They Came First for the _________

I believe this still holds true today. Some may change the categories to ethnicity, children (ie. abortion, fostering, orphans, etc.), human trafficking, or even beliefs, etc. What do you personally believe. Is it based in TRUTH, and fact? Are you standing firm in that belief so that you can help those who can't stand on their own?

The above image is likely the more common version many Americans would know of Pastor Martin Niemöller's THEY CAME FIRST poem. It can be seen on the Holocaust memorial in Boston, MA along the Freedom Trail.

They came first for the Communists, 

and I did not speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, 

and I did not speak up because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, 

and I did not speak up because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, 

and I did not speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, 

and there was no one left to speak up.

My husband and I had a long lay over in Boston this past fall on our way (ironically) to Germany for a short family vacation. We walked portions of the Freedom Trail, and were surprised to see a memorial related to the Holocaust. We associated the Freedom Trail only to the fight on Slavery in the US. I was grateful that someone had the forethought to include memorials to other historical events related to Freedom. It can be so easy to forget these lessons learned, especially if they took place before our time and/or in another country where we personally don't see the daily difference.

I urge you to dig deeper into your faith, and stand firm in your beliefs. God has given us a life so we can live with a purpose, make your purpose count for someone else. 

A great example of someone standing firm in her belief was Corrie Ten Boom. She recorded her memories of her efforts to protect Jews in the Netherlands during the Holocaust in her book The Hiding Place. Parents, if you haven't read this, do so before sharing with children. There are portions that are best saved until children are a bit older, but the overall message is something to share with even the littlest ones in your home. Another book about standing up (also during the Holocaust) is Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, which is geared towards the younger reader (9-11 years old).



And to the teachers, advisers, mentors, managers/ bosses, colleagues, friends, family, pastors, youth leaders, and church body that have taken their stand for me during times of my failings, weakness, and illness, I say Thank You. I hope I will one day be able to make as much of a difference and breath Christ's love into someone else's life by taking a stand and helping to protect as you have in mine. Many of you don't know the impact you've had on my life, and I'm sure there are others who stood up for me that I'm not even aware of. THANK YOU to all of you.

(Original Text & Translation from WikiQuotes)
Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Kommunist. 

Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat. 

Als sie die Gewerkschafter holten,
habe ich nicht protestiert;
ich war ja kein Gewerkschafter.

Als sie die Juden holten,
habe ich geschwiegen; 
ich war ja kein Jude. 

Als sie mich holten,
gab es keinen mehr,
der protestieren konnte.

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;

I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,

I remained silent;

I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,

I did not speak out;

I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,

I remained silent;

I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,

there was no one left to speak out.

Quotes

Brothers

"We tell the ladies that good wives make good husbands; I believe it is a more certain position that good brothers make good sisters." - Samuel Johnson

Siblings

"Enemies when we fight, friends when we don't, allies when we team up, then there's no mischief you can think of that a brother and sister won't" - Anonymous

"Giggles, secrets, sometimes tears... Brother and sister through the years." - Anonymous

"Even the conjugal tis is benearh the fraternal. Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply." - Jane Austen

Family

"You leave home to seek your fortune, and when you get it, you go home and share it with your family." - Anita Baker

"Blessed is the home where each puts the other's happiness first." - Anonymous

"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." - Jane Austen

"Family teaching is by example only." - Chinese saying

"Very often we travel the world over in search of what we need and return home to find it." - George Moore

"In some families, please is described as the magic word. In our house, however, it was sorry." - Margaret Laurence

Love

"Love understands love, it needs no talk." - Japanese Proverb

Mothers

"Sooner or later we all quote our mothers." - Bern Williams

Life

"Life is like embroidery, one stitch at a time taken patiently, and the pattern will come out okay." - English saying

"Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint on it you can." - Anonymous

"No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap." - Carrie Snow

"Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than to break." - Jane Wells

"What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters, you can't reread a phone call." - Liz Carpenter

"The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself." - Oscsar Wilde

Scraps of fabric and times of ol'

I found a great idea for all those scrap pieces of fabric and a way to enjoy a favorite pass time of ol'. Check out this blog to see what I'm talking about -->What's Mummy Up To ...: Matching Scraps: We love Matching Games.  I have to admit that Bethany is a little too good at these games these days, and Mummy definitely doesn't ha...

Who, What, Where, How, When, & Why

Six little words that I have known for most of my life, but how often do I really think about them? I have been asking myself questions relating to each of these short little words with more frequency lately. A couple specific questions that really keep coming up, time and time again are:

• Who am I?

• What defines me?
• What is my purpose in life?
• What legacy will I leave behind?

• Where (spiritually) will I (and my family) be in 5 years? 10 years? 50 years?
• Where (location wise) will I (and my family) be in 5 years? 10 years? 50 years?
• Where am I leading others?

