A Romans 12 Christian

I was recently listen to a Christian radio station and was challenged to be a Romans 12 Christian. I wondered what that meant. So I read and reread Romans 12. This is what I came up with.

1. To give one's body to God as a holy sacrifice, by being modest, eating health and taking care of it.

2. Don't copy the behavior of the world. Renew one's mind by getting into his word the Bible. Getting to know the character of Jesus and copying his behavior.

3. Don't think you are better than you are. Be honest with yourself.

4. Remembering  that we are a part of the body of Christ. We aren't all called to do the exact same thing. We are to serve God in the capacity he has called us. Those that preach aren't any better than those that clean the church. They are all necessary.

5. We need to be united in sharing the Good News of Jesus to a lost and dying world. Whether we go to another country or just across the street, or just support others with our prayers and/or money. Be a part of it with other Christians.

6. Use the gifts God has given us. It could be teaching, preaching, giving, hosting, encouraging, leading, or just loving.

7. Love and honor others. Genuinely hate what is wrong NOT who is wrong. Hold to what is good.

8. Work hard for the Lord. Don't be lazy but be enthusiastic. (This is not to earn our way into Heaven because that is a gift of grace.)

9. Rejoice in hope, patient in trouble. Keep on praying!!!

10. Always be ready to help brothers and sisters of the faith that are in need or trouble. Hospitality.

11. Bless those that persecute us. Pray for them. (A hard one I know.)

12. Be empathetic. Laugh with those who are happy, cry with those who are brokenhearted.

13. Live in harmony, don't be proud and think you know it all.

14.Don't pay back evil for evil. Live honorably and in peace.

15. Never seek revenge.

16. Help and minister to your enemy. Feed them, care for them, quench their thirst. (Wow a real toughie.)

17. Conquer evil by doing good.


I know that might be over simplifying it but, wow.  It is quite a challenge but I do want to please my Savior. I know that even if I fail at times Jesus won't count it against me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wow, what a year.
 As I look back over previous post I can't help but cry a little over all the blessings in my life.
I know cliché, right? But true.

December 2014

                                                                      December 2015

From cancer surgery in March, to back to work in May, to running my 1st 5K in November with our son, Joshua and his daughter Grace, and our daughter Jamie and her daughter Emmaly.

And my support team...

I actually came in 5th in my age group! Really happy that I did that well, surprised but happy. Now I am hooked and want to do it again. Trying to convince my family that they want to do it with me again too.

 

I also went on Weight Watchers with my 81 year old mother. I lost over 50 lbs. and she lost 20. So proud of her.

She looks so much healthier and has a lot more energy than she did a year ago.

My biggest fan, love him so much!

And we turned 60!

I can't thank my family and friends enough for their prayers, support, and love through the ups and downs of this uncertain year. Mostly I thank God for allowing me to go through this lifted up and loved, and for my loving family. What more can I say?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Looking ahead...going forward

I did three miles today...hurrah!

 Okay, so I only WALKED three miles, and it took me an hour and 45 minutes but I still did it.

 Not looking for applause but I am happy with me.

This is the beginning of my new training schedule.

I am hoping that by the time I have my doctor's release I will be ready to be running.

One step at a time.

I want to be able to run the 5K at Silver Dollar City in Nov.

I am really hoping that I can convince others to join me.

It is for a good cause.

Check it out at www.runtothelights.com

I was going to run this 5 years ago but couldn't find anyone to go with me.

Although it would be fun to have a group or even 1 other person to do this, I will go alone if I have to.

It is my goal for the year.

BTW for those who don't or can't run it is okay to walk the course too.

 

 

This is my training partner.

I am really announcing this so that I can't make excuses and back out.

Hope you all help me to keep this goal.

My Battle...My Armor...

It has been a very long night. My mind keeps racing and won't let me sleep.
I don't consciously feel like I am worrying. Just so much going through my mind.
So many things that I need to prepare and yet I am not ready to start.
Questions...questions...questions...
Trying hard to silence the noise in my head.

