"a rose by any other name..."

The word was VEHICLE. Our students were being taught the word "vehicle", and it was a word that needed quite a bit of explanation.
When our English Language Learners encounter a new word, they will ask the meaning of the word and then they want to know other words that have the same meaning. They will keep asking for synonyms, until they find a word that sounds similar to a word they know in their native languages.
With vehicle, I explained that it was a word that I very rarely use. I say car or even automobile more often than vehicle.
Naturally, I have had vehicles on my mind. Tonight on my bus ride home, I turned to look out the left hand windows and in my immediate sight there were many vehicles. First there was the big old bus that I was riding in. Then, there were quite a few cars of many shapes and sizes. They were sharing the road with some trucks and vans. A bit further to my left was a moving freight train, loaded with coal cars. And, then finally I sited a small personal jet airplane taking off from the nearby airport.
We have lots of choices when it comes to selecting a vehicle.

Gracious God. We are often in awe of our abundance and our choices. You have given us so much and yet you ask so little of us. Why is it sometimes so hard to follow your simple directive....to love You and to love our neighbors and ourselves? We are such a selfish bunch of folks. Please, don't give up on us. We want to do better. Guide us and help us to make wise choices.

Suite Life

In the middle of class today, a cell phone rang. Now, that's not too unusual. Every high school student has a cell phone, and most adults carry cell phones. And, even where I work, which is an institution teaching English to adult immigrants and refugees, most of our students carry cell phones.
Cell phone etiquette is often a topic of discussion here between students and teachers. Periodically a phone will ring and a student will blurt out, "Africa calling. I talk now." The teacher then directs the student out into the hall, to complete the transcontinental connection.
But today, the ringing phone just tickled my funny bone. The ring tone seemed so out of character for the setting. The ring tone was Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies Theme" from "The Nutcracker Suite". The bearer of the cell phone, can speak and understand only a few words of English.
I didn't have a chance to ask her why she had chosen that particular ring tone? Did she just enjoy the music? Was she familiar with "The Nutcracker". Were fairies or dancing toys part of her native culture? I'll probably never know.

Great and all knowing God. You challenge our simple minds with all sorts of conundrums. Life is such a delicious cornucopia of experiences. We thank you for all of our experiences and surprises. Your blessings abound.

In The Eye of the Beholder

Photographic images can be deceiving. Every photo, taken of me recently, portrays someone who doesn't resemble the image I have of myself.
Once, perhaps not so long ago, I was a young woman. My hair was dark. I could see without wearing bifocals. My face was unlined. I was actually five foot three. That remains the image I have of myself. But, when I view a current picture of myself.........well, I see someone quite different.
This week, I needed to mail off a recent photo of myself and I just couldn't choose one that I could live with. Every one I found was a photograph of some little old lady!
So, I asked my husband to choose one. I know that our 40 plus years together makes him extremely biased in his view of me, but he understands my issues. I trust him to make me look as good as I possibly can.

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV)
Praise the Lord.

Ask and you shall receive.

I was sincerely blessed yesterday with the gift of 61 bottles of dish soap. Several weeks back, in this blogspot, I explained the need for liquid dish soap at my place of work. Well, lo and behold one of our local churches heard the plea, realized the need and took action.
This amazing congregation (with the help of its very creative pastor) held a Dish Soap Sunday Ingathering. I understand they used some of their pre-teens to demonstrate the sizes and colors of bottles, much to the delight of their Sunday attendees. The congregation was charged! They brought in the bottles. Now, we can supply 61 households (that's probably about 305 people) with a whole lot of clean!
Believe me, this is not a big church. It's not a wealthy church. But, by their actions, they have proved that they are God's Church.

All powerful Lord. We can serve you in so many ways. Allow us to keep our eyes and ears open to your people's many needs. Every one of us has the ability to do mission. Even when we think that we are sorely lacking in our abilities, we can help someone with something. Help us to seek out that need.
We praise your holy name.

Change is......

I've changed the title of my Blog. I sure hope it hasn't confused my readers and that no one currently following will "un-follow" themselves.
Change is never easy, we are always being told. And, often things never do get changed. Some people have been sitting in the same spot, in the same pew, in the same church, for more than 60 years. I have learned, over the years, that when I visit a new church, it is very important to ask those seated near me, "Am I sitting in your seat? If I am, I'll move."
Believe me, most folks will tell you if you are in their spot. You want them to tell you, or else for the next 55 minutes, someone will be staring at you, willing you to drop dead or something.
However, it occurs to me that if you ALWAYS sit in the same place, you are apt to always see the same view. How enlightening is the back of the same head, every Sunday, for 60 years?
We should put ourselves in another seat, occasionally. That stained glass window could be more beautiful in a different light, or that weird shaped piece of wood, might actually be attractive when viewed from another angle. Putting ourselves in another seat, not only brings the risk of seeing a different view, but it might really change our outlook dramatically.

Good God. Help us to get out of our pews. Things look very different when viewed from the other side of the room. Allow us the flexiblility to change, and to sometimes even enjoy it. We know that you will be there with us every step of the way.
Thank you, God, for our many blessings.

Ain't That Good News?

WOO HOO, folks. I just celebrated the beginning of my big Anniversary Year. You see, it was five years ago this month that I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. So, now I can begin to count down all sorts of milestones. Five years since the surgeries. Five years since the end of Chemotherapy. Five years since the end of radiation, and on and on. All those months ago, my doctors told us that the five year mark was a big milestone for survivors. At that point, my chances of having a recurrence of cancer are the same as anyone who has not yet had the disease.
I'm feeling really blessed right now. I am thankful to have survived, but my mind is also on those folks, that I have known in the past five years, who battled, with their whole being against cancer, and did not win the war.
It is not possible for us to know why some of us win the battle and some of us do not.
We can only pray for healing. Sometimes that healing occurs in our bodies, and sometimes that healing is of our minds and souls.
I do know, however, that God is with each and every one of us, as we make this journey. Our job is to rely on Him.

Holy Savior. We have so much to be thankful for. Your blessings abound. Guide us as we travel along our roadways. Help us to be ever mindful of the thoughts and feelings of our fellow sojourners. Keep us on the right highway and please remind us to use our turn-signals and to keep our seat belts fastened securely.

Chapter 3

Since the untimely murder of my car, my faithful and loyal spouse has been driving me to and from work. Well, with the price of fuel these days, those unnecessary trips were becoming too costly. So folks, this old lady has become a public transit consumer. I'm riding the city bus!
Oh yes, I have brazenly ridden public transportation in the major cities of the world. But that was a novelty. I was on vacation. Even in Mexico City, this five foot tall Senora stood TALL, standing in the subway beneath the streets of the Zona Rosa and the Zocalo. I have taken the Metro in London, Paris, New York., and D.C. But, in my hometown, I always had a car. I had never ridden a local bus.
Now, after a couple of weeks, I am a veteran commuter. I can handle transfers, all-day passes, and yes, I now even use my Medicare card, which means that I can ride for half price. Being a Senior Citizen is beginning to have a few perks.
Since I take the same bus route at the same time every day, I am beginning to recognize my fellow travelers. There is a kind of camaraderie among bus riders. We are a proud bunch. We are saving fuel, saving the planet and above all, saving money.


Great God. This is an amazing world. Please allow us to continue to experience new things. Keep our minds open to explore what you have created.
We are in awe of your knowledge and we are humbled by our insignificance. Keep us in the palm of your hand.