Mark Lowry...His Music Carried Me Through

It had become a Saturday Night tradition with Mom and I. We would turn on WVPBS at 8:00pm and watch Classic Gospel. It was a program produced by Bill Gaither that featured his Gaither Home Comings and some of the videos that he produced over the years. This program was how I fell in love with Jason Crabb. I also got to love Vestal Goodman, Dottie Rambo, The Issacs, The Hoppers, Ernie Hass and Signature Sound, Lynda Randle, Ivan Parker, Gordon Mote, Guy Penrod, David Phelps, and Mark Lowry. It was because of that show that I started buying some of the Gaither Homecoming CDs. I would play them in the car when Mom and I were traveling places.

It was one of those programs on Saturday Night that they played songs from the Gaither CD, Rock of Ages. One of those songs was called Does Jesus Care/God Will Take Care of You by Mark Lowry. Mom loved that song. She told me after the program that I needed to get that CD so that we could play that song often. Mom loved God Will Take Care of You. It was her favorite hymn. In fact, we played the Oak Ridge Boys version at her funeral. This song by Mark Lowry was her favorite. 

It was after Mom passed that I found it again. I was on YouTube looking of videos and ran across this song. I watched the video and it took me back to when I saw it on tv. It reminded me that in my grief and pain of loosing Mom that God did care for me. He was carrying me through this storm in my life. 

It was after that that I would listen to a lot of Mark Lowry songs on YouTube. Mom liked his comedy, but I loved his serious side. His songs just speak to you with a great message. I love songs like Mary Did You Know, I Thirst, Make It Real, Smile,  Promises , and What's Not To Love. 

I recently saw a video of JD Sumner talking about how Mark helped him after his wife died. It made me think about how Mark's music helped me through the loss of my Mom. His music made me see that God was not through with me yet. 

I am so very thankful that Mom and I ran across the music of Mark Lowry. It has been a comfort to me and his comedy brought Mom many hours of laughs. Mark Lowry is such a blessing.

God Bless You Mark Lowry. You are a true testament to the love of Jesus. 

Please Park Considerably

I don't have anything for handicap parking myself. However, I do take my Uncle and my Aunt who each have their own handicap placard places. When I take them out we use their placard to park as close to the building as possible. My Uncle has had both hips replaced, has arterial fibrillation, irregular heart beats, and breathing issues. My Aunt has balance and coordination issues.

Too often when we go places we have to take the nearest spot to a handicap because the handicap are full. Too often I see people getting in and out of cars parked in the handicap spaces that are not handicap. They don't have a handicap license or placard. These are the same people that abuse the motorized carts in the stores.

Yes, I am aware that there are some handicaps that you can't see. Those people I am not mad at. But, when a person parks in a handicap spot they should have either a handicap license plate on the car or a handicap placard hanging from the rear view mirror.

Then there are those who have handicap parking items and want to tell me what the law says about parking in a handicap spot. It is all because there are very few handicap spots in the lots, I am parked legally, and this person has to park in a regular spot.

Then there are those that can't park correctly in a handicap spot. If they park next to a van spot then park close to the other car so that if the van has a lift that it can't be used. This aggravates me that someone would do that. It is like they are taking up two spots.

My advice is that if you don't have handicap parking or are transporting someone that has handicap parking please don't park in the spot. It makes life easier for the ones who really need it. Thank you!

Tolerance

Webster's defines the word Tolerance as sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own (this is one of 4). Recently a friend of mine wrote about how she was being tolerant of something going on in her life. I have had times in which I was tolerant of things going on in  my life and the lives of those that I loved. I didn't want to loose them from my life so I decided it was ok to be tolerant of their behavior rather than to be objective of it.

You see Jesus taught about tolerance. In his day Jesus communed with people who were the outcast of the society of that time. He did not judge them for the things they did or who they were. He loved them all the same. John 15:12 says This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Right there in that verse he says that we need to love each other as he loves us. That is unconditionally without fault. This theme is found many more times in the bible. This must have been a very important concept that Jesus wanted to make sure that we got.

