Mother's Day

                                                          Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.



Be still, my soul!--the Lord is on thy side;
    Bear patiently the cross of grief and pain;
  Leave to thy God to order and provide,--
    In every change He faithful will remain.
HYMNS FROM THE LAND OF LUTHER


Happy Mother's Day everyone! Best scene of the day? A father carrying his little boy in his arms, each of them holding a bouquet of flowers. Hmm, I wonder whom for? Could it be mom?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't need all the hoopla of the day to make me feel special. I feel loved everyday. My children are 32 and 28 years old. I have seen many Mother's Day in that time. I have received colored drawings of Lord knows what it was to a handful of dandelions. I've gotten real expensive gifts and some simple ones like a handwritten card. They all have meant the same to me.

There is one gift that I want and that's a relationship with them. It's a wonder to me every day that they still want to hang with me. There is nothing more precious than that. I wish the same for all of you. 

                                                          Emily,

                                                           Joey.

HAVE A blessed day everyone. 

A Place Of My Own

                                                                           Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                             everyday is a journey.


This past January, I turned fifty-two years old. Yay! Exciting times are ahead and I'm definitely looking forward to the future. Especially, when that future holds Simplicity and Tiny Living. What will that look like? Will it be an Rv or a Thow?  Or something else altogether. I haven't made up my mind for sure yet, but I am checking every avenue possible.

It doesn't matter if I live to see it or not. To say that I'm looking forward to old age would be an understatement. What I'm excited about has to do more with living the lifestyle I've always wanted than the where. 


We all need something to look forward to. It could be a daughter's wedding. A son's future baby. It doesn't matter, all that does  
matter is hope. Without Hope we have no reason to go on. 

I sound very positive, don't I? Well, that wasn't the case the other day as I traveled to the city. I've forgotten the construction on every street. I've forgotten about the constant traffic. I've forgotten how absolutely rude people can be. I honestly don't know which is worse, the men or the women?

As I drove home amidst all the chaos, all I wanted was silence. I immediately thought of Central Illinois and driving past a field of corn or soybeans. Quiet. Peaceful. Beautiful sky. A long winding road. No one else on it.

You have no idea, how often people laugh at me whenever I say I want to live in an RV. They laugh at me, "You want to live in a trailer park?" A resounding YES! Anything is better than all this concrete. I think they're calling me trailer trash. They're judging me as a person by where and how I choose to live. I might actually look poor to them. That's the city, they judge you by what you own. Give me a Pastor in overalls anytime! That's me. 

Let me tell you. That place of my own couldn't happen fast enough. The problem is that I have to wait at least five years for it. I have to make all the right decisions at the right time. So for now, I just dream about it. I dream about what will be, if not here then in Heaven. There's a place just for me.

Have a blessed day everyone. 

The Puzzle

                                                                 Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.


Teach me, my God and King,
    In all things Thee to see,
  And what I do in anything,
    To do it as for Thee.
G. HERBER


A few weeks back, my grandchildren came for a visit. Usually, these visits are planned ahead of time, but that wasn't the case this time. You know, they're constantly surprising me. Just when I think that they're getting too old to want to hang out with grandma, they prove me wrong. 

It all started with a puzzle. The real surprise here was my 14 year old grandson. He loved it! 

                                         When he sat down with me, his mind went to work and pretty soon that puzzle began to fill out. A scene unfolded. 

     

 A scene unfinished since it was time for them to head back home. He was so crestfallen. On our way out, I told him I would take a picture and send it to him when I finished it. He looked at me and said, "Grandma, you mean you're going to finish it without me?" Be still my heart, he still wants to hang out with me. 

The finished piece sent to my Tim. Beautiful piece, but the memory that went with it was priceless!

Have a blessed day everyone.

A Fallen Tree

                                                                            Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                           everyday is a journey.



