Life's a Beach when You're a Female Dog

GUEST BLOGGER! Lucy of Narnia

I am Lucy and I am continuing in the count of the 1000 Gifts from God. There is so much to be thankful for in this little life that I have. 

84:: I have a great yard with grass and a few trees. There are plenty of lizards and birds to help me get the exercise I need. 

85:: My bark is powerful enough to keep both racoons and airplanes out of my yard. I protect because I love. I love because I am loved. 

86:: The Alpha Male and the woman took me to the beach. They told people that I was a good dog. I heard them say it over and over and that made the puppy in me want to leap. But, I remained still so as to not embarrass them.

87:: On the way home, they gave me ice cream. Don't tell the cat about this. 

88:: Some of the canines I tried to introduce myself to were shy. This is okay, because I remembered that even shyness is a gift. Being shy just means that maybe the person is being careful with their words. In my opinion most people are not careful enough. Most of the world just barks out what they think without enough thought. 

89:: This is Gloria. Gloria didn't want to go to the beach on this day. She wanted to go to the mall and get a new collar for a party she is going to next month. I realized that I could count Gloria as one of my 1000 Gifts, because she brought out the encourager in ME! Because she didn't want to be there--I worked hard to be a better friend. That is a gift. 

90:: Then there was that magical moment when I met Justin. Justin was just amazin'...I loved everything about him. I was really sad when we had to say goodbye. And I wondered if it was a curse. But, then I remember the Dylan Thomas quote:

"Though lovers be lost, love shall not; And death shall have no dominion."
And I remembered that this love is a gift--even if it didn't end the way I had hoped. Love rarely ends as we would hope. 

91:: When I think of the things I learned from the time I spent with new friends and sea salted air, I know that there are more things to be learned and more gifts to be counted. And, just knowing this is another gift.

  Oh, and if you would like to read the guest post from The Cat (Luna Lovegood) follow this link to C is for Crazy Cat Lady. 

 

The Tweets of King Henry the VIII

I've heard people complain that spending too much time on-line can cause problems in your marriage. Couples who were "doing just fine" suddenly have issues because he is always online playing fantasy football and she is always online adding more and more pins to her boards on Pinterest.  Before too long, she Stumbles Upon an old flame and sparks begin to fly. In the mean time, he is so busy playing with his new ipad, he doesn't notice there is a problem until she has changed her status from "Married" to "It's Complicated". 

After considering these thoughts, I couldn't help but wonder if that is what went wrong with King Henry the Eighth. Think about it, while on the throne, King Henry VIII went through six wives, so perhaps the problem was all the time he was spending twittering Anne Boleyn when he should have been home comforting Catherine. 

KingHenry King Henry 8

Music Monday: “Swing Life Away” by Rise Against http://plzretwt.me/jl431 via @AnneBoleyn...You are all I dream of.

AnneBoleyn Anne Boleyn

@KingHenry Swing your life away from Catherine...right now! I will give you A SON #Royalty

Let's face it, if King Henry had not had all the distractions that come about from the internet, surely he would have had a successful marriage with Catherine. Or at least the second time around with Anne Boleyn. Or surely in the third one with Jane, after Anne was beheaded? Right? Surely, the reason his marriages were so tumultuous was because he lived in a time of too many modern conveniences and too much temptation.

It really is ironic when we blame a tool for the havoc that occurs in our lives. The internet, on it's own merit, doesn't have the ability to make my marriage good or bad. Just the same as my oven--on it's own accord--lacks the ability to make my dinner tasty. 

The ingredients that I pour into my marriage are going to define how it is going to come out. If I pour into my marriage an attitude of selfishness it doesn't matter if I am blogging, knitting, or rebuilding the transmission in my car. The thing that is distracting me is merely a tool for this age. There has always been distraction. 

Ephesians 5:15-17 was the scripture used by the Pastor in our church this morning as he was encouraging us to slow down and aim for a lifestyle that is not characterized by busyness.

"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."

As he was sharing the verse, I immediately began to write down "making the most of every opportunity..." and before I could even finish my scribbles, he said

"Most people focus on the words: making the most of every opportunity. And they don't look at the words before it. " 

Wait. What? I had to drop my pen and just stare and listen. Everything in the media, everything in the world--especially in the great big LAND OF OPPORTUNITY tells us to "seize the day!"And you want me to listen to the words before it. What the heck were the words before it!?

"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise"

The bottom line is this. Having more and more available to us is all in vein, if the more and more is taking us away from being the person we are supposed to be. God created me to be in a relationship with Him. That is THE MOST important relationship that exists for me. The second most important relationship is the one with my husband. So, if I am not meeting my husband's needs because I am blogging, or because I have to check in with my 6500 friends on Facebook, my priorities are out of whack. However, if I am not meeting his needs because I am spending 12 hours at the gym--the same rules apply. If I am selfishly pulling away from him to have my needs met elsewhere, that is the problem.

