Whispers and Gongs

Do you believe in Angels?  What do you believe about Angels?  Feel free to leave a comment about what you believe...could be what you think the Bible says about them...could be what you were always taught or what your faith tradition was...maybe a personal experience?  I wrote one other time about possible Angel intervention.  If you want to read that post click here.


Well, I was thinking the other day about the night my husband and I first met.  I think about that night every now and again.  I was attending Walsh University.  I had been a part of the drama program there, sometimes in a play and sometimes doing things behind the scenes.  I was not going to take part in the play "West Side Story," but I really can't remember why at this point.  That play was a big undertaking for a small university, so they put out the word that they needed people to come in from outside the university to help fill the cast.  I went to see the play the evening I met my husband.  He was a student at Kent State University and was invited to come be a part of the play by some students he knew at Walsh.


I was still friends with all the Walsh students involved with the play and my best friend at the time would be going to the cast parties because her (now husband) boyfriend was in the play.  She wanted to set me up with another "outsider" or non-Walsh student that she had met at a previous cast party and asked me to go to the cast party that night that I went to see the play.  


When I walked in the door at the home where that party was taking place Dan was sitting there in the front room.  I noticed right away that he sat up and perked up when I walked in.  I was use to this reaction (I may have been pretty for a few years of my life).  My friend's boyfriend went to look for the guy she was going to introduce to me.  My friend and I sat in a chair across from Dan and began talking with him.  Needless to say we remained there talking for the remainder of the party.  The other guy never showed up.


There was a dance that night at Walsh too!  So after the party we left and I invited Dan to come to the dance with me.  We danced and he planted his first kiss on me that night on the dance floor!  Well, we ended up leaving the dance and walking and talking for most of the evening.  We had so many things in common.  Also, both of us had decided just that week to give up the notion of a significant other for a while and just concentrate on school and life in general.


When he needed to finally go home (he was living at home and commuting to school) he was giving me a hug goodbye and just as he was hugging me I heard a real live whisper in my ear.  When I say a "real live" whisper I mean it would be like someone standing right there next to you and whispering something in your ear.  Well, there was no one else there besides Dan and I, but there was a real life whisper.  The whisper said, "This is him.  You're going to marry him."


Did you ever ask your mom once you were interested in dating how you would know which person was the "right one"?  I remember asking my mom.  Her answer was a very good one.  She always said that the right one would be someone who was loyal, willing to stand by you even through illness...even through tough times.  Many people say they will in their marriage vows, but she had known too many people who "took off" when they found out their spouse had cancer, or when they couldn't stop arguing about money...or other various reasons.  She knew my dad was loyal.  She said I would know when I met someone with that quality. 


I could not have known that in one night of meeting him...not completely anyway.  So I'm telling you that the voice was not a thought in my head.  The voice was very real and very much either an Angel or a relative who was watching over me.  It was a sweet voice and it was female.  I'm ever so grateful to the voice because she knew long before I did that he was an amazing, loving, loyal, fabulous person and husband - and a spectacular dad to our children.  In my youth I could not have known.  I was so boy crazy for such a long time that I created a whirlwind of a life.  I am thankful for the voice which caused me to pause and take notice.  The voice let me know that he was "a keeper" - not just for a time, but forever.


Here's to voices.  I hope I don't hear them often because that would just be crazy...but I hope for you and for me that they will whisper to us in the most significant of times.  And if we're never lucky enough to hear another whisper, I pray that we sit up and listen when something really hits our hearts...God gives lots of different people the right words at just the right time...and gives us the ability to know when it applies to us. 


God bless you today and I hope you're hearing all you were meant to hear today.

Little Miracle # 117

Although I haven't written that many blog posts yet and as such have not shared "117 little miracles" I figured that each of us has had at least that many to begin with in our lives, so it's a good round number to begin calculating from.  I think some people who read here may think that some of the things I look at as "miracles" are just mere coincidences ... if you understand that I don't think ANYTHING is a coincidence then you can enjoy reading without critiquing.

So I had this picture taken of me at a youth conference once (I'm thinking it was like in 1999 or 2000).  I kept it in a box with other photos from our youth events back then.  About a year after it was taken I had a desk calendar that had cute quotations and I kept it on my desk at work.  The day my birthday came up, November 28th, there was this amazing quote about "you'll never know to what heights you can soar until you spread your wings," and immediately I remembered that picture of ME with my arms spread wide.  An eternal dreamer, I knew this quote was made just for me...and what luck, it was posted on my birthday!!  And what a coincidence!  I have a picture of me with my arms spread out just like the girl in the animation!  I pulled out the picture and I framed it next to the calendar quotation and kept it on my desk until I stopped working after my first child was born.  I had forgotten about it until I was looking through those old albums again a few weeks ago. 