So I take out my armor;

My sword ~ The Word of God

My shield ~ Faith...to stop the fiery arrows of the devil

My belt of truth ~ to stand my ground

My body armor ~ God's righteousness

My shoes ~ peace that comes from the Good News

My helmet ~ my salvation

~Ephesians 6:13-17~

The horse is made read for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord. ~Proverbs21:31~

Spiritual victory comes only to those who are prepared for battle. ~author unknown~

What more needs to be done? What more do I need to do?

God has got this...100%!

Yay, going home for a month before I have surgery. The Doctor's appointment went well. He was very optimistic. Everyone was so sweet, helpful, and caring. I really like the people at the Michiana Hematology and Oncology Center.


Surgery is scheduled for 3-2-15 at 8 AM.


Looking forward to going home. Not that I haven't loved being with my family. They are absolutely the best people on earth!


I also have the best friends in the world. The little notes, texts, messages, cards, phone calls are so encouraging. "We are thinking of you...praying for you...pulling for you..." How did I ever get so blessed?


Those of you who have said "call me anytime" just because I haven't called doesn't mean that I don't need you there. It is sometimes just a comfort to know that you are there!


It is still an unknown. Still questions. Still a bit unreal. But I know the one that has the answers and the one that has the reality and knows the unknown. So I trust and not stress.


I want that faith of a child. The kind that believes that Daddy will take care of the monsters under the bed.


I admit, I was so stressed yesterday, before I saw the Doctor, that my blood pressure was pretty high when they took it. I KNOW that God is in control, but sometimes my humanness trumps my spiritualality, and it takes a while to beat that puppy back into the kennel.


Well I know my Redeemer lives, I know my Redeemer lives, let all creation testify, Let this life in me cry, I know my Redeemer lives...

I am Blessed. God is good all the time!

This is not the way I thought I would start the new year. This is not the journey I wanted to take. It is certainly not one I wanted to drag my family through. But I don't have a choice, so here we go.


We knew this was a possibility, a probability, while we waited for the test results. Still it was a shock.


Cancer...such an ugly word. It is hard to say it out loud. I don't want to hide it but how do you tell someone?


"Hey I have cancer, please pray for me, pray for my family." Humbling...


I do want the prayers.
 I don't want the label.


 And you do get a label.
 I rebel against labels.
"All women are _______"
"All men are ________"
"All Christians are _______"
ETC...ETC...ETC...


We are individuals. Cancer victims are individuals. Like all women, all men, all Christians, we have similarities, but we have differences.


Some deal with it differently. Some the same.
 A dear friend wanted me to talk to someone they knew who survived cancer. It was a different kind, different circumstances. Not all cancers are the same. Yay that they survived, but I know their experiences were different than what mine will be.


We have gone through this before with our daughter. A different cancer, thyroid. She is well and cancer free, Praise God! But her life has changed forever.


Cancer divides time. Your life before, your life during, and God willing, your life after.


She is an amazing support. She understands my feelings. My feelings of unreasonable guilt for putting my family through this as if I had a choice. I know it isn't my fault, but the guilt is still there.


I understand the helpless feelings of my family because I have been there with her.


Although they may feel helpless, they are doing so much for me that I don't even have to think very hard. Such a beautiful rest for me.


They are making appointments for me, researching things on-line, working on finance parts, driving me around, and back and forth from their homes to my parents' home, calling their Dad to help him through this too.


Their prayers, their encouraging words, their love...I am truly blessed...but then...I knew that.

Not the man I married.

