Keeper...

Our Bosco, Now 9 years old

My Parents now 93 and 101

Our Peachie about 15+ year

Keeper...............

I  grew up with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away.. 

I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things.. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and  sometimes it made me crazy.. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.. So... while we have it..... it's best we love it.... and care for it... and fix it when it's broken......... and heal it when it's sick.

This is true. for marriage....... and old cars..... and children with bad report cards..... and dogs with bad hips.... and aging parents..... and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. 
Some things we keep. Like a   best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special........ and so, we keep them close!

I received this from someone who thinks I am a 'keeper', so I've sent it to the people I think of in the same way... Now it's your turn to send this to those people that are "keepers" in your life.  Good friends are like stars.... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.  Keep them close!

TEN THINGS GOD WON'T ASK ON THAT DAY.

1.... God won't ask what kind of car you drove. He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation..

2.... God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

3.... God won't   ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

4.... God won't ask what your highest salary was. He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

5.... God won't ask what your job title was. He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

6.... God won't ask how many friends you had. He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

7.... God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

8.... God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character.

9.... God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation. He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.

10.... God won't have to ask how many people you forwarded this to, He already knows your decision. 

"The only people who are truly free are the ones who walk in a spirit of continual forgiveness."

I'm Learning To Trust Him More

Well, it's late tonight and I probably should be in bed instead of writing this, but just wanted to check in with you all.  This has been a tough last few weeks, and it seems that we have been over a few rough spots.

A few weeks ago my husband, Forrest, had a few tests to see how his ticker was doing, and it led us to the hospital for him to have an angiogram.  He came through it really well, although he was pretty bruised for about a week afterwards.  Thank the good Lord we went for the test, though, as we feel that we really dodged a huge bullet.  He has a 100% blockage that has calcified so much that they could not even put in a stent.  BUT, praise God, it took long enough to get it that way, that his body (controlled by the Lord, of course) was able to form it's own natural bi pass, which we hear happens sometimes.  Now they are trying to keep those 2 arteries open by increasing his cholesterol meds and us trying to be more careful with our diet.  Thank goodness we have been trying to eat healthier each year, or who knows what would have happened.  I'm so happy to say that he's feeling really well, and his doctor has not curtailed his activities, but wants him to remain very active.  We will recheck in 3 months.

He no more than got through his crisis when I went in for a few tests.  A chest x-ray showed a spot on my lung, which called for another test (a CT Scan) which confirmed a mass.  So, you know how one test calls for another, and another, so I had the next one which is a PET Scan at another hospital, and it has come back inconclusive; they don't know what it is, but say that it is "suspicious for a malignancy".  Gee, I'm thinking, "This is not fair...I never smoked, and I try to live so healthy."  And of course the human side of me was remembering feeding my xfather-in-law his last meal when he died of lung cancer.  So I was staying awake each night, thinking of all the worse case scenarios, and not getting much rest at all.  Thus, I should really be in bed now, but I will try to finish this quickly.


But, last weekend I had been invited to a Women's Conference, led by a "young woman" who used to be in our youth group when my kids were growing up.  She has since become an ordained minister, and was leading her first conference.  I took a friend with me, and we had a wonderful weekend of praise, worship, and fun with the other women.  They called me down for prayer the last evening, and actually called out the spirit of cancer and told it to be gone.  For the first time in many years I was slain in the spirit, and was drenched with the spirit of God over my whole body.  Since that time I have felt a "peace that passeth all understanding" that it talks about in the Bible, and I know that I know that I know that God holds me in the palm of His hand and will heal me.  Why do I know this?  Because I have been healed many times in my life of all kinds of things, and I know He is healing me as I speak.  In the past he has healed me of Celiac Disease as a child, scar tissue on my lungs, ciatic pain & tennis elbow.   I praise God for His healing of the past,  for renewing  my faith and for His promises that "By His stripes we WERE healed"...we only have to accept it and walk IN IT.  Therefore, I am not moved by what I see or feel (like the pain in my side), but only by the Word of God.  I accept your healing Lord, and I intend to walk in it.  Thank you Lord.


My doctor has scheduled a lung biopsy for me this coming Wednesday the 23rd, and no matter what is found, I feel a peace that He, the Great Physician, will be guiding the doctor's hand & taking care of me.  I thank God for this peace, and pray God will use this in a mighty way as a sign to unbelievers, that He is the great and mighty God He said He is.  Please pray with me, and that He will use this for His Kingdom.


Hope you all are doing well and watching anxiously for all those first signs of Spring.  This has been a hard, hard winter for a lot of you, and we wish you Spring Time and flowers, & birds to sing His praises.  God be with you all...I will keep you posted.

 

"The only people who are truly free are the ones who walk in a spirit of continual forgiveness."

DUST IF YOU MUST

Hi Everyone, and a Happy 2011 New Year to you all!!  A friend just sent this to me in an email, and I thought it was an appropriate time to share it with you...especially since we are all trying to make those New Year's resolutions.  It is true...we can spend all our time dusting, and miss the important things we should or could be doing...like spending more time with our families.   Please read, enjoy, and take this to heart.

