ddykema5@gmail.com

29
Mar
2019

Millie settles at a restaurant

While out shopping at Goodwill stores, we stopped for a lunch break. Future Leader Dog Millie was happy to be able to lay down and rest while also watching people walk past in the restaurant. While we ate our lunch, Millie layed nicely at my feet. During her time of settling, I would give her a treat. Her treats are nothing more than her dog food. At the beginning of our day together, I put some of her daily portion of dog food in a pouch that I wear around my waist. As she performs good behaviors that I want to reinforce, I will give her a treat. She also likes water, so I have a little tube that I carry water in that I also use to reinforce good behavior.

Be sure to click on the link and watch Millie settle at a restaurant

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in Millie's Minute, 0 comments
29
Mar
2019

Millie working on open back stairs

I like to find different adventures for Future Leader Dog Millie to participate in so when she becomes a Leader Dog she is not surprised by anything she may encounter. We went downtown Grand Rapids and did some more walking on the sidewalk. There are many different noises for her to be exposed to along with buses and cars whizzing past on the street. There are pedestrians and people on bikes. We went inside the B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids and found a great set of open back stairs. This kind of stair can be intimidating for a dog because they can see through them as they climb them. The opening is right at their eye level. Millie handled these stairs like a champ. We worked on going up and down these stairs quite a few times before I taped her. She still gets ahead of me by one stair so we will have to continue to work on this. As you will see in the video, there is trash on the stairs that she ignores. She does a much better job keeping stride going down than going up. This is something we will continue to work on.

Watch the video of Millie working on open back stairs

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in Millie's Minute, 0 comments
24
Mar
2019

Millie learning settle

Today, we went to downtown Grand Rapids and worked in another atmosphere for settling. There were buses, pedestrians, and many cars. It was a good atmosphere for her to be exposed to a busy downtown. We then went insidethe Amway Grand hotel and were met with a high school Michigan Leadership conference. There were high schoold students milling around everywhere we went. We walked around the lobby and walked up and down some stairs. The biggest part of our challenge was practicing settling with so much activity. People with suitcases walking around. People walking right in front of her while she had to lay still and settle. The goal is to get her to lay her head down and shift her weight on hip so she doesn’t look like she is going to spring into action at any moment. It was a good morning of practice for her, and I look forward to taking her downtown so we can practice some more.

Watch our video of Millie learning to settle

 

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in Millie's Minute, 0 comments
19
Mar
2019

The Mom Option

My story

I remember standing in my bedroom in front of my desk when I was in high school, and having this thought, “I don’t think I can be a very good mom if I decide to go to school to be a medical doctor. I think I will go to school to be a nurse.” So I went to school to be a nurse. Granted, I had considered also being a teacher, but at this stage of my life I couldn’t explain how to cross the street so teaching did not seem like an idea of a good time.

My mom was a stay-at-home-mom, and that seemed to me to be the only way I could be a good mom. Granted, I did not want to stay home and be barefoot and pregnant for 20 years. I kind had it figured in the back of my head that once I sent the sweet little bundles of joy off to school, I would re-enter the job market and have a career. So I continued to prepare for this moment.

A few years into our marriage, I went back to school to get a Masters in Nursing.

Shortly after I started my Masters, my husband told me he was ready to start a family. I was far from ready. I wanted to finish my degree and maybe even get a job with my new found level of education. No part of me wanted to be pregnant and have a baby that I was responsible for. The dog at that time was enough.

Doesn’t God know us better than we know ourselves? Not long after that conversation and with graduation in the near future, I told my husband I was ready to have a baby.

God’s Story

So I waited. Then I prayed. And I still waited.

Pretty soon my good friend who had gone to school to be a medical doctor called to tell me she was pregnant. I asked the Lord how come I couldn’t get pregnant. I had given up on a dream to be a doctor so I could be a mom.

Now my friend was going to be doctor and a mom. Life seemed so unfair. So I struggled with the Lord. Spent much time in prayer and pleading.

Five months later, God in His goodness allowed me to get pregnant. I know many have struggled with a much longer wait. Many have struggled and still have not become pregnant. I cannot understand that depth of hurt and struggle.

I do know God gave me a test. It seems that all the tests I had taken to get through nursing school and grad school were acceptable, but a test from God…Don’t we question what He is doing?

So I became a mom after I graduated from grad school. I was a master’s prepared mom. My babies did not seem to care how much education I had. All they cared about was if I was going to meet their needs.

