Pebbles with a Purpose

   Yesterday, my middle son, Jason, whom is deployed in Afghanistan, called home. I look forward to each call, but for some reason, had him on my mind the evening before and. when I heard his voice, I  cried. I know he will come home. My fears are mother- fears. I want him to be happy. I want him to be warm. I want him to be full and I never, ever, want him to be lonely.
I rest assured he is in God's protective embrace.
   Prior to deploying, I made sure he had packed the Bible I marked for him to take to boot camp. It had the same passages I had marked for his eldest brother when he too, left for boot camp. Joseph had the occasion to begin a study group for recruits and I had high hopes for Jason and his Bible as well! Armed with these passages:
 ~ John 3:16
 ~ The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12
 ~ The 10 Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17)
  I also marked several familiar "children's stories" for the boys. Stories that when read as men, are much more than stories - they become promises.
   Jason is a corpsman and he is stationed in a remote region with a rather small contingent of Americans at a joint base with Georgians. It is not a glamorous base and because they are small in number, a Chaplain is not among them on a regular basis. It was important to me to remind Jason that the patients he saw might need much more than their wounds tended to - he might be called to provide succor for their souls as well.
  Jason is in an extreme situation, which we may never encounter, however, many ill winds swirl around us today. It is easy to focus on war and economics, crime and pollution, politicians and loneliness. There are no easy answers. Some days, I would like to withdraw completely, but I feel that each of us are pebbles. PEBBLES WITH A PURPOSE.
   While here on earth, we are called to be kind to each other - in minute and not so minute ways - making small ripples in our pond and sometimes large SPLASHES by our gentleness and loving. The catch is, we, for the most part, NEVER know when we ripple or splash!
  We just find the courage to carry on through the truth we KNOW about God's love that it is miraculously and flawlessly given to us to pass to others. It is a promise kept with no strings. Everyday. Just for YOU. Pass it on.

"I HAVE LOVED YOU WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE. I HAVE DRAWN YOU WITH LOVING-KINDNESS." Jeremiah 31:3

Respect For Authority

On our way again!

Today marks almost five years since I have written in this blog...FIVE years! I have appreciated all of the comments and questions I have received via my inbox regarding the previous posts and believe me...during my illness, they were a God send! So much of a writer's life is spent in the dark, wondering if anyone actually READS what you write, and if they DO, does it make an impact of any sort, so thank you, faithful readers.
In the last five years, I have collected grandchildren (7), pictures of grandchildren (millions), blessings (far too many to count), and many stories to share. Please join me once again on my journey and we will travel together!

Forgiveness

My Soul Waits for the Lord

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

- Psalms 130: 1-8

I am in mourning.
The morning of the Virginia Tech murders my first instinct was to call my daughter, away at school,and make sure she was alright - a move that made her laugh as only a college student can shrug off her parents delusional worries.
Yes, I mourn for the victims in this horrific incident - but I mourn for ALL the victims.
What about "the shooter's" family?
Even though the network news has run the tinist details to the point of mental exhaustion on the subject,we still know nothing of this family. The family who had no doubt sent their beloved son to school, proud, in the relaxed sort of way you get when your children go off to school - your work almost completed in a very difficult stage of development. What of them?
These parents who woke up one morning, probably in fear, to find there was a gunman loose on the Virginia Tech Campus.Did they call their son to see if he was alright? Did they sit by the phone, paralyzed with fear because they couldn't contact him? What of these parents?
..And what of Cho Seung-Hui, "the shooter"? (How I hate that moniker, used by network news agencies to discount the worth of this life, as well.) What in his background - his homelife, his childhood would lead to this?
I will pray again today for those lost; and I will also pray for Cho - for the demons in life that drove him to this end, he who was lost BEFORE the shootings;and for his grieving parents.

Liberation

FIRST STEPS OF THE DAY

As I take my first step,
My foot kisses the floor.
With gratitude to the earth,
I walk in liberation.

