Tag Archives: colorado

Abundance of Rain

Here are my {humble and extremely astute, hahahaha!} observations on what happens when a lot of rain comes quickly…

Nothing profound or scientific here.  Just my thoughts running downstream…

You may be praying for it (in arid, semi-desert areas, we often do), but it shows up in the night while you are totally unprepared, sleeping, minding your own business.

  • Rocky and Jovan had no warning, when at 3 am, their electricity was out and within 20 minutes they watched water rise from the second step to just a couple of feet from their main level, reaching nearly 6 feet high in their basement.  They couldn’t drive out of their cul-de-sac because the street was already rushing and deep, but had to pack quickly for three baby girls.  It can be sudden.  It was in this case.

It rips your belongings from their places and they just float away.

  • The next day, Rocky went to his house and everything downstairs was just floating around on its side: furnace, hot water heater, washer, dryer, computers, musical recording equipment and sound systems.  All of Rocky’s guitars and instruments (the ones he learned to worship on), were soaked and floating or submersed.   Material things float away in a flood, in an abundance of rain.

It fills the creeks, the rivers, bursts through dams, flows down it’s normal contained path in ever-rising power then through streets and places that cannot contain it.

  • It gets dangerous.  It shows up where we were glad to have it and where we weren’t.  But it is the nature of abundance.  It’s everywhere.  It rains on the just and on the unjust, in good ways and in ways that we were not expecting and don’t know how to handle.

Everybody wants to claim they got more of it than some one else.

  • I don’t want to say too much about this for fear I’ll end up totally snarky.  So let me just say, if you lost anything at all, if you are now faced with mold growing where the basement flooded and your childhood keepsakes are gone – it is a loss.  It is horrible.  And I hope you have some one in your life who will acknowledge that and let you say why the loss affected you and how sad you feel.  I really do.   But there were people whose houses stayed completely dry who acted like they had been banished to a completely undeveloped third world country  because a road half a mile away couldn’t be transversed for 24-48 hours.  Keep perspective and get into gratefulness.  Maybe the next big tragedy will be all about you – won’t that be nice?  There!  See?  I got into snarkiness.  I cannot be trusted.

Some people will lose a lot and then be recompensed with piles of pious platitudes.

  • Mourn with those who mourn.  Maybe what they lost didn’t mean anything to you, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t mean anything to them.  They are tired.  They have a lot of work ahead.  When they say, “Oh-I just found out I lost {some, silly, ridiculous, sentimental, inconsequential thing} in the flood,”  we should commiserate, we should sympathize, and maybe if we know what that is like, we should empathize.  For how long?  Until they are done.  My conjecture is that if we’d stop and mourn with those who are mourning, their mourning would turn into dancing a whole lot sooner.  Sometimes what is lost isn’t recognized right away anyway, in the shocking aftermath of a new normal, of material loss.   Encourage, literally give them some of your courageListen, let them tell you why that {silly, ridiculous, sentimental, inconsequential thing} meant something.  But refrain, pleeeeeease, from pious-sounding-cliches and especially from a “knowing look” that God sent this hard thing to work something in their lives that you totally knew they needed.  Because you will not want that coming back on you!

rocky and jovan summer 2012

The rushing water brings a cleansing, but cleansing strips away things we didn’t count on, too.

  • It is a heavenly do-over.  Now what will we do with it?  It’s a chance to right wrongs, fresh slate, build better, travel lighter, haul away the concentrated, contaminated mud for good.
  • But in the cleansing – I have one friend who lost everything including her home in Lyons.  There is nothing for her to even go back to, her home and those who lived near – all gone.  The land will be cleared and maybe eventually that will seem fine, safer for the future, but right now – it represents many families, people who have nowhere to call “home.”
  • So?  A fresh slate can be good, it is also very empty – much work to do!

If the water gets stuck in one spot, it will become stagnant.

