mary. So, if you need a family, you can join ours.

Thanks for stopping by and as Gramma Mary would say; “Gramma misses you, come back and see me again.”

If you think you don’t have a family or a parent to honor…think again, you do.

Jesus asked; Who are My brothers and sisters and mother? And then answered; “But those who do the will of My Father.” Mark 3:35

Come…and be part of the family.

~

My Dad, Jim Vick by Jenna Vick Silliman

My father, Jim Vick, has positively influenced me in many ways. Like my father, I love music, dancing, singing, and laughter. Growing up, whenever my dad was home, he would have music on the radio or stereo or he’d pick up his guitar and play music. He liked to have fun and make us laugh with whatever jokes he’d heard, by telling a story, or by singing a silly song. Now I am like that too! I’m such a silly mom (The name Silliman fits!) that one of my son’s friends said to me, “You are more like a kid than a mom.” I took that as a compliment!

Dad likes to sing and whenever the mood strikes, he sings out with gusto. He sings all kinds of songs. Last summer we visited him in Northern California and I told him about some of the songs we sang at the nursing homes in our sing-a-longs on Wednesdays. As I knew would happen, we ended up having a sing-a-long right then and there. We sang, “Take me out to the ball game…” It didn’t matter that we were in a restaurant! Hahaha!

I like to think about how, as my dad’s firstborn child, I influenced him and “broke HIM in” to the world of babies, bottles, diaper-changing, and sleepless nights. Dad likes to tell the story of the first time he saw me. I was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in San Francisco, four days after Valentine’s Day. Dad said, “They put you in my arms and you were all red and squallin’ and you had this big wrinkle of skin on your forehead. I thought to myself, ‘What have I done! I’ve created a monster!’”

We lived in San Carlos, about a half an hour south of San Francisco, and Dad commuted on the train to the city. He sold insurance bid bonds to contractors for a living for almost thirty years. Though he didn’t particularly enjoy selling, he did what he had to do make a living and provide for his family. That attitude of sacrificial giving of your life for your loved ones has been a shining Christ-like example to me my whole life. I was a “Daddy’s Girl” and sought to please him every chance I got. This has served me well in life because now I’m my Heavenly Father’s “Daddy’s Girl.” I delight in His Presence and seek to please Him.

After school I waited on the sidewalk for Daddy to walk home from the train station. I roller skated, played with my Barbie doll, or bounced my red, rubber ball to pass the time till Daddy got home. Many was the day I didn’t see my father because he left for work before I woke up and he worked late and didn’t get home till after I went to bed. When I spotted him I squealed with glee, ran to him with open arms for a hug, and put my little hand into his big one to walk him home. I loved to see his monthly train ticket—a long strip of paper with multi-colored squares and little holes punched on the dates. At the end of the month I was thrilled when he gave me his expired ticket. I collected them in a scrap book and still have them to this day.

Some of my earliest memories of dancing were rocking out with Dad in our living room to music on the radio. When I was little, my dad would pick me up and spin me around. Maybe that’s why I like twirling around so much when I dance! He now watches old movies of musicals and dance performances more than he dances himself. He’s 80 years old now and doesn’t boogie as much as he used to. However, on a recent visit we all went out to eat and there was some rhythm and blues playing and I noticed he enjoyed a little dancing down the hallway on the way to the men’s room.

Whenever there is a teachable moment, my dad takes the opportunity to give a lesson. I still think of him when I fold a letter into three equal parts, when I tie my shoes, or when I introduce myself to someone and make a point to say upon leaving, “Nice to meet you!”

I learned to love the ocean from my dad. Some of our happiest memories were Saturdays spent at the Pacific Ocean beaches near San Francisco. There is something so refreshing and invigorating about breathing in the salt sea air, listening to the roar, feeling the wind in your hair, and watching wave after wave crash and smoothly slide out onto the sand. I also love rock hunting along the shore like my father. I never get tired of picking up a rock that catches my attention and marveling over the beauty of it. Rocks rock! I learned that from my dad.

My father is a very positive man. He taught me to try to always say something nice about people. He told me you can always compliment a person’s smile. My father is very charming and in his day you would describe him as tall, dark, and handsome. Though he is stooped over and white haired now, I see him through love-filled eyes as one of the most good-lookin’ men you’d ever meet. I love you, Daddy!

A Free Day is a Full Day....

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” Annie Dillard.

Having free time used to put me on a guilt trip. When I was a young mom, I would sometimes stress about the“free time” I had during my child’s nap. Should I clean? Should I luxuriate in a good book, or rejuvenate with a nap? Should I spend it praying, meditating and writing? More times than not, I often felt guilty about having that free time that my husband did not, or not using the time as productively as I could have. I was trapped by the twentieth-century perception that only by “doing” are we “living.”

