God Spots

2012-01-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

Until a few years ago, I never paid much attention to anything historical, or political, or for that matter didn’t even care much about current events unless they affected me personally. I spent most of my life living ego centrically.

The last few years have been spent scrambling trying to frantically research things I never cared to learn. What is funny, is that most of my desire to learn came as a result of reading scripture and growing in my faith.
I came across an interesting tidbit a week or so ago. Someone mentioned to me a DVD called “Nine Days That Changed the World.” If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and get a copy.

The back cover of the DVD says:

“In 1979 Pope John Paul II made an historic pilgrimage to Poland.
Millions of Poles, almost 1/3 of the nation turned out to see the Holy Father in
person, while the rest of the country followed his pilgrimage on television or
radio. Within sixteen months, Solidarity became the first officially
recognized free trade union in the Communist bloc, with over 10 million
members. The momentum of this nine-day visit would eventually lead to the
fall of the Berlin Wall in November of 1989 with the dissolution of the
Soviet Union in 1991.”

Watching the DVD my heart was pierced as I learned more about the struggles of the Polish nation and the utter destruction and annihilation of so many of its precious human beings. I was spellbound seeing the hope in their eyes as they gathered along the roadways hoping to get a glimpse of this new Pope... a man who was not only the leader of their religion, (which was virtually forbidden), but a World Leader who was one of their own.
One of the things that struck me during this DVD was a clip from Ronald Reagan’s famous speech, the one that we have all heard quoted so often. “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" I was watching all alone and found myself clapping wildly as if I was sitting in an audience filled auditorium when I heard the end of Reagan’s speech- the part no one seems to ever talk about. He said:

“In a word, I would submit that what keeps you in Berlin is love--love both profound and abiding. Perhaps this gets to the root of the matter, to the most fundamental distinction of all between East and West. The totalitarian world produces backwardness because it does such violence to the spirit, thwarting the human impulse to create, to enjoy, to worship. The totalitarian world finds even symbols of love and of worship an affront.
Years ago, before the East Germans began rebuilding their churches, they erected a secular structure: the television tower at Alexander Platz. Virtually ever since, the authorities have been working to correct what they view as the tower's one major flaw, treating the glass sphere at the top with paints and chemicals of every kind. Yet even today when the sun strikes that sphere--that sphere that towers over all Berlin--the light makes the sign of the cross. There in Berlin, like the city itself, symbols of love, symbols of worship, cannot be suppressed.

As I looked out a moment ago from the Reichstag, that embodiment of German
unity, I noticed words crudely spray-painted upon the wall, perhaps by a young
Berliner: "This wall will fall. Beliefs become reality."
Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.

Thank you and God bless you all.
President Ronald Reagan - June 12, 1987

President Obama do you see what happens when God isn’t put in handcuffs? Do you see what happens when we don’t keep our belief in God hidden behind a wall? He uses his hands to tear down walls, he uses his hands to build bridges.
So Mr. President PLEASE…“Tear Down That Wall.” that is keeping God out of our national policies. Let God’s principles reign.

WE REMEMBER

2011-09-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

In memory of all who lost their lives in an act of terrorism, or in the act of heroism. We honor your memory. May this day of rememberance help to heal hearts and souls.

God Bless you and all whose lives you have touched.

With Mom's Blessing

2008-02-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

This is my first time participating in Show and Tell Friday.

Here’s my show …and here goes my tell.

My mom died in 1988 due to congestive heart failure. She had been a heavy smoker; at least 1-2 packs a day of Camel cigarettes. She fought obesity for as long as I can remember, which was probably a bigger contributor to her CHF than the cigarettes she inhaled.

But despite her vices she was a dear, and she had a great love for the Lord. In her final years you could usually find her sitting at the kitchen table conversing with God.

My brother’s friends loved coming to our house just to sit and visit with her. She had a tell it like it is attitude, a loud voice and a big heart.

In her kitchen was a large picture window, and my most vivid memories of my mom are pictured with her sitting at the kitchen table keeping watch over the world outside.
In the winter she delighted in watching the birds at the feeders, especially the cardinals dressed in their colorful red feathers. In the summer she was always spotting a humming bird and pointing it out to the grandkids. When we drove out of the driveway she kept waving until we were gone from her view.

