What I Learned In Aisle Four or Somewhere Over The Rainbow Sherbet Bucket

I only needed a few items.
It would be a quick trip.
I'd be home in no time.
Dinner would be early!

Yes, quick as a bunny.

Zucchini, mushrooms, and pineapple.

I made my way to the checkout.
There they were.
Lines of carts filled to the brim.

It's ok,I thought. I'm not in a big hurry.

I can be patient.

Then a checker said, "I can take you on four."
A new checkout line!
Ok. That'll be quicker.
Not that I was in a hurry.

I felt like I'd just won the lottery....or at least, bingo.
I'd gotten in the shortest line! Woo hoo!
I'd be out of the store in no time.
Two guys were ahead of me. One had two packages of cheese, the other, two buckets of rainbow sherbet.
The guy with cheese had a coupon.
There was some problem with the coupon.
The checker read it, scanned it, read it, asked the man some questions.
More questions, more scanning.
Way too long for cheese.
Just pay for the cheese, I thought to my I'm-not-in-a-hurry self.
Finally, the man left with his two packages of cheese.

Whew!
Two buckets of sherbet to go.
This won't take long and I'll be out of here!

The checker asked the guy for his grocery card or phone number.
He gave her his phone number.
She entered it.
She entered it again.
And again.
"Are you sure this is the right number?"
"Yes."
She tried again.
"How long have you had this number?"
"Four years."
She tried entering the number again. And again.
"Maybe you should enter the number on the machine."
So he entered his phone number in the machine.
"It still reads invalid. Try it again."

I looked at the other lines that were so long...so long ago.
The people in those lines were gone.
New people had taken their places.

I continued to smile and tell myself I wasn't in a hurry.
I told the checker and the guy they could use my card,
my number, so he could get his discount on his, I'm-sure-it's-melting, sherbet.

But, no. She asked if he had his card.
"'In my pickup."
"Why don't you go get it."
Wouldn't you know.
He did go get it.
He meandered back in, card in hand.
He  wasn't in a hurry, either.
She scanned his card.

He looked at the checker. "That's not the right price."
I'm sure I rolled my eyes (in my mind anyway).
The checker said, "Come on. Let's go check the price."
So, the checker and bucket boy left to visit the frozen food department.
By this time, I'm thinking, are you kidding me?
The lady behind me was buying diapers. Hopefully, her baby had a few diapers left when she left home.
Her daughter stood beside her. She had time to turn every page in a bridal magazine.
The lady looked at me like, now what?
"Price check," I told her.

Finally, the checker and the guy returned. He was holding his two buckets of rainbow sherbet.
I wanted to sing, "Somewhere over the rainbow..."

The guy decided he only wanted one bucket of sherbet.
The checker left (again) and put the other bucket in the ice machine.

I looked at the guy. "Are you going to have your sherbet double-wrapped?
It's pretty hot outside."
"Nope. It'll be all right. My pick-up's got air conditioning."

It was my turn.
At last.
I think the employees changed shifts.
I know the guy's sherbet bucket was dripping on the way out to his pick-up.
The lady behind me probably missed feeding her baby.
Her daughter decided she didn't want to get married.

It was a good thing I wasn't in a hurry.
I needed a patience lesson today, anyway.
(Let patience have her perfect work...James 1:4)

P.S. This is a true story. Names were not mentioned because I didn't know them. They were not innocent.

What I Learned From Tim Taylor or That Gift Doesn't Belong to Me!

"Piece of cake! It's so easy, anybody can do it."
"Ten minutes max!"
I believed her. All it needed were a few screws and wallah, the table would be put together.

I pulled the hundred and ten pound box out of the back of my mini van.
A few doors down, my neighbor friend watched, while her little children played in the yard.
I'm sure she wondered what in the world I was trying to do.
It was easy to see....the box was huge and heavy, and I was trying to manipulate it
very carefully...after all, there were a a dozen and a half tiles in the box.
I edged the flat box one way, then the other, till at last, I had it leaning against my vehicle.

I pushed it and steered it, till I got to the backyard.
I gently lay it on the grass and opened the box, where my next feat was to pull the pieces out.
The whole thing was held together with a mile of wide clear packing tape and enough bubble wrap to go around my house at least twice.
I got the legs untaped/untangled.
The tiles were tied together in place on the table with nice brown ribbon. So, I whacked each ribbon with my scissors, and stacked the tiles till I was ready for them.
At last!
I could put the screws in and be done with it.

