But then, my mom never has had the creative turn of mind I do.  And, actually, the only resemblance I see is of the right side of the house with the attached single car garage at the back right turned at a 90% angle, facing the front.  Even that resemblance is slight because our house was white stucco and our double garage stood alone a bit beyond the small bedroom that was in the 90% angular turn.

We had an old windmill like the painting, although by the time we moved there in 1954 when I was nine, there had long been indoor plumbing and heating in the house.  My grandparents were among the first of their neighbors to put in electricity after beginning the South Plains Electric Coop in Lubbock that ran power lines out to the Abernathy house in the fall of 1937.

We did not have endless meadows filled with wildflowers sprawled beyond our yard full of day lilies and crepe myrtles like the painting either.  Or hazy blue mountains in the distance.  Our yard had tall Chinese elms standing guard around the perimeter – windbreaks they call them out there where the wind always blows.  Two massive cedars reigned outside the windows on the left side – the west side – of the house.  The bigger one scratched against my bedroom window at night, scaring me.  But, I left  the high window open, anyway, to listen to the sounds of the night.  The deep green cedars did look like the ones in my painting.  They are just placed on the wrong side of the house.  But, that is of minor detail to me.  I think what my painting most brings to my thoughts are memories; not precise recollection – memories.

My earliest memories of my grandparents’ house, before it was ours, are of early morning smells and sounds.  Coffee percolating.  Bacon frying.  My grandma’s soft voice and my uncle Oliver’s, mingled with the deep voice of my granddad talking with my mom and dad.  I cannot even recall where we all slept – and there were six in our family alone.  But, I do remember watching them all through the glass paned French doors that were closed between the living room and dining room beyond, with the small kitchen behind that, even.

An old upright piano stood in the living room to the left of the doors where I would later spend many hours practicing, hating every moment of it until it was too late to turn any latent talent into playing much more than simple arrangements for pleasure.  I deferred becoming accomplished to my sister, with her pianist’s hands and discipline.

When I look at my painting – and I do many times a day, as it hangs on the sea glass colored wall next to our bed – I see Texas in its glory.  I see times past when I was raised so naively innocent that I did not learn of some of the fundamental elements for really living until I was well into my thirties.  Innocence lost can be a sad state to live in, but then again it can be cherished for allowing diversity and depth to increase.  I am a better woman for having lived both lives.

My painting most reminds me of home.  It reminds me that I grew up in a good home, a solid home, a place where all that was evil lay somewhere else.  I keep those memories close to my heart, for I want my home now to be a safe haven and harbor to all shattered souls who would seek shelter herein.  I have been one of them, and am no more.  I am, and I want all who come here to be, at home.

Today, I want to be serious about something important that’s been on my mind and in my heart.

This past Sunday, our minister had an exceptionally good sermon from Proverbs about being wise about our families.  He stressed that we should lead Christ centered lives within our families and that doing so is THE most important thing we can do for our children.  If we fail in that, we have really failed in all, and I truly believe that.

In discussing how we should structure our family’s lives, he used an analogy I had never heard used before, and deemed it excellent.  He spoke of our country having U.S. Embassies all around the world on foreign soil.  Yet, when you walk into any one of them, you are considered to be on American soil and under the dictates of America’s laws and structure.

Likewise, we should each consider our own homes to be a Heaven’s Embassy, where a taste and touch of Heaven is found, rather than a war zone.  This resonated with me.

I have never delved much into my distant past here in this blog, nor am I going to do so today.  However, I will share this with you.  For years, I felt as if the weight of the world was on my shoulders always.  Even when I was in our house.  Often, it was a war zone.  In fact, I will never forget the overriding feeling I had the afternoon after my younger son, Mark, and I moved out of the house we had lived in for more than 14 years and into a tiny apartment in the same town.

More than anything else, when we came in the apartment amidst boxes and piles of things and I shut the door and locked it, I felt relief and a quiet calm that Mark and I were safe.  It was peaceful.  The entire world was outside!!  We were inside and this was truly our home!!  It was a place of rest and relaxation and love and spiritual solace.  It was a bit of Heaven.

I’ve felt that way ever since.  That was 34 years ago in January and my home – our home – has always been a God inspired respite from the world since.  I have not allowed satan (I refuse to capitalize his name or pay him any honor) to come in to cause division or turmoil or strife between any of my family members, and certainly not to reside.

