IN REMEMBRANCE

Every January, our church has a time of remembrance during the worship services to remember those members who have gone on to heaven during the past year.
They flash their picture and date of birth and death on the big screen with music playing softly in the background. It's a very sad and somber time. Yet, we do rejoice for those who are now in the very presence of our wonderful, Savior and Lord and Almighty God! They are happy, it is we who are sad because they are no longer with us. We lost at least 3 very dear friends this past year and one of them was remembered today at church. It is our responsibility as Christians to take care of widows and orphans but I feel we also need to take care of widowers.
All 3 of our friends left husbands here who loved them deeply and are having to try to go on with their lives. After the funerals are over, many of those left behind are soon forgotten or just ignored by their church family. This is not intentional, they just kind of get lost in the day to day needs of other members, etc. If your church does not have a ministry to widows and widowers, especially those who have just recently lost their spouse, then please start one or find someone else with the gift of compassion to head this up. The last church my husband served in, our pastor's late wife once had the idea for the MW's in the church (there were about 10 of us) to give a tea each year for all of the ladies who had lost their husbands during the past year. We did this for several years, even after our pastor's wife had passed away. One of our Bap. Women's group got involved and helped us make gifts for them one year. We used the good china and teacups and tried to make it a very special day for them. We had it in some of our homes some years and at the church some years, depending on the size of the group. Each MW was assigned a lady to invite and to stay in touch with after the tea. Years later, I still try to stay in touch with some of those ladies. We tried to get the Bap. Men to do something for the widowers and they said they would, but they never did. Hopefully, you can find a person or group in your church who will do something special for these men. Just a phone call, a card, or especially a personal visit will brighten their day. Invite them over for a home-cooked meal (especially the men) or take one of the ladies out for tea or a lunch. Let us not forgot those who have gone before us, nor the ones they've left behind!

Hayley Westenra Sings Amazing Grace Like an Angel

Hayley Westenra Sings Amazing Grace Like an Angel

Click on this and you will be blessed!

JOY

JOY. The American College Dictionary defines joy as: " an emotion of keen or lively pleasure arising from present of unexpected good; exultant satisfaction; great gladness; delight. "
Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King.
In the NIV Bible, Proverbs 15:30 says "A cheerful look brings JOY to the heart and good news gives health to the bones." The same verse in the Good News Bible states it this way: "Smiling faces make you happy, and good news makes you feel better." What gives you joy? How can you bring joy to someone else? Nobody likes to be around negative, complaining people. It makes them feel bad and brings them down,too. When you're around a joyful, positive, happy person it makes you feel good and lifts your spirits. Find someone like that to spend your time with. Their joy will be contagious and then you can spread it to someone else. Have a joyful week-end!

SEASONS

Well, it's still winter! I love watching it snow when I can stay inside and sip my hot tea and watch the pretty flakes as they gently float to the ground and cover it with a beautiful, white blanket. But, on the other hand-I really dislike the cold and having to drive on slick roads. A friend told me that it was only a little over 80 days until Spring. The crazy robins that covered my backyard twice last week must not have gotten that message! I am soooo ready for warmer weather and to see the trees and flowers come to life again. Summer will be even better with warm sunshine, green grass, and daylight until 9:00. Then, Fall will arrive with its cool breezes and leaves turning vibrant reds and radiant oranges. I am privileged to live in this beautiful valley that is surrounded by the the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah Mountains. Our home is right under the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we have a glorious view of the gorgeous picture God paints with those trees in the Fall. Each season has it's good points and it's bad points. Life is the same way.

We have different seasons in our lives. There is childhood and the teenage years.

Then there is college or just starting out on our own. Marriage and having children is another season. Raising those children or having a career could be considered the next season. After children are grown or we hit middle-age we enter still another season. Then we begin to move into our Senior-Adult years.

Just as Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall have their good points and bad points, the seasons of our lives have ups and downs. The way we deal with the "downs" has a-lot to do with our attitude. We can complain about the cold or we can choose to enjoy the beauty of the snow. We can wallow in self-pity when we go through unpleasant times in our lives or we can choose to seek God's help and keep our chins up and make the best of whatever life throws at us. Even though seasons change and seasons of life change, we can be assured that God does not change. He is always there for us and He never changes. Let him guide you through whatever season of life you are in right now. I will try not to complain about the cold and just look forward to snow days when I get to stay inside!

YouTube - God's love letter

YouTube - God's love letter

ADVICE TO PONDER

A very good friend forwarded me something called Handbook 2011 today. It had some great advice in it so I would like to share it with each of you.

"HEALTH:

Drink plenty of water, Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and less food that is manufactured in plants. Live with the 3 E's--Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy. Make time to pray. Play more games. Read more books than you did in 2010. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day and sleep for 7 hours. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily and while you walk, smile. PERSONALITY: Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don't have negative thoughts or worry about things you cannot control, instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. Don't over do. Keep your limits. (this is especially true for MW's!). Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip. Dream more while you are awake. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your husband of his mistakes in the past, that will ruin your present happiness. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime (I don't remember anything from Algebra class except my teacher was very patient and answered all my questions-I even got an A). Smile and laugh more. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. SOCIETY: Call your family often. Each day give something good to others. Forgive everyone for everything (this is really hard but remember God will help you do this). Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. Try to make at least 3 people smile each day. What other people think of you is none of your business (I know this one is especially hard for us as MW's. , but, as I've said before, we can't please everyone. Just be the good Christian example God wants all Christians to be.) Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch with them. LIFE: Do the right thing. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. (this doesn't include your husband or children! Just kidding!) God heals everything. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. (unless you are sick). The best is yet to come. When you awake alive in the morning, thank God for it. YOUR INNER MOST IS ALWAYS HAPPY. SO, BE HAPPY." Think about these words then share how you feel about some of it with me. If you want to forward this (without my comments), just let me know and I can e-mail it to you. I forwarded it to some friends and family this morning and it made my sister-in-law take time to get in touch with me today. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Have a great night!

A QUOTE TO PONDER

A friend posted this on Facebook the other day and I wanted to share this with all of you. "A person's most useful asset is not the head full of knowledge, but a heart full of love, an ear ready to listen, and a hand willing to help." -Status Shuffle
Let's all use our hearts, ears and hands today!