Norma Shipp
Norma-March 20
Spring/Summer 2007
Hi
Everyone!
As far
as exciting news - - I have none, sorry. However, I do keep pretty busy
even being retired. It's amazing, but with church activities, college
programs, doing some visitation with ladies in the retirement and/or
nursing homes, doing things with friends and family, etc., I stay as
active as I want to be.
Deb has
already come for a week-long visit and we had a really good time together with
Cyndi. We did the usual shopping, eating out, talking and relaxing
together. She worked over at Cyndi & Doug's doing some painting,
etc.(they're getting their home ready to sell), plus she went with me to the
Heart Center in Des Moines where she and Katie waited and waited - 4
hours - for me to have a cardiolite stress test, and
other related tests. Actually, she was my chauffer while she was here -
and I enjoyed and appreciated that.
Steve
arrives on Sat., June 30, and will be here for a few days - - and I have my
list ready for him!! Whenever he comes out he wants to keep busy, so
I help him do just that. I'm sure he will also be helping Cyndi and Doug.
I spoke
over at the college last March on the importance of caring for the bereaved and
homebound. This has been a yearly assignment for me, but I update it
often with various Scripture texts and ideas as to how each of us can be of
encouragement and help to those going through difficult times. A
highlight for me was to witness the baptism of Andy, Jarrod and Katie back in
January. Before each of them was baptized, the pastor asked them for
their testimony as to the details of their salvation. Each of them gave
the date of when they asked the Lord into their hearts, and the circumstances
leading up to that decision. What a blessing! Now all of my grandchildren know the Lord as their Saviour. PTL!
Health-wise,
I still battle with dizzy spells - some major ones and others are
lighter. Plus, my arthritis gets worse as I get older, however, I
can still get around and I'm thankful for that.
I'm
looking forward to hearing from each of you, and thanks to Autumn
and Kyle for making this possible.
Love to
each of you,
Norma
Fall/Winter 2006
Hi Everyone!
As I write "my news" for the Fowler
Family Letter (Nov. 10), I am watching big flakes of snow coming down - sort of
diagonally. It's so pretty! There's something about that first
snowfall that just takes your breath away. Some of the
The
On October 17, Cyndi and I drove north to
Cyndi will fill you in on her family - she
promised to write :) Our family will all be together again over the holidays,
Lord willing, in the
Many, many thanks to both Autumn
and Kyle for their work in getting "our news" out for everyone to
enjoy. This letter helps all of stay in touch and to stay
"close".
Love to all and Happy Holidays,
Norma
Spring/Summer 2006
Greetings to
each of you from
Since the last
Newsletter, I am now completely retired from working at the church, and as I
did mention before, I am no longer teaching the ladies S.S. class, but still
attend. I haven't actually slowed down
that much however, but am enjoying life on a more relaxed schedule and manage
to keep busy with various projects and obligations.
Health wise, I
am feeling much better than when I last wrote, because of diet, medication,
less stress, and consuming a lot of water!
I carry it with me wherever I go - almost. The hearing in my left ear has decreased as a
result of the Menniere's, and the ear is very
"noisy" all the time - which takes some getting used to. It's hard to ignore, however, and can be very
frustrating.
I get together
often with my friends (who are also widows) for dinner or concerts at the
college, or just to talk and/or celebrate birthdays – or anything. We'll use any excuse to get together. All of us used to work at the college so have
that connection as well.
Speaking of the
college, in May I attended the Board of Directors dinner at the college and
seminary and as always, it was so good to catch up once again with these men of
God. It was like "old-home"
week - if you know what I mean. Right
now the Board is actively searching for the man that God would put in place as
the next president.
I also attended
an Award Ceremony at Andy's school where he received the President's Award for
being in the top percentile of his class.
He has been one busy young man with maintaining this high academic
score, and with his extra-curricular activities of band, baseball, speech
(where he also received a couple first-place ratings), and of course activities
with the youth group at church. Jarrod
and Katie also did well in this past school year, and Jarrod, I know, is eager
for school to start again.
Deb flew out to
spend about a week with Cyndi and I. We kept pretty busy while she was here, plus
she helped me with a few things here at the house. Steve and Becky are coming out in August, and
Stacey is possibly coming out in September.
Also, Romayne and Bill will be in the area for
about a month, and I know we'll be spending some time together as well. I am so thankful for these visits. Plus, I am looking forward to going to MI in
Oct., to be there for Stacey's wedding.
A very BIG
THANK YOU to Autumn and Kyle for their work on this
letter. Without them, we wouldn't be able to stay in touch, but they make this
possible. I am looking forward to
hearing from each of you.
Love, Norma
Fall/Winter 2005
Hi Everyone,
I am writing this on Tues., Nov. 15 as our first snow of
the season is falling. Two to four
inches or one to three - depending on which weather report you listen to - are
predicted, but we'll see. We have had a
warmer than usual Fall until this week, when we felt
winter approaching. Last week we had some very strong winds and a couple of
times I needed to go out into the yard to pick up my deck furniture. I've jokingly named my home "windhaven" as my place usually catches the brunt of
the wind. Also, on this day, (Nov. 15) I
bought my first Christmas gift. Probably
some of you are way ahead of me, but for me this is early.
Health wise I am doing much better than I have for the
past few months.
