Why the Tears???

So why in the world did I get tears in my eyes when I read about Saddam Hussein being hanged? He was one of the most brutal individuals I’d ever known of. When I read the article on the internet, I guess it hit me but why I do not know. I never have liked capital punishment but even I agreed with his fate when I heard about it, sooooo why the tears?
Well it must have something to do with the fact that he has been in the news so much; it’s almost as though we lost a famous movie star, maybe??? No! that’s not it -- I think it was when I read about his insistence on not wearing a hood and shouting “God is Good!” That is what brought the tears to my eyes, because I could envision this man hanging on the gallows without the hood (how gross that must have been). Anyhow, I also thought about all of the people who suffered and died at his hand and how he had to suffer the consequences of his own actions, just like some of the villains in the Bible.

Do you realize how you are witnessing history and will tell your children and grandchildren about the historical events taking place today (Gulf war, 911, a president who was impeached, Iraq war, President Bush, etc.)? These are all unpleasant events but one day your offspring will ask you about it as it will be part of their history lesson. I remember when John Glenn first walked on the moon, I had just delivered number three son. When President Kennedy was killed, I was in our living room vacuuming the floor when the news came on that he had been shot (was pregnant with number 1 son). I remember how stunned I was and how hard it had hit me when the announcement came on television that he had died. Programming was off for three days due to the news coverage of the events surrounding his death and I can still hear in my mind the beat of the drums and the horse and carriage that carried his body. I remember the evening news about Robert Kennedy being assassinated. President Eisenhower’s inauguration and the presidential elections way back then when he ran twice against Adelaide Stevenson and won both times. I can still remember when Malcolm X was killed, Hawaii became a state, the March on Washington, also when Martin Luther King was assassinated, when Emmett Till was killed, and many other historical events.

Tiired of Apologies

My patience has run out on PMP because every time I turn around, he is apologizing for something. This past week, I called to ask his wife if she would tell the children’s story for the kids in our church. During the service we have a short segment for the children and we have them come forward and sit on the front seats while someone either tells or reads them a story. Since I am the Children’s Ministry Leader, it is my responsibility to schedule people to do this. Since I didn’t want to wait until the last minute I called SP's home to ask her if she would do it. When the phone rang, PMP answered and was quite abrupt when I asked to speak to his wife, he cut me off short, stating that she was talking to an aunt who was here visiting and he would have her call me back. I then asked him if he had a good Christmas, and he again cut me off stating he was in hurry (or something like that). That was this past Wednesday, and today is Friday; church is tomorrow and I have not heard from her yet. PMP is kind of forgetful; therefore, it is my assumption that he forgot. PMP has offended me in several ways in the past three to four years he has pastured in our church, and every time, he apologizes. During the past few days, I have decided I’m tired of the apologies and just simply don’t want to hear another one from him when I go to church this Sabbath. I feel as though I either want to avoid church this week, which would be a mistake, or just ignore his apology.

God has a way of influencing me through my thoughts. He reminds me how I am always asking for forgiveness every time I sin. What would I do if God decided he was tired of hearing me apologize and turn his head away or ignore me? Because of my carnal nature, I want to give into my foolish pride because it will hard for me to go to church and hear another apology that to me seems to mean nothing. As mentioned above, I was planning in my mind to not only skip church, but also cancel the children’s story this week for lack of someone to tell it. I reasoned to myself that this would send them a message that they need to step up to the plate or there will be a vacancy in the position of Children’s Ministry and let them decide for themselves who will do it.

Again, the little voice I believe to be the Spirit of God came into my thoughts and reminded me that this is not the way to handle it, for Mark 11: 25, 26 says: And when ye stand praying , forgive if ye have ought against any that your father also which is in Heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in Heaven forgive your trespasses. It is amazing how He brought that thought into my mind right “on time.”

God Knew What he was Doing When he Gave a Little Mother Four Sons.

Approximately a month ago, I had planned to do nothing on Christmas day but just sit at home and for it to be just another day. However, as my dad has always told me, "The Lord knew what he was doing when he gave a little mother four sons." That is definitely true. A couple weeks ago, I received a call from number two son inquiring what my plans were for Christmas? I shared with him my plans to do nothing; but he wouldn't hear of it. He invited me to accompany him and his wife to their church on Christmas eve. I quickly accepted the invite as nothing being better than praising the Lord on Christmas eve. "B" also told me he wanted me to spend the night and spend Christmas day with them (Wow, something to look forward to). He then invited my number three son who is usually not particularly open to spending a lot of family time together. However, he joined us and we had a fantastic evening of dinner, going to see the holiday lights at a popular park here and church (at 11:00p.m.).

