Sky Lights

Rocking my almost-three-year-old son on the porch on an early summer night, we had a very interesting conversation.
We were talking about his big sister who recently flew away home to be with Jesus in Heaven. I was trying to explain to this small curious child what death meant. My baby boy was always full of questions, and I think it was only God that could have supplied most of the answers. I described what I thought Heaven might look like. Geographically speaking, all I could do was point to the sky, indicating a vast distance from earth to heaven.
It was a serene and calm evening, a slight wind nudging the clouds to the other side of the mountain. The cloud cover slowly glided by to reveal the twinkling stars of the summer night time sky.
All of a sudden, my little boy got very excited and he yelled, "Look, look, Mommy!" as he pointed his pudgy little hand heavenward.
"What, Zach, what are you pointing at?"
"The lights, Mommy! See, Tricia turned on the lights!" He made the connection to the stars and to his dearly loved big sister. How brilliant was this little boy! He showed so much insight for one so young.
Indeed, the stars shined especially bright that night! I think it is her job now to "turn on the lights." :-)) I can always look up to the sky and connect with my darling girl. If Tricia is my starlight, Zach is my Sunshine! I don't know if he knows why that is "our" song. I have always sang that song to him: You Are My Sunshine. He still is!

Good-bye, Whitney

Whitney Houston dies.
It is a sad thing when anyone dies, I think.
I am saddened that we will not hear Whitney's voice and incredible talent, except in memories and recordings.

People are profoundly affected by death. I am

Fame or the lack of it does not determine death's theft.
Those who dance on the world's stage will be more visible
than the young man from your neighborhood who defended our country.

Death does not discriminate, it takes anyone.

It took two young innocent boys at the hand of their father.
Death has claimed countless victims of murder, abuse.
Death haunts the hospitals of those who suffer cancer and other diseases.
Death stands at the battlefront, choosing at random who will fall to his call.

Sometimes people wave the white flag of surrender to death's sweet promise of peace.
And then unborn babies are swept up in red hazard bags.
Some may long for drugs which masquerade as a good time or an escape, only to find that it is really death's portal.

Traffic accidents, freak accidents, unimaginable events often frame death's work, but the result is still the same. There is no age requirement for death. He takes anyone. Death still accomplishes his task.

It is sad to tread on the grief of others.
Remember the battle.
Remember the victory.
Remember the life.
We all have a story.

Gone... or gone

divorce, death....

both deal with separation, sure
both are full of all kinds of pain, yes
both leave an irreplaceable void
both darken the future, emotionally and physically

divorce -- it is possible, at some point, to lay eyes again upon the one gone; choice, yours or his; there's a chance

death -- she yearns for just one more word with the one gone, one more glimpse; no choice, no chance; at least not hers

psychologically speaking, both are losses.
but they are not the same
they do not come close to each other
everything one knows does not come out of a book or a set of statistics or the results of a study

Shut up

Don't express your opinions -- people will accuse you of judging. Oh, no!

Don't like it?
The answer from the defensive ones apparently is: don't watch it, don't listen, don't shop there, don't, don't, don't ....

Let's see... how else can we impose punitive measures on those who dare criticize our choices....

So... be blind and deaf to sin,
or close the ears, like, literally! Maybe wear blindfolds.....
or turn off all electronic media -- TV, radio, computers....
find alternative places to shop, even if it is out of the way and prices may be steeper.....


Those defensive ones who say "Don't judge me!" feel entitled to limit your rights.
So they may practice theirs.

Don't judge, lest ye be judged. Jesus said that. This is often quoted by those defensive ones as well. Most usually, that is the only part of the Bible they read. Well, maybe they just heard about that part, not actually read it!

But.... should your opinion match with any of those, then it is not judging but agreement.
People are not interested in anyone else's opinion unless they happen to share it.

Amazing!

He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.

C. S. Lewis

I love you

When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.

Merry Christmas

Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
...To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.

Thank you, Mr. Oren Arnold for this quote. It seemed to strike me in a new way -- that gifts truly aren't about money and wrappable presents....

I see and hear all over how people are talking about gifts, what they want to get for a special someone, how not being able to afford for anyone but family, how they wish they could do this or do that..... And finding that perfect gift.... And secretly I envy them. I would so love to just go shopping, shopping, shopping! The current economy has forced me to look at things a bit differently. And maybe that is a good thing!

Because this year we truly will not be buying gifts for people. Oh, my list would be long, indeed, if I would include everyone. For my precious family, I spent two entire days making and decorating dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies. I made their favorites. The main ingredient is love, and it is added to the recipe in abundance! It is a gift of time, of love, and of connection. Knowing how much they enjoyed our traditional family cookie baking spree, I pictured them tasting the sweet confections and smiling from ear to ear. No matter how many cookies are made, towards the end, we always ration them, don't we! :) To savor the taste of Christmas, the sugar of love, and the sweetness of family connections. If we made cookies more often than at the holiday season, I don't think they would taste nearly as good, nor carry the same importance.

So, Mr. Arnold, I do forgive my enemies, if I have any. Not sure that I do, but at least I will suspend my opinions of people if they are doing/saying something I may not like -- although there are fewer and fewer instances of that as I grow older....

Opponent? I don't know who that would be really.... I don't compete with anyone, perhaps with the exception of myself.

My friends have my heart, as they have for many years; and I've added new ones as my heart grows larger with the years ....

Service? Yes, service to our neighbors, harried store clerks, frustrated waitresses, with the gift of understanding and patience. And that is charity.

Children -- speak positively, kindly, and generously to the little ones, and medium sized ones, too. They remember much more than we think. They may take kindnesses as expected, seemingly forgotten, but hurt and wrongs will be emblazoned on their little hearts for a long time.

And, yes, respect for myself. Not because of who I am but because of to Whom I belong.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!