Baptism of our Lord- Grandma Myrtle's Painting

January 9, 2022

Grandma Myrtles Painting


Today’s gospel talked about Jesus being baptized in Bethany by John the Baptist.  In the 1920’s my Grandma Myrtle painted this 4 foot x 8 foot painting of where Jesus was baptized.  Grandma was one of the most faithful people I know.  She had a strong belief and shared that with others.  I always consider her one of my most faithful mentors.  

The painting hung in a baptistery of the Evangelical United Brethren Church on 16th and Central in Great Falls for over 50 years. My grandmother told me that she painted it on a piece of masonite because she couldn’t afford a canvas that big. She told me it was so big that Grandpa Joe had to tie it to the side of his vehicle (probably on the sideboards) to get it to the church. I can just picture someone holding onto it so it wouldn’t fall out in the ground as it traveled. 

1923 Grandma Myrtle with Dick (my dad) 

Ron’s sister Lorrie told me that the baptistery was behind a set of doors that was behind the altar.   The photo below is of John and Lorrie Bridges’ (Ron’s sister) wedding in the church in 1980.  The baptistery was behind the doors under the picture of Jesus.  When the doors were opened, Grandma’s picture would show through.  How cool is that!

When the church did a remodel in 1979, they were going to send the painting to the dump but a member rescued it. It happened to be the church Ron's mom and sisters attended and when the woman saw Ron and my wedding announcement in the church bulletin, she recognized my maiden name Fagenstrom as the same name as on the painting and asked if I wanted it. It hung in Ron’s parents basement until we bought our first house.


We first hung it on the dining room wall in our house on Sherwood in 1979. I remember Grandma Myrtle coming to visit (a stop over on her way to Bonners Ferry) and Ron had to quickly add a frame to the painting before she got there. Unfortunately the frame covered up her signature in the bottom right corner, but it’s still under the frame. 

Uncle Pete and Aunt Doris were looking at the painting and Grandma Myrtle said it was where Jesus was baptized.  Uncle Pete quipped, "That rock sure looks like a good place to fish!"  Aunt Doris said, "Pete that was where Jesus was baptized". He retorted, "It still looks like a good place to fish!" 

The painting has hung in every house we have lived in since then. We always had to have a house with a wall big enough to hang it on. It’s definitely the biggest painting Grandma ever painted!

As I read the gospel from John 1:28, I see that Jesus was baptized at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan.. Today I realized the painting will have to go to my granddaughter Bethany!

2021. Stay the Course

 

Each year I use this time to stop and reflect on the previous year.  This has become a family history and an opportunity to reflect on the year.   If 2020 was a year of Transitions, 2021 was a year of Staying the Course.   A few things have changed in the lives of the adults in the Marks family- but mostly we all continue to live and work and volunteer in many of the same places as last year.   If you need a refresher - check out last year's letter. 

Some highlights in 2021 were that we got to see a little more of Liz and Chris and Erik.   Liz and Chris were home in July and August and Erik home a couple of times.  They love their time with their niece and nephew and vice versa. 

We had an opportunity to be together as a family when we all met and stayed at a condo in Big Sky in August and celebrated the wedding of our niece Mariah.  We had such a good time being together as a family as well as celebrating with most of the Marks/ Jallings/ Bridges clan.   It was a blessing! 

The biggest changes to celebrate are the grandkids, Bethany, Freddie and "SpikeJoy" as we call the baby who is due on 2-2-22.  

Bethany... 6 years old, in first grade and thriving.  She's reading and is also learning to play the piano!  Her Papa Ron volunteers in her classroom two days a week, where he gets a big hug from her!  She has joined Ron & I hiking (including the M). Winter has found her cross-country skiing and excited about downhill skiing with her dad Ike

 She's thrilled about being a big sister again!  No doubt she will be a helpful little blessing for her mom and dad. 

Freddie.. 3 years, in preschool.  He attends day care two days a week, preschool 2 days a week and Friday mornings loves entertaining his two friends, Leo and Logan (also 3 years old) at Nana and Papa's Three Amigo Mornings.  His love for any kind of vehicle (but especially loves those with sirens),  and can tell you how to make pizza with Papa. 

The 3 Amigos! Freddie, Leo & Logan

Grandchild #3 is due on 2-2-22.  Mama Kathie is ready for this baby to come anytime!  Freddie and Bethany are excited to have a new sibling.  

As for Ron and I-- we continue to have many adventures- hiking, biking, boating, camping and skiing.  I'm happy to say I've maintained my weight release for the year and walked 4 million steps!  It's been wonderful to see new places and have new experiences with each other and with our kids and grandkids.  We've seen some beautiful places and had many "lunch with a view" dates.   Enjoy our video of our adventures. 

As we move into 2022, we want to wish you blessings on. your year.  May you be happy and healthy and enjoy adventures along the way.  

Blessings, 

Nancy for Ron and Nancy

Stay in touch! You can find us at

mslamarks@gmail.com  3524 South 3rd St West, Missoula, MT

 Nancys blog: http://missoulamusings.blogspot.com

 Nancy’s Youtube channel: http://youtube.com/mslamarks

See you on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mslamarks

2020 A Year of Transitions

As we come to the close of 2020, it's certainly been a year for all of us like no other.   It has been a year that had some sadness and stress but also some opportunities to do things we haven’t done before!   I feel blessed to have had Ron and Ike, Kathie, Bethany and Freddie as a part of our “pod”  We’ve had opportunities for lots of “togetherness” time. 

Ron had 3 coronary stents in February which gave him a new lease on life!  We’ve enjoyed hiking, boating, camping, gardening, and caring for the grandkids.  He resigned from his position as an autism consultant in September- 10 years was good.  With the pandemic and health issues, it just was no longer a good fit.  He volunteers at church doing yard work and a major landscaping project this year. 

