If I Knew

Life has dealt a lot of rough things recently from losing loved ones, having close friends deal with unexpected illnesses, to the having a niece and nephew  serving in our military in the Middle East, to the events that have taken place in our nation that rock our feelings of security.  The words in this poem express much of what I have  been thinking the past few days.  Hug, love, forgive, laugh, speak kind words, and live fully in each day with those you love.  

If I Knew

If I knew it would be the last time

That I’d see you fall asleep,

I would tuck you in more tightly

and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I’d hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say “I love you,”
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I’m sure you’ll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there’s always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

There will always be another day
to say “I love you,”
And certainly there’s another chance
to say our “Anything I can do?”

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I’d like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you’re waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you’ll surely regret the day,

That you didn’t take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you’ll always hold them dear

Take time to say “I’m sorry,”
“Please forgive me,” “Thank you,” or “It’s okay.”
And if tomorrow never comes,
you’ll have no regrets about today..  

– George Michael Grossman

What would you do differently if you knew it would be the last time you saw or spoke to your loved ones?  Don't wait, do it today!

Heart Check Up

 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.  Luke 6:45

But whatever comes from the mouth has come out of the heart. These things make the man unclean inside.  Matthew 15:18

Forgiven Redeemed Restored

True Love by Phil Wickham

This is how much Jesus loves you.  He did all this for you.  

Disconnect to Reconnect to Life

The Cross

King of my life I crown You now 

You're the ruler of my heart 

I will wear it loud 

I will tell the whole world about You 

You died in my place 

You suffered all for me 

Just so I could live 

You were broken and bruised 

And I will tell the whole world about You 

The cross, stained by blood 

The beauty of the cross 

Healing for the lost 

The cross, stained by blood 

The beauty of the cross 

Healing for the lost 

The cross 

King of my life I crown You now 

You're the healer I've longed for 

Now of heaven I'm sure 

And I will tell the whole world about You 

Thorns on Your brow 

Stripes on Your back 

So innocent, You did it all for me 

Nails in Your hands 

Nails in Your feet 

Sword in Your side, You did it all for me 

You paid the cost 

Thats the beauty of the cross 

~Crystal Lewis, The Beauty of the Cross

I Dare You

Last week my husband and I were talking about how much of life gets totally wasted on technology, whether staring at a computer screen, an i-something or another or a droid something or another, phone or tablet.  This week, we kind of forgot that talk because we were hit with the stomach plague over the weekend, so it was easy to just pick up the phone and play games, scroll social media, and do mindless things.  Now, when recovering from the plague, it's hard to think too much, so reading a book was out of the question because our minds could not hold a thought for too long.   We tried to do some house cleaning, but were worn out after taking a few steps across the floor, so we didn't move too far from the couch on our day of recovery.  However, we could have played a real card or board game instead of playing games on the phone.  We talked about it again tonight and are going to make some changes.

Our society seems to be glued to their smart phones.  People take them everywhere.  We were at a large sporting event a couple weeks ago, and 90% of the people sitting around us were on their phones, scrolling Facebook/Twitter, for a very large majority of the game.  I wanted to tell them that the statuses would still be there in two hours, they weren't missing anything earth shattering.  With what we paid for tickets, I was going to enjoy the game, not stare at my phone.  Plus, real life action is so much more exciting than reading that someone ate potato chips for dinner.  Today, I saw someone driving down the highway at 60 mph, both hands off the wheel, texting, head completely down.  Seriously?  She had no idea what was on the road in front of her.  I don't know how she was staying on the road, since she wasn't even looking at it. I prayed for those in her route to be safe.  I was thankful I was on a side road.  If your text can't wait until you get home, then pull off the road , stop your car, THEN text.  Other things I wonder about: Why do people go out to dinner and then spend the entire time on their phone?  Why do kids have to sit and stare at their parents, trying everything to get them to talk to them, while the parents spend their whole time staring at their phone?  I even observed an older teen and dad the other day in that situation.  The kid had her phone away, the dad did not.  The daughter tried to talk to her dad and dad just did the occasional uh huh until the daughter just got really frustrated and stopped trying.  Another time, a mom was with her four kids, all trying to talk with her about their day at school, but all she did was scroll Facebook and Instagram, and text, while her kids kept trying to tell her about their day.  Sad.  When you are with people, be with them.  Listen.  Engage.  Talk.  Care.  Put the phone away.  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and all other social media will still be there!!  What is more important, real face to face relationships or reading posts that don't even affect your life? Yes, I have accounts on Facebook and Pinterest, and on a business level I have Twitter, as well.  The past few months I have taken a step back from Facebook, and even took two weeks of not being on it at all on a personal level.  Honestly, for the most part, I didn't miss it.  When I did go back, I cut quite a few from my list, and I am now only on occasionally.  I didn't miss the drama, all the off hand remarks people make to one another and think it is ok, & the horrible profanity that has become a part of every day social media posts.  It seems the more we have to know about others lives on social media, (or snoop or spy, whatever you want to call it,) the less we want to have real, meaningful relationships.  We rush to read so and so's status update, but don't call them to check on them, don't meet with them in person to have a real conversation, we don't show in a real, tangible way that we care, and it is showing in our society in a a very real way by how people treat one another.  People seem to forget that we are all human beings, created by God, and we are supposed to care for and about one another.

