Pax Topic: God things As I?ve mentioned before I?m way into studying the Jewish Feast Holidays and their meanings for Christians. The old prophecies and symbolism of the Old Testament make the whole Bible come together and mesh. Our school kids are doing reports for Easter and some are on the Passover meal. I can?t get over the beautiful symbolism that goes along with the seder meal, one being the Redemption cup and the Afikoman matzoh bread. During the Last Supper they were actually observing the Passover seder meal. Jesus took what we believe was the Afikoman, broke it and passed it around, saying ?Take and eat; this is my body.? The 3 pieces of matzoh in the seder represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Afikoman, the middle matzoh, represents the Son and is broken, wrapped in linen and hidden until one of the children present finds it and brings it back to the table. The symbolism being that Jesus was broken, wrapped in burial linens and found alive again. Cool, eh? Then Jesus took what we believe must have been the cup of redemption, the third cup in the seder meal, and passed it around and said ?Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.? Of course, Jesus is our redemption and it is by His shed blood that He redeems us.
All this to say?..Communion has such a deeper meaning for me now that I know the background and I thought I?d share some thoughts on it. It is through Jesus? sacrifice (the Lamb of God) that we have forgiveness of sin and therefore peace with God. And all He asks of us is that we believe He is who He said He is?.and follow Him.
This post simply started out with this song, but I started rambling. =) I only wish you could hear the music for it?..
Peace (A Communion Blessing From St. Joseph's Square)
Though we're strangers, still I love you I love you more than your mask And you know you have to trust this to be true And I know that's much to ask But lay down your fears, come and join this feast He has called us here, you and me
And may peace rain down from Heaven Like little pieces of the sky Little keepers of the promise Falling on these souls This drought has dried In His Blood and in His Body In the Bread and in this Wine Peace to you Peace of Christ to you
And though I love you, still we're strangers Prisoners in these lonely hearts And though our blindness separates us Still His light shines in the dark
And His outstretched arms are still strong enough to reach Behind these prison bars to set us free
So may peace rain down from Heaven Like little pieces of the sky Little keepers of the promise Falling on these souls the drought has dried In His Blood and in His Body In this Bread and in this Wine Peace to you Peace of Christ to you
And may peace rain down from Heaven Like little pieces of the sky Like those little keepers of the promise Falling on these souls the draught has dried In His Blood and in His Body In the Bread and in this Wine Peace to you Peace of Christ to you Peace to you Peace of Christ to you
The Greatest Love Topic: Holidays/Vacations It is said that Valentine's Day is in memory of a follower of Christ who would not renounce his Lord and died a martyr. His farewell note to the jailer's daughter, with whom he had established a friendship was signed, "From your Valentine." There are a lot of things people call love these days. Some quite twisted and some simply misguided or superficial......but I don't think anyone can argue with this definition of true love:
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not selfseeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Snow showers/baby showers.... Topic: People/Family stories I woke up this morning to snow?it was beautifully coming down, covering everything with a clean coat of white. I would have been so thrilled and it would have put me in such a good mood?usually. However, this morning I had to go to a baby shower. This is the baby shower I was supposed to get a gift for yesterday. I went rushing after school to the next town over, 30 miles away, specifically to buy a gift for the new mom, then came home 3 hours later with groceries, produce, Walmart bags, a new Gameboy game for my daughter Emma, who was spending birthday money, but no baby gift. I realized this when I was almost home, but was already running late for a Valentine?s banquet that night, so there was no going back. The snow was coming down pretty hard by time I had to leave for the shower, so I put on boots. (this turned out to be a good move) Meanwhile I was racking my brain to remember WHO I had told I would give a ride to. I called several friends?no, they didn?t need a ride?but I knew someone had asked me. Hmmmm Thankfully, our grocery store has begun carrying gift cards for various stores and restaurants in a nearby big town, so my daughter Bethany and I stopped by and got a gift card for dinner out on the town for the baby?s mom and husband?and I was even running on time. Cool. Now for the reason I dreaded this shower in the snow?..the hostess lives up on a big hill. I?m talking major incline, scary hill. I got halfway up the street that leads to this hill and began sliding backwards??.waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, Rickyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!! *that would be my Lucy imitation* When I came to a stop I realized my friend Elaine was sitting in her car right beside where I had stopped?ha?so we parked and walked up to the house together. My daughter was not as prepared as I was in my boots however, and had to walk in snow in 3 inch platform flip flops! No sooner did we start to walk though and one of the husband?s stopped and we piled in for a ride up to the house.
