Some Lessons Bear Repeating

I was looking back in L & F and found a post from 2006 that is featured in the side bar.  In the post, I share two times the Spirit of God was clearly leading me to do a certain thing, but I made rational excuses and talked myself out of it and later, deeply regretted not being immediately and wholly obedient.

As I was reading this old entry and squirming under the conviction of these remembrances, it occurred to me that since that time, there has been another time I refused to step out of my comfort zone and do what every fiber of my soul was demanding.

I had accompanied Pete to a doctor's appointment and we were leaving.  We were on the elevator headed back down.  On the floor below us, the elevator stopped and a couple came on board.  As soon as the elevator doors closed a compulsion came over me to go to the couple, ask if I could pray for them, lay my hands upon their shoulders and pray.  Yet, there I stood, frozen in place.  Not moving, nor speaking.  My mind was whirling, arguing with my soul.  With God's Holy Spirit voice.  "If I am wrong, they will be offended!  Pete will think I am crazy."  (Pete was not yet saved at the time.)  As we lurched ever downward, I began to pray silently in my head.  For God's forgiveness.  That my weakness would not stop Him from bestowing upon them what He wanted to.  That he would bless them, comfort them, heal them and meet their needs.

You might say, "Well, certainly God understood.  You still prayed for them."  But I submit to you, is half obedience, obedience at all?  If you told your teenager absolutely no drinking and be home by midnight, would you consider them obedient if they staggered inside at 11:30pm?  Or if they rolled in cold sober at two in the morning?  I think not.  I know God forgave me.  But I also know He was disappointed that I didn't let Him bless me by being fully obedient to Him.  Everything in me, told me that couple would be grateful and really needed that expression of God's love right then.  I let doubt and "reason" sway me from the course.  I missed another experience I could have cherished.  Much more than that, I let down the One who gave All for me.

What about about you?   Are you always radically obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit?  Have you ever made excuses and missed an opportunity you regretted?

Even if you don't feel like sharing, take my lesson to heart and let it be yours. Don't miss an opportunity to serve the Living God!

Barbara

I Saw it on Facebook

It's been awhile.  Too long, really.  So tonight I want to share a graphic that, to me, sums up very well the reality of love, the reality of married life.

Somehow, as Father's Day draws to a close, this is perfect.  The perfect way to honor my man, the father of our children.  I'd add to it only, that there are many ways of saying "I love you." and a lot of them don't include words.  It is holding your hand the entire time you are having their child.  It's always coming to the rescue, even when they are mad at you.  It's never refusing to hold you if you need it.  It's coming through that door every day, choosing to make a life with you.

He might not be a poet or singer.  But maybe he expresses the romance in his heart by cooking for you.  By waking you to go on a midnight picnic.  By giving you an anniversary present in front of the whole church.  By bringing home silly little convenience store treats for you.  By asking you to come outside and see this sunset.

Perhaps he is like the Fonz, and has never uttered the words "I'm sorry." more than once or twice his entire life.  But maybe he stays quiet and removed to let you calm down.  Then he'll start to try to make you laugh or smile.  To tease and pick on you like you were kids.  Invite you to sit a spell with them or see something they have done in the yard.  That's him saying he regrets the riff.  He misses what the two of you have.  He wants it back, whole and vibrant.

The bottom line, is never think that the language of love is always spoken in words.

I invite you to share something that comes to mind when you read the words above.  Some way your man (or you as a man) spoke without speaking.

Barbara

Changes

Change:  make or become different

Seems there have been a LOT of changes lately.  Not necessarily big changes, but a steady stream of the smaller variety.  Oodles of changes at work and quite a few in our family life.

I won't go into detail about the ones at work, as I believe going into detail about work online is a recipe for disaster.  Suffice it to say, there are changes in our technology and procedures, changes in personnel, changes in our workspace as we are remodeling.  Changes, seemingly all at once.

I won't go into too much detail about the family life changes, but they are rather numerous as well. Pete has gotten back into raising hogs this year. More feed, more chores, good fresh meat.   Hannah is about to be a senior in high school and that entails lots of upcoming changes:  driver's ed, more AP and 5.0 courses, gathering college financial aid and scholarship information, etc. Daughter-in-law has started a job, so PawPaw is watching Hazil until her daddy gets off work. Bubba is working back in this area instead of pipelining for now.   Some days she is still here when I come in, some days not.  That's another change,  More family time, need a little more planning, less down time.

It's not that anything is a bad change, just that there are so many at one time it almost seems 

overwhelming.  So, you have to just sit back and ride each little ripple and wave of change and see where it takes you, what becomes of it.

