Thursday, May 29, 2014

Forever Friends...





Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
"Pooh?" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand.

"I just wanted to be sure of you.”







Do you have a forever friend?
Piglet and Poo more than likely consider each other a forever-friend.
What exactly is a forever friend--

When we honestly ask ourselves
which person in our lives mean the most to us,
we often find that it is those who,
instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures,
have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds
with a warm and tender hand.
The friend who can be silent with us
 in a moment of despair or confusion,
who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement,
who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing
and face with us the reality of our powerlessness,
that is a friend who cares.”
Henri J.M. Nouwen, Out of Solitude...


I'd also like to add that a forever friend is one that you can laugh with until the tears fall....
A forever friend accepts you the way you are without trying to change you into someone you are not...
A forever friend will drop everything she is doing in your time of crisis and be there for you...
A forever friend loves you no matter how bad you look, how disheveled your life may be...

 
Plus, a forever friend
lasts a lifetime.
 


 

 She will not give up on you.
Even if she is miles away....
Her spirit is with you.
 
Whether you have a forever friend or not....
Whether you have more than one forever friend....
     lucky girl, you....or not...
There is someone else who will be your forever friend....
 

 JESUS...
a forever friend...
with an eye on eternity.
 
Repeating Nouwen's words from "Out of Solitude"... it is those who...have chosen to share our pain and touch our wounds.... The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement.... and face with us the reality of our powerlessness... that is a friend who cares."
 
 
 
That is Jesus.
 

No longer do I call you servants,
for the servant does not know what his master is doing;
but I have called you friends,
for all that I have heard from my Father
I have made known to you.
   John 15:15  

 

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.....     1John 3:1
 
Yes, what a friend we have in Jesus...
a forever friend. 






“We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet.
Even longer,' Pooh answered.”
       ―
A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

 

Friday, May 23, 2014

Mother's Vanity....


Marjorie June (8th grade graduation)

Marjorie June grew up during the depression moving from farm to farm and living sometimes with extended family. She enjoyed the occasional dogs and cats that wandered unto their place and dreamed of getting married, having a family, and living on a farm of her own.




Her father was a seed-corn dealer, and as a young woman it was
Marjorie June (HS graduation)
common for her to help out in the fields as needed.

Vanity?
I'm not sure she had time for such thoughts, stylish clothes or even a mirror to consider all this.

Vaseline on her eyebrows and lips and a little face powder were her only makeup applications.





She met my father at a church gathering and fell in love before he left to serve in World War II. Letters were written and a relationship made more precious by the country's circumstances was formed. Mom made a wedding dress out of white wool and waited. Dad returned home with a silver medal and a gold star--perhaps a somewhat changed man. Vows were exchanged in a simple ceremony.
Mr. and Mrs.

After a brief honeymoon, they moved to the family farmstead. Used furniture filled the house; however, a new bedroom set which included a chest of drawers, a bed with head and end boards, and a vanity with a mirror the width of the dressing table were purchased.




She must have felt like a princess--
married to a veteran,
living in the country
with her own dog,
and a new bedroom set
with a vanity to boot
in the old farm house.

In my earliest memories of the vanity,
I see a matching hand mirror,
brush and comb--
all placed on a doily
which covered the
always shining surface.
And, nothing else.


The front drawers held personal items--
a bundle of letters from her husband written
while he was over-seas, nightgowns, and socks.

Only dressing-up on Sunday mornings, I see her checking her reflection in the large mirror. Was the vertical line on her hosiery straight? Was her slip showing? And, her hat, was it at the right angle; should she pull the netting over her face or shift it back over the hat?

As a soon-to-be-mom, I picture her in the early morning--
after her husband has gone out to chores--
looking in the vanity mirror and studying
the changes in her young body as her pregnancy progressed.


Months later,
I visualize her sitting on the bed
holding a new born
and staring at this
new image of herself.
A mother with a miracle.

A two year old and a three year old.




A year, then another, and yet another slipped by. A nicely framed picture of the family children settled in one spot on her vanity along with products from the Watkins man, socks needing darning, and a pattern or two. A cluttered surface that no longer needed dusting.
My brother and I with a new brother!










