Pray for Mason

Mason Martin is a high school senior in our community who was seriously injured in a football accident a little over a week ago. His condition is still critical and the community is showing an outpouring of support. There have been prayer vigils, fundraisers, displays of purple and gold and his football number “2” stickers on helmets of multiple teams. There are signs all over town saying “Prayers for the Martin family,” “Pray for Mason” and “#Mason Strong.”

Our community is hurting because of this young man’s circumstances and we are at a loss for how to help this family, so we pray. It’s not only the only thing we can do, but it’s the most important thing we can do. So we do. But, today as I was driving, I found myself amazed as I read the signs posted on businesses and in lawns. Note the word, “read.” I was pleased by the amount of support shown to the Martin family with the signs, but I wasn’t praying for Mason, I was reading about him. Are you doing this too? Are you just marveling at the support or are you praying? Of course, you are doing both, but I encourage you to beef up your prayers as you recognize the community support. How? By challenging yourself to pray for Mason each time you see purple and gold, signs with his name on it, the #2 or any other post or article about him. Challenge yourself to create a simple prayer on his behalf. “Dear God, strengthen Mason.” “Dear Lord, bless his family as they journey through this challenge.” “Lord, thank you for the doctors and nurses who are caring for him.” “Dear God, let the family see something today that makes them smile.” Pray your simple prayer each time you pass a sign or pray a different one each time you drive by.

Like many students in the area, my daughter wore a purple ribbon in her hair for a volleyball game though her school colors are blue and white. The team prayed for Mason prior to their game. The next day, the ribbon was on the table, so I put it in my pocket and every time I put my hand in my pocket I was reminded to offer up a prayer. Let’s make sure our kids and students know to do the same when they wear their Mason Strong T-Shirts, bracelets and purple and gold or when they see the #2 on a sign. I am so grateful for all the reminders in the area that I see daily. They are prompting me to pray. We need to remember, that the signs and reminders can’t pray, but we can and so we should!

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

– Jeremiah 29:11

My Mom

I can say that not only was I blessed by having a good mother, but I was doubly blessed by having her 93 years.  I had the honor and privilege to be the daughter of someone that I never heard anyone say an unkind word of. When her name came up, it was always in reference to a kind deed she did, a kind word she said or simply to comment on her beautiful smile and kind heart.

When I would describe my mom to people who didn’t know her, I would say she was a saint.  Then I would emphasize, “no, I mean she was a real saint.” She didn’t talk badly about people, she didn’t complain and she truly could find the good in every situation and if she couldn’t, she certainly wouldn’t let anyone know.

I explain her belief in the God given scriptural proof of positive and hopeful thinking to others by sharing the story of her receiving a call when Dan was in college.  We were hearing her side of a phone conversation, “Oh, that’s so good. What a blessing. That’s wonderful to hear.”  She hung up the phone and said to my Dad, “Bob, we need to go to Penn State because Dan was hit by a ricochet in rifle class and the bullet grazed his nose.”  My Dad asked what was so good about that and she replied, “The bullet hit his nose, it could’ve been his eye.” She lived her life just that way.  If something bad happened, she’d be grateful something  worse didn’t. These past couple of weeks, she has continued to remind us all how lucky we are, how many good things we have and how blessed we’ve been.

My Dad died suddenly when I was 16 and I remember immediately thanking God that he took my Dad and not my Mom.  I knew in that moment that I was on good terms with my Dad and I had no regrets.  I also knew as a teenage girl, that if God had taken my Mom that evening, I would’ve had regrets in my last words and my last actions towards her.  At that age, I didn’t recognize how much I would need my mom in the days ahead in a different way than I needed my Dad. That night, I was able to see my Mom in a different light and what I used to see as weakness in her, I saw as strength.  My Mom handled losing her husband at age 50 in a manner that displayed heartache and strength with a grace that was unbelievable.  We all knew where her strength came from and where she expected us to go for our strength without preaching the importance in having faith but in just living it out.

