Flowers and a Tote Bag

For the past three weeks I’ve had several situations in my everyday life that I considered ordinary needs. However, what took place were truly unexpected surprises from my Heavenly Father. Let me explain.

              Ever since I can remember, Memorial Day has always been a special holiday for my family. Many family members on both my dad’s and mom’s sides are buried in the WaKeeney cemetery. As a child, I can remember my mom and my Grandma Phares preparing their glass jar peony bouquets to place on the gravesites on Memorial Day. Then, our family would usually have a reunion of sorts, gather for a picnic or go to Cedar Bluff Lake after the special ceremony at the cemetery.  The day was such a fun, family gathering.

              Now, since that generation of my family is gone, I have taken it upon myself to place flowers on my family’s gravesites because my mom was concerned that no one would be around to put flowers on the graves. I told her as long as I was able, I would become the flower lady. Of course, the number of deceased family members has increased throughout the years which make “live” flowers almost impossible to place on the sites, especially since I no longer live in WaKeeney.  Consequently, I have resorted to artificial arrangements of some kind.  Now this is where the surprise comes in. 😊

              This year due to many life obligations, I had delayed buying the flowers. Time was running out for finding flowers, but I still wanted to look, at least for my parents and grandparents. So about a week before Memorial Day, I checked at the Dollar General store in a nearby town. As I walked into the store, I immediately noticed a group of flowers in one of the aisles. My heart filled with joy. I bought as many as I could afford at that time.  When I checked out, I told the clerk how happy I was that they had flowers. She said they had just received them and had displayed them that morning. I had the pick of the lot.  Awesome!!

However, sorting through those simple flowers a few days before Memorial Day, I discovered I didn’t have enough for what I needed. So, I made a flash dash to DG Saturday morning and lo and behold, they had just restocked flowers the day before!!    I was able to purchase the remaining flowers I needed and even a few extra.

              Second surprise: It was time for our Granddaughter Katharine’s yearly dance recital, and it’s become one of my traditions to give her a bag filled with candy treats instead of a bouquet of flowers after her performance. However, this year her birthday happened to fall a few days after the recital so I decided to give both her birthday presents and her recital treat together. But then, I needed a tote large enough for both gifts (more convenient for carrying).  I checked the totes I had on hand, but none were the right size so I had resolved to do without. However, when the mail arrived the morning of the recital, I received a large envelope from one of the mission groups I occasionally donate to. Inside were three, colorfully designed totes. I couldn’t help but smile, especially when one was the perfect size for Katharine’s gifts.

              As I reflect on those two, non-dramatic incidents, I don’t remember ever praying specifically about them. But I was doing a lot of hopeful wishing. 😊 Nevertheless, I know in my heart, my mind, and my soul that those results were not coincidences. God knew my desires even before I did, and He fulfilled my unspoken requests. Why? Because He loves His children and delights in surprising them.   

 

“Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

 Psalm 37:4

 

“The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Obstacles

    Several  years ago I began watching the American Ninja Warrior TV show.  The purpose behind the show is for athletes, both men and women, to complete several stages of obstacles in order to reach the final stage where they could win a million dollars. It's a challenging endeavor that requires strength, endurance, strategy, and to a certain extent, speed.    

    As I observe each warrior, I notice that each seems to have his/her own plan of action. Some approach each obstacle quickly and confidently, relying on their own skills and abilities to master the course. However, if they press on too fast, many times they stumble, miss the obstacle or lose their strength before completion of the course. Others approach the course more cautiously, taking and studying one obstacle at a time. Although speed in completing the course is important, these warriors tend to concentrate only on being able to finish the course. 

    After watching these warriors and their strategies, I began to ponder my spiritual strategies. As I encounter my own personal obstacle course, I find if I rush ahead in my own self-sufficiency, I fall like some of the Ninjas. But if I stop, consider my choices and most of all, contact my Heavenly Father Coach (because I know I can't finish the course without His help), mastering one obstacle at a time is possible. 

    What obstacles are challenging you? Take them to my Coach. He's available to everyone!!

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or troubled. The LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9  

My Pathway to Publication

             When I was involved with Awana, a Bible-based ministry for youth ages 2-18, I became a leader of third and fourth grade girls. As their leader, I assisted in helping them understand the meaning of various Bible verses as well as memorizing them. In fact, the girls were better than I with memorization.   However, one of the many Bible verses that were included in the memorization process was Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” (NKJV) At the time, the verse was merely another for the girls to learn, but as I memorized it too, its meaning became my password to life.

