Crushed

Satan wants you to feel so crushed over your loss that you’ll let go of your faith.  He wants you to doubt God’s love and faithfulness.  He wants you think nobody cares and that that your suffering will never go away.  He would like nothing better than to make you ineffective in every area.

A MOTHER'S PATH

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long way?" she asked. And the guide said: "Yes, and the way is hard and you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young Mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years so she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the Mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the Mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children, "A little patience and we are there."

So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you."

And the Mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today I have given them strength."

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the Mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light."

And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness.

And that night the Mother said "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children GOD!"

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.

And mother said: "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone and the children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."

And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said: "We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence."

Your Mother is always with you. She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street, she's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks, she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well.

Your Mother lives inside your laughter.
And she's crystallized in every teardrop. 

She's the place you came from, your first home;
And she's the map you follow with every step you take.

She's your first love and your first heartbreak,

and nothing on earth can separate you...

Not time, not space ... not even death!

Be Kind

I don't understand why people have to be mean. Why can't everyone talk calmly to one another and treat each other with kindness and love?  Yes, I disagree with a lot of people but being mean or rude to them does not prove my point...no matter what it is!  BE KIND today. Please.

He Rose and Conquered the Grave!!

Happy Easter!  Rejoice!  We have HOPE!

You are the best!

On January 31, 1997, Matthew and I were in Las Vegas for his work.  He would get up early and leave for a conference, and I would sleep in and join him later.  On January 31, he left me this note:

I looked it up and it said: "There are many good women, but you are the best!"  It made my heart flutter and it made me smile ear to ear.  I'm so incredibly thankful for him and his love.  And so glad that God knew I needed him.  That note now lives in my Bible holding the place of Proverbs 31:29.

(Also, let's take a minute to smile at the "beep me"...those were the days, right?)