12 Things God Wants You to Remember in 2011

~photo taken by william conk

Tiffany window at the Metropolitan Museum of Art-NYC

Encouragement for 2011
God is for you.
God loves you.
God will guide you.
God will not fail you.
God will be with you.
God will provide for you.
God will bless you.
God will give you rest
.God will strengthen you.
God will answer you.
God will uphold you.
God will keep you.

All we need is to ask Him....Blessings on your New Year.
with love, Susan

A New Great Nephew~~ Peyton Robert Reed Born November 26, 2010

Sweet Baby Boy born to

Robert and Mandy and

Big Brother Preston.

Weighing in at

6lbs 12 oz

and

21 inches long!
A Gift from God!!

When You Sense Him Most

~photo by william conk in nigeria, africa

It is often in the hardest place that you hear God’s softest voice;

in the weakest moment that you find His greatest strength;

in the loneliest hour that you sense His closest companionship;

in the deepest sorrow that you feel His gentlest touch;

in the darkest time that you see His brightest light;

in the fiercest trial that you find His fullest peace;

in the harshest rejection that you know His warmest embrace.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement)Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction).

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 AMP

~meet me in the meadow

The St. Luke's Alumni Christmas Luncheon

Christmas at the Northland Country Club
Our entertainment "Sound of Strings", Mother and
Daughter Violinists Michelle and Alia Gribbon
with our Alumni President Evie Peterson

Old friends Kathy Murphy and myself

Mother and Daughter

I worked with Ardis in the CICU and

went to Nursing School with Karen

We worked together for years in the CICU~

Bonnie, Barbara, Susan and Kris

Once again, a good time was had by all!

Friday was my 28th Annual Christmas Breakfast for my St. Luke's friends!!

What a great group of nurses and friends

that I worked with during the first 30 years of my

nursing career!

We are glad the husbands came, they made great

photographers! Dave and Terri.....

Eileen and Rick.....

Ruth got here late because of an appointment.

A great time was had by all 21 of us!

Thursday my Christmas Elves Came.....

I am happy with my double needled balsam tree!

Steve and Jerry came from the farm up north to decorate my tree,

this the 2nd year! What a blessing they were!

Toni helped me unwrapped ornaments!

Off they go to Texas this weekend for the winter.

Thanks guys!!

Even Though.....

~james russell 1935 "valley of the downs"

Trust His ways, even though they may not be your ways.
Take His hand, even though it means letting go of what you are hanging onto.
Depend upon His strength, even though you are aware of your weakness.
Please His heart, even though it means not having the approval of others.
Wait for His time, even though you desire to do it now.
Obey His Word, even though you hear different opinions.
Follow His path, even though it takes you through valleys and hills.
Seek His wisdom, even though you don’t understand everything He’s doing.
Give Him praise, even though you wish things were different.
Be at rest, even though you’re tempted to worry and fear.
~meet me in the meadow

Some favorite photos from my new camera this weekend!

Fall at Split Rock Lighthouse
Norway Spruce, tree that is native to Sweden
Love it!

Two Harbors Lighthouse

Ship anchored in the Duluth Harbor waiting it's

turn to load!

Our beautiful Lift Bridge in Canal Park.

Delia and I enjoyed our photography weekend!

My Cousin Terry 1958-2010

Terence “Terry” Thomas Dorry, age 52, of New Brighton, MN, died Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at his home.
Terry was born in 1958 to William and June Dorry in Deer River, MN. He graduated from Deer River High School in 1976. Terry was employed with Pepsi Cola Bottling Co. in Grand Rapids and later attended college in Hibbing and obtained a computer degree. Terry moved to Minneapolis and was employed with Honeywell, Alliance Tech Systems, Diametrics Medical and then Cyberoptics. He enjoyed computers, history, especially Civil War history, collecting books and movies, and researching various topics of interest. He was a former member of the Full Gospel Church of Grand Rapids. Terry was an avid Minnesota Twins fan.

He is preceded in death by his parents and brother, Don.

