Family ... Never Forget!

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross...  I woke up this morning thinking about this old hymn.  As I was listening, tears fell and I felt such humility ... Once upon a time, there was a man who died for me on an old rugged cross.  What would you do for someone who did that for you?  We must never forget his name ... Jesus!

2/9/11 Fun is Romping in the Snow

The dogren were up early this morning and thinking their breakfast should be ready!  They are way too spoiled but that's okay ... the pleasure they give me far outweighs the tending to their needs.  When I was feeding Sadie, Khelsea, and Toby, I took a trip down memory lane thinking about each dog I have had.  As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I can't remember what happened to the animals I had as a child except for Tina aka "Beans".  We had received tiny little Beans from my cousin and her husband and, I must admit, Beans was pampered and lived to a ripe old age!  To not remember what happened to my other pets has been haunting ... maybe someday, the Lord will choose to open that area of my brain and I will know.  Until then, I dote on my precious doggies remembering joy!

Stories about families used to be handed down from generation to generation.  God tells us we are to tell our children about our relationship with Him and not just the good stuff.  For most Christians, faith can be a lifetime struggle.  Why?  Because we are human.  To only tell the positive can lead to disappointment, failure, and finally, a ceasing to try on the part of the listener.  We need to give God time enough to smooth out our rough edges and that does take time.  Maturity never happens overnight.  The tale of the journey is worth telling.  My story is about forgiveness (self and others), acceptance (seeing myself as God sees me), redemption (set free from self bondage to serve God), and truth (the good, the bad, the ugly).

God instructed the Israelites wandering around in the desert for 40 years in Deuteronomy 4:9  "...Be very careful never to forget what you have seen God doing for you.  May his miracles have a deep and permanent effect upon your lives.  Tell your children and grandchildren about the glorious miracles he did."  I am no different, I was lost and through God's grace and miracles, I am able to tell my story ... to my family, friends, and the world.

My son has gone through many trials during his lifetime and is using those trials to help others.  He is hungry to learn about the Lord and wants to go back to college to finalize his degree .. he's halfway there and is plotting out his path.  My daughter uses her story to help other people in her profession as a pharmacist ... she goes way beyond status quo.  I have no doubt that they will carry on the baton of my faith when I am gone because they are doing it now.  They are using their pasts for the betterment of their families and others.  I am a proud mama!!

One of the shows on TV that I enjoy watching is Biography.  It is amazing to me how often movie stars forget their struggles and where they came from when they "hit it big."  Instead of praising God and remembering, they become big-headed, turn to drugs and alcohol and hit a brick wall.  Privilege takes the place of humility...  How sad.  Then, every so often there is a person that stands out and does remember the journey and I listen carefully. 

I am getting ready for a trip to Florida to see my daughter and family.  I wish I could pack Michael and the dogren in my suitcase but they will hold down the fort while I am gone.  Hamilton Elf has gone on before me and I will join him.  My goal is to get at least one Hamilton Elf book done while I am there.  I am counting on granddaughter Kat to help me speak to children!  Still looking for an illustrator but that, too, will come in time ... I have faith in my project and God who guides my fingers over the keyboard!!

We are to have another glorious warm day today.  I have tons of errands to do and it will be nice to be out in the sunshine.  When I walked outside to feed the dogren, I was shocked at how warm it was.  I have tons of errands to do today ... it will be nice to be out in the sunshine!!

Before I sign off, I have a story I want to share with you ... it's called ...

The Butterfly

One day while walking through the woods, a man found a cocoon.  He decided to take the cocoon home to watch it's transformation into a beautiful butterfly.  He gently placed it on his table and watched it for several days.

One day a small opening appeared and the cocoon started to move.  The old man sat and watched it for several hours as it struggled and struggled to force it's body from the cocoon.

Then, it seemed to stop making any progress.  It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and was unable to go any farther.  Finally, the old man feeling sorry for the cocooned butterfly decided to help the butterfly.  He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.  The butterfly then easily emerged.

It had a swollen body and small shriveled wings.  The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened!  In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of it's life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.  It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste didn't understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening was God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into it's wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved it's freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.  If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would only cripple us.  We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

And we could never fly.

~~Author Unknown~~

I hope and pray that you all have a wonderful day!  In all of our struggles, it's important to remember how far we've come ... You just can't quit!!