We Are Family

Dear Byron,

Its been a while. Anyway, it was so good to see you and the rest of the family this past Thanksgiving. We sure had plenty to eat, didn't we? In this picture you are sitting behind Grandma Cheryl. And guess what you're sitting on. You probably can't. It is an old highchair that my Momma used for me way, way back when I was your age. And it was around even before that. I tell you this to remind you that our family goes back and out in many directions. And now you're a part of it.

 And we're always ready to pull you up in our arms and love you—because we love you so very much.

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the greatest season in the year, the Christmas season. Its the time when we remember that Jesus was once a little bitty baby, born in a barn or a cave used as a stable for cows and donkeys. He was born in a family very, very much poorer than ours. His Momma and Daddy couldn't even find a comfortable place to sleep the night he was born. So he was born in that barn.

All that reminds us of how much Jesus loves families and how much he loves you, Byron.

Here's a picture of you petting a goat at the zoo in Houston during this weekend. Wasn't she soft and kind though? She let you brush her with that special brush. We can't see her face, but that's your Cousin Kjerstyn holding the brush for you. By the way, she turned 13 a couple weeks back. We celebrated her birthday, along with your Uncle Patrick's, and Aunt Cassie's during the weekend. Neat. Birthdays and family time together. 

We all need families to hold us in their arms, to pick us up when we're feeling bad and to show us where to go next. And when we make mistakes, as we all do, to forgive us and show us how to get up and on the way again. You can see in the photo on the right that your Daddy and Mommy are ready to do that for you—forever. And so are the rest of us in your family. We were with you at the zoo on a bright sunny Saturday.

We're also remembering the kids that don't have families to take care of them. In her work your GGMa helps special people find families to care for those kids. You should be very proud of the work that she does. We all certainly are.

Here's a poem I found on the internet that pulls it all together.

We Are A Family

When we get together,

Good times are loud

And most times, too fattening.

Arguments are wordless

And apologies are unneeded.

New memories are made 

When we come together. 

We’re more than just friends; 

We are family. 

We love you, Byron, 

GGPa

Our "Koderader Retreat"

Dear Byron,

I'm sad, so sad that I've neglected to write to you for well over a month now. Meanwhile you, Mommy and Daddy have settled down to a regular life in your new home in the Heights area of Houston. I do pray that you are happy. I hear that you are, but please know that your GGMa and I miss you. Perhaps when we get back to our house in Spring we'll be able to see you again.

Oh, I didn't even tell you where we are. We're in Pagosa Springs. That's a small town in Colorado. Yes, in Colorado. You see, we've had a second home here ever since 1997. That's a long time ago, isn't it? Your Daddy was here for the Christmas time vacation that the whole family took. At that time we had a special family dinner during which we dedicated the home to the honor of our Lord Jesus and for the use of family and special friends. Over these past 15 years we've had many, many people use our Colorado home (we call it our Koderader Retreat). Your Aunt Cassie was responsible for the name. When she was a little girl she told us she couldn't pronounce Colorado. All she could say was Koderader; hence the name.

GGMa and Aunt Cassie and Wee-Z up here

Here are some of the notes we received in our Guest Book:

Thank you for letting us stay in your lovely Pagosa Springs home. Everything about this place has been wonderful: beautiful mountains all around; spectacular views everywhere, invigorating mountain air, cool, comfortable weather. 

You are to be commended in your choice of this site and its natural beauty, absolute comfort and relaxation is our way to describe this home. 

Lots of fantastic things to do here—Chimney Rock, hot springs, horseback riding, hiking. We had a great family time. 

This home is so warm and friendly with all the family pictures everywhere. Their importance to you is so obvious. 

The rain Monday afternoon (moving south to north) was spectacular; I think I'll have a great photo or two of mountain clouds, etc. The pure and fresh aspect of this area simply takes one's breath away. 

We were blessed to stay here this week and are very thankful. I wrote a song for you. The words are on the picture and recorded on the CD. 

Only heaven could be as pretty as here. . . 

We have enjoyed a very restful week. The people here have been so nice to us.
I almost got Dar on the hot air balloon. Maybe next time . . . 

Your cabin has a warm, welcoming feeling, making us relax immediately. It has been therapeutic for both of us, just to get away from the big city.

And so go the many comments, on and on, year after year. We only regret that you may never get to visit with us in our Koderader Retreat. You see, Byron, we're selling the house. After all these years we've had to make some difficult decisions. Times change, people change and so do the circumstances of our lives. At this stage in our lives GGMa and I have decided to downsize our responsibilities and maybe even move to a new home in the metro area. We'll have more to say about that another time.

All this is a reminder that your life as well as ours will be full of change. But regardless of where you go on your journey, remember this one important fact:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. - Hbr 13:8 ESV

His love for you never changes and He will always be with you wherever you go, even as He has always been with us and the rest of our family.