Wow, 40 years! As I look back over our life together, I see so many growth periods. Some of them, actually most of them, were painful. But without them we wouldn't be who we are now. I can see God's hand in it all. I wish I wouldn't have been so blind as to not see it then. It would have made it easier to take. I have learned to look for God's purpose in the chaos now. Part of the growth.
Although I wouldn't want to repeat them, I thank God for them. Because we hung on and didn't give up, we have a closeness now that gives a new meaning to "...and they will become one flesh." Genesis 2:24. Or as the marriage ceremony usually puts it as "and the two will become one."
Just to be clear, those painful growing moments were not all caused by us against each other. Most of them were caused by circumstances and others who thought they knew us and judged us because of lies, selfishness, hatred, misunderstandings, and the past. No he is not perfect, but neither am I.
One thing he has never done is lie to me. There has been times he didn't tell the whole truth at first. There are times I wish he would have lied, but he didn't. I love him for that.
I also look back at the things we have shared. The secrets between us that no one knows or will they ever know.  That is ours alone. He knows me better than anyone and I know him better that anyone. He has told me things that he had never told anyone about his past because he trusts me with his heart. And I trust him with mine.
He is the most compassionate, caring, unselfish, sacrificing man I know. Yes others sometime sees a rough, tough, gruff exterior. But that is just his defense mechanism. He is easily hurt by others snide remarks or rejection.
We have awesome kids. We can't take all the credit. Like all parents we have made mistakes. But everything we did was for their benefit. We were really just children ourselves, trying to raise children. But they knew they were loved. I hope now they know that they were and are loved unconditionally. Most kids do not realize that until they are adults.
We didn't send them to church, we TOOK them. He had shown them by example what a real Christian is. Not by doing everything right but by how he treated people. He showed respect to those who never deserved respect. He forgave others without being asked for forgiveness. He always lifted up the underdog, the unlovable, the untouchable.
He showed his children that real men cry. He is a big, strong, fearless man, yet he has cried unashamedly in public. He cried when he gave his daughter away in marriage, making everyone else cry. He cries watching "Its A Wonderful Life" almost every time. I love that about him. I love the tenderness of his heart.
The love he has for our grandchildren is amazing and they adore him right back.
He is humble, quiet, and strong.
His faith in Jesus is unshakable. It is personal and I love that about him.
Even though I loved the man I married I am glad he is not that man now...he is so much better.
Happy 40th Anniversary to my one true love on April 20, 2014.
.

As I excitedly get ready to be with my family for Christmas, I tell myself that I know the real meaning of Christmas. It is not about the presents. Although I am a gifter. If there were no holiday that promoted gift giving I would go broke giving presents all year long.
It is not about the decorations. Still I love seeing all the lights glimmering at this time of year.
It is not even about the Christmas Carols, which I listen to all year long.
I am thinking it is about friends and family celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Then I read an article in "Our Daily Bread" on Dec. 15th, in my morning devotions. It was titled "Canceled Christmas". It was about a couple that was unable to be with their family for Christmas because of weather related flight cancelations. They felt like their Christmas was canceled because they couldn't celebrate with their family.
They went to church that Sun. where their pastor spoke of Christmas expectations.. He said, "If our expectations for Christmas are gifts and time with family, we have set our expectations too low."
That really hit me. Yes we have always talked about how Jesus is "The reason for the Season." We read the Christmas story and sometimes sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.
Although we give gifts we always downplay their importance. But I have been putting the importance of being with my family ahead of "The Reason for the Season".
Could I actually celebrate His birth if for some reason I couldn't be with our family? Sobering thought.
Christmas needs to be celebrated as the beginning of the end.
It started with His birth and continued with His death and resurrection. Not to mention all of His teachings and loving examples.
All of that brought an end to our separation from God and the end of our deserved penalty for our sin, with our acceptance of  what Jesus has done for us and turning back to God the Father. We can now have a relationship with our Holy Father and the Son.
I pray that I stop having such low expectations for Christmas and put my heart where it should be and celebrate "The Beginning of The End"!

2012 is OVER!

I haven't been here for a while. I have been so busy. And when I wasn't, I was computerless. So with a new computer and a little time, I decided I would jot down a few things.

The biggest news since my last visit is I have a new granddaughter. My oldest daughter and her husband are in the process of bringing her home from China. I can't wait to meet her. I already have done the grandma thing and crocheted her a sweater.

The color is really more of a fuchsia. I am anxious to see it on her.

