Tuesday, June 6th, 2023

Hello Friends ~

A few days ago, I was am sitting in a hospital room with my dad, he had been admitted due to health concerns with his breathing. He suffers with COPD and emphysema. I found myself sitting in the dark with only the glow of medical machine lights glowing green and red. In the room , a soothing noise could be heard, the bubbling of water that was providing him with moisture with his oxygen intake. Admittedly, it is very relaxing and I’m thankful that dad is resting comfortably.

It’s always interesting to me the seemingly random thoughts that surface when I allow myself to “be still.” Or, it could be sleep deprivation catching up on me (!), as I’ve been awake for nearly 20 hours. Either way, it doesn’t really matter because remembering my favorite things is like good medicine.

When I was a kid every Memorial weekend we would plan activities around listening to the Indy 500 race in our front yard. Dad would always have this AM/FM radio on and we would tune it into the race. Some of the activities we engaged in were washing and waxing the car; having parked in in the yard under a huge tree for shade. We had a metal and plastic swimming pool and the grill would be cooking burgers and hot dogs. And, my mom made the best homemade macaroni salad and potato salad, dessert would be her favorite chocolate sheet cake. This is one of my favorite things!

🇺🇸 ⭐️ 🌭 ❤️ 📻 💙 🍔 ⭐️ 🇺🇸

I learned to drive at a very young age, dad would let my brother and me sit on his lap when we were young and steer the car/truck. When we were tall enough to reach the pedals and steering wheel at the same time, mom & dad, both would let us drive on gravel country roads. I learned to drive a Ford truck with 3 gears on the column as well as 4 on the floor. Those were fun times! This is one of my favorite things!

One of my not so favorite things growing was Saturday house cleaning. But, good things come to those who wait (and work). After all the chores were completed, my mom and I would take baths and put on clean clothes and go grocery shopping. Yep, that was a treat! We would often take the car through the car wash and mom would buy Persian donuts and we would share them on the ride home. This is one of my favorite things! Also, as I think back on look Saturday’s I am forever grateful for them. Those days taught me many valuable lessons that have helped me in and through adulthood. This is one of my favorite things!

I was fortunate that my parents introduced me to team sports early in life. I began playing on a girls softball team when I was just 5 years old. I have so many fond memories of playing, winning and losing games, and all the wonderful girls/women I met along the way. I played the game I loved for over three decades. My biggest fan through it all was my mom. My dad also when work and time allowed. My mom drove me all over the state of Indiana during my teen years. She would drive over 4 hours to watch me play when I was in college, to say I was loved & blessed is an understatement. This is one of my favorite things!

My favorite family vacation growing up was the summer I turned 13. We, (my parents, my younger brother and me) traveled for two weeks and we camped every night at KOA campgrounds. Our trip took us through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. The highlight of the trip was seeing Mt. Rushmore. We cooked all our meals and slept either in a tent or in our van. My parents let us stop at most of the souvenir shops we ask to see. The saddest day of our trip was the last day, we stopped by a store about an hour from home and we hear the announcement on a speaker that Elvis Presley had passed away. I guess I will always remember when and where I was on that day. The trip…This is one of my favorite things!

Truth is, these are just a few of my favorite things; it would be impossible to list them all. I am thankful to have been raised by loving, caring and responsible parents. Growing up we had what we needed and at times things we wanted. I am grateful my parents loved me enough to discipline me when I needed it and praised me when I deserved it. We may not have had lots of money but in my eyes we were the richest people I knew. This is my favorite thing.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—this is the first commandment with a promise: “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

~ Ephesians 6:1-4

“Start children off on the way they should go,and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

—Proverbs 22:6

“Hear your father’s teaching, my son, and do not turn away from your mother’s teaching. For they are a glory to your head and a chain of beauty around your neck.”

~ Proverbs 1:8-9

~ Charlotte, Seeker of unexpected Comfort, Happiness, Joy and Patience.

Monday, June 5th, 2023

Dear Friends ~

Recently, I have found myself overwhelmed, frustrated and even angry. What is even worse is that I have allowed my emotions to overflow into my personal and professional life. I admittedly can be bold and brass at times, when making statements I feel most passionately about. I also know, there are times when one needs to be more tempered and restrained. But, stress has a way of seeping out through stress fractures in our self-applied armor; the figurative cloaks we cover ourselves with. I am just human, not an action superhero from Marvels: Avengers, a personal favorite. And, I do not have a cloak of invisibility like Harry Potter. Just last week, I felt my body was telling me that I was depleted, needed rest and recovery but, being overconfident and unyieldingly stubborn I told myself, YOU GOT THIS! Well, that was a lie and as soon as I got to work and entered the office space I work in which was filled with coworkers…I lost myself and I all the restraints of my occasional brassy tone! It was like a dormant volcano just erupted. Let’s just say it was not long before I was called out by my supervisor, saying “let’s take a walk.” Dun, Dun Duuun! Sometimes it’s not always a good idea to speak aloud the words swirling in one’s head! I’m happy to say, we were able to talk things out and I took a few moments to collect myself and I returned to the office and apologized to everyone. I felt very ashamed and embarrassed, I knew I was wrong and needed forgiveness. The release of such a burden was as if weights were lifted off me.