God’s Plan

You may be struggling with if you are ever going to get pregnant. God has a plan. He may be testing you. God may be reminding you that His timing is better than your timing. He may also have you on this road for a long time.

What I know is that God loves us. He wants to give us the desires of our hearts, but sometimes those desires are not what He sees as the best desires.

Share your story. Share the burden of your heart and let others help you carry it. Lay your burden at the feet of Jesus and let Him carry it. After all, He loves you so much He sent His son for you.

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com, 0 comments
19
Mar
2019

Bear Fruit

Have you ever eaten a piece of fruit and considered all that was necessary to make this piece of fruit so enjoyable and edible?  What makes a piece of fruit so sweet and juicy? The time that it would take to go into all of the details of a piece of fruit and its delectableness is beyond what I have time to write. Metaphorically speaking, there are a few key thoughts that when we compare them to our life help us to realize that a great piece of fruit can come from our lives if we work at it.

First of all, a piece of fruit must stay connected to the plant for as long as possible in order to be as sweet and succulent as possible. I recently bought some peaches from California; I live in Michigan. Those peaches were not picked at 6 am and flown on a special airplane to make it to my hands by 12 noon. These peaches were picked when they were still hard and not edible so they would not rot on the trip across the country. Once I bit into those peaches and tried to use them for a recipe I realized that these peaches were still hard and did not have a rich, sweet flavor. Instead they were almost tasteless. A friend of mine brought me some peaches from Georgia, and the difference between peaches picked when they were ripe and driven immediately to my doorstep was amazing. These peaches were sweet, succulent, and juicy. Everything you want in a peach.

My life is similar to this peach. The better I stay connected to God, my Heavenly Father,  the closer I will be to a sweet peach. The longer I am away from God the more hard I become. Matthew 3:8 says, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” In this chapter, John the Baptist is talking to the Sadducees and the Pharisees. These two groups of people were the religious men of the day. John was encouraging them that repentance is what brings fruit to our lives in the spiritual realm. These men were basing their spirituality on their heritage; Abraham was their father (Matthew 3:9). They also were known to be pious and rule followers. They followed extra rules so they would not break the rules they weren’t supposed to break in the first place. John was trying to help them understand that it isn’t about heritage and it isn’t about following rules for rules sake. We are to bear fruit by repenting of our sin and by staying connected to God the Father.

These religious people were basing their spirituality on their outward behavior and on their heritage. Jesus wanted them to see that it was what was in the heart that matters. The more connected our heart is to God the Father, the better our outward behavior will be.

So the question for you is what type of fruit are you bearing? Is your fruit hard, not sweet, and undesirable? Or is your fruit sweet and delicious? We must repent of our sins, and follow Christ; then there will be fruit that will be pleasing to God.

We must understand that Jesus is the One that paid the penalty for our sins. We need to confess our sins to God so He can forgive us. Jesus is the One who took my punishment, so it is in the name of Jesus that I must be forgiven. This confession can be done anywhere and at anytime. The key is do we have a repentant heart, or are we confessing out of obligation? “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Mathew 3:8)

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in A Truth from the Word, 0 comments
19
Mar
2019

Believe

One of my favorite things to do every day is go for a walk.  My favorite time for this is in years gone by when I could take our pet dog, Bailey. We went out early in the morning while it was still dark. She spent most of her time sniffing and watching for other animals so she could strain at her leash to see how close I woul let her get. Even now when I go on my walks minus my companion Bailey, I spend most of my time enjoying the quiet time I can have with my God! I pray for requests of those that are in the midst of a health crises or marriage crises; and for my children and the activities, new adventures, and new chapters of their lives, and for God’s plan for this chapter of my life.

I know that someday when God says it is time for me to be done here on this earth; He will take me to Heaven to be with Him. Maybe you are wondering how I know for a fact that I will be in Heaven. I know because I read about it in the Bible. Of course, as with any other part of our lives there are certain necessary steps that must be taken in order to know for sure that you are going to Heaven.

If you went to college you remember that there were requirements in order to enter. This is no different with God. However, the requirements are not that hard, nor are they that difficult to understand.

Let’s look at the Bible and see what it tells us about these requirements. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This verse tells us that we have all sinned. The first step is to admit that you are a sinner. I think most if not all people would admit to doing something wrong. This wrong is called sin.

Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Since we all are sinners there must be a wage that is paid for our sin. We could also call this wage a penalty for our sin. Whenever someone does something wrong they must pay the penalty for their wrongdoing. So a sinner must pay the penalty for his sin. This penalty or wage is death, but this is not just physical death it is also spiritual death. Spiritual death is being separated from God forever. Due to our sin,we must pay the price for our sin.

