Khaki Colored Frog

My grandchildren are taking after their Poppy, Meme and Daddy in the love of nature. This weekend while they were spending the night we found a grasshopper and pretty cool moth floating in some standing water outside. Well there was only one thing to do but fish them out and take a look. My sweet cupcake was a little hesitant but honey bun {Aiden} reached right in and grabbed that bright green grasshopper by the leg. He laid it on the outside table and then went back to fish out the moth. This reminded me of an entry I had made in a journal i keep. This is what I wrote...

One day last week my sweet honey bun and I were enjoying the fresh air outside when we came upon a little tiny frog in the flower bed. The little guy was not much larger than a dime, a khaki brown color with dark brown spots, and a very fast jumper. Well, we had no choice....it's in the Grammie's book of rules when you come across a frog with your grandchild you must chase around trying to catch it. I believe some of these rules are there to keep us grandparents humble:) It was very fun and my honey bun was so sweet..."Go Meme! Me do it too Meme"! followed by laughing and much bobbing in and out of bushes. That little frog was so fast and also so camouflaged. He blended in so well with the bushes and the mulch that it was hard to find him if you took your eyes off of him at all. Later the same evening, as I came to my back door after dark, there were three fat bright green tree frogs stuck to the wall.  Those fat, bright colored frogs stuck to the wall were not camouflaged at all. You couldn't miss them if you tried. Those frogs stood out with their bright green color and they didn't move at all when I reached out to touch one. They just sat there glued to the wall waiting on their dinner to fly by. Much different from the tiny, fast, khaki frog we had seen earlier in the day.

Nature is so fascinating and can teach us so much. I watch the birds in my yard from the front window and have noticed the small Carolina Chickadees that hang on the pine trees. They are swift and small and blend in with the bark on the trees. But in contrast to that is this one BIG redheaded woodpecker that hammers away at a dead tree we have in the front. His jet black glossy body, snow white band around his neck, and they his bright red head is like a neon sign saying look at me. And if that isn't enough to get our attention then he drills away like an automatic jack hammer and it seems like you can hear him miles away.

There are so many contrasts in nature...everywhere you look if you pay attention. And that is not unlike the family of God. Throughout the Bible there are many people of God that stand out, their personalities big and colorful, their missions bold and conspicuous. And then there are many people in the Bible that are simple and quiet, unassuming and subtle. In nature God created each and every creature just how he wants them to be for a particular purpose...HIS purpose. And he did the same with all his children...God made each and every person to be exactly what he wants them to be.  This is a very important lesson to remember...we are not all the same and not called to the same kind of life, style of life, or purpose in life. God created some of his children to serve big and colorful lives, in the limelight or public eye. Others he created to be more in the background, subtle, unassuming, live quiet lives. And that is wonderful...it is wonderful that we all have our places in life...whether we live in the city, in the country, in a penthouse or a trailer, whether we are single or married, have 15 children or none....God is using us in one way or another. It doesn't matter whether we own a fortune 100 company, or whether we are a stay at home mommy, whether we make the news or can't even afford to buy a newspaper to read the news we are made by God for a special purpose and a special life and we should be seeking out that purpose, praising God, and rejoicing in who God made us.

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's handwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

SHE CLOTHES HERSELF IN DIGNITY

I wanted to post this in light of the crazy weather we have had. A historical number of hurricanes this year. We never lived in a state that was prone to hurricanes but when I was young (elementary school) we lived in Taiwan. They have hurricanes but on that side of the world they are called typhoons. Just thought you might find this interesting! 

I found this one special piece of paper tucked in among some photographs in a box my mama kept. Let me read to you the first part...

"Taipei (Taiwan) Oct. 6

It is almost midnight and I just got home. Chuck's (my father) in Kaohsiung and the kiddies are in bed asleep. We're in condition '3' of typhoon Carla and it has been storming since about 4:00 this morning. "

It then continues to explain that on this night she was attending a baby shower at a friend's home. She explains that their friends Dean and Gayla arrived and she was happy to see them because mama and another lady were alone from Tien Mow (the city we lived in). "And we thank God again, because on the way home we got on the Shelin Bridge and discovered the T.A.S. (Taipei American School) corner was flooded and we couldn't get home. Dean led the way and we started back up the mountain and home by way of Peitow Chen. There was water over the road, a few trees down and a slide, but we made it through. Home never felt so good and I could only think "Thank you Lord," and now I can rest easy, safe at home with the kiddies. I know the Lord will watch over Chuck wherever he is." 