A single sin, however apparently trifling, however hidden in some obscure corner of our consciousness,--a sin which we do not intend to renounce,--is enough to render real prayer impracticable. A course of action not wholly upright and honorable, feelings not entirely kind and loving, habits not spotlessly chaste and temperate,--any of these are impassable obstacles. If we know of a kind act which we might, but do not intend to, perform,--if we be aware that our moral health requires the abandonment of some pleasure which yet we do not intend to abandon, here is cause enough for the loss of all spiritual power. 
F. P. COBBE.

The other night, as I was waiting for Emily to come out from work, I noticed a group of young men around a car. Of course, no surprise there. Where there are cars, one can find a group of men cloistered round it. I believe men are born with cars and sports on their minds, but that's a different story.

So I sat there in my car, fascinated more each passing minute as the group of young men grew larger. It looked as if they were trying to move this vehicle. They pushed from the front. They pushed from the back. Nothing worked. The car would not move no matter how many able-bodied young men pushed with all of their strength. 

I'm not sure exactly what made me realize that there was a tree underneath that vehicle. It was the usual young tree that one sees in a parking lot. All I could think about was how in the world did that youngster do that? I mean, how did that tree get underneath his car? Why would he attempt to drive over that tree?

I do not understand men just like they don't understand us women. Pretty soon the manager came out, stopped and with hands on her hips demanded what was going on. I sat there and I watched this melodrama unfold in front of me. It was like a scene from Charlie Brown, WAA WAA WAA. I could see the young men trying desperately to explain how they came into this predicament. I mean, it's one thing to be reprimanded for a job not well done, but this was a fallen tree underneath the car that they ran over! 

Honestly, I felt for these young men. I immediately thought of something a young lady I know says to me all the time. Just when you think you have it bad, someone else out there has it worse. 

Have a blessed day everyone. 

The Olden Days

                                                                       Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                        everyday is a journey.



Guide us through life; and when at last
    We enter into rest,
  Thy tender arms around us cast,
    And fold us to Thy breast.
H. F. LYTE.



I grew up on Avon, Tupperware, Saturday Matinees, bowling  and McDonalds. Even though I didn't get to eat at McDonalds. According to my father, we had food at home. That was my childhood. It was quite common to have Tupperware parties and housewarmings. All these things were inexpensive for families to partake in. Oh, that ice cream truck was cheap, too. Annoying, but cheap. 

Nowadays, none of these things are considered economical. And when did Tupperware become so expensive? Or am I just getting old? One cannot do any of these things on a regular basis with their families. Take a family of four out to the movies and see how quickly the money disappears from your wallet. Even McDonald's isn't the same anymore. They became famous, because it was economical for parents to get a Happy Meal for their child. It didn't break the bank. It did fatten up our children, though.

Boy, do I sound old, eh? Truth is, I am getting old. When we're young, we cannot wait to become older. We want to be adults so badly. Then when we become old, we want to go back to the simpler way of life. 

My favorite memory of my brothers and I, happens to be when we were extremely little back in Poland. We were just running through the fields on our parent's farm. I love that memory, because it represents freedom to me. Freedom in childhood. We had no huge responsibilities, even though we felt so overwhelmed by chores, didn't we?

I want that simplicity. Somewhere along the path of my living life, everything became muddled, stressful and materialistic. My life became stuff, tons of stuff. I'm so sick of stuff. I stand inside my pantry, feeling claustrophobic. This pantry is filled with all sorts of appliances. A juicer, mixer, blender, food processor, toaster oven, can opener, ice cream maker, waffle maker, popcorn machine. There's more, but why bore you?

Emily can have it all. I'm quite happy with 4 bowls, 4 spoons, 4 forks. Anything beyond that I consider a party and then it's time to bring out the paper plates. The more I think about it, the more I believe it is the correct way in life. We older folks should move over, spend our days enjoying life more and leave the rest to those youngsters. Let them spend the majority of their life collecting stuff until they become old and the cycle begins anew. Then they can talk about the olden days. 

Have a blessed day everyone. 

Why Do We Do What We Do?

                                                        Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                         everyday is a journey.