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?"

26 Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible."

I live by these standards.  Just because something may seem impossible for me, I will still spread my wings and try...putting my trust in God alone.  He will make a way where there is no way.  I know for certain I am not worthy of His perfectness...but He has made me worthy of His love, mercy and grace.  I know for certain that He bestows love and goodness only.  I know for certain that He directs our paths and makes all things good.  When I feel that tug or pull on my heart that I need to attempt something, try something that seems impossible but needed...I will spread my wings and try because I know WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!!!

Do be do be dobedobedo...

Have you ever been somewhere...in a store...walking along...mowing your grass...in a stadium...wherever,

and you see someone (or a group of people) looking up?  And then...you feel like you have to look up to see what they are looking at.  And then, you notice that everyone walking by is looking up to see what everyone is looking at.  Has that ever happened to you?  Do you have the urge to look up right now just because you see a picture of me looking up??  You know, my little guy when he was about 12 months old for a few months in there at least, was famous for looking up and pointing up at things ALL THE TIME!!  He figured out that people would always look up and ask him what he was looking at and it became a game for him!  We found it quite humorous because anytime we were in a restaurant or just out and about and a stranger would come over to say "hi" to him (he's quite sociable and draws people in) he would point and look up and make them look up too!!

How about....

Oh...does that make you tired or what???  Don't you just feel like yaaaaaaaaaaaaaawning????  Who can't help but yawn when you see someone else yawn?  It's sooooo  CONTAGIOUS!!!!

You know, the other thing that never fails for me?  It's when someone smiles at me!  I HAVE to smile back!!  Here's a smile for you:

Now, if all of these "non-verbals" are so contagious and we can't help but subconciously follow the example of the people who started it...let's consider the things we are leading people into...the things we do and and the way we live...the things that our children and friends either admire about us - or seem to copy whether they are good or bad.  I learned a long time ago (as I'm sure you did too) that the, "Do as I say and not as I do" theory is a big farce!  No one cares about what you say when they can compare it to what you do!!  In bloggy land most people only have the opportunity to learn about you from the things you write, or "say" -- but in real life -- it's much different!  What are your children, grandchildren, other family, friends, or acquaintances learning from you?

Just a friendly reminder that people are watching.  Ignore this if you are notoriously paranoid (take your meds and repeat after me, "No one is watching...no one is watching...no one is watching..."). 

If I ever needed proof of this all I'd have to do is listen to my oldest daughter talk to her younger siblings!  Holy Moses!!  I always feel like I'm listening to a tape recording when she shows them how to do something, or when she "reprimends" them for doing something wrong!  Have you ever watched your kid or grandkids when they were playing "house" and listened to they way they "played" mom or dad?  Yikes!!! 

You know Ghandi's famous quote, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."  All it means is that you need to be and do the things that you want to see others being and doing!! 

My good friend, Kris, is someone I really admire because she's so generous (I know lots of generous people, but I'm going to name Kris b/c she tends to be extremely generous)!   At times when she's caught up with bills and financially in a good place she can't help but give wonderful gifts to people around her...friends and family.  When things are a little tight she gives her time and presence to people.  She just loves to give.  She loves to love.  I see her example in all her generous ways.  NEVER ONCE has she ever said to anyone that this was the proper way to live.  NEVER ONCE has she tried to convince others that they should do the same thing.  I think many people want to be like her because they appreciate all that she does and is!!   When people are so generous with me I always hope that I can "pay it forward" to someone else.  I know how good it feels to receive - I want to be able to do the same for others!!

Have a fabulous weekend and put a big smile on your face.  If you can't think of anything to smile about...go out somewhere and LOOK UP... watch as everyone else looks to see what's so interesting, then SMILE and walk away!!!

I Can See Clearly Now...

I went to have my eye exam earlier this week.  I haven't gone to the eye doctor in a good 4 years - it's just that my prescription hasn't changed in many years so I didn't really see a need...haha. 

