My friend Michael

Michael is a student at the center where I work. He is in a wheelchair and he cannot speak or move much. He is a precious son of the living God. I have often whispered prayers or scripture in Michael's ears and sometimes he response. I pray for him often and I try to make him laugh. He is very well cared for at the center. Yesterday, Michael was in a funk. His regular teacher was absent and I was his substitute. I could see the frown on his face so I tried to cheer him up. I held up some colorful things for him to look at, but his wonderful smile was missing. At about three in the afternoon, his father walked into the room and began saying funny things. Michael was smiling now! His dear father had arrived! I could just tell they had a wonderful relationship. It was a blessing. His father soon took him home and once again he was happy and at peace. When our dear Jesus seems to be missing, we have a hard time smiling and feeling at peace. Yet when we are blessed with his dear presence, we are so blessed. There is nothing like it. Thanks Lord for using Michael and all of us to fulfill your plan. You have blessed us all, regardless of our situations.

Performing for an audience of One

We went to Mt. Hermon as we do every year for Thanksgiving. That is one of our only family traditions. We go there for a four day Christian conference and we take about fifteen family members. It is wonderful. The women get a break from cooking and cleaning and the cousins get to spend time together. I love not having to perform for anyone. My husband and I are in a performing ministry and it is wonderful and stressful all at the same time. I loved staying away from the computer for a few days and just focusing on God and His amazing creation, spending precious time with my family. On the last day, I was feeling a little down about returning to the "real world." I knew that once again we would be in front of people and be an open book. I used to seek the glamor of performing, but not anymore. I only want to do it now if it brings glory to God and I can experience a bit of God's amazing presence. At the last meal, the camp director came up to us and said he wanted Kevin and David and I to be in a video that would be promoting Mt. Hermon's family Thanksgiving camp. We said we would do it. I asked the Lord if he could allow me to just say what He wanted me to. So often in groups of people, it is hard to be transparent and so it is hard for me to express myself. I was thankful for the moment to do that. No family, job or situation is perfect, but if we surrender to the lord moment by moment, he is always surprising us with new and perhaps old ways to serve Him. I thank Him that sees me in a different light from the one that I see myself in. He sees me through the priceless blood of His beloved son Jesus and I am made acceptable in Him.

Michael

Michael is someone I have only seen twice, but he has made a huge impression on me. He is a single man in his forties who lives in a group home near me. When he was a baby in the womb, his mother tied to abort him, but it failed. As a result, he is very deformed, has stumps for arms, has no teeth or tongue and has a very challenging life. He grew up in a hospital where they did research on him. He eventually went to live in several different group homes. His parents died, but his siblings reconnected with him after many years. Even with everything going against him, he still can think, speak a little and read. He is a living, breathing miracle of God. Michael is amazing. God can use each of us no matter what handicaps we have. We all have a name and He is gracious to us and blesses us with many talents and gifts, whether they are recognized or not. I pray for Michael often and I pray he will be blessed in many ways. I thank God for the impact he has had on my life.

A Unique Name

Every year our family attends a Thanksgiving Conference at Mt. Hermon in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains surrounded by giant Redwood Trees. Once, about three years ago, we picked up our welcome packet and there was a name tag in there that said, "Unisha Ledbetter." I laughed as I realized they had gotten confused and put the wrong name tag in our bag. I wore it for fun and my family enjoyed the humor. When I got to came, I found the real Unisha and spoke with her about the confusion. They gave me another name badge. Sometimes we wonder if God is really aware of exactly who we are and the difficulties we are going through. We can be sure that He knows it all and is working it all together for His good.....even the heart-wrenching pain we go through. He knows us by name. We can never escape from His presence or His love. He is so great that He knows what each and every one of us is thinking at the same time. I find that astounding and I praise Him that I can trust Him completely, even when I don't understand, feel distant or afraid. He can use each one of us in times when others don't notice us or don't remember our names. He always does and continues to assure us in many ways each day that He stays close to us. This Thanksgiving I am thankful for so many things. I am blessed with an amazing family, friends and church. But even more than that, I know that He is with me at all times and His power and presence in my life are very real. He allows me to serve Him which is amazing. I am thankful for His forgiveness, grace and glory in my life. I am especially thankful that I have the hope of one day seeing Him face to face. May God bless you all abundantly at this Holiday Season.

