Kids, Humor, and God

I know God has a sense of humor. I mean, look...He created me!

My youngest daughter gave us many smiles along the way. When the family was together for a birthday gathering last weekend, we were reminiscing and this particular snippet came up.

We were riding in the car looking at all the Christmas lights one night and listening to traditional Christmas carols. Youngest daughter, who loved to sing, kept getting louder and louder, singing the verses to Silent Night...and this is what we heard. Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright, brown eyed virgin

And that's when the laughter arose. Non-plussed she asked, "Well, what is it? Brown eyed surgeon?" Yes, laughter once again. Thank goodness, she had a sense of humor and could laugh at herself, too.

One of my favorite grandkid stories with mixed up song lyrics happened when the boys were in our back seat and we were heading to dinner and a movie. The youngest was singing along with a country tune...can't remember the title right now...but it was about by-gone days, being young and carefree. The line talked about the funny clothes that were worn followed by: "Man, did we look cheesy." My grandson said he really liked the song and repeated the verse singing: "Man, did we love Jeesy!" Then he said, "I guess that's a nickname for Jesus, right?"

May you be blessed with a laugh, a smile, a fond memory.

Healing Hands of Jesus

I suffer from foot cramps. They usually occur at night, waking me so that I walk the floor trying to relieve them. But, occasionally they occur during the day. Once I was shopping when a cramp seized my foot and calf. I tried to walk but the pain continued. Suddenly the other leg cramped as well. I left everything in the cart and slowly, painfully made my way to the car. Ten minutes of pain and tears and then the pain blessedly left.

That was several year ago, when I believed in God, but I hadn't truly put him first in my life.

Two weeks ago, as I drove to work, my right foot began to cramp. The pain intensified, but I couldn't stop the car. The road I travel has no place for a vehicle to pull off the road. I began to pray and asked Jesus to let me please get to work without harming anyone. I prayed that He would help to ease the pain. Nearly blinded with the pain, I continued to pray, over and over. As I approached a dangerous blind curve in the road, I knew Jesus was with me. I saw the road. I knew I was driving, but I also saw a beautiful outline of his white robe and felt his hands surround my foot. The cramps eased and quit.

Even today, miracles occur. He is with us. Please don't forget to say thank you when He blesses you. I did.

When God is Your Top Priority

He is always with you. I had a nice talk with my daughter last night about this very thing. Sometimes we find ourselves running in circles, working hard, trying to meet all our obligations, and pushing God to the outside. These are the things that make us stressed out and the more we do, the more there is facing us.

However, if you just take a step back and find God, then make Him a part of your daily life, FIRST AND FOREMOST, then you will find that there is time to do so much more than you ever did before.

God is a part of my daily life. I talk to Him all the time. And the most important thing is listening for His words. No, He doesn't talk to me in a loud booming voice that rocks the walls of my home, but He is a voice that speaks to me softly. I hear Him loud and clear. He directs my life, and He is so good. He is always with me.

No, He doesn't make everything a garden of roses, but He's always with me through all the storms of life. He loves me. How can I not love others?

Lord Jesus, I pray that everyone reading this blog today will open their hearts to let You in, to accept Your unconditional love, and that they in turn, will share that love with others. Amen.

Through the Storm

On Friday, we had a terrible storm. The sky was a strange yellowish green color as it rolled in with lightning and thunder just in time for rush hour. I am so frightened of lightning and the loud booms of thunder (which is why I avoid fireworks). The thought of having to drive to work in the storm had my muscles clenched in terror.

The rain pounded against the ground like the sound of horses galloping across an open plain. Before I made it out of our subdivision, a huge bolt of lightning complete with jagged forks of fire flashed in front of me. Hunching my shoulders, fingers tight on the steering wheel, I began to pray.

I prayed that God would not let me hurt anyone else on my journey, and that he would get me safely through the storm. I kept praying over and over those same words and then moved to repeating the 23rd Psalm. One mile down the road, the rain began to let up. The sky looked even more ominous, but no further lightning or thunder resounded across the sky. I only had three more miles to travel. I drove through deep puddles of water as the sky continued to whirl in deepening threat. I kept praying the 23rd Psalm, eyes on the road, and arrived at work. I walked into the building without having to put anything over my head to protect me from the rain.