               Throughout the years I have leaned on this verse repeatedly as each stage of my life has brought challenges too heavy for me to handle alone. Consequently, the words in these verses remind me to trust God, to be aware of His Presence in my life, and to keep alert to His leading no matter the outcome or the time frame. Yes, the time frame because I don’t always wait on Him.  In the following account, I want to share how God had directed my path concerning a dream which had been planted in my heart 60 years ago.

               After I had accepted Jesus as my personal Savior in 1961, I dreamed of publishing a book as a way to serve Him. Actually, my love for books began at an early age. Our mother read Bible stories to my old brother and me, usually before bedtime. As she read, visions of the people and their lives filled my little mind. Sometimes my imagination would take me into those stories, and I would dream of being a part of them. Perhaps that’s when, unaware at that time, my desire to write stories began.

               My teenage years brought me a mix of adventures with new friends, with deeper relationships, with higher education goals, and with more insights to life. However, despite these various experiences, my writing desires remained; actually, they grew because I had more to write about. However, my literary genres changed. From writing movie scripts and poetry in high school, in college I focused on non-fiction, personal essays, research papers, mainly because of my English major. I did continue writing poetry and submitted several of my poems to one of the literature professors on campus. He gave me an encouraging review. I also took a journalism class where I enjoyed writing feature stories and editorials, new formats for me. When I graduated from college and began my teaching career, I soon found composing lesson plans and tests took most of my writing endeavors. Consequently, my dream of publishing a book momentarily ended, but life as a married woman began.

               It was not until 1974 when I was pregnant with our first child that my dream resurfaced. Since I was no longer teaching, I had time to write again.  However, this time I concentrated on children’s stories for magazines as well as picture book manuscripts. I took a correspondence writing class designed for children authors and successfully completed it. Along with my dream to publish, my desire to serve Jesus through my writing also remained. I started to write Christian-centered stories as well as Bible-related story themes. One of my manuscripts entitled, Only a Small Pot of Oil, was one of two chosen for a children’s book from Concordia Publishing, but mine wasn’t the final selection. I was disappointed and thought of giving up since I had received LOTS of rejection forms before this one.

               As years passed, God led me along different paths, including being a stay at home Mom of four for 22 years, an English outreach instructor for 26 years, and director of an outreach site for a community college for 11 years. While all these various occupations took time away from my dream of publishing, I could not dismiss my desire. Consequently, whenever free moments occurred, I took advantage and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I began to write short stories about my childhood. Then, in the summer of 2010 when my job with the community college ended abruptly, I found myself wandering, uncertain of my next path. But Alexander Graham Bell’s famous quote, “When one door closes, another opens.”, reminded me to trust God once again. And in the fall of 2010, only a few months after losing my job, God led me to attend a Christian Simulcast presented by Beth Moore, who is an Anglican evangelist, author and Bible teacher. During her presentation I heard a small voice within my soul whisper, “Pick up the pen and write.” When I heard it again, I was awestricken…my heart pounded and a blanket of warmth covered me. Tears blurred my eyes. God had revealed my path.

               After that amazing encounter, I began to write spiritual pieces about how Jesus had been active in my life through simple, everyday happenings. In 2014 with the assistance of my son and his wife, I was able to begin a blog, “Spiritual Simplicities in Everyday Life.”  Even though I had been directed along this new path, I continued to feel incomplete in my writing endeavors. That was when I realized I had overlooked my childhood short stories. The ideas for those stories had come so easily for me as I remembered events that drew me in as a child. Writing them brought me joy. I knew, then, I must pursue to finish them and organize a collection.

               As I now reflect upon writing these short stories, I can clearly see God’s leading through the Holy Spirit. Whenever I was stuck on the story line or the right words would escape me, the Holy Spirit would intercede. He opened doors to willing people to edit my story collection and with their encouragement to seek publication. From previous experiences with publishing, I decided to search online for possibilities. The market for short story collections didn’t offer many choices, but I began to inquire with what was available. However, I quickly realized that my subject matter wasn’t suitable for many publishing houses. I became discouraged and once again put my manuscript aside for several years.

               It wasn’t until 2021 when a dear friend of mine, whom God had placed in my life in 2008, kept encouraging me to seek publication. She had read my blog posts and a few of my stories and as a result, strongly suggested I continue my search. In fact, her husband was a published author whose manuscripts had been published by Wick House Publishing. With both of their support and connections, I took the plunge of faith, trusted God with whatever the outcome would be, and sent my manuscript to Wick House Publishing. Within a few months, my manuscript had been accepted. My dream of becoming a published author to serve Jesus had come true in 2021, 60 years from when the dream had begun. I truly believe in a statement I read from a devotional: “When God gives you a dream, He gives you all that’s needed to fulfill it.” My dream was accomplished only by the underlying work of the Holy Spirit and trusting in God’s direction on the path He was leading me, no matter the span of time! To God be the glory!!