Anyway, back to my original paragraph......  My hubby and I have decided to make our time together at night a no phone/tablet/computer zone.  The phone can be used to make or receive calls, yes they still do that, but that is all, except for when we are studying different Bible versions on the Youversion  Bible app we have because it has versions we do not have in our home that we sometimes use when diving into our study.  But, other than those two things, everything else is off limits.  It's time to focus on having real conversations with others, to really live life, and grab the time we have here, not waste it.  Life is short.  We weren't given this life to spend hours on social media or staring at a screen.  Think of what you could have done with your spouse, your kids, your friends, your church, your community in the time you spent in front of a screen just since the new year.  Could you have talked more..played more..  cared more..loved more..taught more?  Could you have done something to improve your health, instead of making it worse by sitting in front of a screen?  Could you have gone outside and enjoyed the beauty that surrounds you?  Could you have touched a life and made a difference in a hurting heart?  We need to make a positive difference in the corner of the world we were put in, to be hands and feet that make a difference. Will you step up with me, and put the computer/phone away for ______ hours a day, except to use your phone as a phone, and live life?   I dare you to give it a try this month, and get out and experience life, as it was meant to be lived.  

That's Life

It's late.  It's quiet.  My husband is tucked away in bed.  The only sounds I hear are a train rumbling in the distance and the fire crackling in the wood stove.  I can see out the sliding door to the white blanket that covered the ground today.  I guess winter is going to hang around a bit longer.  

I am a night person, always have been.  My creative juices seem to start flowing about 8 pm.  This is the time I think, write, read, and study.  It's been a long day and I should be in bed.  My dog is curled up a few feet away from me, sound asleep.  She spent the day at the vet, getting a growth removed from her inner lip, and then getting treated for a kidney infection we didn't even know she had until the vet ran a standard test before making her sleepy to remove the growth.  Apparently, she is quite sick, but you would never know it.  She has been bouncing around as usual, demanding her nightly walk through the neighborhood.  If we try to skip the walk, she brings us her leash, and barks until we are annoyed enough to take her for a walk. Needless to say, it's been a stressful day for me.  Now, we have to wait until mid-week to get results on a biopsy from her lip, and a culture for her kidneys.  

We never know what life it going to hand us.  I had a classmate pass away less than a week ago.  Too young in our view for him to be gone.  My class has lost several members much too early.  I have a couple people I am close to dealing with some serious health issues, and I have some friends who are making major life changes because of loss of job or relational changes. Life hands us the unexpected in many forms.  However, God is always the same, always there to help out and hold our hand and help us through what we face.  He is always with us through the good times, and the bad times.  He doesn't move in our situations, we do.  He is always near to us, always ready to help us and guide us, always there for us to pour out our heart to Him, and always ready to hear our thanksgiving.  In the tough times, look to Him.  In the good times, look to Him.  He is always there for us, and for that I am thankful.  

The Lord himself will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forget you. Don’t be afraid and don’t worry.”  

Deuteronomy 31:8

For I am the Lord your God Who holds your right hand, and Who says to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I will help you.’  

Isaiah 41:13

What Occupies Your Thoughts?

What occupies your mind?  What has taken up residence in your thoughts?  Is it helpful or hurtful?  Worries, anger, negative thoughts, regrets, false labels, and anxieties can infest our minds like a parasite, going through each part of our thoughts making us sick, depressed, and  only seeing the bad in life.  What goes on in our minds can be an invisible invasion to others, but eventually, those diseased and harmful thoughts do spill out of us, in our words, our actions, our lack of caring about life.  

Guarding and protecting our thoughts is very important.  Recognizing when our worries have  parasitically invaded our minds and exterminating those thoughts and worries from our lives is essential to good health, a good attitude, and true joy.  

