The Lord's strength

I took a 20 minute nap today and I seem to be falling into that habit more and more. I don't know if it is the warm summer days that we are having that make me tired or if it is just age related! I do know that I find myself relying on the Lord's strength and help more and more. There are many scriptures that refer to the Lord's strength and I find them helpful to recall when I am feeling weary and need his strength. Some of them are: Ps 46:2 God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Ps105:4 Look to the Lord and his strength, seek to serve him constantly! Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, I am your God, I will strengthen you, and help you and will uphold you with my right hand of justice. Nehemiah 8:10 Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. 1 Chronicles 16:11 Look to the Lord and his strength, seek his face always. Exodus 15:2 My strength and my courage is the Lord.

I love the song that sings of the joy of the Lord and it has one simple line that you sing over and over and it goes like this: The joy of the Lord is my strength, The joy of the Lord is my strength, The joy of the Lord is my strength, Oh the joy of the Lord is my strength! If you are feeling tired on these hot summer days, call upon the Lord and He will strengthen you for it is a promise in scripture!

Special Times

Recently my husband and I attended our first grandchild's wedding and I must say it was so very beautiful! Everything was done exquisitely and took many months to accomplish the final results. I am very happy for the bride and groom and this new beginning they have embarked upon. I couldn't help but reflect how life cycles come and go. We had the joy of planning and celebrating our children's weddings and now we sit back and observe with amazement our children helping plan their children's weddings. I am so thankful that I am still alive and able to be a part of these celebrations. I say celebrations because our first grandson will be marrying this fall also. Weddings are a beautiful time for families to come together and enjoy being together. It was so heartwarming to have my family all here celebrating this very special event. I am also wondering if our going home to be with our Lord is a bit like a wedding celebration. Our loved ones that have gone on before us all joining together to welcome us home and celebrating our being together. Life is full of many celebrations and gathering together and I am so thankful for these special times. I believe it is love that binds us together and gives us the joy we encounter when our loved ones come home to be with us. I thank God that He is all love and has such tremendous love for each one of us. As we draw close to Jesus we receive His love to share with our family and friends. I also believe that it is love that heals the broken relationships that were stolen from us. Jesus tells us to "Love one another as I have loved you" Good words to remember each and every day!

Reunion

This past week was one that I will remember for a long time as my entire family was home for my granddaughter's wedding and a family reunion! We were all so very happy to reconnect again and just spend time together visiting and enjoying one another's company. All of my grandchildren came so we had a grandchildren picture taken with their grandparents! Our grandchildren range in age from 31 years old to 9 months old, so it was fun to have little ones laughing and playing in our home once again. It reminds me of the scripture that tells us to become as little children. They are so trusting that they will be fed, bathed, and taken care of. They don't need to worry about a thing as they know their parents love them and care for them and their every need. God wants us to trust him in the same way, yet we worry and stress over so many things! How much more does he love us than we love our children and we take good care of them. In my book "Living Waters" Jesus tells me that it is when you are as a little child that your prayers are most readily answered. Something to think about!

Anniversary

My husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this past week and we reflected upon the many years together. (55) We were married on a Sunday afternoon in June and it was so very hot! Air conditioning wasn't prevalent as it is today, so the church was hot, the reception was hot and our car was hot! We weren't used to air conditioning so didn't think anything of it other than we were sweating and I didn't want to ruin my beautiful wedding gown! We went to Estes on our way to Denver so the mountains were a wonderful relief and so very beautiful. We attended a double header baseball game of the Denver Bears. I wasn't sure about sitting that long watching baseball and little did I realize this was a foreshadowing of the many sporting events we would attend in the years to come! Many years later when major league baseball came to Denver we were able to attend the Rockies games and I loved every minute of it. Some of our children were very involved in playing sports so my early introduction to sports was a good thing! We introduce our spouses to the things we love to do and it is always good to give it a try so you can enjoy those things together. We have been through many experiences such as camping, fishing and enjoying the outdoors with our family. Vacations were always fun and a great time to have quality time with the children. So many wonderful memories and how quickly the time went by. Enjoy your spouse and children and treasure every day that God gives you!

Forgiveness

This past week my church held a Healing Mass and the celebrant was a priest from Rhwanda, Father Ubald. During the ethnic cleansing or genocide in Rhwanda he escaped in the middle of the night to the Congo. He lost 80 family members and most of his parishioners, which was over 4000. He came back with the gift and desire to heal his people. The man that killed Fr. Ubald's mother was in prison and while Fr. Ubald was ministering in the prison he forgave him for killing his mother and later that man asked Father for his forgiveness. The man's wife died while he was in prison, so Fr Ubald took care of and provided for his children. We may never be called to forgive to that extent, but we all are called to forgive those who have hurt us. Forgiveness sets us free and brings healing to us. Let this be a healing week for each one of us as we forgive and act upon it. Have a great week!

Coming together

This is the beginning of the wedding season for many and it is so fun to watch and listen to all of the activity that happens before the actual wedding day. I have two grandchildren getting married this summer so this is an exciting time for our family. Early planning began last summer and now they can just relax and enjoy all the pre-wedding activites. It is so wonderful for families to get together and enjoy being together. As gas prices continue to climb, the expenses of coming together is getting very pricy so it may be longer between visits. That makes me appreciate the sacrifice, time and energy it takes young families to travel to come home just to visit or for a special occasion like a wedding. I appreciate my family and I am so thankful for each one. I pray everyone reading my blog will be able to visit their family sometime this year and if you can't please call them more often and enjoy hearing their voice and just enjoy visiting with them. The following is a quote from my book, Living Waters: "Do not let the enemy of your soul entice you to think on the negative, but embrace the positive." I look forward to our family reunion this summer!

Sharing

Last evening we shared a meal with friends! The food was good and the sharing of our lives in conversation was even better. Jesus shared a meal often in scriptures and of course the greatest meal was the Last Supper, which we all can partake of today. I love to cook and then enjoy the results with others. Tonight some family members are coming by for leftovers as I cooked way too much for the dinner party the night before. It really won't matter that the food was cooked the day before, but what matters is that we will be together and sharing what is going on in our lives. I hope you take time to have friends or family come to your home for a meal and enjoy a delightful time together. After Jesus died and rose from the dead he cooked fish over an open fire on the shore for the disciples as they came ashore with their net full of fish. (John 21:9) He not only fed his disciples then, but he still feeds us today. We can read the Bible and be fed and we can receive Him in Holy Communion. We can listen to Him in prayer and be fed with what He speaks to us in the silence of our heart. My book "Living Waters: Writings from the Heart of a Christian" is all about Jesus speaking to my heart and feeding me Living Waters.