It had been a really tough end of  2012 for family and friends. Our dear friend Ron Trueblood was killed in a freak accident. Our brother-in-law died from heart failure less than 2  months later. Also and older man from our church in IN. passed away. There were also several friends that lost family members and parents. I pray for these people daily. I know that this first year without their loved ones will be the hardest. First birthdays, first anniversary, first Holidays... We have been there. You still miss them but it gets easier. There are days though that pop up out of our busy lives and remind us that they are gone and we cry. We miss them and are sad at what they are missing. But as finite minded humans we have it all wrong. When Those people died as forgiven Christians we are the ones that are missing out. They are happy and painless in a place that we cannot even begin to imagine. They get to see Jesus face to face! Why would we want them to come back to this mess of a world. The hate, corruption, the anti-God and anti-morality. Our concentration should be here on earth trying our hardest to convince our loved ones, that are still here, we want to see them in eternity with us.

Yes it is sad and lonely without those that have gone before but what a reunion we will have one day.  It is something to look forward to not to dread or weep over.

 

                These are just a few of the ones I pray for daily to be spending my eternity with!

                             No matter how much winter tries to hang on spring will come!

Wandering in the Wilderness

  Have you ever been in a classroom, as a child or teenager, that was so disruptive that the teacher gave extra homework to everyone? Even those that were minding their own business. You. Not fair!
  I wonder sometimes how some of the Israelites felt when they were told that they would have to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until the older generation was all dead. That is except for Joshua and Caleb. I think that there were probably others that had tried to obey God and were faithful. Even if there weren't, Joshua and Caleb had to wander around with the rest of them. So because of other peoples' sins or decisions they had to suffer the consequences.
  Sometimes I feel like I am wandering around in the wilderness. I don't think I am being punished. I just don't see any specifics of where I am going. I just keep going from one sand dune to another. When I get to the top of the dunes, I just see more sand. I keep asking God if I will get to go home. I don't mean my heavenly home. Although I have to admit that looks mighty good too. I mean where my heart is now. I am so far away that it feels like years since I have been home. I am missing so much. If I have to wait "40 years" or even just retirement I will miss spending enough time with the grandkids until they are old enough to be too busy, with their own families, to want to spend very much time with me. If I am still here what makes me think I could afford to visit very often on a fixed income. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and I don't know that I would have found anything like it if we would have stayed in IN. I love my church family and the friendships I have made since I have moved here. Some days I don't know if it is worth being away from my family for all of that. I know that I am needed where I am. Maybe like the Children of Israel, I keep looking back at the security of Egypt and wonder why I can't be there. Or maybe I just can't wait to stop wandering and know where I am actually going.
  Faith is not easy. I do trust that God knows what He is doing. I am just one of those people that feel like they have to know what, when, and why. I need to make plans. I need to watch that clock or at least calender. Sigh...I hate that I am so impatient. I am enjoying the ride, really. I like new adventures. If I ever get in a rut I hope someone will just go ahead and fill it in for me and add a headstone.
  I am probably just being whiny because I miss my family so much. Only seeing them a couple times a year is just not doing it for me. My arms and lap feel so empty. I know I will be okay. Doesn't help that I have to spend so much time alone with my Sweetie gone on the road. But I am thankful for the job.
  God is teaching me a lot and I do need the alone time to get closer to Him. We all get so busy with life we miss that relationship a lot. It is why Jesus went into the wilderness alone. To get that close connection with the Father. We need to shut off all those distractions so we can hear what He has to tell us. I hope I am listening with both ears.

Sunday is coming.

