What is your Cross?

Well, again I haven't written in awhile. It seems the muse doesn't hit me often and when it does it's in the middle of the night. So tonight I woke to write my thoughts. Maybe this will lead me to write more frequently!

As I lay in bed with the heat of the day dissipating to the thunder, lightening and quick bursts of rain, a thought kept running through my head. What is the Cross that I bear?

Jesus commands us to "Take up your Cross and follow Him." Have I done that? Have you done that? How do you know that the Cross you've picked up is the one He wants you to bear and not just one that you think you should bearing? Does it have to be a big Cross or something so horrible that the whole world can see it. Or is the Cross a small one seen only by you and Him, but still such a hard, physical and/or mental burden that it consumes your life? Have you or I picked up a Cross that makes us look good because we are shouldering it when in fact there is another one waiting for us that isn't so attractive a burden. Do we show the world our Crosses or keep them close where they are hidden from family and friends? Do we need to let others see our Crosses?

What brought these thoughts on tonight? Certainly I've thought them before, especially during Lent and Easter when Christ took up His Cross for all mankind. But the trigger this evening was a concert I took 2 of my daughters to see. A young man, Jimmy Wayne, singer/songwriter and survivor of a child's lifetime of abuse. This man has certainly had difficult Crosses to bear in his young life. And his witness to God's love is that he is able to write and sing about those crosses and in doing so touch other lives. As I listened to his beautiful music, I wondered if he sings about all of them or does he hold others closer to his heart, waiting for a time, a person or reason to share them with us.

My daughters and I loved our time together, a time that as they grow older isn't always available. Aferwards, sharing a few moments with this young man and the band members and tour people travelling with him, I was touched by the joy in their eyes. His songs are sad but through that sadness he shows us the way to end the sadness and keep our eyes on Jesus. Not many people, poets, authors, songwriters, etc. are able to accomplish so much in such a short span of time. You leave feeling a little sad for the Crosses he bore as a child and the scars that he will always carry but at the same time hopeful that he made it and we can make it and perhaps give hope to someone we meet along our path.

I look at people around me and I occasionally see that they are bearing a Cross that for most of us would be too much to carry. Yet, these people carry it with a kind of bittersweet happiness.
Yes, it's a burden! But Christ said that He would not give us more than we can bear. And I believe Him and in Him.

Trust in Jesus to help you carry whatever your Cross may be. Maybe it is something that you hold close to your heart to share only with Him or maybe it's a such a burden that by proclaiming it from the rooftops others will come to know God's love. I know that God will not let us fall if we trust in His everlasting love.

God bless all of you and peace be with you and our whole world!

Where to begin?

It's pretty obvious I've not posted a lot these past 4 months. Much has happened but sitting down to write about it has not been a top priority. So I'll try to briefly explain what's been happening.
Most of my days are filled with routine. Get up, feed the dogs, cat and then sit at the computer reading the news and emails. My days were pretty busy this fall - kids will do that to you - but I can't really say what they were busy with. I think it was just a lot of hustle and bustle.
Through it all though I was dealing with being a little sick. Nothing too bad, just a general malaise and grumpy stomach. I finally saw the Doctor and he said the gallbladder needs to come out. Great! I was not thrilled. I don't like being poked and prodded and definitely didn't want to be cut on. But after a rough Christmas season and not being able to eat much of anything I decided to have the surgery.
On Jan. 25th I went in for the surgery and was home the next day. I am starting to feel better after a couple of weeks of feeling absolutely awful. And I'm gradually getting back into the swing of things.
I hope all of you who visit here on occasion are well and happy! More later!

2006

A quick post to wish all my friends and family a Happy New Year! I've been really busy with real life and haven't had much time to write about it. Hopefully that will soon change and I'll be able to post some of what has been going on.

Here's to the new year of 2006 and much health and happiness to everyone!!!

TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON…

September was hectic. 3 kids going off to school, 1 coming home with a puppy, another puppy coming to live with us and the youngest beginning her junior year of HS with a new ACL. The school’s soccer coach from England moved in and life was fast but good. We had beautiful weather and many days of basking in the sun including a weekend in Laughlin, NV.

The end of September and the month of October brought visitors from Kansas, Connecticut, California and Louisiana. A beautiful wedding was the highlight of the month and a joyous party was enjoyed by hundred’s of people. It brought different crowds together to celebrate the love of 2 people - high school friends, college friends and families. It was so wonderful to see the blending of the friendships these 2 people shared. One of the older men watching the dancing asked, “Is this one of those metro sexual things”? We all had a good laugh and kept watching as the dancing turned to jumping, and passing people overhead. I guess the Twist and Mashed Potato are a thing of the past and Swing Dancing and whatever that jumping around is called have taken their place. All good and fun!!!

The month of November brought the end of the warm weather with temperatures dropping to the teens when the sun went down. And then the surreal fun times ended and real life intruded. Wednesday, the youngest left for a soccer tournament in Dallas. That night I was called for a search for a young woman in the El Malpais. Went that direction and right when I arrived the woman was located in Grants, safe and sound. After a full Thanksgiving Day of eating, sleeping and eating some more, I headed off to bed pretty early. And it was a good thing because at 0300 I was awakened from a sound sleep with a phone call for another search. This time a young man lost down south with only shorts and tennis shoes on. Gathered my warm clothes up and headed out. About 0830 we located him, again safe and relatively sound. He had found a shirt and some matches and built a fire to stay warm. When the sun came up he started walking and we found his tracks and him. For more on these stories go here.

Today, the troops started heading back from their Thanksgiving breaks to college, the soccer player is on her way home and the coach and his girlfriend from Kansas drove in to Gallup through a raging Snowstorm. Surprise!!! Yes, winter has arrived. A good 3 “ fell in about 4 hours causing highway havoc and making it look a lot like Christmas.
Yes, that’s right, Christmas. The houses are being decorated. Advent began today which marks the start of a new season and year for my church. Shoppers are out in droves, but not me. I’m sitting here staying warm, playing on my computer and praying that no one else gets lost.

Seasons mark passages of time for us. Whether good or bad, the world still turns. Life goes on. I get older and so does everyone else. Through it all good friends keep our hearts filled with love and happiness. November 25th, my husband and I celebrated 27 years of marriage. As sure as the sun keeps rising and setting so does my love for my family and friends keep growing stronger and stronger.

I am reminded of this beautiful Bible passage:

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill and a time to heal ... a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance ... a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to lose and a time to seek; a time to rend and a time to sew; a time to keep silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

God bless you this Advent season, grant us peace and keep you healthy and safe.