Veteran's Day

Yesterday was a holiday. It was Veteran's Day and I had my agenda all planned. I decided that my husband and I would do something that I wanted to do. From the moment I stepped out of bed, things went according to a different plan. We dropped our son off early at the church to join his friends going to Disneyland. I though I would go by the school district and drop off an application. Then I got there and remembered it was closed for the holiday. My husband had met a friend for breakfast and since I had his keys, I drove by to give them to him. It rained. We both needed to go to our daughter's work, pick up her car and take it to have some work done on it. Then we stopped by our favorite cookie shop and I bought a double chocolate chip cookie. I was trying to think of something we would both enjoy in the rain when we decided to just come home for awhile. My husband got a call from another friend, inviting him to lunch! Wow, this day was certainly not going as I had planned. I went to the store and saw someone in need and bought him a chicken breast. I came home did some work and then it was time to pick up my daughter's car and take it to her. It was wonderful seeing my daughter and meeting some of the people she worked with. Yet, it was a bit of an off day. I did end up making a fire in our wood stove and that was wonderful. Everything is good when you are in the habit of giving thanks for all things.

We are all the same

In God's eyes, we are all the same. We all have hopes, dreams and challenges. Some of us have special challenges. Some of us are blind, deaf or we may have some other handicap. I read a story about a blind man named Michael who was never treated differently than anyone else. He was treated as every other family member, so his blindness did not handicap him nearly as much as it could have. He went to school, learned everything the others were learning and even rode a bike! His parents would always receive calls from neighbors informing them that there son was riding down the street on his bike. He grew up to become a very studious young man, attaining a college degree.
So often we make excuses for ourselves because of whatever handicap we may have. We say we can't do things because of whatever we feel is holding us back. We all have things that hold us back, but when God looks at us, his children, he only sees His son. Each one of us has value and worth in Him.

First Time at Disneyland

My son David is fourteen. The first time we took him to Disneyland, he was four years old. It happened to rain very hard that day and I must admit I was really disappointed. We all kept as warm and dry as possible but after four hours of the downpour, we were all ready to go home. On top of that, we waited over an hour for David to meet Mickey Mouse and when the big moment came, I realized I had left my camera at the hotel! Needless to say, Disneyland was not a big hit with my son. We left and I think I may have returned alone later on that day. Once again, my son is in Disneyland today, ten years later. He is there with many of his close friends and rain or shine, he will have a wonderful day! I am happy for him and for the joy this day will bring him. I would like to be there myself, but just knowing he is making some memories that will last a lifetime is enough for me. I'm a mom with a wonderful son. I am so blessed.

The Praying Mantis

A friend who I haven't seen in many years brought me much laughter. She was very special and we use to love spending time together. We were soul mates and enjoyed laughing and talking. Once I went to visit her after she had moved to Georgia. We went to a lovely little tourist town and enjoyed it very much. I remember that both of us found a praying mantis on the sidewalk. My friend Pam got down on her knees beside him and folded her hands like she was praying. It was really adorable and something I will never forget. In my mind, I can still see her doing it. Some friends are really hard to forget. We have a friend named Jesus who is closer to a brother to us. We are blessed that at any time we can call upon Him for His love and friendship when others are not around.

Oleander Madness

We have been living in our current house for ten years and there has always been a huge Oleander bush separating us from our neighbor who had voiced on many occasions that he wanted us to cut it down. We were considering doing that but we had to wait until the end of October as we promised a friend a 90th Birthday party at our home. Two days before the party, the neighbor came over with fire in his eyes. He told my husband firmly that he did not want to wait any longer and that he wanted the bush down that very day. Kevin decided to go ahead and cut it down. It took him three hours and he still did not get it to perfection as the neighbor asked. The only problem was that we were scheduled to have table and chairs for fifty people delivered to our house the next day. We had no room!! Oleander leaves and branches were literally everywhere, decorating our front and back yards! The people came to deliver chairs and did not know where to put them. We had some challenges on our hands. It was amazing how determined our neighbor had been at the very time when we needed him to give us some slack.
That describes our enemy's attacks. He is relentless in messing with us, yet our God is still greater. He is Higher and stronger and more able to help us than we will ever know. No matter what is thrown at us, We will win the battle through our faith in Him. The party went on as planned and it was a beautiful family reunion who has never really been spoiled in his life, yet he has given so much to others. It was worth the struggle. When we see our Savior someday, we will know that all our service to Him was certainly worth it. We will know in a moment that He has overcome all the evil in our life and we at last free and home with Him.

Dedication

Tom Baker is a friend of mine who is extremely dedicated to his music. He is about seventy years old and he plays violin, viola and the piano. We are both involved in the Castro Valley Symphonic Band and last night we had a rehearsal at the Castro Valley Center for the Performing Arts. I arrived to rehearsal a little late and looked up to see a huge grand piano on the stage in front of me. The lady next to me whispered in my ear...."Tom had that brought from his home!" she informed me. I was overwhelmed and shocked. "You're kidding!" I softly whispered. Tom is playing piano in one of the pieced and he wanted to play on his own piano. He has also written an original piece we will perform this Sunday afternoon.

