Seeds

As I write these words I can hardly comprehend the time that has passed.  This is 2014 and Daddy passed March 2010.  It has been 4 years!  Wow!  I can still see him gathering flower seeds, riding the lawn mower, roaming the hills with the weed eater, collecting apples from the trees…all those things that made daddy!  As I maintain my own yard now I am reminded every time I pull a weed of the love and care Daddy took in his yard.  The flowers that are blooming in my yard have practically all been strategically placed by him at one time or another.  Anytime he came over he would pack his pockets full of seeds and I would see him roaming my yard spreading the posies around.  I usually would not see the evidence till weeks later when they began to sprout up.

 

This week on my lunch break as I walked all over town I stopped to admire and of course take pictures of some beautiful flowers along Main Street.  I noticed as I looked at these freshly planted flowers that there among the blooms were a few vegetables thrown in.  A tomato plant and a cucumber vine hidden and growing beautifully and there at the end of the row, a pear tree among a bunch of crab apples.  I thought the town of Rainelle had really come up with an excellent idea!  Pretty and plentiful!  That was Monday.  Wednesday I was in Lewisburg and as I go into Wal-Mart there is Lonnie with a buggy of flowers.  Now that is unusual for me to see so I had to look twice!  But yes, it was my brother with a cart full of pretty posies.  So we talk for a bit about the different kinds of flowers daddy used to have, about perennials, about annuals and collecting seeds.  I tell him about my walk and how the flowers looked so pretty in Rainelle.  Well wasn’t I surprised to learn that the town of Rainelle didn’t plant those flowers…Lonnie did.  And he added those wonderful veggies.  He plans on planting a strawberry or 2 also.  I thought how much like Daddy he was; sowing seeds of flowers!  Daddy would’ve approved; encouraged it and probably given him a few of his own to sow!

 

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)

⁶ Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it

I think not only of the seeds daddy sowed down through the years but the seeds that Mommy sowed.  Some have already sprouted, grown and made more seeds.  Some are laying there waiting….I believe they have taken root, they just aren’t all flowery and blooming yet.  They are getting their nutrition, water and lots of sunshine!  We just don’t see the bloom yet.  Daddy’s legacy of love of outdoors, hard work ethic, and love of family has produced many seeds, some we see, and some we don’t.  But the roots run deep, just like with the seeds mommy has sown.  Her goal in life was to see all of her children in Heaven with her one day.  She planted those seeds.  And just like daddy would bring seeds to my house in his pocket and spread them without my knowledge, Mommy was doing the same with us kids as we grew up.  The many times I would see her sitting in her rocking chair with her bible?  Seeds planted.  The many times I saw her in conversation with Jesus?  Seeds.  Being kind no matter what?  Seeds.  Praying with me?  Seeds.  I have seen many of these seeds bloom…and as I watch my children and the other grand children I see more seeds that she planted take root and they are blooming and I know that in Heaven Mommy and Daddy are thinking about their garden here on earth.  They are still watching out for us.  And every now and then I can hear daddy say, pull that weed!  Don’t let it grow because before you know it, it will take over the whole garden!  That’s those little annoying things in our life.  They all start out as little pesky weeds but if we don’t go ahead and take care of them- BAM!- they consume out whole life.  Daddy was the best when it came to killing out weeds.  He would use a dust and a spray and then he would always try a home remedy!  I can’t help but think he would’ve been a fan of Pinterest!  But the main thing was…get rid of the weed.  Don’t nurture it, don’t give it the time of day…get rid of it so the good seeds can grow; become rooted; and bloom!

I didn’t have the pleasure of being with my dad this Fathers Day but I did have the opportunity to enjoy the garden he started.  I got to see the seeds bloom that he planted.  I even got to pull a few weeds in his garden.  And just remember just because you don’t see bloom right away doesn’t mean the seeds you sow aren’t taking root and growing.  All things in Gods time…Even seeds.  So while you wait for the bloom…pull a few weeds.

