Life With Lynnette

Join me for Wednesday's Walk Down Memory Lane!

On today’s walk down memory lane I thought I would share some memories of my daughter Lynnette from when she was little.

Lynnette was born  just17 months after her older sister Lisa, and I was a very busy young mother caring for an active toddler and my newborn. One day I went to the bathroom while I left 3 mo. old Lynnette sitting in her little infant seat on the floor. Her then 20 month old sister was playing with her doll in another part of the room pushing her little doll buggy with her doll inside. To my horror, when I returned to the room just a couple of minutes later, Lisa had removed Lynnette from her infant seat and somehow lifted her and put her in the doll buggy! I was so shocked that she could have done that. From then on I always made sure Lynnette was safely in her playpen if I had to leave the room. (:>)

As Lynnette got older she loved her walker and she could really get around well in it. Well I put her in it on the sidewalk one day as I was just a few feet away hanging clothes out on the line, and she got going pretty good and one of the wheels went off the edge of the sidewalk into the grass, and the walker fell sideways with her in it! My heart jumped when I saw it and I ran to her, only to find her smiling and unhurt. Once again I was thankful that she was ok. (I see why they stopped making walkers in favor of stationary bouncy seats,…because those things were dangerous!)

Lynnette was standing and taking a few steps at 7 months old, …but she didn‘t actually take off walking until she was 10 months. But once she did start walking she was everywhere-in-a-minute. She was a climber and always putting me into a panic. (But then, I am a worry wart,…and because of that, I usually was very careful with my children, because I was always presuming that the worst thing could happen).

When she was close to three years old we were on a family picnic at a park and the older kids were watching her for me, and swinging her on the baby swing as we mothers were visiting nearby. They had taken her out of the swing but I hadn’t noticed and she walked in front of a slide just as a cousin was sliding down and she got kicked in the mouth. We had to take her to the dentist and he pulled out her little front tooth which had been broken. So, she was missing that tooth until her permanent tooth grew in years later. She looked adorable and got the nickname,…“Little toothless, shaggy, short stuff!” She was the cutest little girl with big brown eyes and soft curly brown hair, plump rosy cheeks, and that cute little smile that showed her missing tooth space.

Unfortunately I have yet another sad story of the day when she was playing with some toys right next to me as I sat on the couch, and she stumbled over a toy and fell against the corner of the coffee table and got a gash in her plumb little cheek. We rushed her to the ER where she had to get stitches and a little scar is still visible on her pretty face today. It seems that no matter how much we love our children and no matter how careful we are, things are bound to happen.

On a happier occasion, after my third daughter was born and Lynnette was 4 years old, she was looking at her new little baby sister and she said,… “Oh boy, now we can go to Knott’s Berry Farm and ride the log ride,….and we can leave the baby in the car!”. This was said because she was remembering an earlier visit to the amusement park when I was pregnant with her sister, and they wouldn’t let me ride the log ride because I was visibly expecting. (:>) I don’t know why she said we could leave the baby in the car,…unless she figured out that they wouldn’t let a newborn go on the ride either,…but it was so funny! She was a happy little girl and always singing. There was this old song called, “Crocodile Rock” that she had heard on the radio, and it says in it that “little Suzy had so much fun”,…so my little Lynnette Suzanne informed me that her name was no longer Lynnette,… but it was “Suzy”.

Lynnette was hit by a car once when she was five.. She and her sister Lisa, and some other children were playing outside, and I was in the apartment with her one year old sister Lonna. I heard the tires skid and the brakes squeak, and my daughter Lisa saying “Oh No!” in a loud voice, and then she ran in and told me that Lynnette got hit by a car in the alley. I was in shock and ran out to see her lying there with blood on her face as it gushed from a cut on her head. I nearly left the baby in the house as we headed for the hospital, but ran back in to get her out of the playpen. Thankfully after every test there was nothing wrong with Lynnette except that little cut on her head. It seems that she was so agile that the car bumped her and sent her into a few rolls and the gravel had cut her head. All she got were a few butterfly stitches,… Praise God!

