Monday's Letters

As an anniversary gift to S, last year I began writing him a letter in a journal every Monday. Sometimes, life got in the way, i.e. hospitalization, out of town trips, etc. but I always tried to make sure that some time that week that I wrote him a letter.

Sometimes the letters were about the week we had shared, things that had happened, ways he had blessed my heart (just to name a few). Always, always, the letter included what made him so special to me and how God had used him to bless me and others.

As I readied for bed last night I put my glass of water on my nightstand and saw the journal that I had forgotten to wrap and give him as part of his anniversary gift. I rushed (okay, truth be known, I hobbled) into the den and handed him the journal. He looked at me and immediately asked, "What's this?" I explained to him what it was and why I was giving it it him. He was so touched that for a few moments he didn't speak. I offered to continue to write my Monday letters if he wanted me to do so. He did. So, kids of ours, long after we are gone and you find this lavendar journal with a shadow-box framed "S" on the cover, you are invited to read what I've written.

And, know this...love is not something that is borrowed, bought or even traded...it is a gift - freely given. Your dad has blessed me, loved me and cared for me for 40 years. Isn't that something!

A long time ago I gave your dad an ID bracelet. Inscribed on the inside is a scripture that still holds today..."The mountains may pass away but my love will never die."

Yes, All Over Again

Today is not just Sunday. It is S & my 40th anniversary. Today was my first day back to church after an absence due to surgery. Before S began his sermon he said that he was going to take a moment of personal priviledge. It was then he began to tell of his love of me and how he loved me more today that he did the day he married me. People began to turn and look at me (yes, I was blushing) and then at the end of his comments, the church broke out in applaude. How I love this man!!!!

Would I not only pledge but freely give my heart and life to him again? Absolutely!!!! Today as we bowed our heads at lunch S thanked God for the wonderful 40 years we had shared together and asked God for 40 more. To that, I gave a resounding, "Amen!"

My Hero

I love this pic of my man! This is who he really is...he is fun loving, tender...all the things that make my heart swell when he enters the room.

And...he is steadfast...

The steadfastness of his love and care as been my lifeline since the beginning of year. First my mom was ill and diagnosed with altzheimer's disease. Thankfully, we learned that it was not altzheimer's but a problem with her medication. We give thanks to God for this awesome discovery and so glad that Mother is all right and will be with us for a very long time!!

Within 2 months of Mother's incorrect diagnosis, my sister, C, became seriously ill. For a while we were not sure she would live and if so, not sure how fully restored she would be.

And now, after all these months, we are still waiting for my sister, C., to be restored. Since the very beginning of all this, my man has, every day and every night, been there...not only for me and our children, but for my sister's family as well. He continues to pour out the love that fills his heart as though it has no end. I know that it is his love of Jesus that enables him to do this with seemingly ease and grace. I know that God's Holy Spirit rests upon his shoulders and gives him the strength to minister and love God's people.

When my man stands before our congretation and brings the message God's has laid on his heart, there is no doubt that he was listening to God. This man, of almost 40 years of marriage, is the love of my life and the prince of my dreams.

I am so blessed that he is mine and I am his...amazing!!!!!!

Sisters

No telling when this picture was taken, only know that the picture was taken at my dad's home at Christmas. It seems so long ago and so miles and memories have come and gone since then.

This week my sister, C, called me. Not literally picked up the phone and dialed my number, but her son, J, dialed for her. This happened because J asked my sister, C, if she could identify who was in a picture that he showed her. She said that she could and said it was, "it is my sister." Then J asked her if she knew my name and she said, "Yes, it's S." J then asked if she wanted to call me and she did, so he did! The sound of her voice immediately brought tears to my eyes. How I had longed her hear her voice. We visited for a little while and then she grew tired and needed to go. Just a week previously, I had called her cell phone and her husband was unable to get the call so her voice mail picked up. I immedately began to cry but through it all, thanked my brother-in-law for not answering the phone so that I could hear her voice once again. We both wept at that!

So, this week has been a good week. Not only could she remember my name, she remembered that we are sisters!!!

Thanks so much for your prayers! God is most definitely responding to them!!!! C continues to improve each day!

A Good Day in the Kingdom!

It has been a good day in the Kingdom. Can't help but smile! Want to thank you all for your prayers. Please know that they are working!!!

Received a call from J (my sister's oldest son) late yesterday afternoon. J had just spent time with C (my sister) and wanted to give me the latest update. It was good news!!! R (Joey's wife) had cut out my family's picture from a Christmas card they had received. She also has other pictures on C's cork board to help remind C who we are. C is learning to distinguish family from hospital staff.

J said that every time he is with C, he plays the DVD he made for C years ago. It is a slide presentation set to music and so well done. A+ J!!! As the slides past in front of C, J would ask, "Mom, who is that?" Some were of C when she was quite young and she would respond, "That's me." There was one from when they were in Homer, LA, and when Joey asked if she knew who that was, C responded, "C A." For those of you know that was C's Louisiana name when she lived in Homer. No one in Kansas or Wyoming knew Carol by that name. She did get confused a couple of times with photos of her son and with her husband, but overall she did well. Then J showed my sister the picture of my family. He asked her to point to Aunt S. She did!!!!! He then asked her to point to Uncle S...she did~!!!! Then he asked her to point out my three grown children and she was able to do so. He went back to me and asked if she knew who I was. She said, "Yes, she is my blood!"

