Fall Leaves

Image from: http://www.uppermac.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/fall-leaves.jpg

Leaves swirl around my feet

Blaze with living Fire toward the sky

Carpet of magnificence

Most Beautiful,

Passion transcending the Normal

Giving their Best, in one more Burst of

Remarkable, Furious Glory

Before they turn Brown

Carried to Rest by the wind

Crunching crisply in satisfaction

For they have, in their very existence

Shown the Beauty of Your Love,

Green with Promise,

Glorious in Sacrifice

Content with Perfect Peace of Completion

Winter’s sleep will only lead

To New Life once again

And there will be trees in Heaven

 

C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-I-O-N

I have tried all day to add a wedding picture to no avail-It certainly would have been a beautiful object lesson to these words but..... They are a beautiful couple inside  and out. I've seen how they love, encourage, support, advocate and protect each other and how they whole-heartedly undergird each others gifts and passions.

A few friends were gathered together the other evening just sharing and enjoying community. A circle prayer  ended a pleasant time. As we were praying,I was standing across from this couple and I remembered their wedding and how this beautiful bride beamed into the face of her beloved and how his face was awash with love and tenderness. What I am about to share is the glimpse  that I caught in that moment. This may cause one to say "duh" but---I learned something new and hope I can communicate the same. This couples actions and interactions speak so much of  love.And yet---how much more....God--








We are children of the most High God and We know we are the bride-elect of Jesus Christ .And that is "the who" but the snippet was of the "why role". Some had shared this during the evening about the authority that God gave man in the garden-to name and subdue.And that the reference on subdue interprets as "To act as managers who have the authority to run everything as God planned."




And now the "Bridegroom" has gone to a far country as the story goes.He's busy building us a Home so that we can be together forever.And meanwhile...

His bride-while missing him dearly spends time with him and beholds him daily because He is the center of her life, and carries on HIS business while he is away. She manages (as He would---in HIS stead) the people he has put in her life, the gifts he has endowed her with to do the tasks he has given her, the people he brings across her path and the provision he has provided for her. She is also learning to trust him realizing she is NOT alone as he is with her and will be her strength, refuge and stability when things are tough.

The ability "to walk this life out" is in the beholding of Him and the "listening to His guidance" . And the realization that she is "Partnering with Jesus-her Lover". She discovers and it is endearing to her that he "overshadows her with love and protection" and it delights her to find out that He sings over her. And her pathway is strewn with His favor and His blessings and His promises. He is faithful!




She firmly believes that one day they will be together forever and in the remembering.......the joy of looking on His face......the look in His eyes expressing HIS loving kindness to her (and all mankind) that is from everlasting to everlasting.




And then the  intimate tone of His voice when she arrives at the marriage supper of the Lamb and He looks at us with a Love that we cannot even imagine or measure  and with pride in His voice says "Well Done" I entrusted you with managing my ministry in the earth, and because I and my Beloved are one, people saw you but ultimately saw me and we pulled it off-together-WE DID GOOD!!!!!!  Let's Par-TY!!!!!!

Fur

    I love the feel of fur, I always have. I do not have issues with a fur coat. I do not wish to harm animals simply for their fur, either. I just love the soft feel, the joy that the fur bearing animal gets from a human being petting them, and the mutual admiration between human and pet.
    I have been missing my dog horribly lately. Especially after one evening recently, when I saw two little reflective items beside the road while driving home in the dark. I slowed down, then I stopped, when I saw the reflections came from a small Beagle dog beside the road. It became confused and darted into the road. Thankfully, I had all but stopped, then I put my car in the middle of both lanes, so as to be an obstacle for other passers by not to harm the dog. It looked back curiously. I waved my hand so as to direct it to the side. It looked back again, and then went into the field, off of the road toward a home on the hill, hopefully, back to it's loving family.
    I wondered if the one who killed my precious dog Scooby felt badly at all. It was early in the morning, about 6ish. They probably barely saw him. Were on their way, to or from work, and did not intend for harm to come. I carry not ill feelings, it was just Scooby's time to go. I simply hope to see him in heaven again. I know, I know! I have heard all the sermons, it has been drilled into my head that animals don't go to heaven, or do they? The bible speaks of the new heaven and earth with animals in it. That the Lion will lie down with the lamb. I want a black panther for a pet. I have long admired them, and would love to pet one, but I'm not an idiot. I can wait till the new earth thanks.
    A friend once asked me these questions, "do animals have souls?" I said, "no!" She asked, "do they have a mind?" I said, "yes." "Do they have a will"? I said, "oh yeah!" She further asked, "do they have emotions?" I said, "ah yeah!" She said, "then they have a soul, because those are the three parts of a soul and the very definition thereof." All life is in God's hands, and for Him to decide the fate of each. So, here's hoping Scooby-Doo will be waiting for me in heaven, jumping and frolicking around when I get there, just waiting for me. Just so I can pet his fur.

We have this hope....

 

 I am traveling home from New Jersey after attending my second funeral in 4 days time.  The first one was for the beloved father of my dear friend who also happens to be my brother in law. It was my first experience of a Catholic service, and it was a beautiful, ceremonial tribute to the life and legacy of a wonderful man.
  The service today was for my husband's uncle. Also a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. The service was simple and emotional as daughter and granddaughter spoke through tears about their great love for this man.
   Both services paved the way for families to come together. Brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandchildren.....some who haven't seen each other for years.  Even though life has taken these families in many separate directions, they dropped everything to come together. To be together. Any differences were left at the door and exchanged for fond memories.
  Both services spoke of hope. Hope that family bonds are strong no matter what life throws at them. Hope that our family members have merely stepped out of this world into heaven. Hope that because of the grace of a mighty Savior we have the opportunity to see them again.