My mom’s wedding ring was a simple silver band with a row of tiny diamonds. She was always satisfied with the simplicity of the ring and always said she didn’t need a flashy diamond to prove my dads love to her. Over the years the ring lost several of the chips.

During her first CHF attack, moms ring had to be cut from her finger. She was in a coma for 3 days and we almost lost her. Having to be hospitalized for so long turned into a blessing in disguise for she was able to finally kick the smoking habit she’d had for over 50 years. It was also a blessing that her wedding ring wasn’t ruined, just a tiny cut in the back was all it took to disengage it from her finger, but she didn’t want to have the ring welded just incase it ever happened again.

Her hands and feet often swelled past the point of comfort. Often in the middle of the night she would take her ring off and put it on the night stand.

One day she noticed the ring was missing. The cleaning lady had been to the house earlier in the day, and mom was sure it had gotten knocked off and most likely swept up into the vacuum cleaner. We sifted through the dust and debris to no avail. Mom was heart broken for the rest of her days.

A few years after my mom died my husband came home with an announcement. “I think your dad has a girl friend” he told me. “No way” I gasped.

I hated the idea of my dad having another women in his life, and I didn’t take to the news in a kind way. Especially after I learned she had been his high school sweetheart. It felt like he was betraying my mom.

I refused to have anything to do with this woman and verbalized my feelings to everyone but my dad. In his quiet unassuming way, he suffered in silence at my obstinance.

I became further distraught when he decided to sell my childhood home so he could move into a smaller apartment.

Finally the day came to move dad’s belongings to the new place. It was also the day that I was going to have to meet this “other woman” for the first time, and I was a total wreck.

My job for the day was cleaning the bathrooms. The top drawer of the vanity in the master bath still had mom’s makeup and some of her medicines in it. I remember pulling out the drawers and taking them to the waste basket and dumping the contents out.

I was choking back sobs as I dumped, purging my soul along with the few remaining material possessions.

Finally we were done and everyone began jumping into their vehicles to take the last load of dad’s things to the new apartment.

"I’m not going, you already have enough help", I told them.

After the last car drove away I went to my parents bedroom and sat on the floor and wept.

“Mom I just can’t do this," I cried. "I don’t want to meet Nada. What do you think? Are you okay with dad having this other woman in his life? If you’re okay with it could you give me a sign?" (Okay for anyone reading this don't get bent out of shape because I was talking to a dead person- I know my mom lives today because of her belief and love for her dear savior)

I went home and began getting ready for the evening. Dad and Nada were taking us all to dinner.

At 5:30 my brother George and his wife Cec arrived at our house to drive us to the restaurant. When I opened the front door, Cec was grinning.

“I have a present for you, hold out your hand.” she told me.

Apprehensively I extended my palm and Cec dropped something into it. When I drew it in to have a closer look I saw my mothers lost wedding ring sitting in the palm of my hand.

"Oh my goodness," I exclaimed. "Where did you find this. "

"We found it when we went back to take one final look around. It was in the top drawer of the vanity in the master bath", she said. (Mind you this was the same vanity that I had taken the drawers out of and dumped the contents.)

"We knew you were having a tough time today and we just felt like Mom would like you to have this.”

This was surely my sign from Mom, and as I starred down at the ring, I could feel the touch of God. It was ever so slight as it brushed across my shoulders but it was a healing touch and I felt the scales fall from my hardened heart.

It was an angelic message sent to let me know that it was good that my dad was feeling alive again, and that my Mom was with God and they were rejoicing because dad was moving on with his life.

It was time to put my childishness aside and help my dad be happy once again.

Half of the diamond chips are missing from the ring. I've been hoping to get it restored. Maybe this show and tell will spur me on.

She Speaks Conference

2008-01-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it. I’m about to lose control and I think I like it.

Lysa TerKeurst with Proverbs 31 Ministries is sponsoring another contest. This time it’s for a
scholarship to the She Speaks Conference in June.

http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html

http: //www.shespeaksconference.com/

I would love to win this contest. I can tell you, I’m going whether I win or not, the money has already been earmarked, but I have a friend who is also writting a book. She has been through some rough times since her husband died , not just emotionally but physically as well. I would love to give her my earmarked money as a gift so she could come and experience this wonderful growing experience as well.

But whether I win or not I just can’t help but post my memoirs from last years conference in hopes that my story will help someone step out in faith.

