A Debt I Can Never Repay

Today we remember those who gave all they had for us.

Not for our "government,"

but for "We the People!"

Thank you.

You are not forgotten,

you are not scorned,

and your sacrifice for my freedom

will forever be a debt

I can never

repay.

~Thelma Dade

Thank You, Energy Man!

Heat, heat! We have heat!

Thanks to the very nice Energy Man, we received heat at about 10 o'clock last night. I've never been so glad to see the Energy Man! Usually, I only see him when he is reading the gas meter. God bless this man, and all of the others like him who went house to house for hours, and hours, in the dark, and the cold, relighting pilot lights, and restoring heat in frigid homes.

It's amazing how thankful one becomes of the basic things in life. The daily luxuries we take for granted each day are sorely missed once they are gone!

Mr. Knight

I'm not sure if I've shared this story before. If not, I am excited to tell it; if so, it bears repeating.

A couple of years ago, when we hooked up our first home computer, I was listening to some great music. You see, I live in a small town, and the radio station selection is quite limited! I was absolutely thrilled to find Jukebox on my brand new computer! So, as I was searching through Neil Diamond songs (huge fan), I came across Porcupine Pie. Never heard of it? Not surprising... Neil sings about vanilla soup with fruity blue cheese and your hands turning green. I don't believe it was ever on Casey Kasam's Top Forty. Let me tell you though, it was on the top ten list in Mr. Knight's 6th Grade Class at Cedarcrest Elementary! That song, as well as others by Three Dog Night and CCR, were taught to us by our super cool teacher. There are so many songs that transport me back to that class. Mr. Knight was my favorite teacher of all times.

As I was going down Memory Lane in my kitchen, the thought came to me that I really should let Mr. Knight know just how great he was to a 12 year-old girl in his class. I sat down right then and there, and wrote him a letter. I thanked him for being the best teacher I ever had, and filled him in a bit on my life. I signed it with hopes that he would be happy to receive it, and left my new Email address on the bottom, anxiously awaiting for a reply.

A couple of weeks had passed. There were many days I rushed to check my Email in hopes that I would find "Mr. Knight" in the sender box. Oh well, I thought... at least he now knew he meant a lot to me.

Well, let me tell you... one day, there, in the sender box, was his name! I was jumping up and down in my kitchen, thrilled to death! (By the way, have I ever told you my husband thinks I'm a complete nerd? He does love me for my nerdy ways though!) Anyway, listen to this. Mr. Knight wrote that he was driving down the road one day, when out of the blue, started thinking of a student he had many years ago at Cedarcrest Elementary, named Lisa!! (me) He couldn't remember her last name. TWO DAYS LATER, my letter arrived!!! He saw that it was addressed to "Mr. Knight," and didn't even have to look at the return address; he immediately knew it was from me! (It took a little longer than usual to arrive, since he had moved.)

So, now we meet every summer for coffee. I look forward to our coffee chats so much! I am so glad I listened to God's whisper that day in my kitchen, while listening to Porcupine Pie. Has God whispered something in your heart lately? Is there a special person that needs to know what an impact they have made in your life? Tell them! Don't be afraid; everyone wants to feel needed and important!

Giving Thanks

Today in church, Pastor Mark passed a microphone around the congregation. Those who wanted to, could share something they were thankful for. What a blessing. We heard everything from being thankful for life from a woman fighting cancer, gratefulness to the pastors and congregation from a senior citizen who has been battling an illness, and felt so loved because of the care and concern she has received, pure joy from a brand new father, and heartfelt love and thankfulness from a father of 11 kids. Another was from a man who just came home from South America. He was thankful for the bounty of food we have. Most of the people he saw, only had one meal a day which consisted of porridge and a small piece of bread. Is your tummy full? Give thanks.

The thanks shared was definitely for the big things in life, down to the simple things we take for granted such as toilet paper. (May we always be thankful for toilet paper! One trip to a remote village in a foreign country, or an unexpected emergency in the woods, and you'll be thanking God for toilet paper! Okay moms.... you know what I'm talking about... How about when your lovely children use the last of the toilet paper, do not tell you about it, and you are stranded on the toilet while everyone else is in school?! I know you've all raced past windows for the Kleenex box!) Anyway, it is always nice to stop long enough to truly think about the things we are thankful for. In church, I gave thanks for our veterans and soldiers, through tears and a shaky voice. The emotion caught me off guard, and I was embarrassed at first. However, as I thought about it later, yes, I should be emotional when talking about the brave men and women who have and are sacrificing their lives for their country, for freedom, and for the basic human rights everyone deserves. May God bless them all and their families. Words just cannot ever describe the gratitude I have for them.

Take a moment, and write down things you are thankful for. Even the simplest of things can bring a smile to your face. Better yet, get up, get out, and do something for someone that will have them thanking God. Be a blessing to others; your kindness will not return void!

Ahhh.... Sunshine!

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun

And I say it's all right

Little darlin' the smiles returning to their faces

Little darlin' it seems like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun

And I say it's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

(Lyrics by George Harrison)

Welcome back, Sunshine. It's been a long, long time!

Mountains Out of Molehills

I have a wonderful pastor. He is by far, the most encouraging, positive person I know. It was his birthday the other day, and I read about his day on his blog. (Check it out... it is posted above under "Blogs I Like to Visit"... Revitalize Your Church.) I smiled throughout the post as I read his excitement and total appreciation over everything from phone calls to beetles. Now, I know I am always appreciative over phone calls on my birthday, especially when it is my father-in-law singing "Happy Birthday" to me; brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. But I don't think I have ever looked at a swarm of beetles as a chorus of birthday greetings before.

So, I have decided to make mountains out of molehills. "What?!," you say? Yes, I will make mountains out of molehills for the good stuff in life. It is so easy to get caught up in the pressures of life, motherhood, jobs, discipline, and the ugliness in the news that we forget to notice really beautiful moments. May I find awe in the simple things in life. May I splash in the rain puddles with my little ones, reclaim the excitement to be found in the perfect ice cream cone, laugh with my teenagers until my stomach hurts, chase butterflies, and realize just how cool those skateboard moves are. I want my breath to be taken away each time my husband walks through the door. I want to give more hugs, and let my friends and family know they are cherished. I want to look at the next sunset as the wonderful thing it is... God's Masterpiece painting just for me and you.

Want to climb the mountain with me?

Quit Yer Bellyachin'!

Helpful Suggestions
from Joyce Meyer


(Taken from her book, I Dare You.)

• We can complain about what we cannot do, or we can do what we can do.


• We can complain about the conditions in society and wish someone would do something about them, or we can pray.


• We can complain about what we don't have, or we can be thankful for what we do have.


• We can find fault with our friends and family, or we can thank God we are not completely alone in life.


• We can complain about the job we have, or we can thank God we have one.


• We can complain about traffic, or we can thank God we have an automobile when most of the world still walks everywhere they go.


• We can complain about the weather, or we can thank God we are healthy enough to go outside.