J went on to say that it is hard to understand how the mind works...meaning that when shown a picture of someone and given a name, that she can point to you but not be able to say...who you are or what relation you are. Although it sounds like it isn't much, trust me, this is progress and we celebrate every milestone C makes.

One thing in talking with C's speech therapist was about Christian music. As I told J, Colorado is not known for its' Bible belt beliefs. However, her therapist was intrigued when I told her about how I had given some friends and C (who were all teachers) instrumental cd's that were Christian music set to symphony music. L, you remember how it impacted your class. C, when she played the music in her reading class, found it worked there, too. The children were not only calmer, more centered and focused. They also not only read better but retained and comprehended what they read. When I told the therapist about this, she was really interested and wanted me to send the cd's right away. They are going to use these in C's therapy sessions. Is God good or what???

I reminded J yesterday that C knows who Jesus is and that she is there NOT by accident. That God has a plan and that people will learn more about Him just by their family being there and seeing how they work through this crisis with the help of prayer of a healing God!

Will keep you posted. I have been sending J pictures, cards, etc. even a prayer shawl from our church for C. J is always thrilled to get the pictures and other treasures. When he was telling me about my family's picture, he said, "Aunt S, there are a lot of people in that picture!" I laughed and said I know! It was just our immediate family but that's what happens when you pray the prayer of Jabez!

Recovery from this viral encephalitis is very slow and the doctors still are not able to say how much or to how long it will take for C to fully recover. Due to the rareness of this occurrence in people, the doctors are not able to gauge what is "normal" or to what extent C will recover. Each person recovers at his/her own pace and in totally individual as to what to long term or permanent recovery looks like. But...we do know that prayer works. C is improving each day and that is due to your prayers. Keep them coming! Be encouraged!!!

A Necklace Strung by a Princess

Not long ago I was asked to speak at a women's luncheon. It was several hours away from home so I was packed and head west to my God assignment. The luncheon went well. I told my honey that no one threw tomatoes (which could have happened since some had salads). It was, as always, a time that God not only wrote the talk but stood their lovingly beside me and supported me. For those of you that know we well, you know that I am not the "up front" person in our family. So when God calls me out and off the bleachers (my cheering position for my family members) I am trusting solely in God's provision and faithfulness. He never fails to be faithful to the call.

The next day after the speaking engagement I spent it with some of our family in the town where I was speaking. My husband came in and went spent the night there so that we could join a family celebration we had been invited to attend.

While getting dressed one of our granddaughters wanted to help me dress. This is a "special time" I have with my grandgirls. They watch me put on my makeup and we visit and sometimes if parents say it all right, they get a make-up do as well.

I had just put on my Daughters of the King cross necklace when one of my granddaughters asked is she could string a necklace for me to wear that day. Of course she could!!! She asked if she could put it on for me, which she did. I loved the selection and wore it proudly all day.

After the celebration, my honey and I head back east since we had our contemporary worship service to attend. Both of us are on the music team and my honey was preaching that night.

It wasn't until I arrived home and sat at my dressing table that I noted the necklace that my granddaughter had strung for me. When I looked in the mirror and saw it, it truly took my breath away. There it was so simple yet so powerful was 2 crosses with a heart in the middle. As I placed my hand over the necklace my heart soared and I truly couldn't speak. It was amazing that this young daughter of the Most High King would place the items on the necklace in the order she did...a heart with a cross on either side.

So long ago on a lonely hill there were two crosses with "love" in the middle. I couldn't help but smile as I thought of the scripture in Isaiah which says, "And a little child shall lead them."

If we listen and pay close attention to our children and grandchildren, they are speaking and re-inacting love of God for each of us. Let us not be so busy with our day-to-day activities that we miss this simple but eternal acts of love!