Here goes:

2007 was the year that the Lord turned up the volume of my spiritual hearing aid.

It all began with what I considered a royal screw up. I’d made plane reservations to visit my friend Jackie in Naples Florida without confirming the date with her. Of course the week-end I’d chosen was the only weekend she wouldn’t be there.

As I rearranged my plans (with the help of Jackie this time) I was thrilled to find out that the new date coincided with her churches Women’s Conference. The speaker was a woman named Lysa TerKeurst from Proverbs 31 Ministries.

My life would never be the same after listening to Lysa talk about saying YES to God.

As the plane made its way down the runway returning me back home, I realized that my being in Florida for this weekend was indeed divine intervention.

Returning back home I was so fired up all I could think of was how I could raise the money to bring Lysa to my little area of the world to speak. I logged on to her website and as I maneuvered around I found out that Proverbs 31 was sponsoring a conference for writers, speakers, and women’s ministry leaders. The conference was called “She Speaks.”

My mouth began to salivate as I read the class descriptions. You see, for over a year I had
been attempting to write a book. God had instructed me one day to begin writing about something he was working on in me. I obeyed. The words began to flow rapidly onto the paper until I got to the ending…. I couldn’t seem to write a suitable ending to the story.

Listening to Lysa had inspired me and I had been revising and writing ever since I had gotten home, and finally I had the end! Now, maybe it was time to learn how to actually write a book instead of just flying by the seat of my pants!

But the price…how could I justify spending the money, not just for the conference but for a flight as well. Not to mention that I would need to take two days off from work. It became my daily prayer for God to provide a way if it was his will.

Every day I’d log on to the website and wonder what to do. A month later, I awoke on the morning of my 58th birthday to this message in my daily devotional,

“If you believe God is asking you to do something, you can’t wait for him to provide the means. Sometimes you have to step out in faith before he will provide. It’s called Trust”

And suddenly I began singing Happy Birthday to ME.

I placed a call to Proverbs 31 and began the registration process over the phone. The friendly woman at the other end of the phone caught me by surprise when she asked me if I would like to take advantage of meeting with a publisher. I froze. I took a deep breath and heard a little voice say “tell her yes”.

“No,” I replied I don’t think I’m ready.

That’s when God turned up the volume another decibel and I heard the words Lysa had spoken in Naples. “I can assure you, she had said. God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies those he calls.

I realized then, that God was calling me to take another leap of faith. Maybe it was to teach me humility when the publisher laughed in my face, or maybe it was to prepare me for something different. Either way, if I was going to follow God I had to follow his direction.

“Um, I think I’ve I changed my mind, I would like to meet with someone after all.”

Stepping off the plane in North Carolina I was a little frazzled as I began trying to find my way to the shuttle. Finally I took a deep breath and said, “Lord, you’ve gotten me this far, I will trust that you will guide me to the hotel as well.” I felt an instant peace. Then I spotted a lone female a few feet in front of me. “By any chance are you in town for the “She Speaks Conference.” “Yes” she said looking relieved. What a blessing to find a new friend to begin the journey with.

I only had one other item that was causing me a little discomfort. My roommate! This was another area that I was depending on God for. I would much rather have had a room to myself, but I felt a little nudge in my spirit when I tried to justify the extra cost of a private room. But more than the cost, God reminded me that this weekend would be about growing in Him and not my personal comfort.

Trusting God paid off again. My roommate was wonderful and a real blessing to share a room with.

And finally the Pièce de résistance was the conference itself. At the registration desk we were given a notebook chocked full of valuable information, outlines, and resources, maps, and anything else we would need.

From the pre conference opening to the closing speech and worship service we were inspired challenged and entertained. I have never seen so many wonderful, compassionate, funny and inspiring leaders all in one place.

Although I crashed and burned in my first attempt at having my book published, the experience was phenomenal. The two women I met with were professional, and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say, despite my dismal failure at a book proposal.

I have been to many women’s conferences in the past, from business to spiritual growth, but this was by far the most amazing. When so many women are gathered in one place, estrogen permeates the room, but I can honestly say not once did I hear a single grumble or complaint. It was truly an encounter with the Holy Spirit.