We love you,
GGPa

A Good Friday Welcome

Dear Byron,

We're excited. This wonderful day is named Good Friday all over the world. And it really is good—for two reasons.

You, your Mommy and your Daddy all arrived today and not just for the Easter weekend. You are coming to live with us—at least for a few months, until you find a new home. You don't realize it right now, but everything is changing for your family. You no longer live in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Your Mommy and Daddy have new jobs here in Houston where GGMa and I live. And you are staying with us until your family gets settled.

That's why we're so excited. That's why we are so happy that we could help you and your parents during this time of change. That means, of course, that we'll get to see more of you now that we all live in the same town. And we are so, so very happy about that

And this is Good Friday for another very important reason. This is the day that we Christians—and that includes you, Byron—celebrate and rejoice that Jesus went all the way to the cross and death in our place. The blessed, happy and very Good thing is that because of His sacrifice we all share in His loving forgiveness.

That's what Jesus said to you when you were baptized into Him. That's what He says to us all.

So we rejoice on this Good Friday, my dear little great-grandson. And I pray Jesus' many blessings upon you in all the days and years ahead.

Love,

GGPa

IPhones, Birthday Parties, Three Shorts And A Long

Dear Byron,

We did it! We all got together to celebrate your first birthday. Mommy and Daddy invited a bunch of their friends and their kids. We ate hamburgers and bratwurst. We sang "Happy Birthday" to you and we each enjoyed a piece of your cake.

Speaking of cake, you had a great time messing with it. You got it all over your face and hands. It was a good thing Mommy put that bib on otherwise you soon would have had it all over your shirt as well.

Here's a picture of you with Mommy, Daddy, your two sets of grand parents, with GGMa and me on the left.

By the way, I took the picture with my iPhone. When I got home I finished up your first year book. As you'll soon learn, Apple has an application that enabled me to choose from all those pictures we took this first year and turn it into a memory book. It should be waiting for you when you arrive at our house. I sent it off by email yesterday. They wrote back at once to tell me it will be completed in less than a week.

One more thing. When GGMa and I got home the Monday after the big weekend, we went to a banquet sponsored by Pregnancy Assistance Center North. That's an organization near us that helps young parents who find they're not ready to raise a little baby like you were only a year ago. Anyway, at the banquet I won a drawing for an iPad! Yup, me. I won it and now I have another gadget. This is getting ridiculous. I can take photos with the iPad too.

All that goes to remind me again of how things have changed since I was your age way, way back in the 1930s. Sure we had cameras and radios and cars, but nothing like what you will grow up with, nothing at all. We certainly did not have anything even remotely like my iPhone, the gadget that is also called a smart phone, because it is also a computer in my pocket. And nobody even thought about an iPad or a computer and all the other stuff that's so common now.

Let me tell you about the telephone we had on our farm. It hung on the kitchen wall and looked just like this.

When we wanted to make a phone call we had two choices. We could either make the bells up on top ring by turning the handle on the right or we could click that holder on the left up and down a couple times until we got the telephone operator. Let me explain.

There were actually a bunch of people on our phone line. We knew somebody wanted to talk with us if we heard the bells ring in a certain way. Our ring was three shorts and a long. In other words, if somebody turned that handle on the right to make three short rings and then kept turning and turning it to make one long ring, we knew they wanted to talk with us. All we had to do was pick up that earpiece on the left and talk into that round mouthpiece in the middle.

Of course, any one of the people on the ten or so other farms could listen in or even join in the conversation of they wanted to. It was what they called a party line. It was a little like setting up a multiple party conversation today—sort of.

Things will keep on changing as you grow up, Byron. That's the nature of technology. I can only hope and pray that when you are an adult lots of folks will use these discoveries to help and bless others rather than hurt and destroy.

For now, those concerns are a long way into the future for you. Meanwhile, we all look forward to a good time laughing, telling stories and eating cake at your next birthday party.

Love you,

GGPa

Your GGPa's Grandma

Dear Byron,

A couple days ago I got a call from a cousin way up in Minnesota. His name is Loren Schmalz. He and his wife Eloise (my Aunt Elma's only daughter), found a picture of some of the Cordes sisters. They wondered if I knew anything about Louise Cordes, the sister of my Grandmother Ida who married my Grandfather Henry Franzmeier. I had to tell them I knew little or nothing. After they hung up I told your GG-Ma Sylvia about the call. She reminded me of a photo we have. I found it. Here it is.

Elizabeth (Wille) and Louis Cordes Family - 1888

This is my Grandma Ida's family photo when she was a young girl. That's her on the left, behind her little brother George. Behind her is Helen. To Helen's left are William, Emma, Louise and Lydia. On my Great-Grandpa Louis' lap is Amelia and on my Great-Grandma Elizabeth's is John. 