A person would think that the larger your family is the less time you would be alone or at least talk to someone. We all have such busy lives, me included. We want to make that call, right that letter, email that person, but by the end of the day we are so tired and already planning what we will do tomorrow that we forget or promise ourselves we will do it tomorrow. I tried to make a point of calling my parents once a week or at least twice a month. I neglected that when the kids were still living at home. Too busy. I feel bad about that now and try hard to not let that happen again. My Mom NEVER calls me. But that is okay, I am the daughter and feel like it should be my obligation to keep that connection. I did always make sure that they knew what the kids were doing as far as sports, plays, concerts, church programs, etc. And I truly am greatful when I am kept in the loop even though I live to far away to go. Just knowing, makes me feel that I am still a part. I still would like to know how my grown children are doing too. I try the phone tag thing. Some will call back and others...well they must be too busy. I guess they don't realize that you never stop being their parent and long to hear their voices but don't want to be a bother. Too busy. I can tell that I am having a big pity party for myself. Being alone on Easter or just being alone is sometimes painful. But feeling like one is totally forgotten is even worse.
  How often do we get too busy to talk to God? After everything that He has done for us, how often do we talk to Him without needing something? Does He long for our communication? How lonly did Jesus feel when all His friends deserted when He needed them most. Then to be on the cross and to be forsaken by God Himself... Makes my lonliness so petty and minor. How can I even compare the two?
I know that God has a plan for me to be here. I always seem to grow more through adversity than through prosperity. Maybe my children and grandchildren have been my "idol" that I had put before God. I think we all have something that we struggle with putting before God. Jobs, family, home, possessions, entertainment, friends, etc.We need to be able to recognize it so we can change our worship.
So many things that I have gone through since I have moved away from my family have brought me to a place I never would have been had I stayed where I was. We need to stop being comfortable where we are and trust God to put us where we need to be to grow, mature, and be useful to Him. It needs to stop being about us and be all about Him. We can never repay the sacrifice that He willing gave. But we can show our love and gratitude by trusting and obeying. No matter how much time I have to spend alone, I know that I am where I am suppose to be. Trusting trusting trusting. Thank God for Friday cause Sunday is coming.

Privacy and Rights

With so much emphasis on our privacy, in America, because of fears of being scammed or our identities being stolen, etc. it really got me thinking how a lot of times our American rights and freedoms get in the way of our Christianity. Case in point...our privacy. I do know that we do have to protect ourselves from people who will take advantage of what we say on social medias. Finding out when we leave on vacations thus robbing our homes and so on. But are we too private? We tend to build a wall around ourselves so high that no one can see in. That way we can hide our faults, our flaws, our sins. We want people to like us, but we don't like ourselves at times. We feel guilty for the stupid, thoughtless, selfish, things that we do, say or think. If others KNEW what we are really like, they wouldn't like us. We give the appearance that it would be almost impossible for anyone to attain our perfection. Not one single person in the Bible, other than Jesus, was made out to be perfect! I believe God chose to show that on purpose. I believe He wanted to prove that it was impossible for anyone to be "good enough" to be holy. If we could, there would be no point in Jesus dying for our sins.
Then there is the idea of our rights. Yes we have rights in America that I cherish. But it stifles us spiritually. It makes us selfish and self-centered. We spend so much time and energy defending our rights that we neglect spreading God's good news that we can be forgiven and adopted by him. I will give up ALL my rights for that privilege!
I am not saying that we need to lay down and be trampled or allow others to be exploited without a fight. I am talking about more minor things. Being disrespected or defending our honor.
Someone said something today that offended me. My first reaction was to explain why I do what I do and why what they said was mean spirited and almost a slap in the face. I thought about blogging on that subject. As the day wore on, I realized that I would only be doing that out of justifying myself. I could possibly offend that person with my blog. I don't want to do that. I want Christ's love to flow through me not, what is my rights, or freedom of speech. When we concentrate on our rights we forget about others.
 I feel like I am rambling on and on. I want so much to impress, we as Christians need to take our walls down. When others can't reach us...we can't reach them either. There isn't anywhere in the Bible that says its okay to be private.

This world is not my home.