Matthew 13:8 (NIV)

⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown

 

Just wanted to say "Thank You" to everyone for such a birthday celebration you gave me and Vesta when I was home on May 31. It was a surprise to both of us and I considered it very special. Was wonderful to see everyone. Daniel and Alice, sorry that you were not able to be with us. Thank you Rita and Blain for the wonderful hospitaliy. Blain you are in my prayers daily for those pains in your arm and shoulder. Rita thank you for taking me to visit your church and for being my ride to the airport. Thanks for showing me 'your prayer room' in the woods. It is awesome. Lonnie and Marsha, the visit to your house provided me the first opportunity I have experienced since high school graduation to see three of the students with which I graduated nearly 45 years ago. One of them told me the school was planning to have the 45th graduation get together later this fall. Doubt I will be able to make it but it would be nice. They would all be shocked I bet if I showed up in my Dress Blue uniform! Ruth and Dan, thanks for picking me up in Charleston. Vesta, it was a great thrill to celebrate with you on your birthday, a special day you shared with my Mom, and your Great Grandma! Trish and Jacob, want to thank you for letting me help out in your garage. I really enjoyed doing that, more than you can know. Steve, that bench you created out of the cherry log is a work of art. Shows me just how much of Daddy you have, he was never one to throw away anything and could find unique uses for things to which other people would then exclaim, "Will, I declare!" Course they were just sorry they didn't think of it first. That bench will get lots of use. The door to your bathroom is a classic example, a tribute to you Teresa. Michelle, Joe, and the girls just moved out of their house in Germany and into a Hotel in preparation for their departure from Europe. We hope to soon have them where we can actually visit with them on occasion. It will indeed be a treat. Love you all.

Happy Happy Happy

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands!  How many times have you sung that song?  Clapped your hands, stomped your feet and that was enough to know you were happy. How about this one?  I’ve got that joy joy joy joy down in my heart-WHERE? Down in my heart! Where?  Down in my heart!  Once again; we sing it, the Bible says it so it must be so!

Psalm 32:1-2 (NLV)

Joy of Being Forgiven

32 How happy he is whose wrong-doing is forgiven, and whose sin is covered! ² How happy is the man whose sin the Lord does not hold against him, and in whose spirit there is nothing false.

What is happiness?  What do you consider “Happy”?  Is it a good job with enough money at the end of the month to pay the bills with a little left over?  Is it having your family all together?  Maybe happiness to you is your grandchildren?  To some it may be “stuff”.  And that’s OK!  To those who think “stuff” will make them happy, you will figure it out eventually.  But in order to figure it out, you will probably have to go through something.  Something that will devastate you and you will try to cling to that stuff…that’s when you will figure it out.  Happiness…I am having a hard time with that one.  No matter how hard I clap my hands and stomp my feet…I am not happy.  I am trying to find someone to blame…can’t find that either.  I miss my husband and friend.  I can’t blame him, I have tried.  So how do we become happy?  What’s the recipe?  Because I really need it.  Sadness I think comes from the devil.  I am sure of it, but how do I overcome it.  Depression is not of God, I don’t know how to overcome that either!

Philippians 2:15 (KJV)

¹⁵ That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

I feel like my light has burnt out.  I feel like I don’t know how to shine any more, not that I was very shiny anyway, but my sadness is beginning to creep into my everyday life.  I pray…boy have I prayed.  I pray for solutions, I pray for the darkness that has invaded my soul to leave just as the clouds roll in the sky.  That’s how it feels.  I feel like one day I was happy and a dark cloud rolled over and it started to rain on my life.  The rain and dark cloud won’t leave me.  So here I sit.  But I have noticed as I sit under my rainy dark cloud, I am not alone.  I am alone under my own cloud, but there are others out there sitting under their own cloud.

Proverbs 27:17 (KJV)

¹⁷ Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

If we are all sitting under our own cloud, we aren’t getting very sharp now are we?!  The trouble with being sad is no one wants it.  They avoid it like the common cold.  And if they ask how you are, as soon as you start to tell them, they avoid it or leave as quick as they can.  So it’s easier for all concerned just to keep it all locked up and out of the way.  That works for a while.  Until it starts eating at you and then you get to where you can’t hide it and there ya are!

Luke 10:27 (KJV)

²⁷ And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

I think if we do this, there won’t be room for sadness, no room for depression, anxiety…no room for anything but Jesus!  Is this easy?  NO!  I haven’t been able to do it.  I am trying but I need that help that comes from above.

The Great Commission.  He gave us a mission with clear marching orders.  Go make disciples…go help others…If we get it figured out enough to pass on to others then that’s our mission.

Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

As I walked Sunday I tried to figure out my life. Why things happen the way they do.   I wondered why I was depressed.  Are Christians supposed to be depressed?  It isn’t from God.  Well I am here to tell you I am depressed and Jesus lives right there in my heart.  But that old devil tries to squeeze in there every chance he gets.  And it’s very often with me!  I have so many faults the devil just takes one look at me and says “happy, happy, happy!”