My Not-A-Child

As you grow older

Don’t grow Away from me

As you reach for shining stars

Don’t make me watch you from afar

Freedom doesn’t have to be Alone

Travel far… remember Home

Now that you are growing strong

I would love to come along

Some time spent, just me and you

Now that growing up is through

Let you Go, I will and Must

Try those wings! And Soar…it’s Just

That when you go, you take my Heart

I think of you when we’re apart

I love your smile, your thoughts, your dreams

So when life is too hard, it seems

Then know that I’ll be waiting still

Open arms, for you to fill

As it was when you were small,

“Together” is the Best of all

I wonder?????

Sometimes I engage in mind numbing activity that takes no thought at all! Like getting into my car and roaming the countryside for miles far and wide, or dreaming of moving to a place that would exude with beauty and infuse me with a sense of wonder and delight. Or fancying wandering the isle of an antique store to discover a rare find...a beauty in and of itself. Or better yet, thinking of all the people who owe me money, and they all of a sudden decided to repay me!   I muse and drift....fearing that if I THINK I may want to curse the mundane in which I live, and try to tell God I am R-E-A-D-Y now for the adventure!

 But then I contemplated ....What if I awakened and really embraced today? Could I be grateful that today while eating lunch a young lady approached me and just needed to chat? Could I be filled with thanksgiving knowing that I had given good care to a patient who had gone home months ago, but had recently died,  and his wife called my job and asked if someone would please let me know because, "She cared for the whole family, even the dog, and we just wanted her to know?"  

 

Or, what about the gift of Sweetie. The dog that showed up on the porch, even after I said I would never own another dog, after the passing of mine two years ago. Last night I was feeling so estranged and alone. I sat down at the computer about five feet from where Sweetie was sitting on the love seat. She jumped down. I heard a scuffling. She tugged and pulled until she got the afghan off the cushion and drug it on the floor positioning it next to me, as if she understood my feelings. She then went and got her bone and ball and brought them to her newly made pallet by my side...content!  I then realized that each day does have its gifts and treasures. Sometimes they come in small drops, other times a cup full, or sometimes even basketfuls! The important thing, however, is to be aware enough that you can embrace them....and give thanks!
Thank you Lord!

A Love Story and A Legacy

This morning we celebrated the life and legacy of my beloved father-in-love.  As the family has come together over the past few days, I have loved sitting and listening to the memories coming forth from each of my husband's five siblings, his mother, and other friends and family members.  Although I heard the story many times, I sat down with my mother-in-love and asked her to tell me again about how she met her husband.  
She and a few girlfriends had gone to the Frostburg American Legion one evening, as they often did. One of her friends, who was very shy, saw a young sailor across the room and asked, "Rosalie, will you go ask him to buy tickets to take me to the Glenn Miller concert?"  Rosalie, who is not shy at all, agreed.  However, when she asked him, he said "I will buy the tickets if YOU will go with me."  Rosalie told him that she couldn't do that, so he said, "Why not? Do you think you're too good for me?"  Of course, she denied it, and told him that the other girl wanted to go with him.  He told her that he did not like the other girl and that he wanted to take her.  Rosalie looked around and discovered that her friend had gone home in a huff and left her stranded there.  When she told Lowell, he told her that he would drive her home if she agreed to go to the Glenn Miller concert with him.  She did, and they dated for awhile before they married and began to establish their own home and family.
My father-in-love grew up without knowing his own father, and spent part of his life being raised by the local firefighters in the area.  In spite of this, he became a very dedicated family man, and raised six children who loved and honored him.  He spent his time working at his career, contributing to his community, and teaching his children the value of hard work and how to be a good father.  Lowell lived out a quiet yet rock-solid faith.  My husband gave the message at the funeral today, and he made the statement that his father was proof that you did not need to know a father to be a father.  He had reasons related to his past to be a less than stellar father, but he put all that behind him to reach for that higher calling, and my husband was able to honestly say that he does not have one bad memory of his father.  His brother shared how it was a high honor rather than an insult when someone would try to anger him by saying, "You're just like your father."  What greater legacy could you leave than that? 

Vitamins or Not?

    I take vitamins. My past logic has been, if one is good, then 5 is better. Well, that logic has gotten me into to trouble many times. So, I have revised my actions to only increasing slowly and one at a time. My husband thinks I take entirely too many vitamins. So, to test his hypothesis, I stopped taking all but calcium/magnesium, for my heart & wrestles legs syndrome, and CLA to help me loose weight. At first I was fine. Then I started having issues. My heart raced, I was tired, I was grinding my teeth and I just felt like total crap. So, instead of taking everything again, I took a few I thought would help. I talked to my boss, who happens to be a doctor, and asked if my thyroid could make my heart race & zap my energy. He said yes, but I already knew the answer would be yes. He also said it is good not to take away vitamins all at once or introduce a lot of them at the same time without a doctors direction. O.K. that would have been good information to have last week! Thank you husband Paul!
    If I take something I don't need, I am wasting money or causing a reaction I may not want. If I need something I am not taking, my health is not as excellent. Wouldn't it be nice to go straight to an all knowing source to ask, "What do I need to take?" Well, ya can. I just forget God told me to ask Him, or I think He won't answer. Sometimes He answers by telling me through and article, or a friend that has a problem I am researching for them, but it helps me too. Sometimes God gives me a craving for a particular food I need to eat. Other times, I go to a doctor that tells me, "Take this or do that." God uses all kinds of methods to direct us to what we need. So, should I take vitamins or not? I'm asking God this time. He is the only physician that knows all.
    Mathew 7:7-11 Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened unto you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son asks for bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?