When Pastor Bev visited last week, I began to tell her that I felt that Mom might want to talk to her because I knew that Mom was worried about us during this time.  I no sooner got the word “worried” out of my mouth that she interrupted me and said, “I’m not worried.”  She didn’t worry.  She prayed. She recited her version of Philippians 4:6 to us many times. “Don’t worry about anything, pray about everything, tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.

In the last few years, she would express that she was ready to go home and be with the Lord.  She would see a photo of a group of her friends, family or coworkers and comment on how most of them were gone now and she wondered why she was still here. She hated being a burden and needing help and as she became less able to serve others, she often said she felt “weary.”  We would tell her the Lord would take her when she finished her work and he obviously still had work for her to do. She said that the only thing she was physically able to do to help others was to pray. I figured that she was still here because we all still required her prayers.  My Mom spent her last days praying about everything and everyone. Even when she wasn’t really “with us” she was mumbling names and asking God to bless them.

One of the biggest lessons she ever taught me occurred one time when I was really struggling with a situation with my kids.  I felt overwhelmed by parenting and I was sitting on the couch crying uncontrollably and I said, “I Can’t Do This!”  She sat beside me and said quietly, “oh but you are.”  She expected me to do the best with what had been given me and she knew it would take strength and faith for me to do that well.

After my Dad’s funeral, my Mom said matter of factly, “On Monday morning, I will go back to work and you will go back to school and we will do our best.”   And now, as we leave here lost and not sure where we will go, we will have to find some of that strength and faith to go on without her. I’m sure each of you know what she would say specifically to you in this situation if you were sitting across her kitchen table with her, so just do that.  She left this world with nothing left unsaid or untaught.  She did her part, so now I believe she’d expect us to do ours. She got her work done.

From Stepping Heavenward by   Mrs. E. Prentiss   Copyright 1869

My steadfast aim now is to follow in my mother’s footsteps; to imitate her cheerfulness, her benevolence, her bright, inspiring ways and never to rest till in place of my selfish nature I become as full of Christ’s love as she became.  I am glad she is at last relieved from the knowledge of all my cares; and though I often and often yearn to throw myself into her arms and pour out my cares and trials into her sympathizing ears.  I would not have her back for all the world.  She has got away from all the turmoil and suffering of life; let her stay!

A Somersault Summer

So, you will need the back story for this post to make any sense, so bear with me while I explain. 

Last year I was invited to a friend’s house on the evening that her daughter attended prom. We took some photos and then sent the formally clad teens off for their evening of dinner and dance. After they left, we just talked in the living room and sipped wine. As we reminisced about our teen years conversations went to how we “used to do this” and we “used to do that.” I was the oldest individual in the room by 1 – 2 decades so I easily admitted that I used to be able to do a cartwheel, but I now have conceded that those days are behind me. I vividly remembered the last time I did one when the reality that my arms can no longer support the weight of my body made me declare that it was my last one. While sharing my story, I could see the wheels turning (while the wine was draining from her cup) in a friend’s mind. She is about 12 years younger than me and she was certain she could still lead with her arms and follow with her feet in a cartwheel. She did, indeed, prove to us that she could and she pulled a hamstring in the process. We got a good laugh out of the evening’s stunts and conversation and said we’d practice before the next prom rolled around.

Eleven Months Later: Knowing prom would be coming up and while reading Aging with Grace for book club, I decided that I should probably try to train for a stunt for prom night. I knew a Cartwheel would never happen, but maybe I could do a front roll, aka Somersault, with flare. In my mind, I was going to make this roll crisp, clean, and worthy of an Olympic score of at least a 9.4. I had hopes of performing this stunt while these younger moms sat on the couch holding up their dry erase boards with their scores of 9.2, 8.7, and maybe even a generous 9.8! However, I knew to accomplish these scores, I would need to practice at home. 