Lifes struggles and trials aren’t meant for us alone.  If we are doing our part in the grand scheme of things we are looking out for others.  God will send us someone with an encouraging word to lighten our load.  Sometimes He offers guidance, sometimes just a message to hang in there!  That was my case.  I got that word I needed from a friend.  So Monday as I worked I tried to not focus on my problems, not focus on ME!  My day was so much better.  I found myself reciting bible verses that I had learned years before.  Ones I thought I had forgot but they were still there.

Philippians 2:16a (NLT)

¹⁶ Hold firmly to the word of life;

On a normal day I leave work at 6:15p but today we were finished.  No patients so I left at 6pm.  I got a phone call from a friend I haven’t talked to in almost a year.  She was having problems with…guess what?  Depression!  We talked and prayed.  I know God has a reason for us to go through the things we do.  In all my instances I have encountered someone going through the same things I have went through.  And in each of those encounters I have been able to tell them how God saw me through.  Each and every time.  He stood beside me, wrapped me up and sometimes He even said hold on tight cause it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!  But He has never let me fall to the point I couldn’t get up! 

Psalm 119:16 (GW)

¹⁶ Your laws make me happy.
I never forget your word

 

Today is Wednesday.  It has taken me a few days to figure things out and I am still trying to figure things out.  But just like that song says, if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands, it isn’t always that easy.  We know we have much to be happy about but some days it’s just hard to be happy!  So instead of happiness I am working on the JOY JOY JOY JOY down in my heart!  Because if I have that joy, the happiness will come!  The joy will see me through my sad days.  It will see me through the days when I have nothing but tears.  Joy will be there when I don’t have words to pray.  That joy is Jesus.  That’s where my happiness will come from.

As I finished praying with my friend and we were ready to end our conversation she said these words, “Keep shining your light Trish, keep shining your light!”  I didn’t tell her how I felt about my own light being dim!  But those are the exact words I needed to hear!  God knew that!  He sent my friend at exactly that moment to encourage me.  To tell me to hang in there!

Psalm 119:35 (NLT)

³⁵ Make me walk along the path of your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.

I like the laughing photo best too! Steve almost covered his face with his hand but Emily still got 'the shot!"

Mine too Bobbie!!

The laughing picture is my favorite!

Happy Birthday David

Happy Birthday David

A rhyme a verse of prose

So simple yet it can tell all our woes

But not this verse, not this story

This one is for God’s glory

A tale of a little boy

Born to bring, not happiness, but true joy

In Galatians chapter 5 we read:

But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, against such things there is no law

These are the attributes as you grew into a young man, you took heed

On the day you were born June 3rd, 1951

Mommy and Daddy welcomed an adorable new son

Number 5 in the line of Treadways

But one of millions in the line of Gods”way”

When Mommy gazed into your eyes, 

What did she see? Because we know, yes, she was wise

Did she wonder, as with the 2 babes before you?

Were you for keeps or would God want you back too?

As days became months, months turned to years

You began to fulfill your destiny, putting to rest all fears

God had a plan for your life 

And at a young age, you took a wife

Side by side, hand in hand

You followed Gods plan and traveled all across the land.

Serving your country, raising a family

But still putting God first, happily

When life got busy and yes, sometimes hard

You would return to your roots, and there would be mommy and daddy, standing in the yard

Always waiting with arms open wide

 To welcome you home to the place where love always abides

You are doing what God intended you to do

Being the son, husband, brother, father, uncle, grandpa and patriot too

You are bearing the fruit of the spirit from Galatians chapter 5

And in John 15:5

I am the vine, you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  

I can’t help but remember as I am sure you do as well, 

The many times daddy pruned on his trees, so that the fruit would bear, to hear him tell

I think as he and mommy look upon us today, each and every one of us kids and grandkids here

They think along with our heavenly father, that his pruning was a success, as we celebrate this year.

This year of your birth, 63 in all, 

It’s been magnificent!  What do you think y’all?

Good times bad times we have to take them all

But we follow Gods lead and we cannot fall

Happy birthday my dear brother, thank you for setting such a good example

One we all can follow, sometimes coming back here to give us a sample

God be with you in the many years you have ahead of you

And don’t forget to let God lead as you continue to do

Remember your roots, from which you came

For that’s where your branches get their name.