“But the gift of God’s undeserved grace was very different from Adam’s sin. That one sin brought death to many others. Yet in an even greater way, Jesus Christ alone brought God’s gift of undeserved grace to many people.”

Romans 5:15 (CEV)

I have been ignoring the signs my body has been telling me as well as suggests from friends to get some rest. I am not very good at say “no” and I often overextend myself. I love, really I do…love helping others and caring for others. I’m really bad, super bad about asking or accepting support or help. Trust me, I’ve been trying to make sense of my bad choices my entire life. Deep down I know I have an unresolved “something” I just can’t or haven’t been able to articulate it. I find that it bubbles towards the surface in times of deep stress and uncontrolled circumstances. Most of the time, I’m pretty good at keeping “it” whatever “it” is at bay.

If you know me, you might be asking “why I am not simply praying about this and turning it over to God?” I have tried and well, the truth is, I can be stubborn, foolish and selfish. I talk to God everyday but rarely confide about my personal struggles, all the time knowing and believing He already know my heart and everything about me. In fact, I have trouble telling most people about my struggles. There’s some misguided lesson I learned that to do so makes me weak and less than…oh, I don’t know. I have been feeling very unworthy and undeserving, maybe even a bit pitiful. But of course, I am unworthy and undeserving of God’s love, grace and forgiveness! I know and believe that God loves me, not because of anything I’ve done but because God loved me first. Jesus made a way of salvation for me. I’m human and forget that I’m a created being. I am a child of God, His love covers my sins, His mercy and grace have been extended to me by His great love.

I sometimes feel like the world is spinning out of control, the scales of justice tipping in extremes or not working at all. Violence and crimes are on the rise. There seems to be fewer and fewer people giving/receiving respect for one another, politeness is often ignored or scoffed at and self-preservation seems to a priory tat all costs.

Just to be clear, my life is not filled with doom and gloom. This mood or “bump in the road” is temporary. For instance, I look forward to walking into work on Sunday’s and Monday’s because I pass by at least 3-4 employees and just seeing them makes me smile. We exchange greetings and it feels…good! I really love my job and the duties I am responsible for, the people are pretty good too. I also have a friend that I text everyday, it is such joy to know someone is thinking about me and praying with me and for me. I have family that I love to spend time with, we tell stories over and over of our life experiences and remember fondly loved ones who are no longer with us.

It’s true what the Bible says about our lives…

Psalm 39:4-13 (NLT)

For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.

Psalm 39:1-4 Matthew Henry’s Commentary 

David here recollects, and leaves upon record, the workings of his heart under his afflictions; and it is good for us to do so, that what was thought amiss may be amended, and what was well thought of may be improved the next time.


“I said to myself, “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” 

“But as I stood there in silence—not even speaking of good things—the turmoil within me grew worse.”

The more I thought about it,the hotter I got, igniting a fire of words: “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.  Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is.”

Psalm 39:5-13 Matthew Henry’s Commentary 

The psalmist, having meditated on the shortness and uncertainty of life, and the vanity and vexation of spirit that attend all the comforts of life, here, in these verses, turns his eyes and heart heaven-ward. When there is no solid satisfaction to be had in the creature it is to be found in God, and in communion with him; and to him we should be driven by our disappointments in the world. David here expresses,


“We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.  We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?

“My only hope is in you. Rescue me from my rebellion.”

“Do not let fools mock me. I am silent before you; I won’t say a word, for my punishment is from you.”

“But please stop striking me!  I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.”

“When you discipline us for our sins, you consume like a moth what is precious to us.  Each of us is but a breath.”

“Hear my prayer, O Lord!  Listen to my cries for help!  Don’t ignore my tears.  For I am your guest—a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me.”

“Leave me alone so I can smile again before I am gone and exist no more.”

“You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

James 4:14

Thank you for following my blog and visiting it today. It’s okay to have rough and difficult days, just remember you are never alone, God is with you. God is with me and I’m so very thankful for that.

~ ~Charlotte, Seeker of unexpected Comfort, Happiness, Joy and Patience.

References:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rom.5.15&version=CEV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps.39.1,Ps.39.2,Ps.39.3,Ps.39.4&version=NLT

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps.39.6,Ps.39.7,Ps.39.8,Ps.39.9,Ps.39.10,Ps.39.11,Ps.39.12,Ps.39.13&version=NLT