Tolerance is a concept that a lot of churches today are missing. A lot of churches have not tolerance for people who do not fit into their preconceived cookie cutter idea of what a Christian is to be like. If someone comes into their church and does not fit their idea of a Christian then they will not tolerate them being at their church or having any part in the church.

Then there is the work place. Sometimes co-workers can be cruel with intolerance. They will not tolerate you if you don't conform and do what they think is the right way to do things. Their intolerance of you makes it hard to do your job. You begin to wonder each day what is going to happen bad to you. You feel uneasy. It is like they are trying to break you down so you will quit and that they can find someone else to replace you with that will follow their rules.

I have felt intolerance. It is not a good thing. When this happens to me I pray and let God be in control. Things like this are out of my hands. There is no need in getting all bent out of shape over it. A lot of times the person being intolerant has no right to do so. They just want to make themselves look better. 

This is all to often the case. People hear something that they don't like so they want to gossip about it. They may even want to those involved what to do in the situation. We need to be more tolerant of things. If it does not affect us then we need to be tolerant of it and move on. Let people live their lives. 

Remember that God loved all people. He didn't care. He was tolerant. We need to be more like him. 

I Will

I recently was watching a sermon from Pastor T.D. Jakes in which he was saying that if you speak I Will over your life that you will start to see changes in your life. I never thought of that before. So I thought about it for a bit. I am reminded of the woman with the issue of blood. She said to herself that she was going to touch the hem of Jesus' garment and was going to be healed. This was something that had never been done before. She said it over and over again. She was reminding herself of what she wanted. She did what she set out to do. It made God ask questions. 

That woman had faith. We need to be like her. We need to have faith that when we say I Will do whatever it is that it is going to happen. When you say I Will whatever you have sent the devil running in the other direction and allowed God to come into your life to do great things. 

We need to speak I Will statements over our lives everyday. We will in time see results in our lives. We will see our lives change. We will begin to see good things happen. We will drive the devil away and let God in to do his work. 

So I encourage you in 2018 to speak statements of I Will so that you can begin to see changes in your life. Have faith that good things are going to happen through speaking statements of I Will.

Thanks Journal

As we go into 2018 I have been thinking about things that I can do to strengthen my relationship with God. One of those things is to keep a Thanks Journal. A Thanks Journal is a journal in which each day you write down all the things that you are thankful for. It will remind you of the good things in this life that come from God. 

Here are some tips for keeping a Thanks Journal.

• Don't just go through the motions. Journaling is more effective if you chose to be happy and grateful.
• Go for depth over breadth. Elaborate about several of the things that you are thankful for because it carries more benefits.
• Get Personal. Focusing on the people that you are grateful for has more of an infect than focusing on things of life.
• Try subtraction, not just addition. Take time to focus on one blessing and state what your life would be like without it. 
• Savor Surprises.  Try to focus on those in expected blessings cause they help you be more thankful.
• Don't over do it. Writing one or two days a week is more beneficial than writing every day.

A Thanks Journal does not have to be something fancy. You can take a simple notebook and use it to write your thanks in. Mark out two or three days a week in which you will write in your journal. Make sure to write several items each day. Write in detail about each item. Then after a period of time you can look back and reflect on those things which you are thankful for. 

A Thanks Journal makes you more aware of the blessings that God has for you. You will find yourself being happier. You can look back on the things that you write and smile. You will be so happy in the end. 

I encourage you to consider making a Thank Journal 2018. It will help you see more of God's blessings for you.

 

Christmas Traditions

Many of us have traditions of things that we do at Christmas each year. Some are things that we have done since we were a child. Others are things that we have come to do later in our life because of how our lives have changed. 

As a kid we had traditions at Christmas. On Christmas Eve we would go to my Aunt Sandra's house for dinner and opening of gifts. Then at 6:30pm those that wanted to would gather up and go with Grandma to her church for the Christmas Eve Service. On Christmas Day the Grandparents and Aunt Virginia and Uncle Ed would come to our house for soup and sandwiches as well as a gift exchange. 