It's not the media or the social networking that pulls us away from our spouses. It's selfishness. 

Linking today to continue my count of the 1000 Gifts in my life, with a nod to the theme for today on Media Mondays: Media and our Marriages, and Hear it on Sunday, Use it on Monday. I leave you with this:

76:: Time uninterrupted, used wisely

77:: A husband who wants me to sit on the couch and watch a romantic movie

78:: The OFF button on my computer

79:: Post it notes, to save my thoughts for later

80:: XXX Church, a website and an organization to help men be accountable for porn addictions. 

81:: A husband who reads, and loves, my blogs

82:: The days that we spend away from the house--completely unplugged

83:: The fighting we do not do...thanks to humility and GPS.

Shower Doors Opening in Heaven

The sermon at our church led into the topic of whether we will recognize one and other when we get to Heaven, leading me to a memory that I have from so long ago and bending my mind to what I believe on the subject of Heaven.

In January of 1995, on a Sunday night, I was giving our 19-month-old daughter, Molly, a bath. Over the weekend, we had just moved into a new home and so Molly was enjoying a new tub. This particular tub was also a shower and it had the frosted glass shower doors attached to the tub. Our previous tub did not have these and so our daughter was fascinated by them. As she sat in the tub, I would pull the door closed and then open it again,  "Peek-A-Boo" with a shower door. After a few times, she learned that she could do it to me. She would close the door and then wait. Then the game evolved to her just wanting to close the door if I opened it. Then she would put her little face up against the glass and try to see if I was still there. And, I would see the outline of her. I couldn't see her completely, just the outline of who she was. And she would see my outline--and giggle.

I remember this bath time as clearly as if it was last night. Perhaps the reason I remember this so clearly is because it was just two days later that she was gone. Gone to be in the presence of the Lord. And, then it was just a few weeks later that I was sitting in that same tub on a cold February night--trying to erase the chill of grief--and staring at those doors. I was thinking of that special time of Mother and child and I was imbedding that memory into my mind. I wanted to hold onto it, to remember it forever. 

And, I don't know why, but that night, God used those doors to help me have a little better understanding of Heaven. While here on earth, I use my eyes and my ears to recognize those I know and love. When my family returns from a trip, I see them coming down the escalator at the airport and so I quickly approach them, ready to love on them. I use my eyes to know my family, because God has equipped me with vision. When someone in my home comes through the door, they drop their keys in the glass bowl on the hutch--I hear the keys and I say, "Hello?" And the "Hello" that returns tells me who has arrived. I recognize my loved one's voice because this is the tool for earth. In Heaven, I will use more. 

We are living our lives looking at each other through frosted glass shower doors. We can see each other--somewhat. We can make out enough of the outlines that we know who we want to approach and who we do not. But, when we are in the presence of the Lord and we are stripped of these bodies and living in our perfect bodies it will be as though the door had slid open and we can finally see each other. The enhancement of our spiritual nature will out weigh our physical side.

Will I recognize Molly in Heaven? Yes. The glass door will slide open and her perfect body will show WHO she is completely. No more distractions by shadows of aging. No cloudy outlines of an infant verses the elderly--just who she is.

"There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; 
but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, 
and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. " 
1 Corinthians 15:40

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Decorations for Thankfulness

I remember the Gulf War, and of course, I am aware of the War on Terror. I was alive during the Vietnam Conflict (really, conflict? My kids have more than a conflict when arguing over who is going to clean their bathroom). Anyway, I don't have memories of the Vietnam atrocities until it was over and I was a teenager--I learned about it through the eyes of my High School English teacher and through the media.
It's a difficult thing for me, as for most of us, to really understand what we are to remember on Memorial Day.  I don't want my focus to stay in the backyard, around the barbecue. I don't want to simply say, "Yay, no school today!"  And, so I search for it, for the meaning behind this free day I've been given. The day itself was established, quite informally, after the civil war. It was originally called "Decoration Day", when a group of freedmen, once slaves, gathered at the graveyard of  Union soldiers who had died in the war between the North and the South. They celebrated the fallen soldiers and decorated the site with signs that said, "Martyrs of the Race Course".
Celebration for sacrifice. Decorations for their Thankfulness.
At the same time that I read that it was a party, I want to be sensitive to those who have people they adore whose lives have been lost. I remember that there are Mothers, some the same age as myself, who won't be camping with their child this weekend. I remember there are fathers who have not stopped being proud of their child.  I remember that there are women, once wives, who are now widows.
It's nothing new that I've said, and that is okay. I just took a few minutes, said a prayer, and remembered.  Remembered what someone else had to lose.

