The Book of Esther does not mention the name of God within its pages, but He is apparent throughout the entire story. It is a story of patience – waiting for God’s will to be accomplished – and faith that His will is going to be done. Several years ago, I wrote a musical play based on this amazing account of a woman who had her patience tested, who was placed in a beauty contest of sorts – spent a year in the harem of the king while her own people were living in slavery outside the palace. She was born for that particular time and God had great plans for her life. Read this amazing story when you can. It’s a beautiful testament to waiting for God, being patient in your waiting and trusting that His will is going to be done.
These are the lyrics I wrote for the song “Waiting,” with music written by Sarah Siegler those many years ago. I have often had to remind myself of the words. We all have a reason to be alive when we are. God will use us to continue His story.
My God, you have placed me here for a reason.
I don’t know what it is.
I wish I knew your plan for me.
I know I should be patient,
But my mind is filled with fear.
I sit and wait and wonder why.
Why have you chosen ME to be in this place?
Am I the one who must make sure that your work is done?
I know that with you I can do anything.
I will always trust in you.
You are the God of my people.
Just help me to understand what you would have me do.
It’s hard to wait, Lord. It’s so hard to wait.
I give to you my all.
Use me as you will.
I trust in your direction for my life.
I know I am your instrument
And you will guide my way.
Even when the world is closing in on us, we can rest assured that God has plans for each of us to accomplish during our lifetime. This is your time!
Mother’s Day has come and gone, but I’m concerned about how much parenting has changed over my lifetime. I’ve seen women go through a time of total submission to complete domination in the course of only some fifty years. They are now doing more jobs than ever before. Not only are they taking care of the family’s physical needs, social involvement, building character, but also things like putting food on the table with money they’re earning at high paying jobs. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m concerned that with all the changes over time, we’re also seeing alterations to the family unit. There are reasons for those changes. Change is sometimes good. Change can also cause confusion and stress.
Being a mom is a life-changing, life-long and life-giving experience. It doesn’t end with the labor in the delivery room. The work just begins there. Moms soon find they are no longer the center of their own universe. Once that new life enters yours, you become totally committed to it. A mother often puts her child first. A mother’s love is unconditional. It can be inspiring. She can cause mountains to move with her encouragement. She can take pride in a job well done. She can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Wait – wrong super-hero. Anyone would want the job, right? What you don’t always hear about may have you thinking twice before entering into this facet of life.
Moms must be available 24/7. Your life will now consist of changing diapers and wiping little bottoms. You will be expected to listen to every word they have to say and every demand they make. You will transport them to every sporting event, concert, dance recital, or drama class until they are old enough to drive themselves. Then you will pray incessantly until they return home. You will cry every time they get hurt. You will defend them if anyone says a negative thing about them. You will give up and clean their rooms after you’ve asked them to do it at least a hundred times. You will support them, encourage them, believe in them.
You will get angry with them. You will be discouraged with their behavior. You will wait your turn to use the bathroom only to be joined by them during that precious quiet time, because they want to be with you. You will read to them, sing to them, teach them, praise them, thank them, be proud of them even when they don’t succeed. You will discipline them even when you don’t want to. You will set rules for them even when they don’t want them.
What are the benefits? You will see sparkles in their eyes when they understand things. You will get goose bumps when they score their first goal. You’ll watch a life develop and become more than you ever dreamed it would. You will melt when they put their arms around you and say, “I love you, mom.” You will be proud, joyful, amazed and extremely gratified for a job well done. You will be thankful for the blessed opportunity to help create a life and watch it grow into an adult who may go through the same satisfying experience. You will always love them, and they will love you back – because you are a mom.
I’m not suggesting that women return to the status they held many years ago. I truly believe that God created men and women to be equal – to be helpers and companions – to trust in God to keep the family together. Single parent families can still produce good results, but there needs to be a balance when it comes to raising children. Therefore, it isn’t intended to be a one-person job. When God instituted marriage, he created one man and one woman to produce children – thus the first family. When God is at the head, everything else falls into place.
Almost six years ago, we were in the throes of looking for a new house. Time was running out and we felt like we’d never find our next dwelling place. Memories of another time, when our world caved in. It was 24 years prior to that. Paul’s business suffered from the recession of 1990, and he was forced to close his doors and declare bankruptcy. We lost everything, except for our faith that God would provide. He indeed did. He found a house through a friend of ours. It was, what I called our restoration house. We lived there for many years, and it helped us to rebuild and start over. God is so good.
