A touch of Gods grace...finding peace in the main ingrediant.

For the first time in weeks the quiet is peaceful almost like a warm touch of God's grace! Even the birds are silent, except for the woeful dove song; as if all of creation is resting in the certainty of God's love. I had the best of intentions upon waking this morning. After plugging in the coffee pot I gathered my bible and devotional books in the usual cozy spot in the living room. I sat with my bible open, and ready to enjoy the aroma of my big cup of coffee and time with my savior.


So, the coffee brewed (or so I thought) and upon pouring a cup it became clear I had forgotten the main ingredient: the coffee! Seems in my haste to get to bed last night I did not scoop the java into the pot! So often our lives can become so busy we forget the main ingredient God's grace and love for us and we spend time going in circles trying to do what we perceive as good things, and yet forgetting the very one who gives us life. Yes, I admit I am guilty at times of this myself.


In fact I admit to spending most of my life helping keep the offices I worked in organized and running smoothly. Schedules were very important and had to be prepared so the dentist's would know who they were seeing on a given day and how much time they were allotted for each procedure. There were claims to be filed, money to collect and phone calls to be made each day. Always looking ahead  a day or too, anticipating what the future held for each Dr. was my main focus every day.


Later, my interior design business became a focal point. Stress came along with the excitement and  privilege of helping my clients create the homes they dreamed of sharing with their families. Each detail had to be thought out, material chosen for the sofas and chairs, rugs, window treatments, accessories and even the lighting for each room. To my delight I was given many opportunities to share my gift of making things beautiful with a multitude of wonderful people!


Then came the shock we all dread: I was very ill with a virus which could cause great harm to my body. After much thought it was decided I would take chemo to ward off the illness which caused me to need to give up my profession and rest. Many years later, I can see the hand of God in all the surrounding circumstances. I became weak to the point of despair, where I knew without the love of my husband Dan, our children, and my parents I might not be here to write this testimony of grace.


Just a few years after my crisis of health my precious husband was given the diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood plasma which would take his life just three years after we found it was ravaging his poor body. The point I am hoping to declare today is that without the love of God and the forgiveness of sin we have NO HOPE on our own of finding the peace which is above all understanding. Perhaps you are walking the road of difficulty now as you seek to know God more.


Keep your eyes on him! Dan's greatest Goal was to know he was going to be with Jesus when he closed his beautiful green eyes and I saw him drift into the arms of heaven. Keep your eyes on the true meaning of life...Jesus! He is enough to heal the wounded places in your heart today. After all He is the main ingredient for a life well lived. God bless you and keep you and may your journey lead you straight into his arms of love. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have ETERNAL life. John 3:16.

Funny how life changes before our eyes...

This morning I could hardly wait to finish breakfast and dash out to the side garden for some much anticipated time with mother earth! The weather man predicted  a blissful summer day, perfect for my not so gussied up garden girl attire. So I gathered the necessary tools, slipped on my (very) dirty shoes and tip-toed past the front yard in the shade to enjoy the view. Funny thing is, I can't sit still long enough to simply let the breezes blow... so I set to the task at hand.


I looked up just long enough to see the rabbits run by, then began weeding the beds on the side of the house. Clumps of yellow daylilies and tiny sprigs of uninvited  grass  kept me busy for the better part of an hour. All the while I cheerfully hummed along with Momma's piano as she let her fingertips make music with abandon. Every now and then I paused to smell the flowers on the hydrangea bushes with glee. Could life really be so simple as to allow me to lose myself in a garden of wonder?


Before I realized it my morning was spent and lunch was ready. I hurried to get ready to take my Momma to her radiology oncology appointment and that's when the reality of life hit me once again. Cancer had become a common word around our house. Ten month's ago my husband finished his brave battle with sickness and I said goodbye to my love of a lifetime. All the while knowing he was with our father in heaven, no more pain, walker, wheelchair, chemo, radiation, pain killers or nurses by his bedside. Free at last from the trials and disappointments of life.

I read some exerts from a book in which an author described his near death experience with the very cancer which took Dan's life. Seemed he just got lucky, or so the article claimed. My heart sank as I remembered the painful experience of hearing the word cancer for the first time from my husband as he gave the me  results of his blood work nearly four years ago. Now my Mother is undergoing treatment for the big C also. Truth is we all suffer throughout the years we spend on earth. For some it seems more difficult than for others.