Follow the Road

Sitting on the edge of the river bank with the fishing pole in the water, the fishing line is stretched tight across the river.  Sometimes it’s hard to tell if the water is taking the line and bait or if a fish has taken hold of it.  But one thing is for sure, the boys sitting there on the bank have the faith that there will be a fish on the other end of their line…eventually.  That’s how faith works!  You know it’s going to happen…you just wait for it.

1 Timothy 6:12

Fight the good fight of the faith.  Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

As I tried to find my way to the camp by the river, I went on directions Randy gave me.  They have been there a million times and I am sure they thought there should be no problem.  Follow the road, follow the road, that’s what they said.  When I followed the road I ended up at a white gate, dead end.  So back up and take a left go across the railroad tracks and once again, follow the road.  What about the fork in the road?  Stay left, all minor little details but all important.  Had I not known which way to go I would’ve ended up at the wrong place.  I figured it out with a little help.

My life is kind of like these directions.  God keeps telling me, follow the road, follow the road, but then I end up at unexplained dead ends and He says back up and go left.  I do and eventually get where God is leading me.  Sunday morning was one of those snags in the road.  It was chilly but I had my window up just a little; enough so that the cat jumped up to enjoy the fresh air.  When he jumped up all of my books hit the floor.  So instead of picking them up I decided to go ahead and get dressed for church they could wait til after.  So to church I went.  Our sermon was “The Good Soldier” 1 Timothy 6:12 fight the Good Faith.  All about faith.

Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)

⁶ And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

I have been struggling with my faith.  Saturday I was working out in the yard.  The longer I worked the madder I got.  This was something Danny always enjoyed.  He did the big stuff I did the little stuff.  Last year I avoided the yard all together.  Kind of like my house.  If I ignore it, it will go away.  Well it’s been almost 2 years and no, it doesn’t go away.  It’s still there.  Every reminder of him still there.  His hat is still  in the same spot, hanging there as if he is coming back.  So every weed I trimmed reminded me one more time, he isn’t coming back.  So I finally quit and went to the woods.  That was no better,; trees had fallen down during various storms, across the roadway, blocking the path. I thought how different it would’ve been had he been there.  We would walk that same path I was walking only he would decide what needed done and we would do it.  Only there isn’t a we anymore there is only me.  The same things need done except I don’t enjoy doing them.  I try…but after 2 years I still can’t.  Shouldn’t I be better by now?  I am better at hiding it.  I am better at covering it up.  I am better at changing the subject… but no I am not better.  I remember last Memorial Day…wasn’t that just yesterday?  Seems like it.  Time has passed but not the memories.  Why is that?  I had a dental appt and as it so happened there was an emergency.  So the dental assistant had to sit and keep me company.  Chit chat!  Don’t you know her husband died of cancer 8 years before…she still feels like it was yesterday.  So I guess I am not so out of the ordinary after all.  The tears don’t come as often or at least as often in public anymore.  I have learned to suppress.  Although the sadness I can’t hide.  Someone told me this weekend I was very transparent.  I don’t think I like being so transparent so that I have no place to hide.  No hiding place.  When things are out of balance they don’t work right.  I am out of balance…still.  Will that last forever?  That’s where my questionable faith comes in.  I want to have the faith that it will all work out but I am weak.  And I know that when I am weak He is strong.  So right now He should be very strong.  Life confuses me.  Kind of like the directions to Randys camp.  Which way do I go?  Left or right?  Dead ends!  I feel like a leaf floating on the river; carried by the current, this way and that.  Sometimes without a purpose or a plan just drifting.  But I know that isn’t so.  It’s just that I don’t know what it is.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

He knows my plan, I just don’t have the faith to trust him and go along with it.  After church I came home and there in the floor were all the books….still in the floor.  So I began to pick them up.  The first book caught my eye.  “Understanding How to Fight the Good Fight of Faith” by Kenneth Hagin.  Isn’t that just like God?  I had come to a dead end and He was telling me to just breathe…slow down…back up and go left.  He was telling me to go across the railroad tracks and just follow the road.  Just follow the road.  Are there going to be forks in the road ahead?  Yes.  Confusing dead ends?  Yes…but with faith I will follow the road, follow the road.  He knows my plan, my future; I just have to trust him with it.  If he has to knock over a few books to get my attention then that’s one of those minor road bumps.  I have had this book for a year now and I have picked it up, read a page or two and put it back.  But I think God is telling me now is the time to read it.  He has something to tell me and it is in this book.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

He is trying to fix my balance…If I will only see the old me…the old “we” is gone.  I am a new creature thanks to Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:16 (NIV)

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day

 

Faith grows with understanding Gods Word.