We tell Thee of our care,
Of the sore burden, pressing day by day,
And in the light and pity of Thy face,
The burden melts away.
We breathe our secret wish,
The importunate longing which no man may see;
We ask it humbly, or, more restful still,
We leave it all to Thee.
SUSAN COOLIDGE.


Why do you come to Church every Sunday? Why do you go to work everyday? Or drink a cup of coffee every morning?  Or read a paper every Sunday?

That question stared up at me from the reflection of the computer monitor. Here, in one of my devotionals, I'm being asked Why do we do what we do? What brings me to do the things I do every single day? What is that motivation behind it? There is a reason behind everything, we just have to be honest about it. 

For someone who is a born again Christian, I'm pretty ritualistic. I basically have the same routine every single day. I even do these things in the same exact order every single day. I get up, make the coffee, have a bagel, read my e-mails etc., etc. There is a routine that has reason only to me. I need this routine.

 Sometimes, I'm way better organized and productive. There are also times that I barely get anything done. This Winter, I fell into the barely getting anything done routine and suddenly everything became more difficult. I think that is the main reason why I do my ritualistic routine every morning. So I stay on track with my purpose. Without it I become lethargic. 

Besides all that, there has to be a broader perspective on why we do what we do. There is something about leaving a footprint that is our own. We have this need not to be forgotten through time after we're gone. We do things for mankind, for our families and for ourselves. We want our existence here on Earth to be for something.

Church, for instance, holds a very spiritual and fulfilling purpose to my soul. I need Church and I need God to get through daily living. I need my Ministry and my writing as therapy for my cancer. If I don't follow this routine and partake in any of these activities, I'm crabby. Out of balance and out of sorts. 

We all need something to take that stress off us. We need to live life, have a purposeful existence and be among people. Even if we don't care much for them, relationships are important, because we cannot be alone. We are not meant to be alone. We need all these things to help balance out our physical and mental well-being. A little bit of this and a little bit of that makes a perfect us. Makes who we are now.

Have a blessed day everyone.

Still Waiting

                                                                               Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.           


A little thought will show you how vastly your own happiness depends on the way other people bear themselves toward you. The looks and tones at your breakfast-table, the conduct of your fellow-workers or employers, the faithful or unreliable men you deal with, what people say to you on the street, the way your cook and housemaid do their work, the letters you get, the friends or foes you meet,--these things make up very much of the pleasure or misery of your day. Turn the idea around, and remember that just so much are you adding to the pleasure or the misery of other people's days. And this is the half of the matter which you can control. Whether any particular day shall bring to you more of happiness or of suffering is largely beyond your power to determine. Whether each day of your life shall give happiness or suffering rests with yourself.
GEORGE S. MERRIAM.

Isn't that the absolute truth, the above statement? Or at least, in my case it is. Every single day, I begin my day with a renewed hope. Hope that it will be better than yesterday. Hope that a person I know may be changed or or at least on the road to a better life. Hope that my situation will work out according to my wants. Hope in what is yet to be. Hope, period. 

Sometimes, things work out real great and the day goes on beautifully. And sometimes, it doesn't. Either way, hope keeps us alive and looking forward to the each new day. 

Like almost everyone out there, I have a heart wishlist. A wishlist of things that are so dear to me. Not all of them on the list are for me, some are for my children or grandchildren. Some even for good friends. This heart wishlist can hurt at times, because of the waiting. We all dislike waiting, especially if it involves a heart wish that means so much to us.

Whenever I begin to feel negative thoughts entering, I just try to remember any heart wishes that have come true already. Or I try to think of all the small things we take for granted every single day. Good things happen to us everyday, but we refuse to see it, because we consider it too small. We need to be thankful for these small pleasurable treasures that God places as He goes before us. 

Joyce Meyer's has said that whenever we feel like our faith may begin to waiver and negative thoughts seep in, that's when we should keep repeating I trust you God, I trust you God. Keep saying that to yourself all day if you have to, just don't allow the devil to steal away your belief in your heart wishes. These heart wishes are God's promises to us and He intends to fulfill them. 

Have a blessed day everyday.