Margery Warder's Blog

Approaching Retirement

mawarder — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:43:12 +0000

My husband is preparing to retire and, therefore, we are preparing to move. I’ve told him, over the years, that he’s my Abraham and I’m his Sarah, so where he goes, I go.
I’m grateful his desire has been to follow the Lord’s leading, and since he believes it’s his time to retire, we’re thinking of ways we’ll spend that time. I am so thankful we can anticipate more time together as well as make good use of our “less structured” opportunities that are still undetermined for us.
Of course “moving” means going through everything we’ve accumulated since the last time we did our, not moving van, but the “sort, lift, shove, drive, unload and reset” method for everything from paperclips to furniture.
Some sorting brings smiles. Well, actually, I’m fairly early in the process, so it’s mostly smiles.
We’ve moved six times in our nearly four decades of marriage, so I know I’m still far from the moment when every remaining item get thrown into a box which gets marked “Miscellaneous”, creating more adventure and mystery than most of us want as we settle into our new environment.
Leaving here will bring tears. Every move so far has.
But moving also carries some excitement and anticipation. Every move so far has enriched our friendship circle, making adjusting to the absence of former friends a little easier.
We have met a few people in the community where we’ll settle, but so far they are, at best, comfortable and interesting acquaintances.
Someone here said she was sorry to hear we were leaving and asked, “Who will make me laugh all the way to camp?”
After she asked that, I thought of what makes us feel settled into a place.
For me, part of the feeling at home comes when I know people well enough to tell tales about my “flubs” and we can all heartily laugh together, trying to catch our breathes and others wanting to share their own “flubs” as well. I’ll be looking for people who will help my heart be merry, not just content and peaceful.
I’ll also be looking for people with whom I’ll feel comfortable sharing my greatest concerns so we can pray together about those concerns as they arise. We don’t get through life without facing things beyond our “fixing” and prayer is an important part of my life. I’ll want to hear other’s concerns, not as gossip, but as sisters in the Lord, knowing grace allows us to approach the throne room on each other’s behalf.
Yes, there will be tears when the last box flap closes and the “move it the hard way” truck shifts awkwardly into gear, but at least I’ll get to take memories with me and hopes of finding true friends in the new place as well.
Until that day comes, it’s more “now” time with dear friends and “must do” responsibilities, and more trips to the store for cardboard boxes and tape to hold those boxes closed in tranport!
If you are someone about to close the boxes, please know there is a whole “sisterhood” of us who, sometimes bravely and sometimes tearfully, follow our Abrahams, or face the circumstances that alter our lives. We can do it, and nothing that’s happening in our lives is catching God without a plan for what’s next for us.
May His peace still your heart as you prepare for what’s next.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: friends, God, husband, laugh, moving, packing, peace, pray, retirement, sentimental, wife

Back home again

mawarder — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:30:49 +0000

It’s been a long time between blogs, so thought I’d catch up a bit.

We returned after a week of visiting with family in Georgia. We left just after Christmas and enjoyed the time to relax, stay up late and then to compensate by sleeping in. Mostly it was great being with family. With our married children living many hours away, we don’t see very often.

One of our son’s favorite British television shows has three men competing in three different vehicles each week, so we watched several humorous episodes of that program. Of course we played board and card games and spent time outdoors getting some exercise in a considerably warmer climate, which was refreshing. It’s nice to walk without a scarf over my mouth to keep out cold air.

Our daughter-in-law likes to prepare unique meals and we were spoiled by her several times. It’s difficult to choose a favorite meal, but perhaps it would be pork loin they grilled after she had soaked it in a salt brine. Really moist with a wonderful flavor.

Several family members are reading through the Chris Tiegreen daily devotional entitled “Walk with God”. I gave them as gifts this past Christmas to my siblings and to our children. My husband, unknown to me, knew I was enjoying that devotional in 2010, so he ordered another one for me before I ordered a bunch for our church leaders of yet another Tiegreen devotional. Obviously we have found those writings to be one way to grow spiritually.

May 2011 be a year in which we all grow in our understanding of to love and serve the Lord who loves us more than we can fathom.

Until next time. . .

