This is why we grew to be the greatest Nation in the World.

Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education?  Well, check this out.  Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?

This is the 8th-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, KS.  It was taken
from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical
Society and Library in Salina and reprinted by the Salina Journal.


     Grammar (Time:  1 hour)

     1.  Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.

     2.  Name the parts of speech and define those that have no
modifications.

     3.  Define verse, stanza and paragraph.

     4.  What are the principal parts of a verb?  Give principal parts
of "lie," "play," and "run."

     5.  Define case; illustrate each case.

     6.  What is punctuation?  Give rules for principal marks of
punctuation.

     7 - 10.  Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein
that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.


     Arithmetic (Time:  1 hour 15 minutes)

     1.  Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

     2.  A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How
many bushels of wheat will it hold?

     3.  If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at
50cts. per bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs. for tare?

     4.  District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000.  What is the
necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month and have $104 for incidentals?

     5.  Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. of coal at $6 per ton.

     6.  Find the interest on $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.

     7.  What is the cost of 40 boards 12 in. wide and 16 ft. long at
$20 per metre?

     8.  Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.

     9.  What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance
of which is 640 rods?

     10.  Write a bank check, a promissory note, and a receipt.


     U.S. History (Time:  45 minutes)

     1.  Give the epochs into which U.S. history is divided.

     2.  Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.

     3.  Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.

     4.  Show the territorial growth of the United States.

     5.  Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.

     6.  Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.

     7.  Who were the following:  Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell,
Lincoln,  Penn, and Howe?

     8.  Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620,
1800, 1849, and 1865.


     Orthography (Time:  1 hour)

     [Do we even know what this is?]

     1.  What is meant by the following:  alphabet, phonetic,
orthography, etymology, syllabication.

     2.  What are elementary sounds?  How classified?

     3.  What are the following and give examples of each:  trigraph,
subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, and linguals.

     4.  Give four substitutes for caret 'u.' (HUH?)

     5.  Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.'  Name two
exceptions under each rule.

     6.  Give two uses of silent letters in spelling.  Illustrate each.

     7.  Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a
word:  bi, dis-mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, and sup.

     8.  Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following and
name the sign that indicates the sound:  card, ball, mercy, sir, odd,
cell, rise, blood, fare, and last.

     9.  Use the following correctly in sentences:  cite, site, sight,
fane, fain,  feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, and rays.

     10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate
pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.


     Geography (Time:  1 hour)

     1.  What is climate?  Upon what does climate depend?

     2.  How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?

     3.  Of what use are rivers?  Of what use is the ocean?

     4.  Describe the mountains of North America.

     5.  Name and describe the following:  Monrovia, Odessa, Denver,
Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.

     6.  Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S. Name
all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.

     8.  Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same
latitude?

     9.  Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to
the sources of rivers.

    10.  Describe the movements of the earth.  Give the inclination of
the earth.


Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete.

Gives the saying "he only had an 8th-grade education" a whole new
meaning, doesn't it?  No wonder they dropped out after 8th grade--they
already knew more than they needed to know!

  No, I don't have the answers! 

Persistent

Done!  Finished!  Ain’t got time for that!  These are all words that I said yesterday.  I have been saying for a week, 2 weeks or even 3 now.  We all have stuff.  Stuff we are trying to work out, work through!  Some of this stuff we have been holding on to for a very long time and we are waiting…waiting…waiting.  And we wonder at times will we ever get through.  God has shown me the way my life will end just as I am sure He has shown you all things in your life.  And we think “Oh Good!”  It’s nice to know how the story ends.  But sometimes the hard part isn’t knowing how it ends, it’s how we get there.  And not so much HOW but WHEN!  And there we have to wait again!

James 1:12 (NIV)

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him

So let me begin at the beginning.  I struggle, but as long as God is leading the way, I say OK.  Here recently I am getting tired of just that daily walk.  You know how it is, we go along do what’s expected, what is commanded of us but it doesn’t feel like we are getting anywhere.  So for whatever reason it all piled up on me this weekend and I said “ENOUGH, I’M DONE” I don’t have  time to wait around for something that may not happen for years!  (Well I actually do have time, but…)  Now I know it will happen, because God said it would, but I don’t want to wait for it!  I want it and I want it NOW!  Yesterday I decided to go to evening church with my sister, haven’t been able to do that for a while because of conflicting schedules.  He said right off that he didn’t have a sermon but as the service began he said God had given him a word for someone.  That word was persistence, persistent! And as I listened I thought, hmmm, not for me! He talked about being obedient to God and if you do, everything else works out!  Now that was for me!  I thought, Yes I can be obedient, but persistent?  No, done with it!  I told him so after service.  I have not been angry with God but let’s just say I was feeling a little “miffed” and I told God the same!  I am not seeing results so I am ready to throw in the towel!  Persistent?  Nah, not for me!  So when I got ready for bed I opened this book I have been reading to chapter 9.  Draw the Circle, by Mark Batterson, was recommended by a friend and so far I haven’t been disappointed.  It’s one of those books that you read a chapter a day- 40 chapters, 40 days!  So this is my Sunday chapter.  I open the page and it says

Crazy Faith

Luke 18:5 (NIV) Yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me.

Luke 18:5 (NLT) This woman is driving me crazy!