When I arrived home and mentioned to my conductor husband what Tom had done, he couldn't believe it either! He stated, "That means he paid to have it delivered, paid to have it tuned and then will do both again when he sends it home!"

Can you imagine what it would be like if we were that dedicated in our spiritual life. Willing to pay four hundred dollars for a chance to be in a concert for the Lord or some other ministry!! How awesome that would be. Our Lord is Holy. All glory, honor, and power belong to Him. He is worthy of all our praise!

The Biggest Challenge for a woman

I think it is a female tendency to analyze relationships way too much. When I feel like I am along in this, I simply walk by any table in any coffee shop where two women are meeting and invariably, I hear, "She said....he thought.....maybe she was thinking of this......maybe he meant this." We spend so much time on this that we often neglect other things. We also may work ourselves into a tizzy guessing someone's motives or thinking they don't like us, when actually, they really are not giving us much thought at all. We often compare ourselves with others and find ourselves sadly lacking. If we were raised in a home with wonderful Christian parents who loved us exactly the way we were, this is not as much of an issue. We also tend to trust what people say way too much, instead of placing our trust in the Lord alone. It is very difficult for us because we are used to second-guessing our babies' ever move and trying to please others.
When my brain is going crazy trying to figure everything out about everybody, I know I need some time with the Lord. I need to rest in Him and ask Him what His plans are for me and my family and how I can best used my words to glorify Him and serve Him. I ask Him to do what He wants with my time and talent. Since I have the gift of compassion, I always want to help people. The problem is that most people want to be independent and don't always want or need my help. I know that the Lord has His plans and that they are good and perfect, even if they are the exact opposite of my plans. I trust Him to bring exactly the right people along for me to help or who need a word of encouragement. When I do fall into hopelessness or discouragement, the Lord usually brings a friend or family member to reassure me of their love. I am thankful that at the exact moment I need Him and others, they are there.
Some things we simply will never understand and must leave those in the hands of the Lord. Some things are terribly unfair from our human perspective, but when we look at God's viewpoint, none of should be going to heaven and have all the gifts on this earth that we have, but He has blessed us with grace and we are very thankful. Only God can meet all our needs. Others can help, but His grace alone has given us all we will ever need.

God's plans for an October Weekend

I was feeling kinda bummed because everyone I knew was going away for the weekend. Actually there were two trips that I could not attend. The teacher's convention would be held on Thursday and Friday and then my church women's retreat would be held on Friday to Sunday. I was not able to go to either outing as I had some previous commitments. Next, I found out the Blue Angels would be in San Francisco and I desperately wanted to go. Something told me that would not be happening either. I prayed, "Lord, this time I seriously do not want to whine about any of this. You love me and that is always enough. I have a wonderful family and friends that I am grateful for, so let me look at this time off as You revealing to me exactly what you have in mind this weekend. My only requirement is that it brings glory to you. I have three other very dear friends who were also busy for the weekend so now I will tell you what ended up happening. I had a little pitty party on Thursday, but quickly got over it. We had rain on Wednesday and Thursday and knowing how much we needed it and how much my husband loves it, I was grateful for that. On Friday, I woke up and the sun was shining. I decided to take a solo hike in Lake Chabot and after about an hour of walking, I met a lady about my age. I asked her how far she was going and she said when all was said and done, it would be about four miles. I asked her if I could tag along and we had a wonderful conversation, finding out that her father has been in the music world all is life, as has my husband. I was able to share a little bit about our church and our music ministry with her and for that I was grateful. I also went with a friend on Saturday to Capitola and it was the most beautiful day anyone could imagine. So blue and lovely. We had a wonderful time. Sunday, for the first time in ten years, I got to sing on the worship team with about twenty choir members who had stayed in town. We had sung before, but we actually got to come on at the end and sing some more with the worship team and that was nice. After that, I went to children's church and participated in a very funny skit that cheered my soul. I then went up to my Sunday School class what has hosted only the men that day because the women were all at a retreat and took the extra donuts, cake and fruit to a group home where I know some of the blind residents. They loved it and I loved sharing it with them. That afternoon, I went by myself to the Greek Festival and ran into a lady from my Tuesday night orchestra. I was able to invite her to a concert our choir and orchestra will be having in a few weeks. Thanks Lord for you plans. Nothing and no one in this life is perfect, but every time I surrender to You, You work things out perfectly. My son and my husband also had a nice time of doing what they had in mind to do. The Lord is good and constantly shows me He can bring good out of everything.