With a great attitude, I headed to my carpeted living room floor. I crouched down and put my body in a tight ball. I pondered. I paused. I was surprised that I was apprehensive about actually putting my head to the floor and rolling. I had not considered that my body would stop and seriously consider how this would go. Head down, a kick-off the couch and I flopped to my back. The room spun, I felt nauseous and I started sweating. Wow. I hadn’t expected that! Apparently, the heart medication I had taken lowered my blood pressure enough to make me feel as dizzy as if I had been hung by my feet on one of those flying swing rides at an amusement park and swung around and around. UGH! “I can’t do a front roll?!?! When did this happen?” Being too old to do a front roll did not sit well with me. BUT, I had to accept the fact that that day was not the day to prove it. I waited and a few days later (without heart medication) I did my second attempt. Back to the living room, crouched down, ready to roll. Head to the floor, push off the couch, crack, crack, crack. The neck cracking sounds were audible to my 15-year-old daughter even above her laughter. Flat on my back, I lay wondering if I had done any permanent damage or if I indeed might still be able to walk after this attempt. Slowly, I arose and went about my day doing what people my age are supposed to do with their day. (Apparently not a front roll.) The following day, my chiropractor assured me that a front roll is not a life skill that I need and that I should probably not do it again. I lamented that I was certain that women older than me could still perform this fete and while shaking his head, he just said he didn’t think it was something I needed. Keep in mind he’s interested in my physical health more than my mental health! There is a part of me that still feels I need to do this.

At the time of this writing, I have stuck with only the two attempts. My friend’s daughter didn’t go to prom this year, so we didn’t gather at her house and I didn’t have to feel old or left out when they tried their stunts. We’ve joked about training for next year and I shared the story of my failed attempts and we laughed and laughed.

Each time I’ve shared the story, though, I’ve posed the question, “Do you think you can still do a front roll?” Everyone believes they can and maybe they can. I have received two videos of friends proving they can. However, I also think many people think they can and then they are as surprised as I was to realize that at some point in our adult lives, we’ve lost the muscle memory of how to do that simple gymnastic stunt. We don’t know when it happened, but it did. This experience has made me curious about what else I might not be able to do. What have I forgotten or what am I incapable of doing simply because at some point I stopped doing it? Can I still hula hoop? What about playing Jacks? Can I recite the alphabet backward? How long can I freeze during freeze tag?

I’m declaring this a somersault summer. I am going to try to do some things that I’ve forgotten even existed and I challenge you to do the same. What would you like to see if you could still do? I have a sneaky suspicion that like my book club attendees, you will now quietly sneak into your empty living room, crouch down, and roll. Feel free to send me pictures or let me know how it goes. As for me, I may heed my chiropractor’s advice and not attempt a roll again. Thank goodness my kids got me a flaming baton for my birthday a couple of years ago, so I will have something safer to attempt!

100 Days

Today’s the day.  Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. becomes president of the United States of America. The count begins.  The world will watch and see what he does in his first 100 days of office. I’ve read some articles about what he hopes to accomplish and I’ve read articles about what others hope he focuses on, but the take away from all of my reading has been the day count. We want to see what this man gets done in the next 100 days. It has me wondering, what would it look like if we all got rated on the next 100 days? What can we hope to accomplish? Have we made our lists?

There is certainly a lot of unrest in our country and today we focus on the leaders and what we hope they will do to get our nation to unite and to heal from all the negative events of recent years. (A Global Pandemic, for one!) but there is absolutely no way I personally can help President Biden accomplish that.  However, maybe I can make a difference for those around me by focusing on MY next 100 days and what I hope to accomplish. I’ve been thinking about this and honestly haven’t come up with my idea yet, but I think it’s something anyone can do.  I was discussing it with my 91-year-old Mom and said that maybe I should commit to pray for the president daily or get outside and enjoy fresh air daily or some little thing for 100 days.  She suggested, “no complaining for 100 days.”  I, of course, wasn’t thinking of choosing something that challenging, but you get the idea.  Would you feel better if you exercised daily, donated $1/day to a worthy cause, kissed your spouse, or paid someone a compliment every day for the next 100 days? Could you make a difference if you tried to do a random act of kindness or read a bible verse every day for the next 100 days?

I have absolutely no idea how doing any of these things in the next 100 days will affect the economy, the pandemic, or the Paris Climate Accord, but it might make us all feel a little better.  Feel free to let me know what you plan to do…especially if it is something as big as not complaining!