The last part of Romans 6:23 tells us that there is a way out of this spiritual death, this separation from God forever. The way is Jesus. God will give us the gift of eternal life, or not being separated from God for forever, but we must do a few things.

First, we must admit that we are sinners. Second we must understand that there is nothing in and of ourselves that can save us from the everlasting curse of sin. There is nothing that we can do to merit being in God’s presence, EXCEPT believe in our hearts that Jesus took the penalty for our sin.

Romans 5:8 tells us”But God demonstrated His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ Died for us.”  Christ died on the cross for our sins to take the penalty for our sins. Instead of me having to pay my own penalty and my own punishment, God provided a way for me to escape eternal separation from Him.

There are many more verses to discuss regarding this topic, but I would like to conclude this with Acts 16:31, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in A Truth from the Word, 2 comments
19
Mar
2019

A Gift

Don’t we all just love presents and gifts; especially those that we get for no reason. The ones for no reason or just to say, “I love you” are my favorite. My daughters, especially my youngest, liked to give coupons for free back rubs and foot massages. Those were some of my favorite to redeem.

There is a gift that I received many, many years ago that is even more precious to me than my sweet daughter’s back rubs and foot massages. It is the gift of eternal life. Ephesians 2:8,9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast.” We must realize that a gift is not something that we work to receive or that we deserve. A gift is something that is given out of love. That is the gift that is mentioned in this verse…the gift of eternal life.

Like a gift that we receive from a person, we must accept it and take it from their possession and receive it into our own possession. So is the gift of God. It says in Ephesians 2:8,9 that it is through faith that we receive this gift. What is it we must have faith in you might want to know. We must believe that Jesus took the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross. Instead of us having to pay the price for our sins, Jesus took the penalty for us and paid it. Now we must accept this gift that God gives us.

How do we accept the gift that God hands to us? Picture God handing you a present…a box with a pretty bow. What must you do? You must reach out and take it. It will not become your present unless you accept it. Why must we accept it through faith? We cannot see God handing us this present, nor did we see Jesus die on the cross for our sins. There are many eyewitness accounts of Christ’s death and resurrection, but you did not actually see it. This takes faith. It also takes faith that Jesus actually paid my penalty. This will be another topic to review, but we must stay focused on this verse regarding the gift.

Why must we accept this gift with nothing required but faith? That is the only way that God wants it done. He does not want man to boast in himself. Many people think they are good enough to get to heaven, and they have done enough good works to allow them entrance into God’s kingdom, but God’s kingdom, Heaven, does not work that way. God does not want us to boast in ourselves. He realizes that if we boast in ourselves we have committed another sin and that is the sin of selfishness.

We must also consider, “If I am the one that is gaining myself entrance into heaven, how will I know when I am good enough?”  How do you really know? I have read the Bible through and not once does it mention a list of things that I can do in order to gain entrance to Heaven. There is no “Bucket List” to accomplish in order to go to Heaven. The thing that must be done is to accept in faith the gift of God, so you have no reason to boast.

Have you accepted this special gift from God?  If not, make today the best day of your life and accept God’s free gift. The angels in heaven will rejoice.

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in A Truth from the Word, 0 comments
12
Mar
2019

Millie learning come

Millie is our 6 month old Leader Dog for the Blind.  Today, we went outside in the snow on her long leash.  She had the opportunity to run, sniff multiple different smells, and then come when called. Listening is an important skill for a Leader Dog. No matter what she may be doing she needs to listen and obey. Being able to put aside her inner dog and listen is an important trait for a Leader Dog. She was able to run, find sticks, and smell various animal smells such as the deer trail that runs through our yard.  She did not come the first time, but with a little reminder from the leash and a reward at the end,  this important skill was reinforced.

Watch the video below and see Millie’s Minute on come

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in Millie's Minute, 0 comments
12
Mar
2019

A New Chapter, Not an Emtpy Nest

Have you started a new chapter in your life, only it feels empty and without any words?  Are you staring at the refrigerator and wondering when it will be full again?  Are you listening for the car in the driveway, the close of the front door, and the laughter from the other room?  Do you miss those late night conversations, when all you want to do is sleep?  Join me on my journey as I walk this road I have never walked before. Let’s figure this out together.