John 16:23 (NIV)

²³ In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name

As I follow the road…the road God has laid out ahead for me this is all I know to do!

1 Chronicles 22:19a (NIV)

¹⁹ Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God.

I am sure there will be no dead ends on this path!

 

 

 

 

Memorial Day

Memorial Day

That is an excellent piece, Trish!

Worthy

Worthy.  Worth.  This word has been plaguing me for a week.  So this morning at 330am I finally had to get it out on paper.  But the funny thing is I don’t have a clue what I’m supposed to write.  So I will start with what I know.  Scripture.

John 3:16 (KJV)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Apparently God thought we were worthy.  In fact, so worthy that He sent His only son to die for us.  He counted us worth!  God said we are worthy so let’s be worthy.

Every day I encounter people that think their life doesn’t matter.  They think they are just here, existing.   Some think they would be better off dead; that the world would be better without them.  I think God created us each with a specific purpose to fulfill.  We all have our own special gifts to fulfill the job He designed for us.  So with that attitude of I don’t matter, we are saying God created me for nothing!  We all know that saying, “I know I’m special ‘cause God don’t make no junk!”  All we have to do is look around at the canvas He has painted.  The beauty of the sky, fields, streams and yes, even look to the people he created;   each unique, each different.  We all have a different nose, a different walk, we talk different.  We have different likes, different skin, some have big ears, others big mouths, but God has a plan and purpose for each one.  Our job is to figure out what it is.  While we figure it out, it’s important to uplift our neighbor because just as we struggle to find our place, they are finding their place too.  How far will a find word go to help that person who is having a bad day?  Maybe God gave you a big mouth to encourage someone!  Maybe he gave you big ears to hear someone’s troubles.  He may have given you a big heart to feel their pain or big shoulders to help carry their burden.  He may have given you eyes full of compassion to share someone’s grief. Perhaps he gave you swift feet to visit someone who is in need of a friendly visit.  Maybe rough hands to help someone who is needy!  Whatever you have, one thing is for sure, its God given and it is worth a lot.  You are worthy!  God said so!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God! “

 M.  Williamson

Undesirable.  Unaccepted.  Unworthy.  Not wanted.  These are all things that Satan wants us to believe about ourselves.  And when we don’t fall into the trap he sends his minions to fulfill it for him.  He invades our homes, our minds and the next thing you know we are spouting it out of our mouth!  I am guilty!  What starts out as an innocent conversation ends up a gossip session about a friend, a member of the congregation, co-worker.  We are all guilty.  We can’t let our guard down for even one minute.  Once those words come out of the mouth we can’t take them back.  The tongue is very sharp and it cuts deeply.  People may forgive but they don’t forget.  We are all worthy!

Ephesians 2:10 (KJV)

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Philippians 1:6 (KJV)

⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Romans 8:1 (KJV)

8 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Our lives matter, each and every one of us.  We all have worth.  So let’s honor God, he created us to build each other up and to love each other.  He wants us to see the worth that He sees in us.  Let’s take what he started and add to it.  Let’s be worthy!

Colossians 1:10 (NLT)

¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

 

Psalm 138:8 (NLT)

⁸ The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
Don’t abandon me, for you made me.

Congrats Emily , s proud of you .

Emily, that is wonderful news!!!  We are so happy for you both :)  Happy belated Mother's Day to everyone, hope you all had a blessed weekend!!

Hello all! And happy late mother's day to all you ladies! <3 p="">
I took my last exam of my 2nd year yesterday, which means that the preclinical/book work years are over! I have my big board exam at the end of June and then Zac and I will be moving to Charleston where I'll do my last 2 years of clinicals. We're really excited to be coming back closer to home. In the third year I'll have a couple months in: Neuro/Psych, Family Medicine (with a month at home in Dawson for a rural rotation!), Internal Medicine, Surgery, OBGYN, and Pediatrics. Zac will be transferring to the Target in Charleston, and our new apartment is on the river about a mile from the capitol. I feel a little like I've been under a rock for 2 years and I'm excited to be seeing people/patients again, and to be able to come home more often!

Here's a picture from our last day of exams. The two girls with me both went to the same college that I did for undergrad, and it was so nice to have them here over the past 2 years.

Hope to see all of ya'll soon!

Ladies, you are beautiful!