Times have changed and family members have gone on. My sister and I are making new traditions. With her work schedule it is sometimes hard to spend Christmas together. So we have our Christmas on Christmas Eve. We have a meal, open presents, and then we go to some of the local Christmas Eve Services. This year we are going to the Valley Baptist and Wardensville United Methodist Services.

On Christmas Day I will spend it with our adopted family, The Strosniders. I am thankful that I have them in my life after Mom passed. I am thankful that they have opened their home and life to me. 

Also on Christmas Eve this year I will be taking my Uncle Woodie and going to our church for services. I will be singing a special song as part of the service. Then he will come home with me to have lunch. 

Everyone has special traditions. A friend of mine told me about how when she was young they would gather around the Christmas Tree on Christmas Morning for the reading of the Christmas Story. I thought that was a beautiful tradition. 

Another tradition from my child hood was making goodies with Aunt Virginia. She had a list of cookies and candies that she would make at Christmas. Some of those she would put in the fruit baskets at her church that went to elderly folks who were home bound. Then there were some that she would give to others as gifts. I still remember making homemade mince meat filling for cookies or making rocky road fudge. 

As a kid a tradition was to always be in a Christmas Play at church. Each year the play was different, but it was special. One year we did the Nativity and I got to play Mary. As part of the play I got to sing Away In A Manger. That is my favorite Christmas Hymn. 

Whatever the tradition it is special to you. Something that you remember and cherish. As a part of those traditions we should never loose site of the true meaning of Christmas. That is that Jesus is the reason for the season. 

Not In The Mood For Christmas

I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday. Most years I am ready for it and can't wait. I am like a kid in a candy store about it. This year is different. I am just not feeling it at all. I feel like skipping the whole thing. The holidays though are to be a happy time they bring with it for some depression. At the holidays some miss family members and become depressed.

Christmas is more than just giving and receiving of presents. It is the remembrance of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is remembering that Jesus came as a baby boy and grew to become a man that would later die on the cross for you and me. I remember that thought, but I still can't get into the spirit of Christmas.

It seems like this year the spirit of Christmas has been zapped out of me. It is like there is no joy in the holiday for me this year. I just can't explain it. This too shall pass. I will get over it. It is just a phase.

I think that once I start playing my Christmas music that I will get in the mood. I just need to set my mind on he holiday and all that comes with it. I will be fine. I will feel better.

Think Good Things....Get Good Things

For sometime now things at my job have not been well. I do my job and it seems that I can't please everyone all the time. I have people talk about me behind my back. I am tattletaled on constantly. I have to watch my back and I am to the point that I feel that if I don't do what my supervisor says that I will get fired. 

I have found that through all of this I am stressed out, tired, and ready to give up. This week I was on a break from work. During that time I have been doing some thinking and found out a few things. One of those things is that when I am not at work I am less tired. Mostly because this entire week I did not think about work or let any of the pettiness get to me. I shook it off. 

This week I was able to sleep well and relax. That is something when I am at work can't be done. I had more energy this week than normal. Work seems to zap the life out of me. When you have to be at work at 7am (or 5 minutes before) and don't get to leave work till almost 4pm you can be a little worn.

During the work week I wake up as tired as I come home. I don't sleep well cause I have a million and one things running through my head about work. I pray about it all the time and because I am not seeing results of my prayers I tend to loose faith that God is in control.

I have come to realize this week that I let things get to me too much. I need to get up each morning praising God and let him be in control. I need not let the little things of life get me down. That is something I do often. 

I heard a sermon on the radio from Billy Graham (on his channel) in which Rev. Graham said that if you want good things to happen you need to think good thoughts. That means that instead of wishing that my co-worker would not show up most days I should instead wish my co-worker would get a new job that they were better qualified for. 

That person at church that always gets to me I should wish that God would help them with whatever they are going through. I should wish good things on those people in my life that cause me bad and in the end I will see good things happen to me. 

I need to pray good things over those that hurt me constantly. A friend told me that he prays bible verses over people that hurt him and he sees results happen. I need to do that so that I too can see results and have a better life. 