The surface items evolved as one year lapsed into another to include a stack of diapers neatly folded, Sunday School lessons, and an updated picture or two of what was happening in the family.

When Mom was busy with the cleaning, baking, and meal preparation in the kitchen, the important papers were shuffled into their bedroom and unto the vanity. I wonder if she ever took time to ponder her image and wonder what she had gotten herself into.
And, then, there were four... surrounding Grandpa Harry.

The only time the clutter disappeared occurred when Aunt Gladys visited from California. In my eyes, Aunt Gladys, my mother's only sister, was a woman of the world. Within an hour of her arrival, her suitcase would be plopped on the bed in my parent's bedroom with her seated on one side and me on the other and the question, "Want to see my shoes?"

I'd slip on her shoes, drape her colorful outfits across my shoulders and dream of growing up and owning fancy outfits of my own. I remember studying the two of us--our reflections--as we shared the suitcase contents.

As I grew older, I would ask my mother, "Can I use the mirror?" It was the only full length mirror in the house. Entering the bedroom, I would close the door part way not wanting to draw the attention of any of my five brothers.

Was my slip showing?
Did my hair look right?
Did this blouse and skirt really match?
Standing on my tip-toes,
I wished my legs were longer.



A Sunday morning picture, another brother, and a new baby.


The vanity stayed cluttered, but the contents continued to change over the years. The Watkins man stopped coming to our house; the Avon lady took his place. Tubes of hand lotion (buy one/get one free), miscellaneous birthday and anniversary cards, pages torn from magazines with articles worth keeping blanketed the matching brush, comb, and mirror set along with a smattering of the boys' school pictures and a stack of cloth diapers--always neatly folded.






One year folded into another.
The family picture changed.





My parents moved off the farm and into town.
The furniture went with them--
including the bedroom set they bought as newly weds.







The most recent family picture was moved to a new spot--a bookshelf in the living room--along with numerous pictures of the grandchildren.




The vanity surface now supported a box of tissues, miscellaneous items bought on sale from the local dollar stores, new books ordered through the mail, and a prescription or two.

The yearly Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings passed--with a houseful of conversation, food, and energy for a couple of days and then quiet again in my parents' home. Decades passed. The family grew. We had to sit on the floor amongst the grandchildren's blocks and books. The only quiet place was Mom and Dad's room with the visiting coats stacked high on their bed.

Mom was diagnosed with a rare cancer in her eighties.
Who did she see now when she looked in her vanity mirror?
What did she remember?
What were her thoughts?
Did she even take the time to look?
She said little.





I came to stay for a week before her death.
Her appearance no longer mattered.
Daily, she wore the same clothes and shoes
and shrugged her shoulders when asked
a question.

After helping her into bed one night,
I scanned their bedroom. As usual,
my mom was a "stacker," and clutter reigned
--except for the top of the vanity.

One picture remained--
my college graduation picture.





Although filled with furniture, her wedding dishes and silverware, her many books and magazines, the house felt empty after her death. Months later, Dad decided to try assistive living and told us to take what we wanted. Although there were a few antiques of value, I wanted only the vanity with the large mirror that had witnessed so much of life.

Now taking residence in my home, my mom's vanity holds my pajamas, my socks, and my favorite CD's. The surface displays a picture of my husband and me and is often dusty.



And,
whenever I take time
to look into that large mirror,
I
see
me
and
remember
her.






Man is like to vanity; his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
Psalm 144:4



Micah, a book in the Old Testament with only seven chapters, asks a significant question in Chapter 6,
verse 8: . . . what does the Lord require of you?


To act justly
and to love mercy
and to walk
humbly
with your God.
Thank you, God, for Moms.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Hooked on Beth Moore's Bible Studies





"You need to do a Beth Moore Bible study," my sister-in-law, Debbie, told me. "You'll love her."


 Years later,
Debbie gave up on my efforts 
and sent
JAMES, Mercy Triumphs
through the mail--
to me.

