Years ago I took in a set of four year old twins for awhile since their family was going through a crisis at the time. Since I already had twins I figured it would be a breeze...after all, I already knew all the tricks in the book, right? WRONG! Those two little rascals were the epitome of double trouble! They would kick and bite and cuss and scream to try to get their own way. One of them would repeatedly kick things and say, "You hunk of junk!".
Sometimes I have felt as if God should just give us a swift kick in the rear and say,"You hunk of junk! That's it! I'm done with you, you have messed up too many times, you don't listen to me, your life is shattered beyond repair!"
Instead, He looks down upon us with eyes of compassion and picks us up and starts putting the pieces of our lives back together one by one. He shows us mercy though we don't deserve it. He fixes our lives even if we think they are unrepairable! When other people would so much rather give us a swift kick in the rear and say,"You hunk of junk!" He gently reminds us that He is not finished with us and still has a plan to give us a future. Jer. 29:11 "For I know the thoughts I think toward you,saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
All things Pooh!
Back in the day when I was teaching first and second grade, I read to my class on many occasions from Winnie the Pooh. They of course loved it and who wouldn't with the cute cuddly bear and squeaky character of Piglet by his side? But while I was reading to my students I was noticing that there was a message in Pooh's words; "Words of wisdom." I have gathered together some of my favorite quotes from Pooh . I hope you enjoy them and see the wisdom in them.
"I am a Bear of very little brain and long words bother me."
"The hardest part, is what to leave behind,...It's time to let go!"
"A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference."
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, but the most important thing is, even if we're apart I'll always be with you."
"Rivers know this, there is no hurry. We shall get there someday."
"If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient, It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear."
Saturday, January 29, 2011
A Hug From God
A great big bear hug feels so good at just the right time when you are hurting. It can be just the thing you need to encourage you to keep going. Sometimes no one is available to give us that big hug we so desperately need in our hour of affliction. I have been there many times and can truly say that I have had a hug from God.
I felt His loving arms around me the morning I held my little baby in my arms and knew that the angels had taken him to Heaven. I felt His loving arms around me when my husband decided he no longer wanted to be in my life after eleven years and left me with four children to raise on my own. I felt His loving arms around me even when I went astray and did my own thing and tried to fix things on my own. I felt His loving arms around me when I was rejected by some of my longtime "Christian" friends. I felt His loving arms around me when He gently brought me back to Himself and showed me that nothing I did could ever separate me from His love! I felt His loving arms around me when my husband fell from the ladder and laid on the ground with a brain injury. His strong arms were around me once more when I was betrayed by someone I deeply trusted. His arms have been around me everyday. If you sit and be silent and realize His presence....you too will feel His loving arms. There is no hug like a hug from God!
I felt His loving arms around me the morning I held my little baby in my arms and knew that the angels had taken him to Heaven. I felt His loving arms around me when my husband decided he no longer wanted to be in my life after eleven years and left me with four children to raise on my own. I felt His loving arms around me even when I went astray and did my own thing and tried to fix things on my own. I felt His loving arms around me when I was rejected by some of my longtime "Christian" friends. I felt His loving arms around me when He gently brought me back to Himself and showed me that nothing I did could ever separate me from His love! I felt His loving arms around me when my husband fell from the ladder and laid on the ground with a brain injury. His strong arms were around me once more when I was betrayed by someone I deeply trusted. His arms have been around me everyday. If you sit and be silent and realize His presence....you too will feel His loving arms. There is no hug like a hug from God!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wings As Eagles
One of the many perks of living here in the northwoods is the privilege of seeing eagles soaring freely in the sky above. I was driving down one of our snow covered country roads the other day, feeling so weary and worn out and just feeling like I could barely make it through my day. Right in front of my car came swooping down two eagles right across the road. I had to slow down my car in order to avoid hitting them. Their wing span was enormous and they looked so majestic and confident. They didn't even care that I was a threat. I immediately thought of the fact that God could give me the strength I needed and would help me. Isaiah 40:31 flashed through my brain..."They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Thank God for simple reminders of His presence and His help and strength that we so desperately need each day!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
My Green Pasture: It's The Little Things
My Green Pasture: It's The Little Things: "We all have things from our childhood that are painful to remember and if we dwell on them long enough they eat away at us like a cancer. Ho..."
