Tag: peace

Finding God

Chaos.

In the first month of 2018, I’ve lived a chaotic life. My family has endured sickness, unexpected delays, car problems, financial setbacks, unexpected obligations, personal sadness, disappointments, and a general uncertainty about the future. It’s enough to make me throw up my hands and cry, “Why, God? Why me?”

Have you felt like this?

Elijah, the prophet, did. Throughout King Ahab’s reign in 1 Kings, he had been a thorn in the king’s side. Elijah delivered messages from God to the king about Ahab’s disobedience, soundly defeated the prophets of Baal in an epic showdown at the altars on Mt. Carmel, and made an staunch enemy in Jezebel, the queen.

When Jezebel had most of the prophets of Israel killed and promised to kill Elijah as well, he ran and hid. But, Elijah couldn’t escape the presence of God. When God confronted him, Elijah began to whine.

10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:10-12 NLT)

Whining. I have a PhD in whining. It’s my most unattractive quality. It happens when I forget my gratitude for all that God has done for me. Elijah misplaced his gratitude as well.

In a display of natural forces that only God could orchestrate, Elijah watched as a violent wind demolished parts of the mountain. He felt the earth tremble and shake. He witnessed the raging fire as it swept past.

After all the chaos of the natural elements, there remained the only thing that could possibly give Elijah peace: the gentle whisper of God.

God is not in the chaos of our lives. Don’t look for Him there. Chaos belongs to Satan. He reigns supreme in lies, disappointment, and chaos. He deals it out to us daily. And when we lift our hands and cry, “Why God? Why me?,” Satan thinks he’s won.

But that still, small voice. The voice of reason. The Source of peace. The Presence if the Almighty.

Father, help me to remember during the chaos of life to stop and listen for Your voice; for Your whisper. Help me always be grateful so that I don’t have time to complain. Thank you for your peace that passes understanding. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

shr

Who is the King of My Heart?

As much as I would like to say that there is nothing above God in my life, I cannot. I fail miserably each and every day in giving Him first place.

So what kind of things do I place ahead of Him?

Family

Friends

Personal Desires

Frivolous Activities

“Me” Time

Sinful Thoughts and Actions

Preoccupation with Worldly Things

I was hit full force with this realization as I reached for my phone and my Bible this morning. I am in a Bible study of 1 & 2 Kings on my First 5 app. (Go to first5.org to check out this wonderful study tool from Proverbs 31 Ministries.)

As I clicked on the app, I thought, “I’m going to hurry through this and check out my social media apps and see what’s happening today.”

Then I read the scripture from 1 Kings chapter 16. The entire chapter is about God’s people choosing everyone and everything over God. I thought, “Don’t you people ever learn?”

And then God’s still small voice said, “But Sandy, do you?”

Whitney Capps wrote the commentary on 1 Kings 16. This is profound: Self is a terrible king.

What do we relinquish when we make ourselves king of our lives? We trade God’s riches which are great blessings for the paltry things we collect in the physical realm. We trade His omnipotence for the measly strength we can muster. We trade His omniscience for narrow-minded, short-sighted, limited wisdom of our own brains. We trade peace that passes understanding for fear, hopelessness, and uncertainty.

I am married to the world’s biggest baseball fan. Something happened the year we were married that I’ll never forget. In 1987, the Detroit Tigers baseball organization traded up-and-coming pitcher Greg Smoltz to the Atlanta Braves for Alexander Doyle. While Doyle did help Detroit get to the postseason games, he was sidelined in a play and never fully recovered, eventually retiring in 1989. John Smoltz went on to team up with Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and their “triple threat” pitching for the Braves is legendary.

In the end, it was a wonderful trade for Atlanta but not so much for Detroit. While no one could have predicted what happened to Doyle in postseason play, we can be certain of what will happen in our lives when we replace God with self.

Whitney closes her commentary with this:

When we dethrone God, we set ourselves on a path to hard times. It might not look like it now, but the spiral is coming and like this chapter, it will be hard to get through. I want to learn Israel’s lesson. I know my heart, and I know just how selfish I can be. I can’t be trusted with a throne, but He can.

I’m making a new effort starting now to insure that God is the rightful King of my heart.

shr

Fighting Fear with Faith and Hope

Bone.  Marrow.  Biopsy.