So one of the first things they needed for me to do was to take out my contact lenses.  After that a couple of tests were done, then I needed to sit in the exam room and wait for the doctor.  As I sat in the exam room with everything "foggy" and "blurry" I became extremely aware of how much I despise not being able to see clearly.  I mean, there is usually less than 60 seconds a day that I can't see clearly and it is the time between when I take my contacts out and put my glasses on, or when I take my glasses off and put my contacts in.  I have shared on here before my little secret about sleeping with my glasses on...I just don't like getting up at night and not being able to see the time on the clock...or not seeing which child is standing at my bedside...or any of the various things I need to see at night.  Yes, I could put the glasses on my bedside table, but unless you have trouble seeing you may not understand the discomfort in not being able to see when you open your eyes. 

So I sat in the exam room waiting for the doctor and I could only see in blurred vision for a time (really not liking that experience).  I began to think about thousands of years ago and how people probably just had to struggle with poor vision...they didn't have much help with this issue.  I suppose people get use to what they have to get use to.  I also thought about people in very poor countries who may not have access to good eye care - and I began to thank God for the ministry of those missionaries and doctors who help people in those countries.  I said a prayer of thanks to God that he's helped people over the years to develop great ways for us to see clearly.

As I sat there and said that prayer of thanks, the words "ways for us to see clearly," rang in my brain.  I began to think about how God has given us so many ways, opportunities, people, means, tools, books, HIMSELF...every possible thing on earth to help us see more clearly ... spiritually speaking.  He continues on a daily basis to send people or words or events our way to show us HIS LOVE, HIS GRACE, HIS WISDOM, and HIS POWER.  How is it that our prescriptions can be so off sometimes...how is it that with all of HIS PERFECTNESS we can not see Him clearly sometimes?  I guess we tend to "take our glasses off" and "sit them on the bedside stand" - then we can only see in blurred vision through all the fogginess of the world, the media, the politics, the hate, the sadness and sorrow we've encounterred.

Let's remember to ask God each day to help us see Him clearly.  Then, put our glasses on and focus on the perfect vision of His Love and guidance for us in our lives.

" T H I S B I G ! ! ! ! "

Well, I know this isn't going to be the BIGGEST fish you ever saw somebody catch, but I have to post a picture of one of the biggest fish I ever caught in order to tell my "little miracle" story.   So here is a picture of the barracuda I caught in Ft. Lauderdale one time, oh, maybe 8 years ago or so:

That was me with said fish and "fishing expert" on the charterred boat (my husband took the picture).  I don't think we ever wrote down the actual size, but it was a pretty nice barracuda on a day that nothing else bit.  When I caught this barracuda I found out that they are somewhat dangerous and have been known to attack humans.  Interesting. 

So about a year before this my husband and I were snorkling in Key Largo (I think, or one of the Keys).  It was really an amazing spot that they took us to, and we saw such beautiful and colorful underwater plants and fish.  One of the "coolest" (I thought) things we saw that was swimming around with us was a barracuda!  My husband and I both kept pointing at it as it swam around and about us.  He asked when we got back on the boat if I had seen the barracuda and I had said yes, but I don't recall a conversation about feeling unsafe or anything.  You'll have to excuse my ignorance...I did not grow up near or around an ocean.  How would I have known?  Of course I had heard of barracudas...seen pictures of them...probably at one time had heard they could be dangerous...but anyone who knows me knows that facts usually go in one ear and out the other...I'm not the person you want on your "Trivial Persuit" team. 

So my "little miracle" story today is that although I was ignorant about how dangerous a barracuda could be, my husband and I survived our snorkling adventure that year unscathed.  He is usually pretty good in a stressful situation like that and so didn't do anything crazy to provoke the fish.  However, had I known at the time that it likes to eat humans, I may have done something somewhat perhaps idiotic causing it to attack.
Guess the miracle here being that God gives you the information you need at the time you need it...and not before. 

Incidently, there was another little "coincidence" that occurred during the fishing expedition that I started this post with.  When we went to charter the boat and mentioned that we were from Ohio, one of the owners of the charter company asked us about where in Ohio.  We both explained where each of us was from and after a short discussion I found out that this guy had graduated from the same high school as I had, only a few years before.  We did not know each other (strangely, since it is a private high school with about 30 to 35 people per class), but he remembered my older sister.  Anyway...there was no other significance to that except the coincidence...but I still think it's cool the way the earth is so big...and yet...so small.  I do think God has a hand in directing our paths so that we can have those little experiences just to help make us aware of our "connectedness" to one another. 