The first line of this chapter calls her a persistent widow!  Now when I read that I actually had to chuckle out loud!  Really God?  So I guess you are telling me that, yes, that word that Pastor Rodger said was “someone” was actually for me!  Even after I told him, NO WAY!  Not for me!  Batterson goes on to define persistent,  A nice word for crazy.  So not only is God telling me that yes, that’s your word, but you are kinda crazy.  And yes, you are a widow.  But he also says when the cause is a righteous one, it’s a holy crazy!  So I guess that’s OK!  Jesus Freak and Holy Crazy, kind of sums me up.

 So after I read my chapter I received that word, persistent.  As I drifted off to sleep I tried to think what that meant.  And I prayed…Lord help me persevere, help me stay on that path.  As I thought about what I wanted I realized I just WANTED!  I wanted what I wanted, when I wanted it!  Pastor Rodger gently reminded me that if we don’t persevere for Gods Will and strive for what He wants for our life, we let Him down.  We fail Him!  When I opened my email first thing this morning my memory verse for the day James 1:12 shouted perseverance at me!  And then I received

Ephesians 6:18 (KJV)

¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

I have to persevere.   You have to persevere!  Be persistent because it’s God’s will, not because I want to receive something at the end of my journey.  I want it because God wants it for me and I have to wait for it.  It’s what’s best for me…It’s what’s best for you!

Emily congratulation!  Trish what a beautiful picture, I know you are so proud of her!

The Stray That Came to Stay

The Stray That Came to Stay

Matthew 13:11 (KJV)

He answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given.

Life is a mystery.  Death is a mystery.  When we get up in the morning we start each day wondering what God has in store for us. That’s where we gather information and start our day as a detective.  God gives us the tools we need to get through each and every day.

Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We all have a path we travel.  One we pray is aligned with Gods will.  More often than not we are amazed at the way our day unfolds. We ask for things in prayer and then when we receive, we are amazed.  Even shocked! But God takes care of us.  He supplies all our needs and then does something even greater in our lives.  He works in ways we can’t understand and always doing more than what we ask for.

Ephesians 3:20 (KJV)

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.

Sunday as I sat and listened to the sermon our pastor had prepared I applied it to my own life, as I am sure most of you do.  And that is how I think of life, a mystery unfolding. We don’t know what lies ahead of us. Everyday when I go to work I wonder who I am going to meet.  Who is God going to place in my life?  Is there someone going through the same thing as me?  Our lives are intricately weaved with each others in such a way that sometimes we only pass through for a word, a smile, a gesture; but it is orchestrated for a reason, that’s what I believe.

We like to hold on to the things in life that are familiar to us.  They are comfortable.  They know us, we know them.  Makes going through life easier.  The road is less bumpy! When Gracie my bloodhound went missing she took a little piece of my heart just like the animals before her, most buried now under the tree beside the pond.  There was Prissy, my very first dog as a married couple.  Felix my cat who ended up with only 3 legs. Baby, my big white cat.  Blueberry my Siamese cat who died of leukemia.  Court, Racer, Lucy, Sassy….I am sure you all can list your pets as well and how they each came at a time you needed them.  Well of course there is Bear.  Danny, Tanner and I went to a little Amish house in Ohio to get him.  He was such a little baby with a big bark.  And he was MY dog.  No one else’s.  He loved me. Protected me.  So when he died a big part of my heart went with him.  I said NO MORE! My heart can take no more.  I told God I will not go out and get another dog.  If you have one for me, you have to bring him to me!

As I walked my 2 miles every day I went by Danny’s aunt Ruthie’s house.  I noticed the cutest little beagle and I of course tried to make contact, but he was having none of that.  I whistled, clapped my hands, pretty much made a complete idiot of myself along side of the road.  So he stayed in the yard.  I walked.  After several days of this I passed by on Friday.  I was eating an apple and thought, well, I will offer him a bite.  Then I noticed how his ribs stuck out.  I noticed his ears were scarred.  His legs were scraped and bleeding.  When I tried to get close he huddled close to the ground.  He took the apple and I resumed my walk.  He ventured out and walked a little ways, but not far.  He stayed far enough behind me that he didn’t have to be friendly.  That evening I asked Ruthie if she had taken in this little pup.  NO! She felt sorry for him and fed him so of course he stayed, but she didn’t want to keep him.   So I told the boys that if they could entice him to our house we would call him ours.  Well Saturday I was gone all day with the church group in Charleston.  About an hour before I got home Tanner sent me a picture of the pup from our porch.  Said they lured him with potato wedges.  They opened the car door and he hopped right in.  So by the time I got home Jacob had him in the bath tub scrubbing his ears.  I thought for sure I had found another bed buddy so night came and I went to bed and I tried to get him to come with me!  As long as the boys were in the room he was fine.  The minute they were out of site he became antsy and started whining and pacing so off he went with Jacob, slept with him on the couch.  I have learned over the last couple of years to not replace something just because it leaves a hole.  That’s why I didn’t want to replace Bear.  I knew I would try and find another just like him.  Well “Hank” as we have settled on his name is no where like Bear.  And that’s OK.   Hank is well…He is Hank.  For starters he doesn’t know where to pee!  So I tried to give him the benefit of a doubt being new to the family and all!  So after the 4^th night of waking up to the puddle in the floor, I made Jacob drag out the crate.  I can safely and happily say we all survived the first night.  No one was injured.  We all slept and best of all there were no puddles to be cleaned up by me…or Jacob.  Since Hank has latched onto Jacob I have let him assume responsibility for him-all of him.  He cleans up his mess and feeds him.  Sleeps with him and takes him out.  See, I was expecting for God to send me a 4 legged critter to love, after all Bear WAS my dog.  But no he sends Jacob one! But hey, He is God, He knows best.  And I hope Hank remains with us long enough for him to learn all of Jacobs’s secrets.  Things he would’ve shared with Danny but not me; Disappointments, dreams, regrets, hopes, all that stuff you would tell your dad.  I hope Jacob tells that to Hank!  From what I can tell so far Hank is a good listener.  He has big ears and as long as you scratch his back he lays really still.