Now, let me give you a few facts that I read on the internet. Carla became an intense typhoon while in the Philippine Sea on October 15,1967.  She was labeled a "super typhoon " with her peak winds being 185 mph. While she was weakening she dumped record amounts of rainfall. The Philippines recorded almost 48 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period with significantly more extreme stats recorded in China. In the 48 hours between October 17-19 she dumped 108 inches of rainfall killing 250 people and leaving 30 others missing. WOW!

 

She then has an entry from the next day...Oct. 17/67:

Wind and rain all day. No school at T.A.S. because of flooding. Electricity was off for a while and the phone went out. Papa tried to call but couldn't get through. Got the message-'he's fine.' "All clear" for typhoon Carla at 8:00 p.m. but wind and rain continues. We're in good shape here and we thank the Lord."

So....mama alone in a foreign country, on the small island of Taiwan with five (5) small children, long before cell phones and computers, isolated on a mountain (where our house was), travels through a "super typhoon" to get home to her "kiddies". She has the sole responsibility of her family while having valid concern for the safety of her husband. And her focus is giving thanks and praise to her Lord!  "Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come" Psalm 31:25 .

This is a woman of strength, of honor, of dignity This is a woman who loved her God Almighty, creator, who made the rains and the winds "For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what are His thoughts...the Lord God of hosts is his name" Amos 4:13.  Mama is a woman who knew that the Lord her God was going to protect her and was worthy of praise. "Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." Psalm 145:3. Mama lived what she wrote.. and she left something for all of us to share. mama left you and I a legacy...she left you and I encouragement...she left you and I insight...she left you and I faith and a wonderful goal to strive for...

 

A woman clothed in strength and dignity...

Thank you Mama...I love you always!

 

 

"One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts"...for you are our GOD! Psalm 145:4

He Heard my cries

Holidays are different and not only because of COVID-19. It is just a different life now that Mama and Daddy are gone. I have asked the Lord to help me see not only the blessings everyday but for holidays spent much differently than they have been all my life. The scriptures tell us that God hears our cries, wailing, and sees our tears..."This poor man cried, and the Lord hear him and saved him out of all his troubles."  Psalm 34:6

My memorial day started on Friday with my darlings having a spend the night with us. All the love and joy that comes from these two precious gifts doesn't leave time for desiring much else. Saturday morning we headed to the ponds to meet Mommy and Daddy for some fishing. The cool breeze, watching the geese glide across the water, catching fish, and being surrounded by God's creation just stirs me in the best of ways. It was a perfect family morning. Sunday was calm and peaceful as it should be on the Lord's Day. It was a time to rest but also recharge. Today is my son's birthday. I started in the morning with a good walk and even better prayer time. My mind though did wander to so many precious memories that my son provided for me. He truly is the best son a mama could have. This afternoon we went over to his house to hang out and have cake. Another day in the life of a mom of being honored by my children...my son's patient listening ear, my daughter-in-laws general easy conversation and girl time together looking at the new clothes she purchased, the muchkins sitting in my lap with their hugs and kisses. And CAKE...and Ashley's baking is always spot-on. Sounds like the perfect ending to a great holiday weekend but not just yet...we came home this evening to a wonderful dinner made by my daughter and son-in-law! It was a big Sunday type dinner but on a Monday!! LOL! She really outdid herself with the cooking but also making sure that their was not one chore left for me. The kitchen was all clean and all the dishes were washed. The food was ready to plate and then slide into the refrigerator. Nothing left for Mama to do but eat and put her feet up. My family, so full of love, of service, of joy, of caring...it brings tears to my eyes. Are my holidays spent differently now!? Yes, but the Lord knows my heart and takes the time to show me that different can still be full...he knows my heart and has made a path to fill it to overflowing.

Thank you Lord for the blessings that you gave me in the past and thank you for the blessings in the here and now. And thank you Lord for hearing my cries and answering the prayers of this heart!

