A Creature Was Stirring...

Ah, Christmas!  This Christmas season has been marked by reminders to adore Him, Christ the King, who came and put on skin for us.  I also celebrated by walking through the Christmas lights of my favorite botanical gardens, driving through a forest of lights, listening to a chamber choir sing beautiful acapella Christmas tunes, and decorating two Christmas trees.  Here are some pictures of Christmas decorations assembled by my roommate.

I heard numerous recitations of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and silently winced as I heard these lines "...And all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a ..."  That's right!  You probably are able to finish the line, and I will tell you this Christmas season was also marked with ...mice!  Eek!  Here's how it all went down.

I came out of the shower late one night and into the hallway to see my roommate sitting on the back of the couch.  She said in a stressed whisper, "We have an issue.  I saw a mouse.  I've been waiting up here thirty minutes for you to get out of the bathroom."  I stood there, frozen, for what seemed like an eternity repeating myself, "You are kidding."  After taking necessary steps such as taking the trash downstairs and pulling out two brooms from the utility closet, we decided we would both likely panic if we were to try to chase it out of the closet.  We retired to our separate rooms, my roommate very brave sleeping with her door open, while I slept with my door closed, a towel shoved in the crack under the door, and many blankets over me.  

The Mouse Warrior (the new nickname for my boyfriend) came the next evening to set sticky traps with peanut butter and dove chocolates (that would certainly tempt me).  We caught one, who he referred to as Minnie.  The Mouse Warrior came the next morning to extract the mouse, and I'm sure to set it free out in the woods where it lived happily ever after. 

The coast was clear, and we let our guard down with a busy week of work, a wedding shower at work, a bake sale fund raiser, and multiple Christmas parties.  I had returned exhausted from two Christmas parties that Friday night and went to bed with my goody bag from the last party sticking out of my purse which I always keep open right in front of my bedside table on the floor (inches from my head, mind you).  I awoke Saturday morning to the sound of a creature stirring--IN MY PURSE!!!  I jumped out of bed (something that never happens) and went to my roommate for backup.  She was waiting in her boots with a trash bag as I finally worked up the nerve to grab my purse with all its contents and chunked it into the trash bag!  I said to my roommate later, "Have a good day! (Don't leave me)," as she left for an appointment.  

I called in the Mouse Warrior as my purse sat waiting (along with my wallet, and errands to run, etc.) in a trash bag secured with a hairband inside a paper sack by the door.  He took the purse down to the bed of his truck which I feared might alarm some neighbors seeing a man go through a purse in the bed of his truck.  After ten minutes, the Mouse Warrior returned and informed me he had bad news:  no mouse, and good news: he wasn't dating a crazy person (as he held up a peanut butter cup with a corner bitten off by our Christmas critter).  

After many sleepless nights, many Mouse Warrior visits and cleaning sessions, two exterminator visits, maintenance man hot water heater draining and hole patching, and daily mouse trap checks, Mickey has not been heard from again.  I had many reminders of our little uninvited guests:  a Christmas mouse play field trip with my students, a Minnie sweatshirt worn by a coworker, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" readings, and a new pet for my niece and nephew (Uncle Si the hamster, which may I point out is clearly a rodent).

May your holiday season be filled with adoration for Christ the King and visits from guests who have been invited!

Trumpeter Swans and the Yellow Tree

What a treat to watch these beautiful trumpeter swans swim and honk and dive for corn.

We learned they are migrating down from Minnesota!

 

And the buffleheads were too cute!

I love a yellow tree!

 

And its golden carpet of leaves.

Back to Acts

I've been called back to Acts.  It is such an exciting book of the Bible.  This passage today really helped me to wake up this morning in more ways than one.  I read it again when I returned home from work.

Acts 5:29-42

New International Version (NIV)

²⁹ Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!  

<sup>Well, right off the bat this speaks to me.  Who am I trying to please, men or God?  It is a call back to obedience and right perspective.

30</sup> The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. ³¹ God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 

<sup>Yes, thank you Jesus, for being our Prince and Savior.  Thank you for forgiving our sins.

32</sup> We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
³³ When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. ³⁴ But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.