Continuing to gather my One Thousand Gifts,

67:: Thankful that my dad was here to raise me. His time with the Navy was during the Korean War, and it never touched our family.

68:: Thankful for my brother, who was an Air Force man. I will get to see to him today. He will hug me and tell me he loves me.

69:: Thankful that my brother, who was once in the Navy, will spend the day with his wife. When he went to serve he was still so young.

70:: Thankful that the few people I know who have children who are overseas, have the peace knowing that, at least for now, their son's are safe.

71:: And finally this, thankful that I can write whatever I want, read whenever I am inclined and do it all without fear.

Happy Memorial Day, decorate it well.

28 Days Later

28 days ago I opened my laptop with the intention of writing and, sadly,  I felt like I had nothing to say. I like having something to say. 

It seems I had hit a wall. As I began to pray and ask God to guide me, I felt like he was leading me to just start typing. I didn't know where it would lead. And then, in the middle of my blogging away-- He gave me the idea to blog my way through the alphabet. (I had no idea that people do this kind of thing all the time. And I had never heard of a "blog hop".) So, I posted a blog with a proclamation of my personal challenge. You can read Day One ~ The Wall here.

The challenge was...well, a challenge. In the midst of it, I went on a Marriage Retreat with my husband, acted as Wedding Coordinator for a friend, worked a few shifts at my church's Cafe', hosted a table at a Ladies Tea, worked the snack bar for the HS swim semi finals, helped my son navigate through the halls of the DMV, and continued with the planning of my Daughter's wedding. Before the challenge these would have been reasons excuses not to write. But, because I had the accountability of my proclamation, I had to write. And, so, I just sat down a wrote.

But, for me, this challenge would not be complete without evaluating its effectiveness. So, today, as I continue my count toward my One Thousand Gifts for my Multitudes on Mondays (which is now a regular blog hop for me) I will be counting the 26 blessings I have received through my Alphabet Journey. 

42:: Accessible = I praise God that He always is. It's not about how I think He feels about me. It's about how he really does feel about me. 

43:: Breathtaking = I am so thankful that the view of my life, this blessed life I have had so far, is truly a remarkable site.

44:: Crazy = There was a time when I thought that I might be. I am relieved and blessed to know that I am not.

45:: Divine = He continually places us all in the right place at the right time. I am amazed at His intricate weaving together of people.

46:: Emily = My daughter. My friend. Heading into a new playing field in our relationship. What will this look like?

47:: The F-word = The real one is forgiveness. It's time to take that which is repulsive and turn it into something beautiful.

48:: Gathering = I have only begun to put all these blessings in one place. I shall continue to collect and save each one, like a treasure.

49:: Hair = The crown of a woman, perhaps. But, for me, I am finding the freedom to feel beautiful because of how He is styling me.

50:: I opening = I am opening myself up. I am opening myself to poetry and to beauty in language. I had never written a poem, or played with words in this way.

51:: James = I am so thankful for hearing the Holy Spirit lead me to delve into this book. I had no idea how it would set my faith on fire and revive my prayer life.

52:: Kaleidoscope = The blessing of this constantly evolving relationship between my Mother, myself and my daughter is not something I can understand completely, but I know I am richer for the both of them.

53:: Lord = There is really only one. And His word is His sword.

54:: Mistakes = I've made so many, but my Mother loves me in spite of them all. And, I figured out how deep her love was on the day I became a Mom myself.

55:: Never = Never will I take for granted the protection that the Lord has provided for my family. 

56:: Ordinary = I love that my life is ordinary. Because when it looks extraordinary, that just means there is some Jesus showing.

57:: Pancakes = People and purpose. Simple things can bless people if you do them with a purpose.

58:: Quadragenarian = I wouldn't want to be 20. I have no need to go back and be 30. This is the best time of my life!

59:: Revisions = Everyday. I am not complete.

60:: Sex = My husband desires me. This alone brings joy.

61:: Today = Praising the Lord that we have the choice TODAY to see Yesterday and Tomorrow through the eyes of Grace.

62:: Undeserving = I am. That's just a fact.

63:: Words = I love them. I think they like me, too.

64:: eXtreme = Any person can build a strong household. I am extremely blessed that my parents found the Lord when they did.

65:: Yo-Yo = there is a yearning to control these emotions of mine, but until the Lord takes them away...I will make the most of every hormone I have.

66:: Zombies =I long for their zeal. Maybe, it's hiding inside me.

28 days later, this ends my challenge, and I am not disappointed in the results, because as someone very wise once said, "Writers write". See you soon. Real soon.