Father Time

Today is the last day of 2012.  Yesterday I posted a timeline of the last twelve months with some major events that occurred in our family.

Among those stories in pictures were:

• An uncle recovering from a stroke
• A niece informing the family of her pregnancy
• The purchase of new property
• The acquision of a new [rescue] dog
• The milestone of our son becoming a Senior in High School
• The middle son becoming a Freshman in College

There are so many other things that took place in between.  As I look back on 2012 I have to ask myself "What have I accomplished?"  What did I agree, or "resolve" to do in January 2012 that I can say I actually did? 

I don't remember exactly!  I do know this...today begins a new list.  It will be a much busier year as we have already lived through our last high school homecoming event, we prepare for prom, senior pictures and graduation. 

We usually begin with changing our eating habits, making an effort to workout more, spending more time with family and before February comes, I have violated all those resolutions. 

I have given more thought to things I am thankful for.  First, we have three kids that are well on their way to adulthood.  My prayer is that God will speak to them and use them in a mighty way.  Second, I still have my extended family in tact.  When I returned from a trip to Fredericksburg, I discovered that a former partner from one of my squads had lost his son in a weather related accident.  I prayed for him and thanked God for my family.  Thirdly, I must concentrate less on leading and more on private worship. 

You see, my Heavenly Father has waited for us to follow him....Father Time waits for no one.  The clock keeps ticking and whether we make the right decisions or not, life and time go on without you.  God wants us to follow him and be obedient to His Word but we can't put it off forever.  

My greatest desire for 2013 is to live a life worthy of my calling and to make myself available for that call.  Paul had the right idea when he wrote his letters. I'm already in trouble as Paul said "...be completely humble, gentle and patient.  I have trouble with all of those.   I pray that in 2013, I will have a timeline that reflects those things along with service, growth and faithfulness.  What about you?

Be Safe!

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Ephesians 4:1

Woman of Virtue....me?

Well here I am again.  Bet some of you thought I fell off the face of the earth...I did not!  I was without my computer for a few days and have done some traveling too.  We just got back from a trip to the hill country.  My second in two weeks and it was fun. Before that was a trip to San Diego and I have to tell you....it's been fun!

I was recently thinking of a very dear friend of mine that called me a couple of weeks ago.  She is a former co-worker who retired a few years prior to me.  She wanted some direction on a woman's event that she was putting together at her church. 

I was super excited...right up my alley.  We both loooove the color purple and her theme colors were purple and gold.  She wanted direction on a "give away" for the ladies.  All she knew was she wanted some kind of "box" to give away....the rest was up to me.  The theme was Woman of Virtue. 

I decided I would meet her at her home and we could "discuss" the particulars of the box.  I thought "I'll go to Pappasitos, pick up some lunch, drive to her home and we'll talk."  Upon having that thought, I told myself ...."No-I don't want to "pick-up" Pappasitos...I want to be served!"  I wanted someone to serve me so I didn't have to "bother" with picking up, delivering it to my friend's house, setting up, and then the mess.

I was so honored that my friend would call me and then...I wanted to be served! The nerve!  You see, the irony in this is that my friend suffers from macular degeneration.  She is in later stages and has difficulty getting around.  If we were to go out, I would have to go get her, drive her and the inconvienence would be on her and I wanted to be served......was I reflecting a woman of virtue?

In the end, she gave me card blanche on the idea anyway.  She said "Just put it together and whatever you come up with is what we'll go with."  The idea was not that I be served but that I serve! Not only my friend, but the women that were going to be honored. 

I recruited my sister and we got to work. I assumed the responsibility of putting together the give away.  I purchased white small boxes and filled them with a gold acrylic shoe, a small purple tea light candle, a mint wrapped in shiny gold wrapping, and a purple or gold ornament with "Woman of Virtue" written on it. 