So, six years ago, we bought the house in the above picture. It was the last house we looked at before our time was up. Paul literally fell to his knees when he saw it. It is a charming old farmhouse. Nothing like what we planned for. We wanted a house in the country and this one is in the center of town, next to a busy highway. We didn’t want stairs and this one is a two story. We wanted two bathrooms and this one has only one – which is nowhere near the bedroom. Still the house was convenient to everything and for a couple years seemed to be the ideal place for us. We were close to church, close to our daughter and her family, near shopping centers and in an active arts community.
When the pandemic came, we were isolated for a while and muddled through the next two and a half years. When life returned to a semi-normal state, we again ventured out, but saw an extreme change in people. They had grown bitter, angry, hateful at times, introverted and so much more. Being in solitary confinement can do that to a person. As time progresses, life is getting back on track, but our sweet little neighborhood has turned into a noisy one, with all kinds of difficult issues. The highway next to us is under construction and part of our backyard will eventually be removed. A homeless girl was taken in by our neighbor. Since then, there has been suspicious activity at that house and the one across the street from us. Our little farm on the highway has either suffered the effects of the pandemic, or we have become narrow minded and old. We used to love looking out our side window at the wildlife and birds. We still do, but the wildlife doesn’t include birds and critters anymore.
I did get a good medical report yesterday, however, and I am good to go for another six months. God is still good and always will be. He has always been the consistent in our lives.
I am at the age where a “wellness check” is filed with questions like, “do you feel safe at home?” or “look at these three words and I’ll ask you to remember them at the end of the exam.” I will have my blood drawn and the numbers will be checked to see if I’m on the right dosage of medication. I do feel safe at home, except when I’m asked to think about it. I can’t remember what I went into another room for when I get there, so I wonder if I’ll remember those three words. I will discuss my knee which is making it difficult for me to walk. I will ask for a prescription for a handicapped sticker, so I won’t have to walk so far from the parking lot to wherever I’m going. I will admit to having trouble hearing, if I can’t hear what the doc has to say to me. Another six-month exam and I’ll be good to go for another six-month exam.
The joys of aging are limitless. I’ve spoken about the many challenges we face as we grow older, but truth be told, the only reason I go to the doctor twice a year is because I really like my doctor and like to see her twice a year to catch up on things.
When you get older, the little things become big. Like whether or not you have a bowel movement each day. Can you get out of bed without groaning? Can you eat what you used to? Are your arms going to get anymore wrinkled than they already are? Will gravity continue to play tricks with your body? If I had known what I know now, I would’ve opted out long ago. I have discovered that living doesn’t end when we get older. We can still continue doing so, if we don’t fall into the trap of feeling useless. We will have a purpose for every minute left for us, as long as we keep our minds active and useful to others. We can use the wisdom we’ve gained over the years to encourage those who have old age to look forward to.
So, off I go for my semi-annual medical exam. I’ll say a little prayer that everything is still functioning the way it should. I’ll feel good when I discover that it is. I’ll come home refreshed by my conversation with my doc and two hours later, I’ll start worrying about another ache or pain. Such is the life of me.
I guess it’s OK to have a bad day, but I hate it when I’m the one having it. I know that things will be better tomorrow, but while I’m experiencing self-doubt, worry, fear, sadness or anxiety, I feel like I’m in the pits and it would be better to be just left alone.
That’s one of the times I need to get in touch with my Savior again. He has promised to take away all my sorrow. He has suffered every human ailment and emotion known to man, but He has taken it even further. He laid down His life as the final sacrifice to atone for all my sins. When I think about that, my measly problems don’t seem so important anymore. I know that there will be days that aren’t perfect. I know I’m not going to be a cheerful, fun-loving person all the time, but I also know that even though moments like that are normal, I have a friend who will lift me up again. There is no greater friend than Jesus.
When you feel alone, know that Jesus is right beside you. He conquered death. He took our sins away. He gives us hope for another day here on earth and the promise of eternity with Him. So, live today, filled with anticipation knowing that you’re in His caring hands.
When we started our humble garden at the house we bought almost six years ago, I had lamented the fact that it lacked the beautiful garden we left at our old house. So, we began building some new ones. As those six years have sapped much of our energy, we sometimes wonder why we ever did so, but as you can see, the results were lovely this year. It takes time to create a garden. You want to make sure the weeds don’t get in the way and choke out the good plants. You strive to keep up with them, but sometimes they wheedle their way in, no matter how hard you try.