Have you ever been in a completely different State, Country, or Continent and run into someone you knew - or sometimes just as good - someone who lives near you but you had never met until you struck up a conversation with them while at this vacation spot?  Seems like it happens a lot...just wondering what other peoples' experiences have been.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and God Bless all those who read here!  :-)

Letting Go

I was on retreat this weekend with a group of teenagers at a beautiful camp.  My sister-in-law who is also a youth minister gave me the opportunity to act as a youth minister once again as I helped her and a planning team create and implement the retreat this weekend.  There were a few profound moments...as there always are on a retreat...but there is only one I want to share right now.

Part of Saturday's events included the High Ropes Course.  Now, most people have either heard of, seen, or experienced a high ropes course so I won't go into much detail here.  Basically they had to climb up a pole (there were prongs to climb) until they reached a tight-rope, log, or other obsticle about 20 feet high.  They had harnesses and were attached to a rope which a trained camp staffer held to help control the situation and keep them safe (just like when you climb rock walls).  Then they had to accomplish walking across a tight rope, up a diagonal log, or across a rope with planks, etc.  (When I say "they" I mean just about everyone except me as I have done a high ropes course before and don't care to again...I may write about my experience next or another time).

We later talked about what that experience was like for everyone.  Most people discovered that it was a little scarrier than they thought or how it looked.  Several were proud of themselves for accomplishing the task without much trouble.  Some were glad they at least tried.  Overall I think their sentiments were the same as mine after I had done it...when asked if we should do it again with a group next year they mostly voted "no" -- been there, done that, don't want to do it again.  One student made a statement that really stuck with me.  She said, "The hardest part was letting go of the pole once you reached the top."

Isn't that true of most everything in life?  I mean, the hardest part being the "letting go."  This student said, "Once I let go and just did it I was fine, but I was scared to let go."  It made me think of all those big changes that lie before us...for many these days it means facing unemployment and finding a new job; for some it's facing retirement; for others it's moving to a new town or new house; for some it means letting go of some emotional pain...perhaps a grudge...the letting go means forgiving someone...or even forgiving self for a mistake or a regret; maybe for some it means just letting go of what they THINK should be happening in their lives and just being o.k. with where they are and focusing on their blessings.  The "letting go" can be the hardest part.  And that's exactly where God is...in the letting go.  The longer and harder we hold on to that "pole" the harder the journey becomes, the more anguish we create...the pole becomes a crutch...the pole becomes NOT our safe place, but our obsticle.  God is waiting for us to LET GO and reach out...experience FAITH...embrace what looks impossible...TRUST that He is with us and it will all be fine.  GOD is our "spotter"   -  He's holding our life-line...He's going to make sure that all will turn out just the way it should.  Once we let go of our proverbial poles and just do what we need to do, we too will find that it all looked scarrier than it actually was.  Be aware of your blessings today and trust that you are exactly where should be...for today.  Let go of what you need to let go of and feel God's peace...today.

Reaching The Extra Inch...(final post in the trilogy)

I have one final post which falls in the theme of "reaching higher...going the extra mile...reaching out an extra inch..." 
I had wanted to write a bit about this before when I posted my blog "Miracles In The Midst Of Madness," after the death of my dad, but evidently at the time I just needed to write about his death (to read that post click here).  I knew a time would come for me to write more about the MIRACLE OF KINDESS and no time seems more appropriate than NOW - now, when the latest posts have been about reaching an inch higher. 

When my dad was born to eternal life, to me, here on earth, he still died.  Fully understanding and knowing that he is with God and born into eternity is only comforting later...months later...when the shock of him suddenly being gone starts to fade into acceptance.  So, when he suddenly died that early morning on September 20, 2009, my mom and I were in such a state of shock and disbelief that we didn't even know what to say or do.  We asked several times for a priest and it seemed like none could be found.  The chaplain for the hospital spent some time with us but had very few comforting words.  He seemed almost afraid of us.  I kept thinking he felt out of his comfort zone trying to help two very Catholic women...but at the same time I didn't get it because to me a Christian is a Christian no matter the religion and I just needed him to comfort us as Christians.  He kept saying he would try to get us a priest, and finally found one, but when the priest showed up he was from a local monastary and barely knew English.  He had even less words of comfort and did not perform the entire last rights sacrament to the disappointment of my mom.  

