Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago
~Pete Seeger

If you live in an area where it gets cold enough to plunge anything outside that's alive into a deep freeze, you know the appreciation of the first lively green shoot to appear from dark soil or the evidence of spring in a swollen bud on an apple tree.

There are people who love the four seasons: Spring's new birth, the steady heat of Summer, crisp goodbyes of Fall, and the sleepy cover of Winter. Other people crave the year round warmth where 65 degrees is sweater weather and others prefer the white tundras of Alaska where summer is a distant memory.

Each climate in any geographical location needs particular conditions to sustain life and flora. The north needs frigid winters to destroy etiological predators that have cocooned under hidden places so they can emerge in Spring and eat through the new life. The tropical south requires warmth all year and one hard frost can destroy crops and hopeful cana lilies ready to bloom.

No climate is prefect and no season remains forever. Life is the same way. Maybe you're in a state of stasis and it's not the time for you to emerge from your cocoon or you may find yourself hurled ahead by a raging river, swollen by melting snows rolling down the mountains. No climate of life can be perfect and may never be the way you'd hoped for. You can't leave and move to a better climate. You either have to bundle up against the bitter cold, or endure the heat of angst. Adapt and grow no matter what season God has placed you in.



Bloom where you are.

I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

Ecclesiastes 3:10-14 (NIV)

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All You Need is Love

I love Facebook.

It's so cool to be hooked up to people all over the world: cousins in Italy, sisters in Florida, like-minded writers, people suffering through health ailments as myself, organ donor families, and so many more. I receive blessings when people share goodness, struggles, sadness, loss, and stories of encouragement.

Last week I saw a post from a family on the East Coast about their little boy, Christopher. I believe he is five years old and can't go trick or treating due to illness and exposure to germs. Here is the picture and post:

"Someone likes his costume ... had it on 'till bedtime last night and put it on first thing this morning.

Any of you who live close that want to put snacks aside for him, please let me know. We can't do door to door trick or treating because of exposure risk, but he is still excited about Halloween. And thanks ahead of time for taking that extra step and thinking of our 'lil man. xoxo"

That post got me. I messaged his mom and asked if I could send a treat in the mail. She gave me her address and said they were limiting his sugar. But he liked salty snacks.

This is Christopher's story:

Christopher was born in April 2008 with non-compacted cardiomyopathy, a very rare condition where the heart muscle remains sponge-like after birth and causes the heart to be very weak. Christopher's cardiomyopathy affects his right and left ventricles where it is very hard for his heart to pump and function correctly. They said the only option we had to medically intervene, was a heart transplant. At that time, we opted against with only the very best quality of life in mind for him. We also didn't have guarantees he would survive if we attempted to transplant.

Christopher was not given very long to live. Six months at the most. But we believed that the doctors could tell us what they knew from books, but our Mighty God is the Great Healer and could fully heal his heart either way. We placed him at the Lords feet and asked Him to give us strength for whatever was His will. We knew he would be okay, but we would need some help. At 45 days old, he was admitted into hospice care where he remained for 15 months. But Milestone after milestone passed.

In February 2010, it was discovered that Barth Syndrome (BTHS) is the cause of Christopher's cardiomyopathy. Barth syndrome is a rare, sex-linked genetic disorder of lipid metabolism that affects males. Christopher has home-bound speech therapy three times a week and is currently doing very well, all things considering!

With this diagnosis is affirmation to never lose sight of the trust we must have in our Father in Heaven. We still depend on miracles every day. God is in control, and He doesn't do half miracles and our trust in Him has never failed us.

Christopher received his surprise in the mail today. A package went from my home in Washington State to this small boy in Mississippi. I don't know this family. I never met Christopher. But by the pictures his mom tagged me in on Facebook, I know he received the love I sent today.

I feel selfishly blessed.

When you go out of your comfort zone, schedule, or whatever zone and do something kind for another person, you have showed love. Not a card that will be thrown away, a phone call that won't offer a physical hug, a cyberspace message of prayer and thoughts, or even a check that can pay bills, but not fill someone's heart with love can be substituted for real, intentional compassion and caring.