The shower was fun, the brunch was yummy, the baby was a peanut and cute?all was well. We only had one activity at the shower?..I dread ?activities? at showers?they usually involve at least slight humiliation and/or work for the attendees or the showeree (who wants to work at a party? Can?t we just sit here visiting and munching?)?but it was a good activity. We wrote on cards any advice we had for a mom of a new baby boy. (She has 2 little girls) As we were there and I was observing her with her 3 little children, all 2 and under, I remembered how hard it was as a young mother with 3 children, all little and dependent on you and keeping you busier than you?d ever been in your life just to meet their basic needs for one day! And mine were all 2 years apart, so I was really sympathizing with her, hers being only 1 year apart?they are really all still babies. I remember not getting a shower because they wouldn?t take a nap, having to pack to the hilt to go anywhere, the frustration of feeling trapped at home instead of being free to go and do. But looking back, it all went so quickly?.my little ones I had so close together are all teens. Now I?m the one who needs naps and I beg to get to stay home and NOT have to ?go and do?. I still can?t get a shower some days though, as there?s a struggle for the hot water while it lasts these days.
Oh, I don?t want to go back to those days?I really enjoy my kids? independence and love that they are turning into real friends for me and for each other now. **usually** But it reminded me that some of the times in life are hard to get through. It comes in waves or seasons, but it always is changing ?.the wave breaks and dissipates or the season changes as we reach another stage of life. Each stage or event has it?s struggles and triumphs. But we make it through?either bitter or better we make it through. And ,that is a relief while you?re going through it?.it gives you hope to know that others go before you and they all seem to make it. I like to set my eyes on the ones who have made it gracefully and try to figure out how they did it. And although I can?t say all my transitions or seasons have been so graceful, I can say it?s all been good?even the hard times?.it all makes you grow, learn to trust, and gain faith and hope.
We were almost the last to leave and as I stepped out onto the front porch, I realized the snow had stopped and the slippery slush had melted into innocent little streams of water, rushing here and there. We hiked back down to the car and I realized it had been worth it to venture out on this snowy, messy morning ?.what had seemed such a hard task had melted away with the slush and become a fine day. I had been tempted to turn back, to give up and go home when I began sliding on the hill trying to reach our destination. It would have been the easy thing to do (and I do like easy)?.but now that I?m through it, I realize it wasn?t as hard as it had first seemed and it was worth all the effort?and not just for me?it was worth it to be there for this new mom who needed to see we all make it, we just have to hang in there, ride those waves and enjoy the beauty of each season!
Let's all give it up...for Lent! Topic: Holidays/Vacations Lent....something of which a lifetime Baptist is a little ignorant. I remember growing up in suburbia with Catholic friends coming home on Ash Wednesday with smudges on their foreheads....curious. Then the thought that they had to eat fish on Fridays.....horrid! None of them could reasonably explain these mysteries and so I didn't think much about it until the past few years. Now when I see the ashes smudged on foreheads, I think of sackcloth and ashes...of grief over one's sin in preparation of the Easter season.....remembering a Savior's suffering for my guilt. It is a good thing, the Lenten season. It's good to set aside 40 days of reflection, prayer, fasting to prepare for Easter.
As a mom and teacher, I've been searching for years on how to make Easter a truly spiritual celebration instead of just a fluffy Springtime holiday. The past few years I have been studying Passover and the rich theological comparisons and prophecies about the perfect Lamb of God. If you've never done that, I recommend it. =) Although the Passover studies have been really enriching and meaningful, Lent causes great personal reflection and action...it's a time of growth and sacrifice....and things that cause change.
So at the school we are observing Lent and preparing ourselves for a celebration of the most amazing event in history....the Ressurection of Christ. I would absolutely love it and be really really, if not eternally, grateful for any suggestions you may have on observing the Lenten season....especially if they are for kids' activities or devotions for kids.
