A Wrinkle in Time

Recently, I viewed a picture of myself taken at age 11 or 12. Well, most of us have photos of ourselves at that age, however, I had never seen the particular photo before. I found it in a book published about my hometown. Never even knew that such a photo existed.
Wow! Seeing it brought back some really sweet memories. There I stand, frozen in time, in a glass window front above the main street in my home town. I'm the ninth little Girl Scout from the left, singing Christmas Carols. All of us are in our uniforms. It's a black and white photo (we're talking the nineteen fifties here, after all), but I can recall the green uniforms, green socks and yellow neck scarves.
I remember the names of almost all of my fellow scouts. The point is, I had forgotten all about doing the caroling on Broadway, all those years ago. It was a big deal then, but it had slipped from my memory.

Gracious Lord. In your wisdom, you have made us imperfect. Our memories are selective. We don't like remembering the unhappy pictures. But, sometimes all we can do is remember the sad and bad pictures. We forget about the good pictures. Thank you for helping us, against our natures, to recall the good pictures.

(I'll try to get this photo posted.)

Now you see it........ Now you don't.

Yesterday, I needed to go to a county office on a car licensing issue. The person who waited on me had a BIBLE, visible on his desk. What a great idea! Put your faith right out there for every one to see. This clerk wanted people, that he deals with every day, to know that he is a Christian. We are known by our trappings, for sure.
I once worked for a man (not very long, PTL)who had a calendar of naked women on his desk. It was pretty obvious what kind of creep he was. He made everyone who dealt with him really uncomfortable.
So, look around your workspace. What can your visitors and co-workers determine about you from that desktop, kitchen counter, computer station or whatever you call work?

Good God, thank you for eyes. Sometimes what we are looking for is right there in plain sight. A Bible may be only a collection of papers with words on them. But, to me it's a collection of words and stories that help me make decisions on how to live.
I want people to know Whose I am.
I know that I am far from the best Christian, walking and talking today, but with YOUR help, You can show me how to live.

1, 2, 3, go.......

I've been doing a lot of counting recently. During a recent "Volunteer Recognition Week", I handed out small beaded ropes to our volunteers. The explanation attached to these small gifts was one that came from one of my many crocheting activity books. Seems like most major religions use beaded objects for prayer count, etc. So, I reasoned why not give these little things out and suggest that my volunteers use them to "count" their blessings.
The volunteers accepted the gifts, and maybe we'll have a few more thankful folk in the world.
I have also been using a counting trick as a means to speed up my "falling asleep" at night. Here's what you do. Pick any large even number. Now concentrate on subtracting three from that number..then three more....etc. It puts me to sleep right away.
Now, maybe this only works for mathematically challenged people. But, I suggest you try it.

God. Our blessings are countless and our worries amount to nothing. Keep our eyes on the future. Looking back does none of us any good. Help us to focus on what is to come. Thank you, God, for your guidance and assurance. Amen.

Where's the blue bird?

Okay. I'm going to risk being called a grouch and a grump, but I've had it with the April Showers. Enough is enough. It's almost May, and we are in severe need of some Spring-like weather. Yesterday, a friend told me that she thought she had moss growing on her north side. It may be July, before my flower beds will be tillable!
It's cold and wet and miserable in most of the country.
My son once told me to quit complaining about the weather. I have a car he said. Leave, if you don't like it here. I've reached the point where if I thought I could....I would. It's time to "get out of Dodge". A warm Caribbean Island sounds great, about now. Honestly, I would settle for stepping out of the shower in the morning and not be freezing cold.

Hey God. My list of "wants" is pretty short, today. I want some sunshine. I'd accept just a couple of hours of warm, dry weather. I don't want to seem ungrateful for all of the wonderful blessings that you have given me. I do appreciate them. But, can we have some nice weather soon? Please.

DYB

If you have ever had any connection with the Cub Scouts of America, you know DYB. I think I even remember the boys yelling it as a cheer. DYB! DYB! DYB! And,I sincerely believe, that DYB beats all the fancy codes, mottos and mission statements, ever created. It's the greatest.
Last Sunday, at our current church, my husband, aka "the Silver Fox", aka "the traveling choir director" directed three presentations of Vivaldi's "Gloria". He's spent, since January, countless hours coaching, coaxing, plodding and pleading with the Chancel Choir, two vocal soloists, and 10 instrumentalists to DYB. The results were spectacular. Everyone, including the congregation, pastors and musicians were pleased. It was a project well worth the effort.
It's always worth it to DYB. Although, he was told, not too long ago that some Churchy Folk think "sorta good is good enough for God". God expects you to DYB. After all, he gave everything, including his life, for us.
This Holy Week, as we contemplate the sacrifices God made for us, let's try to remember to always "Do Your Best" for Him.

God, we know that you want us to do our best. There just isn't any other way to practice our Faith. Lead us in the way that you would have us go. Teach us to follow where You lead us.
Keep us focused on the Joy of Easter Morning.

"One is silver and the other gold."

Do you know how to make a stranger a friend? The answer couldn't be any easier. You just find some work to do, together.
This past week, I invited "10 Mission Workers from Wichita" (sounds like a sports team, doesn't it?) to come and do some volunteer work, at my place of employment. They came on Thursday, and by Sunday afternoon, when they departed, eleven complete strangers had become eleven fast friends.
A common bond, which in this case was a desire to help those people who truly need assistance, makes for a great connection. My new friends tutored our non-English speaking clients. They copied, pasted, stapled and even wrapped Christmas Presents. Over 400 Christmas Presents!
Well, doing all of that work together became more fun than a barrel of monkeys. We talked and laughed and told stories. We shared our faith and our life experiences.
Monday, I woke up and I found out that in my heart of hearts, I was missing 10 members of my "family".

Lord, you must take real joy in knowing that your children can become friends and sharing companions. How unhappy it must make you to see us become enemies. Show us how to love one another and truly mean it. We really want to please you.

Techno Folly

I observed a confict today that took 13 emails, over a period of four hours, to resolve. It was a simple issue of conflicting dates and personnel. I wasn't directly involved, but I was copied on all of the transactions. As I went about my work, I kept checking my inbox regularly to see when and if the dispute would be resolved.
With each continuing message, the original issue became muddier and muddier, until, quite frankly, I had pretty much forgotten what the problem had been in the first place. It occurred to me, long before the trail of messages had come to a resolution, that a short phone call could have solved the whole thing in a few minutes.
Technology is a great thing, but I fear that we are losing our sense of perspective and along with that, the ability to think reasonably. We've let our fingers do the walking, when what we need to do is a little more talking.

Most holy and knowledgable God, keep those life lessons coming. There is so much I want to learn. Help me to keep my eyes, ears, and heart open to the pure and right things. Thank you for allowing me to have the opportunity to listen and learn....from others.