I found this delightful piece of art in some of my picture files. The prayer written within made me laugh..especially a few of the words…you’ll know which ones. There was no information other than what is included on the piece. And, try as I may, even with a huge magnifying glass, I can not read the name written sideways at the bottom of the card. So, I do not know who to give credit to. If you do, please pass along the info, so I can give the artist credit. And, he/she deserves to be credited for this amusing piece. Enjoy!
PS. Please take no offense that I wrote the words to the prayer out for you. I am sure none of my readers have any need of a magnifying glass, and could probably read this just fine with no aid whatsoever. However, I had to use my handheld magnifier to read the instructions on the box of Rice-a-Roni tonight. I’m now getting the large print Sunday School books. I already wear TRI-FOCALS!!! This is not something I am proud of, in fact, it distresses me greatly. However, I really did enjoy the look on the cashier’s face in Michael’s the other day when I pulled the glass out to read the expiration date on my coupon! (I tend to lose things if they are small and inconspicuous…so this magnifier is 10 inches high…and the glass is 4 1/2 inches across). She tried to stifle a smile. I fixed my steely glare on her and said, “Be very careful, my dear. My grandma told me this would happen if I laughed at her. I laughed anyway, and look at me now.” Then, I told her that my coupon had expired. She gave me my 40% off anyway.
Dearest God,
One day I will be old. One day my body will be six inches lower than it is now. But, before I sag…will I have learnt how to be a decent human being? Can I…through practice…not become selfish, cranky, arrogant, grumpy? I don’t mind becoming a saggyugly,wrinklycrinkly lady…if in the meantime I learn how to act stunningly beautiful. AMEN
Forgive me, please, if I don’t share with you how many more inches I have to go.
This is the day, 79 years ago, that my Mom was born. She was born and lived in North Carolina until she married Pop and moved to Alabama. And here she stayed until she moved to her heavenly home.
I think of her so often, and I know many others do also. When you speak of her to me, it is as if I am seeing her again through your eyes. When I hear you say that you remember her kindness, or her dedication to her church and missions, or when you tell me of special notes she wrote to you…it reminds me again of how blessed I was to call her Mom. She loved to pick out special gifts for others, and I could not even begin to tell you how many of her most delicious pound cakes she made to give to friends she loved.
I have written of her often on this blog, and you have so kindly read and commented accordingly. But, I have nothing new to add today. I’ve probably said all there is to say several times over…(I have a tendency to do this more and more the older I get). That’s OK…I’m just ‘taking after’ her…she did it, too. 🙂
In my files of things I like, I have this poem. I am sorry that I do not know who to attribute it to. But, whomever it was who wrote it, did an excellent job. My Mom lived her dash well. And, I am grateful to have been there to see so much of it. And, I am grateful that my children and Joy’s children were there to see how she lived it as well. As I have said before…she was a wonderful example and we were blessed to live in her heart…as she lives on in ours.
HOW YOU LIVE YOUR DASH
I read of a man who stood to speak At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone From the beginning…to the end.
He noted that first came her date of birth And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all Was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time That she spent alive on earth… And now only those who loved her Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own; The cars…the house…the cash, What matters is how we live and love And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard… Are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left, That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough To consider what’s true and real, And always try to understand The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger, And show appreciation more And love the people in our lives Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect, And more often wear a smile. Remembering that this special dash Might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy’s being read With your life’s actions to rehash… Would you be proud of the things they say About how you spent your dash?
I was taught from a young age, to explore topics that interested me. If there was a current event or issue that intrigued me, I was encouraged to learn about it and see if I agreed or not and why. Many parents would forbid their kids from reading about certain topics and would refuse to even discuss ideas with them. That’s the way kids get wrong information, they listen to other kids instead of finding out for themselves. Or their parents refuse to share the standasrds and morals they themselves believe in. This leaves the young person searching on their own with no guidance. I adhear to the belief that the more information I have on something, the better decision I can make. This is the same whether buying a new car, or finding out if there are ‘aliens amoung us.’ No topic was ever ‘off-limits’ for our boys. Whatever questions they asked got an answer. We may have had to search it out, but we found it.
My Pop and I were both interested in phenomena such as ‘visitors from other planets, or the ‘crop circles, or other’ strange sightings from way above the earth’. We both read and share books…and even went to lectures on the subject. And, then we formed our opinions. Which is…we don’t know. But at least we have a better understanding of why some folks think we have been ‘visited’ and why some folks are sure we haven’t. ( My sister used to say that I was really an alien…but I don’t think that’s true at all. Besides I’ve seen baby pictures of me and my Mom. Hmmmmm. can’t recall any of hers, though!)