So repent and be baptized, prepare ye the way of the Lord, behold the Lamb of God and let's all give it up for Lent! =)
All floors new again.... Topic: People/Family stories Well we got home fine Saturday afternoon, but were really shocked as we came into our house. We live in a house provided by our church, which my husband is pastor of....don't know if I've mentioned that before. It has been their parsonage for at least 20 years, a very very nice house with lots of room for our family and big yard, but the carpeting was original from 20 years ago and was becoming really unbearably tattered and worn. So the church was planning to refloor the house sometime this year. We found out upon arriving Saturday that the carpet was gone and we had a nice wood floor and tile in other parts of the house!!!! What a beautiful surprise! I've been walking around the house just looking at the flooring and how it makes the whole house seems cleaner and nicer. The weird thing about it all is knowing that all these people were in my house and seeing all my unkept places and general unorganizedness. *shudder* It only had me freaking out for about 2 days though, now I am fine...unless I really think about it, then I start shuddering again. On Sunday morning there were lots of tears and smiles as we thanked everyone and found out just how many people had helped and put their all into it. It was a real blessing....and it gave me a pastor's wife story to scare younger pastors' wives with...heh heh.
I have been in overdrive ever since getting home though, with a Superbowl party Sunday night and then starting back helping at school Monday morning. So now I will try not to neglect my blogging duties and get some creativity flowing here. A lot of people have been telling me they are reading the blog...and that inspires me...wow, an audience!....I love to have an audience. =) If you can and want to, please drop me a note by way of the comments button, so I'll know more of who is reading and what you think. I appreciate your reading this and will try to be more entertaining than today. *yaaaawn*
PS...one of the really entertaining things *to me* about having wood floors is seeing my dogs go sliding around when they come in all hyper. I love to get Millie running by starting to run myself...she can't resist a moving target....when she starts really running, I turn around and catch her as she sliiiiiiiiiides into my arms...ha!
crickl lost her groove Topic: Humor/memes I lost my groove about midway through the Texas panhandle today, driving down Interstate 40. I was typing away at the paragraph below when we stopped at a Love?s travel plaza. We went to make a pitstop and I thought I?d see about a fountain drink. While filling my 16oz paper cup with Diet Dr Pepper, I overfilled and the sticky stuff went down the side causing me to quietly exclaim ?Rats!? A trucker standing there said, ?Better watch that stuff, lady? *very funny?grr * So I walked up to pay for it and set it on the counter and almost in slow motion, my hand swished by and knocked it over, spilling it all over the girl trying to ring it up and under her register. *grr* The trucker who saw me over fill the same cup was conveniently stationed to my right at the counter and chuckled while saying, ?You?re just having a lot of trouble with that thing today aren?t you? ?.I gave a polite nod and semi amused smile, then went to refill my cup. Kind of irritatedishly, I jammed it under the ice spout, simultaneously hitting the Coke dispenser, sending a cold stream of sticky Coke syrup down the inside of my sleeve. I was quite proud of myself for not throwing the dreadful cup on the floor and jumping up and down on it while screaming ?Stupid, STUPID CUP!!! AAAAAAAAAARRGG!!!!? Instead I found a dispenser of napkins, I took one and about 5 napkins fell out, floating to the floor?..it is not my day?I already have chocolate malt spilled on my kaki pants btw. Just not cool?.or graceful?.or even remotely lady-like. But I found my sense of humor finally and laughed and shook my head......then I carefully?oh so carefully capped my cup and wiped it off and made it to the counter and out the door without any more humiliation or stickiness. I think west Texas threw off my groove man?.seriously?.