Our lives are like a garden sometimes. We plod along, grow, mature and get burdened and entangled by the weeds of living. The negative emotions creep in like Creeping Charlie and tug at your heart and soul. The events of the day can strangle the life out of you and turn you into nothing but a withered mess. The things within our own neighborhoods, which lead us into wondering and straying from the truth are also ways we can be tempted into a bad place. Corruption abounds in all areas of our garden of life. We can try to get rid of those weeds, but they always return to haunt us and bring us down.
We do have a perfect solution to the problem. It’s not anything we can do by ourselves. Our God has provided the right amount of the necessary elements to produce a life that is filled with beauty. He loves us with more love than we deserve. He looks at our battered condition, our weathered souls and the weeds that have overtaken us through our sin, but He doesn’t see them anymore. All He can see is Jesus and the work He completed on our behalf. I look forward to the day when I meet Him face to face – to walk through His perfect garden – to live forever, because of what God’s Son did so unselfishly for me. He died for all of us, you know. He did so as the Master Gardener of our souls.
“Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most.” Uncle Hub – “Second Hand Lions.”
I love the movie, “Second Hand Lions,” with Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osment. It’s about two old codgers who won’t give up on life, even though they’re reaching that point in their existence. They use their own experiences and adventures to shape the life of a long lost nephew and continue to pursue life’s adventures until they finally died with their boots on flying a handmade airplane over their barn. The adventures undoubtedly didn’t end for these fellows. They lived exciting lives – achieved love and success – continued to do the things that made them the men they had become until that last day on earth, but I am convinced the adventure was just about to begin for them.
When I think about my own demise or that of my husband, I can’t help but feel a sense of empathy for these guys. The two of us have had many wonderful and sometimes frightening adventures. We’ve been blessed to continue doing the work we love\ and feel like we won’t ever quit working, because of that. God has given us a wonderful promise for a future with Him. We look forward to that day of talking face to face with our Creator. We know with surity that our salvation has been won for us by God’s precious Son, Jesus. We also know that if we stop living, we will surely die. So this doesn’t mean we’re on a fast train to death. We just want to live every remaining minute on this earth with a zest and passion for what we love doing and how God can use us through the gifts He has given us.
This world is full of tragedy, pain, suffering, addiction, loneliness, hate and so much more. It’s not a fun place to be right now, but if we allow those negative feelings to overtake us, we have no hope for a better future. So our careers will not be over for a while. Who knows, Paul may still be painting beautiful art and I may be writing stories in eternity, because God knows how much we love doing those things.
Senior citizens have longer life spans now. We have access to medical miracles to keep us healthy. We are getting replacements for body parts, can look years youger, (makeup does wonders) and fill our time with things we enjoy doing or by being a mentor to those who want the wisdom of our years. Even though we may be slowly decaying and falling apart, God has great plans for us. Until we pass from life to death, to new life, our time of grace is another of His gifts to us. It’s a time to share our Savior’s love with others. Then we can truly die with our boots on.
2 Corinthians 4:16 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Queen of England yucking it up with her kid, but there it is. Even though the Queen had little to do with the actual parenting of her children,, at least she laughedwith them on occasion. Parenting is no laughing matter, but if you don’t have a good sense of humor, you will soon wind up in the loony bin along with a lot of other parents.
I remember an occasion when I’d purchased some yummy looking cream puffs as a special treat for the family. They burned a pretty good hole in the weekly budget. Upon the first bite, it was obvious that they weren’t as good as they looked. What ensued would raise some eyebrows. I don’t know who exactly started it, but whipped cream was flying all over the place and cream puff shells became ballistic missiles. We eventually took the hilarious pie slinging outside, but in the meantime our dog was having a blast in the house with the uneaten dessert. This isn’t something I’d normally condone, but we laughed and laughed for quite a while during and after this episode. It was spontaneous, genuine laughter that left our sides and faces hurting. It’s good for kids to see your humorous side – your ability to have fun – your humanity. Of course there still has to be that balance of being the one in charge.
It makes us feel good to laugh. There’s nothing like the sound of a child’s laughter, or the toothless guffaw from an older adult. Somewhere in between, we sometimes forget the power of a good chuckle So much energy is spent on negativity, that there’s barely time for a good belly laugh. When we get mired in the humdrum of the every day, no amount of Botox is going to lift that face. Instilling a sense of humor in your children will give them hope for the future.
“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Each day comes with a new challenge. We may be staring at danger – hopelessness – fear – anxiety. Our hearts may be filled with anger because of the state of our country. We could be angry by all the violence in our cities, Even though we think our anger is righteous, how do we approach God with a heart of stone?