I paced and paced and paced the floor in the room where my dad lay dead and my mom sat and held his hand.  I could not sit because I did not want to feel anything.  If I kept pacing I could avoid feeling I thought.  I kept sipping water they had brought us because I needed to keep swallowing. We were in that room for hours because of a miscommunication.  We thought we were waiting for the County Coroner to release his body or for a doctor to sign it off (won't go into details here except that wih his death being sudden sometimes the coroner has to do an autopsy and we preferred that not happening so we were waiting to see if this was ok).  Meanwhile, since they were just up visiting me we had to decide whether we would hold the funeral here where I live or go back to Marion where they were getting ready to move away from.  After about 2 hours in the room I went out to the front desk and asked the nurse if the coroner had called or if a doctor had signed off his body.  She said that they had a long time ago and they were just waiting for us to decide which funeral home would be taking care of the arrangements. 

I had to set up that whole scenerio for you so that you could understand JUST HOW IMPACTFUL these GIFTS, these MIRACLES of kindness were to us.  When speaking about reaching that extra inch I totally think of these people and how much they did for us.

First of all, once we knew we had to call a funeral home, having just moved here I had no idea which one to call.  So I called my sister-in-law, Michelle.  She named two places that she thought would be really good.  THEN, she proceeded to tell me that she would go to my house to watch the kids so that my husband could come and be with us.  This was a Sunday morning and I know she had to get her own family ready for church and I know also that since she's a youth minister that she had a lot of things to do that day.  But everything was set aside that day to come to our aid. I'm eternally grateful to her for going the extra mile, coming to our house with bags full of groceries and snacks for the kids, watching the kids for probably a couple of hours so that my husband could be with us.

Once we got home immediately my mother and father-in-law came over to be with us.  My mother-in-law was still recovering from a colon surgery - but they came!  That was amazing to me...especially since they had a farm to run and it was open to the public that day on top of everything else.  Not only that, they drove all the way to Barberton to pick up buckets of our favorite chicken, then drove all the way back.  This had to be taxing on them knowing she was still recovering from surgery and that the farm was open for business that day.  They reached higher, and went the extra mile and we were so grateful.

My Aunt Mary and my cousin Melissa took time to cook meals and bring them to us...again, it was a long drive for them...Aunt Mary isn't as agile as she once was and Melissa has 4 kids of her own...reaching the extra inch.

Get this one: my sister-in-law's (Traci) step mother (got it?), Sharon, made a TON of food...not really even related...but she spent a day cooking for us...reaching the extra inch.

My friend, Kris, when she called offerred to be here for us however we needed.  She suggested that she could stay with the kids during the funeral.  That never crossed my mind - I thought they would just come.  But once she got here and the more we talked about it it seemed like a good idea for them to come later for the meal.  My oldest came along, but Kris stayed with the kids and brought them to the meal later.  She missed work that day for a non-relative so I know she had to take a vacation day.  Her birthday would be 2 days later (incidently so was Michelle's my sister-in-law).  Kris and Michelle spent 2 days before their birthdays being available for us...reaching the extra inch.

My sister's friend, Mary, who that week had one of her children in surgery(for a broken limb I think?), drove all the way from Buffalo to be here for my sister and our family...reaching the extra inch.

My Aunt Vi (my dad's sister), Uncle Bob (her husband), and several cousins on my dad's side drove over 3 hours to be at the funeral home by 9:00 am that morning.  Uncle Bob has a compromised immune system and was not able to come in to anything - he sat in the car the whole day - and Aunt Vi was torn between caring for him and being present for family - I would say they went several extra inches.

Neighbors and my husband's co-workers and people we barely knew from church since we just moved here...they all came to the funeral home.  George who was our realator and who we came to be friends with while looking for a house here came to the funeral...they were all reaching that extra inch.

The cards, the gifts, the phone calls, the money for masses, the money for my dad's causes...all overwhelming...all grately appreciated...the exta inch.

I stated in my post "Miracles in the Midst of Madness" that I never liked helping others go through their pain.  I know this is because I never really knew WHAT to do.  This is because nothing like this had ever happened in my life - I had nothing to draw from.  If any good can come to me now from all of this it is that I might have an idea of what to do to help someone else.  May we all learn from the examples of kindness that other people give us.  I can not put into words the value of these miracles of KINDNESS...there are no words of appreciation that can ever be enough.  But God knows how thankful we are.  I can only hope to pay it forward to the next person in need.