- Andrew Weiss

How many of us are truly grateful for what we have been given?
I have asked quite a few people lately if they feel they are an optimist or pessimist and I couldn't find one person who thought they were a pessimist - yet the negative language abounds!
If I had any influence over a day, I'd ban certain words and phrases -
along with their mindsets - phrases such as "I CAN'T," & "IF ONLY,"
"I'm NOT SMART (RICH, WHITE, BLACK, FEMALE, MALE, ) ENOUGH TO...,"
"It's Impossible!" Negative words such as stupid, bad,can't, never, etc. They all con notate a negative state of mind!
These phrases and words do nothing to benefit us, to make us see the possibilities instead of the imposibilities!
What you speak, you will think and what you think will become embedded
upon your heart.
If you make it a habit to speak & think positive,
happy thoughts, good and blessings will follow. The impossible will
become possible and your earthly load will be lightened in every
context of the word; Many stresses will be obsolete and your brief stay
on this earthly vessel will be filled with kindness and cheer.
What would you choose - a life filled with possibilities, or impossibilities? Lightness, or Dark?
A brief tale of possibilities:
While my mother lie in a hospital bed,with a cancer that had jumped from her lymphnodes to travel and invade almost every area of her body, most notably, it
had spread up her spine paralyzing her, I never heard a discouraging
word pass her lips.
Just the other day my sister and I spoke about a scene that had
imprinted upon our hearts: Strolling into her hospital room for a visit, both my sister and I were surprised to see a new addition to her room: Mom had a chart - one she had made to track her PHYSICAL THERAPY and roped out her journey to BE ABLE TO WALK AGAIN!
I asked my sister what her initial reaction was and amazingly, it was
identical to mine - we had to squelch the rolling of the eyes and the teenager's monotone "right, mom..." that was on our lips.
Mom was smiling. She was
always smiling. She BELIEVED! I'd like to tell you that her belief
turned into a long and happy life, her children, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren by her side. I can't.
What I can tell you is that although she had faced the reality of this spreading illness in her body - and knew the consequences only too well,she faced those consequences not with despair or futility, but with hope, grace and determination.
Mom inspired others, but non more so than her own daughters. She
made her life happier, more content because she stayed in charge of her
illness - it never defined her or limited her dreams. In those closing moments of her life, she chose to model a strength of character I've rarely seen since.
As Christians, don't we owe that contentment, that joy for life to ourselves and to those around us?
Today, be truly grateful, open your eyes wide and drink in the wonderful abundances you have!

The Good Samaritan

When Sympathy Isn't Enough
Sometimes, prayer and kind words alone don't cut it. We need to get our hands dirty to help others.
By Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson

After completing my morning devotionals, I hopped on the computer this morning to find this quote with a short story attached to it, delivered to my inbox yesterday, but never opened. Reading the quote and story made me think about what we'd spoken about just the other day - good works getting us into heaven.
This reiterated the need for action on behalf of others by Christians. The beliefnet.com passage was quoted out of Romans, I believe, but I think maybe this brings us back to our early Sunday School teachings: The parable of the Good Samaritan.
If we, as professed Christians,see someone in need and quote Bibical platitudes, but travel on, our faith means nothing... it is empty.
Works and faith are so intrically intertwined that seeing someone in need, demands action.
Our faith calls us to action on behalf of others. Little things like stooping to pick something up for an elderly person, or visiting someone in mourning can mean the world to them.
Many clinics, food kitchens, shelters, etc. need volunteers to cut grass, man phones, check in patients, feed the hungry in YOUR area. Will you respond today? Make it a family affair. Let your children develop the sense of giving early and role model for them. We've volunteered many places as a family.The gift you give will be received with such joyous graciousness, it will make your soul sing!

Our Cross To Bear

Our Cross-To Bear

Remember, you are only an instrument.Not yours to decide how or when or where you act.I plan all that. Make yourself very fit to do my work.All that hinders you must be cured.
~A.J. Russell in GOD CALLING

I was reminded this morning while reading my devotionals that each one of us was commanded to pick up the cross and follow Christ.
Each one of us, in our own way, has our own cross to bear in life. It may be many things – but one thing is clear: The burdens we endure are all for naught.
Perhaps our biggest burden is one of conscience – we are unable to do as instructed – to leave all of our burdens at the foot of his cross.
What does it take to be able to follow – wholly – his commandments to let his love and wisdom shine through and guide each moment of our lives? Submission; the realization that we cannot bear our burdens alone; a complete loss of self in decision making.
Every day we make decisions based upon what we think is right – without taking it to Christ. Oddly enough, we then expect God’s approval on our decisions.
This Easter season, my challenge is clear: to honor Christ’s sacrifice by trusting in him fully and leaving all of my burdens at the foot of his cross once and for all.

Hands in Praise

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by
works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us
to do.”
Ephesians 2:8-10

A controversy still brews over Christians and good works. Will good works get you into
heaven? NO. style="font-weight:bold;">
Ephesians 2:1-10 states outright that doing good deeds will not give you redemption for your transgressions. Only God’s grace is capable of giving you pardon and once that pardon is received, no amount of good deeds can keep you in God’s favor.
Why then do so many Christians do good deeds? Why the mission trips, the teaching in local Sunday School classes, small deeds such as taking an elderly neighbor her paper in the morning or stopping to help a stranded traveler?
If done as an out growth of our faith, these deeds come easily and naturally each day
of our lives; without fanfare, without reward, these are the tasks which bring joy. To the outside world in today’s society, many think it pointless to go out of their way for a stranger – sometimes even for family members, but this is a direct accusation of their character.
Good deeds preformed by our hands are our
daily praise to Our Father. With our hands, we worship him through our
deeds.

Where Do You Find Beauty?