My reasoning for using those items was this:

The Shoe:  A Woman of Virtue should have a godly walk.  "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." Habakkuk 3:19

The Mint: A Woman of Virtue should be filled with the sweet word of the Lord. "Then he said to me, 'Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.' So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth." Ezekiel 3:3

The Candle: A Woman of Virtue should be a light in a dark world.  "You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Matthew 5:14

The Ornament: As we display an ornament, so should a Woman of Virtue display a godly life. "In everything set them an example by doing what is good." Titus 2:7

The box was then wrapped in purple velvet ribbon with gold piping and it looked beautiful.  I also wrote a poem titled Woman of Virtue..something only God could do, and gave each lady a copy.

I delivered the 25 boxes to her and received a call in San Diego the day of the event.  My friend stated that the women were elated and knowing the passion that my friend has for Christ, there is no doubt she presented a "Holy Spirit" message. 

I am honored to call her friend and am honored that God would use me to walk this journey with her.  Being served....no! Serving others is what makes a Woman of Virtue.  I pray that God will use me and that I will walk in the light of his word displaying a life that is reflective of the Word of God.

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:30



Thank you to my sister Cynthia Garza for her hard work and creativity on the bows for the boxes!

Daddy..Daddy...Daddy

I don't need to say this again.....Oh yes I do!  I am a daddy's girl.  First born girl, first girl in my family to talk, first girl to walk, and first girl to establish that relationship with my father.  The other two were behind me...and I do mean behind. 

I have always had a special relationship with my father long before I heard the term "daddy/daughter dates."  In fact, my father and I didn't begin "dates" until I was well into adulthood.  We purchased season tickets to TUTS and everytime a new show opened, we went and sat in our normal seats [which I might add were great] and we'd enjoy the show. 

Another thing we enjoyed was conversation.  You see with five kids, it was difficult to get conversation time...even as an adult.  As an adult, you don't talk about schoolyard bullies or class work or athletics.  As adults, you have career conversations and with five different careers, we all vied for time.  When I was younger, I always managed to get in this conversation time.  Tenacity helped, I just didn't give up.  I would follow dad when he got home.  I would walk behind him to his dump truck if he got home from work and it needed repairs, I would hold the light attached to the extension cord when it got dark and the others had retreated to the television or homework, I would hand him a screwdriver when he asked for a wrench.  All the while, you guessed it...I was talking! 

Ocassionally dad would respond and sometimes it was with a "hold the light higher" but I will never forget those times.  As time went on, I found dad to be a great listener.  Often times I would say "I need to talk to you....alone...in your bedroom" and we would sit on the bed where I would spill my heart.  My father would respond like only a father could, with the deepest compassion and understanding.  Talk about feeling loved! 

Unfortunately, the other day my husband and I, along with our son Matthew were sitting at a restaurant.  It was a hibachi type where you share the grill/table with six others.  A man and young girl sat next to us.  The girl was beautiful and about 10 years old.  She was talking to her father who was scrolling through his blackberry and responding "uh huh."  Of course looking at his device, he was not making eye contact with the girl.  She continued to talk to him about the events that took place at school and she searched to meet his gaze which was again focused on the blackberry. 

He eventually put the device down and my husband said to him "Enjoy her company....in a blink she will be gone."  The man replied "Yea, she's already so big.  We're out on a date!"  He had it wrong.  As she was calling "Daddy.....Daddy......Daddy..." he was busy. He was deaf to her request.  When she called, he did not respond.

My father was never deaf to my request.  He made time for conversation and although he didn't always agree with me, he was always there for me. 

So it is with my Heavenly Father.  He is always there when I call on him and I don't just call when I need something.  Daily I call on him just to chat and to say thanks and to acknowledge His goodness and faithfulness.   My Heavenly Father is not too busy with technology or anything else.  I am his daughter and when I call "Daddy, Daddy...." He is near!

Listen my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.  I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.  Proverbs 4:10

Navidad

I returned to the public school room this week after the incident in Newtown, Connecticut.  I saw the faces of the precious children in the classroom.  I only thought things were different when I began this journey.  Yesterday I found changes in the school in wake of the sad incident.

I will not share those changes for obvious reasons but they are changes that the children are oblivious to.  I searched the room for an answer as to why this would happen and I did not find it here.  I went about my day with a completely packed schedule.  The teacher left an awesome sub-folder with extra instructions.  I pushed to complete every assignment.