I'm amazed at the generosity of people - I see how much people are willing to give and help in times of crisis.  The Tsunami victims, Hurricane Katrina victims, the earthquake in Haiti, and now the earthquake in Chile...God gave us all these amazing abilities and capacities to help.  Let us all think of what "the extra inch" is for us...and go there...and do it. 

Reach Higher ("The Extra Inch")

As you sit there in your chair reading this reach your hands as high up into the air as you possibly can...are you reaching?  Are you reaching as high as you possibly can?  Ok, now that you're reaching as high as you possibly can, reach one inch higher. 

You did it, didn't you?  It still amazes me that we can always go another inch.  We were MADE to go another inch.  God doesn't mean for us to ever think we've landed in a place or situation that isn't going to evolve...that isn't going to stretch.  Can't you look back on your life and just see one situation after another where you thought it was the most confusing or stressful or dangerous or overwhelming or happiest or perfect...and then something happened.  The extra inch.  You perservered, or else you passed your joy forward to others...but the extra inch happened and things either got better or even more perfect.  

I really think "the extra inch" is what prayer is all about.  I mean, let's face it - God already knows our needs and desires.  He knows the situations we're in.  He's in them with us.  He's everywhere all the time.  He's present every moment.  And yet He wants us to come to Him with our needs.  He wants us to confide in Him.  He wants a relationship with us.  We're not meant to take for granted His presence...we're meant to live the best life that we can and in the midst of living to turn to Him and ask for help, for blessings, for grace and mercy.  

• We ask Him to help us get OVER that mountain that's causing us such stress or grief;
• we ask Him to bring the right people into our lives to get us to where we're trying to go; 
• we ask Him to help comfort us; 
• we ask Him to continue to bless us with financial peace;
• we ask Him to create new opportunities and possibilities for us and the ability to recognize those;
• we ask Him to help us not to disappoint ourselves or others
• we ask Him for a shield of protection and for safety and good health

All of these prayers we lift up are "the extra inch" in our lives - the needs we have.  And when we look back on our lives we can always see God's hand...little miracles...

• Somehow we got over that mountain
• Somehow the right person showed up at the right time and the right place to get us to the "next level"...
• Somehow we receive an amazing letter, email, phone call, visit...just the right thing at just the right time from someone who cares
• Opportunities and possibilities start to surround us

So in as much as we can physically, socially, and emotionally REACH HIGHER at our own will and with our own strength, let us not forget to REACH HIGHER spiritually and ask God each day to help us achieve that "extra inch" - He's just patiently waiting to surprise us.

More Than Enough

When we go to Mass on Sundays we usually leave our 2 youngest children, Maggie and Brady, in the babysitting room for obvious reasons.  Today Brady had a cough so we did not think we should expose him to the other children and we brought him to Mass with us...but Maggie still went to the "play area". 

After Mass we went to pick her up and Grace, our oldest, likes to go in first to see her and the rest of us follow.  Today, being St. Valentine's Day, one of the sitters brought in valentines with little dumdum suckers taped to them.  Maggie was so excited about hers and was showing Grace right away!  When I got to her the woman who was passing them out gave her another one and said, give this one to Brady (because Brady usually goes in there too).  Grace had to stand by and watch her younger siblings get valentines.  I could see in her eyes this was a little troubling.

Now, Grace is in 1st grade and her class JUST had their Valentines Day party this past Thursday and she brought home a whole box full of valentines and candy.  I must say she has been a champion at sharing her "goods" with Maggie (and Brady if I say something is ok for him to eat).

In the car on the way home Maggie asked if she could have the sucker (Maggie is my candy-holic).  I told her yes, and as she was unwrapping her sucker Grace asked her if she could hold the valentine and read it to her.  Maggie said yes.  But then Maggie wanted it back.  She got it back and just kept repeating out loud what Grace said that it said.  Maggie was elated to have her very own valentine!  Grace kept trying to get it from her and would say that she wanted to read it again.  Grace, although she had a whole box full of valentines at home, wanted the ONE seemingly very special valentine that Maggie had.   

And it all made me start to think, of course, about how we all can be like this in our lives!  Haven't you had times when you were "full" - full of posessions, full of happiness, full of love...and then you see someone that has "something" - that perverbial "something" that you wish you could have too...maybe a posession, maybe a personality attribute, maybe a physical quality, possibly a spiritual quality.