I’m not saying we haven’t had troubles and trials and even tribulations.  What I’m saying is that when we close the doors to our home, the world is left out.  God is with us through all and in all and leads us in all things.  He is our protector and shield.  We war not with each other or ourselves.

Think about this today.  About making your OWN home an embassy of Heaven.

What say ye?

God bless each of you today!  Cheers!  And have a great weekend!  Dee

A Facebook friend posted this quote this morning and I thought it was very good.  I do not know the author, so cannot attribute it to anyone.  If any of you know, let me know and I will do so.

I don’t know about you, but I have to say for myself that I must have been a slow learner and/or late in my maturation because it took me a very long time in some ways to achieve the steps listed above to wisdom.  And I’m still having problems with the last one – being able to forgive myself.  I’m one who tends to blame myself for nearly everything sometimes.  Do you ever do that?

I think that the entire quote with its truths is only made real with the inclusion of God and Jesus Christ in the equations.  For, without God’s grace for us and Christ’s deep love and sacrifice, we not only would not, but could not forgive anyone else, much less ourselves.  We are imperfect by nature since the fall of man in Eden to temptation and sin.

Thanks be to God and Christ we have hope, faith, grace and most of all love to lift us up and to make us wise.  Then we must share God’s wisdom He has infused within us with everyone whose lives we touch, beginning here and now with each other.

Those are my thoughts for this first, hot day of fall.

Peace and harmony to each of you today!  God Bless!

Dee

She’s not been writing so much lately, with trying to keep up with not only Mark and Zoe, Hannah & Kayci, but also several little ones she babysits.  I’m always amazed at how much she DOES get done, I’m tellin’ ya.

But, today is her dad’s birthday and she had some thoughts that just HAD to come out!  She wrote the blog post below on her blog today and I was so taken with it, I asked her if she would be my guest blogger today.  She agreed, and I am SO glad.

So, here it is.  It is beautifully and eloquently written and delves into the mind of a mature woman, wife, mother, daughter, friend, who is MY friend for loving my son & my granddaughters and for much more.  I love her dearly.

I think you will find below much to think about and ponder.  It is important and wise and uplifting.

Thank you, Lynn, for sharing with us today!!

With all the birthdays that have happened of late, I began thanking about what I like to call, the timeline of a birthday.  It begins when you are a child and can understand what the word ‘birthday’ means to you.  Not so much the gaining of another year, but the celebration of cake, presents and friends.  This continues to build, in story-like style, until it reaches a climax…usually with the gift of something big (like a car or huge blowout party–vacation style).  Let me say that I HAVE had some parties in my time but never to this degree–for which I elaborately mourned over at the time…however, in retrospect, am extremely grateful for what I did have. Perhaps age is a great teacher…or perhaps our perspective changes as we age…or perhaps it’s both.

However, I found that with the passage of a ‘milestone birthday’ my birthday perspective began to radically change.  I found that not only was my list of desires becoming  more practical in nature, my birthday was beginning to mark some physical changes as well.  Changes that I might add were not particularly what I would call desirable in nature.  Of course getting married and having children could factor into some of this; but, I could not deny that birthday’s were an irreversible part of this whole process.  Like a book’s decline into resolution and ending, I had found that I too, had finally reached that climax, and passed it (although just barely;) as to anyone you ask I am still 29 and holding)

It was with the approach of my father’s birthday, which is today Happy Birthday Dad!, that a chord was struck within me as to my current view of the ‘birthday timeline’.  As I observe birthdays of all ages I began to see that within each, a story was being written, like a painting across the Sistine Chapel, our own life is being poured out in vibrant and sometimes violent color and brush strokes. Each day, each hour, woven into a tapestry along with the other lives we touch.  It occurs to me that perhaps it is the process, more than the destination, or in my case the desperate cling to that ‘magic year’. The one which it appeared to me that all was perfect; or, that like in the days of Columbus, any forward movement would sail me right off the end of the world.  When I look at my dad, or anyone who is older than me, I see life poured out for something and in pursuit of something, not a vain or empty effort.  I see lessons learned, experiences made, and relationships formed.  I see a road of possibility and promise.  I see that there is life to those years not just years in that life!  Perhaps that is the greatest gift of all, God’s gift to us, living and experiencing.  Not that our destination is not of utmost importance as well; but, that He wanted all those little experiences for us along the way.