I've had major problems with dizziness and have had to
make some minor changes in my activities, as well as my diet. This problem will
always be with me, but hopefully with medication and watching what I eat, etc.,
I can forestall another major series of dizziness. One thing I gave up was teaching the ladies
class at church. I was asked to start
this class back in '87, so giving it up was difficult, but needed.
September 10 was a very special day in our family, as we
witnessed the wedding of Kyle and Kristen.
It was a very beautiful and very meaningful wedding. As a grandmother, I was very proud not only
of Kyle, but of his parents. They've
done a great job of raising their children in the Lord. It was a very special
weekend.
One annual event that Cyndi and I try to go to is the
huge craft show held in downtown
I continually enjoy living close to Cyndi and
family. I love being able to be a part
of the kids activities and/or
having them over from time to time. Andy likes to get my car after church (which
I enjoy) and then drive me home or wherever.
He's a good driver - very cautious.
He can't wait until he can get his license at 16.
Steve and Becky will be coming out here for Thanksgiving,
and I am looking forward to that. Cyndi,
Doug and the kids will also be here. I'll miss Deb and Bob not being able to
come, but Lord willing, we'll all be together for Christmas in the
This is all for now.
Many, many thanks to Autumn and to Kyle for
their work on this Fowler Newsletter. I,
for one, appreciate it very much. It is
so good to stay in touch with one another and what better way than through this
Newsletter.
Love to you all, Norma
Spring/Summer 2005
Hi Everyone!
One of the best things I heard in the past few months was a medical
specialist saying to me, "You won't have to see me again!"
Coming from
an oncologist -- that's really good news!
I spent a lot of time these past months in one doctor's office or another,
either for treatments, x-rays, and/or surgery, but right now I'm doing well and
praising the Lord for His goodness.
Other than work and various appointments, I joined some of my friends
(from FBBC days) for breakfast at The Machine Shed (this is a restaurant
- really!); took the grandkids to see Peter Pan at the Civic Center; attended
band concerts for both Andy and Jarrod, and a choir concert for Katie. I
enjoyed the Spring Chorale concert at
Kyle and Kristen spent a short couple of days here in
March. It was great to see them and catch up with all of their news. While they were here they took Katie shopping
as they have asked her to be the flower girl for their wedding in the fall and
she needed just the right dress. Katie can hardly wait!
Wish we could
all get together - wouldn't that be fun? This is the next
best thing I guess - just to hear from each of you. Love to everyone.
Thank you so very much, Autumn and Kyle for printing
and publishing the
Fowler Family Letter.
Norma
Hi to each of you,
On this 21st. day of October here in
I want to publicly say thank you to my
"kids" for all they do for me. Both Steve and his family, and Deb and
Bob came out last spring (at different times) for a visit and I enjoyed their
being here so much. They don't just visit they keep busy doing whatever - in my
home and there is always something that needs attention. We do some fun things
too such as attending the Ingersoll Dinner Theater,
and other entertainment events going on at the time. Cyndi and Doug, of course,
live about 10 minutes from me, and they are a continuing source of help to me
in so many ways.
The end of August, we all gathered at
Steve & Becky's for a couple of days to spend some time with Kyle who was
home on leave. What a great time of fellowship we had and Kyle is very proud to
be in
Along with working at the church, I
spend time with the grandkids – attending their events at each of their schools
and at church, and this is always fun. Then, about once a month I catch up with
about 4 or 5 friends of mine who are also widows, and we get together for the
evening. This is always a fun time and a very encouraging one as well.
I hope each of you are doing well and
are thankful for each day that the Lord gives you.
Love and Happy
Thanksgiving, Norma
Hi Everyone,
It must be Spring as the tulips are in bloom, the trees are leafing
out, the grass is a lush green, gardens are being planted, more and more homes
are being built, seniors are graduating, and this area has had its first
tornado warning. These are the signs of Spring here in
In the last Fowler
Newsletter, I mentioned that I wasn't "out of the woods" yet as a
result of a hospital stay, etc. That was followed by a series of dizzy spells
(a couple were very scary), but they are under control now. Then as a result of
my annual physical I had to have a biopsy, but thankfully the result was
benign! All of this took many, many weeks and several visits to various
doctors. Needless to say, I met some new doctors/ specialists and made many
trips to their respective offices. As of this writing, I feel OK and praise the
Lord for His care of me. I am also thankful for Cyndi's company and for her
wise counsel which comes from working in a doctor's office.
Earlier this month (April) I
went to Terrace Elementary for Grandparents Day and spent time in Jarrod's and
Katie's classes, going back and forth all morning, then brought them home for
lunch. Our church offices are now out of the trailer and back in the church and
they are very nice! Our new auditorium is beautiful and PTL it is all paid for
by the sacrificial giving of the congregation. No loans were taken out. Phase
II will be a new and much larger kitchen and fellowship hall and more Sunday School rooms.
Once again, this year I've
been invited to attend the Board Dinner at the college. This is an annual
affair during the week of commencement. All the Board members and their wives
will be in attendance as well. I'll be going with a couple of friends whose
husbands were connected with the college, but have since died.
By the time you read this,
Steve and family will have been here for a week's visit. Of course, when Steve
is here he is on the go making sure the things on my "to do list" are
completed. I appreciate so much his wanting to do this.
This is it from my home in
You do such a great job!
Love to all of you,
Norma