                              HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!

In Awe of His sacrifice

We all have been experiencing living life very differently the last couple of months!  And to me watching Maundy Thursday mass on my smart phone last night brought the reality front and center. And as I sit here this morning  I can't help but think about all the Good Fridays I have spent walking up to the beautiful crucifix in our church and touching my lips to the cold hard feet of Jesus. It has never ceased to be an emotional moment for me and always brings me to a deepened and heightened place of gratefulness and yet my heart breaks for the sacrifice that Jesus made that day. For as much as my mind knows that the real physical event happened 2,000 years ago, my heart breaks for his suffering and I weep! And yet my heart, at the same time, sings with thankfulness!

Let me tell you a little story....there was a young man who died and went to hell. His pastor, who loved him, went down to hell to see if he could get him moved up to heaven. No luck. The young man's teachers and coach went down. Still no luck. His friends went down and pleaded his case. And again…no luck. Finally, his mother went down, knocked on the door of hell. When the devil opened the door she asked if she could be admitted to be with her son. There is no greater love than that of a mother...ahhhh, but there is....that of our heavenly father! Just as a mother's love for us is so encompassing that she was willing to sacrifice all to be at her son's side so much more is the love our FATHER has for us. He chose humanness. He experienced sadness, rejection, anguish, loneliness, and, yes, pain when at any time he could have chosen differently. He did it for me and you, for our parents, our children, our friends, our enemies. Jesus did it for all now, past, present, and future!

I gained a lot from church last night...think about this. We all wear badges of love. A mother wears spit-up on her shoulder...her badge of love for her baby. Think about the flour sprinkled in a mother's hair and on her apron from spending the day in the kitchen baking her child's birthday cake...her badge of love for her child. How about the grease under a father's fingernails after fixing his young son's bicycle or his older son's car...his badge of love for his son. And don't forget the wedding rings that couples wear...yes, their badge of love for each other. Then what of the cross...that is the badge of our Savior’s love for us. Envision this...Jesus carried a long ladder over to the cross, crawled up the ladder and onto his badge of love for us...THE CROSS! Picturing him carrying the ladder and crawling up onto the cross helps to remind me that it was deliberate...purposely done...as he mounted those stairs he could have turned back at any time. But, no HE CRAWLED onto that cross deliberately and purposely so that he could wear that badge of love for us! For me, no words adequately describe the depth and breath of his love for us. I just know it is there, how big it is and how grateful I am for such a gift. Not just for myself but those that I love so deeply, and actually those I don't know. All of humanity.
"I have other sheep that are not of this sheep flock. I must bring  them also. they too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father". John 10: 16-18

So today, Good Friday will be spent a little differently. I will be watching from my smart phone and there will be no feet for me to kiss... today will be a little quieter than normal.  Already this morning I find myself a little more reflective, and today will be a little more poignant. My mind, heart and prayers focused on my Lord but also on the hundreds of thousands that are suffering today. Yet, on the other hand I am overflowing with thankfulness, gratitude, and honor. It always causes me to pause to think that a  little old lady from a little old town is worthy in the eyes of her Father for him to endure such for me! And that those I love are worthy of being covered by His blood. And really I can't remember a time that I have thought so much about my Lord's sacrifice for all those I don't know before this time we are experiencing now. Simply put it is different but yet it is not...the sacrifice of love is the same each and every day!! To you Lord I give all the honor and glory!

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" Romans 5:6-10

Thorns and Blossoms

The above picture is of some branches I tied together to hang on my door for Palm Sunday. We are doing this for Palm Sunday because in our state we are amidst a "shelter in place" and will not be in church like many,many states. My daughter and I were taking a walk down our country road when I spotted a hawthorn tree on the other side of a ditch. We have several hawthorn trees around the farm and I love them because of the pretty white flowers that covers them in the spring. Originally I had thought of using some dogwood branches but when I spotted this tree, with it's delicate white blossoms, it was a done deal. So, I retrieved my clippers and down the ditch I went. Now, snipping the branches was where the tricky part came in. They have long thin thorns! I cut the branches I needed and back up the ditch this country girl went! Up on the front deck I took my hand clippers and started removing the thorns.. As I said we have other hawthorn trees, in fact one at the end of our walkway, that i pass many times a day. The fact that they have little white flowers and thorns has not been hidden from me. Yet, as i was clipping off the thorns I noticed how many times there seemed to be a thorn with a white, tiny, delicate flower beside it. That is when God decided to have a conversation with me. For me, the timing of God speaking to me never stops amazing me .