So, I guess all these birthdays around me have taught me something.  Don’t get me wrong, as I am still 29 and holding.  But perhaps I won’t hold as tightly as I don’t want to miss a minute of this beautiful, wonderful gift given to each one of us….LIFE and living it every day!

Happy Birthday Dad, thanks for sharing your life with me. I love you!

Thank you, Lynn, for sharing this with us and we hope your dad has a terrific birthday, today.  Happy Birthday, Roy!

Many blessings to each of you today!  Dee

I am spending my time, whether doing other tasks or not, in deep prayer and supplication to the Lord, requesting wisdom in knowing how to counsel with those around me and how to receive the best counsel in my own heart to bear these load, myself.

My deep faith sustains and guides me.  I seek forgiveness from those I may have wronged in my past, although I’ve always tried to do the best I knew to do at the time I was acting.

I do not like to write publicly in such a frame of mind, yet I do not turn from trying to be honest and open with the struggles in my heart with all who will bear with me.  I regret in my younger years having been judgmental toward many around me when, instead, I should have listened more carefully to their hearts and found that they were just like me.  We all seek the same thing deep down inside – to be truly loved and accepted for who and what we are.

I have long since learned better, having found true love and acceptance from this man to whom I am married.  Because of his great love for me, I came to know and understand – to really feel and believe – the unquenchable, eternal love of God, our Father, and Jesus Christ, our Savior.  Although he was God’s Son, he came here to earth to live as a man – as we live – to be one of us in all ways – and die, in his perfection, so that we might be redeemed by grace.  We are living, breathing souls and as God’s children, we are already living in eternity, never to face death, except in this physical, bodily form.  We have been saved by grace through our faith and in following after God to share His love to all around us.

We are the embodiment of Christ’s body – the church – upon this earth.  We are to exemplify Jesus in all our ways with each other and even with strangers and enemies.  May God help me live this out from now on, the remainder of my human days.

To God be the glory, and may we each recognize that Jesus loves  us.  Each of us.  You.  Me.  He will not forsake us or let us down, so matter how much we stumble or grow weary and weak.  “Jesus loves me, this I know.”

Please pray with me today, y’all, and know I pray for you, too.  Dee

Can any of you identify?

So . . . I’ve . . . been . . . stressed.

But, at the same time I’ve been reminded this week by others (thanks, Heather, for reminding me that dial-up internet on a rickity laptop is better than none at all!), in some cases, to be mindful of the little things in life that make our lives better.  I need to be “shook up” sometimes to appreciate all I have.  Me – the one who just wrote about “The Girl in the Woods” last time (this past Monday, that now seems eons ago) to remind us all to look around and really observe what we see.

I want to share with you a couple of photos we have of some beautiful birds who live here in Mississippi.  They are Mississippi Swallow-tail Kites, and Tom saw one flying above him on the way home from work one afternoon.

Isn’t this the most beautiful, graceful bird?

Here’s another one soaring above in the heavens.  Would that I could be such a bird in flight!

My spirit and my soul DO fly high above into the heavens when I remember my God, my creator . . . and I am refreshed and replinished in heart and mind.

Thank you, Father, for such beautiful little things in life that are not so little after all when we set our hearts toward heaven and toward You.  Help us to always have hearts of gratitude for the good you give us in such abundance, even in the little things around us, if we will but look and truly let our eyes SEE.

Give us hearts of compassion to always cast our look and Your love upon all we meet and know.  Give us hearts of forgiveness toward all others as You have forgiven us.  Forgive us when we do wrong, or fail to do good in Your name.  Help us to DO good in Your name at every opportunity; to always have a smile on our face; to always look into others’ eyes straightforwardly to smile at their souls.

We ask all of these things, and thank You for all of these things through Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior and Your Son, in His Name.  Amen

She was 19 years old and married to a small thin man in his late 30s or early 40s who looked to be twice his age and was crippled up in his left arm from a working accident some years before.  Thus, he was disabled and unable to work any more, at all, although the work he’d done before was just as a laborer.

She had four little girls of her own, although she was just a girl herself.

They were destitute.  They lived in a small shack consisting of three room, with no bathroom, far off the nearest paved road among the tall, matchstick pines.  Being summer, it was swelteringly hot and humid, but they had no air conditioning, of course.  Nor did they have much furniture.  In fact, other than in the kitchen, I recall none.  The three little girls and baby all slept on bare mattresses reeking with the strong odor of urine.  They may have had diapers for the youngest, but the nearest place to do laundry was in town, and that cost money they didn’t have.  Neither did we see any clothes, anywhere.