For three days I walked around in awe. Each day exceeded my expectations. But sadly all good things come to an end and soon it was time to head home.
I wasn’t heading home alone. I now had new friends to hold in my heart, mentors from the Gather and Grow group to light my path, and a sense of God smiling at my obedience.
In my bible is a beautiful reminder of my weekend and what serving God is all about. It reads:

It’s about Personal Growth ~ Not Perfection
It’s about Experiencing God ~ Not Exposure
It’s about Helping ~ Not Hoarding
It’s about Obedience ~ Not Opportunity
It’s about a Calling ~ Not Comfort
It’s about God ~ Not Glory

As a footnote let me tell you that just a few days after I registered for the conference we received a purchase agreement on my Fathers estate. It had been on the market for 6 months. The transaction was closed just prior to the conference.

We Serve an Awesome God.

Quit Spinning Your Wheels

2008-01-18T13:24:00.000-08:00

I was in the middle of my quiet time with Jesus yesterday morning when I felt led to pick up my pen and begin journaling. When God speaks I don’t really know what I’m supposed to write but he just begins wielding my pen.

After reading Lysa T’s blog today regarding skinny girl vs fat girl I decided to post yesterday’s journal entry.

Quit Spinning Your Wheels

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV)

Lance Armstrong was a seven time winner of cycling's most prestigious race. Three years before he won his first Tour de France, a race that calls for amazing endurance, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and given less than a 50/50 chance of survival.

It must have made getting back on the bike difficult, in more ways than one.

Can you imagine how different Lance Armstrong’s life would have been if he hadn’t listened to his heart. If he hadn’t had the courage to believe he was destined for greater things.

What would his life have been like if he had been content to ride a stationary bike through life? What if he had been too comfortable in his indoor setting to brave the outdoor elements that he would most likely endure on his way to achieving his goal?

He could have settled for just being a little more physically fit by continually spinning his wheels on the stationary bike of life.

On his stationary bike he might have pumped the same amount of revolutions, or increased the cycle’s tension to get the same cardio workout, but he never would have gotten to where he wanted to be. He never would have tasted the Glory.

I believe our churches are filled with stationary bike riders today. They put in their time each Sunday to do their work-out. But in truth they are only spinning their wheels because they have yet to brave the elements in order to get where God wants them to be. They have stayed indoors- in their comfort zone, instead of listening to the voice of God calling them to Glory.

Glory is a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls. We come to Glory by laying our own personal agenda aside and following God.

We can’t assume to know where God is leading; we must listen to his voice. But so many voices compete with Gods each day it’s hard to decipher which one is His. The only way we can know God’s voice is to know his very heart and we do this by delving into his Word and reading and listening to it on a daily basis.

I like to use a dieting and exercise analogy.

When we exercise, our hearts beat faster and we breathe harder. Although its good for our bodies, it’s not easy to get our heart beat up to the maximum rate and sustain it.

But as we cut out the calories and increase the work out our muscles mass increases and endorphins are released giving us a euphoric high. It helps us endure.

The scales begin to show our weight dropping. Sometimes, we get discouraged because we’ve stayed on program but the scales don’t show our hard work. We have reached a dieting plateau. Our bodies have gone into a fight or flight mode to protect us. But eventually our body rebounds and the pounds begin to drop again.

And finally, the results begin showing, and people begin to take notice of the new you.

Exercising our faith is much the same.

As we begin to read the bible we begin to inhale God’s very words to us. But inhaling Christ isn’t any easier than physical exercise.

As we start our morning workout we begin breathing in Gods words, and as we do, he begins pinching off the fat in our lives. He takes a little bit off over here, and adds a little bit to us over there. He takes away a night out with the boys, and he adds a weekly bible study.

Sometimes we come to a spiritual plateau and suffer a set back. But as someone once so aptly spoke, “a set back is a set up for a come back”.

As we endure the exercise, we develop spiritual resolve. God releases his Godly endorphins and we receive a spiritual high called JOY. Even in the grueling workout called life, where we experience bountiful blessings one day and a devastating blow the next, we can count it all Joy. The more joy we give the more joy we get back. The more joy in our lives, the more people take notice of the new self, and the more spiritual fruit we begin to produce.

Will 2008 be the year for you to quit spinning your wheels? Isn’t it time for you to get out of your sweat suit and get into your spandex and go for the Glory?
Isn’t it about time to put on the new self?