And thank you for this man who spoke up.  Forgive me, Lord, for the times when I have not spoken up for you.  Help me to be bold and speak up when you want me to.
 
  ³⁵ Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. ³⁶ Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. ³⁷ After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. ³⁸ Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.

^{This reminds me to seek God's will.  I need to make sure I am following His will and not putting my agenda ahead of His, which is pretty much what I do every day.
 
39} But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

God will prevail.  Do not give up doing His work for He is the victor in the end. Don't kick against the goads.
 
⁴⁰ His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

What?  They were flogged anyway!  This reminds me that in this life you will have trouble.  I was amazed and humbled by this next part.
 
⁴¹ The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. ⁴² Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

This floored me!  They rejoiced because they had been counted worthy of suffering for Christ's name.  Wow!  Unbelievable!

And again, verse 42 reminds me to keep going, day after day.

Not a Fair Trade

I have an answer to prayer:  a diagnosis.  How is a diagnosis an answer to prayer?  Well, I have been praying for at least a year, on the search, trying to find out why I have been exhausted and achy (among other symptoms).  

My diagnosis:  Celiac Disease.  My new lifestyle:  a gluten free diet.  Now, looking back and after researching this beast quite a bit, I can see all the clues!  At first, the diagnosis was a shock, and I thought, "Cruel trick of nature, " after having worked with a student for a long time finding gluten free foods.  By the end of the first day of diagnosis, God had reshaped my understanding to see His hand of preparation in it all!  How many hints did a person have to get?!!

1:  I first heard of Celiac from a good friend many years ago.  Her sister, who has Down Syndrome, had tested positive for Celiac, and the entire family was urged to be tested.  

2:  I worked with a student for two and a half years helping him to expand his gluten free diet.  I learned a lot about the gluten free diet and every gluten free aisle in every grocery store within a ten mile radius of work.

3:  About a year ago, I heard a coworker talking about her daughter's diagnosis with a wheat allergy.  Her daughter had experienced muscle aches and joint pain until she went on the diet.

4:  Around four months ago I sat next to a family at church with gluten sensitivity at a celebration dinner.  I noticed they had brought their own food, and I talked with the mother of the family about this.

5:  This summer, my best friend was urged by her doctor to try a gluten free diet to see if her health would improve.

6:  Two months ago, a sweet coworker approached me saying she was thinking about going gluten free and asked if I wanted to join her.  I waited until I had the test because I had read you shouldn't go gluten free until after the test.

7:  I sat next to a girl at a cookout when I noticed she was eating her hamburger patty without a bun.  This started a lengthy conversation about food sensitivity.

8:  An ENT recently told me about a gluten free bakery downtown.

 

God's mercy and grace in all of this:

-My doctor called me at 7:20 am on a Wednesday morning to tell me the news.  I was listening to a Focus on the Family broadcast about a man who had faced a tough disease (much more devastating than Celiac).
-I checked my phone at the end of the work day to see what the verse of the day was on my Bible app. 
^"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  Matthew 11: 28
-I had two and a half weeks left to remain gluten free and two breads left on my bread card at my favorite gluten-filled bakery.
-My BFF came to the rescue with pizza and listening ears when I had my emotional breakdown one night.
-My sweet roommate brought me a gluten free cupcake the day after my emotional breakdown.
-Three friends have offered to come along down the gluten free journey with me.
-My Dad bought me a lot of food to start off on my gluten free weekend after my upper endocscopy.
-A sweet friend had left me gluten free goodies on my doorstep after my procedure.
-A sweet friend brought me two gluten free uber bars!
-Many, many, many sources of information, recipes, and gluten free foods
-Patience when the grocery store seems to shrink around me.

The Sunday after my diagnosis, as the pastor spoke about laying down at the altar idols, offerings, or things we've held on to tightly, I felt peace.  I felt relief and a second chance.  We sang "God With Us"  by Mercy Me and the lyrics "such a tiny offering, compared to calvary, but nevertheless, I lay this at your feet," made me think.  I pictured myself going to the altar and laying down the Celiac to Him.  I gave it to Him.  I thought, that's not a fair trade!  He gets my disease, my struggle, and frustrations.  I get from him an answer, a solution, a pathway to health, and peace. 