  • There is so much contamination throughout our state now, as the rain has ceased and the rushing has subsided and is sitting still.  I have read about the revivals of old, Azusa, the Welsh Revival.  Powerful moves of God flowing through and changing the landscape, were eventually dammed up, “named”, coined phrases were assigned to them for categorizing the flow of the Holy Spirit.  The rains can be administrated and basically contained…to death.  Choose life from this wet mess!

The bug population will suddenly be crazy after it happens.

  • Because even where the rains have made the grass and trees greener than ever in our state at this time of year, when the good stuff is increased, the annoying stuff {fatigue sets in, bickering, backbiting, distrust, unrest, eye-rolling, offense} increases around it, too.  Be aware.  Be wary.  Be on guard.  They seek to destroy the green-life we are enjoying.

See?  Nothing profound or scientific.  Just a bunch of thoughts rattling around, things I see.

The Bible says where the river flows everything will live.  This will eventually probably be one of the most beautiful autumns Colorado has ever seen {both in the natural and because it is bringing people together to do good for one another}.  It will take time to rebuild, to get “back to normal,” to regain what was lost.  But even now, are we not seeing clearly the great grace and love of God, His heart poured out in love towards us, His great grace at work through His people.  He is good.  We know this now.  But – in the looking back someday, how amazed we will really be, I am sure of it!

~~~~~~~~~~

Zumba, baby!

zumba

Meanwhile, the amazing Tammy Brown (the outrageously gorgeous woman married to the ineffable Lewis “Proxy” Brown, yes THAT Tammy) is doing a fitness-fundraiser {how fun is that?} to help Rocky and Jovan as they work to recover their losses!  It’s a ZUMBA-thing!  You should ALL come!  Seriously!  THIS kind of abundance – it’s a love-rain!

Thanks to so many who are helping so many others and especially those who are loving on my familia.

 

It’s raining, it’s pouring

Not really.

But it did rain and cats and dogs last night.  Good news.  Because just yesterday on the news we were informed that Colorado is officially in a draught and our summer watering laws are in effect.  Booooooo.

Gemma and I decided to find a puddle for splashing through right after breakfast.  This was all we could come up with…before the sun broke through and dried everything up.  Colorado, Geesh.

 

Moslander Reunion ’09

They began arriving at about 3 pm on Friday, by plane and by car.  6 o’clock there were more.  8:30 pm we increased.  Then more and by 10:30 pm, as Dave and I stood outside in the backyard and looked back at our house, fully lit up and fairly burgeoning with the exuberant noise of love and hugs and kisses and “Oh, you’ve gotten taller,” and “This is Averi!?” and “I am so glad you could come,” we smiled.  It was loud and it was sweet and we were so thankful to have everyone together for a few days.

pictured below: an impromtu baseball game in Nederland; horseback riding at the farm; my little sister talked me into some weird face; the nieces with Aunt Tami ~ Stephanie, Elise, Auntie, Tredessa, Jovan, Stormie, Tara

tamis-reunion-pics-508 tamis-reunion-pics-465tamis-reunion-pics-546 tamis-reunion-pics-555

The family

 stormies-reunion-1-187-copy stormiereunion2-145

I am the oldest of 5 children born to Ross and Norma Moslander.  We are blessed to still have our parents with us.  They came from Springfield, MO, where, for the second time, they are trying to ditch retirement and are looking for a pastorate.  Anyone want a roomy house in Springfield?  pictured: my dad with the 4 originals who were here at church on Sunday morning ~ Dan, Joe, me and Tami; both my parents with their grandchildren and great-grand-children in Nederland

stormies-reunion-1-154 tamis-reunion-pics-563 tamis-reunion-pics-603

My brother Joe and his wife, Robin, came, bringing Corbin-their-youngest with them, joining niece-Elise, who has resided with us here in Colorado for the past year and a half.  Two of their kids couldn’t make it, but we were glad they came all the way from Aberdeen, SD, where their church just held a dedication for their new facilities.  pictured: Robin talking to dad during the bonfire; Robin and Joe dancing in celebration of their 25th anniversary, the rest of us dancing, too; the fam ~ Joe and Robin with Corbin and Elise

