A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

Returning from spring break, I downloaded 200 pictures from our trip to Montana into my computer.  They tell the story of the places we stopped along the way (Pompeys Pillar,) the weather (warm and dry, not the best for skiing,) the friends we were with and the activities we shared (skiing, snowshoeing, board games, shopping.)  I added them to the thousands of pictures that are already saved and organized into events and albums in my iPhoto gallery.  When I find the time I’ll make a photo book about our ski trip to share with family and friends. 

I’m a big believer in the cliche, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”   I guess that’s why I love picture storybooks, too.  Without wading through pages of text, looking closely at a picture reveals the details of the story.  In a photo, the facial  expressions of the participants exposes their reactions to the events being captured in the photo.  Revisiting a photo draws me into the “story” we made and the mood of the day.  A smiley face, sun on the mountain, and baby animals brighten my day.  The picture of my 94 year old dad kissing his new great grandson fills my heart with thanksgiving, tears and joy.  I may drive some people crazy with my camera but they all love seeing the photos and recalling the experience.  Photography is an art form that can bring families and friends back to a common experience and relive the feelings that surrounded them at that time.

In the weeks leading up to Easter I have been attending a Sunday School class taught by Wayne Roosa, Art History professor at Bethel University.  The class, entitled “Visual Expressions of Faith Over the Centuries,”  has been focusing on the importance of art forms, paintings and sculptures, to the people of faith.  Before the printed Word was available, the story of God’s hand in the events of history and Jesus’ life and death were only available through visual art seen in the synagogues and churches.  The details of the pictures told the story.  The expressions and the positions of the characters in the scene drew the viewer into the story and helped them understand the importance and intensity of the event.  When the text was finally available to common folks and they were able to read the stories, the paintings and sculptures gave emotional reality to the printed word.  They could revisit the stories each time they saw the art forms.  Once again I’m back to the idea that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”  

Easter images are all around us at this time of the year.  Look carefully at them.  Allow them to tell the story of God’s love, Jesus’ life, and the agony of his death on the cross.  Feel the intensity of the emotions on the faces of the figures in the image.  Let the visual story draw you into the experience this year.  It will make the joy of Easter morning all the more fantastic!

FEBRUARY 2015

As soon as Christmas clearance sales wind down the decor in stores turns to red and white.  Hearts and cupids dominate the display windows and seasonal isles.  I’m old enough to remember bringing a shoe box to school to decorate with doilies, tissue paper, construction paper and ribbon.  We cut a slot in the top so our friends could “mail” us Valentines on party day.  The night before the party, children spent agonizing hours selecting just the right card for each child in their class, not too mushy for the opposite sex (except for that special person) but still friendly enough to be kind.  I don’t think anyone uses shoe boxes any more but, at Preschool, we decorate white bags to collect  Valentines from our friends.  The tradition lives on.  

Some would say this is just a Hallmark holiday.  Retailers want our money.  They make us feel guilty  if we don’t lavish our loved ones with fancy cards, flowers, candy, jewelry, ......whatever!  There is that going on, no doubt.  However, I would argue there is a positive side to the day.  This is a chance for parents, grandparents and teachers to encourage children to show appreciation for the people around them, both other children and adults.  Children are born naturally egocentric.  They can’t take care of their needs themselves so they must depend on others to recognize their call for help and respond by feeding them, napping them, talking to them, cuddling them.  You know the routine very well.  As they grow, children become aware of others.  They want to socialize with others and be considered “part of the group.”  At home and with extended family they recognize signs of affection and we encourage them to return this affection with hugs, kisses, high fives or whatever is appropriate at the time.  Valentine’s Day is one of our opportunities to talk about thanking all our friends and family for loving us and being our friend.  (This doesn’t necessarily come naturally.)  Giving a simple purchased or hand made card can be a good way to say, “I appreciate you!”  The cost of the Valentine greeting is not the important thing. It is the thought behind the greeting that counts.  We can all give signs of friendship and love to those around us!  We adults can point the way to positive relationships and help our children see the good in others  more readily then the bad.

Happy Valentine’s Day all month long!

PLAN AHEAD

SALEM PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION 2015-2016

Thurs., Jan. 29 and Sat., Jan. 31

Current students and alumni may register on 

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015

9:00 until 10:30 a.m. in the  church gym.  

New families may come to our

OPEN HOUSE /REGISTRATION on 

Saturday Jan. 31, 

 10:00 a.m. until noon.

Tuition for 2015-2016

4 yr. olds M.,W.,F. a.m.      $152/month

4 yr. olds M.,T.,Th. a.m.     $152/month

3-4 yr. olds T., Th. p.m.      $100/month

3 yr. olds T., Th. a.m.      $100/month

3 yr. olds W., F. a.m.      $100/month

10% discount for Salem members and families with 2 or more children registered.

FINDING JESUS

It seems Mother Nature has taken her cue from the retailers this year.  She started decorating for Christmas a little early.  It’s feeding into the Christmas frenzy we all feel this time of year.  There are so many traditions to fit into so little time. The season just wouldn’t be right without concerts and parties.  Lefse, peppakakar, Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes must be prepared.  The fall garland on the mantel must be replaced with Swedish tomtes and Christmas stockings.  The tree must go up and lights strung inside and outside the house.  Have I mentioned gift shopping yet?  I’m getting anxious just writing this list.

Perhaps your traditions are different then mine but traditions get us ready for Christmas in the same way getting our hats, boots and sweaters out of storage get us ready for winter.  They get us mentally prepared.  They help us find the excitement that we expect to feel when it’s Christmas.  The problem comes when we are too busy “preparing” to actually get there.  Then it’s over and all the friends and family go home and the decorations come down.  The post-Christmas blahs set in.