 

 

I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure 
things were just perfect in case someone came over. 
Finally I realized one day that no one came over; they were all 
out living life and having fun! 

NOW, when people visit, I don't bother making excuses for the
condition of my home.  They are more interested in hearing about

the things I've been doing in the time I used to spend cleaning.   

If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice:

  
Dust if you must .... 

but would it be better

to paint a picture or write a letter,

bake some cookies or plant a seed,  
ponder the difference 'tween want and need?

 

Dust if you must....

but there's not much time 
with wine to drink and mountains to climb,  
music to hear and books to read,

friends to cherish and life to lead.  

Dust if you must...  
but the world's out there

with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,

a flutter of snow, a shower of rain.

This day will not come around again. 

Dust if you must...

but bear in mind, 

old age will come and it's not kind.  

And when you go -- and go you must --

you, yourself, will just make more dust! 


Share this with all the wonderful women in your life.  I  JUST DID. 
It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life

you have lived. 

 

LADIES!!! Remember...a  layer of dust protects the wood beneath it.
A house becomes a home when you can write 'I love you' on the furniture.

 

Life is short.  Enjoy it!

"The only people who are truly free are the ones who walk in a spirit of continual forgiveness."

We're So Thankful For What We Have

 WE'RE SO THANKFUL FOR WHAT WE HAVE


This Thanksgiving Day was so enjoyable, spending it with family, and having our Mom with us.  Mom at 93 years of age has moved in with us recently, and we praise God that she is in fairly good health and can get around by herself with the aid of a walker.  She occupies 2 rooms of our home and has the use of our guest bathroom, and says she is very happy living here with us.  A lot of her own furniture and personal pictures and "things" moved here with her, so she has familiar treasures around her.


When Mom came to live with us, it is because living expenses in an assisted living facility had gotten so expensive (this is the case with many of our elderly). We know of quite a few people our ages who are now inviting their parents to live with them because of this reason.  As long as my Step Dad (age 101) was living with her, they were able to afford the unit, but since he went into a nursing home last winter, it has become increasingly hard on her financially.  So, we invited her to come live with us, knowing that it would enrich all of our lives...which it has.  Mom is enjoying our pets, too, just as she knew she would.  She's finally learned all their names, and that was a real accomplishments.  Try keeping 3 black cats straight when they all sort of look alike!  Then there's the grumpy old lady cat who we've had for over 10 years, given to us by my daughter who had had her for 3 years & didn't know how old she was when SHE got her.  So she (Peaches) is just trying to lay claim to her territory that she had long before the 3 black cats came along.  Mom knows them now as Mama Mitsy, Daddy Tommy, and "baby" Owey (who tops out at about 22 lbs.).  Then there's the dog Bosco, who is over 9 years old now.  He's quite a character and understands everything we say (especially when we don't want him to).  All of this has added much to Mom's life.

Mom has also taken up the piano again, and even with her bent finger, she can play pretty well.  Right now she is practicing some Christmas carols so she can accompany me on the flute over the holidays.  We may even invite some family and friends over as time allows.  We marvel at what she remembers of the piano, and she can play so many songs and even jazzes them up a bit.  She still plays from her mother's set of music books, and song books she has collected over the years.  Here is a picture of Mom playing her old piano (which is in our house now), and her captive audience of "baby" Owey.  They love to hear her play, and at first couldn't understand what she was doing...because they rarely hear ME on the piano.  So, we are thankful that Mom can still play the piano so well, and we all enjoy hearing her improve with each passing day. 

 Yes, we have so many things to be thankful for.  Our families who are scattered from Texas all the way to Alaska and includes 4 children, 14 grandchildren + 1 in heaven, 4 GREAT grandchildren, and ONE ON THE WAY that we just found out about and is due in July sometime.  We miss those members who haven't been around much, more than we can say, and hope that they are doing well this holiday season, too.  We are so thankful for those family members who include us in their lives...ALL are precious to us & we thank God for every one.  We continue to pray for our family, & that God will heal parts of our family and our nation.  Please join us in praying for our troops, our nation and our leaders, and that in these trying times that they will make the right and Godly decisions for our country.  We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, and hope you will have a wonderful holiday season.  God bless you all and keep you safe.

"The only people who are truly free are the ones who walk in a continual spirit of forgiveness."

To All of You for Mother's Day

This is from a good friend of mine and I'd like to share it with you all for Mother's Day, because it meant so much to me and is so true.

I remember doing some of the same things she did too. Like try her Mother’s glasses on and I’d nearly be drunk from the blur! Then sit and listen as she gave me her own advice (many times listening to my Grandmother too). And now the years have flown and we have grown with children of our own. Little grandchildren run about us now. The glasses do fit our sight better, for as the old saying goes “Mother is always right”. It is just kind of sad that it took us so very long to understand all of it, so we could have let her know our total love and appreciation of her. (Nothing is worth severing a Mother/child relationship)

.... 