Their only transportation was an old dilapidated pickup, and it was not there when we arrived.  The doors were wide open, so we went up the flimsy back steps to the kitchen and went in to look around.  We saw a small table with bowls on them, a couple of chairs and some cheap bent spoons.  The small refrigerator’s door did not shut well and it was full of big ants, but very little else.  Ants crawled all across the tiny kitchen, including on the counter, where we found the remains of their pitiful lunch.  Water gravy and water Koolaid, with a bit of sugar in it.  There were no signs of anything else to eat.

We had wanted to see them to visit, but instead we just left the big boxes of food, produce, milk and staples, for them to have when they got home.  We left some small clean clothes, too, for the girls, and took note of what else they needed.  It was a long list, because they needed everything, beginning with a habitable place to live.

We were not only saddened, but sickened at what we saw.  The wretchedness of the place; the poverty.  But, for the moment we had done all we knew to do.

We found out later that the reason they were not “home” was because all of them had driven to nearby Lufkin to the welfare department to try to receive a bit more financial help then what he was getting.  The girl told us that what we saw in their shack was the very last of the food that they had.  The water gravy and Koolaid.  They had nothing else.

When they returned home, completely dejected and hungry, they were overjoyed to find the food we brought.

My friend, a young Christian mother of four, herself, in her 30s, and I – just a married college student, myself, with a little one, David, who was two years old, had driven back into town by then.  I pondered what I had seen and experiences.  I deeply identified with this young girl, as I was expecting a baby soon, and would have two little ones at 21.

We lived in student housing in a small two bedroom apartment that was $67 a month, which we could not afford, either, but we managed the the four married couples’ buildings around our square and that paid our rent.  My husband went to school full time and worked all kinds of odd jobs at night to help with bills, too.  One job, sitting in a chicken house where the incubators were all night long to keep the eggs from burning, paid 33 cents an hour.  It was a miserable job, but we needed the money.

Yet, when I compared my life to hers, and she was a brand new Christian, I felt deeply blessed.

We did not leave them as we found them.  Charlotte, my friend, went back repeatedly to help them and even got the girl a decent paying job in town soon after.  Charlotte made sure she was able to come worship with us and bring her little daughters.  The girl dressed them up as best she could with the hand-me-downs and they looked shiny and sweet.

They are able to move into town and the church helped them greatly.  Their lives improved very much due to the love and care and benevolence of the compassionate Christian community there in Nacogoches.  It was inspiring to me to see true Christianity in action – Jesus love – and the impressions of that girl’s life have stayed with me until now.

This did not happen during the deep Depression of the 1930s.  This happened in 1966, and happens still today in many places all around us here in America, if only we will take the time to really open our eyes and see as Jesus would have us see.

My daughter, who lives in an a far suburb of Dallas told me a few years ago that she did not know any poor people.  (Although she lives out in the country and has trailer homes on both sides of their property.)  I was stunned.  I told her she would find them all around her, even there, if she would just look.  She took my advice, and did.  Since then, she has been involved in ministry with her congregation of Christians and on several mission trips outside this country, even.  We financially supported her in doing those things and have supported her morally and in every way we could to encourage her in her work.

Tom and I live in a very poor area of the south here in Mississippi where people such as the girl in the woods live, as well.  May I ever seek out those I can help in some way – as God’s child – a Christian – and not forget they are all around me too.  To get to our house in the woods, we drive by dozens and dozens of run down trailers and trailer parks that look like junk yards.  They are here.

I hope you will be encouraged today to look more closely around where you live to find someone you can help – in Christ’s name – to show them the love of God and Christ even in their lives!

Many blessings to each of you today.  Dee

Some are family members and some very good friends.  The relationships run together, which is as it “should” be in the life of a Christian, I think.  Don’t you?

I’ve not slept well the past couple of nights after about 2 or 2:30 a.m. or so.  This has been going on for a while about half the time, so I have taken to spending that time until near morning’s first light praying intensely for these ones so dear to me.  Tom and I pray together, as well (in better hours for the both of us!).

