Cousin Connection

I spent some special time with my cousins this evening. Three of my female cousins and I met and had dinner together. Later, it was so much fun looking through an old family album and recognizing our parents and aunts and uncles and other cousins. The album belonged to my parents, and it was nice to have them identify some of the people I wasn't sure about and share stories about when the photos were taken.

Having lost both my parents fairly close together in time, it has sometimes felt like I was floating adrift in a boat, without an oar or anything to steer with. Connecting with family members like this gives me a comforting, secure feeling that gives me direction in life again. Life can go on without my parents, even though it will never be the same.

Life changes for all of us, but that's O.K. It even happened to Jesus. One day He was working in His father's carpentry shop and the next day He was getting baptized and starting His ministry. Even that came to an abrupt end, when they crucified Him just three short years later. Mary's head must have been in a whirl, as she was one who saw Him through all these life experiences. How adrift she must have felt too. I'm sure she drew comfort from the disciples--much as I did from my cousins tonight.

Don't Err with Your Air

I've been waking up with headaches and, of course, being an oxygen user at night, I suspected the machine might not be delivering, causing me to have a "carbon dioxide" headache the next morning. So, I took the machine in to have it checked out today and it came out an innocent victim of my suspicions.

So, with the machine passing muster, I guess that leaves me as the guilty party. The machine is delivering, I'm just not getting the goods.

I have noticed a pattern though. The longer I sleep, the more likely I'll wake up with a pounding head. If I go to bed later and get up earlier, I'm OK. I can call the doctor and perhaps have the settings changed on the machine, or I can shorten my sleeptime to accommodate my wimpy breathing. I think I'll call my doctor to see what he recommends.

Is there a spiritual analogy anywhere here? I think as we solve any of our problems in life, we can either change the environment or we can change ourselves. The latter is probably our best option, but can we really change ourselves? The Bible says we can change ourselves, but not BY ourselves. We'd better get a call in to our Great Physician God if we really want to see effective problem-solving changes happen in our lives.

The Old Boot

We saw the podiatrist today and thankfully my husband doesn't have to wear "the boot" any more, just his regular shoes. Six months of "velcro-ing" him up every day was getting old. Yes, it's been six months since he tripped on a curb and injured his foot. First time he has had a fracture from one of his falls. I certainly hope it's the last!

But the sad truth is it probably won't be his last fall. Like everything in life, "falls" are going to happen. Ever since Adam and Eve, we've been considered a fallen race. Satan is out there, ready to trip us up at every turn. We can choose not to go where Satan hangs out the most (icy sidewalks). And another protection is hanging onto Someone (or even something, like a walker or cane).

I'm looking forward to a New Earth where "falls" will be a thing of the past. We won't need to wear "the boot" and our "walker" will be walking by our side, instead of in front of us. His name is Jesus.

Shame on the Proofreader

My overriding thought today is a mistake I made a few weeks ago in an email. I'm a proofreader, so am embarrassed that this one got by me. I sent someone my address, but typed the house number wrong. Consequently, to make a long story short, some books that were sent to me a couple of weeks ago got lost and had to be reshipped and I got them after the holidays instead of before. I was hoping these books I edited would be nice Christmas gifts.

As it turned out though, this is probably better timing for them, as people I have given them to will be more likely to read them now than during the rush of the holiday season. It's the type of book that will be a spiritual blessing to the reader, so I'm anxious that it gets in the right hands at the right time.

I can't believe I mistyped one number in that email and it made such a difference in when these books would get in the hands of people I know. But God is in control of even the smallest events in our lives. Everything happens for a purpose. Praise Him for making me type a 7, instead of a 6 that day, and then NOT catching the error! It has made all the difference.

Viruses, Worms, and Bombs--Oh, no!

My son-in-law used his computer expertise this evening to wipe out several viruses, worms, bombs, and other disgusting things from one of my computers. My anti-virus program had expired and it seems it had dumped all the viruses it detected and contained back into my system! I can't help but feel a bit distrustful of my software now. Even though we have the problem well under control with another anti-virus protection covering any future mishaps.

God offers us an anti-sin program that will detect sin when it shows up in our life. It's called The Ten Commandments. We have to download it into our minds and when temptation comes around, it will alert us to the danger.

Unlike my computer anti-virus, The Ten Commandments will never expire. We are protected by them throughout eternity, because they reflect the character of God. If we install this program and register it in our name, it is ours to keep, with a lifetime guarantee. Now that's something I can trust.

Road Trip

Today I drove with someone to a friend's house, but neither of us was sure of the way to get there. We knew the highway we would need, even the name of the small town. But other than that, memories were fuzzy about the exact directions that would lead to our destination.

Thanks to our cell phone we were able to call the friend midway there and get reassurance that we were headed in the right direction. It was a bit embarrassing though to discover we had started out in the wrong direction, so it had meant a few unneeded miles of driving. But the closer we got there, the more familiar it was and the easier it was to actually locate the house we were looking for. How nice it was to finally get there and see this friend again.

This is so much like our journeys with God. Sometimes the beginning of the trip to heaven is shaky and unpredictable till we are actually on the highway of life headed in the right direction. But even then we need to be reassured by God along the way. The closer we get to this heavenly home, the easier it is to recognize familiar landmarks. And the journey is always well worth the effort to get there.

300 To Go

I'm closing the year out with 65 blogs under my belt. My sister has put in an order for a year's worth, so I have roughly 300 to go to fulfill her wish. It has been a great exercise for me on several fronts. First, the writing process is becoming easier. It isn't taking me as long to get to my "finished product"--something fit to publish and post on Facebook for my friends.

But by far the greatest benefit to me has been going over the day's events and finding something there that reminds me of God. It's given me a great spiritual boost, because one quickly discovers that God is pretty easy to find. If we take a little time each day to look for Him. He is ready and waiting at every turn to instruct, comfort, and guide us.

The third benefit I have received from this blog has been the thrill of sharing it. I can monitor the number of pageviews and even the countries where people have at least taken a peek at it. I just pray that each person led to the blog will come away with a little something to cheer them, inspire them, or comfort them. That's my goal, after all. To share the great God I serve, in whatever way He provides..