Alas, I was going to fail.  I simply could not do everything and surmised that she had given me extra work in the event that we had extra time...I did not.  I looked at the last assignment, a book titled Navidad.  I thought to myself "I just do not have time to read this, the children are restless, it's the end  of the day and they want to go home."  No! No! No! I can not read it.

Something drew me to the book and I told the children that I would begin reading it but we could not finish it.  I did not need to finish it.  The message was in the first few pages. 

Navidad es cuando nacio el nino Jesus.  Christmas is when baby Jesus was born.  That was the message of the book!  I would have missed the opportunity to deliver that message but more than that, I would have missed the messages the children had about the birth of Christ. 

Although I am bi-lingual, Spanish is not my primary/daily language but there was something so beautiful about hearing a six year old share their story about the "baby Jesus" and the "manger" and Christmas in Spanish. 

In the wake of the heaviness related to the incident that took place at Sandy Hook, it was refreshing to hear these children.  I wanted to hug each one of them.  I was grateful that the teacher left the book for me to read to the class but I was grateful that I found the time to read it.  Chances like that don't come around too often. 

I will not let anyone deny me the right to say Merry Christmas.  For some, it is a holiday party but the truth is that it is a time of our Savior's birth and it is important that we keep sharing that even in the schools.

Feliz Navidad!

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and Mary gave birth to her firstborn, a son [Jesus].  She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  Luke 2:6-7

Pray America

In the weeks leading to the election, our church added a weekly meeting on Sunday nights.    It was  called Pray America. It was a service on Sunday nights that began at 6:00 pm.  It was open to everyone.  I found that it came at a very crucial time.  A time when our country truly needed to be bathed in prayer.

When you walked into the sanctuary, the foyer displayed a large sign that read "Enter in a Spirit of Reverence." The tone was one of reverence.  It was a special time to enter into conversation with our God.  It is a self lead prayer time.  My husband and I usually pray our private prayers, then we prayed openly and publicly for our country.

Today, I found myself longing to walk into our church at 6:00 pm in the spirit of reverence, to pray for our country.  In "our" world, we often forget that "we" consist of 50 states, we consist of numerous cities, and many small towns. 

This week, one of those fifty experienced tragedy...another city has lived through an incident that took the lives of many children, most of them six years old.  The lives of several adults protecting these children were also taken.

There has been a constant display of images, interviews, and opinions on how this happened.  Many will suffer from this for years to come.  As much as we grieve for the families left behind, the students who must return to school and the leaders that must once again lead them...there is still another group that we must pray for and those are the first responders. 

No one is ever be prepared to spend hours at a scene trying to find answers for the family,  no one is ever be prepared to be surrounded by the images that only they will see, no one will go home with those images burned in their memory and walk with them as their constant reminders, no one will face the challenges and responsibilities of those first responders that must clear the scene and prepare the way for the others. 

Those children have a home with Jesus.  Jesus said "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." [Matthew 18:14]  Such a tragedy reminds us that we must continue to pray.  Everyday we must pray. 

What has happened in Newport, Connectitcut is sad for our entire country.  When one cries, we all feel it.  It is a time of sadness and grief both for those gone and those left behind. It is not a time to make this a platform for political issues, it's not a time to place blame, and it is not a time to question what could have been....it is a time to Pray America!

More than Words

"I pledge Alligence to the flag of the United States of America...."

"To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, til death do us part...." 

Both of those phrases are very impacting to me however, without commitment, they are just words. I have seen a generation of kids that can not even recite the Pledge of Alliegance much less pay respect by removing their hats. 

Regardless of where we are, who we're with, or what our surroundings are, if I hear the National Anthem...I'm singing.  Why? Because I love my country and I have a commitment to respect my freedom and those that went before and continue to go in my place to secure that.  

Our wedding vows should merit the same commitment. It's easy when we're all happy and we skip along holding hands but when reality sets in.....not so much. When we're dealing with everyday events and issues, we don't want to think about what the economy is doing to our bank accounts, or how we will survive the teenage years or how losing our job will affect us. 

Things will change....that is a given...you can take that to the bank....and all those other cliches.  When some of us married, we never considered taking care of aging parents, taking in family members, giving up the empty nest for a revolving door, raising grandchildren and so on and so on but those things do happen. 