Happy Mother's Day to all the sisters, sisters-in-law and nieces!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY everyone!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all of you mothers out there!  I hope all those who love you show you how very special you all to them tomorrow!

I love it Trish!!

Happy Mothers Day 2014

Hands

Take My Hand Precious Lord

Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When my way grows drear
Precious Lord linger near
When my life is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When the darkness appears
And the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When I was a child I remember anytime I was afraid or alone someone would hold my hand.  Coming from a large family it could’ve been anyone; mom, dad, brother, sister, lots to choose from.  The feeling you get from just the entanglement of fingers is so overwhelming there are almost no words for it.  Safety.  Comfort.  Love.  Security.  Those are all emotions we all have felt at one time or another.  I also remember holding hands the first time with Danny.  Different emotions…scared, nervous, sweaty…actually I felt nauseous but it quickly resolved to familiar!   When my kids were little I held their hands out of a need to keep them safe and to hold on to them.  As they grew older they would search out my hand to hold when they were scared or frightened, lonely or needed comforting.  When we have our family get together we make a circle and hold hands.  We take the hand of the one beside us, give it a squeeze, and offer up our thanks to God for allowing us to be together!  When we are at church we often have prayer, special prayer, and we gather in a circle and hold hands.  We entangle not only our fingers with one another but also our hearts and lives.  We are telling that one beside of us that we have the time to get involved in their life to offer up a prayer, sacrificing a little time and a little piece of our heart.

I remember when I had the kids I had to have C-sections, all three.  Of course with a spinal you are numb from the waist down and pretty much the whole trunk up to the arms.  My arms were strapped down and all I could feel were my fingers.  On a stool sitting beside me was Danny.  He couldn’t do much but he did hold my hand.  How I wish I had a picture of his hands now!  Just the feel of his hand to mine calmed the anxious feeling in my chest better than any medicine they gave me.  It also told my brain that we could handle everything no matter what it was.  When he squeezed my fingers it brought me back to reality that life is amazing, wonderful, scary and unpredictable. But above all else life was full of love and you can feel it all with your fingertips.  All of those nerves at the end of your fingertips goes to everywhere else in your being, your heart, head and soul.   

I remember the moment each of my children looked at me and reached out with their tiny hands to grab that one finger, what an amazing feeling.  It went all the way to the core, my heart and soul.  The first time was no different from the third time.  I was in awe!  I think about my mom, I was number 11!  I know she thought I was just as special as the first all because she had never met ME!  God had created me just for her!  God wires mothers extra special I think because we have an extra special job for 9 months we have a connection and special bond like no other! 

But just as that touch of the hand is so overwhelming in birth and life, so it is in death as well.  I have sat by so many bedsides and held the hands of many as their last breath was taken.  Held the hand of the one I loved for 30 years until it was cold, Held the ones that gave me life…as they completed their race.  I thank God that I have not had to hold the hand of my child in death…but I know many that have.  We will all go through many trials in life and death, that’s promised to us.  But it is also promised to us that God will be there with us and not give us more than we can handle. 

1 Corinthians 10:13 (GNT) |

¹³ Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out

There is just something about the touch and feel of a hand.  It speaks volumes.  I didn’t realize it until today that this Mothers Day is the 100^th anniversary of Mothers Day!  We have been celebrating mothers around the world for 100 years…officially. 

Think how Mary felt 2000 years ago when she looked into the face of her newborn baby and she reached out to take his tiny hand.  Those same hands that played in the dirt with other kids, then the hands that performed miracles like they were nothing.  The same hands that were nailed to the cross for you and me! 

Life is not guaranteed but death is.  If you are blessed with a mother here on earth, and I do mean blessed, go tell her you love her.  Hold her hand, hug her neck, and kiss her cheek!  Or if you have a special woman in your life that has been a great influence, tell her.  The mother of your children?  Tell her what a great Mom she is.  Because I’m here to tell you, being a mom is a hard job.  It should come with hazard pay. But it also has the greatest of rewards.  All at the touch of a hand… tip of the fingers!  Hold hands with someone tomorrow and if your mom is in heaven…think of her!  I know I will!

 

Proverbs 31:10-31 (NIV)

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

http://www.emilyfridenmaker.blogspot.com/?m=1

Classmates

For anyone who has ever been a classmate!

Which way did he go George, which way did he go?  How many of you remember that cartoon?  I know you all are seeing that huge abominable snowman in your mind.  Picking up George and holding him by the neck and saying in that funny little voice, which way did he go George, which way did he go?