Small Stuff

"It's the little things,"  we've all heard!  I made a typo when I first attempted typing the word "things". I almost typed "thinks".  "It's the little thinks." This is appropriate because the little random acts of kindness show that someone was "thinking" of you.  The impact is not tiny but large.  Here are three little moments through which God showed me recently that the little things are important:

During a recent doctor's visit in the lab where patients are herded through at rapid paces leaving the seats still warm, I was having blood drawn.  The nurse sounded half awake as she asked me the routine questions, not even bothering to look at me throughout the process.  After a brief period of silence, I asked, "How are you doing today?"  That was it--no big deal.  Yet, for the first time during our interaction, she looked at me.  And for the first time, she smiled.  She answered my question and treated me with care because I showed that I care.

I came home from work after a hectic day to find a special "just because" gift from my roommate.  A girl's gotta pamper herself now and then, you know.  It really meant a lot to me that she thought of me and knew that I had a busy week so far.  The gift was two flavored chocolate facial masks with a note that said, "Happy Tuesday."  It smelled so fabulous that I wanted to eat it!  My roommate said, and I quote, "The next best thing to eating chocolate is smearing it all over your face!"

I arrived at work this morning to find a Fall treat waiting for me:  a cream cheese pumpkin muffin from a good friend/coworker.  The message said, "Pumpkin cream cheese muffin.  Enjoy!  And have a wonderful day!"  This definitely made my day.  It was scrumptious! 

S'mores by Candlelight

S'mores.  Gotta love 'em.  My folks gave me a super fun s'more maker years ago, and I've been having a blast sharing it with friends ever since.  My friends and I enjoyed a lovely dinner on the balcony overlooking the river and for dessert:  s'mores!  First you take the mallow...

 Props to my roommate for the excellent table decor!

Psalm 23

Psalm 23.  It's that psalm they read at the funerals in all the movies.  At least that's what I used to think.  

Psalm 23 is one of those passages that has become special to me.  My understanding of that passage has changed after an amazing sermon series by my pastor on how God is our shepherd and all we like sheep.  I also read a gift book on Psalm 23 that helped me to appreciate those verses more.

In December of 2004, we were warned that snow and ice were coming, but I wasn't going to believe it until I saw it, much to my detriment.  I had a dentist appointment, and I was going to have my teeth cleaned before heading out of town for Christmas break with my family despite my mother's warning to head home as soon as possible.  As the dental hygienist chatted and flossed away, my eyes grew large as I saw the flakes start to come down outside the window.  After the appointment, I drove a few streets toward the interstate and saw a helpless woman fishtailing and spinning out in her car trying to climb a hill.  That was enough for me to find the nearest parking lot, which turned out to be a large hospital and medical office complex, and call for back-up, aka my dad (Paw).  He was only 15 minutes away from me working downtown and was heading out of town as well.  He would leave work and come to rescue me!  I went inside the bottom of the medical tower to purchase some hot chocolate and stay warm at the Starbucks.  As the flakes continued to pound down and the hours ticked pass--and the Starbucks closed, I walked the first floor hall of the lonely medical tower.  I was nervous about putting my father in danger having to backtrack in the snow and frustrated that I didn't listen to my mother's advice although my teeth were very shiny and clean.  It ended up taking my Paw almost four hours to make it across town to pick me up and what brought me comfort in the waiting?  Psalm 23.  I recited it to myself many times as I paced the hall waiting, just waiting for my rescue.  Then we drove several more hours home in the snowy darkness, with no difficulties.

Years later as I was working in a public school in a tiny Southern town, I befriended our custodian. He would greet me everyday with his lovely gruff booming voice, and we would chat about our families.  Sadly, he later passed away after a battle with cancer.  I was blessed to know him and so glad that I was able to visit him in the hospital and pass on the Psalm 23 book to him.  I hope it brought him some comfort.

Recently, I was driving on the interstate when a huge rainstorm came.  Usually, I will drive in rain with little worry, but this rain was fierce.  My vision field in front of the vehicle grew smaller and smaller, and I feared being squished by the big rigs behind me.  I just told myself to make it to the next exit and prayed for safety.  I could not see any signs and had no idea when the next exit would come about.  I was creeping along in a gullywasher, reciting Psalm 23 aloud when finally an exit appeared.  I was able to pull over with about five other cars in a remote moose lodge parking lot until the storm grew lighter.  

