Steppin' Up!

I saw these adorable boots when I was out shoe-shopping the other night. At first I told myself "no" but the more I thought about it, the more I thought, "why not?" For a 40-year-old it's called: Living life dangerously!

Today was the funeral of a woman several years younger than myself. She enjoyed singing and the service was liberally sprinkled with songs. I can only imagine how happy she must be, worshiping and praising God around the throne...free from pain...

You might say she has been "steppin' up", too, but in a slightly different way. That truly will be the biggest step we ever take and...THE BEST!

"Precious (carefully watched over) in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Ps.116:15

Pain

The only way to survive is to keep bringing my pain to Jesus. He surprises me again and again by reaching down and touching...his touch brings healing and then He uses it for His glory. Not only uses it for His glory, but transforms it into JOY!

Friends

My lack of writing isn't due to nothing happening. Sometimes it's just hard to put it into words. So many things God has been teaching me...

One thing I've been thinking a lot about is friends. Some friends are closer than others, but the closer you are, the more you share. I think it is the same way with Jesus. He wants us to tell him EVERYTHING and the closer we are to Him, the more He tells us, too.

Maybe another time I will tell you more...

Faint-Hearted

Caring for the elderly is not for the faint-hearted but I was feeling faint-hearted today...

An unplanned shower in the middle of baking cookies and fixing lunch, is not exactly my idea of fun. It makes  me wish to go back to taking care of triplets and 3 Labs (minus the Labs!). Thanks to Mom, the cookies got baked and lunch on the table while I was occupied elsewhere. (I will spare you the gory details.)

However, this is where God has called me, now, and I count it a privilege to care for Dad & Mom in their later years. No, it's not always fun. It's not always easy, but still...I love them!

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isa.40:31

Wants

The other day I asked Mom what she wanted to do. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't know. What do you want to do?" I was frustrated. I wanted to know what she wanted to do. It wasn't about what I wanted to do. How could I make her happy if she didn't tell me what she wanted? I realized that at least part of the problem was that she didn't know what she wanted. Maybe another part of it was being afraid to say what she wanted.

This sounds way too familiar. Isn't this exactly how I relate to God? I'm afraid to say what I want. I say, "Whatever you want, God, that's what I want." It sounds so pious. But, He says, "No, what do you want, Pauline?" Or maybe I don't really know what I want, so I want Him to just tell me what He wants me to do.

I believe that as we seek God He puts longings and desires in our hearts and He wants to fulfill those for us, but He also wants us to realize and express the desires of our hearts so that we know, as well as Him, what it is we really want.

Christmas and birthdays can be hard because I often struggle to know what gift to give a person. However, I LOVE to get/do something for someone when I know it's something they really want!

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" Matt.7:11

'Tis the Season...

...to lock your car doors lest unwanted garden produce appear on your front seat. But then...it could also be wanted, very wanted produce. As in my case.

One night I went out to my car to go home and found a box of canned green beans! I squealed in delight and ran back in to find out who the guilty party might be. You never can tell about sisters...they do the strangest things...but I love 'em for it!

So Much Bigger!

Dusk was falling and the light fast fading as I headed home Sunday night. The refreshing breeze and bright moonlight beckoned to me as I pulled in my driveway. I jumped out of my car, ran inside, grabbed an apple and headed back out.

As I pulled my lawn chair out of its dusty corner I thought I detected a faint sound of music. I looked up to see 6 neighbor children headed down the road, 5 with instruments and the youngest on a bike. They were just at the end of my drive and called out to me, "Would you like some music?" Without hesitation I replied, "Sure!"

I pulled my chair out of its bag and settled on the deck as they gathered round. They proceeded to play 3 numbers for me. Sitting out on the deck, lovely breeze blowing, moon brightly shining, moonbush blooming, heavenly music...what more could I want??

Much too soon it was over and they went on their merry way, probably never knowing how much this weary heart had been touched. For a very long time I sat there, with tears streaming down my face, whispering, "Thank you, Jesus, thank you!"

Suddenly, the week I had been dreading, with an overwhelming amount of work, didn't look so big because MY GOD IS BIGGER, so much BIGGER!