Tim and his family from Butte didn’t make it this year and we were very sad about that, but we plan to make him really sorry by super-imposing him into photos from some old 1970s pics we have of him.  That’ll teach him.  Hehehehe…evil laughing

ourcamreunion09-001 ourcamreunion09-118 ourcamreunion09-215

My sister, Tami, so energetic and lively, and her husband came from Corbin, Kentucky (youth pastors by day).  Gerron-the-husband fancies himself “the great one.”  They are adored by the nieces and nephews and are both natural born animal-whisperers. pictured: T & G at the Mile High Flea Market; later that day at the farm, charming the animals

ourcamreunion09-286 ourcamreunion09-008

My youngest brother, Dan and his wife Dawn (we have known her since she was 14 years old!) got to come from Hobart, IN (very near Chicago) and brought 2 of their 3 handsome sons, a beautiful family.  pictured: Dawn and Dan on the patio one fine summer evening; Dan and Dawn’s youngest son, Austin, Joe and Robin’s son, Corbin, and Dan and Dawn’s firstborn, Jordan (a semi-pro football player) at the flea market.

How we spent the time…

We gathered, we ate, we Mile-Hi flea marketed, we cooked out at the farm (Stef and Wrex?  Thank-you so much for an unforgettable evening) and roped “cattle” and rode horses and played horseshoes.  We bonfired and sang, we talked and talked and took pictures.  We worshiped at church together and on the patio as a family.  Dad told how we got our spiritual start, about his salvation and baptism of the Holy Spirit.  He preached it up.  We prayed for each other, we cried sometimes and laughed a lot.  We ate some more.  Robin cookie-ed us silly!  She brought vats of her unbelievably-delicious cookies (peanut butter, chocolate chip, monster, and oatmeal raisin) omygosh – truly, Mrs, Fields – watch out!   We celebrated Father’s Day late and floated down the Platte River (how are there no pictures of this??!?…especially of Corbin trying to float on a shark and it nearly taking him under as he tried to swim to shore!?  Hahaha!).  We splashed in the pool and sunned a little.  We shot off fireworks (which may or may not have been illegal from over the Wyoming state line) and BBs and air-soft pellets.  We ate some more.  We golfed.  Some of us (*ahem) did all-night video game parties at Rocky and Jovan’s.  We took a picture on what is affectionately known to us as “Moslander Mountain” up Boulder Canyon (since we photographed ourselves there on our very first reunion in 1995).  We picnicked in Nederland and played wiffle ball.  Did I mention there was food?  We came back down the mountain and celebrated Joe and Robin’s 25th anniversary with a dance (how did Dan get so good at that Cha Cha Slide number?…Is it because he is a high school teacher??).  There was coffee in the shade on delectibly cool mornings and rhubarb dessert everyone wants the recipe for (Stormie!).  In short, we just hung out together.

Could it be any sweeter?

The weather was positively perfect: sunny all day, but  not unbearably hot.  Sweet summer evenings outside.  God even held the mosquitos at bay for us.  It was seriously perfect.  All the time.  And romantic lights twinkling around the yard.  It was like, for these precious few days, we were all there, together, safe and secure and all was right with the world.

My kiddos

I am so thankful that my children not only choose to participate in the Moslander-Family-Reunions, but they are catalysts for them.  They want them to keep happening.  They plan for them.  They help me with them.  They love to spend time with their grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins.  They participate in every way (even though it can be hard with young ‘uns), and help with the food and just generally make me so very proud to call them my kids.  

The party is over

Wednesday afternoon at about 3:00, 5 days after it all began, mom and dad, who’d been the first to arrive, were the last to leave.  And my heart is full of together memories, for the moments we shared.  We’ll do it again in 2010 and much will have changed, but the love in my heart for these people will remain…pictured: mom and dad with Elise and with Tara and Hunter on the “good-bye” porch; and below in the yard with the sign and appropriately sad faces

finalreunionthepartyisover09-002 finalreunionthepartyisover09-008 finalreunionthepartyisover09-012

I miss them already…Jeanie

finalreunionthepartyisover09-014 finalreunionthepartyisover09-015 

NOTE TO SELF:  Am I blessed with a godly heritage, or what??

St Mary’s Glacier and the Debrief

 

