When Love Comes

Love comes in many forms and fashions. It's the overwhelming need to be near a special person. It's the deep, heartfelt satisfaction of knowing you are loved in return. It's a kindness and caring that makes you put the other person's needs and wants first. It a feeling between a husband and wife, when they share a secret smile across the room. It's the touch of a loving hand on your shoulder when you are having a bad day. It's a hug for no reason or a peck on the cheek. It's the placement of a hand on the small of your back as you down through a store. It's the mutual satisfaction of a job well done or a task completed. It's the tender arm casually wrapped around you while you sleep. It's a feeling between and mother and child. It's the joy that child brings when he conquers something new. The praise you lavish on it when it aces a spelling test or learns new math formulas. It's the laughter you share when they act silly, dancing and darting around the room. It's gentle smile a mother gives when that same active child is tucked quietly in bed at night. It's a feeling between a grandmother and her grandchildren. It's the awe and wonder that your heart feels when you hold each of those special gifts for the first time. It's the astonished that you feel that you still have so much love in your heart to give. It's the joy you feel when that precious grandchild, in a room full of family, wants to sit on YOUR lap or lay in YOUR arms. It's the smile that lights their eyes when they enter a room and run to you, arms open, with a big hug and kiss and a sweet precious "Hi mamaw". It's a feeling between mother-in-laws and their in-law children because you know how much joy that son-in-law and daughter-in-law bring into the lives of your child. It's the thankfulness you feel when you know your child has chosen well. It's the thrill of pleasure when you see the beautiful children that would not be who they are if it were not for both their parents. It's the peace and contentment of having a full family around the kitchen table again for the holidays. It's a feeling between siblings that outlasts all others. It's a common thread that binds us with the memories of our childhood. It's knowing when you move away, there is someone back home that cares and someone that will look after your parents when you aren't there. It's a feeling between friends as you share happy memories of days gone by. It's the laughter you share over an embarrassing moment that you can share with no one but a true friend. It's picking up the phone and calling because you are having a bad day. It's hanging up the phone and knowing your day is better just because you have such a good friend. It's being able to vent and knowing that the friend will take your side...no matter what. It's knowing that in an emergency, when family is not available, you still have someone to turn to. So to my husband, to my son, to my daughter, to my daughter-in-law, to my son-in-law, to my mother & father, to my siblings, to my friends and to the four most special people in my life, my grandchildren, I love you. Thanks for giving me your love in return.

My lists have lists

My name is Brenda Keefer and I am a list-aholic. That's right, I'm obsessed about having a "list". No matter what the occasion. I have to-do lists for my job, honey-do lists for my husband, lists for my shopping, anything that can be listed. If it can be done, seen, bought or used, I probably have a list somewhere for it. Sometimes I'm proud of my lists and sometimes, like yesterday I think I get a little over the top with it. Allen and I went on our weekly "outing". We decided to go to Sam's and price supplies for an upcoming workshop for my clients. We get there and are approaching the aisle with the items we were wanting to price. I efficiently reached inside my purse to pull out my list. OH NO! I didn't have my list. I didn't even have a notebook or pen in my purse (I had just changed purses that morning). This was not good. I actually stood there in a panic, thinking "What are we going to do? What am I supposed to be looking at? What will I write the prices on." That's when I realized it. I'm addicted to lists. How did I get to this point? When did I become so dependent on pen and paper and quit using my memory? I bet there are other ways to stay organized. I'm sure many times it is a habit and I don't even need the list. I'm going to have to give this some thought. I might just have to make a list of my other options. Oh no, here we go again.....

Why are we shocked?

From the time we are a little child, we are taught to pray. We learn "God is great, God is good." We kneel down at bedtime for "Now I lay me down to sleep". When we grow up in church, we have prayer in Sunday School class. We pray during the singing in church. We pray before the preacher preaches and again for the altar call. Then we pray again to close the service. In our daily lives, we take time to pray when something bothers us. We pray for those around us. We pray for a multitude of reasons. We are taught that if we pray in faith believing, God will answer. We even pray for God to strengthen our faith. With all this praying, you would think we would be conditioned to know that his answer was a done deal. But I have noticed lately, many of the people I come into contact with show remarkable surprise when their prayers are answered. We, as a whole, believe in the power of prayer. Yet when God shows up with the answer, we react with "Oh my gosh! I just prayed for that to happen." Like it is a great mystery as to why or how our prayer was answered. There should be no surprise. Faith is believing in something you cannot see. It is an automatic acceptance with no "what if's". Yet, as we exercise our faith that we believe God will provide, we still jump back in amazement and say "WOW" when he does. If we pray with a childlike heart and an acceptance that it is a done deal, we should see a great many more of our prayers being answered. Jesus said it best when he said: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you"