Everyday take time to examine your thoughts, and gather up those that are wandering away in a harmful direction.  Instead of complaining about something, find something to be grateful for and focus on the positive, not the negative.  If the news is overwhelming your mind, which it can easily do, turn it off, don't read about it, take a media fast for as long as it takes to calm your anxious thoughts.  If you are judging someone, find something good about them and focus on the good, not the bad.  We all make mistakes, we are all human, we all struggle.  Live in the present, not the future or the past, and be present in the day you are given.  Worries about what could happen, or what has happened, easily infest our thoughts and steal the joy of living today.  Today is a gift, don't waste that gift on 'what if's' and 'I should have's.'  

Life happens.  It's our choice how we react.  When we refuse to let worries infest our brain and stop them before they start, we can enjoy life much more, see the beauty around us, be grateful for what we have, and be a blessing to those in our lives.  When we take our thoughts captive, we live the life Christ wants us to live, and can set our thoughts on what is lovely, what is pure, what is Holy.  


Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.  
Psalm 139:23-24

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Philippians 4:6-8

We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4b-5

I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food or clothing?  Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth more than birds?  Can worry make you live longer?  Why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work hard to make their clothes.  But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn’t as well clothed as one of them.  God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. He will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith?  Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?”  Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these.  But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.  Don’t worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.  Matthew 6:25-34

Living in Black and White, Trusting in the Light

Overall, January was a gray month, or more like living in black and white on a daily basis.

We had a lot of heavy, dense fog, and freezing fog.  

The freezing fog made for some beautiful trees, when the fog lifted enough to see them.

Dark days can bring us down.  

But even on the dark days, we can find beauty, if we look.

We have to adjust our focus....... 

...knowing better days are ahead. 

We  have to push through the darkness, and not let it overcome us, but hope in the light. 

The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.  

John 1:5 

We can live in some very dark days spiritually, personally, financially but if we turn to Christ, He will provide a way for us to get through that darkness.  He is the Light, and the darkness cannot and will not ever overcome Him.  Put your hope in Him today and let Him help you walk through the dark days, into the Light of His love and grace.

Silence and Stillness

Silence.  Stillness

When you think of those words, what do you feel?  Relief?  Tension?  Uneasy?  Peace?  Desire to have, or the need to run far from anything resembling them?

In our loud and busy world, silence and stillness are something we tend to forget about, and on a rare occasion when we do have a moment of complete silence, I have noticed it can make many people uneasy, they don't know how to just sit and be still in silence and enjoy the peace that surrounds them.  

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10  I would say that is a pretty strong statement.  If we are running around, filling our heads with continual media outlets, always connected to social media, gaming, noise, we can't be still.  According to this verse, stillness equals knowing God.  To me, that makes sense because if our minds are always busy, always connected, how can it be quiet and focused on anything.  Instead, it becomes numb because we put it on overload, we don't think, we don't read, we don't put down the phones, computers, tablets, or shut off the TV, to just be, to reconnect with ourselves, our loved ones, and God.  If we did disconnect for a day, we would realize how absolutely exhausted our minds truly are because they were not designed to have continual noise and input.  They were designed to rest.

"We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness.  God is the friend of silence.  See how nature--trees, flowers, grass--grows in silence; see the stars, the moon, and the sun, how they move in silence.  We need silence to be able to touch souls."   ~Mother Teresa 

We all need to get some silence and stillness in our lives, to disconnect and reconnect with ourselves, and God.  The more we clutter our brains with social media, gaming, TV, noise, the less we know how to think logically because we are being influenced by all the voices going in our head on a continual basis.    The more we fill our heads with noise, the less we hear the beauty of creation-birds singing, children laughing, the wind howling, waves crashing into the shoreline.  The busier we are, the less we notice beauty..sunsets, flowers, eagles soaring, the beauty in a smile. When we quiet the noise and still the busyness, we can see and appreciate God's creation, we can think clearly, and we can connect with others and with God.

Take some time and put in your schedule time for YOU.  Time for you to disconnect.  Turn your phone off, or leave it somewhere away from where you are.  Leave all devices that connect you to noise behind.  Take time to just sit and be quiet.  Time to listen.  Time to observe beauty.  Time to connect with loved ones, and with God.  During this time, don't go over your to do lists, just sit and be still.  Look around and find the beauty that God has placed around you.  It's not easy at first, it can actually be uncomfortable, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes.  

We all need this in our lives.  I disconnected some last week, not completely, but took some aspects of social media away, and I must say I really enjoyed it.  I had more time, so much more time.  I read a book.  I thought.  I wrote. I was quiet.  I enjoyed the beauty of creation. I found some of the creative outlets that being over-connected shuts down in us.  I spent time with loved ones.  I chose to do it.  I chose to disconnect.  It is a choice.  It's worth it.