Right.

The legs were curved. The screws didn't go straight,  no matter what I did. I knew they had to be faulty.
The legs wobbled and flopped
I tried to get the middle section that went under the table situated, so I could try to screw it in the wobbly legs. I was sure that would remedy the problem.
Somehow, I got tangled up in the middle section and the legs.

I looked at my clock - one hour.

The lady said ten minutes!!

I tried a few more times, determined not to give up.

Finally, I surrendered with strapping tape stuck to my clothes, my body contorted trying to hold the legs and the table together, while I held a three inch allen wrench and watched the screws roll away.

The table was too advanced for my mechanical skills.

I called the store.
The lady said she'd send their 'man' right over.
He drove up.
My day immediately got better.

We walked to the backyard where he surveyed my sorry attempt at putting the table together.

Needless to say, he got it put together in no time.
He put the tiles in place.
Wallah - 'nothing to it.
The table looked great.

I smiled.
God gives us all different abilities, different gifts.

I admit...I'm all thumbs with an allen wrench, a screw driver, a hammer...
I can't get a screw to go in straight, or a nail in the wall without bending it.

I'll stick with music and writing.
That's more my thing.

Although...I'm sure there will come another time when someone will say, "It's easy," and I'll believe him/her.
I'll try using a saw or some other tool. (Did I ever tell you about sawing the bottom off the Christmas tree?)

'You know... I felt better after watching Tim the Tool Man Taylor.

Silly, silly string in a tangled world

I was minding my own business.
'Doing nothing, I tell you.

Bruno was so proud of his chew toy.
He pranced over to show me.

'Next thing I know I'm covered with goo.

I'm sure his chew toy did this, but Bruno is oblivious.
He continues to look at me, holding it in his mouth.
I don't know what this stuff is - it's sticky and not very tasty.

Yuk.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Poor Lady. She ran around like a crazy dog trying to get the stuff off.
I called. "Come, Lady. Let me get it."
The more I tried to get the string, the harder she shook.

Finally, she sat.
"Good girl, Lady."
When she was still, I could pull the silly string loose.
Bruno sat, can in mouth, mesmerized by the scene he created.
Funny dogs.
It's hard to be upset at their innocent escapades.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Like Lady, I found myself covered in silly string, and
I didn't know how it happened.
Bruno was not around.
I was all alone....all tangled up and frustrated.

My Master saw me.

Like Lady, I ran around trying to get it off.
My Master looked at me and said, "Just stop. Let me take it off."
When I was exhausted, I finally stopped.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying," I looked at His face.

He walked over to me.
"Be still."
"Let Me have it."
I relented.
Ok.
He could take it. I was tired of trying on my own.
~ ~ ~
Sometimes, like Lady - I try to take care of my problems on my own.
I don't realize it at first.
I'm just thinking...nothing wrong with that.
But, after a while, I'm a tangled mess and I wonder what happened.

My Father knows how to get my attention.
Silly string?
Yes.
That's what it is.
Silly.
Trying to figure things out.
Trying to carry my own load.

I may pray, have my quiet time.
But, then I worry about the things I can't change and have no control over.
Silly.

It's silly not to put it all in His care and leave it there.
He is my wise Father.
In 1 Peter 5:17 He says, "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."
In Matthew 11:28-30 He says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, andyou will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, my burden is light."

Ok, enough of the silly string.
I'm ready to come unraveled now.
My Master knows best. He has it all under control.
I can rest, rejoice, and rely on Him.

'Thinking I'll take Lady for a walk, now that we're both stringless...totally tangle-free.
Maybe I'll even take Bruno.

JUDGMENT DAY OR WHAT?

I hear the world is coming to an end...judgment day....rapture day....
today, May 21, 2011 - according to a minister and his math calculations.
What shall I do?

I hear people quit their jobs.
Businesses are offering after-rapture safe-keeping for pets, finances, etc.

Some say, "I'm not ready for everything to end. I've got a life to live!"
Others mock and make fun.
.

What do I think...
I've gone about my day.
Planted flowers, made some lunch. 'Getting gifts ready for tomorrow's high school grads.

