Who is pulling the strings & orchestrating your life?

Lead the kind of life that ignites passion, love, humility, and righteousness; then, let others light their candles from it. ~Miss Dottie

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Dear God,

It's really early and I wanted to talk with you before I headed North. Somehow, my day just doesn't go as it should when I don't connect with you for the first fruits of my day. I've put my Bible beside my bed; however, the Fabulous 5 don't think they should wait while I read a scripture or two before they get outside. Guess I can't blame them. When you gotta go, you gotta go!

Today is the day for my annual boob squashing. I'm having to push myself to go to my appointment ~ it's a long round-about trip to go to Plano and back again. BUT, it's an annual exam that is important and something I don't put off. I've had to have some needle biopsies done ~ so far so good. My paternal grandmother had breast cancer, my father died of cancer, and cancer seems to have reared it's ugly head through both sides of my families of origin. I had a breast reduction about ten years ago ~ those "girls" were just too heavy to carry around all the time and really put stress on my neck and upper back; plus, they were dense making my mammograms more of a challenge. "Gross," my Readers are probably saying, "too much information." The point being, as women, we need to be concerned about our breast health and get those mammograms done! Do I hear an "Amen!!"

A couple weeks ago now, I attended the Cashore Marionettes as part of the Hill College Performing Arts Series. I was surprised to learn that Joseph Cashore began his career as the result of a negative experience. Captivated by a marionette in a gift shop, he asked permission to try it out and was turned down. Rather than leave discouraged, he continued to pursue his dream of working with marionettes and has been designing and performing with his marionettes for over thirty years. The last scenario performed involved an elephant with over forty strings. I was almost hypnotized by the ease of how he maneuvered those puppets to do anything and everything imaginable by the slight tip or pull of string(s). After the program, the audience was invited to ask questions. We were all like little kids on the edge of our seats clamoring to find out how they worked and what went in to performing with so many different puppets each made so uniquely by the puppet master.

I got to thinking about how easily the puppets moved about as their individual strings were being pulled and how much we are like those puppets. I doubt if too many of us pull our own strings and must admit how often we are influenced and swayed by those around us, our families of origin, and, in my own case, my faith as a Christian. I will be forever grateful that I have been a trail blazer, a leader, and an independent spirit less likely to follow the earthy crowd. I've never gotten into trouble when I have allowed you, LORD, to direct my path and pull the strings to get me to where you would have me go. I have gotten into trouble when I thought "I" knew best and pulled my own strings. Oh my oh my ... trouble, double trouble like the Trouble song only in my case, I wasn't saved by a woman. YOU saved me.

The picture I have of you, LORD, pulling the strings of my life is an image so beautiful. Only someone broken can truly understand what giving up one's life to Christ really means.

Later ... prayer continued: While I was in the city, I had a quick lunch with one of my besties, Etta. It was so good to see her. Etta is one of the sweetest people God put on this earth and I am blessed beyond blessed to have her as a friend. We made some plans to get together in April to attend Trade Days. Oh, I miss my North Texas home and friends!!

Good news ... By the time I got home today, my mammogram results had been emailed to me. No abnormalities! Yay!!

Father God in Heaven, I thank you for the gift of this day ~ for the wonderful facility where I've had mammograms done for many years; my friend, Etta, who makes me smile; and, for the good test outcome. Prompt my Readers to get cancer check-ups not putting them off.

Amen.

Miss Dottie

NOTE TO READERS: The company we keep determines the trouble we meet. If we allow the wrong people or values to pull our strings we're in for a heap of heartache.