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.     —Proverbs 16:3

Word for the Year

A Word of the year is something that people do sometimes in lieu of New Years Resolutions.  They select a word to focus on that describes what they are hoping for in the coming year.  In 2018, I selected the word JOY. I saw that word everywhere and then, of course, it brought to my mind the desire for joy and the work needed towards achieving it.  In 2019 after a hectic year of joy, I longed for PEACE.  I wanted to work towards peace in my home, in my mind, in my life. I spent time reading and studying scriptures and grew in that area. Welcome 2020 and my realization that I need to be very careful as to what word to choose because I naively chose SIMPLIFY. My journal reports that I was “definitely thinking about simplifying and hoping to free myself from some things and decisions so I can spend time where I need to and want to. Just getting rid of stuff!” I wanted to “Simplify my belongings and my involvement in things.” Lastly, In early January I wrote, “Thank you for this new perspective about getting rid of stuff that doesn’t matter so I have time and space for what does matter.” A friend told me to be very careful when selecting my word for 2021 because apparently, the entire globe had to simplify in 2020 to help me with my goals. As I drank out of my “simplify” mug each morning, I was in awe at how my involvement in things had been simplified dramatically.

So, it’s 2021 and after some soul searching, I’ve decided to choose EXPLORE as my new word. I think it sounds fun and I think I can find ways to use it throughout the year no matter what happens. I was beginning to explore at the end of 2020 as I explored ways of celebrating the holidays differently and I hope to explore more options in the future. This year, however, I am prayerful that I will get to explore outside of my house too! I’m getting excited to explore.

Choose a word.  Choose it carefully and share it with others.  Happy 2021!

P.S. It’s beginning already….while writing this I saw the following icon and I clicked on it.  I still don’t know what it means, but maybe I will explore that later!

Dear Adult Children,

Dear Adult Children,

This is 2020 and it is a very special time. It will soon be Christmas and the holidays haven’t been the same for you.  You missed Thanksgiving and now you will miss Christmas at home. On Thanksgiving morning, not only did you miss the homemade Turkey, Stuffing, and Noodles, but you also missed me yelling for you to get out the door to go to Mimi’s on time and you missed me rolling my eyes when you showed up a bit late to Grandma’s with the appetizer. You missed working hard all week, rushing home from work, and getting in a car to drive in traffic 6-8 hours for a rushed weekend.

Typically, today, the day before Christmas Eve you would be getting in a car, or boarding a flight and rushing home. My heart aches that that isn’t happening this year and I woke in tears this morning, but in addition to my sadness, I also have appreciation.  I recognize what you go through to be “home for the holidays.”

So this year is different.  You have the opportunity to experience Jesus’s birthday in your own unique way.  I pray that you find ways to celebrate with the ones you love (& I do recognize you have loved ones who don’t live in this small town.) Be a light wherever you are. Enjoy the uniqueness of Christmas 2020, go and do. Treasure this time. Appreciate this time. 

And know. It will never be as easy as this year to let Mom know you’d like to celebrate Christmas differently and in your own way, with your own loved ones. Now, go and enjoy Christmas because I expect you’ll be busy making your travel plans to Chicora for Christmas 2021 as soon as you can!

I love you.

We Can’t Be Together This Year?

Man. 2020. What a Christmas Season.  There are just people I can’t be together with this year.  I can’t see my kids, I can’t go to church, I can’t celebrate with my siblings. I can’t go to a Christmas concert. We just can’t be together this year.  BUT, actually, we CAN be together this year, but we are choosing not to. If we wanted to defy the CDC and all things recommended, we could be together.

2020 Christmas brings another reality though.  There are many people this year that I wish I could be with, but I am choosing not to see….then there is someone who I truly can’t see. My father in law. Senior.  We lost him in March right at the beginning of the pandemic and we should’ve suffered through all the holiday “firsts without Papa” but we didn’t. We haven’t been getting together since his death because of Covid reasons, so there has been way more than one empty seat at the table, but only one forever.