The owner of our company's wife gave us all a monarch butterfly chrysalis this spring.  Mine set on our dining room table for the first week, then I moved it to the kitchen window the second week, as it was so cloudy, rainy and overcast.  One Sunday morning the chrysalis had turned very dark instead of it's jade green.  When we were back from church and I went to the sink later to wash some dishes, I noticed movement.  My butterfly had hatched from it's chrysalis!  He was hanging on his perch, drying his wings.  After a while, I took him out to the picnic table in the yard, as I didn't want him to try to fly in the house.  I also didn't want a nosy kitty to get him or a bird to swoop down and eat him, so I baby set him while he stretched and dried.  Pete, Hannah and a nephew of ours all observed him for a time.  Hannah babysat him while I had to do a thing or two in the house.  But most of the several hours it took for him to finish drying I was out there alone with him and my thoughts.  The wonder of change, the metamorphosis that took him from caterpillar to  butterfly, takes us from babies to adults, the spiritual metamorphosis that Christ leads us on.  At the end, he flew up and then right down on my hand. Then he took off for the back porch rail.  He sat there in the sun a minute or two, then straight up into a pecan tree.  I never saw him again, but the time I spent with him that afternoon, coming to a total standstill, not "doing" anything. stays with me.  I may yet get through the changes ahead.                               

What types of changes are going on in your life right now?  Do you usually handle change well, or do you find it upsetting?

Go Figure

I'm happy, but tired.  We had some friends from church and family over this afternoon and fried fish. It was very good, good company, pleasant.  But I spent too much time on my feet.  I just can't do that no more.  It makea my back hurt.  At least now I'm on my comfy couch in my gown, feet up. :)

The title for this little entry stems from a phenomenon I find curious.  There is a seven year old post on my blog that has been out performing any thing recent this week!  Almost three times the page views!  Granted, it is a good one.  A funny one.  Every so often someone will find it and apparently share the link and it'll get a cluster of visits. But never anything like this!  It's on my personal favorite entries list in the sidebar:  Yes, That's My Purse :P.  If you've never read it, I encourage you to check it out!

My all time most visited post is one I did about becoming a VFW advocate.  And that's all right with me, as our vets are a subject near and dear to my heart.  It has more than double the pageviews of any other post I've made since I came to Blogger.

Ah, well, enough of that.  Did you know the AToZ Road Trip is starting up?  If you haven't yet, go on over and sign up.  You can visit as much or as little as fits your schedule.  I made a few this morning and found one full of poems based on historical characters that I'd like to go back and read more of. Short, easy, funny and clever.

Thankfully only one brief shower today.  I told someone the other day that if it keeps this up our pine forest is going to turn into a rain forest!  My poor car is filthier than it has been since I bought it. The yard is starting to look like a prime grassland for cows, and the pool doesn't stand a chance to stay clean.  Ugh!

Okay, I've said all that is really on my mind.  Think I"ll spend the rest of my computer time visiting some of ya'll.

An Invitation to My Readers

I am reviving an old friend:  a private blog I have called Barefoot & Bra-less.  The description reads:

"Me just relaxed, being myself and hanging out with friends.......As if we were alone in the room together and I could tell you anything.....fears, thoughts, hopes, aggravations, dreams, stories. Trusting, knowing you would keep it all between the two of us."

I have only posted there twice since 2009.  But I feel the need arising in my life to have a space where I can unburden myself,  honestly explore my feelings, get a little advice or understanding.

So, if you are a follower of Caneyhead and a woman, I invite you to join me there every once in a while.  Since it is a private blog, your email address will have to be added for you to visit. You can either leave you email address in the comments or send it to me at bhbner2him@aol.com.

Hope to see you there!

Barbara

Perspectives on this past Monday

Hello!  I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day.  We did!  I cooked a brisket in the oven and all the sides.  Cut up our first watermelon of the year.  Thankfully, none of us have lost a family member in service of our country.  So, this year, we simply paused, reflected and prayed at 3:00 in honor of those who did make the ultimate sacrifice.  My kids came over later in the evening.  We tried out the pool.  Bubba walked over and invited our neighbor, a WWII veteran, to join us for supper.  One of our nephews stopped by and everyone played some horseshoes.  When we came in to eat, I was honored to have Bubba lead us in prayer!  So, for me, it was a good day.

I overheard on the local news, Sunday night, that a local veteran had his American flag he was displaying at his house, torn down and ripped up.  My heart broke for him!  I was so disgusted to think anyone could and would do such a heinous thing.  One of those things that make you wonder just what this country is coming to.

Then on Tuesday evening, I saw a report on a local man who had gone to the mall on Monday and played taps there.  Someone took a video of it, and it went viral.  The news station had him in interviewing him.  He's in the Texas guard.  Wanted to make it clear he, himself, is not a veteran.  Stressed what it meant to him to be able to do something to help others remember what the day is about, find the time to pause and reflect.  I was so proud to think that someone would take the time to do such a thing.  One of those things that makes you think there might be hope for us yet.

What's the most touching thing that happened in your day?  The worst local  news you heard?  What did you hear about or see that lifted your spirits?

See the Army Veteran who had his flag destroyed, and the man who played taps in the mall.