It's The Little Things
We all have things from our childhood that are painful to remember and if we dwell on them long enough they eat away at us like a cancer. How often do we actually dwell on the good instead? I was thinking on this one day and decided to make a list of all of the little things that I could remember from my childhood that made me happy. I actually surprised myself when I came up with this list and realized that it's the little things in life that can make the difference.
The Little Things I Cherish About My Childhood:
A kind neighbor bringing us Easter Baskets
Watching Batman and Robin on a color TV at my girlfriend's house
Playing Spud after supper with the neighborhood kids
Swimming in a pond
Going with my big brother on his paper route and feeling like his helper
Catching lightning bugs in a jar and then bringing them in my bedroom and turning out the light
Ice skating on a pond in the woods with a bon-fire to warm up by
Tobogganing down the steepest hill I could find
Standing underneath Niagra Falls
Riding on the Fire truck in the 4th of July parade
Getting free samples of chocolate at Hershey Park
Making homemade ice cream
Playing monopoly as a family and eating homemade fudge
Riding my Grandma's bike with my sister at the front and me at the back, going down a very steep hill and being scared to death!
Dancing with my sister to the new Monkees album we got
Going to my friend's house and swimming in her pool
Trick or Treating with our friends and filling pillowcases so full of candy we could barely carry them home
Tagging along with my Dad as he videotaped high school football games
Listening to my friend practise her violin(she now teaches violin lessons to children at a well known conservatory)
An older lady taking me to Vacation Bible School in a Mustang.....to this day, I want a Mustang!
My 10th birthday; it was the only time I had a birthday "Party" and I was allowed to invite some friends
Mom's Apple pies
These are just some of the little things that I came up with and I know there are many more if I let my brain take me there. I challenge you to try it. Put aside some of the hurt and think on some of the little things and if we put enough of the little things together they add up and make us realize....there is much to be thankful for.
The Little Things I Cherish About My Childhood:
A kind neighbor bringing us Easter Baskets
Watching Batman and Robin on a color TV at my girlfriend's house
Playing Spud after supper with the neighborhood kids
Swimming in a pond
Going with my big brother on his paper route and feeling like his helper
Catching lightning bugs in a jar and then bringing them in my bedroom and turning out the light
Ice skating on a pond in the woods with a bon-fire to warm up by
Tobogganing down the steepest hill I could find
Standing underneath Niagra Falls
Riding on the Fire truck in the 4th of July parade
Getting free samples of chocolate at Hershey Park
Making homemade ice cream
Playing monopoly as a family and eating homemade fudge
Riding my Grandma's bike with my sister at the front and me at the back, going down a very steep hill and being scared to death!
Dancing with my sister to the new Monkees album we got
Going to my friend's house and swimming in her pool
Trick or Treating with our friends and filling pillowcases so full of candy we could barely carry them home
Tagging along with my Dad as he videotaped high school football games
Listening to my friend practise her violin(she now teaches violin lessons to children at a well known conservatory)
An older lady taking me to Vacation Bible School in a Mustang.....to this day, I want a Mustang!
My 10th birthday; it was the only time I had a birthday "Party" and I was allowed to invite some friends
Mom's Apple pies
These are just some of the little things that I came up with and I know there are many more if I let my brain take me there. I challenge you to try it. Put aside some of the hurt and think on some of the little things and if we put enough of the little things together they add up and make us realize....there is much to be thankful for.
Twenty-five Years Ago
Twenty-five years ago I was laying on the couch with feet up, ankles swollen, awaiting the arrival of my first set of twins. A C-section was scheduled for February 1st since one of the babies was in a breech position. I was so excited to be having two babies at once yet overwhelmed at the same time. I already had a little toddler at home and she was so helpful and also excited to be having two babies at once! I felt so special.