Terry is survived by one daughter, Amy (Mark) Zielke of Grand Rapids, MN; one son, Ryan Dorry of Bemidji, MN; one sister, Linda (Ted) Senapatiratne of Minneapolis, MN; one brother, Robert (Marsha) Dorry of Deer River, MN; two grandchildren, Noah Dorry and Emma Tardy; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Visitation will be from 10:00 AM until the 11:00 AM Funeral Service on Monday, November 1, 2010 at Rowe Funeral Home in Grand Rapids. Burial will be at a later date at Olivet Cemetery, Deer River, MN.

Let Him Carry You......

This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California . These are some excerpts....
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:


People ask me, What is the purpose of life?
And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body -- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.

I don't agree with everything this man teaches but I really thought this was good theology! I hope that you are blessed by it ~Susan

October Birthdays!

My sister Cindy Celebrated her Birthday

in South Dakota with Stacy, Brianne and

Joshua. Looks like she is having fun holding

her cake with her special candle!!

My Dear Friend Delia celebrated her birthday
this week too. She will come soon and we will
celebrate together!!!

Dear Maddi was 6 yesterday! What a sweet

great niece she is! Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Work For The Good........

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT

Are you going through difficult days? Are you being pruned by the Vinedresser? Do you sense the discipline of your loving Heavenly Father’s hand? Have you been persecuted for the sake of righteousness? These and many other things are experienced in our lives as we follow the Lord in a walk of faith and obedience. God is able to use these times for our good and His glory.

There are many things in creation that remind us of this:

Wheat is crushed before it is turned to bread.
Incense is cast upon the fire before its fragrance is released.
Soil knows the blade of the plow before the seed is planted.
Pressure is applied before the diamond can be formed.
Irritants are added before pearls are created.
Gold is refined before it can be become pure.
Wine is poured from vessel to vessel before its taste becomes sweet.
Vines are pruned before they can bear much fruit.
~meet me in the meadow

Happy 80th Birthday Betty Anderson

One special lady you are!

Night Nurses are we!

Betty and 6 of her 8 children

Betty and old friends from St. Luke's

(zig-zag L to R~Janet, Pat, Ardis, Ellie,

Betty, Susan, Evie, Judy, Waunita and Joanne)

When We Love Them, We Love Him

Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.
—Matthew 25:40 (MSG)


There are many reasons to help people in need.
“Benevolence is good for the world.”
“We all float on the same ocean. When the tide rises, it benefits everyone.”
“To deliver someone from poverty is to unleash that person’s potential as a researcher, educator, or doctor.”
“As we reduce poverty and disease, we reduce war and atrocities. Healthy, happy people don’t hurt each other.”
Compassion has a dozen advocates.

But for the Christian, none is higher than this: when we love those in need, we are loving Jesus. It is a mystery beyond science, a truth beyond statistics. But it is a message that Jesus made crystal clear: when we love them, we love him.

This is the theme of his final sermon. The message he saved until last. He must want this point imprinted on our conscience. He depicted the final judgment scene. The last day, the great Day of Judgment. On that day Jesus will issue an irresistible command. All will come. From sunken ships and forgotten cemeteries, they will come. From royal tombs and grassy battlefields, they will come. From Abel, the first to die, to the person being buried at the moment Jesus calls, every human in history will be present.

All the angels will be present. The whole heavenly universe will witness the event. A staggering denouement. Jesus at some point will “separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats” (Matt. 25:32). Shepherds do this. They walk among the flock and, one by one, with the use of a staff direct goats in one direction and sheep in the other. Graphic, this thought of the Good Shepherd stepping through the flock of humanity. You. Me. Our parents and kids. “Max, go this way.” “Ronaldo, over there.” “Maria, this side.”

How can one envision this moment without the sudden appearance of this urgent question: What determines his choice? How does Jesus separate the people?

Jesus gives the answer. Those on the right, the sheep, will be those who fed him when he was hungry, brought him water when he was thirsty, gave him lodging when he was lonely, clothing when he was naked, and comfort when he was sick or imprisoned. The sign of the saved is their concern for those in need. Compassion does not save them—or us. Salvation is the work of Christ. Compassion is the consequence of salvation.