Do an act of kindness a least once a week or whenever you can. A tangible act of kindness can be of little financial value that delivers true love to the recipient. Do this for people you don't know at all or hardly know. Do this for a friend or family member you may not really like.

Just do it.

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New York State of Mind

Some folks like to get away,
Take a holiday from the neighborhood.
Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood.
But I'm takin' a Greyhound on the Hudson River line.
I'm in a New York state of mind.
I've seen all the movie stars in their fancy cars and their limousines.
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens.
I know what I'm needin', and I don't want to waste more time.
I'm in a New York state of mind. ~Billy Joel, New York State of Mind

New Yorker's get a bum rap. We mean what we say. We like to speak our mind. You never have to worry what we're thinking--we'll let you know. Brainstorming is talking about ten subjects at once with a group of people. But we always know exactly what each other said.

We believe in freedom and are the most NON judgmental people there are. We won't tell you what to do or how to live or what to think. But get in a line at the deli and wonder what to order and we'll help you figure it out.

We like to hash things out; sometimes with raised voices and by waving our hands wildly. Once everyone has said their view, we walk away without hard feelings. We like to debate and let everyone have their own opinion.

We love life. Fighting for a good thing means winning is the only acceptable outcome. That means we sweat and work until all resources are extinguished. If you need help--we're there. We will stand up and die for people we don't even know.

New Yorker's live among every nationality in the world in New York City. But no one notices.

We drink coffee out of paper cups printed with a blue and white Greek pattern, stand by our pizza, love the smell of a charred pretzel on a chilly day in the city, live for our bakeries, die for our country, and can shake the dust off our feet and start all over again.

There's a lot for Christians to learn from a true New York native.

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Scan Me!

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:34-36 NIV)

So I went through security twice for this past two week book tour. Once when I left Spokane, WA, (home) and the other when I left Charlotte, NC to travel back home. I did something I'd never thought I would--went through the full body scanner. And I was thrilled to do so!

"Oh, I'm so excited. I get to go through the full body scan. Oh, which line has it?" I jumped back and forth after properly loading my shoes, jacket, laptop, and backpack into gray bins. The TSA employee stared at me with a perturbed look. I think she expected trouble, but wasn't sure what kind.

I was instructed to raise my arms and stand within the designated area between two rounded walls, ready to scan my outside and innards. The whirring began and I smiled big. Like I was having a family portrait done. How embarrassing. But I wasn't embarassed.

For years I traveled with all kinds of medical equipment in my carry on or hooked up to me. The full body scan was a no-no and could kill me. Once, after getting a bit too close to one in an airport security entrance, I suffered shock at home due to a malfunction with my machinery. I came too close to dying. From then on, I went as far as to enter into yelling matches and be escorted to a security area for interrogation, all to avoid those killer machines. TSA security, airline pilots and stewards, and security, all exhibited ignorant and contempulous attitudes when I tried to explain their security measures could kill me.

I'm just a special case, was my secret reply to their disdain.

Since my pancreas transplant on May 12, 2012, I am free. No more medical equipment hooked up to my body. No more carry on filled with machinery. I can go through a full body scan safely. The only thing I carry is a bag with containers for the 38 pills I take each day and surgical masks to protect me from germs. I travel with a backback only. It makes me feel young and healthy; alive and blessed.

What machinery of stress, sadness, pain, sorrow, or tragedy is holding you down? You don't need a transplant to be free. You need simply to believe Jesus is your liberator.

Go ahead, walk through the scanner! You are free indeed!

Monday, Monday

Monday
1-30-2012

Yup, Monday, Monday... are ya singing yet? I posted those two words on Facebook last week and had a round going with the lyrics and some Facebook friends. Funny how silly things can stir people's responses. Interesting how things of the spirit, things of the deepest part of our souls, can go untouched. We have deep waters to tread, and often, no one wants to stir whats below the surface.

This morning, in a frenzy of  scheduling and working, I stopped to smile and be happy about my life. What can anyone, anything, any thought, any offence from the past, or any failure today, possibly do to stop me from living, loving, and knowing who I am.