In later years as a sixth grader Lynnette was so much fun. She was always singing into her hairbrush as she looked in the mirror, and I think she wished she would grow up to be a singer. She liked girlie things, but she also had a tomboy side to her. Once she broke her collar bone while playing a game outside with several of her friends. Her dad was out of town so I rushed her to the hospital and as they set the bone back in place and put a brace/sling on her,… she fainted. My mother’s heart was hurting as I saw my sweet girl suffering.

She liked to pull pranks just like most kids do, and once when she was about 16 she and her younger sister Lonna made up a story on April Fool’s Day that she had wrecked my car. Well that was a false alarm,…but one day she actually did have a wreck in my car,…but thankfully she was not injured. I got a car repair and a new paint job out of that one.

These stories of my darling Lynnette when she was a child are just a glimpse of my life with her, and some of the hardships she faced. I wish I could say that she never had to suffer again, but that would not be true. She married and started her family and found herself facing the hardest trials imaginable when she lost 3 of her 9 children. During these years of trials as her children died, Lynnette did not faint as she did on that day when she broke her collar bone, but she found her strength in God as she totally relied on His strength in her weakness.

From these losses she gained so much spiritual insight and so much trust in her Lord and Savior. Thus her book was born,.. “In Faithfulness He Afflicted Me”. Her joy is apparent as you look into her face. Her heart is so tender towards others who are suffering, and she reaches out to them in love. She didn’t give up on living, but lives life abundantly in His grace. As her mother, I did not like seeing her go through great sorrows, but I do rejoice that God has brought her through each time of mourning, and because of her faith, mine has grown also.

Life with Lynnette is always an adventure! And today you can always find her Dancing Barefoot On Weathered Ground. (I had to get a plug in for her Blog site.)
By Linda Hogeland….Feb. 2009

WRITING

Writing is indeed a way
To express my longing soul
To pen my thoughts,…And share my words
To honor Jesus,…. is my goal

I often sit and ponder what my heart shall write today
Sometimes there is so very much... that it has to say
But other times it rests in Him,…. and in that quiet rest
I listen to His gentle voice, and I am truly blessed

But when I can pen my utmost feelings
Or unleash my many thoughts
Sweet release brings forth His healings
And remembrance of all He’s taught

I want to thank Him for His leading
I want to praise Him for the gift
For the freedom writing brings me
As it gives my heart a lift

And if it can help someone out there
Who is lost, or sad, or blue
Then I raise my hands and praise Him
If my writing can touch you

We must heed His love-filled promptings
And wisely use the things He gives
To remind those hurting people
That our Savior indeed lives

What can I write about Him...
That might stir another’s heart?
He’s loved you since before your birth….
And fashioned you right from the start!

He knows everything about you….
He knows the good... and all the bad
He smiles when you acknowledge Him
And when you don’t….It makes Him sad

Why not try this mode of writing?
Why not praise Him with your pen?
Why not give the gifts He gave you,
As a sacrifice to Him?

By Linda Hogeland
Feb. 2009

Simple Pleasures

When I was a little girl growing up in the 50’s, some of the simple pleasures I enjoyed with my mama and my older sister and my little brother were the times she took us to the park late summer afternoons where she would sit on a bench under the shade of a big tree and watch us play while she thumbed through her new “Readers Digest“. She could read a few stories which was a simple pleasure for her, and we would climb, swing, slide, run and play until our hearts were content. We’d get hot and go get drinks from the drinking fountain and splash the cool water on our sweaty faces while we were at it. It’s funny how good that water tasted back then! Mom would let us play as long as we wanted most of the time and often it would start getting dark before we would pile in the car and head for home. In that same old wonderful park we also took swimming lessons while mom sat on the bleachers watching us, or while she looked on from her front row parking place with the windows down and the radio on, reading and waiting until we were finished.

