An Extraordinary Destiny
When we think about our destiny, I imagine we most often think that our destiny is set for us. But, I believe that we do find that our perspective on life itself … our life journey, truly can impact our destiny. C.S. Lewis offers clarity on this I think, “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny…” Do you know people like that? In the midst of hardships in our lives we might not think then that suffering through that existence is going to result in a really good thing, but it surely can. David knew he had sinned against God and wrote a prayer of penitence in Psalm 32. For me, I find solace and security in this scripture in Psalm 32:7… “You are my hiding place, you will preserve me from trouble, you will surround me with songs of deliverance.” I know that there will be troubles along my journey, but I also blieve God’s promises that He walks right there with me and I do hear those songs of deliverance. What a gift it is from our Heavenly Father that He wants to be our hiding place and the scriptures draw us into His divine and steadfast presence, His love and forgiveness and His great...
Read MoreSweet Sacred Inspiration
Whether it’s ringing in a New Year or celebrating a birthday or the anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis, any time of renewal brings me quickly to the deep gratitude for the gift of each new day and a recommitment to live my best life to the glory of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Of course, I fall short many days but it is a good road map toward the sincerest appreciation of all for which God has blessed me. Today, I’ve thought a lot about a poem I wrote in the midst of my first year of my breast cancer journey in 1999…almost 17 years ago. As we know, the life struggles we experience really do strengthen us and offer to us some valuable lessons in life that we might not have received were it not for those struggles. Those boosts in strength and the lessons obtained enhance our days of living for certain. Reflecting on what we gained through the struggle strengthens our renewal of life many years later. Here’s my poem: Sweet Sacred Inspiration I walk through dark, deep water Feeling the pull of the struggle Knowing that time passes on. My feet stumble in weakness as My soul searches for sweet sacred inspiration. I feel the rhythm of my heartbeat Ripple through the water as I move forward Seeking relief from the weight of suffering. The journey teaches me determination as My soul searches for this sweet sacred inspiration. Days of the past capture my thoughts My mind’s eye sees children playfully wading. A child turns her face and I look into my own youthful eyes. The pull of the struggle is revealed as the Guide. Sweet Sacred Inspiration awaits me as I cross over to the other side....
Read MoreGod, I Need You Now
At some point or another, most of us find ourselves along a journey where we might not be sure what our next step is, where we should go or exactly what we should do. Some “times” can be so difficult and so challenging that we might feel absolutely swallowed up in the pain or angst. Indeed, life can present us with some pretty unbearable circumstances and when those circumstances become ours, we struggle and, sometimes, find we have reached the end of our journey. We all most likely have friends, co-workers or neighbors who face these realities today. Even the “faithful” find themselves as times wondering where God is in all this suffering and struggling. Even for those who don’t know God I believe God is always there…hoping they will turn to him and open their hearts to His love. Those of us that are parents, especially parents whose children are grown and don’t live with us anymore, we know how much we like hearing from them. We also know how we long for a word from a child who is distant and doesn’t keep in touch much. So I take my thoughts about where God is, when we are struggling the hardest, to that concept of parents wanting desperately to hear from our children. I believe that God is no different. Imagine God, the Creator of the Universe, the Lover of our souls, seeing us struggle in pain and we have no relationship with Him. He nudges us. He calls out to us. He speaks to us. Yet, sometimes, we don’t hear, listen or we may be just too stubborn to recognize those attempts. God is like a stalker…yes, I said God is like a stalker. He’s everywhere. There is no place we can go, that God is not there with us. We try someplace new and guess what! God arrived BEFORE we did. He’s there and He is ready, hoping that we will turn to Him and say, “God, I need you now!” I don’t believe that God is interested in why we haven’t connected before. Why we haven’t needed Him before. Truth is, He already knows all that. He knows EVERYTHING about us. He just wants us. So, like a stalker who just can’t help himself, God is not going to give up on us. God wants us…even when no one else does, God wants us. God, the Creator of the Universe wants us. Pure and simple. God wants us. God, I need you...
Read MoreThe Value of Family and Love
My brother and I were born to two wonderful, loving, fun and supportive parents. We were the only children and we have always been close, which is a blessing in both our lives. We were raised in the church and had a good family life. Our parents instilled in us appreciation and respect for all people. They taught us about kindness and compassion. My brother has always been a genuine, caring man and NEVER meets a stranger. Our father passed away from a sudden heart attack when he was 61 years old. Heart disease was heavy in his family background and he did well making it to age 61. Our grandfather and two of our uncles all died from sudden heart attacks in their early 40s. Our mother passed away from a stroke when she was 78. We miss them both so much. But we’re glad we have each other and our own families. My brother was so supportive of me throughout my breast cancer journey. He was there for all my surgeries, took me to most of my chemotherapy appointments and called and visited me frequently. Since I was divorced and my two grown daughters lived out of state, I lived alone. But, I NEVER FELT ALONE…EVER! By directing our local United Way since 1984, I had a public life where I worked with many, many amazing volunteers, staff and agency representatives. Working on community problems and issues draws you close together and truly caring for one another naturally evolves. I’ve always felt that I was surrounded by many “chosen” family. During the months of surgeries and chemo treatment, my church family, and my natural & chosen families all reached out to me and walked every step of the path right with me. I was and still am so very blessed. I share this in my blog so that I can explain something so strong and powerful that God’s Holy Spirit put on my heart during these months and now years. This lesson was simple but so powerful to me that it became very important in my thoughts, prayers and actions. I got hundreds of phone calls and cards and letters from people telling me they were praying for me. Many of them shared that their church or Sunday School class was praying for me regularly…sometimes, people I didn’t even know. Every time I heard or read this, I felt bathed in love and encouragement…by God and the people. Then, it became overwhelming. My surgeon even said to me one day, “You must know everyone in Iredell County because I can’t go anywhere without having people ask about you.” We laughed about that. I said it’s just because this is my hometown. But the truth is this…I had so much love and caring. It overwhelmed me in a way that I realized I needed to focus on people that were going through the same or similar thing as I was and some of them had no one to support them like I did. It became quite important to me that I reach out to everyone with whom I came in contact and see them as a person I needed to share God’s love with. Even having worked my adult life in a charitable problem-solving career, this new awareness was mind-blowing for me. I was really, really sick during the chemo months and this “gift of awareness” that God gave me meant so much to me. I saw it as another reason to fight like crazy to recover and get to work. So I began to share this message...
Read MoreWhat's Your Passion?
National Audubon Society
Help support the efforts of our National Audubon Society in conservation of natural bird habitats. Visit: www.birds.audubon.org