God is in control. I just need to be more positive about things. It is hard when you work with or are around people that steal your joy. With God by your side it can happen. You have to have faith, patience, pray, and be positive.

The Empty Chair

It does not matter how long it has been since a loved one or someone that we were close to passed away the holidays are still hard. Mom has been gone 2 years and I still cry. It happens to the best of us. We get emotional about it and for good reason. Life is not the same. 

People tell me all the time that I should move on, I have memories, and that tears should be over. No it is not that easy. My Aunt Joem said she refuses to celebrate the holidays since Uncle Pat died cause it is just not the same. Yes life does go on, but there is still the empty chair. 

The empty chair is something that will never go away. It will serve as a reminder that our loved ones are gone to a far better place and that one day we will see them again. The empty chair serves to remind us of the good times we shared. 

As I drove to and from dinner this evening. I got to thinking about some of those memories of holidays past. One of my favorite holiday traditions was to gather together with family and share stories. We did that tonight. 

Family Traditions make memories that will last a life time. I am so thankful that I am able to make new memories and traditions with people who have come into my life when an empty chair came to my table. 

I was thinking today about the empty chair. My friend Jackie will experience a new empty chair this year and I know it will be hard to deal with. The empty chair should also serve to as a reminder that Jesus Christ came down to Earth as a baby, died on the cross, was buried, ascended to Heaven, and will come back again some day. That empty chair is our seat at the table ready and waiting for the Lord's return. 

We should not see this empty chair as a loss, but rather as a reminder that we will see our loved ones again when the Lord comes to call us home. I hope that the Lord will return to fill my empty chair as my special guest very soon.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of those this year who have an empty chair. Let it remind you too of the Lord's return. 

What Are You Thankful For?

Today is Thanksgiving. That gives me pause to think of all the things that I have been thankful for. During the month of November people post what they are thankful for each day with the hashtag #Thanks. I have been doing this, but I decided that today I would compile a list of 30 things that I am thankful for.

Here is my list of things that I am thankful for in 2017.

1. My family
2. My faith
3. My car
4. My friends
5. My health
6. My job
7. My home
8. Food and clothes
9. Good weather
10. Days off work
11. Memories
12. Sleep
13. Love
14. My ex-boyfriend
15. That Jesus died on the cross for me
16. Music
17. Grace
18. Prayer
19. Early Mornings and Late Evenings
20. Pain
21. Warmth
22. Life
23. Children
24. Aunt Joem's baking
25. Chocolate
26. 2 hour delays
27. Weekends
28. Fridays
29. Chicken Salad from Costco
30. Time with my Sister

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Jeremiah

May 22, 2011 the most amazing man came into my life. Over the 6 years that we were together he became a man that I could see spending the rest of my life with. A man that near the end I fell deeply in love with and didn't want to loose. 

Jeremiah was such a sweet, kind, caring, compassionate man. He loved me for who I was and ever wanted to change me. He made me feel special. He made me forget when things were going bad. I could get lost in thoughts of him and forget that my life was far from perfect. 

Jeremiah was far from perfect. I accepted that fact. It took me a long time to see how much I loved him. The night that I finally fell in love with him it took my breath away. It was a feeling that I never had felt before and I didn't want to loose. 

It was after that that I began to read Song of Solomon. That whole book of the Bible is a romance novel. As I read it I imagined Jeremiah and I being who Solomon was writing about. I imagined our love so perfect. 

I believed that God had brought us together. I had faith that whatever trial of life that would come our way that we would still be in love with each other. I could not and would not imagine my life without him in it. 

Then it happened. Forces beyond our control caused us to split. It has been painful to see him move on. I am still deeply in love with him. I am holding out hope that he will one day come back to me. That we will rekindle our love once more. 

I am thankful for the time that I did have Jeremiah in my life. He taught me about true and real love. He showed me that no one is perfect. He showed me that sometimes no matter how much you love someone you have to let them go so that that when they figure it out they will come back to you.

I pray each day for Jeremiah. I care about him too much to see him hurt. I want him to be happy. I ask God to keep him safe. 