Real cookies

Two of my children in their twenties are moving out of the house. I always knew this day would come and have been preparing for it, but it is difficult when the reality hits you in the face. You know longer have any control of when you will see your children. You pray they want to come visit now and then. I secured a date with my oldest daughter and her husband for dinner, which always makes me happy. I am thankful for all the time I get to spend with them. My daughter has her own baking business and she is very good at it. Since I have always been on diets, baking has never been a priority with me and I am not the world's best baker. Yesterday though, I attempted to make the best chocolate chip cookies I could possibly make. Since I never seem to have all the ingredients I really need, I cut the recipe in half and tried to make it work! I made one substitution, as opposed to the usual three or four! When my daughter tasted them, she got a large smile on her face and said, "Mom, these are real cookies!!" She knows that in days of old, I was so health conscious that I would often put in apple sauce instead of butter or make some other substitution. She loved the fact that the chocolate chip cookie indeed tasted like a chocolate chip cookie!!
In our walk with Christ, He wants us to be real and come to Him with our needs instead of going elsewhere. We can often cling to money, popularity, other people or something else when we have a need. He wants us to need Him and to keep our relationship with Him free of clutter and substitutions.
Dear Lord, we know that you are the only one we need. You are the reality in our lives and we want our faith to be real so that others can see you at work in us. Thank-you for blessing our lives with our faith most of all and with all the gifts you give us, especially chocolate chip cookies!

I'm on my Path

I have a good friend who lost her husband after he battled cancer for nine years. I was with her through it all and now she says, "I'm on my Path with the Lord." Although it is a difficult path, she knows God is with her and is helping her a long the way. She also is assured her husband is in a better place. She has grown so much and I am so proud of her. Last night I was paid to be part of a panel discussion for a market research company. This is a very fun way to make money. I tend to be a worrier and came in very flustered because as usual, I had gotten lost a long the way. I am also on a path of learning to relate to adult children and giving them their complete and total independence. Sometimes it is a very lonely road as I remember all the times spent together in years gone by. I tend to get too serious sometimes, so the Lord helped me to relax and have a good time. A man from my church happened to be there and we had a nice time chatting. Then I looked at my name tag and started laughing. One side of the two sided tag said, "Patricia." The other side said, "Pathricia." I guess the Lord was reminding me He is with me where ever I go and that I really am on the Path with Him as my Guide.

Continue to Dance!

One of my favorite Christmas memories is of the last Christmas my nephew Elijah was alive. He was twenty-five and always lived life to the fullest. He enjoyed everything so much and encouraged us all to pursue our God given talents. He was an amazing inspiration, if a little reckless at times. My mother has fifteen grandchildren and some of them were with us that Christmas of 2005. There was lots of food, lots of laughter, fellowship and dance music! My mom loves to dance to the old rock and roll songs so we all joined in the fun, my nephew leading the group into an exuberant display of joy!! He kicked up his heels and encouraged everyone else too. People would often look at him a little strange when he would constantly declare, "Isn't family the most wonderful gift in all the world?" Some of us were too sophisticated to agree completely! He always loved every family member fiercely. He spent time and money on everyone. He was such an encourager. I remember much joy in that celebration and everyone was laughing hysterically by the time the dancing was over. Two months later he passed away but I am so thankful we had that time together. That Christmas will always stand out in my mind as one of my best.

An Amazing Summer Experience

When I think of what God allowed my husband and I to accomplish through Him this summer, I am completely humbled and overwhelmed! We watched a very difficult musical come together together. My husband is the musical director and I am the prayer warrior. I pray while he does most of the work. This particular show, The Children of Eden was more work than any one he has ever done. I knew from the start what it would involve. It took a lot of time, work, patience, late nights and challenge. My motto is that the director always knows best and that proved to be the case. I prayed a lot, memorized my songs, stayed up late and went to work very early the next morning and cried my eyes out. I cried because I am a bit melancholy and turn my thoughts inward. Since I expect perfection of myself, I never measure up. It took a lot of patience because every night after rehearsal, it was a challenge to find my son. I also did a lot of waiting around because I wasn't on stage that much. I prayed a lot. Many people who heard about this endeavor were amazed we would attempt something so difficult. The most challenging time came near the end when for the first time ever, we had two dress rehearsal weeks. We were out late four nights one week and four nights the next. These were the last two weeks of my summer teaching job and it killed me to get up early and stay on the freeway for forty minutes and then teach for five hours! I don't know how my memory did all that! I must say that I am proud of myself. I am even more proud of my husband who had to put up with extreme concentration and noticing how one week before the show, it really was not at all ready for an audience. Several people were sick and others had various other battles, like my son who broke his toe a few days before the show began. Through it all, Kevin and I and about eighty people were doing this for one reason alone. We did this to give people a visual demonstration of God's love for us, His forgiveness and His salvation. The prayer is as important as anything else and even though I did not feel I was contributing anything important, I know I was. Every person involved gave it everything they had and the result was very beautiful.