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” How true. Anger is not only a negative emotion, it’s non-productive. When we’re angry our adrenaline starts to pump, our demeanor changes, our body language is altered, we are irrational and thoughtless. How can we pray with these things going on in our head?
I think this is probably one of the best times to pray. Prayer is a time for us to bring all our cares, our fears, our frustrations and anger along with our thanksgiving and praise. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask God to help us with all our struggles. In fact He invites us to do so. The Psalms are filled with many examples of David’s lashing out in anger through his prayers. He rails against his enemies. He shouts for their destruction and screams for vengeance. That doesn’t normally fit the Christian view of turning the other cheek, but it surely demonstrates the close relationship David had with God. He didn’t hold back. He told it like it was and God gave him peace through his prayers.
We have been invited to turn to our Creator in all circumstances. He knows everything about us. He knows our fears and doubts as well as all of our weaknesses. He perceives our deepest thoughts and He loves us in spite of them.
Thank you, dear Lord, for your invitation to call on you in every trouble. You are the only One who truly knows what’s going on in my heart and mind. You lift me up when I’m down; you encourage me when I have doubts; you stay with me when I’m lonely or fearful; you love me with a love I can never understand. Knowing that, I have confidence that you will accept my prayers – even when I’m angry. Amen!
Some days I wake up wondering if my prayers will ever be answered. I have doubts and fears about my future and what God has planned for me. I think that He doesn’t hear me when I pray and that my prayers are too insignificant for Him. He has trillions of prayers to answer every second. Why would He listen to me?
Doubt is a terrible thing, because it creeps into your every waking moment and infects your heart more than any known disease man has ever known. The devil would like us to believe that God doesn’t exist and that we are in charge of our own destiny. He loves it when one of God’s children loses faith and starts to rely on himself. We must be on guard every moment. When those days of doubt come, I pray that the Holy Spirit will give me peace in the knowledge that God is listening, and He will answer my prayers in His way and on his timeline. Even though I may not realize it, He has already answered them before I open my mouth to pray.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8
I’ve purposefully been avoiding the news, but turn it on occasionally when I need a weather update. I did so yesterday and my avoidance of the ugliness in this world woke me to a striking reminder of the state of our country. I won’t go on and on about the negative news, the innapropriate behavior, the craziness that has become normal, but want instead to talk about the rest of the day.
As I saw stories unfold about mass shootings – senseless loss of life – illegal fireworks being strewn across the streets of Minneapolis on what was supposed to be a celebration of our country’s birth – a neighbor who has been abused and used by a homeless young woman to the point of his not accepting the fact that she is an addict – sadness abounding all around me – friends struggling with life threatening diseases – the words of a hymn popped into my head. “Jesus, Savior, Pilot me.” It’s an old hymn, written by John Edgar Gould (1822-1875), a Bangor, Maine, native who was a composer, publisher, and merchant in New York City. It’s funny how those old hymns pop into my head from time to time. Maybe it’s because I’m getting closer to reaching heaven. Maybe, the songs we learned as children have more meaning to us as we grow old. The last verse of this lovely hymn is as follows:
Though death’s valley I may pass, Still Thy grace will fear surpass; In Thy presence I will rest, And, while leaning on Thy breast, I will hear Thee say to me, “Fear not, I will pilot thee.
As those words whirled around in my head, another problem surfaced. Paul and I went to his doctor and discovered that he needed an emergency surgery. I could see my Pilot guiding the entire situation. It took no time at all to get through to the doctor – to schedule an appointment and to get to the hospital for the surgery all within a few hours. The words of that last verse were an assurance that God is still in control, even though everything around me seemed to be falling apart. When we trust in His unfailing love and guidance, we can make it through any storm, no matter how treacherous or hopeless it may seem. Trust in His protection. He is there for us in all circumstances. We can’t change our circumstances, but we can have hope for a much better future when we are guided by the Master.
Paul is recovering well. I know this is just another chapter in our journey together. I am confident that God will use this and everything that happens in our lives, to fulfill His will for us. I can rest in that knowledge.
All he wanted was a little more. The orphan, Oliver Twist, had been sentenced to an orphanage at a young age. To ask for seconds was a big “‘no, no!” He was lucky to get what he got. At least that’s the way the story goes. Still, the image of a hungry child is often too much to bear and we give in to those mournful eyes. We, as good parents, want our children to be filled and nourished.