I still wear the bracelet that he gave me. It reminds me of what was and what could be again one day. It reminds me that I need to have faith and be patient. 

I am thankful that I have loved Jeremiah, that I still love Jeremiah, and the there is hope that one day Jeremiah will come back to me.

First Love

The other day as I was driving home from work I was listening to the radio as I always do. I was flipping through the stations when I heard Kenny Chesney's Me and You. That song got me to thinking about my first love.

You know your first real love will never leave you. It is something special that you just have to hold on to. It changes you. I know that mine did. However hard I try to get rid of it I am not able to. I will never get over it.

When you find that first love you know it. I know that I did. Sure I had dated before, but with Jeremiah things were different. The first night I met him I knew that he was the one. He was my forever. To this day I still believe that he is my forever.

You can never escape your first love. Once that someone that you have fallen in love with stops feeling the same way about you it is hard to forget how they made you feel. Sure you can try to move forward, but they will always be a big part of your life.

I know for me that Jeremiah will always be a big part of my life. I love him more today than I did the day I first fell in love with him. These are feelings that are hard to let go of. Every love after your first love will be compared to it. Nothing will be as good as your first love.

So when you find your first love make sure that the person that you fall in love with is the one. Do everything that you can to keep them in your life. Never let go of them. You will regret it big time. I know that I have everyday since I let Jeremiah go.

I should have never listened to my sister. I should have never gotten rid of him. I love him and wish that he was still mine. I know that he has moved on and claims to be happy. However, I believe that he is not happy at all. I believe that he is going through the motions of happiness just to try to get over me.

If Jeremiah would come and ask me to take him back I sure would in a heartbeat. I would show him how much I loved him. I would make him see that he was the one for me.

So if you fall in love make it a good one that last. If not you may end up like me regretting loosing something that was so perfect and special.

Tattletale

Have you ever worked with someone that never talks to you, always talks about you to others, and when you do something they feel is wrong goes to tell the boss about it instead of talking to you? I am sure we all have that one co-worker that is a tattletale. They are always in the wrong. So to cover up their tracks they go to the boss and tell tails on you. Then you wind up in the bosses office explaining the situation. Before you know it everyone in the building knows what happened.

We all have that one dreaded co-worker that we try to avoid. That one person that if you even breath wrong they blow it up and go tell the boss some wild story about you. That one person that makes you feel like you would rather be dead than have to work with.

You know who I mean. More often than not we are stuck with this person. We can't avoid them no matter what. We can't escape their tattling on us. I am sure you are like me and pray that this person or persons are absent. You pray that they get the plague or close two it so that they are out for a few days in a row.

We have all been there and done that. I have to look at the bigger picture. When children tattletale there is something that they are in need of. It is the same with adults. You have to think about the person that is tattling on you. Is there something deep down that they are in need of? Find out what that is and surprise by meeting that need. That is if you can.

My biggest defense is to pray for them. Talk to God about them everyday. Pray for the situation that they put you in. Give that person a smile each day. Be kinder than normal to them. You never know. You just might make their day and change their life.

In the end the tattling will stop. Other co-workers will learn to not like this person. They will see them as nothing more than self centered and hateful. Other co-workers will want nothing to do with the tattletale. The boss will get the picture too. The boss will realize how much time is being wasted by the tattletale.

In the end the tattletale will end up hurting themselves and not others. They will end up loosing big time. Pray now and you will see results. Let God be in control of the situation.

Halloween and All Saints Day

Today is Halloween. A day when parents dress their children up in costumes to look like their favorite super hero, movie character, or what have you to take them door to door tick or treating for candy. People like me either sit on their porches or by the door waiting to see what children will come to their house.

Some places will have truck or treats. Some places the fire departments will have a family friendly party.  People will head out to whatever it is this evening. Some people will not celebrate the holiday for one reason or another and that is ok.

Tomorrow however, is a holiday that goes unnoticed. All Saints Day is one that people usually don't celebrate. This is a day to remember all those who passed away in the last year. In the church we use to have a moment of silence for those who passed in the last year.