Donut and the Group Home

I am a fanatic about nutrition and eating healthy. I always seem to want more fruits, vegetables and supplements in my diet. I also pray others I know will eat healthier. Why is it then that I always seem to be taking donuts to a group home I visit regularly? I have three blink friend who live there and others who need encouragement. The people who run the home are so happy when I have leftover donuts from my Sunday school class and bring them over. They love donuts. My husband and I have always joked about donuts. He says he'll just plaster them on to his stomach! Personally, I do not like donuts, but others sure do. Anyway, I am always happy to brighten up the day of another even if the nutrition department is a little lacking.

Where did they go?

This past summer I was busier than I had ever been in my life! I woke up at 5am, went to work, came home, cooked and cleaned and then off to rehearsals for a musical I was a part of. Combine that with lack of sleep and I found myself tired a lot of the time. I did manage to take three blind friends to see the play I was in. I picked them up early, got them into the car, drove to the church, went to get a wheelchair for one of them, took them into the church, moved them again, got them water and helped to get them seated. Everything was perfect until the end of the play. After it was over, the woman needed me to take her to the bathroom and I had previously arranged for my husband to take them home. He agreed. I told him and the other two blind men to wait in the car until I returned with Henrietta. Kevin, Bill and Marty agreed. I finished with her and took her out to the back parking lot in her wheelchair. They were gone!! I panicked as I usually do in a case like that and called my husband's cell phone. It was turned off! Now what would I do? Could he be waiting somewhere else in another part of the parking lot or out front? After a few minutes I remembered something very important about my husband. After a show is over, his brain is gone and he can't put one more thing into it. He probably thought I was taking Henrietta home, and left with the boys to take them home. Sure enough, that is what happened. He had forgotten that I told him to wait for me. Since we have been married for 32 years and I totally trust him, I was not upset at all.....a little frazzled, but not upset. In years past, I would have been upset, but not now. We live and learn and all of our blind friends reached home safe and sound.
Someday, we will reach our Heavenly Home and we will see God's amazing Hand in all of the aspects of our lives. We will see how much we have come to trust Him after all the years we hit the panic button. We will see how beautiful was the work he was doing in us....even at the times the enemy of our souls made it seem like a cruel joke. We will see that all we ever wanted to do was love Him and serve Him, in spite of the enemy's lies and the rejection we felt from others. It will all be worth it when we see Him face to face.

The Outdoor Concert

I am so thrilled that the Lord allowed me to introduce three of my blind friends to an amazing tradition in Hayward....the Sunday Concerts in the park. I love Summer so much and the concerts at the memorial park are such a big part of that. I picked up my blind friends and they loved it. The weather was perfect and they enjoyed the time immensely. I am so thank-full when I can bless others with the things I take for granted every day. Lord, bless them all.

The Impossible has been done.

There are a few things in my life I have serious trouble with. One is understanding Math. Another is driving in traffic. Well, I am sitting here writing this and reporting that in the last two weeks have done just that. When I heard about a summer job as a co-teacher for a College for Kids Math class, I knew it would be tough. Then, when I heard it paid 37 dollars an hour, I was a bit more motivated. It was then I decided I would do it, no matter what. I spent twelve hours on the freeway, checked a million math websites, kept moving from six am until six pm and encountered a variety of challenging obstacles, one being teaching 22 children without the promised workbooks. I am so very proud of myself! In addition to that, I lost five pounds in the last two weeks.....another thing that is extremely hard for me. I asked God for his help and He was there every single step of the way. Thank-you Jesus. I now carry a burden for a few special children I didn't even know before. Every time I get to know new children, I feel blessed.

Thank-you Lord

Thank-you Lord for your wonderful peace. Thanks for always answering our prayers. Thanks for allowing us to serve you in our families, the church and with others. Thanks that tonight you have allowed us to sing in a group home where those who are in need will rejoice and be uplifted by the music intended to bring you glory. So many of these dear ones have no family so let us be just the inspiration they need to know they are most certainly not a lone in this world. Let them know that they are in our hearts and our prayers, not soon forgotten. May you fill them with the fullness of Jesus and may they bless the ones who live there and do not yet know you.

