~~~~~THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING~~~~~ Send the Light

Despite the fact yesterday was simply gorgeous (and today looks to be the same!), sometimes the skies above turn gray, storm clouds arise and the hope and promise for a beautiful day fades away.  Every once in a while I look up to the heavens and say~

"Um, God...it's pretty dark down here!  Can you PLEEZE send some SUN?"

If I'm speaking the truthfully here...this was a tough week.  I waved goodbye to my Mr. AGPMan as he flew out on business to Washington DC (which I ALWAYS HATE), I said goodbye as the earthly body of my longtime friend was lowered into the earth, I struggled to understand a painful encounter and I even questioned the Most High over why He sometimes allows things to come into my life that I feel I can hardly bear...

This morning as I sat with a cup of my favorite tea my eyes passed over several favorite scriptures that reminded me that sometimes I get so preoccupied with the darkness around me I miss God's Light.  I often confuse my need for SUNSHINE with my sincere and never-ending desire for the SON...

"The Lord is my light and my salvation..."

(Psalm 27:1)

Blessings for a LIGHT-FILLED DAY!

Love to you~

~~~~~THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING~~~~~ Can You Hear What I Hear?

 ~MY BEAUTIFUL MOTHER~

This is my mother on her wedding day.  She was 21 years old and by all accounts the darling of her local church.  Immensely talented and even a bit shy, she was smart and funny, loving and kind.  She grew to be a protective older sister and was fiercely loyal to her parents by the time she met and fell madly in love with my father.  She married him in November of 1955.

When my Mother was just a young woman, maybe around the time I was about five, she began to show signs of hearing loss.  This of course became a big concern for my Mom and her family as both her father and younger sister were living with profound deafness. 

 ~EVER GROWING HEARING LOSS~

 When I was still a very young child I remember having to speak to my mother in an elevated voice.

 ~ME AT 5 YEARS OF AGE~

By the time my sister, Jenny, was born my mother wore hearing aids to help navigate her way through a hearing-world.

 ~MY SIBLINGS and I - 1968~

The older we grew the sounds of silence began to take over my Mother's life.  Oftentimes she misunderstood even the simplest of statements. She stopped singing in the choir and using the telephone was completely out of the question.  Her deafness even led to the loss of several jobs...

~MY BEAUTIFUL MOTHER TODAY~

As my Mother's hearing loss progressed she was ultimately diagnosed with Hereditary Nerve Deafness...the same disease that afflicted her father, sister and other members in our family.

Somehow, no doubt through God's Grace, she learned to live with her disability and came to accept the frustrations that often come with such physical limitations. 

One of the things I've missed experiencing with my Mother has been talking on the phone.  There was a time when volume controls on a phone's headset were enough for her.  But, later in life her as her hearing loss grew worse she required a TDD/Relay Operator when needing to chat in an emergency situation .  Even though our family was grateful for this technology  (A TDD phone is where is speak to an operator who then types out your words on a special phone, but you can hear the person talking back to you) it gave us little privacy.  For the most part, all those who love and adore my Mother have relied mainly on email.  It has been our primary source of communication for many years now.

 Well...I'm over the moon excited with the fabulous news....

Recently my Mother qualified for very costly computer/phone equipment I personally believe should be made available to all those who are deaf and/or hearing impaired.  Yesterday she used her brand new "CapTel 800I" Telephone by SPRINT for the very first time.  She no longer needs to go through a relay system to talk on the phone and called me without having to use a special operator.  My Mother can now speak to me in a normal voice while a computer immediately recognizes my spoken words back to her and prints them out!

Can I tell you how thrilled I was to hear my Momma's voice on the other end of the phone?  I can dial her number and hear her voice whenever I want!  My hubby came in and said "Who are you talking to?" and I said 

"MY MOM!"

Thank you, SPRINT!

Thank you, God!  He indeed made a way when there seemed to be no way...

Love to you this beautiful Sunday...

~IN MY DISTRESS...and Other Joys That Matter~

~Creating With Joy~

I planned today to share with you a lots and lots of newly designed Hang Tags but~ try as I might I just couldn't free my mind from something that's been pressing in hard on me for quite some time.  Lately it seems the second I sit down to work (or even play) I find I'm continually plagued with the same disturbing thought and have struggled to keep my very real concerns from turning into outright fear.  The possibility of great loss is overwhelming for I know in my heart if someone I deeply love doesn't change the path their life is on they will not live to see many more birthdays.

If you've read my blog for any length of time at all then surely you know by now that I am a person of deep faith.  I know there is nothing I will ever face during my time here on this earth where God is not standing by my side.  I believe in healing, redemption, forgiveness and grace and I continually seek the face of the Most High in all things...even more-so when the storm clouds roll in and darken up my usually bright and sunny disposition.  