I say all of those things so you will know where I am coming from with this post. Tonight, I watched a program on the Science Channel. The new series is called ‘ Curiostity’…and the program tonight was entitled’ Did God Create the Universe?‘ It shows again on the Science Channel at 8 PM on Monday, August15. Flipping through the channels, I ran across the programs notes,and I tuned in.
I saw at the very beginning, that it was going to be weighted in one way…toward science. The first person on the program, and actually the only guest was Stephen Hawking, considered the greatest mind since Einstein. The rest of the dialogue was taken from his latest book.
British physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking embarked on a journey to explore the biggest question of all … who or what created our universe? The episode discussed the origins of the belief in a Creator, including those of Vikings and Ancient Greeks; explored the laws of science vs. the laws of nature; listed the fundamental ingredients necessary to create a universe like ours; and explained the relationship between the Big Bang, a black hole, and the creation of the universe itself.
Now, I have told you before that I’m not good with the math, and science stuff. I was surprised to find that with one of the very first questions…I could actually understand what they were talking about! They explained that in the beginning there was NOTHING, (I knew that) and that there didn’t need to be anything. And from this NOTHING…the world was formed (I knew that, too). Then they said that was no need for God to be involved. He wasn’t needed. He did not start the world. And, in their minds, that settles it. They say it could have all been done with what was available in the ‘void’ at the time. Well, of course it could have. God can take anything and make anything out of it. I realize that science can explain many things. I realize that they have found answers to many mysteries of the universe. And I realize that according to them, there was no time, there was no sun, planets, atmoshere, or Earth until the Big Bang. And, I can not discount the majority of their theories. I can not say if they are right or wrong…I’m not that smart. But, I do know they are wrong about one thing…it was GOD who spoke the world into being. Now how He did it, I don’t know. Were there things such as the Big Bang? Could be. Could not be. But, if there was…it was God’s design. It was His plan. And, it was He who decided how the world came into being.
My Bible says, ”
1 ‘ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. ‘ Genesis 1:1-2 NIV
From The Message Bible…”God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t ‘ see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness.
You know and can re read the account in Genesis. But, after God had completed His work, He said that it was good. And, the Bible says this”
“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array”. Genesis 2:1
And from The Message Bible…”Heaven and Earth were finished, down to the last detail.”
The show was very thorough. and it went through many, many reasons why God was NOT involved. It was such a one-sided and biased program. As I said before, I do not mind watching a good debate. I enjoy seeing each side present their arguments for and against. But, this program gave no credence to God. They even went so far as to say, that since ‘they’ had decided that there was not a God…..we must understand that there is no ‘afterlife’, either. “This is all there is”, said Hawking, “so enjoy this world and do what you will…there is no more.”
To be honest, the show was well done, and I actually learned some things. It was also presented, I think, for the average Joe or Jane. It was easy to understand. and their positions were made clear. It fills me with such distress, though, to think that those who have no strong foundation could easily be swayed to this thinking. They were so sure and confident of their beliefs. And, to be fair, there was an after show. However…I just ran up on it by accident…it was on a different channel, even. It was as if they showed a sliver of truth, but if you wanted to hear it, you had to find it for yourself. It was not even mentioned on the main program. There was a known newscaster, who gave no opinions and 3 guests on the panel. Two of them were scientists who fully agreed with the show. There was one Christian college professor and author who stood firmly on his beliefs that God was the Creator of life. However, he was not able to give much of an argument for the belief in God, because the newscaster was asking questions of all of them. And, I think he did a good job of giving everyone equal time, for a half hour show.
I am no expert on parenting…but this I know to be true. Teach your children what you believe to be true. Give them a foundation of godly principles and morals. Go to church with them and discuss what you hear. Let it become a habit to be involved in a group who believe the same things they do. There are many different congregations and denominations who believe the same basic principles. Don and I were raised Southern Baptists, and as such, so were our children. Two of them go to Baptist churches…one with us, one to a different Baptist church, and one attends a Presbyterian church. Their beliefs were formed when they were young. They learned what was right and wrong. They learned what the Bible speaks about many different topics. This is at the core of who they are. So, I feel confident and at ease when they look at things that are outside the ‘norm’. Knowledge is good. Questions are good. But, a strong foundation is one of the best things you will ever give your child.