They really need to put a warning label on that stretch of highway through the Texas panhandle. *Warning: may induce sleepiness with an extreme desire to shut eyelids. Caffeine and loud music recommended.* Soooooooooo flat?..when you see a windmill or farm house on the horizon, you can?t help but have a faint feeling of hope and try to focus on it and memorize it?s details. We?ve been driving all afternoon?it?s close to 5pm and the sun will go down just as we past Amarillo. Amarillo is like a milestone to travelers on Interstate 40. ?At least we?ve made it past Amarillo, we should stop at Brahm?s to celebrate?.cherry limeades all around?yee haw? lol There are however, a few things to see on I 40. In Groom, Texas you can see the largest cross in the western hemisphere?which kind of makes you wonder where the largest one in the eastern hemisphere is! ??it is made of what looks like aluminum and you can see it from at least 8 miles away on the horizon. I wonder if the guy who thought of this had recurring dreams with a voice repeating hauntingly, ?If you build it, they will come.? We stopped there once, it was at sunset and got some really cool pictures of it against the sky lit up with one of those blazing western sunsets. There are the ?stations of the cross? around the bottom of the cross done in life size bronze statues and verses on plaques to go with it. It really is a cool place to stop, especially when you?re in danger of road daze and need a break. Just west of Amarillo is Cadillac Ranch?.something that has been there since I was about 12 at least. Eight Cadillacs of ascending years (I think late 50?s, early 60?s models) planted in the ground in the middle of a field, front end in the ground at an angle and right in a row like dominoes. I wonder if that farmer really thinks he?ll get a good crop of Caddies some year. =) There is also a smathering of interesting advertisements?.like the predictable humongous cowboy tipping his hat to advertise a motel, several larrrrrrrrrge cow statues to tempt you to eat steak, but when you?ve just driven past stockyards that smell beyond what you?ve ever dreamed of smelling before I don?t think the average person is thinking ?Mmmmm, gotta get me somma dat?. You could almost taste the air as we drove past the stockyard west of Amarillo today?.ish.
Well that?s the news from Amarillo folks?.where the cowboys are tippin their hats, the cows are smelly and Brahm?s is always ready to serve up a tart cherry limeade. (In case you recognized that sign off, we also try to find The Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keilor on radio stations as often as possible while driving.)
We are now past Tucumcari and hope to make it to Moriarity for the night. We should be home tomorrow afternoon and I?ll feel more at ease with a few trees and mountains around me, although I enjoy the sweeping skies and mesas and canyons of New Mexico. Strange how the prairie makes me feel so vulnerable and ill at ease. I think this is where they invented the words ?forlorn? and ?forsaken? ?.. my husband loves it though and feels quite peaceful and at home on the prairie. I have no idea how to analyze this?..maybe it?s my more tactile nature and need more scope for the imagination. Maybe he?s just nuts?..we may never know. =)
A Hymn Topic: God things Just feel like a hymn tonight
All the Way My Savior Leads Me by Fanny Crosby
All the way my Savior leads me What have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His faithful mercies? Who through life has been my guide Heavenly peace, divinest comfort Ere by faith in Him to dwell For I know whate'er fall me Jesus doeth all things well
All of the way my Savior leads me And He cheers each winding path I tread Gives me strength for every trial And He feeds me with the living bread And though my weary steps may falter And my soul a-thirst may be Gushing from a rock before me Though a spirit joy I see
And all the way my Savior leads me Oh, the fullness of His love Perfect rest in me is promised In my Father's house above When my spirit clothed immortal Wings it's flight through the realms of the day This my song through endless ages Jesus led me all the way
Finding Glory Topic: God things Welll it went peacefully...my husband's dad passed away a couple hours ago as he slept. everyone's fine. My husband's sister and a nurse were there with his mom when he died. I guess they could tell he was breathing his last and sang some of his favorite hymns for him while he passed. *if you have to go, that is not a bad way eh?* ...thanks for the prayers and thoughts...
This picture *from the web, not original* reminds me of my father in law. He loved Colorado and he brought back seeds from Columbine flowers one year and kept them growing each year in his garden. They were huge and beautiful....really an interesting looking flower.
Took my daughters to see Finding Neverland this afternoon. That was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Great story and acting...and gave greater understanding behind the story of Peter Pan. Neverland is a beautiful thought for people like me who like escapism and make believe.....I don't believe in Neverland, but I do believe in anotherland. I'm happy for my father in law to be there, out of pain and suffering and into God's presence. One day I'll pass right on through to it like it's the next step in the journey and I think I"ll take to it like a duck to water. =) But not to escape....it's going to be more real than anything we've ever seen before and we'll be able to truely see with eyes wide open and understand......It will be glorious.....