As we grow older our desire for more becomes apparent in many ways. When we’re children we can’t wait to grow up; when we’re teens we can’t wait to get our driver’s license; when we’re in our twenties we can’t wait to move out on our own; then we can’t wait until we’re married, successful and finally retired. Even when we retire, we can’t wait for something. It’s like that commercial where the kids are talking about what it means to want MORE. What we want in life is what motivates us, but what we want after this life is even more important.
I want to go to heaven and I know that God has made that possible for me. I want all my friends to join me there someday, but I don’t know if that will happen. We all need to ask for MORE mercy from God, because we live in a world still controlled by sin. I pray that when the time comes, we will all be ready, because that is where the MORE is waiting for us.There will be no MORE tears, no MORE suffering, no MORE anixiety, depression, lonlieness. God has given us MORE than we deserve. He has blessed us with MORE than we need, because He loves us MORE than anyone else could possibly love us. Do you want MORE in your life? Do you want the assurance of MORE after death? Are you willing to accept this wonderful gift from God? Just ask Him.
Today is one of celebration for our country, as we honor our independence from tyrannical rule on July 4, 1776. Flags will be raised, parades held, firework displays will explode to re-announce our freedom. Do we know what it’s all about?
I decided to read through the actual Declaration of Independence in its entirety. Most of us are familiar with the preamble – “When in the course of human events …” But the rest of the words aren’t usually read, but they ring true in many ways today. Our founding fathers were brilliant in their construction of this document. They presented their case for independence from King George and the British Empire in a very clear way.
The first pieces of evidence against the king:
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.”
Those are only a few of their complaints. I would advise all Americans to read the rest of this endictment. Many things those early colonists faced are once again happening in our country. I’m not suggesting another revolution, but I think it’s important for us to go back and look at our beginnings in order to heal our land.
The final statement of this important document says it all.
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
When the United States declared its independence over 200 years ago, the words were carefully thought out and determined by men of character, high moral conduct and intelligence. The words which have stood the test of time, begin with the title, “We the people.” not “We, the smartest, richest, the most popular, or those who have power.”
We the people, means you and me – the ones who live and work in this country – the ones who cherish the Constitution – those who would die to keep its precepts.
Unfortunately our country has had to fight a tyrant more ferocious than King George III. His name is Satan and he’s made a mockery of our founding fathers in the last few generations. He’s twisted the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness to mean whatever makes you feel good. He’s altered the very core of those ideas to fit what is politically acceptable to everyone. Thus we are plagued with greed, malice, lack of trust, neighbor fighting against neighbor, turf wars, and scandals in the very government that our founders fought for – and that’s just the beginning.
I love America, even though I don’t like what’s happening to her, I will always take pride in the words of that old document and for the lives that were lost defending its values. Read it to your children on July 4th and explain what our and their freedom really means. They need to know what was so proudly fought for.
Most of the younger generation won’t get this joke, but for me it was the begining of the end for the respect I normally had for our presidents. In this post from 2018, it seems that not much has changed in this regard. If nothing else it’s worsened and the popularity of wanting to become a presidential candidate can only be obtained by one who is not really designed to be a president. It takes one with a strong ego – someone who isn’t immune to criminal activity or deal making – one who will sell his or her soul to the devil, for the eventual job. Since it’s TBT, I thought I”d share it agin. Let’s see if things have gotten better or worse.
I’m old enough to remember the scandal of Watergate and realize that our government was not as pure as I thought it was. I was in early adulthood and a first time voter for a man who turned conspiracy, secrecy and betrayal into an every day occurrence in the United States. Today it has grown into a standard for those in politics. It seems the more scandal there is, the more popular the one who is creating it. It’s really sad to an old woman like me to see the destruction of what we once held to be epitome of public office – the president of this great country. I won’t stand still for what has turned into an ugly, corrupt state of affairs. None of us should. I believe that America is worth fighting for and right now we are in the fight of the century.
In the movie, “Mr.Smith Goes to Washington,” Jimmy Stewart became an overnight success. The story was a slam dunk against the Senate and an undermining of an innocent man. Joseph Kennedy, Sr. stated that the movie would “damage America’s prestige in England.” The film actually showed the effects of one man standing against a broken system.
There are plenty of us grass roots Americans that are sick and tired of politics as usual and the seeming Mafia type tactics that have overtaken our politicians during the past several years. Each election has us engaged in a political circus that has two very different, but equally corrupt people running for office. On the other hand, we have two political parties that are desperately broken and our country is suffering because of poor leadership. Have we become so apathetic that we cannot be bothered by the silliness of politics? Have we given up easily because it’s out of our realm to be involved?
