Picket Fences

My three favorite movies, It's a Wonderful Life, Pride and Prejudice, and last but not least The Cinderella Man. The male star, in each, plays a role that is incredible. George, in "It's a Wonderful Life," puts others needs before his own. Those around him seem to be living a far more glamorous life than his. His dreams of traveling and building huge skyscrapers remain just that, dreams. When tragedy strikes, he discovers his true richest. His treasures were those who stood around him, singing Christmas songs, and were there to help him in any way they could. Mr Darcy, the lead charactor in "Pride and Prejudice," is misunderstood by the women he loves. She rejects him. Darcy never gives up but continually lives out the love in his heart for the woman of his dreams, writes her a letter and secretly does wonderful things to bless her and her family. When she discovers the truth about him, she loves him in return. "The Cinderella Man," is up against a...

Our women's ministry just finished a study. A question really stood out to me. " You're still standing, aren't you ?" I mentally took a step back to take a good look at this question. "Yeah," I nodded. "I am still standing." But I think the real question is, "How am I standing?" Here on the day of the big "FIVE - O" birthday, that's a pretty huge question. There are quite a few ways I could stand. In the pain from the past, unforgiveness, self-medicated, bitter, worse yet with gaping heart sores oozing with, well...I'm not going to gross you out. Or... forgiven, bruised, scarred, strengthened, wiser, and able to forgive what has been. Life is so tough. If you are sailing through, count your blessings, but many haven't and are not sailing through. A day can start with the sun shining through a slit of your curtain. The birds chirping a song and your heart is singing along. Great hair day, bills paid, food on the t...

What do we do, when those we love are gone? Whether they walk out of our life by choice or death? Or we find ourselves walking away. When our dreams disappear? When we hurt so bad we barely can make it through the minutes of the day? Ever wonder why life seems unfair? Anger, hurt, betrayal loom on the horizon of the heart. A tear is waiting to drop. Blink, blinked away. There has to be something, someone, who will fix what isn't right in life. Hands reach for what will medicate the pain. Or cling to a person, who seems to be the answer. I've stood where darkness surrounds me. Pain rudely tramples down the walls, I built around my heart. Illness isolates. Goodbye is not by choice. A dream blows in the wind. I've cried in the black of the night, loneliness of the day. Pain searing through my whole being with no answer seemingly in sight. One day I pushed through the curtain of religion. Peered into a well of life. So misunderstood by my circumstances. I found a hand catching...

I want to say thank you to each person who has served in the military for our country. You made yourself available to protect not only our freedom, but other countries. I can't tell you what that means to me and other Americans. I love living in America. Thank you and may God bless you and surround you with love.

What a day we had Saturday! Our Brownie and Girl Scout Troop had a planned food drive to pick up donations for a local family shelter. In the heavy rain and ever increasing growing mud puddles, I had the privledge to watch two girls go from house to house, knock on doors and ask for donations. Although cold, tired and wet they not only perservered, they pushed on with excitement and smiles. It was awesome to watch their reaction whenever food was put in their hands. Once it was brought to the vehicle off they would race to the next house. The people in the neighborhood were very generous. We decided to stop knocking on doors when it began to thunder and lightning. Afterward, we met down at the shelter. I was amazed at the amount of food the entire troop had accumulated. Soaked and hungry the girls proceeded downstairs to stock the shelves with the food they collected with no complaints! Tears spring to my eyes at the memory of those faithful young girls working as a team to stock those...

I have to tell you, the past week I was able to store up some very special memories. My brother-in-law came home on leave from Iraq and we had an early Thanksgiving. Also, my husbands parents came to town and another brother-in-law got married. And yesterday we got to celebrate my sisters housewarming. During this recession, God allowed her to have a new home built. Family and friends gathered together throughout the week for different celebrations. I can still hear their laughter and see the smiles as I sip on my coffee today. God's word says to meditate on things that are true, holy, pure, just, praiseworthy, knowledgeable and of good report. Sometimes we have to look hard to focus on those things, but I've found it's definitely worth the look.

The first year of my marriage I went through a Bible study that allowed a deep healing in my heart from some choices I had made before I was a Christian. The first night I came home from the study I was sitting out on our deck. Recently I had purchased a new pot that I just loved and couldn’t wait to start planting flowers in that and all my other pots. Much to my delight I noticed a very pretty leafy plant starting to grow in one of them. I watered and fertilized it. I even went to the point of splitting it up and transplanting it into my other pots, even my favorite new one. Boy, did that thing grow and multiply. One day, I took a good look at it. It was a weed! I had been watering and fertilizing a weed! And it was in my favorite pot! A thought ran through my mind, I truly believe it was from God, about how carefully I take care of the weeds of my heart, my secrets, my shame, my wrong choices. Although I firmly believed Jesus died on the cross for my sins and I received Him as my Lo...

How exciting! If you would like to take a look, there is a really nice interview about my book, "Like a Bird Wanders" at http://bookreaderscentral.blogspot.com/ . When I was young, my dream was to be a writer. To see that dream fulfilled is an incredible experience. It wasn't easy and still isn't. There is quite a bit of work that goes into the writing of a book or a story. In the beginning, I just expected to write a book and get published, after all I believed I was following a call. But over the last couple of years God has brought me through a process to mature me in different aspects of this craft. Sometimes it is painful. True on the job training. One thing which taught patience - after we signed the contract some unforeseen things happened which put our book on hold. The waiting was unbearable yet we knew we needed to just wait. How hard is that? HARD! A note of encouragement to you. If you feel like life is just plain tough and you don't know what to do or...

There is something about September. It's my favorite time of year. Summer is ending, school starting, and usually, it's time to start wearing those favorite sweatshirts, or sweaters. This year is different though, I'm still wearing shorts and tank tops, along with my flip flops. The summer season is hanging on, which is good! But what about the seasons of life that hang on that aren't so good? I personally can say a yearning starts to grow inside for a change. Feelings of discontent, discouragement and even depression fill the days during a long hard season. I'd like to pass something on, I happen to be in one of those seasons and today, I was reminded. To meditate on things that are pure, holy, true, just, praiseworthy, of good report, knowledgeable. These are the things to focus on. And to cast my cares upon God. I don't have to carry them. Whew! What a relief. During my walk with my sister, she said, "After a storm, I wish I could go back through it aga...