She was right: I loved the study. Beth Moore writes with a genuiness and a connected-ness to women of any age. She knows her Bible history and makes it come alive.


I'd like to share a few things from the JAMES study....

 
Who was James?
 
 
 
James was the half brother of Jesus who more than likely grew up in the same household as Jesus along with other brothers and at least one sister. His parents were Mary and Joseph.
 
The book in the Bible, James, was one of the last to be accepted as part of the New Testament but probably one of the first to be written.
 
It has only five chapters.... an easy read.
 
Although a half brother of Jesus, he starts his book with ....
 
 
James,
a servant of God
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Greetings.
 
These are some thoughts I wrote down...
... Beth Moore's words...
   Thank you, Beth...
 
 
Mercy heals,
Mercy grows,
Mercy moves....
 
 
Have the courage to live under strain and pain
to be part of a better story.
A larger story.
Don't wimp out.
Don't waste your pain.
 
God's way of reaching the big, needy world is to enlist every one of us to do our parts in love and humility, variety and diversity.
 
God can do a perfect work in an imperfect person.
 
Boasters and braggarts are liars --
every single time.
 
Selfishness makes us sick.
The more we put ourselves first,
the more insecure we become.
Insecurity's mark?
Jealousy.
Insecurity is when your own mind turns on you.
 
What does "full-of-mercy" look like?
Dignifying people.
 
 
If we are willing,
God is our song when we are happy,
Our escape when we are tempted,
Our hope when we're despairing,
Our joy in tribulation,
Our strength in weakness,
And our immortality in dying.
Ultimately,
He Himself is our health.
 
 
A pair of hands clasped in earnest--
prayer is the best means we have
this side of heaven
to hang onto Jesus
for dear life.
 
 
 
Again, thank you Beth Moore for the Bible study on James... and thank you James for inspiring each of us to remain faithful--and remembering that true faithfulness is the living-faith expressed in action.
 
 

In Chapter 2: 14-17, James tells us.... about faith and deeds:

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
 
 
Again, a gentle reminder from Beth..
 
 
A pair of hands clasped in earnest--
prayer is the best means we have
this side of heaven
to hang onto Jesus for dear life.
 
 
James gives us
   the prayer of faith
      in his last chapter
         starting with verse 13...

13 Is anyone among you in trouble?
Let them pray. Is anyone happy?
 Let them sing songs of praise.
14 Is anyone among you sick? ...
 15 And the prayer offered in faith
will make the sick person well;
the Lord will raise them up.
If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
 
Pray
Give Praise.


Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Cynics and Cynicism--not a pretty picture...

Words have no power to impress the mind
without the exquisite horror of their reality.
 


Edgar Allan Poe

 
                                        Edgar Allan Poe, of course.....
 
Need more....
Once upon a midnight dreary
while I pondered
weak and weary.
 
Is it any wonder that Edgar is known as a cynic?
 
While in college, a couple of roommates read some of my published poetry and commented that I was a bit of a cynic.
 
Cynic? Me?
 
Grabbing Webster, with all his wisdom, I read...
 
1) an advocate of the view that virture is the only good and that its essence lies in self-control and independence
2) one who believes that human conduct is motivated wholly by self-interest
 
Hmmmmm....
 
Number 1 definition could be complimentary. Number 2? This definition bothered me because I knew that my roommates were right... the poems were cycnical.
 
 
May God forgive me for my cycicism....
and hopefully, I have evolved....
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Aesop, Dickens, George Bernard Shaw, Grouch Marx, Mark Twain, Shakespeare--all are known as cynics (humor aside) and what about the guy next door, your chemistry teacher, your dentist... you get the picture.
 
 
 
 
 
Wanting to know more about cynics and cynicism, I put Webster aside and googled...
This is what I found:
 
 
It's not pretty...
so hang in there..
 
 

*being distrustful of human sincerity or integrity
*not trusting or respecting the goodness of other people and their actions
*showing contempt for accepted standard of honesty and morality
*being skeptical of the motives of others
*believing that people are generally selfish and dishonest
*normally accepting humanity as inherently evil
*showing no concern about treating people fairly
*doubtful as to whether something will happen or whether it is worthwhile.
 