 

“Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”  Psalm 37:4

 

 

 

 

 

                             

              

              

Riding Shotgun

 

            While I was staying with my grandchildren one weekend, I was reminded of the expression, “Riding Shotgun”. This term has an Old West history since stagecoach lines hired two men to ride atop the coaches. One drove the horses while the other sitting beside him rode as shotgun, keeping an eye out for bandits and even Indians. It was a very important job.

            So when I picked up the grandkids from school on a Friday afternoon, there was a rush to ride shotgun, which today means to ride in the front passenger seat of a vehicle. I had to chuckle as my two grandsons desired the spot, while my granddaughter climbed into the backseat without an argument. As it turned out, the oldest grandson won (this time)! So on the return trip to their house, I asked Jonathan to be on alert for traffic and for his assistance in directing me to their home.   

            Later, as I reflected on that incident, I thought of all the times I had wanted to ride shotgun when I was a kid. Riding in the front seat made me feel more grown-up and closer to the driver. I also remember being able to see outside better, especially looking out the wide, front windshield. Of course, there were several times when one or the other of my parents told me to sit back so they could see from my side. I actually wasn’t being a reliable shotgun rider. J But mostly, I enjoyed it because when I was riding shotgun, it meant I was alone with either my mom or dad. Total attention!!

            Now, since I no longer have children or grandchildren living close by, I don’t have a shotgun rider. However, as I thought about this concept, there have been many times while driving by myself that I could have been in traffic accidents, but they were either avoided or no serious harm occurred. In those instances, I have thanked Jesus, both silently and vocally, for His protection. Could it be that I did and do have a shotgun rider with total attention after all?

 

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation,

My stronghold.” Psalm 18:2

 

 

           

Lighthouses

            I’m a lighthouse collector. I’m not sure when I became fascinated with lighthouses, but maybe it began after watching Walt Disney’s first Pete’s Dragon movie. I enjoyed how Nora (Helen Reddy) and her dad (Mickey Rooney) took full ownership of their lighthouse, painting the outside, maintaining the light that signaled incoming sea vessels. And of course, I can’t exclude Pete and Elliott, the charming, loveable dragon, who saved the day. Yep, it was a fun, entertaining movie. In a nostalgic way, the lighthouse brought them all together as family.

            Perhaps family is a part of my attraction for lighthouses. As I recall, the first lighthouse I owned was a night light that served as a comfort in our children’s bedroom. From there my interest grew as I began to find them at Hobby Lobby. But the most fun of shopping for lighthouses occurred when my youngest daughter and I visited antique stores. That’s when my collective addiction took off. J By then, other family members as well as a few close friends knew I was searching for lighthouses to add to my growing collection.  Consequently, I began receiving them as gifts. And not only lighthouse statues and figurines, but magnets, photographs, calendars, wind chime, throw blanket, cloth bags, and even a special lighthouse artwork made from my Mom’s clip-on earrings after she had passed away.  But, I never seriously thought about my collection until one of my granddaughters asked me why.

            As I reflected on my granddaughter’s question, I was drawn to one of my lighthouse pictures. A lighthouse stands firmly high upon a rock while rushing waves slap viciously around it. However, behind the lighthouse the reaching arms of Jesus with His hands open wide seem to embrace the lighthouse with a protective covering. Then, it struck me. Just as the lighthouse gives off light to direct, protect, and lead safe passage to ships at sea so does Jesus provide to all who believe in Him a safe and secure passage to eternal life. Certainly, the path isn’t without its turbulence and pain, but the light remains shining, giving hope for both the ship and the believer.   

            Then, another thought came to mind. Who maintains the lighthouse? Who makes certain the light is lit and remains lit?  Answer: the Lighthouse Keeper !! Jesus provides the safe passage but to keep the flame going, God has provided a helper, the Holy Spirit, to maintain our course and keep us directed to our eternal home.  So, to answer my granddaughter’s question…my lighthouses remind me of Jesus and the light that shines within me.

 

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. “ John 8:12

 

“And I pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” John 14:16

 

Change

                One of my cousins once said to me that she enjoyed visiting my parents because when she walked into their house, it was the same as she remembered from staying with them during her senior year in high school. The furniture and its arrangement, the curtains, the carpet, and the essential items in each room never changed.  She felt secure and comfortable and always at home.