I know God has sent people in my life since Danny died, that for what ever reason, I feel like I can tell them anything.  And I thank God for that.  Because that’s what life is all about. Sharing.  We start as toddlers learning to share our toys, our cookies, then when we go to school we share pencils, paper and as we get older we begin to share secrets, dreams, hopes, ambitions and then when we mature we hope to find someone to share our love, faith, our life, our children; that’s what this big merry go round of life is all about.  When this little stray showed up on our doorstop little did he know what a big job he would have. But I am so thankful for this little stray named Hank that came to stay!

In life and death I have learned many things about love.  Mostly what love is…this poem by CS Lewis really makes you think and ponder what love really is.  Love is Hank!

Love's as Warm as Tears

by C. S. Lewis

Love's as warm as tears,
Love is tears:
Pressure within the brain,
Tension at the throat,
Deluge, weeks of rain,
Haystacks afloat,
Featureless seas between
Hedges, where once was green.

Love's as fierce as fire,
Love is fire:
All sorts - infernal heat
Clinkered with greed and pride,
Lyric desire, sharp-sweet,
Laughing, even when denied,
And that empyreal flame
Whence all loves came.

Love's as fresh as spring,
Love is spring:
Bird-song hung in the air,
Cool smells in a wood,
Whispering, "Dare! Dare!"
To sap, to blood,
Telling "Ease, safety, rest,
Are good; not best."

Love's as hard as nails,
Love is nails:
Blunt, thick, hammered through
The medial nerves of One
Who, having made us, knew
The thing He had done,
Seeing (with all that is)
Our cross, and His.

-- 
Trish

Bitter

God has given me a word.
A little 6 letter word. Most of
the time when he gives me words to write, it starts with a word then it’s an
idea then scripture follows and before you know it, BAM, there you have
it. But this past weekend this word kept
creeping up into all of my conversations, each time with a different
meaning. It never seemed to go anywhere.
So last night I still have this nagging
feeling I am supposed to write it down.
So here goes. But I have nothing
except …bitter.


When I was a kid at home my dad kept a cabinet for his
medicinal purposes. And if any of you
knew my dad, it wasn’t a small cabinet!
He loved to research and he loved to explore. He loved nature and plants. When you add all that together you get home remedies. When I was growing up if you got sick you
didn’t go to the doctor. Shoot, they
didn’t even call the doctor. They tried
whatever their parents tried or something from that cabinet! I remember one time I was sick, probably the
stomach virus, sitting in the kitchen and my mom bringing out the BIG spoon for
castor oil. That was a cure all for
everything. The only way I can describe
that taste is repulsive. She would often
try to hide and disguise it in tea or other various things. Never worked!
How many of you have had that? I
know there are many. I couldn’t have
been the only one. Well that was my mom’s
cure all. My dad liked roots. Once I had a sore throat and he went to the
cabinet. It was a tall white metal cabinet;
the door didn’t latch very well. Usually
flopped open, sure which I had a picture of it.
Anyway, to the cabinet, he brought out this dried up piece of root,
yellow root. He told me to stick it in
my jaw and just suck on it like candy.
Well candy it wasn’t. The only
word to describe it is …bitter! It had such a nasty flavor. If colors had flavor, it would actually taste
yellow I think. When I think of that
root today it brings memories of bile.
Like gallbladder! If anyone of
you have ever had a gallbladder attack and thrown up til you can’t
anymore? You get the picture. Needless to say it’s so bitter that you
forget about your sore throat. It is a
scientific proven fact that this root is medicinal. I cannot tell you for sure if it helped my
sore throat. My sore throat eventually
went away, but I think it would have eventually anyway.