....I know, not pretty...
 
 
Let's carry this a bit further...
 

  :
Synonyms include ...skeptical, doubtful, disbelieving, suspicious, pessimistic, negative, world-weary, disillusioned, disenchanted, sardonic, contemptuous, mocking....
 
And, then,
One antonym:
Idealistic.
Idealistic?
What kind of world

do we live in?

 
Think of recent conversations with others.

Think of movies you may have seen, songs you have heard, our jokes and what we think is funny.

Think of your own attitude.

We are completely frail and falling…
 
Cynicism is its own form

of broken-ness.
 
 
With the Spirit of the living God in us,
how can we be cynical?
 

Both Old Testament and New Testament explain…
 
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word …whoever utters slander is a fool…  Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure….Do not speak evil against one another, brothers….A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends. …Do speak evil of no one, avoid quarreling,  be gentle, and show perfect courtesy toward all people. …You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor... A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

A tad bit scary?
 
 
How do we feel when slandered?

We withdraw,
we detach.
 If really slandered,
we feel like scum,
unworthy,
unloved.
 
The Symptoms of Addiction Withdrawal - Different Drugs, Different Dangers

 What should we do?

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
For Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit....
    Again, from God's holy word--his love letter to us...


Thank goodness we had the cynics...the gifted writers who presented the world to us in varying ways--giving us reason to ponder.

But if your cynicism is your broken-ness?
 


....ask and it shall be given...
seek and you shall find...
 
 
 
 
 

Dearest Heavenly Father, We are lacking in so many things. We are often unkind, unloving, unthinking in our responses and behavior toward others. Help us to be more like you in what we do, what we say, and how we reflect your unconditional love--always giving thanks for your gifts of grace and everylasting mercy.
Amen

Monday, May 5, 2014

I Was There...

Besides Christmas and Easter, my favorite hymns are sung on confirmation Sunday and graduation Sunday. One of them is I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry.
       (Listen to this on Utube...)
 
 




I was there to hear your borning cry,
I'll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold
.






 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
 before you were born I set you apart...
     Jeremiah 1:5




I was there when you were but a child,
with a faith to suit you well;
In a blaze of light you wandered off
to find where demons dwell.


running : Woman jogger silhouette against beautiful sunset sky running through fields

When you heard the wonder of the Word
I was there to cheer you on;




You were raised to praise the living Lord,
to whom you now belong.



If you find someone to share your time



and you join your hands as one
I'll be there to make your verses rhyme
from dusk 'till rising sun.






In the middle ages of your life,
not too old, no longer young,
I'll be there to guide you through the night,
complete what I've begun.
When the evening gently closes in,
and you shut your weary eyes,
I'll be there as I have always been
with just one more surprise."


 The only reason
we glimps God's mercy
is that we were
created in his image.

 

To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant,
 and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
. . .  a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn,
and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones togethe...
   Ecclesiastes 3:1


One day slips into another.
The seasons pass.
The years seem to go by in clumps rather than one at a time....
Your life unfolds.
Things happen.
And, we wonder what does it all mean.
I was there....
What is my purpose?
Why am I here?
Looking back
It is sometimes easier to understand.
Looking forward
We often know not where to go or who to turn to.
I'll be there...

God has not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower strewn pathways
All our lives through.


God has not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow
Peace without pain.


But God has promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the labor
Light for the way,
Grace for the trials
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy
Undying love.
            author unknown
jesus reaching out photo: Jesus reaching out jesushand-1.jpg
                  

The Easter egg plastic shells have been stored away until next spring.
Our Easter Lillies look frail.
We remember singing "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today..."
What was it two Sundays ago?
But Easter is not past!







 
It happened.
Christ rose.
And, because of that, each day as our life unfolds--it is Easter in our hearts.
Because Christ lives, we too shall live.





I was there to hear your borning cry,
I'll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.

 
 
Prayers always and praise...
Bear fruit now and forever...