Actually, at the beginning of day I had my quiet time.
'Read about David and Bathsheba today.
What a guy. Had an affair with Bathsheba. she gets pregnant.
Trying to cover his tracks, 'puts her husband on the front lines of battle to be killed.
The child he and Bathsheba have, dies. David repents, and worships God.

After all that, David and Bathsheba are blessed with a son - Solomon.

'Hardly seems fair.He did all those awful things.
Good thing it wasn't up to us.
God is merciful and forgiving.


Now, back to 'judgment day' happening today.
I haven't thought about it much.
'Not that I don't think it will ever happen. It will - someday.

We should be ready at any time.
Leaving this world should not be a dreaded, scary event.

There has been much discussion about the Judgment Day billboards.
There have been many questions.

Guess what. God loves us

It doesn't matter where you are right now.
"Judgment ... well, I"m lost anyway. 'No hope for me."
So not true.
Look at David.
God said David was a man after God's own heart.
He blew it many times, but he repented before his heavenly Father and was forgiven.
God saw past all his shortcomings, failure, sins, crimes, and saw his heart.


No matter how perfect we think we are...no matter how many good deeds we do...
it's not our works or goodness that will get us to heaven.
It's Jesus' works and goodness.
Jesus paid it all.
All we need to do is repent of our sorry selves, ask His forgiveness and
accept Him as our Lord and Savior.

When the time comes, and it will someday; we will be ready.

There may not be a billboard to remind us.
But! His Word is our reminder.
Look up, and lift your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh! (Luke 21:28)

PS  If the rapture happens today I shall not be here tomorrow.

To momhood

My good friend tells me she always wanted to be a mom.
Another good friend tells me, "The only thing I wanted was to grow up and be a mom."
"How about you?" They ask me.
I look at both of them.


I had to think about it. I wanted to.... be a nun. Yes, a nun.
I thought it was the best way to serve God,at the time.

Frankly, it was between becoming a nun because of God or wanting to get married and have children-even though children scared me.
They were foreign beings to me.
I wasn't around them much.
I babysat for my cousin when I was in high school. She had two little boys.
She left strict instructions about their bedtime.
I tried to comply.
But, Jimmy, the oldest, didn't want to go to bed and threw a royal fit.
He finally climbed into his top bunk, and kept yelling.
He started out, "I'm going to tell...I'm going to tell my..." and I guess figured he better not tell his parents, and said, "I'm going to tell the police, I'm going to tell the police!I don't want to go to bed!"
He stayed in bed. He stopped screaming and went to sleep.
He was three years old.
His screaming traumatized me for a long time.
I wondered how his parents did it.

I babysat for my high school choir teacher. She had two sweet little kids. Ah, what a relief.
I actually enjoyed babysitting.
One of her children was just months old.
He slept most of the time I was there,but I remember watching him sleep.
How tiny, how perfect.
His sister was a sweet toddler.
I thought it might be fun to have children, someday.

Obviously, becoming a nun did not happen.

I found I could serve God, and not be a nun!
My life brought momhood.
One, then two, then three....
I have five children.
Who'd have thought!
Yes, five.

We went for walks - two in the double stroller, two walked beside the stroller and one was in a snugli.
Oh, the looks I'd get.
"Are all these yours?"
One time I answered, "Actually, we wanted ten, but settled for five."
Our pastor at the time said, "I know the Bible says multiply and subdue to the earth, but He didn't mean just you."

I don't see five as being many.
They came one at a time, so we adapted as we went along!
'Lined up to take showers.
One cereal bowl or five...not a big deal.

One time, a friend and I, her four and my five, took a short road trip in her stationwagon (years before everyone had to have a carseat, or we would have not been able to pull this off.)
We stopped for gas in a small town, and someone asked us if we had a pres-school.
We laughed for miles at the look on the man's face when we said, no, the children all belonged to us.

There have been cuts, scrapes, bruises, black eyes and stitches.
There have been times when I thought I'd never stop laughing, and times when I thought I'd never stop crying.
There have been nights with no sleep because of sickness, or waiting to hear the front door.
There were nights when we piled in one bed and laughed. Nights we stayed up late and watched movies.

There were Mother's Day mornings when my little ones brought me breakfast in bed.

The joy of momhood has been mine.
It is the highest calling of my life.
It was the plan.
God knew.

I say to my children today, "Thank you! I celebrate Mother's Day!"
I love you my five.

Happy Mother's Day, mothers.