                                                         "ENVY IS UGLY"

I would like to think possibly that Grace didn't so much want the valentine as she wanted to share in the excitement of it with Maggie.  

And so with us too, when we catch ourselves in the midst of envy (and let's try harder to catch ourselves), maybe we can concentrate our efforts on celebrating the achievements of others...encouraging others...hoping for more for others.  These are all loving actions that can eliminate the envious feelings.  God, with our own efforts, will take care of us and always give us more than enough.

Easy As Pie

I used to work as a drug and alcohol prevention specialist, which means mostly that I worked with high school students - helped them to realize their strengths, created a cohesive environment for them to excel in, built on leadership skills, and worked with other adults in their schools and community who would help in all of these efforts.  Sometimes we would have meetings, sometimes we would go do fun things, sometimes we planned events for elementary or Jr. High students, and sometimes we held conferences (weekend or week-long) both local and state-wide for the high school students.

After one of these such conferences over a weekend I had gotten home and realized that I had forgotten my eye glasses at the camp.  Yes, I normally wear contact lenses, but I need my glasses at night time, and it's really quite an inconvenience when I don't have them at night.  The camp was over 45 minutes away from where I lived, but if I could get a hold of the camp director it wouldn't have been a big deal to go get them.  This was on a Sunday and I was not able to reach the camp director.
Monday went by as well without luck reaching anyone there.

Because that weekend conference was always held in March I'm thinking that we all must have been going to Columbus that week to celebrate my dad's birthday.  In any case, I was in my car with my parents one day that following week and we were at a stop light in Delaware, where the camp was.  Since we were in Delaware I was just talking to my parents about possibly stopping by the camp to see if I could get in to find my glasses (although I was sure they were already found and put into a lost and found area).  Now, I almost NEVER look into other peoples' cars when I'm driving or at a stop light...I'm kind of a cautious driver and I'm always looking at the road.  But for some reason I looked over at the car next to me at the stop light.

Guess who was driving that car.  You got it.  The camp director!  I rolled my window down and waved wildly at him to get his attention and he looked over, and rolled down his window.  I told him I left my glasses at the camp and he said he had found them.  So I followed him there and was able to get my glasses.  Easy as pie.

I bet you can think of a time that God made something "easy as pie" for you too.  I don't presume to think that things just happen in my favor with no one working it out behind the great curtain.  Yes, we are required to take the journey and make the effort.  Sometimes the decisions we make and the roads we take require much more effort, energy, work, blood-sweat-and-tears, than other times.  But often we find ourselves in the middle of an opportunity, a gift, a "where did that come from?" moment, and it causes us to pause...what are those moments for you?  GOD DOES THIS FOR ALL OF US!  Remember and embrace those times...it's an ongoing gift. 

A Penny Saved

Well, I promised some more every day miracle stories so I thought I'd share one today from a few years ago.

I was visiting a friend in Mansfield, OH which was about a 40 minute drive from my home in Bucyrus.  I had a youth ministry event later that night, and when we were done visiting I went to the Kroger grocery store - just down the street from where they lived - to buy some soda pop and chips to go with the pizza we were having at the event.  I left there to go home and take the kids to my husband, turned around from home and went straight to my event in Crestline which was about 15 minutes from home.  I realized that I had forgotten to buy ice for the pop, so I stopped at a gas station nearby the church.  When I went to pay for the ice I had a very harsh realization.  My wallet was not in my purse.  My heart started pumping and immediately I began to think of what I had done that day.  I went to my car to look and see if it had fallen out of my purse. It had not.  I began to pray, pray, pray that it had not been stolen, that God would protect my identity and all that the wallet held.

I promptly called my husband to tell him my wallet was missing but I had to go to this youth event and couldn't go back to Mansfield...could he? 

The rest is the story he told me once I got home from the events of the evening. Apparently he decided to call the Kroger store first before driving out there. Indeed, they had my wallet.  So he drove there to get it.  When he arrived the woman in the office told him this story...

The cashier saw a woman in line take the wallet from the little counter top provided to sign checks.  The woman who picked up the wallet just seemed to have a strange look on her face as if deciding something, so the cashier asked her if that was her wallet.  The woman admitted that it was not.  