Years ago, I was in a small group with a older woman who said what she loved most about her day was the time when she would just “be.” She would ponder, pray, just enjoy the quiet. Huh. I could not get that--I was the type of person who was wired for people and productivity. To my 28 year-old self, sitting and pondering seemed out of the realm of possibility. It took only

about a decade for me to realize I needed to slow down and allow my soul to be refreshed by just “being” instead of constantly “doing.” But my type of slowing down can also include my loved ones.

A free day for me would depend on the weather and where I happen to be. A cozy rainy or snowy day at home could involve a book, a lot of tea and couch time. It could mean relishing the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or the A & E six-hour production of Pride and Prejudice. But with only one television in our household, and pastor-husband Tim who needs some space and quiet to write a sermon, the books and tea would probably win out.

But give me a beautiful day, crisp or warm, sunny or partly cloudy, it will start on my porch with a cup of Earl Grey and my Spurgeon devotional, “Morning and Evening,” my Bible companion for three years. After that, perhaps a walk along the Eire Canal with Tim, or a chat with a child before heading to my next joy: spending an afternoon with a dear friend or a family member.

If I drive to Ithaca, (we lived there for three wonderful years), I meet my friend Rhonda--last time I entered her house, she had a cup of tea waiting for me--and we may chat at Gimme Coffee (beats Starbucks, hands down) and laugh until we embarrass our daughters, visit our favorite consignment shops, Mimi’s Attic or Trader K’s, and talk about God, our kids and our husbands. When I recently drove back and forth to Ithaca, my soul was refreshed with the views of Cayuga Lake and the magnificent sunset on the return trip, as I listened to Selah.

If I could spend a free day in New England, where I grew up, I would walk by the ocean, stroll Newbury Street in Boston and sip tea at Tea Luxe, and visit my family in Connecticut. The end of the day would include a glass of wine with my friend Chris, while she frets over the UCONN game (her reaction to a missed basket is entertaining).

If all of my kids are home--two are in college in Boston--a great free day would include a French toast or pancake breakfast made by Tim as our son Sam plays guitar, an afternoon at the movies--preferably sci fi or action--and then the kids make dinner while I sip a glass of wine, read something, and enjoy listening to my family tease one another.

A perfect day is not free, but full--full of the blessings of God’s presence, a favorite book or film, and a good friend.

We Are Family

Some of you may think that I avoided writing yesterday because David was just so good and I couldn’t top it.  Actually I thought about not writing at all for that reason J!  Seriously, I was rather busy yesterday.  Today, I’m getting ready to make and can more mango salsa and mango chutney. 

When I first heard the topic, I thought the topic was what we have learned since writing as a Kingdom Blogger.  Then I read David’s blog and thought, oh, what did we learn about each other?  Now that’s a different story. 

The KB’er I know the best is David.  He is the only one I’ve met in person.  Like he said, we went to Norway on a mission trip together.  I don’t even remember the names of most of the people I went on that trip with but David stood out then and stands above now.  I think if there is one word I’d use for him, it would be faithful.  I know bits and pieces of his life through his blogs.  What I see is a man faithful to the call of God, faithful to his family – a guy that goes on lots of date nights with his wife.  He is a father devoted to his children.  He is also the glue that keeps us together on KB.  He tries at times because of busyness and life to pass the torch of leadership on KB to others.  We try to pick it up but often fail miserably. 

I don’t know Tracy or Tony that well.  I know them only through their writings and our brief exchanges by email.  But I pray for them.  I’ve shed some tears of late as I’ve stormed heaven for David.  I’d do the same for them.  I love them like family.  I hope to meet Tony since we live in the same state now.  I know they pray for me.  They both encourage me.

The thing I’ve learned since writing for KB is that I can write and I enjoy it.  But the most important thing I’ve learned from KB is that the Kingdom of God can and does operate here.  We are family.  We love each other.  We share our lives here in a way that is more intimate that most of us can or do at church on Sunday. 

Tertullian, a father of the church, quoted a pagan who spoke of Christians saying “look how they love one another.”  That’s how it is on the other side of KB – the side you the reader doesn’t see – we love one another.

We all seem to live by Romans 12:10 Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.  (The Message)

What will I remember about Christmas 2010?

I realize the number of days we’ll all wake up on Christmas morning together are very numbered…

We added one to our home this past Christmas to join in the fun we have together…

She is blessed in the fact she will always have sisters to share life with…

I thank God for giving me this past Christmas to watch over my most valuable gifts this side of Heaven. To be with them on Christmas morning…a white Christmas morning! I don’t take it for granted, and vow I never will.

We are blessed in my home. Not for all we have…but because we have each other. I will always remember this first Christmas we shared together…always.

I pray God blesses each of you in a mighty way in 2011, and I thank Him for the blessings He gave me in 2010.