But there is a song in my heart even now as my mind finds comfort in knowing one day I will know a better life with God. The sting of death will not overcome the thrill of life eternal! For you see, we do not grieve as those without Christ. Our hearts are fixed upon the only hope this life can offer in the precious love of God. Forgiver of our sins, the ultimate sacrifice was given that we might one day dwell with Him. I may never be able to convey the hope my heart holds in knowing these truths. And yet I am free in the knowledge of my salvation. Yes, one day Lord we will see you, face to face!

Glimpses of love...grandchildren make my heart smile.

I am learning to think like a child again! My sweet eight year old grandson is spending some time with Momma and I this summer while his parents go about their jobs. When they arrived I told him I was so happy he would be with us for awhile, to which he flatly relied " Well grandma I really didn't have a choice!" I had to chuckle at his words because his Grandpa Dan spoke with the same matter- of- fact certainty when he was alive. Funny how traits carry on from one generation to the next. I find myself gazing at him often; this beautiful boy with sandy blonde hair like his lovely Momma's, and eyes like his handsome Dad.




He is the apple of their eyes, this little man so ready and willing to please us, yet so independent in many ways beyond his years. His dinner time prayers are quick and also to the point. One thing is for certain, he trusts God to bless every aspect of his days. We talk about his dear Grandpa ( Pop pop) with great affection. You see, one of Dan's motivations for living, despite a terrible disease was to see this little boy grow up! I like to think he is watching from heaven as we go about our days together. I am not certain this is true but it gives me a great deal of hope to believe it.




Oh, to have the faith of a child! Lord help me to see the world with childlike faith. To find joy in every moment of each day. To view each creature with magical faith, in a heart of love. This child whom I saw come into the world fills my heart with utter love and devotion...he teaches me to find hope and peace even in small wonders. Much like I experience myself, when I consider the lilies in the field which toil not yet they prosper according to your will. Just as Psalms 51:10 reads: Create in me a pure heart, O God (I pray) and renew a steadfast spirit within me.




Even as I type he is happily singing in the next room, a song of joyful hope! Just content to be enjoying the moment. Funny how just the sound of his voice brings joy to my sometimes weary heart...Today, if you have the pleasure of being with someone small I pray you will look into their happy eyes and thank God for the privilege  of being near to the heart of God. He loves us like manner to the love  we have for the little people he gives us to adore. When you gaze into the eyes of a child may you see the pure and innocent face of love. Time for breakfast and a day of surprises!

Let Freedom Ring!

There is a lot of excitement today over the fourth of July! Flags abound on my newsfeed as many celebrate this fine day of remembering the sacrifice made by countless men and women in order to be able to live in a glorious country of hope. I wonder sometimes if we have forgotten the price our servicemen and women have paid in order that we might know peace in an otherwise troubled world. As a child I recall waiting on the dock in Portsmouth, Virginia in the 1960's for the ship my dear Daddy was serving on in the U.S. Navy, to pull into port! A lot of flags were waving in excitement as the loved ones stood along side us in anticipation of being re-untied with family members who were filled with delight to welcome them home.




Years later we watched in pride as our daughter, Dawn married her husband Bob who was dressed in his U.S. Marine Corps uniform. It was a happy day! As a family many of our best memories are times centered around celebrating with those we love and cherish. Deanna waited earnestly while her dear husband William served in the U.S. Air Force, in Saudi Arabia. There were a lot of lonely months in which we prayed for his safety and return to us after serving two tours in the desert.




This morning as I read my bible I was reminded of the measures in which our God provides for us. Not only did He create a perfect world for us to inhabit, he gave us every good thing imaginable to insure our pleasure and provision. He knew we would need food and he gave us the entire earth, to enjoy. Looking back I see the progression of man's desire to be independent of this loving creator. Wars and division have come along side the perfect plans once gifted us by Him. How can we complain about war and division and not see how our lack of concern for the salvation of the lost has contributed to this unrest?


I pray this celebration of freedom will cause our hearts to fill once again with pride in our great nation. One nation, under God , indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. God bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her through the night with a light from above! May we who call ourselves Americans, realize the amazing lengths to which we have been graced. As military bands proclaim: America, America, God shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea! As the fireworks shine brightly in the sky overhead, may we see with fresh vision the magnitude of our HOPE!