Three words I hoped I’d never hear again.  But that’s where we were on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at the UNC Cancer Hospital when Kelly’s blood work numbers came back askew.   Not all the numbers were bad.  In fact, all the numbers were in the normal range — except for the one number that really counts, his absolute neutrophils.  Neutrophils are white blood cells that fight off infection.  Kelly’s neutrophil number was 1, meaning he had about 1,000 of those cells to fight off infection in his body.  That’s a problem because normal absolute neutrophils will range from 1.8 to 7.7.  In July, his absolute neutrophil number was 4.2 — the best it’s been since he went into remission.  When he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, his neutrophil number was 0.

Neutrophils.jpgNeutrophils (The most abundant white blood cells in most mammals.)

Image Source:  www.wikipedia.com

When we were discussing options, Dr. Foster looked at Kelly and said, “Another bone marrow biopsy is an option.  I know a biopsy is uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable,” Kelly replied wryly.  “Is when your underwear rides up.  Bone marrow biopsies are excruciating.  But it’s the only way we’ll know for sure what’s going on, so let’s do it.”

So, this past Monday, two years, ten months, and 27 days from the first time he had a bone marrow biopsy, he lay on a gurney at the UNC Cancer Hospital having his sixth one.  He was face down, waiting patiently while Dr. Van (his other cancer doctor) was preparing the site where the needle would be inserted.  I was holding his hand and it just didn’t seem like it was enough, so I got on my knees by the gurney and laid my head next to his so that we could be face to face.

Image Source:  www.riversideonline.com

We prayed.  We cried.  He gasped in pain as they numbed his hip.  Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as Dr. Van used three separate vials to aspirate marrow samples.

Image Source:  www.bing.com

It’s hard to watch the man who is your earthy rock go through so much pain.  It makes you feel so small.  And I remembered several scriptures and began to pray them:

 All you who put your hope in the Lord be strong and brave.  (Psalm 31:24, NCV)

Always respect the Lord.  Then you will have hope for the future, and your wishes will come true. (Proverbs 23:17b-18, NCV)

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  (Isaiah 40:31, NIV)

Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times.  (Roman 12:12, NCV)

When I had no more words, I sang.

I sang “How Great is Our God*” by Chris Tomlin.

I sang “Great is Thy Faithfulness*.”

I sang “He is with Us*,” by Love and the Outcome.

I sang “Amazing Grace*,” which led into “Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone*,” by Chris Tomlin.

We were holding each other’s hands so tightly that our fingers were white.  So I poured out my tears, a language that only God truly understands.  And in near silence, Dr. Van continued to work.

Image Source:  www.bing.com

And Kelly broke the silence, not with a gasp of pain, but with these prayerful words, sung so softly that I might have missed it if I hadn’t been so close to him:

“In seasons of despair and grief, my soul has often found relief… I’ll cast on Him my every care, and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer.*”

Almost immediately, Dr. Van said, “There is power in the Blood.  And I know that you both know that God has this — either way.”

I usually write something about weight loss on Wednesday — physical weight loss.  Today’s post is about losing the weight of a spiritual burden.  I took a great deal of fear with me into that procedure room, but I came out feeling light and full of hope.

What will the biopsy show?  We don’t know.  But we know God’s got this — either way.

*To listen to each song, just click on the title.  “Sweet Hour of Prayer” is sung by George Beverly Shea, who for years was the voice of the music at all the Billy Graham Crusades.  Kelly loves Billy Graham and loved to hear GBS sing.

shr

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Music Monday: He is With Us

In life, there seems to always be a flow of people and things coming into our lives and going out of our lives.  In the past six months, I have experienced a loss in the closeness of two friendships.  It’s painful, especially when I don’t fully understand why the friendships changed.  The absolute worst part is that neither of the friends is completely out of my life.  They are on the fringes and sometimes we all act as if nothing has really changed.

But it doesn’t mean that the change hasn’t taken place.  I’ve cried over this so many times.  I’ve prayed for God to restore the friendships.  I do not know what the future has in store for us, but I read this in an online devotional:

Image Source:  www.kootation.com

Right now, I just have to let go.  There is nothing more that I can do.  For right now, it seems the Lord has put a “period” at the end of these friendships.  So, I’ve removed the question mark and I am living in His peace about the situation.

How fortunate that in the same span of time, God has brought me closer to two other friends:  an old friend of mine and a brand-new friend.  These friendships have just blossomed and I am thankful for God’s love and care.  These two women have brought a new depth of love and devotion in my life.  We work closely together for the Lord and we find joy in serving others.