• When am I going to start this journey?

• Why should I do this?

• How will I fulfill God's purpose?

As a brief background, my husband and I are starting on a year of adventure you could say. He's finishing up his degree, and come this spring a lot of change could happen. We could be moving to another state for his job, or we could be blessed with an opportunity here in the tri-state area. We simply don't know what to expect beyond 8 months from now. Along with the adventures of his education & the beginning of his career, I am finally starting on my career. I have been working the last several years in a position where my education wasn't being applied. I have been blessed with the opportunity to change companies and to start down a new and exciting path. As much as I know this change is for the better, I am still apprehensive. I will be out of my comfort zone by working with new people, performing different work tasks (related to my degree that is several years old) and dealing with the general transition of starting at the bottom of the totem pole all over again.

With that said, this transition has had me thinking about the answers/ solutions a lot. I don't know the answers (and certainly not the final answers) to each of the above questions, but I do know a little bit of the solution for a few of them based on what the LORD has shown and taught me.

My purpose: is to live for Christ, and to be ready to do everything in my power to follow his future plans for my (our) life.

My legacy: is one that I want to be admirable for generations to come. Whether that is only remembered through my immediate family (blood or church) or through a wider spectrum, that's up to GOD. I know that the legacy that I have been leaving is not entirely inline with GOD's plan for me. I am praying and hoping that as I continue to grow in Christ, that my legacy will continue to improve and constantly be a reflection of GOD's love and plan for all of our lives.

My Journey: starts today by continuing to seek Christ and to live for Him. I know I will stumble in this area because I have done so each and every time I started a new adventure in the past. However, this time, same as before, I have more experience, wisdom and most of all the support from family (church & blood), friends, colleagues that GOD has blessed me on a daily basis.

My Plan: of attack starts with examining my life (purpose of this blog) and to change those areas that are not lining up with GOD's. A few of the areas and specific ways that I'm working on are:

• Living debt free
• Reaching out and check in on those who look up to me (kids at church, younger friends, younger family members, kids in the community, etc.)
• Studying more of GOD's word
• Reflecting on my behaviors and conversations with people (was it harmful? helpful? intentional conversation?)

My Reasoning: begins and ends with a simple verse where God tells us what to do and by doing so, what will happen. 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, lean not on your own understandings. In all your ways acknowledge HIM and HE will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6.

That verse has driven my Christian walk for as long as I can remember having one. It is a constant reminder of God's love and passion for us to live Godly lives.

My Challenge to you, my reader: begins with you asking the same questions of yourself. What is your purpose in life? Are you fulfilling that? What are you doing now that you shouldn't? What are you not doing that you should be?
I know this can be daunting to think about, but you have at least two people to help you out, GOD and myself. I will do what I can to help you stay accountable, but remembering that where I fall short, GOD will pick up. You can always rely on Him, and that is what I heavily lean on when I need an extra hand.

To my Sister

Several years ago, when I moved away for college, my sister, Jolene, gave me a daily calendar that was filled with quotes for Sisters. I have kept several of those quotes to remind me how blessed and lucky I am to have her in my life. Since then, I have also gained several more sisters (sister-in-laws) and I am reminded each time I read these how much God has played an amazing role in each of our lives individually and as a family.

If you have a sister, whether you speak to her or not, I hope these will remind you how wonderful she is.

"A sister is a gift of GOD, sent from above to make life worthwhile here below." - Anonymous

"Every sister has a fund of embarrassing stories she can bring out at the most effective moment." - Pamela Dugdale

"We acquire friends and we make enemies, bur our sisters come with the territory." - Evelyn Loeb

"Write your sister's weak points in the sand and her strong points in stone." - Anonymous

"Sisters may share the same mother and father but appear to come from different families." - Anonymous

"You should never look down on a sister except to pick her up." - Anonymous

"If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child." - Linda Sunshine

"What's the good of news if you haven't a sister to share it?" - Jenny De Vries

These are two of my favorites that resonate so much with my sister and I. 

"The best thing about having a sister was that I always had a friend." - Cali Rae Turner

"You can kid the world, but not your sister." - Charlotte Gray

My beautiful sister, Jolene.
Life wouldn't be worth it without you Jo!

You can't tell we're sisters at all can you?
We get mistaken as twins quite frequently.

Bucket List - Donate Hair

Yesterday (Thursday, June 28th, 2012) was nerve racking and exciting. I have been growing my hair out to donate since July 2008 (when I first met Ben). When I decided to grow my hair out to donate, I had just cut my hair as short as ever. They shaved the back of my head all the way down. Within the first year it grew like crazy, 5-6 inches, so I figured that I would be able to donate it on my 25th Birthday and still have rather long hair still... I wouldn't wait any longer. Between the extreme heat this week, the prospects of the same next week, and finding out that I only need 8 inches for donation prompted me to get it done now.