After getting word of a friend whose son was killed in a car accident this weekend, a flood of emotions have overcome me. It takes me back to a horrendous time in the life of our family. Back to when our granddaughter and daughter-in-law were killed in a car accident. Some things are distinct and some things are a blur.
I can see the police officers standing at our door, but I don't believe I could recognize those men today. I remember my son falling to his knees, my husband and younger son sobbing, but I don't remember crying. I remember crying a week or two later when I saw my granddaughter's hand-prints on the window where she liked to look outside. It was months before I could finally wash those precious prints off. I ached for my son, I ached for my daughters who were best friends of my daughter-in-law long before my son and her fell in love. I ached to hear my granddaughter say "I see you Grandma." every time I was watching her from behind a camera lens. She would have been 18 this week. I feel sad that I never really got to know my daughter-in-law very well because she was so shy. I know God has a plan for every thing that happens to his children. It is hard to let go and trust Him. For years I had been very fearful for the rest of my family. It is one of the biggest reasons I pray daily for their spiritual life, so that when the end comes we will be together forever in the presence of God. I have gotten better at trusting God to take care of my family, but I still have moments. My heart goes out to my friend and her family. God has a plan for them I know. And sometimes God sends blessings to ease those pains. Like the blessings of my son's remarriage and his precious children that have been added. God is good all the time. This world is NOT my home. Like the song says...'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops, what if Your healing comes through tears, and what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near. What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy. And what if trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights, are Your mercies in disguise.

Relationships and Resolutions

This morning as I was praying for my children and grandchildren I had an epiphany. Tears were welling up as my heart was missing each and every one of them. I love every one of them with my whole heart. I would give my life for any of them. I love them equally! There may be some that would deny that but I know my heart. I do have a closer relationship with some of them more than others. Why is that, because my love is the same? It is because some work on our relationship more than the others. When I am the one that has to do most of the work on a relationship, (which may be just my opinion), it keeps from having the closeness I long for. It doesn't change my love for them, it just keeps us from that intimate relationship.
So here comes the epiphany...is this how God sees it. Is that why King David was "the apple of His eye"? Is that why Abraham was considered a "friend" of God. The Bible never says that God loved them more than the rest of us. But he had a closer relationship with them because they worked on it. It wasn't a once or twice a week communion with God. They longed for a relationship with God almost as much as God longed for a relationship with them. These were VERY flawed humans. A liar, an adulterer, a murderer. But they still desired to be intimate with God. Just them having that desire had to make God's heart sing.
I desire also to have an intimate relationship with God. I know that I am also a VERY flawed human. I know that God loves me as much as He loves anyone else. I know that it won't make Him love me more than He already does. It will make ME love HIM more. I want to be His "friend" and "the apple of His eye". I know it will take work on my part. More digging into His Word. More praying and communing with Him.
My New Years resolution is...to keep striving for that close intimate relationship that I know God longs for, just like I long for with my family...
The love is there, now for the relationship...

Chex Mixes

I love trying new recipes. Not all of them turn out very good. I get so excited when they do. Here are a couple of them that did.

INDIAN SPICED CHEX MIX
3 cups each of Rice, Corn, and Wheat Chex
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup almonds

Mix together in a large microwavable bowl set aside

In a small microwavable bowl melt;
1 1/2 Tbs butter

add:
3 Tbs. light corn syrup
3 Tbs. honey
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cardamom (This is expensive but you can substitute 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg)
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
dash cayenne pepper

Microwave 10 more seconds, stir well, pour over cereal mixture stir well to coat.
Microwave 3 min. stirring after each min.
Spread out on wax paper to cool. Store in airtight container.

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CHILI-LIME CHEX MIX

8 cups Corn chex
1 cup corn nuts
1 cup mini pretzel twists
1 cup corn chips

Mix in large microwavable bowl set aside.

In small microwavable bowl melt;
6 Tbs. butter

Stir in;
1 Tbs. lime juice
1 tsp. lime zest
2 tsps. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Pour over cereal mixture, stirring to coat. Microwave 5-6 mins. stirring every 2 mins. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container.