What I Like About Fall

Fall is not a season. Fall is a place to be visited in our memories. Growing up, fall was a special time for us. Friday's in fall were for football. Daddy never missed a home game of the Barboursville Pirates. When we were young, Dad would head out to the football game with his jacket and sometimes his umbrella. We would gather in the yard to play as the evening sun set and the temperature would drop. Rachel and I would do cheers and cartwheels as we rooted for our team, even though we weren't at the game. Jack and Andy would be playing football in the yard. When dark would start to settle in up our hollow, Mom would call us in. We would get our baths and put on our pajamas. Then we would settle down to watch our black and white TV. Mom would always have a package of Saps Glazed Donuts and would make us big cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows. As we got older, we were allowed to go to the game sometimes with Dad. My parents never drove so we didn't own a car. It was about a mile walk to the football field. Those cool October evenings turned even colder after the game as we walked up the hollow to the house. Nothing was more inviting than walking in from the cold, crisp fall air to the aroma of hot chocolate and the sweet taste of glazed donuts waiting for us. Memories like this are why I like fall. Think I'll go make me a cup of hot chocolate.

Food for thought

Do you ever receive those "get to know me" emails? The ones where you change the answers to fit you and pass it on to your friends to get to know everybody better? Guilty. I'm one of those senders who loves to find out more about the people I know. One thing that I have found is that inevitably there is a question about food. Have you ever noticed that their is always a question somewhere in the list that the answer just has to be "Chocolate". Whether it is your favorite comfort food, your favorite dessert or you favorite ice cream flavor, chocolate receive an overwhelming acknowledgement. It can comfort you in times of stress. It brings extreme pleasure to your taste buds. No other food on earth can make a person forget everything and smile with a deep sign when they take that first bite of chocolate for the day. But it occurs to me that if you have respect for chocolate, you must acknowledge its counterpart....peanut butter. You never see anyone say "peanut butter cookies" or "peanut butter fudge" as their favorite. I make a peanut butter fudge that is the best I've ever had. In honor of peanut butter lovers everywhere, I'd like to share the recipe with you. PREP: Grease a 9 x 13 cake pan with butter 4 cups sugar 1 can Carnation Evaporated Milk (12 oz) Mix together and place on burner over medium heat. Stir the entire time you make this or it will scorch. When it comes to a full boil, continue to stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add: 1 bag Reese's Peanut Butter Baking Chips 1 Stick Parkay Margarine Beat until Reese chips are melted. Pour in a prepared cake pan. Refrigerate. As it starts to set up, cut into slices. Keep refrigerated. I have had people who make this and substitute the Parkay or Carnation for different brands and they tell me it makes a big different. Stick with what is suggested if possible. Let me know what you think of it when you try it. Have a happy day!

The File Cabinet

My heart is like a drawer, for each thing there is a file. Some stay there forever and some for just a while. One day as I was kneeling, the Lord began to look. As he saw the files I kept, I watched as his head shook. “My child, this will not do. These files do not belong. You felt that you would need them all, but oh you were so wrong.” I watched as He flipped through them, reading every tab. Leaving in the good ones and pulling out the bad. He left in peace and kindness, but hate went in the trash. It was followed by greed and gossip. They were destined to be ash. He pulled out jealousy and fear, but left in hope and faith. I watched as He worked diligently; determination on his face. When all the wickedness was gone, empty slots could be seen. I watched His face light up with joy; his eyes began to gleam. He filled each empty folder with all the love that it would hold. He slipped them back into my heart to stay as I grow old. He dusted off His hands and said “I’m finished. I must be on my way. Now that we’ve cleaned out those old files, I’m in your heart to stay. For though you thought I’d left you and you wondered where I’d been, I was here all along just waiting for room to enter in.”

By the Dawn's Early Light

I was just fixing my hot chocolate and opening the curtains as I was waiting for the sun to rise. For some reason, it made me think of the line in the Star Spangled Banner, "by the dawn's early light." Any of you that know me well, know that I will "google" anything that hits my fancy of the moment. You guessed it, I googled our national anthem. I found several interesting facts that I'm sure I learned in history class at some point, but as I've aged, I had forgotten. One of the most interesting thing I learned was that the Star Spangled Banner has more than one verse. But part of the last verse really made me think. It is... Then conquer we must, when our cause. it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust" And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! For whatever reason, the most important line in the entire song is never sang. It is a profound statement that puts our minds at ease, removes our worries, shoulders our burdens, guides our footsteps: In God is our trust. How many people would have a better life and live in a better world if they just placed their trust in God. It is still a battle that we are fighting today, 195 years after Frances Scott Key wrote those words. They have taken prayer from the schools, they are fighting to remove In God We Trust from government buildings and currency. Many people do not know that In God We Trust was not even printed on paper currency until 1956, though it was on certain coins in the late 1800's and early 1900's. In 1776 Thomas Paine wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls." That is as applicable today as it was then. If we as a nation spent more time on our knees placing our trust in the very God that helped us form this nation, you have to wonder what a different place the world would be. So each time you see the dawn's early light, give praise to the one that created it and remember to always place your trust in Him.