There have been many decisions made for me about my country and I don't agree with alot of them but I don't leave it.  I don't pack up and get my passport and just leave.  I don't go on strike and refuse to participate in the Pledge of Alliegance or the National Anthem.  I don't support some decisions and I certainly don't agree with them...but I love my country!

Just like we commit to standing and reciting the Pledge of Alliegance, we should remember the words of our vows and live them out.  I have a friend that would tell the story of his wedding band.  He told us that he would often point to his wedding and ask his kids if they knew what it meant.  He would then tell them that the ring was a symbol of his love for their mother and that because of the commitment they made, they would be together for life. 

It is important to be the example to a generation that is so easily impacted by a society that lives in the here and now. Committment, loyalty, and alliegance take more than words.  "I pledge alliegance" means more than "when I feel like it" or "if things go my way" and so does "til death do us part." 

"...at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' So they are no longer two, but one.  Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 
Matthew 19:4-6

White Towel

We had a nice flight both to and from San Diego.  Although I did not really want to come back, I missed my son and anticipated the return.  It was an amazing flight.  I surprised my husband with first class seats on both flights and it was nice.

You immediately receive attention!  Even before everyone else boards, they are already taking your drink order.  Headed there it was orange juice, coffee, milk, water, soft drinks...you name it.  Then they took your breakfast order.   It was omlet, quiche, yogurt, and fruit.  It was awesome.  But before you got your meal, they came by with something else. 

The flight attendant came by with a hot white towel.  She handed it to you with tongs so that you could clean your hands.  It was so neat and the towel was so warm to our cold hands.  We wiped our hands and then she collected our towels.  The towels had cleaned our hands from the newspapers we had read, or the handles we had touched from our suit cases, or the boarding passes we had handled.  I believed our hands were clean but I still took the towel thinking,  "how nice that is to leave all your grime, and dirt on your white towel." 

You know, God offers us a "white towel" of sorts.  He promises to forgive and cleanse us from our sins if we call out to him.  I could have told the flight attendant that I did not need a white towel, my hands were clean but I would have missed out.  I would have missed out on feeling the warmth of the towel and the clean feeling it left. Better still, I would have fooled myself because although my hands felt clean, I had still touched various things that hundreds of other people had also touched just getting through security!

When I returned my towel, I felt comfortable that my hands were clean. When we confess our sins and God forgives us, we can know with certainty that he has cleansed us! Our "white towel."

If we claim to be without sin, we deceibe ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-9

In a Fog

I love visiting San Diego. It is a time of rest and relaxation...if you've ever been on vacation you know that's not exactly true.  You only have a certain amount of time and you want to do everything! Often you return more tired than when you arrived.

We have not had good nights. The time change has really affected us. I was falling asleep at a theatre watching A Christmas Carol. I know those actors saw me sleeping on the second row.  Of course we got home and after sleeping for a couple hours, I couldn't sleep!  I tossed and turned  for several hours.

I suspect I didn't sleep becauseI knew in the morning I would have to do my long run. I would have to run 10 miles.  I woke up with that on my mind and couldn't not go back to sleep.  Perhaps it was the fear of running in a new place.  The last time I did that it landed me at the ER.

At any rate, we have a bay view room which is wonderful for the view but when I woke up around 2:00 AM,  all I heard was a fog horn. It sounded forever! At 5:00 AM it was still going. So.....I decided to count how often it went off.  Every 15 seconds! Yes-that's what I said....every 15 seconds.

It has been very foggy and the horn sounds to let ships know they are close to land. While I was tossing and turning, I began to think "Just how often do ships need to be warned?". Well...its like us! How often do we need to be reminded that temptation lurks around the corner? I would venture to say that every 15 seconds would not be enough. We need to be reminded constantly and yes, it may become annoying but if it keeps us from falling in, wouldn't it be worth it?

I want that internal fog horn to go off in my life and remind me that sometimes I need to be alerted to dangers of sin.  So if I "walk around in a fog" I pray that I will hear the warning sounds and pay attention instead of finding it annoying.