Another of his home
remedies was ginseng. He planted it, dug
it, dried it, sold it, shared it, and used it as medicine. Sounds like your modern day drug dealer! Well he would brew it up for tea and drink it
for his arthritis mostly. Sometimes I
would find him experimenting with his different ailments trying to see if
different things worked. He hated modern
day medicine with a passion. And trust
me he was on a boat load. He had another
cabinet for that. He was a coal miner,
among many other laborer titles, so he had all the diseases that went along
with that. In the 70’s he developed
Black Lung, respiratory disease of a coal miner. As with any lung disease, it eventually
involves the heart. Later in years he
developed congestive heart failure, then that led to arrhythmias of the heart, hypertension,
diabetes, chronic urinary tract infections, osteoarthritis, glaucoma, benign prostatic
hypertrophy…you get the picture. He had
a lot of ailments. He would give the
doctor their chance; he would try their drug of choice for his illness. At the first side effect, it was
history! Back to his tall white
cabinet. He was almost 88 when he
passed. Which, as I write these words it
just dawned on me that is why God has given me that one word! Daddy has been on my mind so much and I had
forgotten some of these things. So thank
you God for these memories. It was March
16, 2010, when Daddy went to Heaven. I
had forgotten that. The date had slipped
my mind. Whenever Spring begins with the
flowers budding and the trees begin to sprout I always think of him and that
time is now. I think of his wisdom. I imagine walking around the yard with him
and out in the apple orchard where he would tell me about each and every graft
he put on the trees. He would tell me
who he got it from as if I knew them. I
know he had a George Martin apple, and that’s just because he got it from
George Martin. I remember it was red and
tart and really good. I miss the way he
would take his crooked finger (arthritis) and point to various flowers and
trees. Oh the stories he could tell, all
gone now except in my memory. My
children were so fortunate to hear his stories first hand and even be the
recipient of an occasional home remedy.
One day when I came home from work Jacob was about 6 months old, he had
been coughing. He has tied around his
neck a string with a dime on it. Daddy
had drilled a hole in a dime and put on a string and tied it around his
neck. Not sure what its purpose was but
all I could think of was he was going to choke on the dime! Mommy just smiled and said just wait til you
get him home then take it off. Which
I did! Who knows that may have prevented
pneumonia! LOL


As I write these thoughts and memories down I have asked God,
what do you want me to tell? What about
this bitter word am I supposed to tell?
So I googled the word bitter and wow that’s a lot of scripture so I
prayed on that one! God you have to
narrow it down! So this morning as I
open my email I have daily devotions delivered to my inbox and don’t you know
God delivered! Yes He did! Right to my inbox!



Ruth
1:20-21 (NIV)


20
“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because
the Almighty has made my life
very bitter. 21 I went away full, but
the Lord has brought me back
empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord
has afflicted me; the
Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”


Every one of us has experienced the bitterness of life. We have suffered the loss of a love, maybe
through death, maybe through divorce, a failed relationship…and just like that
yellow root it is bitter and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. But that’s where faith comes in. And just like God took care of Ruth and
Naomi, by working everything out for them, he will for us too. All the little things in our daily life are
not mere coincidences but finely orchestrated moments by the Almighty conductor. Each person we meet, the choices we make,
each new day we take advantage of….all Gods intervention. We have to sit back and just say Wow! Because it is so fine tined. Yes at times it is bitter, but at other times
it is sweet! So sweet! And that is what makes the bitter moments bearable. Put your trust in the one who wasn’t afraid
to get in the trenches. He has tasted
the bitterness himself. Jesus has been
there done that. He understands. He touched the leper. He has comforted the widow, the fatherless,
the prostitutes, the thieves….no matter what their bitterness in life, He has
made it sweet!


Psalm 119:10 (NIV)


10 I
seek you with all my heart;

do not let me stray from your commands


The more you seek Him, the more you find
Him. He is that sweetness in your
life. The devil is out there. There is lots of evil in our world. Lots of bitterness out there.



1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) 8
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a

roaring lion looking for someone to devour.


The trick is don’t stay bitter. No matter
what you are dealt in life don’t remain bitter.
If you have ever tasted bittersweet?
It is good! And it will be
sweeter if it has tasted bitter!

Things I Have Learned

I had the privilege of sharing lunch with a wise friend last week, a wise old friend.  She will be 90 on her birthday in April.  She shared laughter.  She shared sadness.  She shared sadness.  She shared her life story.  She has buried more than 1 husband.   As I think of my own life I wonder how has she made it this far?  Some days I wonder how am I going to make it to the end of the day much less years?!  Her language is off color at times.  She likes the “wow” factor.   She likes to shock me!  I also notice she likes to stretch the truth.  Is that her way to cover the pain?  Does that make life easier or does that just make it different?  What have you learned in life?  I am finding I am learning lots from my life but I am also learning from others.  Sometimes it’s easier to sit back and look at another’s life and say that’s not what I want to happen to me.  Or I would rather do this instead of that.  That’s why God gives us a testimony.  And yes, we all have one.  Most of us are living our testimony.  At times we have to slow down and share it with friends, neighbors, and strangers so they can learn from our mistakes, learn from our trials, and learn and gain strength on how we become over comers.

Proverbs 25:12 (GW)

¹² Like a gold ring and a fine gold ornament,
so is constructive criticism to the ear of one who listens.

We can learn so much from others.  We don’t always have to experience it.  But when we do experience it, we have to be willing to step out on faith and share that.  We have to show and tell what God did for us.  How he delivered us time after time.

1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

¹⁵ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

God has been good to me.  But life…and death happens.  We take the good, the bad, and we come out on the other side at the end of life with a wisdom and knowledge that we can somehow help someone’s travels to be a little easier.  That’s our mission on this earth.  Not for us to get through life and say I made it.  But for us to get through and say, now who did I help while I struggled?  Who did I lift up when I was down too?  There is always someone at the bottom of the barrel when you get there.  We are never alone.  NEVER!  And when we are even on our final breath oblivious to the people that are around us, if we have lived this way, the ways that Christ teaches, then we are still lifting others up as we go out.  I have sat by the bedside of many who took their last breath.  Stayed with them till they were cold.  Some had no one!  I often wondered what kind of life did they live that no one would sit there with them.  And I wondered about their life and in their final moments was Jesus able to reach them?  He is supernatural!  We don’t have to know anything about it.  It’s that moment between you and your creator.