I grew up in Minnesota on a farm with Grandma Ida and Grandpa Henry. My middle name is Henry, after Grandpa. He died from cancer when I was only seven years old. I vividly remember him teaching me the hymn "Abide With Me" while I visited with him on the back porch of the big farm house where they lived. My parents, sister Elaine and I lived in a small house across the highway. One day soon I'll tell you more about that. 

A mile south of our family farm was another farm where Grandma's sister, Aunt Lydia lived with Uncle Eddie Franzmeier, as we called her husband. Uncle Eddie was my Grandpa Henry's brother. That made him my Great-Uncle, of course. 

As  you can tell by this, brothers married sisters. That was quite common in our community. Uncle Eddie's son, Arthur married Elma, the twin sister of my mother Thelma Turpen. Thelma introduced Elma to Art after she fell in love with my father Alvin, after whom I am named. Are you confused yet? 

It is interesting that you have ancestors who lived in Minnesota, both on your Grandma Cheryl's side and your Grandpa Derrick's side of the family. We'll get back to that another time. 

For now, just rejoice that you have so many in the family who love you, as do G-GMa Sylvia and I. 

Your White Baptism Gown

Dear Byron,

In the last post I wrote about your baptism and what it means. Today I want to tell you about what you wore on the day Jesus washed you with water and gave to you eternal life. Look carefully at this photo I took that day with my iPhone.

 Grandma Cheryl and G-Grandma Sylvia

Grandma Cheryl is holding a white gown on a hanger. You wore that gown during your baptism for a special reason. The gown connects you to your Grandmas in an important way. Grandma Cheryl wore that gown the day she was baptized.

There's more. Both your Great-Uncle Jeff and Great-Uncle Nathan wore the same gown on the days they were baptized. Grandma Cheryl told us it had a spot on it and she worked very carefully to remove it so that it would be clean and white for you on your baptism day. We're not sure where the spot came from. Perhaps it was from when your Daddy or your uncle Patrick were baptized in the gown. Great-Uncle Nathan and Great-Aunt Teri borrowed the gown when their son, your second-cousin Aric was baptized. More likely the spot was from when your Auntie Cassie was baptized, because that was the last time it was used.

Before all that Great-Grandma's sister Lois Pera used the gown when her children, your cousins Stephen and Michelle were baptized. They're of the same generation as your great-uncles. 

But the story doesn't stop there. Your Great-Grandma Sylvia kept the gown safe all those years. Her Mommy, your Great-Great Grandma Thekla, had passed the gown on after her children, Arnie, Lois and G-G Sylvia were baptized in it. And—now get this—Great-Great Grandma Thekla was also baptized in the gown way back in 1909.  

That made the gown over 100 years old when you were baptized and it connects you to the Franzmeier family, the Arnold Wenger family from which Great-Grandma Sylvia comes and the Frederich Dierks family from which Great-Great Grandma Thekla came, as well as to the families of your many cousins. 

A word about wearing a white gown for baptism. In John's Revelation we read that all the people in heaven wear white robes (Revelation 7:14-17). In your baptism Jesus made you clean and pure from all sins. That's why He calls you His little lamb. And one day, Byron, your Mommy and Daddy, your grandmas and grandpas, your aunts and uncles and cousins, and all of us baptized into Jesus will be forever together with our Good Shepherd. That's His promise. When you remember you wore your family's white gown you may also remember that.

We love you, Byron, and we're excited about what's yet to be.

—Great-Grandpa Al

When You Were Born

Dear Byron,

It will be a few years before you are able to read and understand what I, your parents and other members of your family are saying in the pages of this blog. But that's OK. I know you'll look back with joy to learn about us and about the long list of family members who preceded you in this world. More on that later.

For starters, I want you to know how very proud we are to welcome you into the family. And what joy you bring to each and every one of us. You are such a happy, smiling, pleasant little boy. You bless us all.

You with Mommy and Daddy at Christmas

I remember how excited your Mommy and Daddy were when they first called us to announce that you were on the way. They had been waiting and waiting. When they learned that you were being created by our Lord Jesus in your Mommy's tummy they called us on the phone. "And it's a boy!" Mommy exclaimed, bubbling with excitement. Both your Great-Grandma and I thought that was quite amazing, because when your Grandma Cheryl was being created in Great-Grandma's tummy, we did not know if our baby was to be a boy or a girl. In those days the doctors could not tell us about that in advance. So we had to wait until she was born.

And how well I remember that day. Of course, a Daddy was not allowed in the birthing room back in October, 1960 when your Grandma Cheryl was born, so I was waiting out in the hall for the nurse. She burst out to announce, "It's a girl! You have a beautiful baby daughter. And, believe it or not, she has red hair!"