The day arrived, we went to the hospital and got prepared for the c-section. I chose to be awake during the procedure. I was able to watch the birth on a large mirror positioned above me. I am not sure I would recommend it! Seeing your belly sliced open while you are awake is a bit much! However, when the Dr. removed baby no.1 and then baby no.2, only one minute apart, a sudden rush of joy overwhelmed me. What a miracle and gift from God!
There was a lot of hustle and bustle in the operating room and I heard the Dr. saying they needed to transport baby no.1 to an Intensive Care Unit in another hospital down in Chicago which was an hour away. He was in trouble and in critical condition and may not survive. My heart sunk. I didn't even get to hold him, they just rushed him away. Baby no.2 was stable and was okay at the time but needed oxygen so I could not hold her also. The next thing I knew it was the next day.
I awoke not knowing whether or not baby no.1 had survived the night or not. Soon after awaking a nurse came into my room to tell me that baby no. 2 had also been transported to the Intensive Care Unit in Chicago. I felt so alone and disappointed and my heart was aching for my babies. I wanted so desperately to get to them but there I lay trying to recover as quickly as I could from a C-section. I pleaded with the Dr. to discharge me early so I could go and be with my babies.They gave me a phone number that I could call to get the update on their status but that just was not enough! After only staying in the hospital for three days they discharged me and off I went to Chicago, pain and all.
It was a painful sight to see both of my babies in such a predicament. They both had tubes everywhere and wires and machines of all sorts. I think back to that day and realize that I was only twenty-five at the time. It was a lot to absorb. The Dr. told me that baby no.1 would probably not survive since his lung had collapsed and overall was not doing well. He wanted me to bring in a chaplain and to say good-bye to my baby. I refused! I told him that I was praying for my babies and I was believing that God was going to get them through this. It was an emotional roller-coaster for two weeks as they both struggled to hold onto their little precious lives, but as me and their Dad and the sweet people of our church held them up in prayer, things began to turn around and they began to improve and gain weight and breathe on their own. After two and a half weeks we were able to bring these two babies home. They were born at 28 weeks which is considered premature, but for a twin pregnancy not too bad. They both weighed over 6lbs. which was very good. We were so thankful to have them. In just a few days from now those two babies will celebrate their 25th birthday! That in itself is something to be very thankful for. God is good, all of the time!
The day arrived, we went to the hospital and got prepared for the c-section. I chose to be awake during the procedure. I was able to watch the birth on a large mirror positioned above me. I am not sure I would recommend it! Seeing your belly sliced open while you are awake is a bit much! However, when the Dr. removed baby no.1 and then baby no.2, only one minute apart, a sudden rush of joy overwhelmed me. What a miracle and gift from God!
There was a lot of hustle and bustle in the operating room and I heard the Dr. saying they needed to transport baby no.1 to an Intensive Care Unit in another hospital down in Chicago which was an hour away. He was in trouble and in critical condition and may not survive. My heart sunk. I didn't even get to hold him, they just rushed him away. Baby no.2 was stable and was okay at the time but needed oxygen so I could not hold her also. The next thing I knew it was the next day.
I awoke not knowing whether or not baby no.1 had survived the night or not. Soon after awaking a nurse came into my room to tell me that baby no. 2 had also been transported to the Intensive Care Unit in Chicago. I felt so alone and disappointed and my heart was aching for my babies. I wanted so desperately to get to them but there I lay trying to recover as quickly as I could from a C-section. I pleaded with the Dr. to discharge me early so I could go and be with my babies.They gave me a phone number that I could call to get the update on their status but that just was not enough! After only staying in the hospital for three days they discharged me and off I went to Chicago, pain and all.