They Grow Up

Just about the time your kids are finally grown, you realize you could have cherished the days so much more than you did. You could have stopped to smell the roses, breathe deeply when upset and trust more to live a simpler lifestyle. You could have spent more time and done more and not been so distracted. And yet, we live and learn so God gives us a second chance when we become grand parents. I don't have any grandchildren yet, but I hope to someday. I want to take the time to do all I can to build up the relationship. I pray everyday for my grandchildren who will join our family someday.

The Soloist

I am not a soloist. I adore singing in a choir. I also love singing in small groups which I used to do all the time when we attended small churches. For the last six years since we have been at a much larger church, the leaders won't let me sing in small groups. I have asked Kevin for six years if I could try doing it. It used to be important to me. Now, it is no longer important and finally an opportunity came up to sing with a group of three other women in a small quartet during one of our choir songs. I actually held a microphone and sung something very short with the ladies. Before we sang, we prayed together that doing this would not become a stumbling block for any of us. We prayed that we would be united to bring all the glory and focus to Jesus and not to ourselves. I believe the Lord answered our prayer. The Lord's presence was with me bringing me much joy. Am I a big star now? Am I any different for having done that? No, I was just thankful that my voice could be used for Him and His glory. I was grateful once again to be on the stage praising God. I could be out in the congregation praising God with just as much joy but because my husband directs the choir and I love everyone there so much, I want to share this experience with them. As always, singing with the choir was and continues to be one of my greatest joys. We sang, "Praise Him," with two drummers. It was indeed an amazing experience of creative worship through music.

The Lead Clapper

I have been working at a special needs center for adults for about ten months. When I first came, I met a man named Tom and all he would do was talk about clapping sessions....at camp or at the center. It was interesting until I had heard it a million times. He always asks who the lead clapper will be. I always say I don't know. There is something special about him. He is a sensitive person and I like him. I try to get him interested and involved in other things but he usually makes excuses about why he can't. He is a character. Today, I taught a music class all by myself and it was fun. I tried to keep Tom on task. We spoke about the musical, "The Music Man." When it was time to go to lunch, I had to push a wheelchair with a student in it, a blind man was holding my elbow and I had about four big bags to carry. I asked Tom to carry one small thing and he said he could not. It struck me as so funny. My lead clapper was letting me down. Here I was laden down with wheelchairs, people and things and he couldn't carry a one pound object! Sometimes we are like that....those around us are carrying all the burden and we turn down the little help they ask us for. Let us pray that the Lord would give us the desire and the ability to help.

The Fear Factor

For years, I have been telling myself I am afraid of driving up hills. Today, my husband informed me I would be doing just that. We had to pick up a car for my daughter from Daily City and I would indeed be driving up hills. I had a friend pray, informed Kevin of more details of my fear than he cared to know, instructed my daughter to exercise more patience with me than she ever has and set out for the drive home. Of course, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. The reality is never as bad a we think. Every time we approached a hill, I asked her, "Can I tell you something I think is interesting?" Telling a story helps me to manage the fear. For some reason, I have had dozens of dreams that I was driving up a hill, stopping at a stop light and then rolling back down! I prayed and the Lord and my family helped me through! Later in the day, I got my reward when I was able to bring one of my favorite blind students some gifts for her birthday and my husband and I sang to her. Life is good and even though I now know I can drive up hills just fine, I would rather be doing something else.

Every now and then, Life gives us a Fairytale

Many years ago, a song was written that went like this..."Come Saturday morning, I'm going away with my friend. We'll travel for miles in our Saturday smiles. Then we'll move on. But we will remember long after Saturday's gone."
My friends and I escaped on the adventure of a lifetime.....not because it was extremely costly or outrageous but just because we were all there and shared the moments together. We all had an extended period of time and just did exactly what we wanted to do....explore different beaches, restaurants and stores. We were doing something that interested all of us and the day was a sight to behold. Amazingly calm peaceful shores, ocean views, sunshine, fluffy clouds and fellowship. We became an example of the body of Christ, encouraging and building one another up. I just kept thinking to myself, "This is what heaven will be like someday." We adore our families, but sometimes we get the most encouragement to hang in there from our friends. I have an amazing family and my friends are all dynamic beautiful women who have endured many hardships and have come out on the other end. We need each other and we pray for one another. I am thanking God for the memory of that glorious day that will never fade from my mind. When the most excruciating memory comes up, I know I can replace it with the ones I love to remember. Thank-you Lord for our friendships that we could not live without.

Lake Chabot

I hike at a place called Lake Chabot. It is beautiful and a few days ago, the clouds looked just like cotton candy. They were amazing. The lake was so blue and since we have had so much rain, the hills and trees were amazingly green. It was magnificent! I am so thankful for all the hiking the Lord allows me to do. It is glorious to have eyes to see that beautiful lake. O Father, thank-you so much for your glory in creation. We had several months of rain and now I am so thankful to see the lovely spring and to anticipate Easter.