We usually did things that didn’t require much money. One thing I enjoyed was Sunday afternoons when we would drive uptown in our 1956 Buick Roadmaster, and park it by Pringles Drug Store, which was the only store open on Sundays. We would walk down one side of the street, window shopping as we looked in the windows of each store front, and then cross the street and look in the windows of the shops on the other side. We’d go into Pringle’s Drug before we went back home, and get a nickel ice cream cone. Mom, and my sister and I usually got the green pistachio almond,…and it was so good. I think my brother tried different flavors all of the time. It was a simple pleasure, and we enjoyed it so much.

We also liked to go to the museum which didn’t cost money, and no matter how many times we went, it was still fun. We’d go for rides after we put a dollar’s worth of gas in the car, and I think I remember it only costing 25 cents a gallon back then. We used to drive to the beach which was about 7 miles from our house, and it was always fun to go there whether we could stay all day or just for an hour or so.

We loved playing in the sprinklers. Sometimes we’d just go out and turn the hose on and water the grass and rosebushes and the big tree so that we could get wet and cool off. We drank water from the hose, and made water balloons and had water fights. We’d stay outside for hours playing jacks, or marbles, or jump rope, or doing the hula hoops or pogo sticks. We were always using our imaginations and we’d think up new things to do all of the time and we were hardly ever bored.

At nights we’d go outside and sit on the porch and watch the fireflies, or look at the stars,… and in the summer we could also see the fireworks display from Disneyland every night at nine o’clock from our yard. Oh, how we loved watching the “Wonderful World Of Disney” on tv back then. The music,…“When you wish upon a star” at the beginning would give me goose bumps. We’d put a blanket down on the living room floor and some pillows and we’d turn off the lights and watch the movie while we ate popcorn and homemade fudge.

Friends and neighbors would often stop by, or we would go visiting and that was a free past- time too. Then games of “hide and seek” and “tag” would happen, or “two square” or a game of “catch“. Or the “statue maker” game where someone would spin us around by the arm and let go and we were supposed to freeze in a statue pose where we landed. We’d also play “mother may I?”, and “red light green light”, or “ red rover”. The adults would visit and the kids would play, and then sometimes lemonade and watermelon would be shared before we’d part.

When we shopped at the market we would get Green Stamps and Blue Chip Stamps according to the amount we’d spent, and then we would lick them and put them in the books and you could collect them and redeem them for merchandise. It was like getting free stuff. I remember once I got a new bedspread and curtains with the Green Stamp books we had saved. Just thinking back like this is a simple pleasure for me. I enjoy writing down my feelings and it is a good way for me to express my happy thoughts and share my memories with others..

I am quite alot like my mom was,… in many ways. I enjoy reading and going to the library to get the books I read,…which is still free. I enjoy spending time watching my kids and grandkids no matter what they are doing, and spending times with friends. The happiest times of my life have involved simple pleasures with the people that I love. The things we do today are tomorrows memories,….are we doing things that are worth remembering?

It is sad when people forget to take time to enjoy life and it’s simple pleasures. Especially since most of them are still free. In this day of uncertain economy I think it would be good to look for those small joys. To spend more time at home playing games and watching family movies and popping the popcorn. Or just going outside to look at the stars once in awhile. Or taking a walk together, in a park or just around the block.

Maybe singing some silly songs that we remember from our childhood would cause our kids to giggle. Some that come to mind are “BINGO”, “Do your ears hang low?”, “I’ve been workin’ on the railroad”, “How much is that doggie in the window?”. There are so many of them if we just start singing they will come back to us I’m sure.

Were you ever a girl scout or a brownie? It doesn’t seem like many girls do that any more? I had so much fun being a brownie! And have you ever learned a square dance? We did that in the 5th grade and it was a blast!

I know that times change and kids now days would find joys in different things, but it is still fun to do those things with them as a family. And now those moments can even be captured on video to re-live again and again. All of these things can bring much joy. I hope we will start looking for them,…and may God bless us all as we live each day for Him and for others,…and as we enjoy life’s simple pleasures together.

