Barbara's Blog

Retirement 101

2010-09-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

No one teaches you how to prepare to be retired. Friends will tell you that you will be amazed that you ever had time to work. Well, I am totally enjoying retirement, having time for family and friends, and praying that God will lead me to my next mission as I look for part time work.
I was blessed to be able to work with my friend Linda, a wonderful harpist, at a luncheon for retired professionals. Listening to Linda play the harp is a thin slice of heaven.

Being together for Mom's 80th birthday in September was a treat. I thank God for the blessing she has been in my life and for the legacy she is preparing to leave.

Being with Mom, Kate, Glenn, Cile, Kari and Jonathan at Chris' White Coat ceremony was a once in a lifetime opportunity. See lots of pictures of the family and the ceremony at Kate and Chris' blog: www.chrisandkateborders.blogspot.com

It's wonderful to be able to be intentional about what I do, whether it's reading a book in order to be able to work with a family, or cooking a huge batch of meatballs and sausage (I used to start that at 7 or 8 PM and work until midnight). Now, I can start at 10 AM and be done by 3 or 4!

Although I'm still 'blog-o-phobic', I wanted to get in a few words and capture some memories of the trip to Alaska with Mom and Kate and Chris. It was beautiful beyond my wildest expectations. Alaska is also one of the 4 destinations on my personal 'bucket list'. The other 3 places are Italy, Africa and Israel. Who knows what the future will bring.

Thanksgiving is approaching; I have so very much to be thankful for. There are so many pictures and stories to fill in the gaps. I want to take blogging one step at a time, one day at a time. My prayer had been to retire with my body and brain in tact, Thank you, Lord, for letting that happen. Give thanks with a grateful heart....

Happy Birthday Jon

2010-04-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Having Eli here was a wonderful way to celebrate Jon's 27th birthday! Here's what Jon looked like several years ago, along with Jon's sister.... Kate.

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Here is Jon today, a godly man with a wonderful wife and child.

It is truly a blessing to spend time with children and grandchildren. The card I gave Jon had the verse.... This is the day the Lord has made, WE will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24. I chose that card because I used to sing a song of that verse to Jon as I woke him up in the morning. What a blessing to have such wonderful memories... Memories of the past and hopes for the future... Barbara does have hope!

Eli came, he saw and conquered our hearts!

2010-02-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

I promised Jon that I would do a post in less than a year since my last post. Here it is, I am blessed and highly favored to be a Nonna to Elias Jonathan Scofield.

Preparing to be a 'Nonna'

2010-01-20T08:53:00.000-08:00

Rarely do we have the privledge to step back, and observe ourselves on the brink of taking on a whole new role in life. That is how I feel right now. Jon and Jess are expecting Elias Jonathan any time now. He was named Elias, meaning: The Lord is my God. What a wonderful legacy with which to start life!

It has been such a pleasure watching Jess progress through her preganancy and Jon prepare to be a Daddy! Having a 'man child' will be wonderful for Jon and Jess. I know they have several hopes and dreams, and I look forward to being a small part of the picture.

I am over my case of 'BLOG-O-PHOBIA', a condition of comparing yourself to others and being reluctant to blog, because it won't be as good as your family and friends' blogs. The pictures will be coming soon.

I look forward to blogging about the highs and lows of the past year... my new church, my friends, my family, and the insight God has given me into His wonderful creation. Ponder the following verse...

The Lord, your God, is with you; He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will comfort you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Dulcimer Madness

2009-01-18T15:32:00.000-08:00

Saturday, January 17th was the annual Dulcimerfest! Although it was bitter cold, 4 of us made the trek from New Jersey to PA!

The top picture shows Nina Zanetti, this year's National Dulcimer Champion and Sue Carpenter, a former National Champ who came all the way from Texas to the festival.

Carol Walker (new bride of Toby Walker!) was one of the teachers. I especially enjoyed her class on playing hymns.

Happy New YearL 2009

2008-12-31T15:41:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe it was 9 years ago that we all waited to see what would happen when the clock struck 12 on January 1st in 2000. Well, here we are, 9 years older and wiser, I pray.

It was a Christmas to remember... with friends and family.

Photos to follow....

Catching Up....

2008-12-19T16:24:00.000-08:00

Lots of fun events this fall...Old friends, new friends, a wedding, our yearly church retreat, a Thanksgiving weekend Singles' Retreat (America's Keswick) and my brother's 50th birthday. I'm really going to try to be more regular about blogging in 2009...Kate is teaching me to organize my pictures! Lots of fun plans for Christmas and New Year's...that will be blogged about!!

Old Friends... sat on the sofa... like bookends! The fall of 2008 provided a great opportunity to get together with friends from Washington, New Jersey. Although it has been over 10 years since I lived there, getting together with Jewel, Diane, Carol, Joyce, Ann, and Sharon (taking the picture) was wonderful. Looking back, looking forward, and knowing we are truly blessed, right where we are...

Getting together with friends from St Mary's was also wonderful. We got together right before the election in November. Although we could not solve the prolems of the world (although we gave it a good try...) we enjoyed wonderful food, rekindled friendships, and vowed to keep in touch...