Loving Father, thank you for creating in me a holy temple in which the Holy Spirit may abide. Forgive me for the clutter which I have allowed to accumulate, squeezing out your holy presence. Make new my attitude Lord, so that I may be able to put on the new self and always produce good fruit for your kingdom.

A Pillar of Cloud

2008-01-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

“By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way
and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.
Exodus 13:21(NIV)

I received some troublesome news last week when my good friend Abby called to tell me she had just been diagnosed with malignant melanoma. The news left my stomach tied in knots as she told me how she had carried her burden alone for several days, not wanting to spoil Thanksgiving for her family.

For the next few days my mind was continually occupied with concern for her prognosis, despite the fact that she had told me she was feeling at “peace”.

Eight years ago as I sought treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Abby along with our mutual friends, had felt that same concern for me. It had never been clear why my friends were more concerned about my diagnosis than I was, but today as I replayed Abby’s announcement in my head, my thoughts paused on her words “at peace”, and I finally understood.

Peace is a reassurance of just how intricately God is involved in our lives. When our world is full of uncertainties and unknowns, God steps in and gives us His peace. I remembered having that same peace as I battled my cancer, a peace that can only come from God, His special gift. It is a peace that tells our innermost being that he is in control and that he’s got our back; a peace that Paul says transcends all understanding.

Before Abby ever received her disturbing diagnosis, God had surrounded her with his peace.

I recalled her story about the day she had heard the news. She had decided to spend the day at a shopping mall an hour away from home and left early that morning in order to be there when the stores opened.

As she headed south on I-75 towards her destination, the weather began to change. In an instant she found herself in a total cloud of a steamy rain/fog mixture and she was unable to see more than a few feet in front of her. The semi tractor trailers surrounding her vehicle further contributed to obscuring her vision as their tires sprayed the rainy mixture onto her windshield. Their giant frames often veered into her lane.

With her heart beating rapidly and her white knuckles clutching the steering wheel, she began to wonder if she would come out of this predicament alive. She knew that just ahead were curves that she would not be able to see. “Help me Lord”, she prayed silently,

A few minutes later the fog and clouds suddenly cleared and the pavement dried. Relieved to have weathered the storm and to have arrived safely at her destination, she thanked God for his protection.

Walking out to her car later in the afternoon her cell phone announced that she had a message waiting. It was the doctor’s office calling. Returning the call, she heard her doctor’s voice saying, “I have some bad news.”

As I listened intently to Abby’s story I couldn’t help but visualize the loving arms of God surrounding her as she learned the news and suddenly the words of Exodus 13:21 popped into my head. “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

In my NIV Life Application Study Bible the notes explain: “The pillars of fire and clouds were examples of theophany-God appearing in a physical form. In this form, God lighted Israel’s path, protected them from their enemies, provided reassurance, controlled their movements, and inspired the burning zeal that Israel should have for their God.”

God is still in the business of guiding people’s paths today, and I believe he did that in a special way for Abby that day. For he knew that ahead of her she would find curves that would leave her wondering if she would come through her storm alive; and semi’s threatening to crush her along the way.

But God went before her in a pillar of cloud that day to remind her that she has been surrounded with His peace and to give her the reassurance that He will be with her for whatever comes her way.

What a faithful God we serve, a God who pauses from the business of running the universe and reveals his love and goodness just when we need it the most.

Father, thank you for being a God who knows just what we need even when we don’t know we need it. Thank you for being a God who heals, a God who comforts and most of all a God who loves us more than we can ever know. Help us Lord, to always remember that in every cloud that enters our life, you are there in its midst.

Child-like Faith

2008-01-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-3 (NIV)

Whats your vision of God?

Yesterday, during his message, Father John asked us that thought provoking question.

He suggested that if we could change the way we envision God, perhaps, we could change our behavior. He asked us to think about the different “God views” we had read earlier in the service. In the first reading from Exodus we saw God portrayed as a stern judge; and in the Gospel readings we saw Jesus as a Good Shepherd, and we saw God symbolized as a woman who had lost a coin, and also as a rather over indulgent, yet forgiving father in the story of the Prodigal Son.

While I have envisioned God in many different forms, something happened during the service that made me experience God from a completely new point of view.