As soon as I went through the double doors, the rain resumed with crashes of thunder and galloping horses.

I thanked God for sending Jesus to ride with me. Every day there are small miracles which occur. God is good, all the time.

Healing Hearts with Love

Recently we moved my mother into our home. She had two furry cat babies, Maggie and Blacky. Both were elderly and Mom felt they wouldn't survive the long trip to Ohio, so she chose to leave them behind. It's hard to adopt out elderly cats, but we found a no-kill shelter and have hope that someone will open their hearts and adopt them. I know how sad she was to leave her beloved family home and her babies, but there there was no choice. She couldn't afford to keep up her home any longer. When she called with her decision, we immediately made plans to remodel and rearrange our home to accomodate her.
I'm so blessed to have her with me, and she's so much happier now with having people around her to talk to. But, I could tell how much she missed her babies. We have three cats, Charlotte, Wilbur, and Templeton (yeah, can you tell I'm a writer!). Charlotte, like most Divas, chooses the time she wants to spend with us mere humans. However, the boys are a different story. Inquisitive, and very loving, they are people cats. They sensed Mom's need for feline companionship. Wilbur sleeps with her, and when she's in her recliner watching television, he's either on the arm of the chair, in her lap, or laying on the back of the chair, swinging his big furry tail in front of her face. Templeton has been in her lap, too, but he's so much more inquisitive.
Yesterday something really cute happened. If I'd been home I would have taken a picture. He's been investigating her walker. It has a little area where you can sit things, or yourself, and a basket which she uses to keep things handy. Mom has taken over making our bed and hers. It's one thing she can do which makes her feel helpful. Anyway, yesterday Templeton jumped on the walker and was sitting on the little "chair" part. Mom got out of her chair and said, "Do you want to go for a ride? Come on, I have to make the beds." She proceeded to walk down the hall to our bedroom and Templeton just stayed on for the ride. He waited while she made that bed, then she took him into her room and, again, he just sat there watching. Finished, they both came back down the hall! Templeton now believes her walker is his domain, and quite fun, and Mom is so happy to have these furry buddies to help relieve the pain of moving.
We made a lot of changes to try and make her comfortable, but it took our cats to really lift her depression.
I love animals. Guess that's why I always include them in my books!

Love is the Key--Forty Days of Love

As I began my journey through the 40 Days of Love, I had no idea how it would change my life...or rather how it would change me. Through the six week journey, I learned the one thing that had kept God outside the door of my heart. Though I had accepted Jesus as my Savior, I hadn't had a life-changing event like some people. I asked God to come in, I prayed, but something kept that door closed. That something was forgiveness. Thought I had asked God to forgive me and I thought I had forgiven myself, and my enemies--the truth remained that I hadn't.

How could I be forgiven? I knew Jesus died on that cross for all of us, so that we could be forgiven, if we believed and if we asked. That's where the faith must come in. I had to believe that I was worthy of being forgiven. God loves all his children and he trusts that we will come to him with open hearts and open arms to receive his forgiveness and mercy.

As I moved through the 40 Days of Love series, I found myself believing that I had been forgiven and I truly forgave all my enemies. All the old baggage that reared up from time to time to grab me and bring out the anger from old hurts has disappeared. I haven't forgotten, but these things no longer have any control over my emotions. I don't hurt any longer. I feel truly cleansed.

Subsequently, love has filled my heart. I feel joy and face each new day with excitement and anticipation. I want to share my joy with everyone.

Love is the key. Love. Once you can love your neighbor as yourself, then true happiness will flood your soul. That love can only come through Jesus. Through believing, through faith, through true forgiveness.

May God's mercy touch you today and always.

Happiness is...

Hearing from a friend who is far away.

Sometimes you make a soul connection with someone who becomes a great friend. I remember having wonderful mind-stirring conversations while we belabored the state of the world, the little idiosyncracies of humans, and some amusing and not so amusing health concerns with this friend. Though miles separate, the heart remembers.

God teaches us to cherish our relationships. What a blessing that he gives us friends.

May your life be blessed with the gift of friends.

When God Holds Your Hand...

Isaiah 41:13 (NIV) "For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."