All Saints Day is not just a day to remember those passed in the last year, but also a day to remember those that have gone on before us. It is a day to remember that they lived a good life and one day we will see them again.

So if you celebrate Halloween tonight remember to celebrate All Saints Day tomorrow too.

Abuse

Have you ever worked with someone that was psychologically abusive?  Someone that had to be in control of things all the time and when their plans didn't go they took it out on you? Someone who used you as their verbal punching bag? If this has every happened to you then you are not alone. I have been there. At the time my co-workers thought that I was out of my mind. They could not believe that this would ever happen to me. Then they saw it in action and things changed.

At first when this was happening I never thought of it as abuse. I thought of it as just how things were between us. One part of the abuse was to never share anything with me. That in a way was good. That way when things went wrong and I didn't know about it I was in the clear. I could use the excuse that I never knew about it in the first place. 

Another part of the abuse was to make decision without getting my input. That was sometimes good and sometimes bad. It was bad cause when things went wrong I was left holding the bag. I was blamed for whatever went wrong. I never seemed to do anything right. 

The abuse went so far as me having to get to work a half hour early in order to do this list of things that my abuser wanted done. Then I had to stay a half hour late to do another list of things. I knew that if I didn't do what was on the lists that my abuser would verbally asult me. Sometimes the asult was in private and other times the asult was public. 

Most of the time it was public. My abuser got a thrill from the verbal asult of me in front of others. Now mind you at the time this was all going on I never for once thought of this as abuse. I thought that this was just how my abuser was. This was the nature of the beast and I needed to tow the line in order to avoid the wrath. 

Most often abusers refuse to admit that they are abusive. They want to believe that they accuser is making things up and that they (the abuser) could never do something like that. They don't want to see that what they are doing is affecting others around them. They want to go on believing that life is perfect and there is no harm done. 

It took me awhile to see that I was being abused. I looked back on my job and realized that this was not the first case of abuse that I had been through. I was appalled that someone would do something like this to me. 

So what I did was pray. I knew I could not go to higher up about the situation. I had in the past with the abuser and it never worked. So I prayed. Everything I was abused I prayed. I knew God had a plan and a purpose for this.   

It is not just abuse at the work place. The phycological abuse can be at home too. You could have a spouse or significant other that is psychologically abusive. You man never realize it. I was there with this too. I dated a guy in college who was psychologically abusive. I am so glad that I figured out what was going on before it was too late. 

Then there is psychological abuse in the church. What you say? Yes you heard me right. It does happen. That one person in the church that can get anyone to do anything. That one person that everyone believes is right and can do no wrong. No one ever sees the bad in that person. That is because that person is manipulative. They are good at making people believe that what they say and do is 100% right. No one ever questions them. This is not a good way to go. A person like this will end up destroying the church.

So again what do you do? You pray about it. Talk to God and tell him all about what is going on. Lay your problems at his feet. Talk to God about this person or persons in your life that is psychologically abusive to you. Ask God to change them. Ask God to show them what they are doing wrong. 

You many not see results right away, but in God's time you will see results. God will make things better. He has a plan and a purpose. You just have to trust him and have faith. I have in my situations and I have saw results. I talk to God everyday about what is going on and little by little I see answers. 

Don't let the abuse continue. If you can get help then get it. Talk to others who can help you get out of the situation that you are in before it is too late. Let the world know what is going on.

Above all cry out to Jesus and he will meet your need.

Live The Let Go Life

Some time ago I ran across a sermon by Joseph Prince entitled Live The Let Go Life. This sermon talked about breaking free from stress, worry, and anxiety. Recently I have been feeling tired and worn out. I don't sleep well and frankly by the middle of the day I am ready for a nap. I go home and some evenings I fall asleep on the couch or in the chair. I use to blame stress and worry on this, but I realized that it was more than that after hearing this sermon.

I realized that I was fighting the devil or multiple devils in my life. I was fighting battles in my life that had turned into a war for my soul. I realized that I needed to give this fight over to God and let him take control. I need to do my fighting in prayer and then take a huge step back. Get out of the way and let God be in control.

