Woman Within

   Have you celebrated today?  "Oh, but I have nothing to celebrate," you might say.  But, you do!  Every day, God loads us with benefits. The question is, "Do we have eyes to see them?"    We celebrated my grandson's sixth birthday, this afternoon.  But before that took place, there was much else to celebrate. I woke this morning, in a bed, in a house, with a husband.  Right there are four things. I had running water, food, clothes, transportation, freedom to attend church, and brothers and sisters in Christ at church.  There are six more.  I was able to walk, see, hear, smell,touch, and taste.  6 more.      Afterwards, we went out for lunch.  We had the money to do so because my husband has a job.  Two more.  We were also able to give gifts, and judging by his reaction, we made good choices.  I had interactions with family and an acquaintance I had made, earlier. Three more.  We made...

  Whatever our level of education, learning doesn't have to end when we get the diploma or degree.  In fact, even without trying, it is almost impossible not to keep learning.  Take for instance, switching jobs.  Always something new to learn there. But, even more so if one ends up taking an entirely different career path.    Maybe you are one of those people, though, like my husband, who has worked for the same company for over 30 years. Granted, he's moved up the chain and with changes in mechanics and technology, not to mention new problems, whether with managing people or the shop which he oversees, surely, there are still things to learn.    What if you are a woman who has chosen the traditional route and stayed at home, though?  No problem.  There are new things to be learned about a myriad of things - decorating, cooking, cleaning, health, gardening, etc. With the advent of the computer, one can even learn a new language or a mu...

   I was tired and hungry and headed for home after working, when I heard part of a sermon by David Jeremiah on the book of Revelation.  I don't remember a whole awful lot other than the fact that Jews will definitely be persecuted and "Christians are always trying to play pin the tale on the Antichrist"(in other words, name him) and that nobody knows who he is. Hardly seems worthwhile, right?  Wrong.     Let's be honest, how much do we actually recall from a specific Sunday morning sermon (sorry Pastor Doug)? Sometimes, not a whole awful lot.  I do try to remedy that by taking notes.  But, combine that with what you may learn in Sunday School, provided you go, plus, perhaps a Bible study midweek or Sunday evening, the individual daily reading of the Bible, devotionals, and blog posts, and it adds up to quite a bit. So, while I may not have learned a whole lot this evening, if we keep plugging away, it becomes quite a lot.    Herein li...

  I woke up the other morning and the first thing on my mind was a song from the 70s.  I can't tell you how long it had been since I had heard it, so I have no idea how I woke to thinking about it.  But, you know what? It wasn't a bad way to wake.   Music has always been a fairly big part of my life.  I've played in band and orchestra and sang in choirs. I can carry a tune, occasionally sing harmony, and play the flute, but I'm no great musician.    I've taken ballet, sung karaoke with my daughters, and slow danced with my husband.  I've even taught music and movement classes to littles.  But hey, I understand that you may not know how to read music, play an instrument, or dance.  But there are still ways to enjoy music.  Of course you can always play the radio, but I challenge you to take it farther than that.  You can run to music. Clean to music. Do aerobics to music.  If you're really brave, there are places where yo...

   What makes you feel like you have money?  A fat savings account?  The ability to buy something?  I'll never forget the conversation I had with my oldest daughter, Tabitha, when she was only in her twenties. I was comparing my husband's tendency to stash money away, versus my tendency to spend.  I said that I feel like I have money when I can use it for things I want and need, and he feels like he has money when he has a cushion to fall back upon.      Then, she said something that took me aback.  She said that she felt like she had money when she was able to give. Ouch!  While part of me enjoys giving, there is, if I'll be honest, a part of me that doesn't want to.  There is a part of me that gets annoyed at even the requests.       Just now, I wrote out a check to support Prison Fellowship in reaching out to children whose parent is in prison, by providing a summer camp experience.  Why would I want to...