Even in the darkest of times, God is with us, if we believe. God doesn't send the darkness, although He knows it is going to happen. He can't prevent the darkness, but He can help us through it.

When I reached a bottom and felt the despair of all being lost, God took my hand and led me out of the darkness into the light. Yes, there are those times when things go wrong, when I am uncertain what will come next, but through it all I have the comfort of knowing God is in control when I put my faith and trust in Him.

My book, JOSHUA'S HOPE, is about a woman who has to learn to trust. Only when she has lost the most important thing in her life does she let go and let God into her heart. And when she does, a miracle happens.

I hope God blesses you richly today. Thanks for stopping by.

Why God? Why?

I had a lunch conversation with a very dear friend not too long ago. We were discussing all the tragic things that happened over the past year in her oldest daughter's life. Truly, one thing after another had happened--a heart attack, followed by complications, a job loss, and a legal battle. My friend thanked me for all my prayers on their behalf. She stated her daughter couldn't understand why God had made all these things happen to her.

In these words, I saw myself a few years ago. When bad things happen, people are quick to blame God or to ask Him why. However, as I told my friend, God doesn't make bad things happen. He is with us always, helping us as we stumble along life's path. If we turn to Him and ask for His help, He will lift us up. How we deal with the potholes in the road says a lot about our faith.

When bad things happen we are quick to blame, but when good things happen, how often do we thank God?

True peace comes from having faith, believing in God's grace and mercy, asking for the things we need, and thanking Him for the blessings bestowed. God doesn't always answer our prayers in the way or even the timing we would like, but He is with us and He does listen. Trusting in God is the only way to reach true peace and tranquility.

May God be with you.

How Do You Pray For Patience?

Lately, I've been praying for patience, compassion, and strength as I move into a new phase of being caretaker for my mother. My daughter has told me I am praying for the wrong things. It appears God has answered my prayers by presenting situations in which I must practice, "patience, compassion, and strength." Maybe that's not a bad thing. I'm learning. But, I'd like to have less opportunities to learn.

Love is Patient, Love is Kind...

Recently I attended my grandson's wedding. I always cry at weddings, but I didn't cry this time. The setting was beautiful, outdoors beside a beautiful pond in a local stat park. I focused on the faces of my grandson and his bride as they spoke their vows. Shining faces filled with love and the excitement of a future together--forever.

God smiled down that day, blessing this couple, and blessing those who observed.

I felt so blessed to spend time with my grandson and his new bride at the reception, but even more so, when they came to the house on two separate occasions before they left for Arizona again. My grandson has grown into a strong, compassionate young man. I watched him grow up. Home videos capture the baby, the toddler, the school years, and now a man in a uniform who serves his country and has taken a bride.

I've never felt so blessed.

May God smile on your today.

God is Outside My Window

I see God peering back at me through my office windows this morning. He's in the drops of rain clinging to the petals of the brilliant pink knock-out roses, the yellow petals of the newest perrenial hubby planted. I see him in the stillness of the wind, the blue sky with a hint of clouds on the horizon. The beauty of His hand meets my eye in every direction I gaze.

So many times I get caught up in everyday life and forget to thank Him for all the blessings. As a writer, I create fictional towns, but nothing can compare with what God created. There is no mor wonderful and peaceful way to start the day, than in stopping to appreciate the beauty God has created.

May your day be blessed with God's touch.

And Then There Were Three...

Finally, the wait is over. My mother is now here in Ohio and living with my hubby and me. Memorial Day, the day after we arrived in Illinois, eleven inches of rain fell! I've never seen such a deluge. The rain didn't help to ease my mother's distress. After including her in the decisions of what to pack and what to throw away, she seemed a little better with the process. There were a few tense moments when she "snipped" at us, and a few tears along the way, but overall a fairly smooth transition. I feared she would be tearful as we left, but she surprised me.

Now that she's here, she seems so much happier and peaceful. She doesn't have to worry about the house falling down around her, and though she says she enjoyed being alone, I know she's much happier having people to talk with. She's adjusted very well, probably much better than I have.

With her poor eyesight, things are a bit rocky. I need to follow behind her and clean up without letting her know. In many ways, it's like having a child in the house again. However, cleaning after her is a labor of love. God has blessed me, and I know He is with me and I find comfort in his supporting arms.

May God bless you richly today.