Ramblings on death/life/love

A friend of mine lost her son this weekend in a terrible car accident. I hurt for her and know that the next year will be some of the hardest trials she will go through. There will be all of those firsts...first Thanksgiving without him...first Christmas...first birthdays...first Mother's day. I need to send up special prayers on those days for her.
From what I have heard, he was a good Christian man, father, husband, son, brother, friend. It just goes to prove that no matter how "good" you are, you can't escape the inevitable, death. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says "for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart."
We mourn because we want to be able to see our loved ones. We don't want them to die and leave us alone. We don't want to feel that emptiness, loneliness, pain. Yes we Christians feel this as much as non-Christians. The difference is, that if our loved ones are also believers, then it is only for a time. We will see them again. Then we will never be apart from them.
 Revelations 21:4 says "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order or things has passed away."
What a wonderful day to look forward to. To have that hope. To have that promise. All of these petty things that irritate us, or hurt our feelings, will be nothing. If they are nothing then, why should they be anything now?
We need to love more, forgive immediately, cherish those around us. Even those that seem unlovable. God loves them, we should too. Let's not ruin the time we have left on this earth being self-centered or embittered by what we think are hurtful things. Just let it go...it means nothing. The gift that God gave us is Jesus. He is what we need to keep our minds on.

Random?

Do we really know what is random? What may appear as random could actually be divine intervention. Now don't get me wrong, I don't believe that every single thing in the universe is pre-planned or what would the point of "free choice" be? I do believe that their are more things than we realize that are results of what we say or what we do. And that many of those decisions we make are rewarded or punished. Not all, the finally reward or punishment will be much later.

Today is my birthday. It had been a good day. Nothing out of the ordinary. The kids called, some of the grand kids texted me or fb me happy b-day. Lots and lots of friends fb me happy b-day. I have been feeling very loved. My hubby was able to spend most of the morning with me. Just a good day.

I went to get a few grocery items that were on sale. I went to the dollar store section of the grocery store. One of my clients has very limited funds and I had been keeping an eye out for a silverware organizer for her. Her silverware was just scattered in a drawer. I knew she wouldn't or couldn't get one. I have also been sneaking over some wooden spoons (she had one with the handle broken to within 2 in. of the bowl.) and measuring spoons and cups. I never tell her that I brought them I just stick them in her drawers.

The prize!!! I found an organizer for only a dollar. I slipped it into my cart, finished shopping, and went to the checkout. While I was waiting for the total, a lady and her little girl of about 7 or 8 went up to the clerk and said, "This little girl wants to do a random act of kindness and pay $10.00 of this lady's grocery bill." I was almost speachless. I said thank you and stood there crying while other people were looking at me. Some of them started crying too.

Was that really random or was God blessing me tenfold for the little minor thing I was doing for someone else? Sometimes its just the little things that make a difference to someone.

A VERY Happy Birthday to me!!!

Memories, regrets, and 8-track tapes

How many of you remember 8-track tapes? I use to have some, but I sold them after I got married as I was down-sizing things to move...and I no longer had an 8-track tape player. This week as I was working, one of my clients pulled out 3 case full of 8-tracks, pulled out a tape and inserted into his huge tape player/radio. Songs that speak to me and take me back to a simpler time. Barry Manilow, Glen Cambell, Johnnie Mathis, Crystal Gayle, Lynn Anderson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Crash Craddock, Bobby Vinton, and many more. My client told me that he had maybe a hundred tapes or more.

Listen to those classics, he started reminiscing. He talked of his teenage years. He was known as the crooner. He sang at dances. Sang at his high school prom. He was voted to be most likely to make it to the hit parade. He had a football scholarship to Michigan state. Lost it in the final game of his senior year with the winning touch down. Got his knee messed up. So instead he joined the marines. He was a POW in Viet Nam, he escaped on his own.

His biggest regret, though, was letting the love of his life slip through his fingers. The music brought it all back to him. I could feel his heartache. It makes one realize that he still has all the same feelings and emotions that we all do.

He told me that he would like to jump in his van, roll his windows down, put an 8-track in the tape player, turn it to blasting, and head to Pennsylvania. Not really something you would expect a man of 75 yrs. to say.