By Linda Hogeland

Romance........~By Linda Hogeland.... Feb.2009

(This poem came to me as I thought about Valentine's Day and how people long for romance. Everyone can have true love and never be lonely again if they will simply surrender to the Masters call and give their hearts to Him)

I’ve felt the music in my heart
My feet have done the dance
My life’s been taken to extremes
As I have found romance

Nothing has remained the same
Everything is new
The sunlight has a brighter sheen
The grass now glistens with the dew

The air feels fresher as I breathe
The rose has fragrance sweet and rare
My senses now feel sharp and keen
My heart has been made free from care

I once was broken and cast down
My face was so forlorn
My hopes were dashed, my dreams had died
My faith from me was torn

But now my soul sings happy tunes
As down the path I trod
Romance has been a gift to me
And brought me close to God

Who knows me better than the one
That wooed me with his love?
He laid his life down for my sake
And gave me new life through his blood

I first resisted his sweet call
And wrestled with my fears
But he romanced me with his love
And I accepted through my tears

And soon he’ll whisk me far away
To mansions in the sky
I will his bride forever be
And never leave his side

Romance may seem a silly word ….
But I can tell you true
This same romance can change your life
And make you feel brand new!

MISS BAILEY, (A lighthearted poem for a light-hearted granddaughter)!

Miss Bailey has a way with her …that always brings a smile
She makes me want to hug her tight,….and hold on for awhile
The best thing is…she hugs me back and seems so much at ease
Our Bailey girl is just like that,….she always wants to please!

She has a very tender heart, …for babies,…dogs ,….and man
There isn’t much that she can’t do….she’ll help you if she can
I love her laugh,…it’s full of joy,…and full of mischief too
Her blue eyes dance,… and warm your heart …as she looks at you

I love it when she visits me… and locks my oven door
Then when she’s gone,…her prank lives on and makes me love her more
I reach to put my pan inside and give it a good tug…
My lips turn up and smile once more,….I think of Bailey bug

Her Grandpa likes to fish with her…out on the Carter’s pond
Together they catch fish and form,… a very special bond
They run their errands around town,…and get something to eat
Or she helps him rake the yard,….and mow, and bag, and sweep

She’s very handy that’s for sure,…she does the dishes too
Last time we gathered as a group there were quite a few
And Bailey did them all alone,…so Grand-ma-ma could rest
She did them of her own free will,…and I felt like a guest!

She may not have a sibling but her cousins are her friends
Her mom plays Nertz and Greedy,…and she never lets her win!
Her dad is very close to her,…and she to him it seems
And when she pals around with Brad her face just really beams

She likes to walk her Riley dog around the longest block
His short, short legs keep up with hers and those two have their “talk”
“How are you boy? You getting tired? You need a little drink?”
They come back home and she gets him some water from the sink

Leslie Sansone …motivates her,…. with her DVD’s
She walks three miles,… and does the stretchy band…. with skillful ease
She cleans her room and fish tank too, and then she needs a shower
And she’ll be in that steamy room for just about an hour!

She likes to text ,…and talk to friends,… from church on her cell phone
She roams the halls at Pleasantview,…which is her second home
She goes on Mission trips and works to give others a lift
This is yet another page,… of Bailey’s many gifts

She hangs with Uncle Dan outside,… when he is in the yard
She likes to listen to him sing,… and play his old guitar
She’s sixteen now,…and soon will drive if we can let her grow
“Our Father, keep her safe for us",…..and look out here below!!!!

Our 5 foot something little gal is heaven’s gift to me
I can’t forget that 4 # 9 oz. baby filled with glee
Yes, Thank you Lord for giving us our sweet dear Bailey girl
Miss Bailey we love you so much….you give our hearts a twirl!

Written by Grandma Linda Feb. 2009

A Grandma's Struggle

Tonight this grandma went to watch her 13 year old grandson wrestle for the first time....
Oh my goodness,…I was a nervous wreck! As I sat there waiting for his match to come up I kept remembering him as a baby, and how he and his mom and dad lived with us for the whole first year of his life so that they could save up to buy a house.