A New View....

.. ..

Tucked neatly inside my mother’s old jewelry box are the glasses she....

wore many years before her death.  When I was younger I used to try on....

those glasses, wishing to wear them but quickly laying them aside,....

escaping that cloudy, blurry world they created.   It was quite a....

wonder to me how she saw so clearly through those lenses, how she....

reached for them each morning when she awoke before going to the....

kitchen to make the morning coffee.  Mother’s view certainly was....

different back then, and as I sat across from her those many mornings,....

sharing that aromatic beverage, she expressed her thoughts in ways....

that caused me to chuckle inside, believing that she was so “behind....

the times,” yet daring not to disagree with her, realizing that if I....

did an all-out argument would surely ensue.  And so, I politely....

listened, vowing never to embrace her ideology, clinging instead to....

those younger generational viewpoints of the 1960s. And then, I would....

slide into those brightly colored bell-bottomed slacks, toss my long....

hair over my shoulder and give her a quick kiss on the cheek before....

leaving the house.....

.. ..

I was enjoying my freedom, driving that little Corvair down the long....

country road toward town, leaving the country and its values far....

behind, entering a world where I could do things my way, the modern....

way.  College had opened wide those doors of freedom, allowing me to....

learn and experience life in a way that would have caused Mother to....

sit with me a little longer at the kitchen table, extolling those....

virtues passed on by her mother, attempting to extend that influence....

to her daughter.....

.. ..

Marriage, work and family had its way of restricting much of that....

freedom many of us felt in the 1960s.  It was not long before it was I....

who was making that morning coffee, doing the laundry and shuffling....

the kids off to school.  And, not surprisingly, it was I who was....

seated across the table from those young people, watching them fidget....

a bit in their chairs before going off into their own, new world of....

ideas.....

.. ..

Likewise, it should not have come as a surprise to me this morning....

when I opened that old jewelry box and once again placed those old....

glasses over my eyes that something had changed.  Suddenly I was....

seeing more clearly through those old lenses, and as I sat there in....

wonderment, looking around at my world some forty years later, I....

realized that I had become my mother.  I had ever so gradually....

returned to the ways she had taught me, those ideas that once caused....

me to chuckle, the ones that seemed so distant, were now so very close....

to my heart.....

.. ..

Nancy Farley....

May 1, 2010....

.... 

.. .. ....

.. ..

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...."1 Corinthians 13:4-8....

.. ..

The biggest witness we can be to another is when they "see our LIFE". ....

People will “READ US before they ever READ the BIBLE”! ....

 "The LIFE of YOU will be the DEATH of ME; so I must DIE, that YOU might LIVE."....

.. ..

2 Chronicles: 7:14 “.....if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land”...

"The only people who are truly free are the ones who walk in a continual spirit of forgiveness."

My Precious Daughter

Sometime ago I jotted this down...from where I don't know.  I have saved it to send to my 
daughter on her birthday, which is April 1st.  It reminded me of times when I was watching 
her grow, and of happier times when I could just call her up and tell her these things.  I love 
and miss her more than this mother could ever express, so this is to Ali:


My Precious Daughter

The joy of my life was just watching you grow.
You were my little princess, all tied with a bow.
 I'd read you the same book over & over again,
and listen to "God Blesses" till you finally said "Amen".

I'd watch you through a window as you'd run and play,
and I'd say a little prayer that you'd remember one day...
That you were loved so very much, and how I loved watching you grow
Into WHO you are today...someone all the world should know.

Author Unknown

 "The only people who are truly free are the ones who walk in a continual spirit of forgiveness."

Authors Articulating with Jo-Anne Vandermeulen

Hi Everyone,

 

Just in case you missed the live radio interview last night, or didn't know about it, it was recorded and you can listen in to the broadcast at:  http://tobtr.com/s/936781   I met the interviewer on a blogspot site & at www.Shoutlife.com.   Jo-Anne Vandermeulen with "Authors Articulating" invited me as a fellow author to be interviewed on Blogtalk Radio out of BC Canada.  I'm always looking for more ways to get exposure for my book, so I gladly accepted.

 

Claire Reeves, I hope you will listen, too, because I referenced you and your book.  Thanks again for your wonderful promo for my back cover.  Dana, thanks again for your beautiful Foreword.

 

Now, as follow-up I am asking all of you during this next month to team with me in getting the word out.  April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and we all need to be doing everything we can for the many, many victims who are out there, waiting for help and rescue from their abuse.  Thanks for listening to the recorded interview, and thanks for any help you may be able to give.  Please tell people about the book, because everyone in our society knows someone who has been abused, or, sadly, have been abused themselves.   Forrest and I continue to pray for those victims and their families, so that they can be healed from the scars of abuse and go on to lead happy, productive lives.

 

Blessings abundant to all of you,

Sandy

 
Authors Articulating with Jo-Anne Vandermeulen

"The only people who are truly free are the ones who live in a continual spirit of forgiveness."