"Children of the King" is the name of our 'group' that performed at the retreat in November. Thank you, Michael, for using your technological expertise for the music and powerpoint!

Joseph turned 50 in September. Robb rented "Casa Havana" in New York City... I met lots of Joseph's co-workers from Ronald McDonald House.

Kristen and Ben got married in September, we celebrated at the Towers in Rhode Island. Having time with Tom and Nina, Justin and Keren and beautiful Ariel was precious. "Is there a doctor in the house?" Yes! best wishes to both Kristen and Keren as they join their respective medical practices.

Catching up in the merry month of May...

2008-05-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

So many events have come and gone in this first third of 2008, I hardly know where to begin. My life may be lived alone, but it is rarely lonely, thanks to my faith, family and friends.

Although work takes up the better part of my day, I am truly blessed to be part of a wonderful church and a great singles group. With less than 6 weeks of school left, I find the days going by at warp speed.
Check out:http://www.mtoliveboe.org/motsd/site/default.asp

We recently celebrated our annual International Dinner at the New Hope Community Church of the Nazarene in Denville, New Jersey. We were blessed to have David Webb, one of our guides in Guatemala, as our missionary for the weekend. I am able to worship with a wonderfully diverse group of people who have many different experiences and cultures, and a common focus on our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The food was delicious, the fellowship rewarding, and the message eternal. It is so exciting to see people from every continent except Antarctica.

I serve as the liaison to the First Choice Woman's Resource Center in Morristown, New Jersey. Unplanned pregnancies can definitely disrupt lives. Women and men have several options, we hope they will choose 'First Choice' to ease the anxiety.

We recently participated in the 'Baby Bottle Boomerang' where people took baby bottles, filled them with money, and returned them to the church. A generous benefactor matched the $945.00 that was raised. It is amazing to see how 'problems' are solved and hope is restored as women, couples and families make a godly 'First Choice'.

Recreational time is spent hiking, playing the dulcimer, and learning and serving with a terrific group of single men and women. Check it out at:

Colossians 4:6
Let your conversation be always full of grace,
seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Bethlehem's SALT Ministry exists to enable Single Adults to deepen their devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ by providing a biblically based environment for spiritual growth, social interaction, meaningful relationships and service opportunities.

Participating in a single adult ministry is more than attending social events or providing an environment for finding a mate. Instead, it's about teaching adults to seek and follow Jesus Christ and - in turn - encourage others to do the same. In this fashion, meaningful relationships develop naturally as a result of having a right relationship with Almighty God.

We recently finished a bible study on the book: "It's Not About You" by Max Lucado.

Right now, I'm looking forward to an exciting weekend and the opportunity to celebrate speak at a Mother's Day dinner, to celebrate Mother's Day (on Saturday) with my wonderful mother, and to attend a concert on Sunday. Although I won't be with my own children, every day is Mother's Day when you're a MOM!

God is good, all the time.

Guatemala Trip...

2008-01-05T05:56:00.000-08:00

GUATEMALA 2007

The first picture is me with one of the littlest angels at the orphanage. Although we left gifts and supplies, I also left a part of my heart with my new found friend. Most orphanages in Guatemala are set up by the age of the child. This one keeps siblings together. In fact, a policeman recently showed up at 2:00 AM with six siblings who were living under a bridge after being orphaned. Thank God for the people who devote themselves to the orphans all over the world.

I cannot begin to explain how exciting it was to go on my first mission trip to Guatemala with the Jesus Harvest Film Partnership.

Nine people from the New Hope Community Church of the Nazarene joined up with over 40 other Nazarenes from across the country to be instrumental in planting 10 new churches within one week! I was never more blessed nor more humbled than in Guatemala. Being an ever-so-small part of ministering to the needs of those so less fortunate than ourselves is one way of fulfilling the Great Commission.

We cleaned out and painted classrooms, visited an orphanage, cleaned the street and painted a wall leading to a "new" church at the edge of a dump (yes, people actually live in the dump), and showed THE JESUS FILM several times.

Although "poor" from the world's point of view, we saw hundreds of people becom "rich" from a spiritual point of view. I must admit, i saw many more people smiling in the streets of Guatemala than I saw smiling on a recent visit to Atlantic City and Cape May, New Jersey.

2007-08-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

From Tennessee to Shea Stadium.... and lots of blessings in between!

A lot has happened since I learned how to "blog" a couple of weeks ago. Mom and I enjoyed staying with Kate and Chris in Maryville, Jon and Jess visited for the Mets game on Saturday (and the Mets won--still in first place, by 7 games, I think!), I successfully pruned a tree from the roof of my shed, and I had my first golf lesson.

Although the warm days linger, the calendar says it's almost Labor Day, and that means "Back to School" for students and educators alike. I am privledged to work for a good school system and I continue to learn how to meet the special needs of the students I case manage.

I hope the photos that I uploaded are attached to this post, as you can see, I'm in the early stages of this "learning curve".

2007-08-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hi I learned how to post today!! My daughter Kate taught me...
These are pictures from a balloon festival I went to with some of my friends

That's me way up in the beagle balloon (Beagle Maximus to be exact)

Regina getting ready to take off!!

So...more pictures to come soon now that I'm a blogger :)