Lisa M. Buske's Blog, page 36

Don’t Quit...2 Small Words to Encourage You

Don't Quit
"When things go wrong, as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low and the debts are high;
And you want to smile but you have to sigh.
When all is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint on the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems far.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - 
It's when things go wrong that you must not quit."
~ John Greenleaf Whittier ~ anchor.fm/lisa-buskeAs part of Wednesday's podcast on "Living with Lisa...Keeping it Real", Episode 3, "Don't Quit", I shared the above quote. I let me listeners know they could find the poem here and on Facebook "later in the day". I knew my time was limited on Wednesday afternoon due to prior commitments so I planned to use my website app to write and post the blog between appointments Wednesday afternoon.

The good news, Weebly, my web provider, is always doing updates. The bad news, I hadn't used the app on my device since I updated, hence I was struggling to find what I needed to post my blog. I've added it to my list to study the new layout and app features. My apologies to those who were looking for this poem on Wednesday. 

Thanks for following the blog and listening on AnchorFM, "Living with Lisa...Keeping it Real".  No Matter what life tosses in your direction...don't quit!

What are you doing on Mother's Day?

The weekend is around the corner and the weather in Upstate New York is looking promising. It's a weekend when nurseries and flower shops are busy. Many are out picking out flowers for Mom and gifts to show their appreciation to their Moms and honorary moms. For some this is a joyous weekend and for others, there is sadness because their mom isn't with them any longer.

We don't have anything special planned and I don't make a fuss out of Mother's Day, actually we don't do too much for most of the holidays. Since Heidi's kidnapping, we don't wait for one day in the year to show our appreciation but we do enjoy the additional spoil of the holidays. Mother's Day I always ask for time to do nothing, a day when someone else does the cooking, dishes, and chores. To me, Mother's Day should be a day of rest. I wonder if it being on a Sunday is a fluke since Sundays are traditionally a day of rest?

This year I have the blessing to share the Mother's Day message at church. Our pastor will be out of town at his eldest daughter's college graduation. We will miss him and my friend Cindy and I hope to encourage everyone Sunday, especially the ladies in attendance.  Pastor entrusted the Mother's Day service and congregation to us, we've spent time praying and planning, and laughing while together. Good times and a heart for Jesus, Sunday should be a beautiful day of worship. 

If you are in the area and looking for a place to spend Mother's Day, visit the Lycoming United Methodist Church located on the corner of Miner Road and County Route 29 in Lycoming, New York. If you aren't in the area or can't make it there is an option for you, tune in live on Facebook at 9:00 a.m., service starts at 9:15. You can worship in your jammies while enjoying coffee on the deck from another state or town.

Here is the link to our Facebook page so you can join us for our Mother's Day Service Sunday at 9:15 a.m.
Link to Mother's Day Service - Click Here
Please share a memory of Mother's Day past or how you
​will spend your weekend this year in a comment below...

T.O.P.'s Tuesday: The Annual Heidi Remembrance Garden Spruce Up

tLast month we planned to spruce up the Heidi Allen Remembrance Garden with the help of SUNY Oswego's Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity. We had to cancel due to SNOW and cold, who knew, well, anyone living in New York would know and understand. Rather than dwell on the snow, let's focus on the sunshine and warmer weather that has finally arrived in beautiful Oswego County. It went from the thirties to seventies in a forty-eight hour turn around. The best part of this shift in the weather, we were able to do the garden.

Our family is so thankful for APO's help with the garden. Not only did they help us, they sacrificed time studying for their finals this week. They were a fun, hard working, and caring group. After they worked pulling weeds, planting flowers, laying mulch, and raking they came to the house for dinner. We enjoyed our afternoon and evening so much. I didn't think it could be better yet it did.

Later that evening or the next morning our daughter called to say that one of the young ladies who volunteered asked if the fraternity "could" help care for the garden every year. I was speechless, if they "could. As I processed this thought I smiled thinking of how Heidi and Mom were smiling...these are a group of young people dedicated to helping others and making a difference. Thank you APO!
A Special Thanks to our community for designing & building the Heidi Remembrance Garden...Her name and hope remains!