~My Father~

This morning I found I was having an especially hard time and trusting God for a positive outcome regarding one I desperately love...it just seemed too out of reach.  It's on days like this, when I feel incredibly confused and unraveled, that I miss the wise counsel of my Father the most.

So~ I decided to pay him an unplanned visit...

Generally I find my Dad sleeping when I stop by his Nursing Home to say hello.  He was never a nap-taker when I was growing up so even though this is now normal for him I can assure you it is not normal for me to see.  He was once very active and never seemed to tire from all things family and ministry related.   But...these days I rarely catch even a glimpse of the man I use to know...

The monster that lives inside my father's head continues to devour more and more of  his once brilliant mind.  I've grown accustomed to one-side conversations and even more recently, painfully silent visitation.  However, this morning as I crept quietly into my father's tiny room I found him both awake and speaking with clarity and purpose...

"Hi Becky Sue!  I was just thinking about you...Dad's been missing his middle girl!"

I stood there for a moment...feeling as if I was caught in some Twilight-Zone chasm, somehow suspended between matter-of-fact reality and my very real dreams...

he continued...

"I was just sitting here trying to remember the words to a hymn we use to sing in church..."

And with that he began to hum the tune to an old Elisha Hoffman song I had learned when just a child...

As I quietly sang aloud the words carved long ago into my memory I smiled as the deep sound of my father's baritone voice began to easily overpower mine...

"I must tell Jesus all of my trials;

I cannot bear these burdens alone;

In my distress He kindly will help me;

He ever loves and cares for His own.

I must tell Jesus!  I must tell Jesus!

I cannot bear my burdens alone;

I must tell Jesus!  I must tell Jesus!

Jesus can help me, Jesus alone."

Suddenly I knew the reason for my visit.

"Don't be dismayed at good-byes.  A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.  And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends."

(Richard Bach)

Love to you~

 

~SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN and He's Faithful Again~

 ~A Gathering of Sunday Thoughts~

I've always loved Sunday Mornings.  They represent not only a day of gathered worship for me but also bring back to my mind the best (and the worst) of my childhood memories.  Whether I was watching my beloved Father buff his well-worn shoes to a brilliant shine or indulging in a single frosted coconut donut (a real treat on a preacher-man's salary), you could count on the day ushering in more than it's fair share of love, drama and sometimes even things that tested our faith.

Additionally...

Someone in my family was always fighting to get into our home's one tiny bathroom...

Someone(usually ME!)was continually (and frantically)looking for a lost shoe or a missing white sock (gee...some things never change!).

My brother and I were constantly arguing over just WHERE we would sit on the drive to church (neither of us wanted to sit in the back seat on the middle 'hump').

And then there were days...

When we found ourselves thankful for the found pennies to purchase gasoline for our broken down, barely running car and for the food-pounding from our local church...

(I will always be grateful for those who generously gave the 'good stuff' from their pantry and chose to gift us with something OTHER than canned Okra or Spinach.)

  When times got really tough (and they always did), when the cake donuts were gone, spare pennies couldn't be found, the cupboards were empty and when only outgrown shoes and clothing filled our closets...

Our faith stood strong.  For this I owe my parents a wealth of gratitude.  My father's faith was unshakable and he believed God would keep His promise and supply all our needs.  And He did.

Today I'd like to remind those of you who might be facing days of loss, discouragement and life altering experiences that God never changes.  He loves you and wants to bless you.  He's the same yesterday, today and forever. 

Below are the lyrics to one of my favorite newer inspirational songs.  I've had it on my eBay About Me Page for several years and I hope it will be a blessing and encourage you this very day.

Note to my sweet sister:

No one sings this song more beautifully than you!  Remember what you told me in 2003 when I was in my darkest hour..."What may seem really big for you isn't for God" ~I love you most~Beck

"He's Been Faithful"

by Cathy Goddard

In my moments of fear,

Through every pain every tear

There's a God who's been faithful to me

When my strength was all gone,

When my heart had no song

Still my God has been faithful to me

Every word He promised is true

What I thought was impossible

I've seen my God do

He's been faithful, faithful to me

Just looking back His love and mercy I see

When in my heart I have questioned

And failed to believe

He's been faithful, faithful to me

When my heart looked away,

The many times I could not pray

Even then He's been faithful to me

The days I've spent so selfishly,

Reaching out for what pleased me

Still in love He's been faithful to me

And every time I come back to Him

I see Him waiting

With His open arms 

And I know once again

He's been faithful, faithful to me

Just looking back His love and mercy I see

When in my heart I have questioned

And failed to believe

He's been faithful, faithful to me

Love to all my visitors this beautiful Sunday~