I remembered walking the floor with him when he had colic in the middle of the night and I would get up to relieve his mommy for awhile. He would cry and cry and cry until he was so exhausted that he would eventually fall asleep, but in the meantime we walked the floor with him, and tried everything we could think of to make him feel better. We even sat him in his infant seat on top of the clothes dryer and turned it on for the noise , warmth, and vibration to try to soothe him. (We were desperate, and someone had suggested doing that) It helped for awhile, but not for long. But eventually he got over the colic and we moved on to more pleasant stages with “our” little guy.

Everyday was a new adventure and we became very attached to sweet William. My husband John and I got to experience each “first” as they came along. First smile, first time he cooed, first time to roll over, first time to sit up on his own, first time he said da-da and ma-ma etc. etc. It was such a joy to be so close to him, and to get in all of my grandma cuddles and kisses.

Well anyone that knows me, knows how soft hearted I am when it comes to my kids and grandkids. I have 11 grandkids and I can’t stand it when they are sick or hurt, or unhappy. I always want to kiss their boo-boo’s and make things better. I am always telling them to,... "be careful"!!! I know that most grandmas are cautious and careful with their grandkids,…but I am borderline ridiculous! (:>)

Well, there I sat watching my 165 pound grandson being picked up and slammed to the floor by another wrestler,…and it was almost more than I could take. I wanted to stand up and say,…“Leave my baby alone you big bully!” I kept telling my husband,… “I can’t stand this”, and he kept laughing at me. Didn’t he share my pain? Didn’t he love “our” baby boy as much as I did? Well I think I realized at that moment that there is this thing with men,….they like seeing the right of passage when a boy is becoming a man.

Maybe some moms and grandmas like this transformation too,…but I decided that I am not one of them. I mean I’m all for maturity, and watching boys grow up,…but I just had the hardest time watching this brutality! (:>) One boy got a bloody nose, and another had a bad leg cramp and he laid on the mat making faces because he was in pain as they tried to work out the cramp. and then my William was limping away,...looking so defeated. My heart was breaking for him.

You see, I never had boys in sports before, because I had three girls. I watched my girlies cheer at games but never had to worry much about injuries, unless a stunt involved lifts. I just wasn’t prepared tonight when I saw “my” baby boy out there being man handled like he was.

Aren’t I silly? I never imagined I would feel this way. Maybe the next time it will be easier for me? I don’t know. But I am seriously going to try to let my 165 pound "baby boy "grow up,…..no really, I’m serious,.....I am! (:>)

I think I can,... I think I can,... I think I can! It's either that,...or stay home and not attend the matches!

Be Still And Know That I Am God

Be Still And Know That I Am God!


In the stillness of the moment, I hear my Master speak my name
I want to feel His Holy presence,…His voice is like a sweet refrain
He bids me come,…I kneel before Him
Waiting,… yielding,… quiet,…still
Then silently with gentle prompting I surrender to His will

He comforts me with words of wisdom, I drink them in with hunger deep
They quench the pangs of deep desire as I sit at His dear feet
In these moments of surrender, I feel strengthened in my soul
I give Him praise,…He gives me courage
Every care on Him I roll

What blessed peace He freely offers, in those tranquil moments sweet
There is no better place to worship, than before the mercy seat
Be still and know that I am God,…. He whispers sweetly in my ear
And in that statement I find hope,… and there is victory over fear

Won’t you join Him in the throne room? Where He sits with arms stretched wide
In the stillness you will feel Him,…beckon you to come inside
Drawing you with endless mercies, calling you with boundless grace
Allowing you to sit before Him, and gaze into His loving face

There’s no greater gift to give you,…there’s no better place to be
Than in the Master’s Holy presence, as He says,…“I’ve set you free”….
Free from guilt, and sin, and bondage,….Free to rest and just be still
And in that stillness of the moment,…let Him bathe you in His will!