What are you thinking of right now? Have you twiddled on Facebook or tweeted jokes? Packed your schedule and then when you have time to sit, find your fidgety? Do you avoid looking under the surface and instead choose to keep busy so you can tread water?

The deep parts of our workings are the best parts of who we are. Instead of shying away from dark areas we want to avoid, we do better to scoop up all that we are and march forward.

Tuesday, Tuesday...


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Organ Donation Brings Life Once Again

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Hands Free?

Hands free...that's the declaration in most places. Do not use your cell phone, while driving, without a hands free device. Like, do not talk on a cell phone and drive at the same time.

Okay. I get it.

I dislike when someone drives erratic because they are distracted. It angers me. But one day, I pulled out of a medical center's parking lot and had called someone to leave a message. My cell phone was at my ear.

As my vehicle pulled onto the street, a car with a woman driving sped up next to me, making me swerve. She yelled out her window things I cannot repeat, waved her arm at me, and almost ran us both into the curb. After, she held her cell phone out her window--I got it. She thought I was talking and driving.

I was flustered and hung up quickly after completing my message. I put the phone on the seat next to me, mad at her rude, arrogant reaction. But then I thought, maybe she lost a loved one due to a distracted driver. Maybe she was in an accident because of someone talking on a cell and driving. Maybe she was simply someone who wanted the law upheld in any case.

Still, her reaction was inappropriate. People tend to react before thinking. We all do it. But a verse in Psalms tells us to be still and let God take care of everything.

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 KJV)

And I want to be still in all things. It's better for everyone and easier on our hearts and minds.


Are you passionate about politics? Laws? Rules? Requirements? Maybe being still and giving people a chance to regroup will help us all live more peacefully.

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." (Psalm 37:7 NIV)

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14 NIV)

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Time Keeps on Ticking, Ticking, Ticking...

Lately, I'm receiving a lot of article links, postings, boastings, and advice columns on time management. I like to speculate that time management is not an issue for me. But it is.

I wrote an article for the Mermaids of the Lake, (yes, I am an aspiring Mermaid) and have to follow my own advice this week. http://www.mermaidsofthelake.com/news.asp?id=394

Somehow, things get out of control and I find myself close to a burnout. Like a nitro race car that spins it's tires, shrieks rubber, and blows smoke; when it's done with the quarter mile sprint, maybe 7 seconds later, it's done.

I am determined to get back in the right lane. My husband, a dear, sweet man, (hmmmm...mostly) made a mistake the other day--he mentioned I was a procrastinator. Oh, how dangerous is that? His line stung and I retaliated in my mind. ... I am not a procrastinator ...I just have a lot to do.

The Northwest Christian Author newsletter from January 2010 had a great article on time management written by Agnes C. Lawless:

"#9. Learn to say no - One of the best time-savers is saying no to requests that don’t contribute to your goals. When the persons asking are friends, family members, or close associates, you may find it difficult to decline. But you can say, 'I’m sorry. I’m busy that day,' or 'That won’t fit into my schedule.' You must live by your priorities, not those of other people." The Northwest Christian Author, Volume 21, Issue #7, http://www.nwchristianwriters.org/

This morning I cleaned three items, put things away, planned dinner, and vowed to follow through. Too many friends complain to me about not getting things done. But they say yes to everything that sounds good. JUST SAY NO! And do not offer an explanation. And do not require one from a friend who says no. We tell each other to say no when we have to, but then when we offer a no, it's not accepted or a popular answer.

Don't try to convince someone who says no to change their mind...even if it seems like a great offer to you.

Want to change an area of your life? Plan the time frame to do it, warn family and friends you are not available, then DO IT. Your life will be better and you and everyone around you will benefit.

JUST DO IT!


PLEASE COMMENT! 8^)
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"X" Your Size!

Exercise? Oh yuck...I really hate to get started.

In fact, me being able to exercise was squashed by an emotional handicap after years of fighting heart disease and diabetes. Take a look at the list of surgery and procedures under "A Note From the Author" from my book: Click here.