The sheep will react with a sincere question: when? When did we feed, visit, clothe, or comfort you (vv. 34–39)?

Jesus will recount, one by one, all the acts of kindness. Every deed done to improve the lot of another person. Even the small ones. In fact, they all seem small. Giving water. Offering food. Sharing clothing. The works of mercy are simple deeds. And yet, in these simple deeds we serve Jesus. Astounding this truth: we serve Christ by serving needy people.

Some of them live in your neighborhood; others live in jungles you can’t find and have names you can’t pronounce. Some of them play in cardboard slums or sell sex on a busy street. Some of them walk three hours for water or wait all day for a shot of penicillin. Some of them brought their woes on themselves, and others inherited the mess from their parents.

None of us can help everyone. But all of us can help someone. And when we help them, we serve Jesus. Who would want to miss a chance to do that?

Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”
(Matthew 25:34–36 NLT)

O Lord, where did I see you yesterday . . . and didn’t recognize you? Where will I encounter you today . . . and fail to identify you properly? O my Father, give me eyes to see, a heart to respond, and hands and feet to serve you wherever you encounter me! Transform me, Lord, by your Spirit into a servant of Christ, who delights to meet the needs of those around me. Make me a billboard of your grace, a living advertisement for the riches of your compassion. I long to hear you say to me one day, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” And I pray that today I would be that faithful servant who does well at doing good. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

From Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2010) Max Lucado

My ride home from work......a gift from God.....

"The Heaven's declare the glory of God;

and the firmament shows His handiwork."

Psalms 19:1

My humble abode...

Casting Your Cares Upon the Lord

“Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain you.” Ps 55:22

It is by an act of simple, prayerful faith we transfer our cares and anxieties, our sorrows and needs, to the Lord. Jesus invites you come and lean upon Him, and to lean with all your might upon that arm that balances the universe, and upon that bosom that bled for you upon the soldier’s spear! But you doubtingly ask, “Is the Lord able to do this thing for me?” And thus, while you are debating a matter about which there is not the shadow of a shade of doubt, the burden is crushing your gentle spirit to the dust. And all the while Jesus stands at your side and lovingly says,

“Cast your burden upon Me and I will sustain you.

I am God Almighty. I bore the load of your sin and condemnation up the steep of Calvary, and the same power of omnipotence, the same strength of love that bore it all for you then is prepared to bear your need and sorrow now. Roll it all upon Me!

Child of My love! Lean hard!

"Let Me feel the pressure of your care. I know your burden, child! I shaped it—I poised it in My own hand and made no proportion of its weight to your unaided strength. For even as I laid it on, I said I shall be near, and while she leans on Me, this burden shall be Mine, not hers. So shall I keep My child within the encircling arms of My own love. Here lay it down! Do not fear to impose it on a shoulder which upholds the government of worlds! Yet closer come! You are not near enough! I would embrace your burden so I might feel My child reposing on My breast. You love Me! I know it. Doubt not, then. But, loving me, lean hard!"
~octavius winslow

Our lovely autumn days are coming to an end..........

Robert took this picture of Preston, they were walking to the duck pond

The Mississippi River on Friday west of Grand Rapids~

I have never seen the river this calm

My patio looks so lonely without my flowers

The tamarak along Hwy 2 when I was driving back

to Duluth, soon the needles will fall and the trees will look barren....

the "Haunted Forest" along Hwy 2~Cindy named

this because we get little or no cell phone reception here

Fall Birthdays Take 3!!

Jason and the blanket Linda made him,

Nice legs brother!!
The blanket Linda made Clarence!

Mandi and the early December baby!

We are all excited!!
Robert sticking his stomach out!!

Taylor with Tammy

Jeff and his Sister Susan

Fall Birthdays Take 2!!

Jonathan and Baby Kaden and Big Brother Hunter
Tammy and Jeff

John and Linda

Hannah and Grandpa

Jason, Hannah and Jared