I have learned much in life and death.  As I sat by Danny’s side in his last hours I realized that he was dying the way he lived.  He was strong in his faith.  He lived that way.  Was he scared?  Yes, he told me so.  It was the unknown, that’s our human side.  He was very strong and courageous, lived and died that way, always concerned for others.  Right up to that last breath his concern was for us, his family.  How it, his death, would affect us.  But what he didn’t realize is that the memory of his death is fading and it’s that life he led that we remember.

Just as I learned of things, life “things” on my lunch with my age old friend, I learn from my young friends as well.  Teenagers, 10 years olds, 5 year olds, all of these children of God have their own trials and hardships. They deal with life lessons I have no knowledge of. What it’s like to have parents that no longer care enough to stay in the marriage. What does that do to a young heart and mind?  I don’t know, but I am learning.  I find that they are being forced to grow up way too soon.  In some cases they take on that role as the adult.  When we cross paths with folks, we just never know what they are going through so it’s just best to “be nice”.  We have 2 ears; just reserve one to be always on the lookout, to be ready to listen.  It’s amazing what you can learn.  I have learned that little kids who reach out to me must need something!  God is using me for hurt and wounded little birds.  I just pray that I stop and pick them up, bind their broken wings, with his love, and help them to fly again.  Sometimes when I look into the eyes of a child I see way too far.  It’s painful.  Their eyes go way down to their soul.  But if they let you in, you have a duty, obligation to share Jesus with them.   I have learned to love from children.  I have learned to laugh, live, dance, be silly and yes, even be serious all from children.  And just because we grow “up” doesn’t mean we aren’t children anymore.  I think that’s why so many adults lost their way.  They forget they are still children.  They need to learn from their mistakes or their life lessons.  Learn and grow.  Not retreat and turn bitter.  We need to laugh and lift up the broken. 

“Your job is not to judge.  Your job is not to figure out if someone deserves something.  Your job is to lift the fallen, to restore the broken and to heal the hurting.”

Speak life.  Speak words of Christ!  Love unconditionally.  How many of you have learned “God lessons”?  As I finish The Purpose Driven Life, I am reminded of things I have learned in life.  God has taught me from failure, that maybe I didn’t try hard enough.  When hard times hit and money is tight, he taught me, it’s ok to do without.  There are worse things.  He always shows me what I do have that I need to be thankful for!  Always!  He has taught me through pain and sorrow and depression there is joy.  Not fear!  But true joy!

1 John 4:18-19 (NIV)

¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us.

He has taught me through waiting that it is not always what I want when I want it.  It’s Gods time.  And as I wait, I am learning patience.  Patience in things I know will come.  I have learned to trust in his promises, while I wait.  And while I wait I have learned to be still.  I have learned to listen and hear his voice. 

God has taught me many things through illness.  I have learned that this old fleshy body has limitations.  It has pain.  It has cravings.  Dependencies.  But as we put our trust in him, he helps us overcome those things.  And I know from my own experiences that it isn’t a onetime lesson.  I face it every day. Every day I have to take a drug for it, it reminds me that I am human and that I can thank God for my illness, my weaknesses because without them I would not draw close to him.  I would think I could do this on my own.  So look for the good in your trial that you are experiencing right now.  If it’s addiction, thank God every morning when you get up and make that choice to NOT do whatever you are addicted to.  Thank him for keeping you close under his wing.  That’s where we all reside.  If you look around, none of us are perfect.  We all have our issues. But we can all go home where we are forgiven.  Oh how He loves us!  Oh, how He loves!

Romans 8:28 (NIV)

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

That devil loves to trip us up and to make us feel that when we lose our way we can’t go back.  But everything the devil intends for bad, God will take it if we put our trust in Him and use it for good.  No matter how bad you think it is, it can glorify God in the end. Our mess ups will help others. God will see to it.  There is nothing wasted.  Each addiction, each pain, each fear, each ruined relationship; God will take that and use it.  For those little children that suffer because of the mistakes their parents make, God will not let it settle there.  He will grow them with love and a deep knowledge and wisdom, one far beyond their years.  Yes, things they should not have to learn at a young age but when they mature and are older and wiser just think of the ones they will be able to help.  And that help comes from their pain and suffering.  Pain and suffering caused by what the devil intended for bad.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)

⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Spend time with the ones you love.  Talk, laugh, cry, live, love; just do it today.  God gives us the gift of time here on earth but it passes way too quickly.  We blink and it’s gone; our parents are aged, our children are grown.  Then we look back and say, “why didn’t I just slow down?”    As I look back on my life, I see many many moments I wish I had slowed down and just laughed with my mom and dad.  There was never anything THAT important going on in my life.  So many times I wish I had let things go to just play with my kids.  I can’t get those times back now, they are gone but I can share it with you in hopes you learn from me, just like I am learning from others.  There are many instances I remember Danny would say why don’t we just….I usually always had an excuse.  Some pressing matter I thought couldn’t wait.  I will never get that back.  So folks, snatch all those moments you can with the ones you love, shoot, even with the ones you like or even with the ones that make you laugh or cry.  In life we feel the bad because we don’t have a choice. But how often do we feel the good?  And sometimes to feel the good all we have to do is tell a goodnight story to that baby girl who wants to climb on your lap and say read me a story Daddy, just one more time!  There is just no greater feeling that that.  Don’t deprive yourself of the good things in life.  Because before you know it the life you know won’t be there.  They will be grown and then you will say, “why didn’t I just slow down?”