Image Source:  www.idlehearts.com

The one constant in my life is my Lord.  I love the book of Joshua.  In the very first chapter, God is assuring Joshua of His love, support, and constant presence.

No one will be able to defeat you all your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forget you. ( Joshua 1:5 NCV — emphasis mine)

So on this Monday, I share a song that is relatively new and has quickly become one of my favorites.  I find myself singing its chorus throughout the day.  Let it remind you, that no matter what is happening in your life, God is there.  He is our salvation and strength.  But He is also our Friend.

Sandy

He is With Us (Love & the Outcome)

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Music Monday: Ask Me Why

Yesterday, I received a phone call that made my heart stop.  My son’s girlfriend called and frantically cried, “Sandy, we’ve just been in an accident and the car flipped.”

The first thing I asked was if she, Steven, or Joshlyn (my granddaughter) was hurt and her answer was “No, we’re all okay.  Steven’s really upset and Joshlyn’s crying — but that’s because I can’t find her pacifier.”  She also clarified that it was the other vehicle that had flipped and my heart rate began to go down.  They were on their way to the beach for the day when the accident happened, so I assured her that my husband was on the way to pick them up.   Then I got on my knees and said a long prayer of thanks for God‘s protection and providence.

After Kelly had collected them and brought them home, Steven said, “Mom, I really messed up.  I ran the stoplight by accident.  Both airbags deployed.  My car, my car…what am I going to do?”

My response to him was this, “Have you thanked God that you’re all safe?”

“Yes ma’am” he assured me.  “That’s the first thing I did — even before I got out of the car.”

I explained to him that his car was just a hunk of metal, plastic, and rubber.  It could be replaced.  It was temporal, worldly. The most important fact was that they walked away from a terrible accident, badly shaken but physically unscathed.

I walked over to my mother’s house and told her what had happened and she just looked at me.

“What?” I asked.

“There have been times in the past that you would have been freaking out uncontrollably right now,” she commented.

I agreed with her.  If this had been ten years ago, I would have had to take some kind of anxiety medication and would have probably gone straight to bed, crying with abandon, and just generally have fallen apart.  It wouldn’t have lasted for just a night — it would have lasted a week or more.

And the reason is clear — I relied on Sandy a great deal then and God, not so much.  I thought I could control my world and the things that happened in my world.  When things happened that were out of my control, I lost it.  I was devastated.  It took me a long time to recover.

Isn’t that outrageous?  To think that I had some kind of control over the events that take place in this world is ludicrous!  I have no more control over what happens in my day-to-day life than I can control the movement of the earth, the change of seasons, or the passage of time.

Image Source:  www.artbarnett.com

But I know the One who does control these things, and that is my secret.  I knew this secret when I was younger but I let the losses and trials I faced in my thirties cloud my judgment and erase the memory of that wonderful secret.  When things weren’t going my way, I tried to take the reins of my life and drive the chariot.  The result was that both the chariot wheels came off, the chariot ended up in the ditch, and the horse ran away, leaving me with nothing but God — Who (by the way) is EVERYTHING I ever need.   I’m sad that I wasted a period of my life only half-trusting God.

In this last decade, I’ve grown up a great deal spiritually.  My mother says I’m the “old” Sandy, but I put it another way:  I’m the “new and improved” Sandy.  I am the Sandy I always wanted to be because I lean solely on my God.  I let Him drive the chariot, read the road map, make the pit stops, and be my GPS.

My mother and I sang the special music at my home church (Judson Missionary Baptist Church) last night.  I gave a word of testimony about yesterday afternoon’s events before we sang “The Longer I Serve Him.”  (You absolutely cannot go wrong with a Bill and Gloria Gaither song!)  Afterwards, the pastor came to me and said, “I have to ask:  what if Steven, Casey, and Joshlyn had all died?”

Without hesitation, I said “I would still be praising God for allowing me to know and love them.  I would be infinitely sad, but I would give thanks to God for His mercy.  You see, even if they had perished, they know Jesus and have asked Him to be their Savior.  I would survive because I know I’d see them in Heaven.”

Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ( Ephesians 5:20, NCV)

That’s always (meaning in every situation) give thanks for everything (meaning the good, the bad, and the ugly) to Jesus.  You can’t pick and chose those things for which you are grateful.  It’s an all or nothing proposition.  Your reward for this kind of thanks is lasting peace that passes our human understanding.