So Psalm 23 has become quite a comfort passage for me when I am in distress and need the comfort of knowing my Shepherd leads me and calms me.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; 
your rod and staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The Chocolate Torte

Tylenol, chocolate, and Jesus

I thought I would share a journal entry from this past week.  

2 Thessalonians 2: 16-17 "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word."  

I sure need some encouragement today.  I found this quote in the devo part of my Bible:  "One of our greatest needs as human beings is the need to receive encouragement."

I am in great need of Tylenol, chocolate, and Jesus.  I need Jesus so much.  I feel so much better after spending time in His presence, prayer, and word.  I need to forgive myself for letting the frustrations of the day get to me.

I remember watching a popular female talk show host over 15 years ago.  Her guest was encouraging the audience to keep a journal of thanks.  I've heard this several times throughout the years.  I have started at least four different times to simply write down three things that I am thankful for every day.  By doing this your focus begins to change and you become a more grateful and therefore joyful person.  You begin to dwell on the positive instead of the negative.  Well, I have never stuck with this process, and perhaps I should.

I found a quote recently that read, "Everyday may not be good, but you can find something good in every day."  So I choose to focus on the positive things that happened today:

-A kind coworker looked at the pictures from my Haiti trip, and I looked at her family vacation pictures.  It was nice to share and catch up on each other's lives.

-I had a good laugh with another coworker at the end of the day.

-My roommate made a delicious chocolate torte, and we enjoyed chatting and munching together when I got home.  

Pretty Riverboat at Night

Yummy Chocolate Cookies

My good friend gave me an excellent cookbook for my birthday, and I finally made some ultimate chocolate Ghirardelli cookies.  Good recipe!

BELIEVE

I had a hard time believing yesterday.  I am frustrated and puzzled and confused and any other synonym that goes with it!  I have been trying to find an answer, a why, a reason for some symptoms I have been experiencing, and have only beffuzzled myself and the medical community.  So, I was challenged today by a sermon by Joyce Meyer to believe that God loves me.  Today, as I was cleaning out a cabinet (seeking to control when circumstances seem out of control), I came across an old frame.  Inside the frame was one simple word placed there to inspire teenagers that I work with.  It says, "BELIEVE."  Well, I was encouraged by the message.  

When we don't want to admit that we are having a hard time believing that He loves us; when we are questioning why yucky things are happening; when we are doubtful that things will get better and lacking hope, we should wrestle those feelings.  Challenge the doubts and feelings with the truth:  God's word.

So here it is.  He loves us (makes me think of a David Crowder Band song).

Psalm 31:7

⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
    for you saw my affliction
    and knew the anguish of my soul.

Psalm 31:16

¹⁶ Let your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your unfailing love. 

 

Psalm 36:5

⁵ Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the skies. 

Zephaniah 3:17

¹⁷ The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

John 3:16

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

John 13:34

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Romans 5:8

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Romans 8:38-39

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Esther in Haiti

I am back from Haiti!  It was a wonderful trip!  I will have more stories soon, but below is a devotion I shared with the ladies in our sister church.

I greatly enjoy ladies’ gatherings.  I enjoy meeting new people and sharing ideas.  It is a beautiful thing when women in different seasons of life can come together as the body of Christ and pray for each other.  While this ladies’ reception is a time of fun, God can certainly use it, right?  At our church in Little Rock we occasionally have times like these called “Women’s Chat Events.”  Chat is a term meaning to talk because we women love to talk!  Seven years ago I went to my first Women’s Chat Event.  I sat down at a table with two women I did not know:  Dinah and Liz.  God placed me at that table for a reason.  He would use those women in my life in the years to come.  Liz was there to talk to me and pray with me about being a part of my church.  Dinah would become a friend, mentor, and leader of many mission trips that I would take.  So in this very room today may be the start of some beautiful God-ordained friendships.

