Mom

My mother was just sent to a hospice. For the lack of a better spot, here are some fond memories.

1. Mom was always there for us. She volunteered as a den leader for Cub Scouts. She always attended all the band events and Scouting events.
2. Mom loved garage sales. She always noticed a garage sale sign when she was driving or riding in a car. Early in my marriage, my wife and I were visiting my parents. She had cataracts at that time so she couldn't see very well. We were on I-29 headed into Council Bluffs. We had to be going at least 55 mph. Mom suddenly said, "Ooh! there is a garage sale!" She may not have been able to identify me from 20 feet a way, but a garage sale she could spot from miles away.
3. Mom was proper in front of the children. She never swore and was embarassed when other people used crude language. My brother and I were about 10 years-old I think. We were asking the visiting farm expert, grandma, what the things were that hung down from the utter. My grandma said 'Teats,' which in southwestern Iowan sounded like 'Tits.' Mom said, "oh mom!" We started laughing. Grandma, "Now, Janet what else do you call them?" Mom was a little discouraged.
4. One of mom's favorite stories was how she would sometimes ride a horse to school. I always thought that was cool.
5. Mom was always a fan of basketball. She played 6-player basketball when she was in high school. I think she said she was a good passer and shot the long shot. One of my mom's biggest disappoints is that none of her children were in organized sports like basketball.
6. Mom and dad danced together, they played cards together. They got along incredibly well. Their favorite song to dance to was "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown." by Jim Croce.
7. Mom had an incredible social intelligence before her alzheimers. Grandma and she would talk about who was related to who. Dad and mom used to talk about her relations too. I carpooled with a guy, Ron Goshorn from Shelby. Over the years we talked. Since Underwood is close to Shelby, we found out that Ron's dad and uncle worked for my grandma. Later on, I found Ron was related to Jack Hester. My mom said, "oh yes." She then identified how Ron and I were related to each other. Something like second cousins through a marriage.

Owen on Zephaniah 3:17

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

(Zephaniah 3:17 KJV).

God joys over us. According to Owen, the word means an outward expression of joy such as leaping. God is so happy that he is singing over us.

Here is the quote from Chapter 3 in Communion of God by John Owen.

(1st.) The love of God is so. Zeph. 3: 17, "The LORD thy
God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will
rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in his love; he will
joy over thee with singing." Both these things are here
assigned unto God in his love, - REST and DELIGHT. The words
are, "yacharish be'ahavato" - "He shall be silent because of
his love." To rest with contentment is expressed by being
silent; that is, without repining, without complaint. This God
does upon the account of his own love, so full, so every way
complete and absolute, that it will not allow him to complain
of any thing in them whom he loves, but he is silent on the
account thereof Or, "Rest in his love;" that is, he will not
remove it, - he will not seek farther for another object. It
shall make its abode upon the soul where it is once fixed, for
ever. And COMPLACENCY or DELIGHT: "He rejoiceth with singing;"
as one that is fully satisfied in that object he has fixed his
love on. Here are two words used to express the delight and
joy that God has in his love, - "yasis" and "yagil". The first
denotes the inward affection of the mind, joy of heart; and to
set out the intenseness hereof, it is said he shall do it
"besimchah", - in gladness, or with joy. To have joy of heart
in gladness, is the highest expression of delight in love. The
latter word denotes not the inward affection, but the outwards
demonstration of it: "agalliain" seems to be formed of it. It
is to exult in outward demonstration of internal delight and
joy; - " Tripudiare," to leap, as men overcome with some
joyful surprisal. And therefore God is said to do this
"berinnah" - with a joyful sound, or singing. To rejoice with
gladness of heart, to exult with singing and praise, argues
the greatest delight and complacency.

Rejoicing in the Lord

"And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake." Deut. 12:18c.

"Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things" (Deut. 28:47)

How can this be? How can God command our emotions? How can God command us to have gladness of heart? Maybe, God is commanding the way things ought to be and not commanding if we can do the commands with an unregenerated heart.