So if you ask me why I am thankful, I’m always going to point to Jesus.  I’m always going to celebrate God, even when it seems the odds are against me.  My favorite new quote is this:

Image Source:  http://sprinkledjoy.blogspot.com

Good or not-so-good — what are you thanking God for today?

shr

“Ask Me Why” (Legacy Five)

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Soul Survivor

There’s a reason the first three letters in the word DIEt are DIE.  Any diet I’ve ever been on has left me feeling deprived, alone, unhappy, and thinking “I’d rather DIE than go another day eating (or not eating) this way.”  I was always waiting, waiting, waiting for the day that I could ditch the diet meal plan and “eat normally” again.  I should add that what I truly meant was over-eat normally again.

My friend, Michele, and I did a Bible study together that started in January of this year.  This was the beginning of the new me.  If you’ve not read Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst, I highly recommend it.  It’s not a “how to” plan, so don’t look for recipes or sample menus in this book.  It’s all about gaining your “want to” where eating healthy is concerned.  This is a woman who has been in our over-sized pants!  She is a woman of God that decided that her temple needed better upkeep and discovered why she couldn’t do it with just will power — because it’s not about will power.  If it was about will power, then some people would do well from sheer determination and others would never leave the comfort of their easy chairs.

Do you want to lose weight?  And if you do, do you know why you want to lose weight?  Do you feel your current weight situation is unfair?  Do you feel like the whole world is conspiring against you?

As a Christian, I honestly have to tell you that my weight loss journey has not just been about the pounds, the food, or the exercise.  It’s mostly been about finding peace — the peace of knowing I am healthier; the peace of knowing that because I feel better, I can be more pro-active in my daily walk with God; the peace of knowing that food is no longer first place in my life and that God is.

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Image Source:  www.crosscards.com

Here are a list of questions I used to make my “soul assessment” at the beginning of our Bible study.  How many of these apply to you?

  • I think about food way too much.
  • My food choices are mostly high in fat and/or sugar.
  • I feel embarrassed about my weight and appearance.
  • The thought of changing how I eat makes me feel sad.
  • I’m reluctant to bring this issue to God.
  • I have gained and lost weight too many times to count.
  • I feel defeated and discouraged about issues that deal with weight or food.
  • I don’t have as much physical energy as I once did and wish I had more.
  • When I need comfort, I turn to food before I turn to God.
  • I say negative things to myself:  “You’re so fat” or “You will never change.”
  • I’m not sure God even cares about how fat I am.
  • I feel guilty or embarrassed about what I eat or the size of my portions.
  • I have health issues that are weight-related.
  • I eat foods that are considered unhealthy several times a week, every week.
  • I am an emotional eater.
  • I sometimes feel like food is more powerful than I am.
  • I sometimes eat in private or hide food.
  • I avoid physically exerting myself.
  • When it comes to food and weight, I feel like I am trapped in a vicious cycle with no way out.

Based on your responses, which of these statements is true for you?  (Remember — be honest because no one will know this but you and you cannot change what you don’t acknowledge!)

  • Issues with food are not waging war on my soul.  I am healthy physically and spiritually.
  • Issues with food are a threat to my soul.  I deal with some of these occasionally.
  • Issue with food are waging an all-out war on my soul.  I have no peace.

Dear friends, you are like foreigners and strangers in this world. I beg you to avoid the evil things your bodies want to do that fight against your soul.  (I Peter 2:11, NCV)

If you know your soul is longing for peace, then I invite you to pray this prayer with me.  It’s my personal prayer from my prayer journal, dated January 1, 2013.  I used to pray it every day and still go back to it when I allow myself to replace God Almighty, who made me to crave Him alone, with the god of food.  I invite you to make it your personal prayer too.