I cannot tell you with words, Byron, what happiness and joy I felt at that moment. I simply do not have the words to express it. Before that the Lord Jesus gave your Great-Grandma and me two wonderful sons and we were starting to believe that our third child would be a boy as well. That was OK with us, of course, but when Great-Grandma and I learned our new baby was a girl, well, we were so happy we cried.

GMa Cheryl (1 mo.old) with your G-Uncles Jeff and Nathan 

And now, all these years later, here you are. You must ask your Mommy and Daddy about your birth. They have many photos and will be happy to tell you about their feelings as well.

As you grow up, Byron, we will share many more thoughts and ideas with you. Perhaps, when you are fully grown and begin a family of your own, you and your wife will even choose ahead for your baby to be a girl rather than a boy. That's already happening for some parents.

For now, just know that we all love you and are most excited to have you as the newest member of our family.

With love — Great-Grandpa Al

What's In Our Basement?

Dear Byron,

Not sure if you read comic books. I know they've changed a whole bunch since I was a kid. I know you can still buy them to read about those super-heroes. Here's a story about a family that was about to lose their home because they couldn't make the mortgage payment. When they dug around in some old boxes in their basement they found an old Superman comic book that was very valuable to collectors, worth a cool quarter million bucks! They sold it and were able to make their mortgage payment and save their house: Cool-O-Rama » Superman Comic Saves Family Home From Foreclosure

This is the stuff that we who write novels love to use. At the last possible moment, just as disaster is about to come down upon the family, an unforeseen hero drops in, a strange twist of events happens and the bad guys go away, everything turns out right.

I have a friend who has collected and saved his Superman comic books for years. I don't recall him saying he has any first editions. I hope he does. He can use it for his retirement fund. Of course, knowing him, he probably won't want to part with the comic books themselves.

What's in your basement—or your attic if you don't have a basement? Let me put it another way. What do you know about your family history, about your heritage, about all those people who lived and sacrificed, laughed, celebrated, prayed and passed on what you and your family have today—your basement?

The Gospel of Matthew opens with the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. That recitation of Jesus' "basement" is critical (Matthew 1:1-17). It points to the careful working out of God's plan to rescue His people through His exalted Son through generation after generation, working forward from Abraham through David to Jesus with a stylized (three fourteens) legal line of descent. All of God's promises are now fulfilled.

The Gospel of Luke goes in another direction, tracing Jesus' genealogy all the way back to Adam, thus relating Him to all nations (Luke 3:23-38). Luke names the actual ancestors of Joseph's branch of the family.

What's in our family's basement? Something far more valuable than a Superman comic book. That's what I want to share with you, Byron, in the posts that will follow. I want you to know a little about me, your GGMa and all those other people who lived before you. But above all, I want you to know that Jesus has brought us all into His great and wonderful family. And I want to celebrate with you and the rest of the Jesus Family in our heavenly Father's house forever and ever.

All my love,

GGPa Al

Why I Started This New Blog

Dear Byron,

I'm sure you've heard from your parents or your Grandparents that I wrote three novels are about one young couple, Tillie and Albert Freitag. The series is called The Spiral Bridge Mysteries. One day soon I'll tell you more about the real Spiral Bridge. You may even be able to find my novels in ebook format.

In my novels Tillie and Albert fall in love, get married and have their first child, Louise, a beautiful little girl. My readers meet their families and friends, discover their thoughts and feelings, their doubts and fears, their joys and sorrows. That, of course, is why we read novels. In them we learn to love, like, admire, hate, fear or despise the characters—or not.

In this Blog I'll take you back at times to some of the events portrayed in my novels, but only to illustrate. My aim is to help you as you face the same kind of experiences Albert and Tillie encountered way back in the days of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Yours is a very different world, eighty years later. Yet in many ways it remains the same. People still quarrel, fall in love, have babies, grow up, try hard to make good grades in school, struggle other kids, get married, fail at marriage and divorce one another. They cheat, steal, celebrate birthdays, attend funerals, lose their jobs, go on trips, find new challenges and on and on. That's also what I'll be writing about in these blogs. As you grow up, Byron, you'll face the same kind of things, even though your world has outwardly changed very much.

One thing never changes: God's Word, the Word recorded in the Sacred Scriptures and proclaimed across thousands of years. I'll be drawing from that Word also as I ponder with you about the challenges of growing up, getting married, living in a family and learning how to trust God and His love for us all. I pray that you will receive many blessings by pondering that Word as you too grow up.

And please, Byron, be assured that I'll be praying for you, both during the days remaining to me on this earth and then in the great and wondrous hills and halls of heaven.

—Your loving Great-Grandpa Al