{"id":18482,"date":"2026-03-10T11:27:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T15:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/?p=18482"},"modified":"2026-03-11T11:11:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T15:11:39","slug":"lyndas-journal-of-blessings_coming-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/lyndas-journal-of-blessings_coming-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Lynda’s Journal of Blessings – #754 – Coming Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lynda\u2019s Journal of Blessings \u2013 #754\u00a0<\/strong><\/h1>\n

>>\u00a0 Coming Home\u00a0 <\/strong><< March 9, 2026<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Walking by Inner Vision,<\/em> since December 2009.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

_My Thoughts<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Coming Home: 2014 and 2026<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Today, my thoughts are about our grown children and COMING HOME..<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We live our life as a family across the miles and years.<\/p>\n

Last week, I wrote a short story about how\u00a0 , my daughter, Salome’ Heather celebrated her 63rd birthday with me at a\u00a0 Syrian restaurant.\u00a0 \u00a0 Read it here! <\/a><\/p>\n

This week’s\u00a0 story came as a surprise on Friday afternoon when I\u00a0 received a\u00a0 short e-mail message from our youngest daughter, Ilsa. She lives in Kentucky.<\/p>\n

Today I am speaking\u00a0 about\u00a0 COMING HOME, a visit from our youngest daughter, Ilsa Hoelz Lambert Barry.<\/p>\n

On Friday as I was working, I received a short note from Ilsa via my e-mail.<\/p>\n

Hello mom!<\/em><\/p>\n

We are heading to Ellwood…. see you tomorrow!<\/em><\/p>\n

See you soon. Love you.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ilsa<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Like many other senior citizens, all of our children\u00a0 live in different locations in the country,<\/p>\n

When they contact me to say they are “coming home” it’s a welcome message.\u00a0 Despite the miles between us, there is nothing like those messages that tell me they are coming home.\u00a0 No matter what I was in the process of doing, everything shifts immediately from my plans for the day, to my expectations for their welcome arrivals.\u00a0 \u00a0My\u00a0 day turns to the anticipated arrival of one of\u00a0 our children, or any of the other family members.<\/p>\n

You may be asking, Where is Home?<\/h3>\n

Our home was built in 1929 in a little\u00a0 Germanic village in western Pennsylvania. This is the Village of Wurtemburg nestled in the valley where the Slippery Rock and Connoquenessing creeks\u00a0 define the boarders of the village.\u00a0 I can stand in my yard and see both creeks every day for i live at the confluence where the Slippery Rock Creek enters into the Connoquenessing Creek.<\/p>\n

My grandfather, James Addison Kirker, was a carpenter and most of his German-born family members were carpenters, too. Many homes in this western Pennsylvania area were built by my Kirker and Kiesling ancestors. Grandpa\u00a0 was a Kirker\u00a0 and Gramdma, Ida Matilda,\u00a0 was a Kiesling.<\/p>\n

My husband and I purchased this present home\u00a0 \u00a0in the summer of `1967.\u00a0 We moved into the house in June that year.\u00a0 It was a familiar landscape, because\u00a0 my grandparents and ancestors all lived in this village\u00a0 for generations before I was born. In fact, my ancesters built and lived in many of the homes nearby in the original “village”\u00a0 that lingers along the banks of the two creeks, and contains three bridges.<\/p>\n

My husband, Bob, and I\u00a0 came here to live in this village in western Pennsylvania With\u00a0 our two daughters.\u00a0 Salome\u00a0 was 4 and\u00a0 Heidi was 2.\u00a0 Three more children arrived in the years that followed.\u00a0 Ilsa is our youngest daughter.<\/p>\n

In 2014,\u00a0 I wrote a poem about a visit with\u00a0 Ilsa.\u00a0 It seems that I always learn something new when my adult children are here visiting.\u00a0 On this particular visit, Ilsa taught me how to cut the stems of my roses so that they would stay fresh and last longer in a vase of water.<\/p>\n

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“There is no such thing as an ordinary moment.”\u00a0 ~Paula White<\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n

See the poem, below.<\/h3>\n

_<\/p>\n

My Daughter Cut the Roses<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

My daughter looked<\/p>\n

at the bouquet of fresh\u00a0 roses<\/p>\n

noticed two of them were drooping.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me show you how to trim the roses<\/p>\n

so they stay fresh and strong.\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her hands held the roses tenderly<\/p>\n

One-by-one, trimmed off extra\u00a0 leaves<\/p>\n

\u201cThese will make the water stink,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She\u00a0 found\u00a0 scissors\u00a0 in the drawer<\/p>\n

put the roses in a bowl of tepid water<\/p>\n

held each stem under\u00a0 water<\/p>\n

sliced\u00a0 them all,\u00a0 diagonally –<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I cut\u00a0 the rose under the water,<\/p>\n

little bubbles of air come to the surface.<\/p>\n

Now, when the rose\u00a0 inhales<\/p>\n

it will only breathe\u00a0 water into it,<\/p>\n

it won\u2019t fill up with air.<\/p>\n

The living water inside the stems<\/p>\n

gives longer life to each rose.\u201d<\/p>\n

She carried the freshened flowers<\/p>\n

In the tall glass vase<\/p>\n

back to the center of the dining room table<\/p>\n

darkest \u00a0crimson buds, sunny yellow petals,<\/p>\n

deep green fern leaves<\/p>\n

and a frilly white carnation.<\/p>\n

\n

by Lynda McKinney Lambert. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved..<\/p>\n

First Published by Magnets and Ladders: Voices of\u00a0 Writers with Disabilities, Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read the Latest Issue of Magnets and Ladders: Voices of Writers with Disabilities\u00a0Read it here!<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Scripture<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I refer to the\u00a0 Source of Truth<\/strong> – the Holy Bible.<\/h5>\n

I’ve added a VIDEO below, and I think this is the perfect way to introduce the scripture for Coming Home.\u00a0 Whatt do you think?\u00a0 \u00a0I think yo will really enjoy the music and the message that reflect how I define what it means to be HOME.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9\u00a0 Lynda McKinney Lambert. All Rights\u00a0 Reserved. 2026.<\/p>\n

__<\/p>\n

\u00a0Published:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

My Daughter Cut the roses,<\/em> poem (2014)<\/p>\n

_First Published by <\/u>Magnets and Ladders Literary Magazine,<\/em> Spring\/Summer Issue, 2015\u00a0Read it Here!<\/a><\/p>\n

_Lambert, Lynda McKinney. Walking by Inner Vision: Stories & Poems<\/em>, 2017<\/p>\n

_Lambert, Lynda McKinney. <\/u>Star Signs<\/em>: <\/u>New and Selected Poems, DLD Books,<\/em> \u00a02019<\/p>\n

_Lambert, Lynda McKinney \u2013 first snow,<\/em> Finishing Line Press, 2020<\/p>\n

__<\/p>\n

BONUS – VIDEO<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Our home was the place where they all grew up over the following years.<\/p>\n

As I was writing this article, I came across a lovely video that describes how I feel about this house and our many years here, raising our children.\u00a0 This video is one that brought\u00a0 good memories and left me smiling and thankful to God for our\u00a0 children and our life together.<\/p>\n

A HOME is what we make together, as a family.\u00a0 A HOME is the place we can return to at any time, and where we celebrate birthdays, holidays, and just a little visit without any invitation. This link will take you to the video.\u00a0\u00a0Home <\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u00a9<\/a>Lynda\u2019s Journal of Blessings, 2026.<\/em>_<\/p>\n

\u00a0Note About my\u00a0 Blessing Articles:<\/strong><\/h3>\n