So, let me acknowledge him in the hope that you will share those people with whom you truly can’t be with this Christmas.  Those you have loved and lost in 2020.Senior. My kids Papa. Wore the same hand-knitted Christmas sweater with one green sock and one red sock (My husband has a pair just like them!) for Christmas morning. He always bought us lottery tickets using the numbers of our birthdates. He made Gingerbread houses with the kids. He attended every concert and Christmas Pageant. He was a good sport and played games involving placing a cookie on your head and wiggling your face until it made it to your mouth. He often had to leave Christmas day festivities to go home and feed the cat. He didn’t have a cat and that was code for taking a nap. He loved everyone around that Christmas tree and we loved him.  He is missed. We can’t see him, but we are so grateful for the memories. Many more than can fit in a short paragraph. The love he showed us is a love that I intend to share with those who I choose to not be with this Christmas via cards, calls, gifts & video chats. I “can’t” see them this Christmas, but I intend to see them again soon and I intend to honor Senior’s memory the best I can. Time to start looking for those socks!

Waiting …

I told K that I was retreating to my studio to write for an hour…I revised it and said “at least 30 minutes” because I have been working on writing an Advent Devotional/Bible Study for a while and I need to be more diligent. I made it to the room, tried to rid myself of distractions, had my cup of tea, found my notes, and began. I needed to print out a resource so I hit the “print” button and that’s where it stopped. The document did not print and my plan of writing had stopped. I did what everyone does and selected “print” again.  Nothing. Maybe I didn’t actually select it, so I tried again. Print. Maybe I’m too far away from my wireless printer, so I picked up my laptop, sat next to the printer on the floor, and selected “print” again. Nothing. I checked my settings and made sure my wireless was turned on and the printer address was valid. Everything appeared to be set up and working. Print. Again…nothing.  Finally, I did what apparently needed to be done.  I turned off my computer. I sat for a few seconds. I turned my computer back on and then I heard it.  The whirring of the printer as it readied itself and began its work. It started shooting out multiple copies of the document that I was waiting for. One neat and tidy document appeared….and then another…and then another…and another…please stop….another…another….how many times did I push the print button?! It stopped. Aaaaah. I now sat on the floor beside my laptop, my printer, and an overabundance of documents.  I only needed one.

It made me stop and think, though, about how many times my prayer life feels like that.  I pray a prayer and want an immediate response. “Lord, fix this. Gimme this. Let me have this. I need this. I want this. Can I have it? Can I have it now?” I try all I can to get what I want. I’m not getting it. I keep demanding. It’s not working. It’s not happening. Nothing. Finally, I sit. I wait. Is that what God was after all along? I wonder. I sit and now I smile because I know that the Lord is just waiting for His timing to be right and then the abundance of blessings will be shooting out of heaven like the papers out of my printer.  I can’t wait to watch them flow! And, the best part of all…I’m not worried about God running out of blessings like I am worried about this printer running out of ink!

OK. I’ve written. Now back to my original task of an Advent Devotional. It’s coming….just wait…I hope.

Micah 7:7
But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  –2 Corinthians 9:8

Psalm 39:7
“And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in You.

Psalm 33:20
Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.

Hosea 12:6
Therefore, return to your God,
Observe kindness and justice,
And wait for your God continually.

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.

Journaling – Give it a try!

I’m sure at some point in your life you kept a diary or a journal or at some point in your life, someone suggested you do.  And, even more, I think at some point in your life you wish you had.  But, still, many people don’t.  I know, easy for me to say, “you should keep a journal.” I have actually journaled daily for over ten years and prior to that I was hit or miss, but still found comfort in writing things down. When I wasn’t “journaling” officially, I was jotting down notes in calendars that I have saved that date back to 1991. (I know, saving all this stuff should be a topic of another blog and maybe a decluttering intervention!) Regardless, things in our life happen and there is just something cathartic about writing it down.

Journal types vary as much as personality types and I believe with a little effort you can find something that will work for you. 

I journal every morning in a blank lined journal. I purchase these and get these as gifts and they are just blank and I start off writing “thank you for a good night’s sleep” in most entries.  I just write my thoughts, prayers, and thankfulness and journal about the things that happened the day before and also anything that I may have concerns about in the future.  For me, my thoughts and prayers are interwoven, so I tend to jot down names that come to mind and pray for them.  This seems to be the perfect way for me to clear my head, make a plan, and start my day.