Nancy released 45 pounds in 2020 for a total of 60 pounds since starting Weight Loss God’s Way journey in July of 2019. I’ve enjoyed quilting, gardening and volunteering at the church to help keep people connected during these trying times. I also am passionate about the Family Promise ministry both in our church and in the city, helping to raise 8 million dollars last year for a new Family Housing Center!   

My weight release has given me increased energy and ability to hike mountains and see places we’ve never seen in the Missoula area.  Some of my favorites were the bitterroots on the North Hills,  Holland Lake Falls and so many more. It's unbelievable how many places Ron and I walked, hiked and explored with grandkids and kids. We even dusted off our 40 year old tandem and added a tag-along bike for granddaughter Bethany! Enjoy a video with highlights of these places!

Erik had another surgery in March. In June he decided to leave the Border Patrol for health reasons and is looking for new opportunities.  We have enjoyed seeing him a little more since then! He’s become quite the cook and  bread maker too!  His sourdough is amazing! 

Ike continues to work with Diversified Plastics and volunteering at the church and raising his two wonderful children.  

Kathie- continues to work for the Forest Service as a civil engineer.  She will be moving to work for the Bureau of Land Management in January. She and I bought a long art quilting machine and she’s becoming quite proficient at it!  

Bethany started Kindergarten- remote school with Nana 3 days a week. Learning to read!  Learning to quilt with Nana and Mama and build a bench and a couple of birdhouses with Papa

Freddie is a ball of fire- very much a 2 year old!  Always on the go.  He attends daycare 2 days a week  and Nana and Papa three days  Talking up a storm and is potty trained! 

Liz  has a new position as a Lecturer of Criminology at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, about 30 miles from Boston. She continues to work on her dissertation, hoping to finish it and graduate with her doctorate in May. 

Chris was fortunate enough to be able to keep his position as an Attorney in the Louisiana Department of Revenue’s Litigation Division.. He works remotely from Andover with periodic trips back to Baton Rouge as needed. 

Overall, life has been good this year, in spite of COVID.  We’ve been offered many more opportunities that we probably never would have explored.  May the new year bring even more opportunities to all of you. In closing, here is a video that summarizes our year!

Blessings

Nancy for Ron and Nancy

Stay in touch! You can find us at

mslamarks@gmail.com  3524 South 3rd St West, Missoula, MT

 Nancys blog: http://missoulamusings.blogspot.com

 Nancy’s Youtube channel: http://youtube.com/mslamarks

See you on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mslamarks

2019 God with us

2019  Immanuel... God is with us...

God has certainly been with us in 2019.  Our grandchildren have grown and flourished.  Our children are all doing well.  We are blessed.  

Apples for Housing

Probably the event that stands out this year is our outstanding Apple Harvest.  We have 11 apple trees on our property and some years are better than others.  This year we were certainly blessed with an abundance of apples, nearly 10,000 pounds.  It was inspiring to see over 100 people of all ages come out (even when we had very cold weather) to pick apples, press juice and cut up apples for apple pies.  The donations we received for the juice and apple pies went to a fundraiser to build a Family Housing Shelter to support families experiencing homelessness and domestic abuse.   We called it Apples for Housing!     We felt so fortunate to be able to share our bounty to make housing available for families.   Enjoy this video that shows just how much fun we had! 

Family Reunion at FLBC

Another place God was with us this year was at the Fagenstrom Family Reunion at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp in honor of sister Jane and her husband Duane's 50th Wedding Anniversary.  We enjoyed a wonderful weekend of fellowship and fun including hiking, swimming, boating, crafting and just relaxing at camp. Oh yes-- we did eat well too!   Lots of cousins and their families were there to celebrate and recreate.   Here's a little video about our weekend.  

Kids and Grandkids

As you can see from our Christmas card, our world certainly revolves around our grandkids- Bethany, 4 and a HALF and Freddie, 20 months.  They spend 3 days a week with us and we get Bethany to and from preschool.  It has been so fun to be a part of their growing. We did some camping, boating, gardening and skiing with them. 

Erik continues to live and work in Arizona.  We haven't seen him as much as we'd like- but did enjoy a great Christmas with him.  

Liz and Chris are in Louisiana.  Chris works for the State of Louisiana as an attorney and Liz is working hard to finish up her doctorate at LSU.   We're hoping to celebrate with her in May.  They were home in August for our niece Melissa's wedding.  

Ike and Kathie continue to work as engineers here in Missoula.   We enjoyed a couple of family vacations with them this year.  One to Canada in January and one to California in June.  They bought a new-to-them bigger house this year and we have enjoyed moving our family activities to their house.  

Ron and I continue in our retirement ventures and caring for grandkids.  Ron does some consulting across the state for the Autism Education Project, and keeps things running at home and church. He's started building a drift boat this year.   I keep busy with church activities, coordinating an annual conference and a women's retreat. (Oh yes- I do like to make little videos-- you can subscribe to my You Tube channel if you'd like to see more of them)  I have enjoyed helping with the See Them Home Campaign  for the Family Housing Center and many quilting projects.  Together we enjoy spending time with some of our surrogate grandkids- Luke, Leo, Gillian and Orlena.  We've taken some trips and done some camping and floating as often as possible during the summer.   

Blessings to you and yours in the upcoming year!   If you get to Missoula, be sure and look us up! 

Stay in touch! You can find us at

mslamarks@gmail.com  3524 South 3rd St West, Missoula, MT

 Nancys blog: http://missoulamusings.blogspot.com

 Nancy’s Youtube channel: http://youtube.com/mslamarks

See you on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mslamarks