God: "Trina, do you feel the prick, the sting, the discomfort of these thorns?"

Me: "Yes, Lord! They HURT!"

God: "Have you noticed the beauty I have put beside the thorn?"

Me: "Definitely Lord...they are so white and delicate. How could I miss something so beautiful!"

God: "My child, take a minute and think about the recent days. Those days have been full of thorns. I have seen all the  suffering, anxiety, fear. But have you just been looking at all the thorns of recent days or have you noticed the blossoms, the beauty, the blessings that I have placed before you and all around? I have given you a branch that is bent over with the weight of my blessings but you have to stop and let your eyes see them!"

I must say sitting in the chair on my deck tears rolled down my face. "Forgive me Father for what I have done and what I have failed to do. You have given me so much and please open my eyes to see what you have placed in front of me!"

The last month has not only been life altering for me, my family, my circle of friends, my city, county and state. In every corner of the globe there has been anxiety, fear, death, and despair. Life altering globally!! Yet, we must not forget we have a global God!! A God whose eyes see each and every person in the entire world. And whose blessings, hope, hands, and heart have placed beautiful blossoms in front of each and everyone. Yes, this virus is touching everyone around the world in one way or another but we still have a God who is placing hope and joy and comfort right beside  "this thorn". His blessings, his mercy, his grace can't be squeezed out by any thorn small or big, by any virus locally or globally.

I, in no way am trying to minimize the suffering that is happening right now. That is real and heart wrenching. What I am attempting to do is remind you of something I needed to be reminded of. So, after God's talk with me, while I was working on my door hanging I started bringing to mind all the wonderful gifts I have been given and seen since this virus erupted.  Those blessings and that grace that has been poured out upon me is real also. Yet, I have spent the majority of my time looking at the thorns instead of gazing at the blossoms. God's conversation with me this evening, as the warm sun was setting, was much needed. Please spend time refocusing your eyes and your thoughts. God is placing branches of tiny white blossoms right before your eyes...and HAPPY PALM SUNDAY to all!

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" John 12:13

So much or so little talk!

It has been almost a year since I posted last  but because of all the heaviness that is going on I will write at a later date about what has been going on in my life. The Lord has been tugging at my ear for some time to get back to posting and unlike me I have not responded. So today, probably like most of us, overwhelmed and tired, frustrated and consumed, scared and confused, conflicted but yet thirsty and parched for something other than COVID-19 I sat down to write! Thank you Lord for your faithfulness while you wait on me and I praise God for giving me thoughts to pass onto you and I ask our Lord to bless you in some way with my posts! Now I feel like I can Breathe and BE!!

There is so much talk out in the world!! And from such important people. From everyone and everything...the President everyday, world leaders, the news media, talk shows, pastors...I am waiting for my favorite soap opera Day of our Lives to run an episode where Salem ( the non-existent town that DOOL takes place) to have a story line similar to real life!! LOL!  And yes, i have revealed one of my closed door secrets...I watch DOOL! The talk is heavy and it is 24/7!

Well, most of you know that I have the most precious two grandchildren. And like all the rest of the country my preschooler and my first grader are now at home doing their studies. On Friday, and this amazes me, his little class had video chat with each other. My daughter posted a picture of him sitting at the computer during this class chat. I am sure the conversation was more than interesting but I was not with them so was not able to eavesdrop. But I do know that my darling had six very important words to say..".MY MOM HAS A BIG SHARPIE!!" What a statement and I am sure that there was no one in his class that could top that information!!