I know that when I get up each day I start my day with worry. I worry about what could go wrong with my day before it even begins. I have anxiety about going to work. I think up problems before they even occur or don't occur. I let the stress of my job get to me. By the middle of the day I am ready to go to bed I am so tired. It is hard for me to keep going each day.

So recently I realized that I need to let go of all of this. I am fighting a battle that only God can win. That is not good. I talk to God everyday and I need to give this battle over to God. He will win this war in my life. The multiple devils in my life will flee.

If we learn to let go of things and let God take control more often our lives will be better. Things will go right. We will see more blessings. God will reward us. We need to have faith in the power of God.

I vow to let go and let God have more control of my life. I will let him fight for me. I will let him work in the situations to which I feel hopeless. I want God's best for me.

My advice to you if you are in the situation that I am in is that you need to let go and let God. Your life will be better for it.

I Want A Love Like That

Since I started working in the school system I have gotten to know a lot of people. I have gotten to work with some great teachers over the years. This week one of those great teachers went to be with Jesus. Ann Hodges will forever be remembered by so many who's life she touched in the time that she was here on earth.

I got to know Ann when I first became an Aide. I was working in Special Ed and she was one of the teachers that I got to work with. I learned really quickly that she pulled no punches and wanted every child to succeed. She cared about every student. She challenged her students to be more than what they thought they could be. She even challenged them to be more than what others thought they could be. 

She saw the good in everyone. There was never a person that was a stranger to her. She loved to talk to everyone. I know that even after she retired that when I would see her out she would talk to me. We would catch up and I knew she had an interest in me. She was easy to work with and fun too. 

Her husband Henry was equally as interesting. I got to work with him at East Hardy High School. I learned that he too challenged his students to succeed, he cared for all the students, and that he cared about his co-workers. 

Seeing them together they were an interesting couple. They had their moments. I can still here Ann yell Henry when she wanted him or was about to give him a lecture. I can still see them in their blue Ford Festiva (older) going down the road. Ann would be driving and Henry would have his seat reclined. 

Ann was a short lady, but she made a big presence when she came into the room. Henry was tall and well noticed. They made for an interesting pair when you saw them together. 

Despite it all Henry and Ann were deeply in love. In fact when Henry gave his Teacher of the Year speech at Opening Day several years ago he credited his award to Ann. He said that he would not be where he was today without her. That is so true. 

Ann was one to stand back and let Henry shine. She was quietly in the background helping Henry to succeed. She never got personal credit for all she did, but she did let Henry take the credit. 

I remember that when I would see them out and about they would always ask about my mom and sister. After Mom passed they took an interest in how I was doing. Ann also took an interest in how my job was going. She would give me advice and sometimes warnings. 

They both were interested in the local school sports. I don't think that there was a sporting event at East Hardy High School that they did not attend. They were at most all the games selling tickets or being the game manager. They were always dressed in school colors showing their support of the students. 

As I think about what Henry must be going through I think about how much he loved Ann. When he posted about her death on Facebook he referred to Ann as the love of his life. It makes you stop and think about what kind of love they had.

I want a love like that someday. Someone that I can love and will love me, but still be normal with. I mean have all the arguments, disagreements, make-up, and still love each other through it all. Ann and Henry's love reminded me of my Great-Aunt Virginia and Great-Uncle Ed.  

I am sure that Ann is in Heaven smiling down on Henry. I am also sure that she is playing the piano for the choir in Heaven where my Mom is proudly singing. I am sure too that Mom and Ann are wearing matching dresses and swapping stories about Henry. 

My heart goes out to Mr. Hodges. I will continue to pray for him. Grief is not an easy thing. Especially when you loose the love of your life. I am sure we all have a story of some kind to tell about this couple especially Mrs. Hodges. 

Please keep Mr. Hodges in your thoughts and prayers at this time. God gained another angel who left a lot of great memories.