To me the miracle God provided was the cashier's boldness  to ask.  How many times have I let something get past me because I felt it was none of my business, or because I feared a bad reaction, or because I assumed the best in a person?  The cashier prevented someone from making a poor choice...it was two miracles in one.  I got my wallet back without incident, and a woman was saved from taking the wrong road at that crossroad. 

I admire bold people...I hope when or if a time presents itself to me that I can be so bold as to help someone make a better choice.

Babies and Children Are The Answer To World Peace

There is no doubt in my mind that babies and children are the answer...the key...to world peace.  Dan and I only have three children, but each time we had a newborn and would go into public somewhere it was like bringing the sunshine itself into the atmosphere around us.  Often times it would seem as though a rock-star had walked into the room, store, down the sidewalk, in the park...wherever we would go the new baby would attract attention from complete strangers.  I can't tell you how many times a person would tell me that it brightened their day just to look at my baby.  And there are countless times that a friend or family member would take the baby from my arms so they could hold it and get their "baby fix".  My mom to this day loves the sound of a crying newborn...(in moderation).  The cooing, and babbling sounds they make and, yes, even their cries (if you're not the one up all night with them) can bring such warm and peaceful and joyful feelings to the soul. 

They get a little bigger and then they start to walk and discover things, and figure out how to do new things all the time.  As a parent you watch with joy over each new discovery and how proud they are of themselves.  My children will get a look on their face which says, "did everyone just see what I did?"  as they look around with a big grin checking to see if anyone saw them.  And still, as toddlers and new talkers, complete strangers love to approach them and ask them questions and get them to smile.  It brings so much peace and joy to people to be able to spend a small minute with a little child.

Many times I've posted stories on facebook about the funny things my children do and say.  I post those things because they make me laugh and I can't wait to retell it hoping that it makes someone else laugh.  I love getting feedback from people knowing that it caused them to grin, roll their eyes, and especially to recall a time when their own children did something similar.  I see posts from other people on facebook where they are looking for that glimmer of the child they once had as theirs grow older. 

I worked with teenagers for many years before having my own children.  Each year a graduating class would come through and the parents would say to me, "It was like the blink of an eye...they were babies just yesterday."  It was said to me so many times that I felt like I had what I called "the curse of reality about babies and children" - when my children were born I knew I had to take in every minute as though I would wake up tomorrow and they would be grown up already.  Knowing this I try not to take their childhood for granted. 

Ever had a dream to be a rock star?  I have my own rock band right here at home!  We have play drums and guitars and tamborines and triangles and pots and pans and tupperware and very loud voices which sing into pretend microphones or spoons...we're living that dream.  Ever dream of being a movie star?  We have all the dress-up clothes an actor could dream of and imaginations to go with them!  Ever wish you could go out dancing again like you used to do in high school and college?  We dance here every night almost with the music as loud as we want...and we get to pick the music we like the best!  It can be Laurie Berkner one night, Great Big Sea another night, Miley Cyrus...Mika...80's...90's...party favorites...whatever we want!  Kids are GREAT dancers and singers!  They don't care how good or bad they are...or how good or bad you are...it's just about having fun!

There are so many innocent things that children say and do that make grown-ups smile and laugh.  I've told of the time I went in for lunch duty at school and had the children lined up to go outside for recess when I looked over and watched one little girl act like she was walking with a cane all bent over and holding her back.  She looked up at me and said, "Look Mrs. May!  I'm 30!!"  The other day I went in for lunch duty again and stayed for indoor recess.  One little girl was writing on the chalk board.  She asked me how to spell the word "be" - she said, "you know 'be' like 'be a good friend'."  I told her how to spell "be" and meanwhile was helping another child with another game.  She then asked me how to spell "friend."  I told her.  When I finally looked up to see her work on the board I read these words, "Be A God Friend."  Obviously she had spelled "good" wrong - I could have corrected her, but it caused me to pause and reflect on the meaning of her sentence.  To a child both are probably one in the same.

So with all of this being said, it seems obvious to me that babies and children are the key to world peace.  It seems to me that if allied countries would work harder at being "God Friends" instead of "Good Friends" that it might be a  step in the right direction.  We adults could take a lesson in having more fun...not worrying so much about how good or bad we are at something.  If stopping for a moment to look at a baby can bring so much peace to a person's heart, why can't stopping for a moment to have a pleasant conversation with another adult...looking someone else in the eye and seeing the child hiding in there?  Let's work at being "God Friends" - remembering that we're all connected no matter how long we've been on earth.