It was a painful sight to see both of my babies in such a predicament. They both had tubes everywhere and wires and machines of all sorts. I think back to that day and realize that I was only twenty-five at the time. It was a lot to absorb. The Dr. told me that baby no.1 would probably not survive since his lung had collapsed and overall was not doing well. He wanted me to bring in a chaplain and to say good-bye to my baby. I refused! I told him that I was praying for my babies and I was believing that God was going to get them through this. It was an emotional roller-coaster for two weeks as they both struggled to hold onto their little precious lives, but as me and their Dad and the sweet people of our church held them up in prayer, things began to turn around and they began to improve and gain weight and breathe on their own. After two and a half weeks we were able to bring these two babies home. They were born at 28 weeks which is considered premature, but for a twin pregnancy not too bad. They both weighed over 6lbs. which was very good. We were so thankful to have them. In just a few days from now those two babies will celebrate their 25th birthday! That in itself is something to be very thankful for. God is good, all of the time!
Just A Few Random Things About Me
I have always loved kids and animals.
I would rather live in the country any day than deal with the hustle and bustle of city life!
I love yellow roses! There is something hopeful and peaceful about them.
I would do anything to get a Butterfinger! Not really, but almost that desperate at times!
My two favorite places are Lubec,Maine and Campobello,NB.
I have had twins twice.
I love tubing down a river.
I love to write.
I love country decor and like making country signs out of old barn boards.
I have to start my day with coffee and prayer!! A double dose of both!
I really hate winter as far as the cold is concerned but love the beauty of it.
I have forgiven people in the past who have hurt me who in other's eyes probably didn't deserve to be forgiven, but I figure that I don't deserve to be forgiven,yet I have been by God.
I love to cook but wish I had a maid to come behind me and clean up my mess!
I have never had much money but have learned to make do with what I have and to be a blessing to others however I can.
I have experienced sorrow,disappointment, rejection, betrayal, abandonment, and yet know that I have a best friend who has never left my side.
I am a leader, not a follower; therefore people who are naturally manipulative generally do not "like" me, since I am not so easy to manipulate to their way of thinking!
I think my happiest days were teaching my first graders.
Well, enough said about me for now... you will get to know me a lot more from my future posts....
I would rather live in the country any day than deal with the hustle and bustle of city life!
I love yellow roses! There is something hopeful and peaceful about them.
I would do anything to get a Butterfinger! Not really, but almost that desperate at times!
My two favorite places are Lubec,Maine and Campobello,NB.
I have had twins twice.
I love tubing down a river.
I love to write.
I love country decor and like making country signs out of old barn boards.
I have to start my day with coffee and prayer!! A double dose of both!
I really hate winter as far as the cold is concerned but love the beauty of it.
I have forgiven people in the past who have hurt me who in other's eyes probably didn't deserve to be forgiven, but I figure that I don't deserve to be forgiven,yet I have been by God.
I love to cook but wish I had a maid to come behind me and clean up my mess!
I have never had much money but have learned to make do with what I have and to be a blessing to others however I can.
I have experienced sorrow,disappointment, rejection, betrayal, abandonment, and yet know that I have a best friend who has never left my side.
I am a leader, not a follower; therefore people who are naturally manipulative generally do not "like" me, since I am not so easy to manipulate to their way of thinking!
I think my happiest days were teaching my first graders.
Well, enough said about me for now... you will get to know me a lot more from my future posts....
A Place Of Rest
There is that place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God. When I lay my head down upon my pillow each night after an emotionally tiring day, I close my eyes and quote Psalm 23:"The Lord is MY shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for His names sake. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
I have found my "green pasture" that the Lord has given me. It is a place of complete rest and peace for me. It is when I am alone with my thoughts and pen and paper. I have many experiences of which to write about that God has brought me through by His grace and strength. I have kept them inside for way too long. I hope that by sharing them I can inspire others to never give up but to cling to the Hope that is in Him alone.
I have found my "green pasture" that the Lord has given me. It is a place of complete rest and peace for me. It is when I am alone with my thoughts and pen and paper. I have many experiences of which to write about that God has brought me through by His grace and strength. I have kept them inside for way too long. I hope that by sharing them I can inspire others to never give up but to cling to the Hope that is in Him alone.
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