Not that long, my husband Dave and I announced to the world that we were expecting our first baby.  At least to us it does not seem that long. Now 22 years later, we are about to watch her graduate from college and a month later get married. It doesn’t seem possible that I have raised this young lady from a tiny helpless infant into a strong young lady who is now ready to begin her own family.  Yet, I keep asking myself what did I expect?  We don’t have these sweet little ones so they can stay under our roof and be hermits for the duration of their lives.  Rather, we have them so they can enrich our lives and the lives of those they meet. Our 3 beautiful daughters have enriched our lives and the many that they meet.

Our youngest daughter joined her sisters at Cedarville University this year.  Yes, we have 3 in college this year.  It is nice they are at the same place. It is easy to visit them.  The difficult challenge for me has been that since I home schooled all 3 of them, my life has been these girls. Thus, a new chapter of my life has begun.

It has been an adjustment for me to not have anyone to take care of, and yet there have been times that I have enjoyed the change in responsibilities. It has been with mixed emotions, I got out of bed many days when they were first gone.  I scheduled lunches with friends every day for the first 2 weeks. I had not eaten lunch by myself in over 20 years. Dave was home for supper so that was nice. Then, I traveled with Dave for business to China for two weeks.

It seems to have been a whirlwind since then.  I have traveled to see the girls at Cedarville, celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with them. Traveled to see my parents in St. Martin then went on a cruise with Dave. I also picked up a job working as a home health care nurse. My year has been full. There has been spring break and another spring break to go. Easter break. Graduation. Everyone home for a month. The WEDDING.

This has been a full year, a good year, and a year of change

BUT, I am dreading next year. I planned so well for this year.  What will next year hold?

And at this point, God reminded me that this is where faith comes in.  God is so ready to write the pages of my life, to draw the pictures that my daughters will look at, so much of life to live what have I to fear?  What have I to dread?

Join me as I walk this new road, watch God write this new chapter, and live these years that I never dreamed about as a young girl.  What will be next?

For more information about me join me on my home page at http://www.dannadykema.com/

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Next Chapter, 0 comments
21
Jun
0203

What is coming from your watering can?

“A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.

Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”

(Proverbs 11:17, 25)

We live on the western side of Michigan and have been experiencing a drought of sorts the last few months. Our grass that does not get watered with the sprinklers is brown and dead. Every two or three days, I have to water my flowers and my garden. We have gotten about ¼ inch of rain in the last month. That is good for all the graduation parties and weddings that are taking place now. Rain certainly puts a damper on of these festivities, but we need rain. In the past when I have had to faithfully water my garden, the minute we had a nice rain all of my plants grew so much better. There is something about rain sent from God to water my plants.

The beauty of the water that I have been giving my plants, even though it is not rain water, is that they are growing and brightening up my yard, garden, and flower beds. As I water these plants, they provide for me beauty and produce to eat. My strawberries have been wonderful this year. I have frozen some strawberries, eaten strawberries, and made two strawberry pies. I have really enjoyed the produce so far, all because I have been dutifully watering my plants.

People are a little bit like my plants. People benefit from words and acts of kindness. When a person receives a word of encouragement, they perk up a little bit. It is said that it takes one word of unkindness to undo seven words of kindness. Speaking and acting in kindness spreads cheer to those within ear shot. Sending a note in the mail to encourage someone will brighten their day. Noticing the good qualities of someone and telling them about them will encourage them to continue on in those fine qualities that they have.

What happens to the person who turns out cruelty and withholds words of kind encouragement? It is like the drought that is causing our grass to be burnt and brown. Have you walked on that kind of grass in your bare feet? Is it appealing to the eye? What usually happens to that brown grass after a period of time? The grass is no longer dormant but dead, there is no life left in it and the weeds take the opportunity to grow up where the thick lush grass was. So is the person who gives out nothing but cruelty and unkind words, they are like the crunchy brown grass. It causes pain to those who hear and that pain carries on in the ears of the hearer long after the words were spoken.

Too often those that are cruel think that they have to say what comes to their minds and once they get it off their chest, they feel better. The sad thing is that what they unloaded on the poor listener is now their burden to carry. The relationship is now marred and the words that the cruel person said cannot be taken back. Too often the cruel person thinks that they can move on and everyone will forget the tone or the words that were said. This person leaves a trail of destruction in their relationship wake, and when they are in need they have no one that will help them or the person that does assist them is reluctant to do so.

Not so with the person who is kind and goes around watering all that come near their bountiful spring of kind words and actions. We all walk around with a watering can in our hand. What is coming out of your watering can? Is it words of kindness and encouragement or is cruelty, harshness, and anger? If you are not sure, maybe you should check to see what you are getting back? Is it kindness or cruelty? Do you feel refreshed or dry?

 

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments