Learning from the Past

Wow--I hadn't posted since New Year's Day! Time flies!

I'm finishing up reading a novel by an Oregon writer--All Together in One Place, by Jane Kirkpatrick. The story is set back in the mid-1800's, based on a true event that took place on the Oregon Trail.

This book has made me stop and think what it was like for the early settlers who moved here in wagons, on horseback, etc. Wow--I thought it was challenging when my family moved here from PA in mid-October! We had movers, vehicles, hotels, restaurants, bridges, interstates, and still it was a major undertaking. Reading this book so soon after our move has given me a real perspective on what these settlers must have gone through when they made their move out west.

Buzzing along in my Dodge Charger, I hadn't thought about what it would be like to cross a river with children, animals, wagons, etc., not to mention the number of rivers they crossed! I was nervous driving on some of the mountainous roads, but that was nothing compared to lowering wagons by ropes and pulleys! Many of them walked a good portion of the way, rode in wagons some of the time, or on animals when possible. Sometimes wagons were destroyed by storms, river crossings, etc.

They mentioned having to leave piles of their valuable possessions to lighten the load before mountain crossings. How hard that must have been. I had a hard time giving up possessions to lighten our load and find some things broken as we unpacked, but again, it was nothing like what they faced.

They lost loved ones along the way due to diseases, insect swarms, snake bites and accidents. Our biggest problems were my car breaking down and Tim's truck needing towed for repair.

We stopped along the way at rest areas, restaurants and hotels. Our predecessors had to make camp, constantly look for fresh water (or boil water), hunt for food, milk cows, find ways to bathe and take care of other physical needs (those and their children's and babies!), tend to the animals, cook over campfires, etc.

It's amazing to think how much life has changed in that relatively short period of 150+ years.

I'm reminded of the Scripture passage in Deuteronomy 32:7: "Read up on what happened before you were born; dig into the past, understand your roots. Ask your parents what it was like before you were born; ask the old-ones, they'll tell you a thing or two. " (see: thebiblein365.blogspot.com to see our church Bible reading plan and forum)

My kids are amazed when Tim and I tell them how, when we were kids, if you didn't see a movie while it was at the theater, you never got the chance to see it again unless it happened to come on TV at some point. We grew up without microwaves, computers, VCR's, DVD's, etc. Our parents would have a much longer list than ours!

As we look back, it gives us strength to see the way people have built on the accomplishments of others as well as learning from one another's mistakes. It also makes us appreciate many things that it's easy to take for granted--like washing machines and dishwashers! And it's great to realize how resilient the human spirit is--especially with God's help along the way!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2009!

Starting a new year is always exciting. New starts like this give us a chance to reflect on what we treasure in our lives, changes we want to make and accomplishments from the previous year.

With our move out west being so fresh, this is a great time for the new year to start in conjunction with our new life in Oregon.

I was thinking recently that starting life in a new city is a lot like walking up to a jump rope game already in progress. Things are in full swing with life, as with the game, but a newbie is welcomed as they time their move to jump right in.

We have been so blessed by the welcome we've received here. We were greeted with a grocery shower and other welcome gifts. I have had two different people show me around town, pointing out places to shop, etc. New friends have taken me out shopping, friends have invited us to lunches and dinners and have called or stopped by our house.

I was very blessed this week to go out to lunch with a new friend. She started out by saying that she wants to get to know me as me, not as her pastor's wife. It was such a gift for her to state that at the beginning of our lunch! I immediately relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed our time together. I knew she was seeing me as a person and not as a role. Even though this is the only time this has been stated to one of us verbally, this nice comment reflects how people have treated us--eager to get acquainted with us plus let us get to know them. It has been wonderful!

As a pastor's wife and pastor's daughter, over the course of my life, I have noticed at times that some people have trouble getting past my role to seeing the real me. I've had friendships where, once a person finds out my role as a pastor's wife, they've acted uncomfortable around me from then on. Some have apologized repeated for things they say that aren't even bad things but due to their self consciousness, they were aware of every word as if they should only talk about the Bible or the church with me. One friend was so tense like this on an outing with several women, I finally got her attention and told her that I needed to tell her something: We don't have a red phone at our house that connects us directly to God when we lift the receiver, where we would report every detail from the lives of folks in our congregation! She laughed and relaxed greatly. As a child, I remember a church goer calling my mom one day. My brother and sisters and I were being too loud, arguing at the time. Mom asked the caller to hold on while she corrected us. When mom got back to the call, the woman asked in amazement: You mean, you have to correct your kids too??

Pastor's and their families are ordinary people with triumphs and disappointments, successes and failures, good choices and bad, talents and short comings in their lives, just like anyone else. I'm so glad the people here have shown us so well that they realize this!

We're looking forward to a great new year as we continue to get involved in our church, our community and our new lives out west! Thanks for making us feel so welcomed and loved already, Oregonians!