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: devotional, family, new year, pork loin, Tiegreen

Anticipating a Great Week

mawarder — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:38:44 +0000

This is a special week for all who acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We soberly contemplate the price He paid so we could be set free from our “gotta” and “wanta” sin nature, and, on top of that, we are granted eternal life with the Lord in a place more perfect than we can imagine.
In addition to concentrating on the Gospel’s message this week, I am so blessed to be anticipating a wonderful family reunion, with our daughter and husband, siblings and nephews and nieces. We’re all expecting to spend time with Mom, visit, eat together, catch up on each other’s lives and just generally, enjoy being family, both because we’re related by our common bloodline, but even more importantly, because we all know the Lord Jesus.
This should be a wonderful time for all of us, and we’re aware of the fact that we’re blessed to have it.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: blessed, family, Jesus

Iowa will have its caucuses this week

mawarder — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:58:56 +0000

This Saturday clusters of Democrat and Republican Iowans will meet in small rooms as neighbors to discuss the directions they want their parties to take. It’s to be a friendly non-threatening exchange. Some will even have coffee or snacks as they work together.

For many, these caucuses aren’t about making America a better place or about bringing about more new changes. For some of us, it’s more about remembering our foundation and seeing if we can move back a little closer to what made us a country that knew well the blessings of God.

I’ve been to several caucus meetings. Iwish I could go to this one. Sadly, it’s a day that is almost overlooked by more Iowans than Iowa and national media want to acknowledge. Consequently several activities get scheduled for the day ignored by perhaps even most Iowans.

In March we’ll have another one, the county caucus. Some of us who can’t make this week’s meeting will hope to get to the county one.

It’s our prayer that God will continue to bless our nation, but I’m thinking more of us need to be in the habit of asking Him for that favor. Caucus or no caucus, want to join me in that prayer?

Posted in Uncategorized

mawarder — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:47:17 +0000

We are still blanketed in snow. On the deck we have a picnic table that has at least 15 inches of the cold, white stuff. Our temperatures in the last week have been as low as -24 degrees! Children had school cancelled for 2 and a half days this week. Before Christmas, they got out early because of snow, too. It may be warmer than usual somewhere, but it’s not here. I hope you are warm enough, wherever you are. Some people aren’t, and we best remember them as though we, too, were cold like they might be.

Posted in Uncategorized

mawarder — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:04:15 +0000

As we were being knit together in our mother’s wombs, we were being designed by our all-wise, all-knowing God. Ever thought about all His options for each of us? Perhaps like me at an enormously long, multi-tabled buffet selecting tastes for my plate, God, our Great Designer, carefully picked and chose our unique identity from countless possibilities. Would we have Great-grandmother’s hair color? Whose sense of humor? Whose stamina? What height and body shape? Which genes would be selected for eye color and nose shape and how would our hands be fashioned for the tasks we’d have? For the conditions of our life, which abilities and talents should we have, and which would we absolutely lack? Which style of learning would be our easiest and from whom would we get our temperament? God took delight in creating us, both for His pleasure and for our unique identity. (Psalm 137)

We were created as God’s works of art, but we’d become more ‘finished’ by coming to know our Creator through Jesus Christ, God’s precious, sinless Son sent to be our Savior. We, in a sense, each crawled off the easel before God finished what He had begun. But God put within us a yearning to return to Him, knowing we were incomplete without a closer relationship with our Creator. And though we won’t have our finishing touches until we’re one day enjoying Heaven without our willingness to offend our Holy God, God had other surprises for those who acknowledged their incompleteness. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (NASB).

God had wanted to be more than our Creator, He sent His Son so we could become His child. Whether or not we’ll move to establish that relationship depends upon how we respond to the quiet yearning and God’s gracious pleading that urges us to return to Him by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our only hope for salvation and reconciliation.

When/if we become His child, God places the ever-present Holy Spirit within us along with another unique gift (or two or more) that He’s wanted to give us in celebration for becoming family. These gifts He places for our discovery, joyful use, and His glory. Some of us were/will be given gifts that help others understand God loves them and wants them as family. Some gifts help us understand more fully what it means to walk as His children. Some are gifted to see and respond to needs others cannot. There are other gifts as well, but each gift makes His children useful to God and to others. Whatever the gift, God gave it so we could have joy in knowing Him and being useful during our time on earth. Our all wise God created and gifted us with love.

If we feel a tinge of jealousy over another’s design or gift, who are we really criticizing? There’s plenty of work to be done, and each believer is totally capable of doing the good works she/he was created to do (Ephesians 2:10). Some day the Lord will call us home to Him to perfect what He has begun in us, but in the meantime, wouldn’t we be foolish to miss what we were created to be?