A Gift of Time

Somehow when you are young, you are convinced that your parents are REALLY old. As you approach your teenage years, you wonder how in the world they found themselves out of the rain. As you continued to mature, you were amazed at the manner in which your parents’ intelligence has grown with leaps and bounds. How did they get so smart so quickly? Who knew???
Then, as if overnight, you look into the faces of your parents and think; they are too young to leave you. Where has time gone? It seems in today’s world “time” is truly something we feel there is never enough of it for us.
In a word search of the scriptures, I found that God has a lot to say about “time.” The word “time” is used over 771 times in the Old and New Testament. And, the words, “proper time” are used 11 times in the Old and New Testament.
As I studied the scriptures, it seemed to me that only God or Jesus deems what is “proper time” and what the Kingdom of God is like. In the 4th chapter of Mark, Jesus tells parables to explain what our future home is like.
Several weeks ago I received the call that no child wants to receive…my mom was very ill and I needed to come home. As I drove home there were so many things that God and I discussed in the hours in our time together. My hope was that it was not as bad as it seemed or sounded and that my mom would be okay.
When I arrived in Louisiana I found my mom “not okay.” She was not well at all and as I held her in my arms, I feared that she was leaving our family. My job assigned to me by my siblings was to be the “discerner.” My sister lives in Kansas and is a teacher. If mom was stable, my sister would not make the 9-hour drive home. However, the next morning when Mother was admitted to the hospital, I called my sister and asked her to come home.
My step-father was done. His strength and energy had long been expended from the care of my mother. My sister and I opted to stay at the hospital to give him a much needed rest. Once my sister arrived, my mom was thrilled to have her children (2 girls and 2 boys) there with her. Her health rallied and her joy seemed to gain with every conversation and every visitor. Over the next few days, Mom was quite the celebrity. Her sister came in from out-of-town; our son who lives within a couple of hours drive came to see “Mama Gal.” To our amazement the activity of family and friends seemed to strengthen her. She didn’t know why we were all with her, just that we were and she was thankful to have us there and the time to be together.
Mother was discharged after a couple of days stay and before midnight that day of her discharge, she was re-admitted through the ER. Again, we sent our stepfather home to sleep and my sister and I stayed with mother at the hospital. In the wee hours of the morning during this particular stay, my mother began to stir. I sat up in my chair to check on my sister who was sleeping soundly. In the stillness of the night I sat in my chair and watched my mom move.
At first, her hands went up toward the ceiling. I watched her with great interest as I did not understand what was she was doing Then, I realized Mother was worshipping. Her hands would go up as if to say, “I exalt You!” Then, her hands would come together as though she was praying and she would bring her hands down upon her chest to rest in the praying hands position. I watched for quiet a while and finally thought I’d check to see if Mother was awake. On tiptoes, I inched quietly to Mother’s bedside to see if her eyes were open…they were. She looked over and smiled at me. I asked if she were okay and she said that she was. I patted her arm and returned to my chair to watch Mother. Then, she began to gather from thin air what appeared to be strands of something. She would pull them together, braid them, and hold the item out to inspect her work and then she would smile with pleasure. Then, she would repeat the process over and over. Not being able to stand it any longer, I went back over to find Mother’s eyes open and her fully awake. I asked if she were okay and she smiled and said, “Yes.” Then, she looked down at her hands (she was holding something so precious) and said, “Look, Sandy, isn’t it beautiful?” I looked at her empty hands and said, “Yes, Mother, it is…but what is it?” Mother looked like I must be kidding and then said, “Well, Sandy, it’s praise!” She went on to say, “I love to praise God!”
Her words caught my breath and I sat down beside Mother on her bed and asked her to describe what she was seeing. She held “her praise” with such tenderness and began to describe what it looked like. She said, “Its dark emerald green and it has silver threads running through it. It shimmers with shiny lights. It appeared to me that she was holding almost a loop that had an opening in the middle of it. Because, Mother went on to say, “It has a hole in the center where a key fits and the key turns the lock in the door.” I asked Mother what was behind the door and again, she looked like I must be kidding and replied, “Well, Sandy, it’s more praise!” By that time, my cheeks must have looked like I had underground sprinkler system on full blast because my face was soaked. I looked over to see my sister awake and reaching across Mother’s bed to hand me tissues.
The three of us, my mother, my sister and me became lost to time. I remember thanking my mother for teaching me about Jesus. My mother humbly said, “Well, Sandy, that’s my job…that is what a mother is supposed to do.” My sister, mom and I spent the rest of our time together sharing our faith and letting each other hear from the other two how precious she was to the others. After a time, I asked my mom if she were tired and needed to sleep. She replied, “No, I have so much to think about.” After a while, she spoke, “I want you girls to know that my life as been like a journey down a road lined with flowers.”
There is no doubt in our minds that God gave the three of us (my mother, my sister and me) a “Gift of Time.” In the middle of the night, God deemed it a “proper time” for our mother to share her faith and allow us the opportunity to share what an impact she had made on our faith and in our lives. And, it was important for us to hear from someone who has seen what the Kingdom looks like. We believe that in that moment Mother saw a glimpse of Heaven and what praise really looks like.
There is a song sung by Robin Mark that I want sung at my funeral. The title is “When It’s All Been Said and Done.” The lyrics go like this…

When it's all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth
Did I live my life for You
When it's all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I've done for love's Reward
Will stand the test of time
Lord Your mercy is so great
That You look beyond our weakness
And find purest gold in miry clay
Making sinners into saints
I will always sing Your praise
Here on earth and ever after
For You've shown me Heaven's my true home
When it's all been said and done
You're my life when life is gone
Lord I'll live my life for You

This Easter each of us have the chance to live a life that will stand the test of time. May each of us choose to believe that Jesus is truly risen from the dead. May each of us truly believe that Jesus prepares a place for us in His eternal Kingdom. And, may each of us truly believe that when it is all said and done, that we have lived for Him.
I believe that when it is my Mother’s “proper time” she will meet Jesus and hear Him say to her, “Well done, Good and Faithful Servant.”

“Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me
will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”
John 11.25-26a