Guided Journal – These are fun ways to record some hopes, dreams, ideas, and history. You don’t have to commit to writing daily (but don’t forget to write the date when you do!) Sometimes a page will post a prompt that really gets you thinking or makes you want to take action. In my current guided journal, some of the questions are: “How do you find peace in tough times?” ” Who is someone you shouldn’t give up on?”  and “Reflect on a time when you needed a new beginning.” Guided journaling is a bit more intentional, but looking back at them later is very rewarding.  Definitely worth the time investment!

Bullet Journaling – This is the most fun and the best idea for someone who had trouble getting through all the words in this post so far! I started bullet journaling on April 25, 2020. I took a Zoom class with the Butler Library during the global pandemic and my first entry in my journal says, “We are to be on stay at home orders for 2 more weeks. What goals or habits should I try to track for 2 weeks.” (2 WEEKS?!) Short and sweet a bullet journal can help you track habits, make lists, and just jot down things in your life.  You can create a different topic on a different page and fill it with boxes to checks, hearts to color in, and doodles of bullet points. I currently use this journal to keep my contact tracing (Oh, what an icky sign of the times!) Some of my pages are lists of fun ideas to do when stuck at home, good things that have happened since March, tracking a Facebook fast & menu ideas. I also write fun quotes in it and scriptures that inspire me. As I flip through pages of ideas, I come across things I want to remember, for example, “Be so busy improving your life that you have no time to criticize others.”  Probably should flip through this bullet journal more often for reminders and inspiration.

Lastly, an informal gratitude list. When I was suffering from a bout of anxiety about the state of things, I kept a note pad by my bed and I jotted down things that brought me joy that day. I thought it would help me sleep and I think it did.  I went to bed thinking of the good things and not the bad and I woke up seeing the reminder of those good things on the nightstand. Girlfriends, Sunshine, A walk outside, winning at cards, and Chinese take out were all listed for me to remember all that I have. 

If none of these ideas appeal to you, don’t hesitate to just write down a little something extra on your appointment calendar to remind you of who you were on that day or make a note in your phone.  Whenever you come across any of these things that you’ve taken the time to write down you will be happy that you did! 

Live, Write, Reflect, Repeat. 

 

 

Embracing Plan B for the Holidays

2020 has been a year of Plan B’s. “Plan B” is defined as an alternative strategy and we have certainly had to come up with some alternative strategies in the last 7 months.  From ordering groceries to be delivered to sanitizing doorknobs, we found ways to live with a global pandemic. We have learned to watch movies at home instead of inside a theater and when we say we are dining out, it often means taking Drive Thru food to a picnic table.  We’ve done it all.  But now, it’s getting colder, we are moving inside and the holidays are coming.  The novelty of finding a solution to everyday problems is getting old. So, how can we embrace Plan B for the holidays? I’m not certain, but I am sure it will require a little help from my friends!

Maybe if we share ideas and encouragement, this year of Plan B’s will become a memory that we look at fondly in 2021, but until then we need to do some work!I quickly made a list of 15 activities I do for the holidays. I went back over the list to see what they would look like this year. Seven of them have already canceled for the season, 5 may cancel yet and 3 I didn’t even enjoy, so I scratched them off the list (Covid-19 is the perfect time to reevaluate what we want to do!) That has made my holidays look like ho-hum days! So, I need to get creative and figure out how to replace the events with some fun Plan B ideas!

Now, I can’t share all my ideas just yet because I don’t want to ruin the surprise of what I am starting to consider, but here are a few things to get you thinking in case you want to join me on this journey.

Greeting Cards – Is this the year to send out Thanksgiving Cards and Christmas Cards again? Maybe even the Christmas newsletter or family photo. People really haven’t seen you this year and a lot has happened!

Can’t have people over? Can you deliver creative care packages?

The novelty of Zoom Calls and Facetime has worn off, but we have a better understanding of how to use them and there are tons of fun ideas for parties and games with those.

Definitely not the holiday I’ve dreamed of, but maybe with the right attitude and right ideas, it will be one of simpler things and deeper meaning. I hope so!