That’s kind of how I feel.  Thinking about my 30 year class reunion has brought that thought up with practically everyone’s pictures I see in the year book, except for those few like me who have stayed in Greenbrier County and our way didn’t go very far.  Or did it?  I have wondered many times if so and so actually did what they said they were going to do.  While I find others actually did stuff I never thought they would do.  And then there are some of us like me who never moved out of the neighborhood but yet I feel like I have been on a tremendous journey sometimes.

I haven’t kept up with any of my classmates except for occasionally running into them at Wal-Mart or facebook.  Life got busy for us all.  We raised families went to school, started careers, accomplished great things.  And now here we are almost ½ decade old and we gather with friends we feel like we hardly know.  For some or most we met in high school, hung out for 3 years and went our separate ways.  Did we really know each other then?  No I don’t think so.  I remember seeing faces day in and day out, smiles that hid so much.  Teenage years are the hardest EVER!  We got by and got through with the help of those faces.  Our parents didn’t understand or so we thought.  Now here we are with teenagers of our own and they are doing the same thing.  They think we don’t have a clue but has it really been that long?  30 years?!  But I can remember walking the halls of Greenbrier West like it was yesterday.  I can still hear the choir singing Billie Joel’s tune It’s Still Rock and Roll to me in my head.  Humming along.  When I go to a ballgame I can still feel the atmosphere as if I was 16.  But there is something about those classmates we surround ourselves with.  The ones that have the same home life and we know by just the look in their eyes.  Maybe their grief is the same as yours and you just know by that same look.  You can almost feel it.  So yes, the bonds we formed 30 years ago were brief, 3 years for most, but they were bonds.  And I am proud to say I was in a class of 140 or so that made it out alive and traveled to the other side, 30 years later.

It’s funny, I think, how we feel the need to reconnect at some level to see how we all turned out.  It’s almost like we were turkeys cooking and now 30 years later someone sticks a fork in us and says, “OK, this one’s done?”  By now we have all grown up, raised our families for the most part, many have started new families, jobs have come and went, spouses, come and gone, health on the decline, many of us have lost parents and spouses and now we find ourselves at a crossroads.  That’s where I am.  I am trying to figure out, which way do I go Lord, which way do I go?

Proverbs 16:9

In their hearts humans plan their course but the Lord establishes their steps

When you lose the one you have traveled through life with for 30 years, whether it is death or divorce, you instantly meet road blocks.  I feel like I am at a 4 way stop sign and my engine has stalled- and given my history of car accidents this winter, I am not stretching the truth here!  My kids are all almost grown; do I go back to school?  I have a big empty house; do I sell it and go smaller?  So many questions and unfortunately I don’t travel with the pack of kids that helped me make decisions when I was at Greenbrier West.  I am alone.  My decisions.  My mistakes. I’ll have to live with it.  But the good thing is in my last 30 years I have travelled a road that has been bumpy, treacherous at times; curvy and well at times it has come to a dead end.  And I know that my class mates have traveled this same road.  We have grown, matured and we have found that we can’t go this road alone.  The one thing I have noticed as I have reconnected with many friends and former classmates is not the size of theirhouse or what kind of car they drive but it is their testimony and how they have overcome obstacles to just survive.  I notice thatthey reached out to God.  They have called upon Jesus to help them in their struggles and I see He has done it.  He has made a way when there seemed to be no way.  I know many have jumped hurdles and have overcome many things to get to where they are today.  Many still have a long way to go.

I hope and pray as we get ready for a class reunion that it will be more than just reuniting and seeing familiar faces.  I hope we get the chance to uplift someone and help them if they are at their crossroads of life.  Similar to high school, there will be those that have already gone where we are headed.  Change is exciting but also scary.  It’s ok to ask someone to hold your hand even if it’s just for a little while.  Jesus holds our heart and he places people in our path to hold our hand for part of our journey; our angels on earth.  Our travels wouldn’t be near as meaningful without those relationships He gives us.   Treat them gently and with kindness.  Love when it seems like you can’t.  Forgive when everything inside of you says no!  Trust them when they give you no reason to.  Why?  That’s what Jesus would do!  That’s what He expects of us…We can’t disappoint the one that created us!  He doesn’t ask much of us…Love Jesus, love your neighbor.  I think we can do that!

John 15:12

My command is this;  Love each other as I have loved you!

Mark Lowry happened to post this yesterday!!  Coincidence???  I think not :)

The folks we love and our animals are preparing quite the place for us!  Tails will be wagging when we Get to the pearly gates! And not just ours:)

Awesome Thought!

