From the Desk of Kayleen Reusser

Monday, May 12, 2008

My dad's birthday

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Rom. 1:16-17



Today was my dad’s birthday. He’s been gone a couple of years from complications due to surgery and we miss him greatly.

At this time of graduation, it brings back some regrets at his passing. I so wish he could have seen my kids graduate from college and my youngest from high school. He would be so proud of them. He loved them and all of us in the family unconditionally. I always knew I could go to my dad with any problem and he would listen and try to help.

I tried not to take advantage of that as I got older, but it was tempting to look to someone for help who always wanted to fix my problems.

Dad loved people so much. Whenever I see a certain guy at church, I think of how Dad counseled him and offered friendship when the guy had legal problems.

His own dad died when dad was a young man, which meant he was now the man of the house. That was a challenge with a large family to feed.

But Dad worked hard and learned to be a businessman on his own. Without going to college, he developed three businesses during his lifetime that profited him well.

He liked to work with his hands. He always had a great workshop. I have two large bookcases and a beautiful cedar chest he made for me, as he did for each of my sisters. If I had asked him to make anything for me out of wood, he would have done so.

Now it is tomato-planting time and that also makes me think of Dad as “once a farmer, always a farmer.” He moved in to town with Mom the last decade of his life, but he had a big backyard and lots of room to grow things like flowers and plants. He was still experimenting that last summer with new tomato plants that were supposed to be huge!

Dad was a back to nature kind of guy, but he liked the latest gadgets too. I remember the first microwave we had – it was huge!! We could have put all of our plates for our family inside at once to be warmed.

One memory I have is the number of men he would employ to work for him. I didn't know it at the time, but some of them had been released from jail and couldn't find another job.

Dad took a chance with them, as these guys could have stolen his expensive tools. But as far as I know, that never happened. Now I write a newsletter for a jail chaplaincy group and I think of Dad whenever I read about an inmate who can't find a job. He needs someone like my dad in his life to give him a boost.

Dad, we miss you, but we know you’re in a wonderful place and we can't wait to join you some day.
Love, Your daughter, Kay

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Friday, May 09, 2008

A Tribute to Mother's Day

" But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. Ruth

I was reading the book of Ruth today in the Bible and ran across this beautiful passage. Naomi’s husband and two sons (one was Ruth’s husband) have all died. Naomi is telling her daughters in law to return to their own people and start new lives. But Ruth refuses.

Most people who I have heard quote this do it from a viewpoint of a man and woman who love each other and want to be married forever.

But it is actually the words of a young woman who has a beloved mother in law and doesn't want to see her suffer more by being alone.

In tribute to Mother’s Day which is coming up, I want to say what a terrific mother in law I had for 19 years. Jane was helpful, friendly, talented, happy, and hard-working. She didn't offer advice when it was not wanted, nor was she critical of decisions we did make. She loved our children and they loved her. When we lost her to cancer in 1999, it was one of the saddest days of my life. I loved her second only to my own mom of the women in my life.

My mother is still living and has all of the above attributes. She lost my dad a few years ago but has done well at managing that grief and yet still chooses to get up each day and look at the world as a good place. We are very proud of her.

She lives close to me and if I have anything to say about it, always will. I know people who live across the country from their elderly parents and that is not a choice I would make. I want to be with my mom through everything and I know she feels the same about our family.

My husband and children have been blessed with terrific, god-fearing mothers and grandmothers and we know that is worth more to us than money in the bank. Thank you, God, for giving us these wonderful ladies. And Thanks, Mom, for loving us so much.

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Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Trip to Hocking Hills

This is a photo I took at the top of a crevass in Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio. Can you spot the 2 kids near the water?

Verse for the day:

“He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” Prov 21:21

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My family loves to travel. One of our newest favorite places to visit is Hocking Hills OH. They have 8 state parks in Hocking County -- if that’s not enough trees for you, something’s wrong!

Here’s some information about the place you may find helpful, should you decide to go:

Ohio does not charge an admittance fee to any of its state parks. Nearly four million people visit the 2,000-acre Hocking Hills State Park annually.


If you’re one of them, be sure to visit Old Man’s Cave, named after a Civil War-era hermit, Richard Howe, who lived in one of the park’s caves. The cave is situated in the middle of tall trees that form a cool canopy above the heads of hikers and researchers (the park has several rare species). The scenery is gorgeous, though in the middle of a dry summer, the much-anticipated waterfalls were down to a disappointing trickle. Rock climbers and birders don’t mind the weather; both rock climbing and birding are popular events in Hocking Hills State Park.

After an afternoon of hiking, head to The Inn at Cedar Falls. Opened in 1987, The Inn at Cedar Falls consists of quality-built cabins, cottages with hot tubs, and a lodge that provides comfortable accommodations.

The cabins are positioned in the midst of trees, though all are within walking distance of the Inn’s restaurant, which offers three daily meals prepared by a sous chef. A handicap accessible cabin and cottage are available with plans to build more.

Go to these websites for more information:

Hocking Hills State Park

19852 St. Rt. 664 South
Logan, Ohio 43138
866.644.6727 for cottage, camping,
and getaway rental reservations

http://www.hockinghillspark.com/

The Inn at Cedar Falls
21190 State Route 374

Logan, Ohio (OH) | 43138
800.65.FALLS

740.385.7489

info@innatcedarfalls.com

www.innatcedarfalls.com

If you do visit these places, let me know what you think. I’m always curious to hear about other people’s travel experiences – what they like and didn’t like about a place.

Take care,

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Thursday, May 24, 2007

Getting Ready to Graduate

I try every day to send my kids a scripture verse. I usually pull it from www.biblegateway.com. I copy their verse for the day and paste it into the email. Then I try to give them a brief application of how that verse works in our lives. It is always a good reminder about the importance of God in our lives.

Today’s note is special because we are just about ready to see two of our three kids graduate. Our youngest daughter will graduate from high school. She has done extremely well, pushing herself to achieve great grades, while being a cheerleader and then a member of the marching band color guard. She is graceful, thoughtful of others, loves people, and a hard worker. She plans to attend college to major in business. We know she will carry her Christian principles she has been taught with her.

Our son graduates from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He has been accepted into the pilot training program and will begin in 2008. He has had some challenging times in this rigorous environment, but he has made it and we are proud of him for that. He will be home with us most of the summer and we’re looking forward to seeing his feet on the table and dirty dishes in the sink. Kidding! (I have all kinds of tasks ready for him when he gets home—he just doesn’t know it yet!)

Here’s my note to them. Warning – it’s a tear jerker, at least to me:

This is one of the last days before we're all together again for 2 months! Wow! We have not had that in 4 years.

Here's today's verse:
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”- Romans 12:10

We'll be honoring each other in different ways in the next few weeks, helping each other with tasks and recognizing achievements. We are SO proud of all of you. We said in Sunday School last week that our lives are so much better with all of you. We would not have wanted to go through life without you as our children.

We love you and look forward to a busy, noisy house this summer! Love, Mom

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