A few hundred yards up a “hill” from one of the lakes that lies at the feet of St. Mary’s Glacier is a beautiful little mountain “cabin” that just happens to be 3 stories of  gorgeous and posh accomodations.   The kind and generous owners allowed us use of it for our Heaven Fest debrief.   Dave and I met Dave (DP)  and Tara, Tredessa and Luke and to work we went….in a little luxury.

 

St Mary’s isn’t technically a glacier, since it doesn’t move now, but rather a permanent snow field that gets as high as 11,000+ feet.   Here in Colorado, it isn’t about the population on state road signs like it is in Nebraska or Kansas.   It is about elevation.   I wasn’t that high, but maybe 10,500, which is like 2 miles above sea level.

 

We cracked ourselves up on a little project which the Heaven Fest “directors” (the people who made it happen!!) will hear about soon.   We delved into details, talked about critiques we have received and what we need to do better in the future.   We were also, once again, one month out, so awed and grateful to God for the things He did, for the people who brought their best to help us and make Heaven Fest happen.    After reading  58 pages of feedback and comments, what could we do, but just praise God and thank Him and worship Him?  

 

Laughing and crying and worshipping can wear you out.   Home just past 11:30 pm Monday night, I am wrung out (meanwhile Tredessa had to be at the Democratic National Convention very early this am to oversee the worship/prayer stuff in the park among the movers and shakers of the nation!), but pleased that God met us and taught us.  

Debrief results: Ultimately, we did the best we could with what we had, and God (and some of His most incredible servants) did ALL the  rest of the amazing  stuff!   We thank Him!

Heaven Fest is still a warm fuzzy for me…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF: Take Mark Batterson’s formula  and put it to use waaaaaay more often:  change of  place + change of pace = change of perspective.

pictured: the cabin and Tara and Tredessa; laptops came out in a hurry; the HF “staff” breaking bread together; Dave at the lake, Dave and I with the “glacier” behind us; Luke waking up, Dave, our fearless leader chairing a meeting.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

 blizzard_window_12_20_061.JPGrichard_blizzard_2006_dec1.JPG

 We are snowed IN!  See the photos, a view from the living room window and our neighbor who has been shoveling out for hours – he is our hero!  Can you believe, even as we took this pic a few minutes ago, it is still snowing!? (See the ap news account here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061221/ap_on_re_us/snowstorm ) [no longer available]

I have heard varying amounts, but we know we’re well over 20 inches of snow, with the drifts in our yard being up to 4 feet high (the fences you see in the photo are 5 foot fences)!  Just a few days ago, Dave was Christmas shopping in a t-shirt and shorts.  That is Colorado!

Today our daughter, Stephanie, and her husband, Tristan, were to find out whether baby number three was a boy or girl, but even if they could get their front door opened, their car is buried somewhere out on Interstate 76, just east of Denver on the plains (city folk have no idea!). Tris didn’t get away from work quite early enough yesterday.  Yikes!

So, if you’re reading this from Colorado, here are a few things you can do today at home –

  • warm up with hot cocoa and re-read A Christmas Carol
  • “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear”
  • Eat plum pudding and mince pie
  • Stand under the mistletoe for extended periods of time – don’t leave until you get what you went there for
  • snack on Christmas treats (it doesn’t show signs of stopping – I hope you bought some corn for popping!)
  • shake a snowglobe
  • walk outside for 5 minutes and actually become a snow-person
  • go here for a smile: http://terrisfunny.com/xmasflash1/frosty.html (thanks to my brother, Joe)
  • And what a great day to have some fun with the kids.  Go to www.jesustreedecorations.com where you can download a free book and ornament print-outs to help teach the kids what Christmas really is all about!

May your days be merry and bright.  Blessings, Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF: Enjoy the snow as it falls like a blanket of grace from the sky and try to remember this blessing when our backs are aching from shoveling tomorrow and when cars splash us with muddy snow-slush this weekend at WalMart.