God, Use Me

My greatest desire is that God would use me in His way and that I would participate in His calling. Since I can be so wrong about what that looks like, every day I ask Him to show me. He leads me to those I am to encourage. It may be a child, special needs adult or someone in the choir. It is a blessing to be used by Him. I also sing and perform on stage for His glory. I do this because I believe so much that we are encouraged to Come before Him with singing and Praise His Name with joy! I have seen miracle happen when I trust Him completely and praise Him in difficult circumstances. I know He is in control. He leads me to the most fascinating places and allows me to converse with the most interesting people. He is my Heavenly Father that I love and cherish and I am so thankful to have his grace, glory and salvation in my life.

We are one in the Spirit

What causes so much confusion to us as Christians is that we are one in the Spirit and yet we still struggle so much here on Earth! We can't seem to get a long and yet we are supposed to be one in the Spirit! I was praying for wisdom on this topic and the Lord spoke to me through a song. In the song "We are one in the Spirit," one part says this....And we pray that all unity will one day be restored. That would indicate it is not restored as yet and that we should trust Him where we are really trying for unity and there is still division.

Don't be too serious

There are so many things in life we should take seriously. Yet, we need to take some time off and just relax, being ourselves with family and friends and laughing a little. Every night my anxieties come out in my dreams. I dream of all kinds of crazy, unusual things and there is a lot of creativity in those dreams. I have to laugh because it is really bizarre! I get up sometimes stressed and insecure, praying that God will help me through the day. Finally, after a long week of much work and little sleep, I got up with the usual anxieties. After a few moments of trying to organize my mind, I opened the dish towel drawer in my kitchen and found a perfectly laid out pair of my under wear staring back at me! Oh, the Lord does have a sense of humor and it is marvelous! Shortly after that, I had a waffle making fiasco when the waffle batter went all over the poor waffle iron! I remembered all the episodes of Green Acres I had watched where her husband had made fun of her waffles!! Every time I wake up and think this is the day I will do things right, within the first hour disaster is sure to occur! What can I say? We are living on Earth! We are not in heaven yet!

Things aren't always the way they should be

Things are no always they way they "should" be. This
> Sunday we are singing a song about resting in the
> Lord, and finding peace in Him alone. The name of the song is "Till They Rest In You." I have been having
> trouble sleeping so last night I took my natural sleep
> aids and went to bed. At 2 in the morning there
> was a very loud scratching sound in the attic. I think
> it was a rat! I woke Kev up scared. He said it
> was just a rat. Then he went back to sleep and had a
> nightmare and was yelling in his sleep. Then I had to
> wake him up! So much for resting in the Lord!
> Then I went back to sleep and dreamed Kev bought an
> automatic cat food can opener and it just kept opening can's
> of cat food we didn't need. There were thirty cans of cat
> food all piled up and no place to put them! I was
> frustrated and asked Kev why on earth we needed that
> machine! The contrasts in life are so true......how
> things should be a certain way, but often they aren't. We are singing the song Sunday
> and it has a great message.

His opportunities

Every time I hear the familiar voices in my head about how awful I am because I am not perfect, God rewards me with wonderful opportunities to share my faith with others. I work at a Special Needs School and yesterday, I was able to share my faith with one girl, who shortly after, I found out was a Christian and one lady who said her father had a special friend before he died....it turned out to be our pastor. Today, I spoke with an Indian lady about Indian cooking and a man from Afganistan. I invited him to church. What a feeling of sheer delight as I walked away from the store where he worked, knowing I had done what I could to invite him to church. He said he would check it out. Another man from another store was grateful I stopped him and asked about his job and his future. I certainly will pray for all these folks, but most of all I love Jesus and the way He leads me each day when I trust in Him, despite the obstacles.

I See Them

I am beginning to love my five blind students at work. I don't know a lot about them. I only know they all know the Lord and need Him in their lives. They also need me, constantly use my name and love me for who I am. They know I am their advocate and will do anything to help them. They know that if I have a chance I will gladly bring them a gift or try to serve them. They know I love music and the arts. Most of all they know I love the Lord and that when others can't help them, He can. They are blessed and hopeful in Him and I thank God for that. Each day I think about what life would be like if I couldn't see. If we could just keep that one thought in mind, we would be continually thankful. He is so great and even in our imperfection, we have the mind of Christ and can influence others through prayer. How blessed I am to see family and nature and to be able to see others who truly value the love I have for them.