Stepping out of My Box

Good morning everyone! I have to admit a few things that are exciting to me and I hope for you too. Here you go:*I was up before 5 a.m. this morning
*Inspiration has returned! Let me clarify, I feel inspired everyday BUT God has opened my heart and the creative floodgates within me. I'm thankful and blessed.
*On the flip side, God's always been there sending inspiration. The best news ever is that I'm listening, hearing, and welcoming His inspiration, hope, and encouragement.
*I'm working on my next book
*More regular blogs are coming your way

Drum roll please...

I've STARTED A PODCAST!!​​ This podcast is the result of two friends inspiring and encouraging me...

First I need to thank Joe for sharing "We Live on a Planet" Podcast with me.  This is a fun podcast with the weather, history, and thoughts. It's great!

Check out Patrick's Podcast:
​ https://player.fm/series/we-live-on-a-planet

After listening to a few (two hours worth) of "We Live on a Planet" with Patrick, his dedication inspired me. He didn't say, "Hey Lisa, you should do a podcast" but Patrick's energy, honesty, and words combined with the Holy Spirit worked through me. Within twenty-four hours I downloaded the app and started reading and learning on how to make it real.

Today I shared my first podcast and I'm looking forward to tomorrow!

Check it out: https://anchor.fm/lisa-buske If you are a podcast listener, 
check it out and share it 
with your friends and family!

T.O.P.'s Tuesday: Inspiration Returns

A couple pics from our trip to Albany this past week for another appeal hearing for my sister's convicted kidnapper. When given lemons, make lemonade. I hadn't been to the Appealate Court Building in Albany before, it is such an impressive building and rich in history. After a day of driving, sitting in the court room, and touring Albany...we took advantage of the lunch trucks. We even made a new friend who joined us for lunch, he likes french fries. He wanted ours so bad he nearly walked up my pant leg to help himself. 

I savored one of the best pulled pork sandwiches and "piggy fries" I've ever eaten. Yum yum. There was a variety of trucks to choose from but the "Charcoal Pit" won our vote for the day. If we go again, I'd order those piggy fries again and skip the sandwich. I'm thankful we walked a lot, I had to walk the calories off. After the appeals hearing we walked around Albany to see some of the architecture and beauty up close. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, on April 26, 2018, it was inspiring. 

Up from the New York State Museum we took time to visit the New York State Missing Persons Remembrance, on the corner of Madison Avenue and Swan Street. We said a little prayer for Heidi and all our missing.  I absorbed the view and experience and thought about my Mom and Heidi throughout the day. I missed them. I was thankful to be with my aunt yet it's the days like this that I find myself missing those who have passed before me. At the end of a busy and emotionally draining day, a few things remain constant...
Heidi will NEVER be forgotten.
We will NEVER give up.
Family is FOREVER.
God is STRONGER & BIGGER than the enemy.

WE WILL ALWAYS HOLD OUT
​HOPE FOR HEIDI.

A Midnight Snack? I think NOT!

A funny, yet not so funny story. Yesterday morning we woke up and there were pieces of hard plastic on the carpet. Hubby and I couldn't figure out what it was but decided, "We'll know what it is when we can't find whatever we are looking for." We didn't think about it again until... Hubby looked down and saw Faith, innocently carrying this lanyard and stretching under my chair. He asked, "What do you have Faith? I don't think you should have that." After retrieving the lanyard from the pup, he asked me, "Was there anything on the end of this?"  ​I got up and went to the table housing my book writing goodies. I held up the green thumb drive, and told him, "It looks like this." Within seconds we were both on our hands and knees looking under the furniture and in our pup's favorite "chewing spots". Typically it's a bone, her Kong, or a toy but last night...it was the remnants of my green thumb drive.  What was on this thumb drive you wonder? Let me share. I spent time over my Spring vacation writing. It felt good and it's time. I started organizing my thoughts, diagrams, and an outline for a new book. I wrote the first couple chapters and had it saved on my trusty thumb drive.

I didn't back it up yet because I planned to work on it tonight and I wasn't leaving the house. I've learned my lesson, nothing is safe with a cat and puppy in the house. I'm not sure the thumb drive will be saved but the ideas are still in my brain. Rather than getting upset I decided it must not have been organized right so God offered an opportunity to get it right this time. (Mind you, I'll back up my writing after EACH writing session.)