As we finished up our lunch, I asked her if I could have her a birthday party!  After all you only turn 90 once.   She insisted no, no party.  So I tried different tactics.  Since she was all about the shock factor I turned the tables on her and asked her if I could get her a male stripper for her birthday!  As she is hard of hearing, it was difficult keeping our conversation quiet.  The gentleman at the table behind us was trying really hard not to eaves drop but I could tell by his facial expressions that he was enjoying our conversation.  He chose to join in with the banter and said his Mom would be 95 on her birthday.  As we got up to leave I introduced her to this gentleman who had joined our luncheon and he told how his mom still lived by herself and enjoyed life at 95!  We continued to chitchat for a bit and then as we said goodbye he said, “If you change your mind about your birthday party let me know and I will go on a diet and be that stripper you wanted!”  That brought many chuckles from us all and it reminded me to slow down.  Enjoy every second of life God blesses you with!

Psalm 37:34 (KJV)

³⁴ Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

Shine

Last Tuesday when I went for my walk the sun was shining so gloriously and it felt warm, actually warm.  Marley always goes with me but my little Puggle is always confined to the yard, shocking collar.  But today I said come on!  Let’s live a little.  He sniffed and peed on everything, everywhere.  On our way back is when he caught the scent of a rabbit.  I of course tried to discourage what I knew was coming but it didn’t work.  He went straight for the neck.  So I decided I wasn’t going to watch and went on my way.  Five minutes later here comes Bear trotting along beside me with his head held high and that rabbit clenched between his teeth hanging down practically dragging the ground.  Bear was so proud of that. He got far enough ahead of me and then dropped it in the snow.  He actually looked as if he was smiling.  Then as we reached home, he stopped right at the door, with the bunny in his mouth.  Well that didn’t happen.

Danny and Bear had a special relationship.  Bear was the guard dog; I guess that was the beagle in him.  He was very protective of his people.  And if you know anything about Puggles you know they are a one person dog.  They latch on to one and they follow that person everywhere.  Well I was Bears person, but when Danny got sick I think Bear knew that.  He stayed very close to him.  He would lay on the couch right beside his recliner just to watch him.  Every night in bed Bear would jump up and make his way right beside Danny’s hand, even when he was so sick he couldn’t raise his hand, he did it for Bear.  Danny scratched Bears chest every night.  That was what he wanted.  He wouldn’t go to sleep until that was done.  As the cancer progressed I tried to shoo Bear off the bed but Danny always would say, it’s ok I can do it.  Then Bear would snuggle up to him.  After Danny died Bear would lay right on his side of the bed where the pillow was.  He did that for a while then he returned to my side.  Snuggled with me.  Saturday night Bear didn’t come in.  Sunday after church, still no Bear.  Then folks told me what my gut already knew…Little Bear had been hit on the interstate.  He could sniff out road kill for miles!  But I take the blame for Bears demise.  I didn’t put his collar back on him.  The day we walked he looked so happy to go just beyond his usual boundary and Marley always seemed to make it without any problems.  So I let him wander and roam just a bit.  I let him live a little.  That proud trot of his as he passed me on Tuesday with the rabbit hanging down on both sides will be forever what I remember.  His almost smiling face, that’s what I will remember. 

I am discovering, albeit the hard way, some things about life.  I try to keep everything in my grasp reined in; my kids, my job, career, friendships, relationships. With just enough control that I know what will happen at any given moment.  I am almost afraid to let anything “live”.  For fear of the inevitable, just like with Bear.  If I let it out from under my thumb where I have control, something is going to happen to it.  Yes it could flourish, grow, and laugh, live but then again it can die!  How does a person learn to let go enough so that they can live, laugh, and love? I haven’t figured that one out yet.  As you can see my choice with Bear resulted in death.  All I can think of now is Bear is in Heaven with Danny.  That’s my happy thought.

“Our few moments on earth are like the pop of a flashbulb compared to eternity.  Be comforted; our separation is short; our reunion is eternal.”                           David Jeremiah

Have you ever thought of your impact you are leaving on the world?  How many of you have turned on that light switch only for the bulb to go out?  Our time here seems long, especially when we are in trials and hard times, but in reality, we are all a bunch of popping light bulbs!  We could almost be like blinking stars.  Here one second burnt out the next.  As I struggle through my life, it’s dark. Some days are darker than others.  Some days I have no light to guide me and other days there is a ray of light or just a hint of sunshine.  When our path is dark we need to learn to be like the sun high in the sky and shine.  We know the sun is shining no matter what.  Often times clouds get in the way so that it appears the sun isn’t shining, but it is still just as bright.  Sometimes the wind blows causing the sun not to feel so bright or warm.  When the rain falls does the sun still shine?  When the snow blows does the sun still sit in the Heavens?  Yes, it’s there.  So we need to be the light, no matter what weather or storm comes our way, we need to shine.  Some days when I get out of bed and that cloud is hanging over me I know there is sunshine waiting on me somewhere, I just have to find it.  Sometimes it’s that co-worker that is shining bright just for me, even though they don’t have a clue! Sometimes it is that patient that I may only get 5 minutes with, but they are shining, just for me.  I soak it up and feel the warmth. 