                My friends and I were praying about what we should share today and one of my favorite Bible stories came to mind:  Esther!  This story is fascinating to me for so many reasons:  it’s about a woman; its’ about a woman chosen by a king to be his queen; it’s about God’s people in another land and how they were going to be killed; it’s about courage and prayer and Esther risking her life to go before the king to plead for her people; it’s about God answering prayers and rescuing His people.  What a beautiful story!

                When King Xerxes was trying to make his decision amongst the young ladies of Persia, he was very interested in Esther. Verse 17 of Chapter 3 says that she won his favor and that he loved her.  So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen.  I’d like to remind you today, women of God, that you are chosen by a King:  The King of Kings, Lord of Lords, King Jesus.  You are part of a royal family. 

                The Lord longs to bestow on you a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair, as he said in Isaiah 61: 3.  In Zechariah 9: 16 we read, “The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people.  They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.”  We that know Jesus personally are made righteous by Him.  We get the crown of salvation and shine for Him as a jewel in His crown. 

                1 Peter 2: 9 speaks of those who believe, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  Just as Esther was chosen, beautiful, crowned and of royalty, so are you chosen, beautiful, crowned, and of royalty.

                In the book of Esther, God’s people were threatened of their lives by the evil works of the enemy through Haman.  Esther risked her life to go before the king and plead for the lives of her people.  She was encouraged to do so by Mordecai who persuaded her that perhaps she was in this royal position for such a time as this. She and the Israelites fasted and prayed, and she said if I perish, I perish.

                God answered their prayers and saved His people.  I recently experienced God’s healing hand and the answering of my prayers.  My niece was born with holes in her heart.  At the age of 4, it was decided by the doctors that she must have surgery to close one of the holes.  This hole hadn’t gotten any smaller for four years.  On the day of her surgery, the hole had grown too small to perform the procedure.  I believe that God closed those holes just as we had prayed.  I believe that God chose that time and that way to heal her to show my family what He could do.  He wants my family to know He is real and He is powerful!

                We have given you all jewels and a Bible verse to remember that you are precious to Jesus.  Remember in the midst of cooking for your family, cleaning your homes, and caring for your children that you are loved.  Let God’s love work in you and throughout you to enable you to shine with His love.  Remember you are a daughter of the Most High King:  a jewel in His crown.

Persistent Birds

Awhile back I posted a video of one of many birds that continually ram its beak into our sliding glass door.  I am not always there to wave my arms and protect them from a traumatic brain injury so I started researching ways to deter them.

Attempt 1:  The lady at the home improvement store told me I would have to move the owl decoy almost daily to different places to fully convince the birds that it was alive, then she accidentally decapitated the fake owl in the store.  I have a small balcony, and I was not willing to put forth the effort to move the owl every day so I did not purchase it. Here is a picture of how the birds have decorated my chair and another reason why I don't want them on the balcony.

Attempt 2:  I chose something practical and aesthetic.  However, as you will notice, it resembles a bird perch--and the birds thought so, too.  They appreciated that I put up a new place for them to land, and it now made more noise as it crashed into the glass door than their beaks alone did.

Attempt 3:  The giant bird eye beach ball thing.  I thought from a distance people might think it is an Asian inspired patio decoration.  I thought this helped cut down on some of the birds who don't like giant geometric eyes.  After a huge storm carried it away, I found it in the grass three buildings down from mine.  I was slightly embarrassed retrieving it and carrying it back to my place.

Attempt 4:  I put up the iredescent bird streamers guaranteed to keep birds away.  I thought it was working until I saw a bird fly right into the streamer.  When the streamers blew away, I did not go looking for them.

Attempt 5:  I give up.  Maybe I will put up an outdoor curtain to completely mask the reflection of the big tree.

Birds on the River

Isaiah 40: 30, 31  "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." 

Turn the Other Cheek

A man took several blows to the eye from a stranger during a road rage confrontation.  This young man's wife and small child were in the car.  What would be the natural reaction to this ridiculous unwarranted attack?  Many a provoked man would strike back, but this man did not return a punch and announced "We're done," and got back in his car to remove his family from the situation.

My friend was telling our mission trip group this true story about a friend during our last meeting.  I announced, half-serious and half-way hoping that I was joking, that you never know what would happen this week--when we might have a "turn the other cheek" moment.  Well, I kind of had mine today.