               As I reflected on her comment, I found myself in total agreement with her. Perhaps that was why I always looked forward to going “home” for our family visits.  I, too, felt secure and comfortable. I didn’t have to experience change.

               BUT, change does occur, and at no time in my lifetime is change more apparent than now with the invasion of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Currently, former daily routines no longer exist. A new normal is developing. One that I don’t particularly like.  However, from this unexpected situation I have learned not to take my so called ordinary, basic lifestyle for granted like I have in the past.  You know, simple things, like buying groceries, getting a haircut, chatting with a neighbor, visiting our children and grandchildren and watching their various activities, attending church, dining in restaurants. So maybe, just maybe this unforeseen and dangerous virus has caused me to appreciate my customary, simple life in a way I haven’t before.

               I am confident that Covid-19 will eventually subside, but its effect will bring change in many areas of our lives. Change can be difficult, especially in those areas that make one feel safe and protected.  But then, change can be good, too. One’s attitude toward change contributes to that viewpoint. For myself, I need to regain my positive perspective and try to adapt to the possibilities of new opportunities once we are able to return to some normalcy.

               However, through all of life’s ups and downs, there remains one source of stability that never changes, God, our Heavenly Father. Through His word in the Scriptures and through personal experiences, I know I can depend on Him. During my life’s journey, I have faced rejection, heartbreaks, inappropriate sexual advances, unexpected health issues, loss of job, separation of family and friends, and the loss of many loved ones to death. All brought changes in my life, physically, socially, and mentally, BUT through them all God didn’t change. He remained constant by my side. He was there in His Spirit, comforting me, forgiving me, and loving me. AND He is with me (us) now. 

               Today, I can no longer find security and comfort at my parents’ home because they are no longer here. However, I CAN find security and comfort in my Father’s arms because He is always here. GOD does not change.

“For I am the LORD, I do not change” Malachi 3:6

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

Two Figurines

Lately, I’ve been reading an assortment of articles and devotional pieces about kindness. This strikes me personally because several months ago I felt the Spirit nudging me to write a blog piece on kindness.  I actually began my article but due to several, unexpected family interruptions, I placed it in my writing backpack and left it there. But, it’s now time to retrieve it and finish it.

                I cannot begin to number all the acts of kindness that have been shown to me throughout my life.  From family, friends, church families, colleagues, medical professionals, policemen and even total strangers, I have received countless blessings of kindness. But one particular act of kindness that stands forever in my mind happened to me when I was 10 years old.

               It was July and I had only been home from the hospital a few days after an emergency appendectomy when one of my neighborhood friends shyly entered my bedroom.  Patsy, younger than I, lived with her family in a small house to the northeast of ours.  I became acquainted with her simply because she was our neighbor and because she could play baseball!! J

               However, the more I was around Patsy, I could tell she had a lot of family responsibilities, even though she was only a kid.  She couldn’t always hang out with the rest our neighborhood gang because she had house chores plus she had to take care of her younger siblings whenever her parents were gone. And that seemed to be regularly.  Neighborhood gossip marked her family as drifters, not staying in one town very long as well as being poor folk who took advantage of people.  Of course, being a youngster, I didn’t quite fully understand those remarks nor did I care because to me Patsy was my friend, not necessarily her parents.

               As she approached my bed, where I was reading a comic book while I rested, she said she heard that I had an operation and how sorry she was.  I thanked her and motioned for her to sit on my bed.  She hesitated but then replied that she couldn’t stay long. However, she wanted to give me a “get well” gift. She further commented that it wasn’t much. In fact, I might not like it.  Then, she carefully handed me two dainty, porcelain doll figurines and apologized for not having any wrapping paper.

               When I received her unexpected gift, an indescribable warmth of affection passed through me. Her show of thoughtfulness and kindness momentarily left me speechless. In fact, before I could even thank her, Patsy quickly left.  I looked at the two rosy-cheeked girls, each singing. One held a song book and the other an accordion. For a ten year old tomboy, I thought they were the prettiest figurines I had ever seen. Strange as it may be, shortly after Patsy’s visit, her family moved. I never saw her again.  BUT to this day, the two little figurines sit upon my dresser as a reminder of a long ago friend who gave me the greatest gift of all, her kindness.       

               There’s someone else who has shown me kindness throughout my life.  I first met him when I was a child, and he’s been by my side ever since, although at times I have pushed him away. Nevertheless, he remains more loving and caring than I deserve. His name is Jesus.

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.”  Ephesians 4:32