Valentine Craziness

This year I pictured my Valentine's Day as being very quiet. I had an extremely busy week and was looking forward to some rest and relaxation. Kevin and I had already celebrated and there were about a million things I needed to do around the house. I threw on some hobo clothes, my uggs and took my daughter to her college class. She didn't know when she would be finished, so I waited in a nearby coffee shop. As I was reading the Bible, my phone rang! It was my old job calling where I had been recently laid off. I was so excited that I told her I would be there as soon as I could! I missed my blind friend and special needs adults and was thrilled to be given the chance to see them again! I got there and was so happy that people greeted me as if no time had gone by at all. We laughed, talked, walked and acted crazy all day. In the afternoon, we had a Valentine's Party and I ended up dancing the Limbo and Mexican Hat Dance with a blind man. It was so much fun! I enjoyed it so much and thanked God for every moment I was there. The rest of the day was very hectic. I bought groceries, took my kids shopping, dropped off a gift for my married daughter, came home, made dinner and sat down for the first time since six in the morning. Thank You Jesus for busy, crazy, fun days!

Lake Chabot

Lake Chabot resembled a magic mirror as gulls flew competitively overhead, seeking refuge in the sand. A lone fisherman carefully baited his hook and hikers engaged in quiet chatter. All is well with the world when the Lake is so lovely. It never changes. The same peaceful view is on display for young and old alike. A quiet respite from life's drama on a Monday morning, reminding me that Jesus is always there for me and He never changes either.

My Rescuer

In the last two weeks, the Lord has rescued me out of trouble more times than I can tell. I just can't believe how creative He has been in saving me from various trials. At the same time, I am much in prayer for others in need. All of these struggles have come in the midst of my passionate desire to do what is right and serve others. A few weeks ago, I wanted to make my family a nice dinner, we sat down to eat and immediately the food went down the wrong tube and I thought I would wind up in the emergency room of the hospital. I gagged and finally heaved up whatever was there. Not a very fun thing to happen right before the family sits down to dinner. They ate and I did not. Next, I lost my part time job and the Lord helped me to put it in perspective and trust Him with it. The following week, I was going to my best friend's husband's graveside service and I pulled part of the bumper off my car just by backing up. I didn't even know I was close to anything that would do that. It was very strange. I stressed out until I found out the bumper was plastic and could be temporarily repaired. Our neighborhood mechanic fixed it for free. Bless his heart. Thank God for that! This week my old job called and several people were very upset I had not attended a meeting I didn't know I was supposed to be at! I also thought my time sheet had been turned in and it had not! I spent two hours looking for it and finally found it! I know why the Bible says, "Sufficient to the day is the evil there of! Wow. What a month. On top of that, our best friend Mike passed away and I heard of this little three year-old girl who got stuck in a dryer for three hours and had burns on her body. So sad, but we know that when we pray for God to rescue us and others, we will see miracles! Oh Lord have mercy on us poor souls!

Remembering Mike

Our dear friend Mike passed away a few days ago. We have known him for 38 years. I have been best friends with with wife Ann for many years. When Ann and Mike discovered Mike had bone cancer nine years ago, we supported them in prayer and encouragement. Now Mike is home in Heaven which we rejoice over, yet we miss him a lot. Mike was a kind, soft spoken, gentle soul. He loved paying his trumpet and coaching basketball. He was one of the best friends you could ever hope for and an amazing husband and father to Ann and their three children. Sara, David and Ben are wonderful young adults who have all decided to find careers in the medical field. The family took in foster children for many years. Because I knew Mike had cancer, I cherished our gatherings even more. We got together with three other couples for many years and had barbecues and potlucks. We shared our lives and our children. We supported one another and loved one another. We will all miss Mike yet he gave us a gift we will never forget...His faith and his love and his friendship.

My Tuna Angel

About six years ago, I was involved in a homeless ministry where we would deliver food plates to those in need late at night. One night I was hungry and knew there were about three hours of service still to be done. A lady in our van had some tuna she wanted to share with everyone, so we took out some celery sticks, crackers and began eating. This was no ordinary tuna!! It was also sweet and cruncy. It was an amazing tuna blended with a special dressing and pecans. It was especially delicious on an empty stomach. I enjoyed it very much and every time I ran into the maker of this wonderful concoction after that, I told her how I never forgot her tuna.

During this past holiday season, life was very busy for all of our family. We were involved in a Church outreach and tying up many loose ends before Christmas. One Sunday morning at Church, I was particularly weary. After the service, I ran into my very own Tuna Angel. She greeted me warmly and told me she had the very same tuna she had made six years ago and she hoped she would see me at church so she could make her angelic delivery! I was really hungry and ate every bit of that tuna! I thanked God sweetly and silently for providing all my needs as I was serving Him.