Just another adventure....

I have a dear friend on Facebook who was driving her car and the steering column fell out right in her lap. She is fine, but getting off the road and stopped was a harrowing experience. When she posted the details, in a humorous light I might add, on Facebook, she made a comment that just stuck with me. She said "I'm fine. It was scary, but just another adventure." She is a very strong Christian and I thought, what a way to look at things. How many times in your life do you get into a situation that is not of your making or is out of your control? How many times do you worry about things that you can do nothing about? Do you let stress get you down when you face mountains? I think from now on, instead of worrying and being all "woe is me", I'm going to look at what I go through, deal with, attend to as "just another adventure." To quote my favorite line from Steel Magnolias, "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger."

One of my all time favorite poetry writers is Helen Steiner Rice. I had a book of her poetry when I was younger and have had many bookmarks over the years that had her poems on it. Here is my all time favorite that always reminds me to be content with what I have, for it is what God wants for me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. There is a legend that has often been told Of the boy who searched for the Windows of Gold. The beautiful windows he saw far away When he looked in the valley at sunrise each day. And he yearned to go down to the valley below But lived on a mountain covered with snow, And he knew it would be a difficult trek, But that was a journey he wanted to make. So he planned by day and he dreamed by night Of how he could reach The Great Shining Light. And one golden morning when dawn broke through And the valley sparkled with diamond of dew. He started to climb down the mountainside With the Windows of Gold as his goal and his guide. He traveled all day and, weary and worn, With bleeding feet and clothes that were torn. He entered the peaceful valley town Just as the Golden Sun went down. But he seemed to have lost his "Guiding Light," The windows were dark that had once been bright. And hungry and tired and lonely and cold He cried, "Won't You Show Me The Windows of Gold?" And a kind hand touched him and said, "Behold! High On The Mountain Are The Windows of Gold." For the sun going down in a great golden ball Had burnished the windows of his cabin so small, And the Kingdom of God with its Great Shining light, Like the Golden Windows that shone so bright. It's not a far distant place, somewhere, It's as close to you as a silent prayer, And your search for God will end and begin When you look for Him and find Him within. Author: Helen Steiner Rice

Why you don't put suds in play dishwater....

I was doing dishes yesterday and Shelby wanted to help me. When we were done, she was upset that their was nothing left to wash. So being a resourceful grandmother, I pulled out a chair and gave her a bowl of water, a dishcloth, dish towels and some of her play dishes. She had a bowl. She wash and rinse and then wash them again. It was so much fun to watch her.

When she took a drink of her dishwater, it made me glad I didn't go the bubble route by putting dishwashing liquid in it. It's gross enough to drink from a bowl you've been playing in, but if it had contained suds it would have been worse.

As I watched her play, knowing I'd have a mess when she was done, I wondered why messes do not bother us as much with our grandchildren as they did with our kids? Do we grow more patient as we grow older? Or do we finally come to realize that they are small for such a short while.

As parents, all the responsibility falls on our shoulders to raise them right, provide for them, help them grow. As grandparents, our job is so simple.... play with them and love them....and don't let them get hurt while you are the one in charge.

When I get to play with my grandkids, it's like be little again and have dolls that are interactive. Thank God for grandbabies.

How sad.....

How sad is it to reach 53 years old, work for a living since you were 18, hold down jobs where you are a manager over 10 employees, start your own business and run it successfully, but have to call your mom and say "How to you fix scrambled eggs?" That's right. I do not know how to cook. Well at least not very much stuff. I can do meatloaf and hamburgers or hotdogs. I can boil an egg and make a few "easy" items. But I have never fixed a scrambled egg. I've watched Allen many times, but never really paid much attention. I was always the one who volunteered to keep the little ones out of the kitchen while others did the cooking. I was the one who received a cook book as a wedding gift that was titled "How to Boil Water". I was the one who had the picky appetite and didn't care how it was fixed as long as I didn't have to eat it. I was the one who loved desserts and can bake anything coming and going. But, cook? Not me. When I called Mom and asked "How do you fix scramble eggs?" I can just imagine her standing their, staring at the phone and sadly shaking her head. Some things are probably better left unasked.

My life

As I sit here thinking of the life that I have led, I think of all the things I’ve done and all the things I’ve said. I think about the paths I chose that brought me to this spot. I think of all the things I am and all the things I’m not. But when it all is said and done and I journey on my way, I know it’s not about what I was, but what I am today. It’ not about the things I’ve said, or how I used to be. It’s all about the life I lived, once Jesus set me free. I’ve come to understand myself a lot better than before. I’m filled with peace and joy and hope for all the things in store. For when I reach my heavenly home and walk on streets of gold, It will be about my brand new life and not my days of old. Copyright Brenda Keefer

A Walmart Wanderer

I have taken to wandering the aisles of Wal-Mart. At the same time I am wondering "What were they thinking?" Their corporate office says: "The new layout is easier to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for necessities." I say: "Not so much". Now you all know I am a die-hard Wal-mart fan. However, I am having a hard time adjusting to the change. I think they need to invent a WPS (a GPS for Wal-mart's new layout). You cannot find anything. When I ask an employee where something moved to, they generally can only point me to one of the huge round signs. I was looking for a simple picture frame recently. I was told go to the big blue sign that says "Home Decor" or something like that. Well, guess what. That is EVERYTHING for the home .... plastic containers, ironing needs, vacuums, towels, dishes, pots & pans, etc. And I finally found the frames on the back side of the last aisle - directly across from the personal care section. It would be easier if she had said "across from the shampoo." So now instead of "Go to aisle 11" you get to go to a "section" that has about 15 or 20 aisles so you can find it yourself. And it seems like everything I want has been discontinued as an item they no longer carry. They dropped over 1000 items from their inventory I was told. Their craft section is pathetic compared to the past. They have a limited selection of materials and now pre-package a lot of it in kits or 2 - 3 yard packages. I recently purchased hair gel at Target and paid about 40 cents more (gasp) for it because I simply did not feel like fighting the aggravation of looking for it at Wal-mart. For someone who is a major bargain shopper and discount queen, that is making a HUGE statement. It is a sad, sad world when I prefer Target over Wal-mart....and don't even feel unfaithful about it.

My calm in the storm

With all the dark clouds and fierce storms we've had lately, I'm reminded of the word in that song "Sometimes He calms the storm, sometimes He calms me." As I was playing it in my car yesterday, I got to thinking about it and it made me wonder about the storms in our lives. How many of the storms we face are caused by the world around us and how many are of our own making? Many times, we have people who will say or do something that makes our life miserable. We give too much control over our feelings and actions. These are the times that I believe Satan is working his hardest to get at us and to chip away at our faith and beliefs. These are the times we should be dropping to our knees constantly asking for God to bring us through the storm, protected and safe. But how many times do we create our own storms? We doubt ourselves and second-guess everything we do. We worry over things we have no control over until it becomes an obsession that keeps us from moving forward the way God wants us to. We take casual remarks to heart and think that it was meant specifically for us, when it has nothing to do with us. These are the storms that we create that keep us from leading full, happy lives. Storms of our own making are self-doubt and fear. The very things we fear, in most cases, never come to be. Yet, we will let these fears rule our lives. Self-doubt is a destructive weapon that can bring grown men to their knees. As you battle the storms in your life, not only ask God to bring you through them, but ask Him to help you stop creating them. He is always there. Our fail-safe. Our protection. Our guide. We just don't always call on Him until the storms get so bad we can't handle them on our own.