Nov 22, 2012 |
Far be it from me to stray from what so many will post about today: reasons to be Thankful. While I’d love to discourse on how this beautiful feast first began, I’d much rather spend time with my family and friends. As, I’m sure, you do too.
And so in lieu of a lengthy post, here’s my simple statement.
I met a homeless man outside the office tonight. He asked me how I was, and I said, “I’m good.” And then I surprised him by asking his name, and how he was. His name is David. And he responded with, “I’ve seen better days. But I’m still breathing.” And then he smiled weakly.
Can I get an Amen for David?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
Invisible Person in a Sea of People: Robin H. and the 99-cent Sin
The Catering Business
The Adventures of Will Power and the Basket of Blessings
Dear Amy, I’m Just So Sorry For Your Loss.
TGIF
Aug 19, 2012 |
[This post is one of my Ten Bible Verses I Try to Live By]
Psalm 37:4 is one of my favorites. The NIV version reads
“Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you
the desires of your heart.”
I often feel this verse is misinterpreted.
It doesn’t tell us that once we devote ourselves to God He will bless us abundantly with those things on our wish list. He’s not Santa, waiting to mark us on the “Good” List; or withhold from us when we make mistakes.
Rather, it’s when we find ourselves lost in Him that we lose our sense of self-need, and He places in us those desires that benefit us and the world around us.
It’s not a sin to want a nice house, food on the table, or even a phone call from a friend. It’s not wrong to choose a fashionable outfit over basic denim. It’s the reason for choosing these, for making these our focus, that’s at the core of this verse.
God is not a genie in a bottle: waiting for us to ask just so He can grant us three wishes. What He does is something greater. He puts in our heart the proper desires.
When we are focused on the Lord, the little things come into perspective. Sure, life isn’t always a bowl of cherries. But knowing that my heart is in the right place helps me sleep at night.
Without Him in my heart, in my life; those desires could be meaningless. They could give way to other, less fulfilling desires.
I’m thankful for my desires to write. Cook. Tend to my house and household. Earn a living. Give back. Be somebody. Stand up. Serve Him.
And I’m thankful for the family and friends He continues to surround me with. Because my biggest desire is to love and be loved.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Aug 17, 2012 |
It’s been two months since Dot’s boyfriend passed away from failed kidneys and a donor heart. Two months of being fine until we hear a song that reminds us of him. See a photo of him on Facebook. Remember his laugh, his smile, his personality.
Dot just got her driver’s license. She passed the test last week. I’m so proud of her. And in his honor, she’s chosen to be an organ donor. I tried to talk her out of it when she applied for her permit last year. I don’t like thinking of the idea of her being gone. And letting her be a donor means accepting the possibility that someday, it could happen like that. She could be gone before I’m ready. Before she’s really lived.
But now he’s gone. And she’s still here. And while his is a painful loss that ripples our peaceful pond with its intermittent storms, I see more than his reflection in the murky waters. I see his potential. Still. In the sun that still shines. In the waves that carry us out and back in again to safety and security and comfort.
He is gone, but he is still with us.
Gone but not forgotten, they say. An infant once gave a heart, so that Loukas Fischer could have 17 more years on this earth. 17 years of growing up and laughing and being a boy and falling in love with my daughter.
And, God forbid, if something tragic should happen to Dot, she wants to return the favor to someone else.
It took his passing for me to realize what a wonderful gift she wants to give.
I’m so proud of her. And still so thankful for him.
Photo courtesy Nicole Jenkins Photo.
“Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote.
Jul 16, 2012 |
I just published Hidden Files, about discovering some old writings I’d forgotten or pushed to the sides. I found writings I’d intended to publish on a former Blog. It was a blog that had three readers, and lasted four or five months. For obvious reasons, I shut it down and started Frankly, My Dear… which seems to be doing so much better. [Thank you, kind readers!]
I came across these two in particular. I apologize they’re a bit unclear; the only way to capture the entire essence and word structures was to save them as a PDF-photo and enlarge them here. It makes the letters a bit blurred; but still readable.
I was surprised at the raw honesty of these two posts. The cursing of emotions that I was willing to announce. But mostly, I’m pleased because I can now look at it from The Other Side instead of In The Moment. I am no longer That Girl in That Moment. I am now The Girl Who Grew.
I’m at peace with different events in my life. I’m at peace with the absence of what I once thought was love. Now, before you get all riled up in my defense, I will add this disclaimer: I’m very good friends with the “enemy” of these posts. He knows I write about him now and then. We talk often. He was a lousy almost-boyfriend; but he’s always been the best of friends.
And I’m at peace with the experience. It was years ago when I was younger and unsure of myself. I had little to offer someone else, other than, as he affectionately tells me, requests for High Maintenance.
I read these posts yesterday. And I smiled.
Because I’m not who I was. I’m who I am. And even that’s not Who I’ll Be.
And I’m okay with that.
Because I’m living for the future.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
May 15, 2012
Since I’m on this blog-improvement kick, I figure it would be a good idea to actually complete the pages I started so long ago, so I just finished updating my Tenfold Page: Ten Bible Verses I Try to Live By.
I’d had four listed there previously. Err, rather, the cites. Tonight I not only posted the cites of my ten favorite Bible verses, but I typed out the verses themselves.
I was reminded all over again of exactly why those particular verses are so special to me. And in the coming weeks, I hope to share in depth with you my take on these verses, how they apply to my life, and how God has used them to get to me even when I didn’t want to be reached.
Whatever your faith, I hope these stories will inspire you and fill you with hope. For God is always in control. And He is always filled with love.
1 Corinthians 13:13~
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.”
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