As I watched him talk I could see the years melt away. A light shone in his eyes that allowed me to glimps at the real person inside. It was amazing to see.

My friend, Jan, emailed a poem to me that says it so well. I hope she doesn't mind me using it. Thanks Jan.

"When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in Moosomin, Saskatchewan, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value."
Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distrbuted to every nurse in the hospital. One nurse took her copy to Alberta.
The man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas editition ot the St. Louis Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple but eloquent, poem.
And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging across the Internet."

Crabby Old Man

What do you see nurses?...
...What do you see?
What are you thinking...
...when you're looking at me?
A crabby old man...not very wise,
Uncertain of habit...
with faraway eyes?

Who dribbles his food....
and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice...
'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice...
the things that you do.
And forever is losing...
A sock or a shoe?

Who, resisting or not...
lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding...
...The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking?
...Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse
...you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am...
As I sit here so still,
As I do your bidding,
...As I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of ten...
with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters...
Who love one another.

A young boy of sixteen...
with wings on his feet.
Dreaming that soon now...
...a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at twenty...
...my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows...
that I promise to keep.

At twenty-five, now...
...I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide...
and a secure happy home.
A man of thirty...
My young now grown fast,
bound to each other...
with ties that should last.

At forty, my young sons...
have grown and are gone,
But my woman's beside me,
to see I don't mourn.
At fifty, once more, babies
play 'round my knee,
Again we know children...
My loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me...
my wife is now dead.
I look at the future...
shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing...
young of their own.
And I think of the years...
and the love that I've known.

I'm now an old man...
and nature is cruel.
'Tis jest to make old age...
look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles...
grace and vigor,depart.
There is now a stone...
where I once had a heart

But inside this old carcass...
...a young guy still dwells,
And now and again...
my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys...
I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living...
life over again

I think of the years, all too few...
gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact...
that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people...
...open and see.
Not a crabby old man...
Look closer...see ME!!!

I am where I need to be.

  Last month I got to watch my Grandchildren show livestock at the county fair. It was a week of fun exhaustion. I knew the time would fly by, and it did. We got home late on a Sunday night and off to work the next morning to see my clients and I kept pretty busy.
Last Monday as I got up for work, alone, (Ralph left for Indy the night before.) the rain, which I was very thankful for, put me in a melancholy mood. I read my devotions and prayed, but still felt so lonely. I wanted to be closer to my family. I missed them so much, and missed being more a part of their lives.
  After I got o my first client, my mood changed. He was so glad to see me and even broke out into song. (Which he often does.) After I finished with my second client I realized that I need them as much as they need me. I am where I need to be...for now.

Pickles

I am not really a big pickle fan. Their are really only 2 kinds that I like. Both of them are the ones that my Mom always made. Maybe it is nostalgia but I think it is just that Mom really knows how to make pickles.To keep from losing these wonderful recipes, I am passing it on to you. It is well worth the effort.

Start you own family tradition. I hope you all will try making a batch.

 It really gives me something to do with my extremely prolific cucumber plants.

• BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

1 gal. thinly sliced unpeeled cucumbers (the thinner the better)

8 medium onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup salt

Combine and cover with ice water and let set for 3 hours then drain.

Bring to boil;

4 cups apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

5 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or 1 teaspoon whole cloves

2 tablespoons mustard seeds

When sugar is dissolved add drained cucumbers and onions.

Bring to a rolling boil and can.

LIME PICKLES

7 lbs. cucumbers cut in 1/4 in. slices

MIX;

 2 cups pickling lime with 2 gal. cold water

Soak cucumbers in lime solution 24 hours

RINSE;

well with cold water then cover with cold water and soak 3 hours longer.

BRING TO BOIL;

2 quarts cider vinegar

4 1/2 lbs. white sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 teaspoon mixed pickling spices

DRAIN;

cucumbers and cover with vinegar solution. If needed weight down cucumbers to be sure they are covered. Soak over night. The next day bring everything to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes. Pack in jars and seal.