The next morning we slept in kind of late but upon arising on Christmas day, we had a wonderful circle of prayer, opening presents along with taking pictures (at which time I became ornery and started to put rabbit ears behind my daughter-in-law and that started a chain of rabbit ears in the pictures and a lot of laughs). Ohhhh and the presents, they started giving me presents and I thought they would never stop coming. We had a great time exchanging gifts. After eating breakfast, we went to visit other members of her family and this went on pretty much throughout the day. My other sons called and we exchanged highlights of our day and it seems as though everyone had a great Christmas.

To all my blogging buddies -- I would like to hear about your Christmas -- also I pray that each and everyone of you will be blessed from this day forward.

Received some shocking news towards the end of the day: We lost a great musician who was one of my favorites during my teen years, James Brown.

What about Hope?

David Cho, one of our Blog buddies, wrote a post on “hope,” a fascinating post in which he put a lot of thought into. He more or less ask those who commented to write a blog on what we feel hope is or means. Here is my version of what “hope” means to me.

Webster’s New World Third College Edition Dictionary says “hope” is a feeling that what is wanted will happen; desire accompanied by expectations.

I believe that hope means that someone wants something to happen whether it is good or bad. One may hope for or want a new car, a new house, etc. The Bible says: “ask and you will receive it, seek and you will find; knock and the door shall be opened to you”. Someone may hope for revenge on another person for a negative act against them. The Bible says: “Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord.”

Colossians 1:27 states …which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory. Psalm 71:5 says for thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou are my trust from my youth. After reading a few scriptures on hope, I came to the conclusion that the Lord God is our hope.

Hope also means to me that “There could be a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Does Still Water Run Deep????

Have you heard the saying "still water runs deep?" Well one of my sons proved this to be true. In his younger years as a child growing up, he was very quiet and shy (so everyone thought). I didn't get calls from the teacher because of his acting out behavior except once when he was in high school, the teacher called to tell me he was talking too much in class with a young lady who had a crush on him. I didn't get on his case because I was so happy to hear that he was talking.

Oh how I thought I was raising an angel (WRONG). When he was in second grade, he wrote a love letter to a girl in his class -- it said "I love you -- you give me goose bumps." I still have the letter to this day that has his drawing of him with the goose bumps. After all of my angels (so I thought), became adults and no longer had to fear being punished for their negative behaviors -- guess what. I have had the pleasure of hearing the truth from their own mouths. All of this happening while I was at work; thinking my sons were at home behaving themselves.

Actually, they were some fairly good guys. I enjoyed all the things we did together from little league to helping them find their first car to graduation day, etc. I could actually go on and on with this post but I will cut it short.

From Obituary Reading People/ To Who is Expecting the Birth of His First Child?

I have noticed that when a person picks up the newspaper, one of the first places they go to is the obituaries to see who has passed away. Even though no one wants to see a friend, relative, acquaintance die, I believe the object of going into that part of the newspaper has to do with curiosity -- looking to see if anyone you know has died lately and wanting to be the first to tell someone to see their reaction. It seems to me that during this time of year, deaths of people we know are on the increase. Between last November until this date, there has been approximately four people I know who died in Hospice. I have never had to visit anyone there until this past year. Presently, an old friend of mine who started school the same time I did as a little girl is now in Hospice and of course the first reaction to hearing that news is one of sorrow, thus knowing that person will die within the next day or two or perhaps in a couple of weeks to come. I have often wondered if anyone has ever left Hospice as a result of being healed -- another chance at life.
What a morbid post, but this is what was on my mind.

On a much happier note, my number two son and his wife are expecting their first baby in March. At one time, the wife didn't want to have children, and number two son went along with it out of love for his wife. Now, at age 40, he's excited he's going to be a daddy. This is my football playing, all around athlete son who looks very awkward doing anything domestic other than playing sports. Now he has to learn how to change diapers, bathe, feed the baby and stay up all night when he/she wakes them up every night for the first "I don't know how many months."