Getting ready to cut it all off!

They cut off about 8.5 inches to donate to Pantene's  Beautiful Lengths!

The finished cut! So excited to brush my hair without tangles, straightening it in under 15 minutes, and being 10 degrees cooler next week on our vacation!

Memorial - James Wulf

Wow, I didn't expect to add a memorial post so early in the life of this blog. 

I would like to dedicate this remembrance blog to Jim Wulf, my fellow co-worker so recently passed away rather unexpectedly. Jim was our I.T. specialist for our entire office and handled the job with a smile on his face. He helped our office be a more enjoyable place to work. He did this by always helping an extra hand when needed (whether he was asked or not) and always putting a smile on someone else's face. I can only remember, and vary faintly at that, a few times he was ever cross at a person or situation. He was always finding the brighter side of the situation and showed compassion to everyone he met. He was very knowledgeable in so many areas and would enlighten you if you just asked. Jim was one of just a few people from work to ask about me and my life, not work related, but personally. We would frequently share our weekend stories, especially those having to do with our gardens and the challenges that come with having them. He was not only an avid gardener, but also raised honey bees, and enjoyed shooting.

This will certainly be a difficult transition to make as I've never had one like this. Even though I have lost many family members before, I have almost always had the chance to cope/ prepare myself with the idea of not seeing them tomorrow. This is different, not only did we part ways after work on Friday talking about our weekend plans and goals for the coming week, but he is the first person that I have lost that I saw/ spoke to almost daily. Even this week, I have found myself on several occasions, typically after another "frustrating, yet hilariously funny" situation that happens at home. I start to tell my husband, "Jim is gonna get a kick out of... oh wait, he's not there anymore". 

I gladly call him my friend, and will continue to pray for his family and loved ones. He will truly be missed, but will always be remembered.

Homemade Applesauce

It must have been the fall of 2010, before my husband and I were engaged. We went to my hometown in hopes to go apple picking to make some applesauce. Unfortunately, because it was rather late in the season and it was a rather mild season none of the orchards that my family frequented over the years were offering "pick your own" apples. We did get lucky that an orchard in the Ganges/ Shiloh area, Spring Hill Fruit Farm, had 2nd hand apples already picked for us! Now, before you write this off, 2nd hand doesn't mean they are rotting, or have bugs in them. Second hand simply means that they have a few blemishes (discoloration, uneven skin, maybe a small bug hole, etc.) but they work great for applesauce or apple pie fillings since you'll be peeling/ cooking them anyways.

The best way to make applesauce is to have at least a sweet and a sour/tart variety of apples. Below is what we mixed into our batch.

1/2 bushel mixed of Jonathan and Jonathan Gold ~$8

1/2 bushel mixed of Jonathan Gold and Yellow Delicious ~$8

We got about 15 quarts of homemade applesauce with minimal costs. My family has been canning for generations so we have a good stash of mason jars. After we bought more lids (we always use new lids to ensure a proper seal, but do reuse the jars and rings) at about $4.50 a dozen we only spent a total of $22.00 for 15 quarts ($1.50 a quart) of homemade applesauce that is so much healthier and tastier than store bought!

Spring Hill Fruit Farm

5646 Ganges 5 Point Rd.

Shiloh, OH 44878

P: 419.896.2866

If you have any questions/ comments, please let me know!

~JLS

Time Management - By John Tesh

Here is some advice from John Tesh on Managing Your  Time

(Short notes from John Tesh - via www.Mystar933.com)

• Finish what you start: If you're writing a report, stopping in the middle is like turning your computer off and on between paragraphs.
• Break them into small pieces: Breaking them into pieces makes them easier to start and easier to get back to if you are interrupted.
• Get other people what they need when they need it: If you provide your deadline on time, others will provide theirs to you on time.
• Analyze your output: If you're productive in the morning, maximize that time. Do more distracting things in the afternoon.
• Stop multitasking: Multitasking actually produces inferior results in a longer amount of time.

Welcome!

Welcome!

This is my first attempt at blogging so we'll see how it goes. The tabs at the top of my blog may seem rather random, but to me they are not. Several of the tabs will be filled from a "junk drawer" that I keep with anything from quotes, stories, fun facts, "ism's", and more. This is a chance to consolidate those items and to help make them more useable for myself and for all of you.

The other purpose for this blog, besides spring cleaning, is to help me in examining my life. Socrates said that "the unexamined life is not worth living". That is a great reminder to examine who we are, the path we are on, where we've been, and where we're going. Another common phrase is "if you don't know where you're going, you'll never know if you're there". This blog is meant to help me move forward in life, to learn from my past, and to grow into the person that God wants me to be. I hope that you will be able to examine your life through catalysts from my posts and that the topics presented will help you in moving forward and to make the most of what God has in store for you.

Enjoy,
~JLS