In Matthew 5:39, Jesus says, "But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."

I wasn't socked in the eye nor struck on the cheek, but I was confronted by a neighbor.  I had pretended to be a gardener, apartment style, and transferred my zinnias to a smaller pot.  In the process I managed to get potting soil all over my balcony.  I swept the dirt off my second story balcony thinking the wind would carry the dirt off breaking it up and away to the river.  Thirty minutes later, I had a startling knock at my door.

My downstairs neighbor, whom I had never met, confronted me, told me that the dirt had covered his chairs, and asked that I not do that again.  He was bold and assertive in his manner but not rude.  After the fact, I thought about what my human nature wanted to say to him, fuel ignited by assumptions about character previously to this encounter. 

However, in the moment, I responded apologetically and with kindness.  I offered to clean it up which he declined.  I also offered him some extra potting soil which he also declined.  I think the kind response caught him off-guard.  I can only explain my response by the Holy Spirit guiding me to do not what is natural, but what is unnatural.  I feel that is the way Jesus responded, the supernatural.  Perhaps that is what He meant by turning the other cheek.

I certainly have not responded the way I should have more times than I can count, but here is one time I actually did respond in a way that is unnatural, and that is why I wanted to share it. 

Celebrate the Small Stuff

In the midst of graduation parties and Mother's Day and birthdays and...all the fun events and people to celebrate, I was able to have more reasons to give thanks.

On a recent Friday, I arrived at my speech therapy room at work to find a student hovering around my door.  He said, "Come here.  I got something for you."  I was surprised and excited.  "For me?" 

"Yeah, come here. I want to show you."  He led me to my back door to a tiny unused patio where I sometimes let the boys take a shortcut to the playground through the bushes.  He had a little crate of zinnias for me and one for his mother.  I smiled and told him, "You made my day."

He spent the first ten minutes of the school day tracking down our Gardening Instructor and begging her to let him plant the zinnias in pots for his mother and me.  How precious!!

That very day after lunch, I checked my mailbox in the workroom.  There was an anonymous donation of $100.00 to go towards my Haiti trip (see previous blog re: garage sale blues).  I boo-hooed!  I was touched, humbled, and deeply grateful!  I wanted to thank someone but didn't know who to thank.  I told a few co-workers to spread the word of how thankful I was if they knew who contributed (as I teared up again). 

So these may seem like small things to celebrate to some, but to me they were so special!!

He's Able

Well, I was certainly challenged to believe what I wrote in the last blog.  I worked so hard today with two other team members to have a garage sale to raise money for our mission trip to Haiti in July.  I tried hard not to have any expectations of how much we would earn.  I remained positive when other vendors around us were seeing the glass half empty.  We battled last minute advertisement and construction surrounding our site.  We battled complaints from buyers, broken glass, and unfulfilled handshakes.  Still I chose to have a smile and enjoy the nice weather, the shade, and the conversation with new friends.  

Boy was my hope tank deflated when we only made $130.00 which is to be split three ways.  All that work for a small amount.  I certainly was frustrated and had put my trust in circumstances.  I had to return to my previous blog entry as well as take a long nap.  I prayed to handle this with perseverance.  

I recently told the team that you never know how God will provide the money for our trip.  My mentor has told me before "If God has called you, he has also called the funds."  Of course, we will be faithful to contribute and do our part.  

I told my team of my first mission trip to Peru and the lessons I learned in fund raising.  The woman whose house had recently burned to the ground was the very woman who provided the most money towards my mission trip.  I cried, and I will never forget it.  I can only assume that she perhaps felt so blessed by others helping out after her house burned that she wanted to help others.

Music is so important to me and such a lifter to my soul when the song is encouraging.  I listened to "He's Able" by Darwin Hobbs.  It is a song I heard on a gospel channel last year while driving to work.  Later that Spring as I was going through a dark time with a loved one who was in the hospital, the song ministered to me.  As that loved one was being transported by wheelchair in the elevator, the hospital transport randomly belted out that one line of the song, "He's able."  I knew that was from God.  A little message to trust at a time when I couldn't understand what was going on and was tempted to despair.

So once again, I am reminded, 

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen."  -Ephesians 3:20