Flying away.... Topic: God things The news today was not good...my husband's father is dying. He is in a semi-coma....emphysema complicated pneumonia, on hospice care at home....sedated now and comfortable, waiting to fly away to his true home. This life is fragile, frail....like leaves ready to fall at any moment. I am reminded of this frailty every time someone I know passes away...just as profoundly, I then forget and live my life in a very silly way...thinking of life as a long drawn out thing, all the time in the world, when in reality we are very temporary here on earth.
Talking to my dad on his birthday a couple weeks ago, he was expressing the same kind of thought. As he was opening his birthday cards he couldn't hold back the tears, thinking about how his life had flown by so quickly. My mom wrote the most poignant note in her card, the words wrapping up their first days together as young 19 and 20 year olds and then through their life to today as seniors, spending their days quietly going about a very small routine, but still so important to and dependent on each other.
It's part of life....death is....a confusing, scary part....but necessary for us all unfortunately. I'm glad he is comfortable and that my mother in law has a 24/7 nurse there with him so that she won't be alone when he takes flight....and he will...and he'll be free....
Some glad morning when this life is o'er, I'll fly away; To a home on God's celestial shore, I'll fly away.
When the shadows of this life have grown, I'll fly away; Like a bird from prison bars has flown, I'll fly away.
Just a few more weary days and then, I'll fly away; To a land where joys shall never end, I'll fly away.
I'll fly away, O glory, I'll fly away; When I die, Hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away.
Devilish housework! Topic: Humor/memes Update: I got the tazmanian devil thing happening and finally cleaned my house. Now it's getting dirty again and all askew. House cleaning is so futile....it never stays clean for very long. It takes a great amount of energy and organization to keep your house looking nice all the time....at least with 6 people living here it does. I have read BOOKS written about how to organize and streamline your house keeping. YAWP! Sounded like a good idea...though putting it into practice was impossible, unless you live by yourself! I had a good laugh through most of the book, then stopped reading it.
And speaking of books....they take so long to finish, I get distracted unless it's a really good story. Most of the non-novelish books I own have bookmarks stuck in them part way through. It's embarrassing. Pamphlets I can handle and magazine articles......I wish people would write pamphlets about self help subjects like keeping your home organized, follow through issues and how to write an interesting blog....ha!
Here is a short video of a real Tasmanian devil?.it loads slowly, but it?s worth it. Cute critter! Taz movie
Are you red or blue? What Winnie the Pooh character do you most identify with?and if you were a tree, what kind would you be and why? Puh-lease! No, those quizzes are fun (I?m most like Pooh, btw and a very nice shade of green) but I took a personality test once that changed my life and my marriage too. (my husband is, it turns out, almost my exact opposite!) It?s the Keirsey Temperament Sorter ?..sometimes called the Myers Briggs test?.and it?s used by psychologists and counselors of all kinds to help people understand how they are wired and to work with it and what areas to work on most.
My four letters are ESFP, which in part means I am a very tactile person. I experience life and explore my world mainly through my senses. Yesterday I was reading a magazine article on smells and how they evoke memories and I started thinking about how my senses affect me....so I started listing my favorite things from each sense and it was pretty cool. So here are some of my favorite things.....
The smells of sandalwood oil, pine candles, freshly bathed little 7 year old's head, a sweet space behind the ear of our puppy. Savory and sweet, comforting smells of foods cooking.....that moment when it's about to rain, but hasn't begun yet, burying my nose into a rose or a carnation, lemon fresh Joy, freshly cut grass, the scent of peeled oranges alongside coffee brewing (from my childhood), pine tree forests and citrus blossoms. And my husband will be happy about this one, fresh cut wood for the woodstove.
The sounds of my family, children and husband...laughing, singing, playing piano and guitars. Our puppy Winnie, trying to howl at the train several times a day, my dog Millie trying to talk and cry at us to tell us something.....swiftly flowing creeks, aspens quaking, wind chimes (gentle ones). I love music....good music, real music, no synthesized rhythms and mindless beats from a computer. Whether it's classical or rock and roll......just make it authentic and harmonic with real instruments playing.