And the other guy

Who knows who Usama Bin Laden was?
Hands, everyone.
Thanks.
Bad guy gone horror story, now gone away, buried at sea they say.
Hell?
Hmmm.
We mustn't.
Really.
It's not our place.
Who's to say.

Maybe...maybe not.
But,
hell is a real place.
It's a place reserved for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).
I've heard people say, "I'll party with my friends in hell."
Ah, definitely not.
Not the place for parties and celebrations - that place is heaven.
Hell is the place of torment, horror,and anything gruesome and gross.
Ever suffer horrendous pain...it'll be worse than that.

I read Dante Alighieri's "Inferno"as a senior in high school.
'Wonder what hell could be like?
 Dante's imagination took us on quite a trip.

Some parts I remember...if you were doing things behind people's backs, your head would be on backwards for all eternity. Oh and there were those who took money for religious gain - head first in a hole in a rock with flames burning the soles of their feet, forever. Or, gluttons, lying sightless in vile slush, while ceaseless foul, icy rain falls on them forever. Oh, and liars - a disease to society themselves; they are afflicted with horrible diseases forever. Traitors like Cain, who killed his brother Abel (those are the names used in the book) are in ice up to their faces, forever and ever.

The quote that stands out from the book - "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate," which means, "Abandon all hope who enter here."

Did Usama Bin Laden go there?
Hmmm....
Ultimately it's our choice where we go.
God doesn't "send" people there.
He sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him, will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
It's a free gift from God because of His love (Romans 6:23).

But...
Not everyone chooses life.
Not everyone wants to know the Giver of life.

A good God does not send people to hell.
A good God does not make people do bad things.

It's a choice.
In the Bible it says, "Choose you this day who you will serve.
As for me and my  house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua24:15)

Did Usama serve the living, eternal God?
I know God has a way of reaching every single person.
He's God. He can.
Whether Usama reached out to Him in the end, I don't know.
Maybe we have our doubts.
Maybe they are well founded.

What I do know is the world is free from a man who practiced wickedness, and killed countless, innocent people.

God has a place reserved for each of us. It's up to us whether we accept it.

What about the other guy?

He's been invited.
The RSVP is in his hands.
In the end, it's up to him.

My friend, till then...

Sometimes when I think about her,
I see her quite clearly.
She's smiling that infectious smile.
I want to sit and talk.
I want to visit like we did.
I want to laugh with her again.

But, I can't.

Today I saw her green van for the first time
since she's been gone.
My heart leaped and dropped.


I can't believe she's really gone, I guess.
Some mornings I think I need to call her to see how she's doing through all this.

Then, I remember.
She's not going through all this.
For that I'm so thankful.

I'm certain she is with Jesus.
She has eternal perspective and isn't worried about a thing.
She knows this life will make way for eternity.
She know's it won't be long till she sees her children again.
It won't be long and we'll all be together again.
She knows that.

I drive by her house.
She lived in the same part of town.
It's on my way.
I still look that way.
I know I'm not going to see her, but I look anyway.
It's her house.
Memories live there now.

Lord, the pain of loss doesn't have a name.
Nothing can describe it.
I know we have hope for forever.
I'm anticipating that day.

Today it hurts beyond words.
The numbness of shock wearing off.

Marilyn -
Your van drove away without you today.
Reality made a dent in the depth of loss.
Maybe it seems strange that your van made me cry.
It was such a presence of your life - yours and Charles'.
To see it
made your absence so real.
Grief happens in such odd ways sometimes.

I can't say good-bye.
I know I'll see you again.
But, it sure is difficult here without you.

I always appreciated our friendship, our children talks, and
our Bible studies together.
We laughed about silly things and prayed about things in life that hurt.

Hey! You were my biggest blog fan.
You always read my 'stories' and had something positive to say.
It meant a lot to me.
I don't think you knew how much you encouraged me.

When I think of you, the verse that comes to mind is - 'In quietness and confidence shall be your strength'.
You were always a great example of God's love.
I admired your quietness and confidence.
Thank you so much.
I miss you Marilyn.

Till we meet again - oh wait -

P.S. There are many of us here who promise to pray for your children, and love them till you can see them again.
Oh, and by the way, I know you are a part of that cloud of witnesses cheering us on till we meet.
And then we will have the best time in forever with our Lord!

Love to you,
Diane