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
Mark 14:38

Don't take it away

I don't think I need to tell anyone how society has changed in the last 20 years or so.  When I was growing up, my mom stayed home for most of the time.  Today, a large number in our society consists of two working parents.  It has only been in retirement that I have discovered how much time "life" really takes out of you.

I spend quite a bit of that time on my computer.  I research, write, create, communicate and so on.  I have not been as deligent as I would like in keeping up with this blog.  I really believe the enemy rejoices in that. 

Yesterday I found out that I have a "mega virus" that precludes me from doing things I need to do.  It has affected my search engine and created a slow, slow, response time for my computer.  For someone as energetic and task driven as I am...that is difficult. 

I told the tech that I would drop it off Wednesday since I would be out of pocket for a couple of days and that would be perfect timing to "give it up" for a while.  I did however, put up a fight.  "Can't you do something here?" as if you could just give it an injection or a pill and make it better.  "Do I have to give it up?"  I ran the gamet from minor to extreme..."Well, I'll just go buy another one." (my husband didn't like that option.)

At any rate, the day is here....I must "pull every plug", dust it off, and drive it to the computer place.  I can physically feel the pains of withdrawl.  When I found out I had to give it up, I told the tech..."But I need it, you just don't understand, particularily these next few days, how will I keep in touch..." and so on and so on.  The tech responded "You have and ipad and an iphone...can't use those?"  Duh?  Yes I can but it's still not my computer!

As the time gets closer and I get separation anxiety [ha ha] I have to think of one thing...."Would I react the same way if someone told me they were taking my Bible for a week?"  So simple a question yet so profound.  We [I speak for me] have made technology a lifeline.  It is a way of communicating with our loved ones though we may be miles or states away, it is a way of researching anything in the world, it is even a way of "seeing" our loved ones through technology. 

With my Bible, I can research anything also.  I can communicate with God and actually feel his presence, I can respond to any question and know with certainty that there is truth in that response if it is found in His Word yet in being frank, many would not miss their Bible if it was misplaced from Sunday to Sunday. 

I am grateful for my ipad because the tech was right...it serves the same purpose.  It even has a Bible app that I rely on often.  The biggest drawback to that is that I am a writer!  You know what I think and how I feel by opening the pages of my Bible because I write it down! 

So, in the big scheme of things, I will miss my computer for a few days and I will give it up willingly.  However, if I have a choice....I will not give up my Bible and I will stand by my statement.."Don't take it away."

Do not let the Book of the Law depart from your mouth; mediate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Joshua 1:8

The Ugly

I have a friend that recently began a Facebook "closed" group called The Last Wives Club.  I love the idea and am grateful to be a part of it.  Recently, I contributed the following:

Almost three weeks ago I had a running accident.  One of my injuries continues to linger...I experienced serious "road rash" to three of my fingers on my left hand.  The injury is extremely painful to the touch but the pinky injury is an eye sore.  I tried to keep it covered but eventually had to remove the band aid.  That is my hand where I wear my wedding ring.  My beautiful, shiny wedding ring.  The diamond shines bright and beautiful but I have to tell you, whenever I look up at my hand, my eye is immediately drawn to the ugly.  The injury is ugly.  It cut to the bone and healing is slow and painful.  I have caught myself re-directing my focus long enough to see the beauty of the ring, but the "ugly" always wins.

I discovered that many times in marriage, we take our eyes off the beauty of what God brought together and we focus on the ugly.  Perhaps we were injured, betrayed, didn't feel loved or respected.  It is detrimental to keep going back to the past and wishing the injury had never taken place.     Everytime I go there, I re-live the accident and feel the pain all over again.  I might add that "when I go there" I linger....another detriment. We can not grow if we keep going back to it.  Get off the ugly,  look beyond it, put it behind you. 

I know that can be difficult because like my fingers, you may have a constant reminder but if you don't get past the injury, you will never have healing.  Even worse, the beauty of marriages stands before you and you will miss it if you keep going back to the ugly.  Like my ring, marriage is beautiful and it was made to shine and glorify our Father...don't get distracted by a past injury or the ugly.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past...I am doing a new thing.  Isaiah 43:18