There is another side to Christmas.  It comes without wrappings or meatballs.  Finding Jesus in Christmas is what it’s all about.  Where is He?  He is there, in the manger.  He is easy to find.  Follow the star.  Look for the shepherds and the wise men.  They point the way to the stable where Jesus was born.  Jesus is God entering our world to be a part of our lives every day.  Believe in him!  We can find Him without any busy preparation on our part.  What’s even better, he doesn’t leave when we take the tree down.  He becomes our companion when we’re anxious or ecstatic, confident or confused.  That’s a gift that will fit everyone on your list, young and old! In Isaiah 41:10 we read,

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  

I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Christmas traditions are fun.  They celebrate Jesus’ birth.  They express our love for one-another.  They bring families together.  But, to keep Christmas in your heart year ‘round you need to go “Finding Jesus” this year!  Bring your whole family to the stable to worship!  It’s the only tradit

NOVEMBER 2014

The Thankful Challenge

Does the daily news get you down?  Ebola, ISIS, political infighting, and negative NFL  behavior can be discouraging.  “What is this world coming to?” you may ask.  We aren’t the first generation to ask this question.  We are, however, one of the first to be bombarded with the negative news all day long through social media as well as the traditional news media, TV, radio and newspapers.  This fall I discovered a helpful antidote to all the negativity.

At the beginning of September my daughter, Betsy, challenged me on Face Book to list three positive things each day for seven days.  It was a busy time of year with school starting but I couldn’t say no to my daughter, could I?  So I agreed.  At the end of the day I focused positive events.  Some days it was easy but not always.  The weather, grandchildren, dinner with friends and the fall garden were some of my positives.  I went to bed feeling more content then with my usual routine of watching the news, brushing my teeth, then crawling into bed.

On September 28, my cousin Wendy, challenged me in a similar way.  I was asked to list three things I was thankful for each day for one week.  I took the challenge hoping I would, again, feel like I had a more balanced perspective on life.  Being thankful went a bit deeper then just being positive.  I thought about the people who had impacted me over the years and those who are always there for me right now when I need a shoulder to lean on.  I thought of the people who make me smile because they know how to smile.  For example, my family friend, Doris.  We chatted at church one day and she mentioned how good she felt when visiting with her friends at her senior housing apartment that week.  She realized she was the youngest one in the group at 92.  They were all middle to upper 90s!  Now there’s something to smile about.  She chuckled about it as she revisited the experience.  

These two challenges have changed my attitude on life.  I hope I can keep refocusing on my blessings to balance the negatives we all hear repeatedly.  At first I waited until the end of the day, looking back to see if anything good had happened.  Then I began expecting good things if I looked for them.  It‘s like looking for the ways God is constantly working in our lives.  If we aren’t watching, we miss the miracles!  

This November I challenge each of you to list three things you are thankful for every day.  Write them down so you can revisit them.  It will help you find positive meaning in your life.  You  will see the little miracles God has in store for you!  Happy Thanksgiving!

At the end of October we are usually cleaning up the garden.  The potatoes, carrots and beets have been harvested.  The tomatoes are long gone.  The pumpkins have been picked and stored for Halloween.  We pull the vines and compost them.  This year has been so sunny and warm that our pumpkin vines came back to life sending out new vines, flowers and pumpkins. This past week we were talking about pumpkins and pumpkin patches.  Our book showed pictures of all the growing stages, the flower, small green pumpkin and large orange pumpkin.  After seeing the pictures I walked out in the Preschool Garden and picked a large yellow flower and a small green pumpkin.  I took them in and set them next to the large orange pumpkin.  There we had all three stages of pumpkin life right before our eyes ……. at the end of October!  It's another fall miracle.  Thank you, God, for your wonderful world!

WE'RE BACK!

OCTOBER 2014

Bears do it.  Squirrels do it.  Bees do it.  People do it, too.  As the days get cooler and shorter we begin to store up for winter.  Perhaps this is something people in warmer climates don’t feel the need to do. In Minnesota we look at our productive fall gardens and know it is time to freeze corn on the cob, vine ripened tomatoes, carrots and beans.  We make applesauce, pickled beets, and refrigerator pickles out of our fall bounty.  We want to preserve the freshness of our summer veggies.  Vegetable gardens, farmers’ markets and CSA farms are busy places right now.  

This month our students will begin harvesting our carrots, potatoes, beets and the rest of our tomatoes.  Tasting their goodness is one of our goals.  Children will eat veggies if they can pick their own, and maybe add a little dip.  Harvesting food is another experience we want children to have.  Learning where our food comes from is an exciting experience.  I just visited with a friend who owns a garden center.  She invited her foster daughter’s boyfriend (from Chicago) to harvest carrots from their garden with them.  He looked at her and asked how one does that.  Do they grow on trees?  She thought he was teasing.  He was not.  The fact they grew in the ground was news to him, news he was excited to learn.  Hopefully, your children will come to know their vegetable sources early in life. Digging, cleaning, picking and eating our produce will teach them the value of growing good food.  We’ll bag up our extra veggies and send them off to the food shelf.  That will help us learn the value of serving others in our community.   So far our school has donated 53 pounds of produce to Ralph Reeder Food Shelf.  We hope to make it over 100 pounds this fall!

If you are looking for a good picture book about the miracle of growing a garden, read “Mortimer’s First Garden” by Karma Wilson.  Mortimer thanks God for the miracle of his sunflower harvest and prays for a friend to help eat his new seeds!