In the eyes of a four year old!

Life is amazing when viewed through the eyes of a four year old.  Going for a walk yesterday with dog and leash in tow, along with my four year old grandson,  I had a glimpse of what it is like to be four years old.  The rocks on the side of the road had new meaning and the fallen pine cones quickly became a soccer ball to be kicked as we trudged along.  Conversation was limited, but meant something when he spoke to me or answered my many questions.  I saw birds and squirrels that I usually don't notice when walking because they were now being pointed out to me.  I also realized you can just plunk down on the sidewalk and take a rest until you are ready to finish the walk.  I so enjoyed this outing and placed it in my memory bank of good experiences to be recalled when the winter snows are here and I am missing my dear one who was only here for a short vacation.  God is good and gives us these precious times to enjoy one another even though distance separates us for most of the year.  I also recall how very quickly the years flew by when raising my beautiful family.  We are here for only a season and then called home to be with the Lord and this season of life can be viewed in much the same vein as raising a family.  It all goes by in a blink of an eye!  Are you ready to meet the Lord? Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Please do not delay in making this decision,  for we know not the hour when our time is up.  My book: Living Waters: Writings from the Heart of a Christian" has an insightful chapter on Eternity and will help you realize what God has prepared for those who love Him.

Apathy

I am wondering if there is more apathy today then in recent years. It just seems like so many people are out of work and have given up on the grind of going out each day to find a job. Where is the hope that keeps them pounding the streets until they find work?  When hope is gone, then apathy sets in.  In my life, hope always came from God through prayer.  Perhaps, we as a nation, need to call upon God to help us get the economy back on track and thus getting more people back in the workplace.  Somehow, someway the Lord God always provides when we call upon his name and invoke his help.  I believe we are at a crossroad in America where we need to turn from the sins of the world and begin relying upon him to heal our land and restore us as a Godly nation.

This has been the warmest spring I can remember since moving to Cheyenne in 1957.  It has been wonderful to see the spring flowers in full bloom and just in time for Easter.  My daughter and I went shopping this week for perennials. I think they will survive, even if we have a cold spell before summer. Going from the dead of winter
 to warm, sunshiny days gives us a spring in our hearts and we know that whatever we are going through can change, just as the seasons.  I have a new book coming our this summer- it is in production right now.  It is all about hope and change and how God gave me the assurance I would come into a new springtime and out of the winter stresses of life.  The title is "Living Waters Volume II; A Message of Hope"  It is a dialogue between Jesus and Me and all that I went through in the winters of my life. These messages gave me hope and a full awareness of just how very much God loves me.  He loves you too!

Thankful in all things!

It is hard to be thankful in all things, yet that is what we are called to do. I developed a severe sinus infection after I came home from a trip to the East Coast. I pretty much stayed home for eight days except for a trip to visit the doctor. Kleenex were going into the wastepaper basket as fast as I could pull them out of the box. I didn't know anyone could produce so much mucos!! I felt tired and did alot of resting. I also read the book "Sarah's Key" which weaves a story about a young girl during World War II. I realized what I was going through with a bad cold wasn't suffering at all and I began thanking God in all things. I feel it is good for all of us to take a look back at how people suffered in the past and also how people are suffering right now. With that perspective in mind, it becomes easier to be thankful in all things. I am thankful that I had this time to just stay at home and take care of myself. I am thankful for the time I had to read, pray and rest. I am thankful that it wasn't worse, for it could have been pneumonia. I am thankful for the loving care I received from my husband. I am thankful for the medicine we all have available to help us get well. I am thankful for the five pounds I lost during my ordeal. I have also learned that we don't have to wait until something happens to us to think about being thankful in all things.

The weather in Cheyenne the past two weeks has been very Spring like. Some days were 70 degrees and without any wind I can firmly state that is ideal! I really feel like digging in the flower bed and start planting, yet I know that is not realistic because past experience says we will have several more snow storms! It is still Lent and will be for two and a half more weeks. That means there is still time to fulfill some of your lenten promises. I have been praying extra hard for a person I know that needs prayer. Jesus told his disciples that some things require more prayer, so I am following his advice. I pray also that your lent has been a good time to draw closer to our Lord Jesus. Enjoy the warm weather!

Dinner Guests

I invited special friends to dinner this week and then I began getting the house spruced up, decided on the menu and then shopped for the items I was out of. I spent most of the day cooking, setting a special table and making sure all was ready for my dinner party. We had a delightful evening of spirited conversation, laughter and just enjoying this special time together. The food was delicious and everyone ate heartily and after the guests left, I sat down to reflect if it all had been worth it! My feet hurt from being on them all day and I was tired! My answer was a resounding yes, for it is my way of showing special friends that I really do value their friendship and enjoy being with them. I also reflected on Jesus and his friends, the apostles. He had a "Last Supper" with them before he was crucified. All of the paintings I have seen of this scene depict an enjoyable time together as the apostles didn't know that it was to be their last meal together. Jesus also cooked for them after he rose from the dead. After they fished all night and came ashore a man was standing over a fire cooking fish for them. They didn't recognize him at first but in the breaking of the bread their eyes were opened.
Putting your best foot forward and putting on a good meal for friends is one of my ways of using the gift of hospitality the Lord gives. I realize it would also be good to go out into the highways and byways and invite in the lost and forsaken, but I don't want to neglect my friends either. So I feel there is a way to accomplish both, however in this day I would find another means of helping the lost and forsaken as I don't feel it would be safe to have them to my home.
Have you cooked a good meal and shared it with friends lately?

Lent

Lent begins tomorrow (Wednesday, February 22) and lasts for six weeks. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday when we are reminded that we are dust and to dust we shall return. I see Lent as an opportunity to draw closer to Jesus by my sacrifices and prayers. These prayers in turn will help others as I pray each day for whoever is placed on my heart. Lent is an opportunity to actively do good things for others. It may be in the form of a monetary offering or it may be calling someone that is lonely. It is a time to study my beliefs and attend church more often. As a Catholic, I am fortunate I can go to Mass every day. This is an opportunity to offer up the Mass for that day's intention. It may be someone I know or heard of that is suffering from a severe illness, having emotional problems or marriage troubles. It may be someone that is in need of a job or just needing to pass a test in school. I pray often for healing, for it seems there is always someone who needs to be healed. Lent is also a great time to reflect on all that Jesus did to redeem us. It is a good time to praise and worship him and thank him for the many graces and blessings he showers us all with each day. It is also a good time to fast along with prayer. I pray you all have a good Lent and on Easter morning you will rise up and be thankful for the six weeks you had to renew your faith.