This morning, as I was taking a shower, I saw a rainbow right above the temperature gauge, which I have to keep inching up to keep the water hot enough as I get used to it. TMI? Well, anyway, as I looked at that little rainbow, the first thing I thought of was a little song I used to sing with the children about rainbows. It’s a great little song, but to make the song rhyme, you have to sing the colors out of order. I just don’t like that…even though…I still taught it to the children. I’m sure you know the correct order of colors of the rainbow……
Following is a little technical info, should you care to refresh your memory about all this ‘stuff ‘ you learned in school. Truthfully, for ME…it’s just enough to know that a rainbow has colors in a certain order…that’s the law…and I don’t have to know WHY. Obviously the One who decided this knows much more about such things than I.
Attention: Technical Stuff…
A rainbow is composed of the entire spectrum of colors of visible light, from the longest wavelength, red, to the shortest wavelength, violet. The order of colors in a rainbow is easiest to remember by the following mnemonic (a formula that helps one remember something): ROY G. BIV. R=red, O=orange, Y=yellow, G=green, B=blue, I = indigo, and V=violet. Red is at the top edge of the rainbow and violet is at the bottom edge, with the other colors in between.
Rainbows are created both by reflection and refraction (bending) of sunlight in raindrops. When a shaft of sunlight enters a drop of water, a part of it does not pass directly through but is reflected from the inner surface and emerges from the side from which it entered. Moreover, it is refracted both on entering and leaving the water drop. This process, repeated in the same manner for an immense number of drops, produces the primary rainbow, which appears in front of the observer, who has his back to the sun. It has the red band on the outer edge which are long light waves and the blue-to-violet on the inner edge which are short light waves.
Attention: Awesome Stuff…
“Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: …” Genesis 9; 8’16
Do two people ever see the same rainbow? No. As the eyes of two people cannot occupy the same place in space at the same time, each observer sees a different rainbow. Why? Well, because the raindrops are constantly in motion so its appearance is always changing. Each time you see a rainbow, it is unique in its own spectacular way!
DID YOU GET THAT? Every time you are seeing a rainbow, NO ONE else is seeing the same thing you do. You all may see that there is a rainbow in the sky…but each observer sees it differently. I find that truly awesome and amazing! God shows me this beautiful reminder of His promise in a way that is unique and special to just ME!
Now, in all honesty, I do not understand all that talk about refraction and spectrum and wavelengths. In fact, I can read it and tell you that all I get from it is that the colors follow a certain order and water and light are important parts of the miracle. Never been too good with that kind of stuff. But, I have NO trouble understanding that God is showing ME something that He is showing no one else.
The rainbow below was made out of a bus window as Joy and I were exploring Maui. I love the way the raindrops give this pic a dreamy quality.
“Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” Ezekiel 1:28
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said that a rainbow was “God’s illumined promise.”
~ A rainbow in the morning Is the Shepherd’s warning; But a rainbow at night Is the Shepherd’s delight. ~This old rhyme has been used by sailors for centuries as an indication of the weather to follow. (It is also sometimes used with the words “red sky’ in place of ‘rainbow’) A Rainbow in the morning meant a storm was on the way…but a rainbow at night meant smooth sailing.
Below is a picture of one of the treasures of my heart. When I was pregnant with Alex, we had prepared his nursery with a rainbow wallpaper that was VERY colorful! One day, Adam came to me and handed me this picture and asked me to put it in the nursery so our new baby would know his/her big brother was happy that he/she was here. We did not know if it was a girl or a boy, but this was such a sweet sentiment, that I took the pic and had it framed and it hung in the room until we had to take the wallpaper down because the boys…by now there were 3…refused to sleep in that ‘girly’ room any longer!!!
The rainbow picture was moved to my studio and has stayed with me ever since. BTY, I know the colors are not in order…however they WERE in the order they were depicted on the wallpaper.
Meanwhile…back in the shower…as I looked at that tiny rainbow in my shower, it made me smile. I looked all around the shower, and to the window high above my head. There was no water on the glass in the window…and it was not raining outside. I have some beautiful prisms hanging in some of my windows that cause many tiny rainbows to dance around the room when the sun hits it just right. Probably due to refraction and wavelengths and stuff. But, there were no prisms there. Where was it coming from? Never did see anything to cause it. But, for some reason, God wanted to cause me to stop and ponder His wonders. And, I did. And, I thank Him for wonders I am blessed to see daily. And, I thank Him that He is God…and able to control the universe and the laws that govern our natural world. I thank Him that He can send a message just to me, no one else can see. This beautiful creation of color serves as a reminder to me that every single promise He ever made is true…and will be true…for ever. Amen.
“LISTEN! Stand still and consider the wonders of God.”