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is residing on the inside of us!  Sounds like dynamite power, doesn't it???  As Dean Braxton would say, "Isn't that good news?"

Happy Birthday, Daddy.  I know the flowers are already blooming in Heaven.

So sorry about your dog Steve, I know what that feels like , Love you .

Passing over

I'm so sorry Steve! People who have come back to tell about It, have told of the greenest, most beautiful grass and flowers there.  So don't worry concerning Shiloh!  He may have happened upon Mommy by now and she is pettin' the coat right off him! Can't you imagine their conversation.  It may go something like this:

"And just where on God's earth did you come from?"

"In Greenbrier county, I heard.  I ran up and down a hill with a blue house.  The people built a new garage recently.  I had trees galore to run through.  Rabbits, squirrels and birds everywhere. A wide meadow you could overlook from the front of the house, with a stream running through it.  A nice man named Steve, with a lovely wife Teresa, took me in when no one else could." 

"Could it be!"

Anyway, I'm sure he's having the time of his life!

Steve, sorry to hear about your loss. Shilo was a beautiful animal. When Michael was only 2 years old we had a Siberian Huskie we called 'Wolf' and he looked much like your dog. We believe someone stole him but the loss was hard for Michael too at the time. I think those are one of the most beautiful breeds. I saw lots of them in Alaska and I always had to take a second look. See you late next month.

Lost my buddy Shilo yesterday. He was hit by a car.

Sunday's on the Way!

Saturday mornings are one of those things I thank God for.  Actually I thank him for the whole weekend.  When I started job hunting again, that was included in my prayer.  No weekends!  I needed my Sunday church time.  I really needed it!  Because without it I can’t make it through the week.  My Lord knows my weaknesses and He never fails to deliver me a message on Sunday that gets me to at least Wednesday.  So while I am sitting here enjoying my laziness, I was thinking about Jesus dying on the cross yesterday and then we jump to Sunday and “Up from the grave He arose” but what about Saturday?  I just can’t hardly imagine what it was like that day;  The day when there was absolutely no nope anywhere for anyone.  When people realized what they had done.  No way to undo it.  How must they have felt when they realized “Uh oh He was who He said he was!”

This is one of those random thoughts in my head, did they go to heaven?  Jesus said forgive them for they know not what they do!

Luke 23:34 (KJV)

³⁴ Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

I am sure they must’ve asked and believed after that terrible fateful day for them. Were they forgiven?  How must they have felt when they looked Jesus in the eyes again after what they had done?  We are no different.  Every time I sin I think, Lord, how can you forgive me for that?  For this and this and this?  So many things!  But time and time again I fail and He with the same loving eyes says it’s ok, I forgive you.  So unworthy.  We look to Him, in the shadow of the cross, looking for open arms and every time finding them!  In his suffering, he thought of me, you, the soldier driving the nails, yes even him.  He’s the same yesterday, now, forever.

Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)

⁸ Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever

That Saturday so long ago did they know, did they have any hope of a forever, a tomorrow?  Sometimes I feel like I am in a Saturday after that Friday.  No hope of tomorrow or forever, but I am so glad it doesn’t last long.  Jesus reached out so far stretching his arms wide open to love us that He died right there.  But to get us that hope of tomorrow and forever, on Sunday He came right up out of that tomb.  How his arms must’ve been stretched then!

Our Saturdays, some worse than others, are our seasons of grief, depression, anxieties, addictions, anger, divorce, broken families…just plain brokenness.  But because God sent his son, He lived, died, rose again; we can all have our Sunday.  Whatever you are going through, it’s time for resurrection, deliverance!  Jesus made a way for us, it’s enough, and it’s all we need.  We can’t let that go to waste!  By golly grab hold of it and pull yourself up!  Look what he did, at this point he is saying,

 “It’s your turn now!  You can do it. I have my arms still stretched out waiting for you!  I am here to take your pain, your grief, your addictions, your brokenness.  Look at the scars on my hands, when you feel like you can’t do it anymore, I already did it!”

God is so gracious, merciful, and loving.  Let this Sunday, be YOUR Sunday!

Romans 5:8 (KJV)

⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us

Remember that no matter what you are going through He already paid the price and He is there with arms wide open!  Sunday‘s on the way!

Isaiah 53:5 (KJV)

⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed

1 Corinthians 6:14 (KJV)

¹⁴ And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.