After my first heart attack on September 18, 2001, I started back with my normal routine but each time another heart attack or illness would completely stop me. This kept happening on a regular basis: monthly, weekly, bi-monthly...and dozens of times so I stopped keeping track. I kept thinking I would get better but never did.

After so many let downs, I created a "gun-shy" attitude about exercise and thought if my health situation was better and I started an exercise routine, I'd get sick again. It happened too many times. I had to find a way to eliminate the emotional fear and free myself of the dread, but it took a long time.

How?

1. I look at exercise as another prescription to take each day and convince myself with each pill I swallow that exercise is just as critical.
2. I threw routines and specific days out and simply exercise when, how, how much, and when I feel like it. No keeping track of days or results.
3. I make it fun--walk the mall, bike ride, swimming, parking far from a store and power walking, race down the isles when I grocery shop, avoiding people like an obstacle course, running up and down the steps in my house with laundry...you create your own ways.
4. Envision the GOOD feeling you always have after you exercise. It feels good to be so accomplished and the mental and physical benefits pay off.

Do you need to get rid of the dread?

Exercise = being able to "X" your size as you lose weight and trim your body. The scale may not always reflect that so be patient. Be free to do what works for you. Keep it simple!

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:29-31 NIV)

PLEASE COMMENT! 8^)
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I Can't Wait to Grow OLD!

"What do ya think yer doin'? was the question of disgust John heard as he rolled down the window.

"I am here to pick up my wife."

"Well this here is an intersection and ya can't stop in an intersection."

John was patient--but firm. "I was just picking someone up."

"Well ya should have pulled over there." The scrubby, cranky looking senior citizen pointed towards the driveway for the High School's maintenance entry. He was determined to make his point and reprimand John for momentarily pulling over to the curb to let me in our vehicle. I spent the day--all six periods--speaking to health classes as a volunteer. I loved what I did, but was tired. I used Velcro lips to repress the words ready to hurl anger at the elderly man. Who does he think he is?

We weren't in an intersection and were pulled to the side. I looked at the cobalt blue Parking Meter Enforcement sign on his small vehicle and figured he was retired, bored, and enjoyed his job. Why does he have to be so mean and pushy?

After a long pause, he drove forward as if to make his point by pulling up in front of us. John maneuvered the car around him and we left for home.

A little incident--nothing to give another thought to, bothered me. In the past, other situations with parking or security have been met with a nasty senior citizen delegated to hastily correct people's mistakes. Why?

Why do organizations and companies hire older people who have an angry disposition?

Why do senior citizens take a position where they must interact with the public when they obviously don't like dealing with people?

I have no right to question why someone grows old and becomes angry or miserable. Their life may have led them to the state of mind that molds their later years. But I am saddened to see senior citizens who are angry, unhappy, or mad about the fact that they are old: I want to grow old. A heart transplant in 2005 absolutely shortened my expected life span. I hope to watch God perform a miracle and let me live way beyond medical expectations. But I want to do whatever I can to be kind, gentle, loving, appreciative, and a good example if I get to be a senior citizen.

I expect that if we love the Lord, God, if we do good, and if we love kindness and justice, it is possible to carry these traits into the latter years of our lives.

"He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8 NASB)

Lord, pierce my heart with your love and mercy and do not let me fall into a state of anger and vindictiveness. Show me the way to live with honor and kindness so that in my last days your love will be sufficient. Amen

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Spring has Sprung!

Spring has sprung! Really. What does an animal that lives in the ground and is a “hog” know about spring anyway? He has to be yanked from his dark, benighted hole and then expected to know that he sees his shadow? Come one—let’s get real.

I staked my reputation on the signs of spring around me; fat-breasted robins, the cacophonous night time cries of killdeer, purple, white, and yellow crocus blooming through blankets of crisp, white snow, and the obvious holes in my lawn from squirrels foraging for hidden walnuts. “Spring is here!” I protested.

Snow came. Snow fell. Snow piled up. Still I demanded spring. Many scoffed at me; nescient of the sure signs spring had arrived.

Alas, here we are enjoying sunshine, phonate calls of emerging birds, and green color splattered across seemingly lifeless grass. Spring has SPRUNG!

“See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.”
(Isaiah 43:19 NIV)


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