Sights I love.....our puppy: pouncing, sitting on our other dogs so her bottom won't be cold, playing, seeing her watch television? lol. Tidy rooms, light yellow and cobalt blue together in my kitchen, patterns, textures. Contagious smiles, someone's hair lilting in a breeze, Fall leaves and Christmas lights. Flowers in a garden or alongside the road, designs in nature....like the star inside an apple, the man in the moon, snowflakes and wood grains?.. a butterfly, a ladybug, fuzzy bumble bees and hummingbird moths.....amazing and cute. I also love photography and seeing other people?s photographs?.like seeing through their eyes.
Touchie things I love?.I touch about everything I pass by in stores and houses?especially soft textures. I love to be dressed in comfortable cotton, sleep on cotton sheets, sit on corduroy furniture?..I love warm blankets, cool breezes, hot showers, hugs and kissing. Fuzzy dogs, soft stuffed animals, flower petals, soft hair, ear lobes and soft candle wax just before it melts.
As for taste?it is easier to list what I don?t like. Brussel sprouts, liver, purple candy, lima beans and weird things that should be called food anyway like sushi and innard type parts. Shudder
Thanks for the read and maybe I?ll think of something more entertaining or witty tomorrow. =)
For something cool to do now, feast your eyes on this.
I am feeling much better, having been sick with assorted colds for the past 2 months. My ears are unplugged finally and my head doesn't feel heavy or tired. But I feel very blah....I need a kickstart.....ok, maybe not a kick, maybe a nudge.....or a suggestion......ok, nevermind, leave me alone... See what I mean?
I think I'll get over it...when the dirty kitchen floor and cereal for dinner start really really bugging me, ambition will kick in and off I'll be, like a tazmanian devil, whirling around whipping it all into shape and making homemade bread for dinner with roast and potatoes. (if my husband reads this, he can testify to how long it's been since I've been THAT motivated!) I want it to happen but I don't wanna do it! *whiner whiner whiner*
It reminded me of a websight my brother showed me once. It totally cracks me up and is so appropriate these past few days. =}
despair.com Click on the left side under 'individual designs' and browse their collection for a fun waste of time. And if you're one of those overly motivated, ambitious people, just a reminder........
Small town USA Topic: People/Family stories Small towns??you?ve gotta love em. I love ours. Our town has a population of about 3,000, mostly living in outlying areas from town. As you drive, walk, shop or eat anywhere in town, you see people you know?.you smile and wave?.or sometimes you duck and hide around a corner?ha!
My daughters took me out to lunch today at a quaint family restaurant downtown. This picture is the actual restaurant....found it on the net. We saw a few tourists, but mostly locals and did our waving and smiling. Our waiter, a friend of my daughters? named Bob, teased us and the workers in back were busy singing happy birthday to another boy we know, Cody, who works there. Then we saw Cody taking packages out to his car, two bags of new diapers. The boss who just had a baby knew our youth ministers? wife just had a baby and was passing along disposable diapers that were too small for her baby, even though they don?t officially know each other. We ate our lunch and Bob, our waiter asked if we wanted him to bring our car up to the front door?..the restaurant being in a store front in our downtown area, we park in a general parking lot on the next corner. He opened our doors for us and sent us off with a big smile?.so fun.
Being a resident of a small town you know each other?s phone numbers by only the last 4 digits since we all have the same first 3. There are some family names that almost half the people in town are related to. You know the bad as well as the good news about people?.and when you read the police log in the weekly paper ?.and everyone does?.your heart breaks for the families of people whose names are there in black and white. You know people or kids on almost every float that goes by in every parade and you yell their names?.and small towns have a lot of parades! You know where the judge, the policemen, the preachers and the undertaker live. You know your mechanic personally and they don?t cheat you?.in fact ours does simple work for free oftentimes. Shop and restaurant owners know your name and appreciate your regular business, .?.today while at lunch one of the workers brought by an envelope to our table and it was a coupon for two free meals just for being a regular customer and they know that my husband and I rarely get out together alone. =)
I was just appreciating our environment today and thought I?d share the value of a small community with you. Sure there are some stinkers and town embarrassments, and there is no such thing as a quick run to the grocery store because you see 3 or 4 people who want to make contact and know how you?re doing, how did your doctor appointment go, how are the kids? But I wouldn?t trade it for the big city or suburbs where you feel detached from your neighbors and the store keepers you go to every week still don?t recognize you!