As the service was drawing to a close, a small girl not more than three years old, managed to make her way to the aisle and proceeded to run up and down and all around casting her cares to the wind as she alluded her visibly embarrassed father who was pursuing her. She darted thru the congregation as she silently sang, YOU CAAN”T CATCH ME! Heads turned and most of us smiled as we watched the scenario play out. Some fidgeted in their seats at the audacity of that family to not have their child under control. “How dare you interrupt my time of worship!” their body language seemed to say.

After several minutes the little girls feet slowed, and as she grew tired her father caught up to her, lifted her into his arms and held her close as he took her back where she belonged.

I believe God directed those tiny feet yesterday to teach us a lesson on our view of God.

How closely our lives resemble that child, I thought. How often have we strayed from God and in that moment of freedom, run aimlessly thru life as if to say to God, “NANANANANA YOU CAAN’T CATCH ME? Around and around we go, trying to fill our soul with all the material things that the false Gods of this world have promised would make us happy. Finally, in our weariness we slow, and our hearts call out “Catch Me Daddy.” Only then is God, who has steadfastly been pursuing us, able to sweep us into his loving arms where we were meant to be all along.

Just as that visual was settling in my mind, God brought a different thought. Just suppose, he whispered, that little girl wasn’t running away from someone, but towards someone. I imagined Christ, white robe and all, laughing as he ducked in and out of the congregation calling to her, “COME AND GET ME!”

It never crossed the little girls mind that she could fall face first into the baptismal font and drowned, or that she could become lost in the crowd. She never thought for one second, that her father would not be there to save her. No, she just ran shamelessly towards her goal, her goal to be free.

Isn’t that what Christ does with us? Doesn’t he invite us everyday to leave our comfortable surroundings and chase after the dream he has put in our heart, “the prize for which he has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:14) Yet instead of chasing after God and following with reckless abandon, we concentrate on the things that could happen if we step out in faith, we clutch the things of comfort that we must forgo to live the life he wants for us. We’ve lost that child like trust to believe that God has a better plan.

What is God calling you to, today? What is he asking you to put aside so you can follow?

I pray that we may always have the faith of a child to believe what we cannot see, and that we may be humble enough to admit we cannot do it our own way, and to find joy in our dependence on God. And finally I pray, that we don’t become so caught up in our own idea of worship that we fail to see other ways God may call us to honor Him.
May we become child-like, so we too may inherit the kingdom of heaven.

Father, help me to always remember the lesson of the little girl you showed me today. Let me boldly chase after you and follow the dream you have put in my heart. And when I grow weary, help me to always remember that I can find rest in your fatherly embrace. Amen

My Grandmother

2008-01-07T23:09:00.000-08:00

My grandmother Carrie has always been an inspiration to me. She became a widow at the ripe old age of 39 and remained so until she died at age 101.

As a little girl I looked forward to her visits. She was a quiet, unassuming woman and I adored her. She had a way of making each grandchild feel as though they were her favorite, even though I’m sure it was me she liked best.

Growing up I shared her love of sewing, growing flowers, playing cards, writing poetry and short stories and I even shared her shoe size. But it wasn’t until I became a widow myself at the age of 44 that I could identify with her pain of going thru life without her mate.

I wish she was still alive. I have so many things I’d like to know about her journey thru widowhood. My grandmother wrote with a great deal of spiritualness and I’d love to know about her relationship with God and whether that relationship came about because of her struggles.

Someday I’ll see her again and thank her for inspiring, and blessing my life with her writing. I’ll end this post with my favorite poem of hers.

I Heard It Too

I walked along the garden path
I heard it in the breeze.
I heard the voice of Jesus
In all the swaying trees.

I heard it in the buttercups,
In the leaves and in the grass
In all the tiny raindrops,
In the laughter of a lass.

I heard it in the moonlight
And I know that it is true
If you’ll listen for His Kindly voice
You can say I heard it too!

I heard His voice on the mountain top
In the ocean and the sea
I heard it in a robin’s song
It meant so much to me.

I heard it in a baby’s cry,
In the chapel when I pray;
In every tiny candle
that burns from day to day.

I heard his voice when I was tired,
In the clouds that roll so high;
In the planes that circle o’er us
In the stars up in the sky.

I heard it in a mother’s sob
When things did not go right
A soothing loving whisper
That made her burdens light.

I heard it when kind deeds were done
And I know that it is true
Just stop awhile and listen
And you can say “I heard it too!”

Carrie P Smith

May 16,1957