This is a quote from Billy Graham.."The family should be a closely-knit group. The home should be a self-contained shelter of security; a kind of school where life's basic lessons are taught; and a kind of church where God is honored; a place where wholesome recreation and simple pleasures are enjoyed." The words "simple pleasures" jumped out to me...the innocence of what my grandson had to say in the midst of all that was swirling around him. And to that statement I commend his parents for their faith and their commitment to making their home a shelter of security, a school where life's basic lessons are taught, a church were God is honored and a place where wholesome recreation and simple pleasures are enjoyed...like watching mommy write with her BIG SHARPIE!

I have been struggled with finding the line between informed and obsessed with this virus. I admit i have swung to being more obsessed than just informed. I ask for your prayers and I will also pray for all of you...for all of our country that we can regain some of the simplicity, the innocent moments that would help us to breathe! If you read this maybe just take a large sharpie and put it on the coffee table and every time you see it take a breath and think of something simple and thank God that we can learn from those so young!!

Psalm 103:13  "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord show compassion to those who fear him."

Remembering the sacrifices made for us!

It was September 2006. The rooftop was sweltering. Three US Navy SEALs were in an "overwatch" position on a Ramadi home with two Iraqi soldiers. It had been an eventful morning, but it was quiet at the moment. From below, without warning, someone lobbed a grenade. It bounced off Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor's chest, then without warning , then clattered on the deck. Penned together, all five were easy prey for the grenade's deadly spray of shrapnel. At point-blank range, it couldn't miss.

Monsoor yelled, "Grenade!" and made a snap decision that would mark him for all time. He flung himself onto the device, smothering it with his torso, just in time to absorb the blast. The result was predictable; he lived only 25 minutes before dying of his injuries. His companions escaped with only scratches and minor wounds. Breathe, just breathe is what I imagine they were thinking and needed.

Because of the configuration of the rooftop, only one of the five men had a pathway of escape, had he chosen to use it; Yes, Michael Monsoor. For his stunningly self-sacrificial action, he received the Medal of Honor, our nation's highest military honor, posthumously. As is written in his official Navy Summary of Action, "Monsoor's actions that day could not have been more selfless or clearly intentional."  It is inconceivable that those who survived the rooftop blast would forget Monsoor's sacrifice. Their very lives are a testament to what he did to save them.

So now I ask you who, further back in history, perfectly embodied a sacrifice that "could not have been more selfless or clearly intentional"'. The answer is Jesus Christ. What our Lord did to save us could not have been more selfless or clearly intentional! The freedom and salvation we know as Christians are clearly traceable to a specific choice made by a man sacrificing himself just as the SEALs who escaped the otherwise-deadly blast that day on the rooftop are alive today because of a specific choice of a man to sacrifice himself .

Memorial Day is an opportunity, as a nation, to remember and appreciate those who have died so that we might live freely. The civil blessings of stability, prosperity and freedom we enjoy are a testament to the price they paid. A Christians we remember those who have gone before us, sacrificed their lives for us and we pray for them in thanksgiving for their service to this great nation. And right alongside that prayer we should honor the Father who gave his life for us, whose sacrifice gives us eternal life and thank him also for the blessing given to us. This day, Memorial Day, can help inspire us to the greatest thing of which we are capable, by God's grace; sacrificial love. Love that sacrifices for the beloved is divine and the only true love.

In remembering what our Lord did, and what others such as Michael Monsoor have done, we are reoriented to what life is really all about. We are more likely, in our turn, to love someone at our expense. At its best, Memorial Day is a civil and military echo of a profound theological truth: that God, "who is love" (1 John 4:8) sacrificed Himself so that we might live {1 pt. 2:24}! So today Breathe, breathe deep and sit for a few minutes in the arms of our fallen hero, our God, our Jesus, our Father who made the ultimate sacrifice for us!

FYI...Our Memorial Day was originally known as "Decoration Day," an opportunity to decorate many graves of the over 600,000 men who died in the Civil War. It was, by far, our nation's costliest was in terms of human life, about 2 percent of the entire population. Today, that would translate into 6.5 million people. Memorial Day honors all who have died in military service to our country since its inception.

This beautiful story and analogy was printed in my church's bullentin today. I took the liberty of changing it just a bit. I hope you touches you as much as it touched me. 

God bless all those fallen for us and thank you Father again and again for your sacrifice! May each and everyone one of you, my friends have a blessed and safe Memorial Day!