I have been in and feeling bad for tooooo long. I started on another medicine this week and it has helped tremendously in getting my heart rate down. I’m not near 100% yet, but, I’m lots better! And, so, I was looking forward to being able to go to church today. I even had our clothes ironed and ready. I have missed being there and missed worshipping with ‘my family’.
Yesterday, the Creekhouse played host to my sweet friend Olivia and her 13th birthday party! It was such a delight! And, the perfect kind of party for me! They brought the guests, they brought the food, and they took all the mess home with them! Olivia’s Mom, Terri, has been a friend of mine since SHE was a little girl. (Don’t think too long about that…it may make me seem old…or something). I was her piano teacher way back in 1976 or so, and then we have been friends at church with she and her husband and 3 beautiful girls. Terri has known Adam since he was very little, and so came to know Suzanne. She was instrumental in helping Suze get a job when she came back to Dothan. And, Terri, her husband, Brian, and Suzanne all teach at the same school. Whew! Lots of history there.
*********NOTE TO OLIVIA: Something dredful happened to my pictures. I don’t know how to explain it, but they were on the card, and then they were on the computer and then a big grey box covered them all up. I wish I could explain it…or fix it. I even got Alex up to look at it…he had never seen anything like it before…and he’s a computer genius!!! So, so sorry! I’m just going to tell everybody about them. I’m sure they’ll be able to see them in their mind. XXXXXX Yes, they will. ‘K ?************
Here’s some great pictures we made at the party. Here is me and Olivia Older Sister. I’m the short one. She’s the beautiful tall one. She likes artsy things, too! And, she’s a TEENAGER! Next is Faith Ellen Middle Sister holding Sweet Levi. Isn’t she just the cutest thing…and she’s way smart too, and dances, too. And Levi…well…he’s just so full of cute it’s busting out all over!! Next is Maybry Younger Sister, doing a very good trick in the pool. Can you see? She was standing there and then she bent over and picked up her foot ond pulled her whole leg straight up in the air ! And, she smiled while she did it! She’s a dancer and a real good swimmer, too. She wanted me to try doing the trick with her, but we did not have a net on a pole big enough to get me out! And, I’m pretty sure I would not have smiling either. Then, here’s the presents, and here are all 12 girls in the pool….playing and splashing!
After the fun was over, Suzanne and I rode over to Targ*t, to get this:
Have you seen these things? It is amazing what all it does. Amazing to me, at least. But, remember, I’m just a NEW grandmother…not a VETERAN grandmother. 🙂 So, I’m just getting used to how much things have changed since about 1986.
This thing can be a bassinet, or a changing table, or a play mat with toys overhead. AND…a play yard. It will sing to Levi, or vibrate. It even has a remote control, so I do not even have to move…but I will, of course! It also folds with the touch of a button, has pockets all over to hold my Diet Dr Pepper while I’m changing him, and wheels so he can push it around behind me…..if he wants to follow me. 🙂
All this because he is going to stay with me 3 days a week when his Mom goes back to work. And, we here in this Owens home, are so excited. We are Ready Freddy !
Adam came and he and Suzanne took Levi swimming. We sat and talked, and talked and sat, and they swam and we talked. I made some supper and we ate in shifts…between the sitting and talking and swimming. After they went home, we went to bed. And when I tried to swing my legs over the side of the bed to get up……
I can hardly move. A soon as the pain meds and muscle relaxers wear off…it starts back. And, those of you whose backs go out know there is not really much to do but rest, and take your meds, and wait. At least I can use my computer a little. But, between this pain, and missing church, and the computer destroying my beautiful pictures of Olivia and the party . I’m losing it. Maybe it’s some sort of conspiracy to drive me bonkers! The computer and my back must be in cahoots. Well..maybe they are or maybe they’re not…no mind…I’m still very close to the BONKER level !
Well, that makes me feel a little better. Are you one of the ‘best people’, too?
PS. It’s Monday and my back is a teeny bit better…at least I can go to the potty without yelling!
I am a Christian woman who has survived many years on the planet. God has blessed me with a wonderful family: husband, 3 sons, a dear DIL, and a precious grandson. I also have dear friends to keep me inspired. I am an artist of sorts and am finding my way through the great blessing of retirement. I recently retired after 20 years as a music teacher. Life is good!
My Boys
"All your sons will be taught by the Lord; and great will be their peace." Isaiah 54:13
Read their stories... Adam Alex Ian
Hello, my name is Everly. I am a blogger living in New York. This is my blog, where I post about interior design and decoration. Never miss out on new stuff.