“Faith is seeing light with your heart, when your eyes see only darkness”    unknown

I can remember my dad talking about going underground as a coalminer and how dark it is there.  PITCH black.  But the longer you were there; your eyes became accustomed to the dark.  That’s kind of like us in our daily walk.  It’s like we are underground and our eyes are becoming used to the dark.  We are learning how to see without the light.  A friend told me the other night then when you are traveling your dark path you sometimes just have to flip that switch really quick-on and off-check the path you’re on and continue.

Psalm 119:133 Gods word brings direction and shows us what to do

That’s our light switch.  In the ideal perfect world we would leave that light on all the time.  But in reality, we get busy, we forget, we think we can find our own way; we have to see for ourselves!

Proverbs 4:26-27 (NLT) Mark out a straight path for your feet.  Stay on the safe path.  Don’t get side tracked; keep your feet from following evil.

When we set out on our path, we know the way we need to go, the way we even want to go.  We could almost follow it blindly.  But then the devil comes along with temptations and life happens.  We get sidetracked.  When that happens we have 3 choices.  1 let it define you 2 let it destroy you 3 you can let it strengthen you.  I choose strength!

Nehemiah 8:10 And do not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is my strength

But that doesn’t mean my path is not dark, difficult, sad, lonely, frustrating.  But what it does mean is that Jesus is my light.  He is just like that Energizer Bunny always making that light shine even if I just take that light and shine it briefly on my path.  That’s why it’s so important to take the scripture and hide them in your heart.  Sometimes when we get caught out in the storm without a flashlight, no batteries, no switch…we can pull from our reserves.  Those words that light up in our heart, we need to speak!  That’s our light!

“The light shines ceaselessly within us, waiting to be unveiled, just as the sun shines always but is sometimes hidden by clouds. To unveil the inner light we must learn to shine like the sun, impersonally.  We must shine because that is our true nature.  We have no preference about who we’ll shine upon or when we’ll shine.  We simply shine.”         Diane Mariechild, Open Mind

Every day we get up we go to school or work or if we are retired we do everything else!  We meet people all day long, at the grocery store, in traffic, at our children’s school.  We need to shine our light.  We never know who may need to see it.  Just like others need to shine for us to see, so we need to shine too.  We need to be the light.  After all we are still on that pathway.

“When all obey God, He gives us the light of His revelation and gets us where we need to go!”

Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

There is a perfect day coming for us.  My prayer is for anyone that doesn’t know Christ-meet up with Him_ He is awesome. And my other prayer is for you that do know him strive to get closer.  Let Him be the light that shines in you.  And trust me I am standing right there beside you saying this is hard to do.  I am struggling, I am tired, I am ready to give up, check out, call it quits, you name it I have thought it.  Be honest with yourself, we all have had our moments.  We are human we get down, the devil finds a crevice and he invades but all we have to do is reach for our power source and turn on that little itty bitty light.  That’s all it takes.

2 Timothy 1:7 God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of Power, of love, and of self-discipline.

God has given a spirit of power, that’s all we need to flip that switch from darkness to light. 

There is a song by Matt Redman:

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

No matter what comes our way, the sun is going to shine.  When we go to bed in the dark, broken hearted, lonely and sad, ask God to go with you let him be your comforter.  And I promise, the sun will come up!  It will shine in your window and everything will look new.  It will all look like God has touched every bit of it.  I know because when I went to bed last night, that’s where I was.  And do you know just as I write this, the sun is shining and Matt Redman is singing this song:

 

Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore

As a child I learned the song “This Little Light of Mine”, as an adult I teach that song to the little ones.  But how many times do I actually listen to those words and apply them to myself?  Not many!  I need people to shine for me; I need to shine for people!  Simple!  So let’s be the light.  Let’s shine for Jesus, and let’s shine till Jesus comes just like in that little song.  Don’t hide it under a bushel and don’t let Satan “whoof” it out!

And just in case you had any doubts, yes, all dogs go to Heaven!

Easter

I know it's a little early but what's everyone thinking about Easter ?  As loud as y'all have been on the blog here of late  I thought I better get my 2 cents in!!  Where are you guys?  

If you have seen Cool Runnings the movie about the Jamaica bob sled team you will understand this. 

Sanka? You dead man?

Snowing here today!!

Happy Birthday Danny!

As I put on my tennis shoes I could feel the excitement of warm
temperatures and the sun on my face and feeling the familiar breeze blow
through my soul.  Out the door and the
dogs are so excited to be headed down the familiar pavement.  I put my ear buds in, tune my music to David
Phelps whose words and music have been talking to my spirit.  My eyes saw the same familiar land marks;
houses, buildings, signs, mailboxes, even bushes and trees remained the
same.  Yet I felt the need to document
that.  I had to take a picture, for
myself, so I could look back on this day and say I enjoyed it.  I lived it, every second of it.  That is pretty much the way I am looking at
life right now.  Last year at this time
the day approached and I celebrated within. 
I remembered the life that was there and that was enough.  The boxes from his office are still stacked
up where Gladys brought them.  Last Feb I
decided to go through all that stuff. 
That’s when I found the passage from the Purpose Driven Life, by Rick
Warren.