We need another Mr. Smith to go to Washington and stand up to the powers that be. We need to return to our core values as a nation. We need to stand up for those values and not cave to politic al correctness. By doing so, we are allowing our country to be flushed down the toilet.We’re told to pray for our leaders and trust that God has instituted government for our benefit. One person cannot change what’s happening in our political arena today, but one person has made it possible for us to realize that in the end, God wins Our salvation was won at a great price Our country can be won back by the people, only if they let their voices be heard.
Does becoming a senior citizen mean that our days of usefulness are over? I hope not. So far I’ve been blessed with a sound mind, except when I’m dreaming or creating a new piece of work; and I’m physically sound, except for the extra 20 pounds I’m lugging around.
God has words concerning the elderly throughout the Bible. Some of the wisest men lived well into their hundreds. I think that age is not looked on with the same respect that it was in ancient times or with certain cultures today. In these times of unrest and uncertainty, we need the wisdom that the older generation has to offer. Being mentors to the young – sharing our life experiences – lending words encouragement and inspiration – lifting up those who feel they’ve failed – are all ways in which we can still be useful in our senior years.
When we retire from the work force, we tend to feel useless. Part of our identity has been eliminated. Our lifestyle changes and our dreams of a work-free life have fizzled into having no purpose. When that happens to us, all other sorts of problems arise We feel a little sorry for ourselves and dwell on our health issues more. We give up doing things with friends. We isolate. We begin to forget things. Without that purpose for living we lose another twenty years or so without actually living them. The truth is we have a lifetime of experiences, learning and knowledge that we can share with the younger generation.
I am hopeful that by example we can teach others in our age bracket that our lives don’t end with each trip around the sun. Each day is a new beginning and we need to make the most of every one of them. Join a class on something you never had time to do when you were working. Volunteer as an older big brother. Share your stories with youngsters. Grandparents are often separated from the grandchildren and that relationship is very important to both generations. Use your talents to write a book, paint a picture, create, teach, learn new things and to reach out to others. When we stop living – we quickly die. I believe the knowledge and experience we’ve acquired in our lifetimes can still be of great benefit to society today. Let’s not underestimate what we can contribute to others’ life journeys. It took a long time for you to get here, so don’t waste what remains of your own life.
“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old. You grow old when you stop laughing.” – George Bernard Shaw
The father of our country, George Washington, was right in his quote, “In time of peace, prepare for war.” Our heavenly Father wants us to be ready for the battles we face too. Every day is a battle in some ways. We’re called upon to make decisions and choices that will affect our future here on earth as well as our life beyond the grave. Sometimes we’re asked to take chances that seem impossible to manage.
The toddler is taking a big risk when he leaves the comfort of his parent’s arms and takes his first steps. When a child rides his bike on the road alone for the first time, he is opening the door to new opportunity. As we get older, we will face various hazards in life. We continue our education without knowing if we’ll be able to pay back student loans. We enter the work force with doubts about our ability to do the job. We get married without knowing what lies ahead. We make investments in real estate, a business and the stock market without having any guarantees. When life is drawing to a close, we might take some foolish risks in order to empty our bucket list.
Joshua was told by God to be strong and courageous as he began his military commission, just as we should remain strong and courageous in our walk with God. He has promised to be with us in everything we do. Should we take chances in life or should we sit on the fence and wait for someone else to take care of us? God has promised to be with us when we call on Him for help. It’s so easy and yet sometimes so hard. Whatever battle you are facing tody – be aware that you are not alone. When you walk with God, you have the most competent general leading you.
Help me, Lord to look to you for everything I do in this life. You are my strong defense and with you all things are possible. Amen!
As I reach the end of my years, I find I have a lot of good information stored up in this old decrepit mind of mine. If I don't write it all down, it may vanish and no one will have the advantage of my thoughts. This is why this blog exists. I love the Lord, Jesus with all my heart and soul. I know I'm undeserving of all He's done for me, but I also know that His love is beyond my comprehension.
I've always wanted to write. I never kept diaries, but tucked my thoughts in my head for future reference. I use them now in creating stories, plays, poetry and my blog.
I continue to learn every day. I believe the compilation of our time spent with God will have huge affect on the way we live. I know I'm a sinner and I need a Savior. I have One through Jesus, Christ.
My book, "Stages - a memoir," is about the seven stages of life from the perspective of a woman. It addresses all the things girls and women go through in life as they travel it with Jesus, and it is available on Amazon.com.