In abundance or want/in comfort or suffering.... Topic: God things
Just a quick note tonight. I've been out of town so I missed a couple of days posting. We sang this praise song at church Sunday morning and I've been thinking about it ever since....beautiful song....made even more meaningful by recent questions regarding my health which were answered this past week with some medical tests....what a relief to find that all is well....I could have been in a desert place but have found that 'the world?s ?all as it should be?'.....
Blessed Be Your Name Written by Beth Redman/Matt Redman
Blessed be Your name in the land that is plentiful Where Your streams of abundance flow Blessed be Your name And blessed be Your name when I?m found in the desert place Though I walk through the wilderness Blessed be your name
Every blessing You pour out I?ll turn back to praise And when the darkness closes in Lord Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name when the sun?s shining down on me When the world?s ?all as it should be? Blessed be Your name And blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering Though there?s pain in the offering Blessed be Your name
You give and take away You give and take away My heart will choose to say Lord, blessed be Your name
Today is my dad's 80th birthday. Quite a milestone and it has come at quite a price. In his 70's we watched him go through a lot of physical problems and lots of procedures and surgeries to get to 80! A stent and angioplasty in his early 70's, followed by a pacemaker.... steadily we watched his weakening heart slowing him down to a shuffle. Then prostate cancer and recurring scar tissue from the prostate surgery which made his kidneys shut down for a few days this year. His mind is slowing down as is his body and we have to remind him of things he knew well a year ago. The doctors put him through a year's worth of testing and evaluation to determine if he is getting Alzheimer's disease, as his 2 sisters do. The results were negative, which is a great relief.
Everyone knows that your body and mind slow down in old age and that you start needing more medical attention. I knew this was coming as my parents entered their 60's and 70's, but it seemed to happen quickly, like a smack in the face when it happened to my family. It is personal this time.....it hit home....it invaded our lives without permission and it hurts us. Shame on me for not being more sympathetic and supportive when friends would talk about their aging parents and how bewildering it is. It is a hard thing to watch your dad lose his ability to go hiking and walking, to watch him spend more and more time in his chair, walking to the kitchen for a cup of coffee becoming a chore. My dad once was an extremely intelligent scientist and engineer. His job was to be given a problem and to figure out how to solve it and build a machine to make it happen. Amazing....I use to try to listen to him explain scientific or mathematical things and get dizzy!! I just could not think on that level. Now he tells me things several times in one day and needs help thinking of a word to finish his sentences sometimes. Hard....hurts....bewildering.....makes you have to grow up in the most basic of ways...with your parents!
I watched a rerun of 7th Heaven this morning...funny how it happened to be this episode today...on my dad's birthday. The pastor's wife Annie's dad had passed away. She had been very depressed and anxious during his illness and fight with some chronic disease, I can't remember what it was even, but she knew he was fading. So he actually dies and she gets this euphoric feeling, this relief and peace. So the whole episode is about how everyone is feeling euphoric when they should be grieving and sad....they all attribute this to Annie's influence and how she's so unusually and alarmingly happy. Well it's kind of funny and quirky and you wonder what the conclusion is going to be here. So finally one night she and her husband, lying on their bed, discuss her euphoric feelings. She explains that she is happy because she realizes all the extraordinary gifts she's been given in life.....her wonderful parents who raised her so well, for her children and how they have turned out so well and are happily pursuing their own ways in life, and for her assurance that her father is now in Heaven and at peace. She is full of joy and happiness over the gratitude she has from all the good things in her life. She is grateful and appreciative and is enjoying it with no excuses, even when everyone expects her to be sad.
Point taken, Lord. =) I will go to Phoenix tomorrow for my dad's 80th birthday celebration and be happy and enjoy him and my family and be grateful and appreciative...instead of being tempted to wallow in self pity and sadness at how much he has lost...I will celebrate who he has been and even who he is now, a gentle, loving albeit simpler, slower person. I love my parents and I?m glad I still have them......and I need to enjoy them while they're here with us.