Beauty...sometimes takes the form of a white cloud, and goes dancing over the green fields or the deep blue sea, where her misty form, marked out in a momentary darkness, looks like the passing shadow of an angel's wing.
-G. A. Sala,
"Beauty of the Universe"

Some will argue beauty is a fleeting thing and worship the days of youth; it's days of lineless-glowing skin, long-flowing, vibrantly colored hair and smooth-graceful movements...and to what end do we go to preserve this youth?

I prefer the honest face: one worn with soft wisdom, complete with lines of laughter, hair bearing the trials and tribulations of life, gentle, understanding and non-judgemental eyes.

I wonder at times: those that seek to cover the signs of passing youth, do they cover it in vanity? Do they cover the scars of their youth in deception, ashamed of what their face tells others?

We can plump our lips, color our hair and fill in the lines of knowledge learned, good and bad, but we can never hide what truly matters: the beauty of the soul. Our soul where we have internalized our lessons learned. In the end, it is God who will decide who among us is truly beautiful; looking inside to find that beautiful, misty form of a growing spirit, touched by his love and made perfectly beautiful in grace.

Faith for Tomorrow

All that I have seen teaches me
to trust the Creator
for what I have not seen.
~Unknown

It
is still early and my son and I have shoveled twice today. The snow
continues to fly outside in the face of the warm and inviting fire
inside. As tempting as it is to wallow in the depression that sometimes
is February, I am thankful for each snowflake.
For within each snowflake is the promise of spring.
As
it warms up and the snow gives way to warmer days and spring rains, we
will, as a collective human race, curse the rain that darkens the
spring skies.
What an impatient, short sighted bunch we are!
If
the spring rains never fell, the sounds of splashing and joyful
laughter would never have a chance to mount it's song over the land.
It
is a horrible truth though - in our darkest days, humans can never see
the light; and in our darkest trials and tribulations, it seems we
sometimes fail to see love andhappiness we seek, even though it is thinly disguised in a different season.
The ironic, deep truth of it all is this:
The things we never see - the spring in the midst of winter,
the bright summer in the midst of monsoon springs,
are always before us -
right where they've always been -
our challenge is to trust in He who created us
to make the sun visible to human eyes unable to
see the warmth and light of that promise deep within us
even in the depths of cold night.

A Stranger's Kindness

A stranger's kindness spans the years!

As children, we are all taught the parable of the Good Samaritin. Few of us rarely put those words of wisdom to action in our own lives. During one of my darkest days, a group of men and women showed such love and kindness, it has rippled through my life and memories for more than 25 years.

Fleeing an abusive marriage and hesitant to confide in anyone and admit that things were perhaps not perfect in my life, I ran to the only person who I felt I could turn to without recrimination: my sister.
On the way from Southern California to South Carolina, by bus with an 8-month-old child in tow, I became seriously ill. I couldn't breath. I was nauseous and I was hungry. For the bus trip, (I believe it to be about 4-5 days), I had brought plenty of food, diapers, and formula for my daughter, but had only a few snack items for myself - and no money. I just had to get away!
By the time we reached Birmingham, Alabama for an extended layover, I got off the bus, hoping to get a drink of water and regain my equilibrium. Instead, station authorities became concerned and called 911.
Paramedics and firemen swarmed the bus station and I was the object of much unwanted attention as they administered oxygen and pleaded with me to go with them to the hospital. My breathing and vital signs were not stable. (Later, it would turn out I had pneumonia and would be hospitalized for more than one week to recover.)
I told them I would only go - if they could guarantee I could keep my child with me - she was young, the light of my life and we were in a strange city, surrounded by strangers and I was very afraid...I had taken a Marine's daughter across state lines and was sure he would follow.
Sadly, they told me the baby would have to go to foster care - and I would have to go to court to get her back when released! NO! I couldn't leave her - and I refused any additional help.
The bus was boarding and one of the EMT's asked me if I would like him to get me something to eat quickly to take back to the bus. No, I answered, I had no money, but thank you. Emt's carried the baby to the bus and helped me reboard with a few whispered comments to the bus driver before leaving. I remember feeling completely adrift and beaten down. Depressed, hungry and sick with another 2-days on the bus.
Minutes later, the EMT reappeared, food in hand.
I was over come with emotion - someone cared! As I began to cry, with his other hand, he withdrew money from his pocket and pressed it into my hand. The money - what seemed a fortune to me at the time - about $60 - was collected from the EMT's and Firemen who came to assist me in the first place!
Tears blur what I remember of this man’s face. What I do remember clearly, is the kindness and love of the civil servants from Birmingham; this is what remains after all these years.
What a beautiful testimony and gift was given to me that day!
I can't help but think this has a deeper life lesson for us all: When we assist others selflessly, in the course of a normal day, what lives on is not the clothes we wear, the car we drive or the amount of money we accumulate. What lives on - and is truly the essence of our faith - is the love we have shared.
In my walk, I strive to pass on the love shared to me; in the hopes it will ripple through someone's memory over time and create yet more ripples of love for someone else.