The Beginning of the End

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

~Martin Luther King, Jr.~

What things matter to you?  Will you/do you speak up...or will you/do you remain silent?  My Daddy used to say:  "Sometimes it's better to keep you mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt!"  I ask:  who determines a fool?  

Thank-you, MLK, Jr., for risking speaking up rather than silencing your voice!  You made a difference...and that difference continues today!  

99/PIF/Joy

When you hear the number 99 what comes to your mind? Perhaps the song “99 bottles of beer on the wall”? LOL! Or maybe it’s the story of Jesus leaving the 99 sheep and going after the one that was lost? (that was my first thought! For my eldest daughter 99 represents 1999, the year she turned 18…and graduated high school…and got married! For one special lady 99 represents one more year until she reaches the age of 100~ a centenarian! That dear and lovely woman, “Mrs. M” I’ll call her (for the sake of privacy) turned 99 years of age yesterday…and we had a small party! Some background: Mrs. M fell 5 years ago and broke a hip. She was not a candidate for surgery, due to a heart condition. From the rehab center, she returned to the home she and her beloved spouse built in 1956. She has been a widow for many years; she and her husband had no children. Yet, he took great care to ensure that she would be set for life. So, when she chose to come back home from the rehab center, that meant 24-hour care. We are now beginning our 5th year with her having that care. She is, for all intents and purposes, bedridden. She COULD get up in the wheel chair, but she will not do it, for fear of falling again. Her mind is incredibly intact and physically she is doing quite well. Weighing all of about 90-pounds, and being almost blind in one eye, one would think she would be riddled with sores, aches and pains. But she’s not, albeit a few little things. Mrs. M has handled this phase of her life quietly, gently and with all the integrity of a Godly woman. It is my joy and honor to care for her on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and all day on Friday. Again I wish Mrs. M a blessed and happy birthday and upcoming year!     

                                            

                                                  

One desire for this coming year and my future new blog site is to share some examples of “paying it forward”. This is in no way to be braggadocios…or to elevate myself above anyone else. Rather, the purpose is to share the blessings I receive when the Lord gives me opportunities to reach out and touch someone! It jacks me up!!!! I WILL tell you that the recipient of such acts usually does not know who offered the random act of kindness. That would ruin the joy and fun of it and truly it is now necessary for anyone to know who did what. The reason I may occasionally share here is to encourage you to go and do likewise and often…then sit back and get ready for the joy and blessing you will receive!

PIF #1: My man and I ate dinner out at a Cracker Barrel recently. When it came time to pay the bill and determine the tip, we calculated on a 15% basis, which is our norm. However, we were going to be $1 short of having the right amount. Rather than getting change when we paid and bringing it back to the table, we chose to just leave what we did have, which ended up being about a 35-40% tip. Our waitress was lovely, attentive, courteous, pleasant and working hard. So we decided the extra was much deserved! I walked out of the restaurant on a cloud~ it felt SO GOOD to bless someone else’s life! How sweet of our Lord to lay that opportunity before us! (Ssssshhhh…don’t tell him I told you, because he’s a very private person, but I think it even made my man feel good!)

I previously mentioned that I have chosen this year to participate in “The Joy Dare”. Before joining, however, I was already working on my 1,000 things to be thankful for (thank-you, Ann Voskamp)! Over the next few posts I will be sharing the first many I had done before receiving the awesome outline for “The Joy Dare”. It is going to be a HUGE blessing in my life to walk this journey with so many others…to see what others are thankful for and to express how blessed the Lord has made me! Won’t you join us? I hope so.

And, BTW, if you feel so led, would you please share my blog site address with your family and friends and ask them, on my behalf, to visit here and leave a comment. That would make me a very happy lady indeed!

1000 Grace Gifts: 

      1.            God of the Universe who loves me in spite of myself.
      2.            Friends who love me unconditionally and are willing to do life with my family and me.
      3.            Eyes that still work, in spite of being legally blind in L eye since 3^rd grade.
      4.            A job where I can care for another person in a relaxed environment while being able to do other things while working.
      5.            Safety for Rodney as he travels so much.
      6.            Cars that are holding up for us, in spite of being very old.
      7.            The springtime, where everything is budding and blossoming, splashing color all around me.
      8.            That I do not have environmental allergies.
      9.            The love of music and the ability to sit and play the piano for enjoyment and therapy.
  10.            Doctors who can help us find health restoration.
  11.            My ladies in my Tuesday group who yearn for more of God’s Word and enjoy studying it right along with me.
  12.            That Janna, Mike, Carleigh and Macie are living with us right now, so I have 2 of my 3 children at home, and we are all enjoying one another.
  13.            Financial provision by my husband.
  14.            The ability to communicate with others through many types of modern technology.
  15.            The tinkling sound of wind chimes at Chris’ house and the smile that sound brings to my face.

Happy New Year & I DARE you!

Its 2012~ WOOT!  WOOT!  I’m so stinkin’ excited to see what God has in store for all of us this year!  Do you even remember the Y2K hype?  Seems like forever ago, huh?  Then the world was predicted to end again recently, for the 2^nd or 3^rd time…remember that?  Somehow I don’t think the Lord got the memo!  Gas prices up, gas prices down; housing market good, housing market bad…etc., etc.., etc.  Who knows what this year holds for each of us?  Not you…not me…but I DO know the One who does know and I’m ready for the journey with Him.  I hope you are, as well.

I’m not big on New Year’s Resolutions, as I rarely keep the ones I make.  I do, however, like to set goals and see how close I can get.  So, I have already established a few goals for this year:

      Move from Blogger to Word Press (pray for me!  I likely will have to get someone else involved in this project!) Along with this the purpose of my blog will shift a bit to include some new and exciting things (at least for me, and I hope if you are reading this you will glean much from it, as well….details upcoming! 

      

      Take a photography course.

      

      Paint more (watercolor).

      

      Finish my son’s scrapbook and catch up on both of granddaughter’s scrapbooks (that’s a   lofty goal, I tell ya’!) 

     

      Re-learn how to sew (got a sewing machine for Christmas!  YIKES!)

      

      Exercise at least 3 times a week (please get on your knees right now and pray about this one!)

      

      Deepen relationships, beginning and continuing with my relationship with Jesus!

      

      Spend less; buy only on sale; use coupons; do without; save more!

      

      Travel, travel, travel!  Several trips on the horizon (I hope), beginning with one to Arizona on January 25 with my hubby to see our Dominican daughter, her husband and son, and go with them to the mountains to go sledding and snowmobiling for a couple of days!  I can’t wait!

      

      Take the Joy Dare!

There will be more, to be certain.  Those are good for starters, eh?  Please let me know what you have in store for 2012!

Blessings and love,

Lolli (aka Lisa)