Dear Lord:  You made me, every part of me.  I am wonderful and beautiful.  But I have replaced my love for You with my love for food.  What I realize now is that this has left me empty and lifeless.  I cannot be the person You’ve created me to be because my life is consumed with the folly of Taco Bell, Cheetos, and Samoa Girl Scout cookies.  I am not living to find out what I can do for You, but how I pack ten pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in the outside freezer and then consume them without anyone knowing that I ate them all by myself — including the two I inhaled tonight.  I do not have peace.  I feel like Satan is hammering away at my sanity with this food obsession of mine.  So tonight, I give these things to You because I have proven to myself that I have no will power.  The only power I have is through You.  From the time I was a small child, I learned this scripture:  I can do all things through Christs who gives me strength.  (Philippians 4:13).  Until this second, I have believed that only in part.  When I get discouraged, remind me that I am Your child.  Remind me that I have all I need because of You.  Help me become the Sandy You created me to be.  I ask this prayer in the name of Your son, Jesus Christ, amen.

shr

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Beautiful and Wonderful

If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and not liked what you’ve seen, you’re not alone.  I have spent a lot of my years being self-critical about my reflection.  I have always complained about the bump in the middle of my nose, my thin lips, my fat cheeks, and my thin, lifeless hair (which is mostly gray under the beautiful color job my stylist gives me every six weeks).  I’ve worried over freckles, wrinkles, lines, and dark circles.  I’ve cursed my fair skin and longed for tons of melanin so that I could be a tanned goddess.  (Although I do have a nice “glow” now as summer is winding down, my daughter had the same glow after two days at the pool.)

Image Source:  www.bing.com

I have to admit that I’ve kind of been aged-obsessed as well, and it started early on.  On my twenty-fifth birthday, my mom had this gorgeous cake made.  It was inscribed, “Happy Quarter-of-a Century Birthday!”  I freaked out and cried.  I refused to eat it.  To this day, I don’t know why.  I was twenty-five, for goodness sake!  I was obsessing over the fact that I was halfway to thirty.  Such a crazy, immature thing to do! (This is probably my most embarrassing admission to date.)

I have purchased magazines that told of facial exercises, beauty tips (and tricks), recipes for facials, and advice on the latest, make-up trends.  I wanted to be glamorous.  I’ve wanted to be the girl that turned heads. I’ve secretly wished to be movie-star-beautiful.  I’ve wanted to be anyone but the Sandy I saw in the mirror.

But I don’t feel that way anymore.  I have finally realized that I am beautiful.  In fact, I’ve always been beautiful — I just missed it.  I am beautiful because God made me beautiful.

I praise you because You made me in an amazing and wonderful way.  What You have done is wonderful.  I know this very well.  (Psalm 139:14, NCV)

The knowledge that I couldn’t achieve beauty in the Walgreens beauty aisle was a freeing realization.  The realization came with a peace that I’d never known.  I stopped watching the infomercials and started to read my Bible more.  I put God’s Word into action:  I started smiling more;  I started speaking to strangers and sharing Jesus; I started sharing hugs and telling people how much I loved them (even the ones who are unlovable some of the time);  I started checking up on the sick in my church and community;  I reconnected with people with whom I’d fallen out of touch.  Suddenly my life was full of OTHERS and less of ME.

And a funny thing has happened:  I’ve started getting compliments about how beautiful I am, how young I look, and how much thinner I am (even though the scale sometimes didn’t agree).  I learned that God has cornered the market on beauty and all I have to do to tap into that beauty is to let Him shine through me.  God has His own brand of charisma and because He lives in me, I have charisma too.

Image Source:  www.newdaywithchrist.blogspot.com

The lines, crow’s feet, wrinkles, freckles, and the bump in the middle of my nose?  They’re still there.  I just don’t mind them anymore.  And when I look at myself in the mirror and doubt starts to creep in (and it does), I just say a quick prayer of thanksgiving.  I close my eyes and count to ten.  When I open them and look back in the mirror, I see Jesus looking back.  How beautiful and wonderful is that?

What makes YOU beautiful and wonderful?

shr

HCIKFS: What If His People Prayed?

Tonight, I am simply asking for your prayers for my cousin, Charles “Sonny” Cox.  He has been battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma and the chemotherapy has been hard for him.  This afternoon, we got a call telling us that he has been admitted to the ICU with a probable heart attack.  He is in a medically-induced coma.

Image Source:  http://blissthefamily.wordpress.com

I have to tell you that Sonny is the most generous man — honest, caring, loving, and fun.  He’s called “Sonny” because his father was Charles Cecil Cox, Sr.  Even though his father has been dead many years, we’ve always called him “Sonny.”  Sonny and my Daddy are first cousins, but are closer than brothers. (That makes me his first cousin once-removed — don’t ask.  I barely understand that distinction myself, but I’m told that it’s correct.)  He and his wife, Linda, live in Dover, Florida.  He has three adult sons:  John, Rob, and Lonnie.  Please lift them up to the Lord.  I want you to pray these verses from Psalm 91 for him and his family.

Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by the Almighty.  I will say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety and protection.  You are my God and I trust you.” God will save you from hidden traps and from deadly diseases.  He will cover you with his feathers,  and under his wings you can hide.  His truth will be your shield and protection.  You will not fear any danger by night or an arrow during the day.  You will not be afraid of diseases that come in the dark or sickness that strikes at noon. At your side one thousand people may die or even ten thousand right beside you, but you will not be hurt.  Psalm 91:1-8 (NCV)

I never ask people to re-blog anything I write because I figure if it moves you, you will.  Tonight, I’m asking you to re-blog this to your readers.  I want to get as many people praying for Sonny as possible.  The song that moved me this afternoon while I prayed for Sonny was “What If His People Prayed” by Casting Crowns.  I believe that prayer changes things.

Image Source:  http://wallpaper4god.com

Won’t you help me prove it?

shr

“What If His People Prayed?”  (Casting Crowns)

Friday Five: Quotations and Affirmations 2

I thought I’d share something from my quotations collection for today’s post. If there are themes for these quotes, they have to be strength and courage to make choices. Some have a Biblical connotation, while others are about life in general. A couple of these quotes are from women who have proven to be strong themselves. I hope that you will find something that strikes a chord of strength in you, whether you’re a man or a woman.

1. “A man has to want to be in a relationship with me. I don’t want a man to be with me just because it’s convenient — I am not a 7-11!” (The source for this is unknown, but I’ve heard variations of this on at least two television shows and a movie.)

Image Credit: www.pittsburghgives.org

2. “You’ve got to make the choice to rejoice!” (Source Unknown)

Image Credit. www.marcreck.com

3. “Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation.” (Eleanor Roosevelt)

Eleanor Roosevelt (Image Credit: www.thespeeches.com)

4. “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” (Mother Teresa)

Mother Teresa (Image Credit: www.excerptsoffinri.com)

5. “It’s our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” (J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series)

J. K. Rowling (Image Credit: http://sharequotes.us/j.k.-rowling-biography.html)

My challenge to you:

Find a scripture that illustrates one or more of the quotes. For example, the Mother Teresa quote reminds of this verse:

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. John 13:34 (NLT)

I’m praying for all of my followersand fellow bloggers this weekend. It’s something I feel led to do. If you have a specific prayer requests, post it in the comments or send it to me privately at lbtk1@aol.com

Have a blessed weekend!

shr

For the Love of You

I gave my mother a book of poems I had written expressly for her in 1986.  She made me promise to write a new poem to go in that book each year.  It has been our tradition since that day and with very few exceptions, I have kept that promise.

Image Credit:  http://tahasin13.blogspot.com

This year is full of new emotions for me now that I am a grandmother.  Family has always been important to me, but now it’s like I live and breathe it more deeply that ever before.  I am learning to savor every single moment and to be thankful for gestures that I might have missed in the past — little things, such as Martin calling me “an amazing woman” in a Facebook post, or when Steven touches my shoulder before we part, or how Claire rushes out of the house on her way to school but doubles back just to tell me that she loves me.  Grateful doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mothers –to  those that bore children and raised them, to those that bore children and gave them a different life than you could give them yourself through adoption (for it was by that gift that I became a mother), and to all those who “mothered” children they did not bear and by your presence in those lives, have made the world a better place.

FOR THE LOVE OF YOU

For My Mother, Linda Hall

At fifty, I am a mother, grandmother, and a daughter

Who now sees you with eyes

That have been opened to your secrets.

I now know the depth of your love and sacrifice.

Such was your selflessness, as you fed me confidence

And let me grow until I was ready to stand on my own.

You have been my prayer sentinel, standing watch.

With your love, I know I’ve never stood alone.

There’s a peace in knowing

That I could never go far enough

To step beyond your grasp —

To ever leave the realm of your love.

Sandra Hall Rosser (c) 2012

Four Generations

Me (left), Steven (right), my Mama with Joshlyn (center)

Image Credits (in the poem):  www.theconservativetreehouse.com,  www.theconservativetreehouse.com

Photo Credit:  Sandra Hall Rosser, Easter 2012