Happy Moments-Praise
God

Difficult
Moments-Seek God

Quiet Moments-Worship
God

Painful Moments-Trust
God

Every Moment-Thank
God

Right there in his planner where he had jotted it down.  Needless to say that was a painful moment-trust God!   And that was enough.  I shut the book, left the boxes and there
they still sit.  It’s been another
year.  Maybe I will revisit those
boxes.  Make it an annual event.  I have no doubt he has more to tell me. I
need more of those quiet moments-
worship God.  So that was last year.  Let’s see, 2 years ago at this time Feb 2012,
he had a birthday celebration, 49.  So
young.  He felt good.  He smiled. 
He laughed.  He loved.  He lived. 
He grabbed life with all his strength and all his might.  He held as tightly as he could and many tried
to help him hold on but it wasn’t enough. 
The idea of being cancer free is one of those things that you have to
snatch and celebrate to the fullest because you just don’t know how long it
will last. But that is true with all of life. 
You wake up to a happy family, kids, wife, husband, jobs, health, and in
an instant, a blink of an eye it’s gone. 
A car wreck, loss of job that devastates a family causing depression or
even suicide, happens instantly.  Divorce
happens when you least expect it, your spouse is loving one day but maybe dying
on the inside, but do you notice?  Life
is busy, I know, but you have to take time to nurture the things that are
important to you and the most important things are relationships.  If you have someone that is willing to stick
with you, trudge through the weeds, briars, muck, treat them with
tenderness.  Love them and most of all
forgive them because in life we are going to mess up.  That’s a given.  That would be a difficult time-seek God.

After that birthday celebration 2 years ago we went back to
UVA for just a “routine” CT scan.  Well
when you have had cancer, nothing is ever routine.  There of course was an enlarged lymph node
right smack dab in the middle of his chest. 
But you know when they say stuff like that it just doesn’t sink in.  Even being a nurse and dissecting everything
when you sit in that room and you feel good and it’s routine, it’s like
really?  Nah!  Let’s repeat it!  But no, that was our worst fear.  In the lungs and after having surgeries, radiation,
and chemo you think he would give up and say, OK I’m done.  But that wasn’t who he was.  He always had hope. Even when there was no
hope for healing he had hope in Christ Jesus. And he was OK with it all.  He had the hope and promise that, yes, we
would be together again.  In
eternity.  That will be my happy moment-praise God.  As I walked and thought of all these things,
the different avenues that life takes each of us, I decided I had to celebrate
his life.  The 49 years he was here he
touched so many lives.  Most of all
mine.  I completed my walk and as I
stopped at the mailbox to see what treasures awaited me I could feel a catch in
my throat as I saw the envelope on top, Addressed only to me from WVU.  As I looked at the envelope with only my name
on it many thoughts went through my mind. 
I knew this day was going to come, Emily’s White Coat Ceremony.  I knew I was getting an invitation in the
mail, but what I didn’t know was how I was going to feel simply seeing it in
the mailbox.  Danny and I started many
things in life; some we finished some we didn’t.  Our kids were all mid stream when he
left.  But he laid the ground work, left
the instructions; Just the same as when my mom and dad left me four years
ago.  Because I felt like I was in mid stream.  I wasn’t done with mommy and all of her
knowledge of children and daddy’s life wisdom. 
But they left instructions.  I
refer to the manual.  The Bible they read
and followed with their life.  The same
manual Danny left.  As I opened that invitation
at the edge of the road on this very sunny beautiful almost spring day I
cried.  Tears because life hurts.  Tears because Emily wasn’t going to be able
to have her daddy there cheering her on. 
Tears because this is one of those BIG things we started but didn’t get
to finish.  Tears because I realized this
was the first major thing we were having without him.  Tears for the things that would come and he
won’t be there to share.  Tanner’s
graduation, Jacob’s graduation, grandchildren. 
All things we started but would not get to finish with him…here on
earth; Tanners wedding, Jacobs’s first love…growing old together.  As I looked to the Heavens the sky was so
blue, the sun on my face dried my tears and was so warm.  I was reminded God always keeps his promises.  The only thing missing was my rainbow!  But just as I know God finishes what He
starts so I will finish what Danny and I started…our family.  As we move on and grow we will carry him in
our hearts, our smiles, our big events, like graduations, marriages,
grandchildren; but also we will carry him in our small events, our daily
events.  Every morning when I get out of
bed, there he is.  When I see a child
there he is.  When I watch a football
game he’s there.  When I go to the
grocery store and walk down the aisle of peanut butter or Kraft Macaroni and
cheese, he is there!  You can’t love
someone and mourn them forever.  I know
he’s in a better place and I can’t wait to see his face!  Then hear him say what took you so long?  So no more do I mourn, but rejoice and
celebrate what he was.  I want to
celebrate who he was.  He lived quietly
touching the hearts and lives of many, but mostly mine and our children.  I know we will finish everything we
started.  We will finish the same race
that he ran.  But right now, we are
looking at our manual, getting out our instruction book and digging our heels
in.  We still have work to do and I am
reminded tonight of a verse that has inspired me, helped me, and has helped me
to help others.  A burden shared is a
burden lifted.

Galatians 6:2

Carry each other’s
burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

And that is what you my friends and family have done for
us.  With every encouraging word, every
smile every tear you have cried with us, every time you remember Danny I want
you to remember his love for life and his family and his God!  And that will be every moment-Thank God.