God seems to be working mightily in the lives of some of these loved ones I’ve been praying for and for that I am exceedingly happy.  I know, from my own long life, that God DOES answer prayers, and most times, in ways that are beyond my comprehension and “out of the blue” as far as how the details fall together.

One young man who is a dear friend, as if a son, started  a new job today in a place that is brand new to him and different.  I just texted him and told him we pray he is having a good day and that we are thinking of him and praying for him today in his work.  For me, these prayers began about 2 a.m. this morning.

Another dear friend has a big – make that HUGE – weekend coming up this coming weekend and we are praying that God will bless him and show him the way to a better future.

I am – we both – are praying for family members going through strife and difficult circumstances.

Then, there is the world at large, where other Christians we know are suffering from sometimes terrible tragedies, and millions of people hunger and suffer in their daily lives.

How do we pray for these people we do not know personally and come to truly understand their plight?  It seems to me that we do our part by praying for those we know personally and have relationships with and project that to those more distant from us.  God knows our hearts when we turn to Him for answers and in gratitude for the many blessings already received.  As one friend said the other day on his blog, in asking for prayers for he and his family, “God knows the details.”  Yes, my friends, God DOES!!

So, I begin my prayers with gratitude for His love, His Son, His blessings, His goodness, for as I often begin my prayers, all good things in my life – our lives – come from God.

So, for today, if you will – try to remember that one thing.  All good things and goodness in our lives – in this world – come from God and Jesus Christ, His Son.  I think, no matter what is going on in your life, it will be a bit better in remembering this.

Many blessings to each of you today!  Dee

P. S.  Tom is doing better every day and we thank God for this lovely weather we have during his recuperation period.  Yes, God IS good.

Scripture to ponder today:

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

James 3:17, The King James Version

And, here are some wise words, I think.  Consider these as well:

“To really know a man, observe his behavior with a woman, a flat tire and a child.”

Unknown

What do you think about James’ definition about wisdom from above?  When I think of how so many “Christians” offer only condemnation to others when they have fallen, rather than grace, kindness and the attributes above, I am heartsick.  Would I practice in my life – always – all of the attributes above.

What are your thoughts on the thought for today about how to really know a man?  What do these things make you think of and do you think they are accurate?

Let’s have some good discussion today, dear friends.  I need to hear from you!  Many blessings to each of you today!  Dee

]]> http://deeandrews.net/2010/01/15/interlude-thoughts-scripture-for-today/feed/ 6 http://deeandrews.net/2010/01/07/calmness-serenity-my-words-for-this-year/ http://deeandrews.net/2010/01/07/calmness-serenity-my-words-for-this-year/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:38:40 +0000 Dee Andrews http://deeandrews.net/?p=2157 [Note:  I'll start back on the Arkansas Memories Tour of 2009 next week.  There are a lot more stories to tell from that tour, the next chapters being all about when "the boys" lived in Cotter, AR.  For today - thoughts on this "new" year.]

Every January I take stock of my life a little differently than most people do, who make resolutions.  I pick out a word for the year by which I want to define my life.

This year’s word is “Calmness” and/or “Serenity.”  As in the Serenity Prayer (see below).  Most of us know the first few lines as AA’s motto, but I doubt that many of you know (1) that Reinhold Neibuhr wrote it, or (2) that there are more lines to the prayer.  Very significant lines, I think.

We all have times of turbulence and turmoil in our lives, and my life is no different.  The past six months of my life have been especially stressful and demanding.  There have been moments when I have had no clue as to what to say or do next and have completely let myself fall apart, I’m afraid.

I’ve determined in my heart to try to remain much more calm and serene this year in the face of all struggles, anger of others, and strife.  I seek wisdom from our Father in all things and pray that He does grant me serenity.  I want to speak in a softer voice, using self-control and patience to bring assurance to all with whom I speak.

Please pray with me that God will help me in these things.  Maybe you can (will, I hope) give me some suggestions about how to carry out this “purpose” in my life.  (Like just talking with y’all, right?!  All of you calm, totally “together” friends, who would never dream of saying anything distressing to me – right?!)

As for you – what word would you most like to have as your guiding force for this year?  And why?  Please share with me today so that I will not feel alone in being the only one who needs to work on such things in my life.

I leave you with the Serenity Prayer, in full:

The Serenity Prayer
	God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. –Reinhold Niebuhr In loving memory of Fr Bertram Griffin — 1932-2000 Requiescat in Pace
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3, 5-6