Hubby was surprised I didn't melt down. Come to think about it, I shocked myself but as I thought about it, the things saved on the thumb drive can be rewritten and recreated but a good night's sleep and watching a movie with hubby were priceless gifts. This little snafu is a good reminder to back up my writing and print out each day's work in case I need to rewrite.
If you lost your saved data, 
​how would you react?

Sister Day at the Appealate Court

Another journey to the court house, the final appeal in New York State. Praying for justice and that the courts recognize the dedication and hard work of law enforcement and the district attorney's office.

A special thanks to CNY Central for sharing some #HopeHeidiAllen today before the hearing. Prayers for truth, justice, and to answer the question our family still prays for answer to...Where's Heidi?
Thank you for remembering Heidi
and joining us in prayer 
to answer my parents' question...
Where is Heidi?

What Things Do You Countdown To?

I've been thinking about my Mom a lot lately and all the fun we had, especially when we were counting down the days until... *a family vacation*summer vacation
*school starting 
*a special birthday

The list could go on and on of reasons to count down. The most popular and known countdown is probably the ball dropping on New Year's Eve. As I thought about the importance, focus, and fun my parents and family put towards counting down to things I realized something, our moments and precious.

My family truly understands what it means to cherish each day and make the days count. We aren't guaranteed tomorrow but it's more fun hoping for the "x" on a certain date than going through the motions of life with nothing to aim for. Right?

I'm thankful for all the countdowns. We live today for today and if our tomorrow or goal date doesn't arrive for us, we have made the most of EVERY MOMENT God's given us thus far. It makes reaching the date at the end of the countdown even more special. Not only did we reach our goal, we made memories every step of the way. It's a win-win.

I like doing countdowns myself. More than five years ago I started the countdown to "Where's Heidi? One Sister's Journey"'s release. My parents enjoyed following the countdown as much as I enjoyed sharing it. I think it's time for another countdown. I'll have to set myself a countdown to share your countdown. LOL

This last part probably makes no sense to most but my Mom would be reading the riddle within and email with anticipation. Let the fun, waiting, and writing begin.
Share your most memorable countdown.

2, 4, 6, 8, Who do you Appreciate?

"So goes Monday,
so goes the week"
~My Gram Let's start this week with
by encouraging someone else.
Who is someone that you appreciate and why? Leave a comment below
and tag this person in the post
​to let them know how they inspire, encourage, and are a blessing to you and your life. Challenge your friends & family to share this blog and post...
​let's fill FB with hope and encouragement...
"So goes Monday, so goes the week."
A week of encouragement sounds great!

Do You Honor the Sabbath Day?

Happy Sunday everyone! How are you on this beautiful halfway mark of April 2018? A typical response is one of "Can't wait for the rain to stop so I can rake." or "Enjoying the daily walks outside and the fresh air." BUT not this year, it seems that regardless of where you might be...snow, low temperatures, and crummy weather are dampening the majorities Spring Fever. 

Rather than focusing on the cold and crummy, think about all the flowers, green grass, and leaves that will seem to "just appear" one day when the sun returns. Mother Nature is enjoying a longer slumber this year but the beauty we'll see in the next couple weeks will be breath-taking. I'm sure of it.

One of my favorite spots to enjoy a Spring afternoon is on our back deck, especially on Sundays or a day of rest. This had me thinking this morning, Sundays, when I was a kiddo, were a day of rest for everyone. Grocery stores were closed and if you ran out of milk, then you were out of milk until Monday. Families got together at grandma's with the extended family. 

No one was on a cellular device, tablet, or glued to a television. We were interacting with each other, enjoying the fresh air, and making memories. All these activities helped us to relax and sharpen our saws (recharge the exhaustion of work with activities we enjoy) on the Sabbath. Since stores weren't open and the kids' sports NEVER had games on a Sunday - no one had to choose between resting and family time or commitments.

​What do you think would happen if today's society honored the Sabbath and gave everyone a day off each week? A day where EVERYONE had the day off to spend with family...Is it possible?

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy”.
(Exodus 20:8-11)

Are you taking time to rest & recharge?