Blessed

Most mornings I wake up I don't want to get up. I would rather stay in bed. Most night I go to bed worn and drained. Then I remember that I am blessed so much. God blesses me everyday and I am grateful for that. God blesses me in so many ways. Some that I don't even know. We all need to take the time to enjoy God's blessings for us.

I was listening to Joel Osteen and he was giving a sermon on blessings from your enemies. I never realized that the lady at church that gives me a sermon after worship each week is showering me with blessings. Novel concept that I will keep in mind.

I realized today that I am so blessed no matter what in life. I also realized that I can be a blessing in life too. Just like this week I sent a card to a family member who had missed church last Sunday. She thanked me for the card and said it really made her feel good.

As I realized I am blessed every morning when God wakes me up. I am blessed when I am able to get out of bed, get ready, and go off to work. I am blessed that I have a car that runs and can get me places. I am blessed to have a job that I love. I am blessed to have a home to live in. I am blessed to have food to eat. I am blessed beyond measure.

Most of us never see the blessings in the small things that we take for granted each day. It is the small things that bring with it the most blessings. We need to set our minds to seeing that happen each day. 

You Are Parked Illegally

So recently I went to church as I always do. When I got there I parked where I always park. Before I go farther with this let me say that my Uncle and my Aunt usually come to church with me in my car. Neither one of them drives. My Uncle has never driven and my Aunt doesn't drive due to doctor's orders.

So this Sunday it was just me and my Uncle in the car. As I said I parked the car where I always do. I always park in a spot along the side of the church that has handicap parking. I put my Uncle's handicap placard in the rear view mirror before exiting the car as I do each Sunday. I really don't need to do this, but since this happened I make sure to do so.

We went into church as usual. Nothing was said about my parking and that is normal. That was until worship. A man in his late 70s early 80s who had just had hip replacement surgery comes in with his single prong cane. He walks up to me and asks me if the placard in my car belongs to me. I told him no that it is issued to my Uncle. He then asks me if it is registered to my car. With a shock look I tell him no. He then proceeds to tell me that if the placard is not registered to my car I am parked illegally. I was in shock.

Me park illegally? No way! This bothers me to no end. So after tell my Uncle and my sister about this I look up the laws about handicap placards on the DMV website. I wanted to make sure that I was right about what I knew the law was.

See for years I have used handicap placards in my cars. I used my Grandpa's, my Mom's my Uncle's and my Aunt's all and never  before had an issue.

After looking up the what the DMV said I was satisfied about the issue. That was till this morning. See my Uncle could not go to church today with us (me and my aunt) so I called my Aunt so we could use her placard.

As we drove down the road to church I told my Aunt the story. She was appalled. She told me that I was right in being able to park in the spot at church with the use of the placard as long as the person the placard was issued to was riding in the car. She assured me that if this man at church gave me grief about parking she would handle him. Turns out the man didn't come to church today.

Some people have the nerve. They worry about the dumbest things in life. This man was more worried about being cheated out of a parking spot than hearing the message. To top things off there was an older couple parked next to me with a placard. This man never got after them. He had a pick at me. I think it was cause I was young that is why.

If truth be known my Uncle needs to park nearest the church more than most. He is 74, had both hips replaced (one is in place with medical grade super glue), he has coronary heart failure, and arterial fibrillation.  Not to mention that my Uncle has breathing issues and weight issues. On top of the fact that my Uncle does not walk well. I am afraid to park much farther from the door for fear that my Uncle will fall.

My Aunt does not walk well and falls easy so she is another reason I park so close. Most people in church understand why I park were I do when both of them come with me to church. I just think that this man was upset that he had to walk and get a little exercise with that new hip of his,

So this week I have done a lot of praying for this man. He had to have been in pain to accost me like that. Life is not always fair. We need to make the best of things when things don't go our way. I say to this man get over it and let it go. Life is too short to cause conflict and worry over silly things.

So until something happens that I am not bringing my Uncle and Aunt to church I will keep parking in the same spot that I always have and display a placard for the rider of the car. I will also pray for this man who is wrong. He obviously comes to church for the wrong reasons.