Time to Remember

 

The Memorial Day is usually viewed simply as a kick-off to the summer vacation season. But Memorial Day is so much more than!

This is a holiday which has its roots in the days following the Civil War and which began as a way to honor and remember those who had died in that war. In those days, it was known as Decoration Day. Although in recent years it has been observed much like other patriotic holidays (Independence Day and Veterans' Day) as a way to honor all the men and women who serve in our nation's military, I believe it is important to remember why we have this particular holiday.  

 

This day is so much more than a day to honor the military, as important as that is. We have Armed Forces Day (the third Saturday in May) to honor those who are now serving in our nation's military. Sadly, unless you are part of a military family or you live in a community near a military base, you may not even be aware of this holiday. And we have Veterans' Day in November to honor all those who have served in our nation's military.

This holiday, Memorial Day, is a day set aside to remember those who have died in service to our country. To remember that freedom isn't free. To remember that all those who went off to war didn't come home. Memorial Day is a day to remember.

In places like Gettysburg and Vicksburg. At Bull Run and Bunker Hill. In faraway places like Normandy and Argonne. Korea and Vietnam. Baghdad and Mosul. Kabul and Kandahar. In all these places and many more, somebody died for you. Memorial Day is a day to remember that. Somebody died for you.

As you're celebrating Memorial Day with family and friends, let's remember.

This weekend, while you're enjoying your day off from work, or your day at the beach, or your barbecue, take time to remember.

Freedom isn't free.  

Remember.

Somebody paid the ultimate price so you can enjoy all these things.

Remember.

Somebody died for you.

Remember.


"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."  (John 15:13 ESV)

Content

  

I remember when out sweet Molly was just a puppy, full of energy and enthusiasm. Molly is no longer with us, having lived to a ripe old age of 15 years. In her older years she didn’t see very well, and she couldn’t hear. Even so, she was content. In that regard, Molly and I have a lot in common.

 I am often asked if I am back to 100 percent since my stroke in 2016. And the answer remains no. I am not exactly like I was before the stroke. I can no longer drive. There are a number of things I can't do any more, or that I can't do as well as I once was able to do them.

As an example, reading was once one of the great joys of my life. It was not uncommon, prior to the stroke, for me to read several books in a week. Currently, I am able to read - something I once never thought I would be able to do again - but it is a very slow process for me. 

This morning, after I had read our devotion after breakfast, I apologized to Al because I didn’t read it well and I messed up several words. His response: “ I’m just thankful you are able to read.”

After breakfast I pulled these things out of the drawer. I have saved them for this very purpose. To remind me that while I may not read or write or speak perfectly or as well as I once did, I can still do these things. 

Life is sometimes frustrating. I wish I didn't get my words mixed up and confuse colors and struggle with numbers. But what I can do is so much more than what I can't do.

For that, I am profoundly grateful.

And even though life isn't exactly what it used to be and I am often frustrated and discouraged, in many ways life is better. I have gained a greater joy in the journey. A greater appreciation for each new day of life. An even greater love for my family and friends. A deeper love for my Lord.

And I am content.


"I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." (Philippians 4:11 NASB)

Three Hungry Women and a Pie

 

A photograph triggered a memory. A memory too good not to share again. Five years have passed, and much has changed since then, but the memory of good times and good friends has never faded. And so I tell this tale again.

We had all headed to Pigeon Forge, looking forward to a relaxing weekend getaway. We settled into the cabin we had rented and set about the business of making memories. After settling in, we headed into town in search of some dinner. We had a delicious meal at J.T. Hannah's on the Parkway in Pigeon Forge. (Highly recommended. Check it out if you're in the area.)

Since no good meal is complete without dessert, we stopped to pick up some pie at another of my favorite places, The Pottery House Café (also highly recommended), where we purchased not one, but two, pies! We were beginning to drool over thoughts of key lime pie and coconut cream pie, but there was still one more stop to make. While the guys went into the local Kroger for a few supplies, we women were left in the car with the pies. Oh my. How we were longing to eat some pie, but we had no utensils. Cathy did have some straws in her car, so we were almost ready to suck the pie through a straw when the guys got back to the car. Oh, the things hungry women can dream up when pie is involved!

We - and the pies - arrived safely back at the cabin where pie was properly served with plates and forks. No straws needed! 

Friday morning found us at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant (again, recommended), one of my favorite places to eat breakfast.

After we had eaten far more than any of us needed, we headed out for a morning of retail therapy and other fun pursuits.



Unfortunately, our weekend came to an abrupt end when we received word that Al's dad had fallen and was in the hospital. Al and I packed up and headed to Columbia. Even though our holiday was cut short, our friends had a refreshing weekend making more memories!

Not long after the fall, Al’s dad passed away. And our dear Johanne is no longer with us after cancer took its toll.

As the poet Robert Burns said, the best laid plans go oft awry. Certainly that weekend did not turn out exactly as I had envisioned it. But how thankful I am. Thankful for the gift of friendship. Thankful for even a brief bit of time away with special friends. Thankful for precious memories. And thankful that, no matter what happens and how often my plans are disrupted, God is in control. 


"Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God." (Psalm 90:2 NASB)

 

Celebrating Mother’s Day

On this Mother’s Day weekend, I’m thinking about my mother and about her mother, two of the women I admired most in all the world! How I miss them both! And I’m also remembering my mother-in-law. What a dear, precious woman she was! Each time I think of these women, some verses from Proverbs 31 come to mind:

"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.  She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.  She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her."  (Proverbs 31:25-28 NASB)

This Mother’s Day, I’m celebrating and remembering my mother and my grandmother and the second mother I gained when I married her son. I’m celebrating the joy of being a mother and a grandmother. I'm so thankful for the blessing of my sons, the sons God gave me, the ones the doctors said I would never have. I'm loving my role as Nana, being grandmother to two precious young men who bring me so much joy! I'm celebrating the mothers of those young men, the daughters who came into my life because they are the women my sons chose, the women who love my sons. I’m celebrating the joy they each bring to our family, their unique personalities and gifts, and the blessing they are to all of us.

Mostly I’m celebrating that my mother and my grandmother and my mother-in-law and the countless grandmothers before them that I never knew, as well as those daughters who are now part of my life, all love the Lord and His Word. I’m celebrating our commitment to have families who love Jesus. I’m celebrating our desire to honor Him in all we do and say.

My prayer for us today is that we each be found faithful. There's a song called "Find Us Faithful" from the not too distant past that talks about this concept: May all who come behind us find us faithful, may the fire of our devotion light their way, may the footprints that we leave lead them to believe.* 

I'm thankful today for the women who went before me who were found faithful, who left those kind of footprints. I'm prayerful today that I will be found faithful, that the fire of my devotion will light the way for those who come behind me. I'm prayerful that I will love the Lord with all my heart and soul and mind. That my love will be evidenced in my behavior. That I will leave for my sons and my daughters and my grandsons, and all who follow behind me, a legacy of that kind of devotion to the Lord. I'm celebrating today what God will do in and through us when we commit ourselves completely to Him.

And I am so thankful that I had a Mother and a Grandmother who modeled that kind of love and devotion.

 

L-R, my great-grandmother, Leona Harwell Knox; my mother, Helen Neil Austin, me, and my grandmother, Ethel Knox Neil


"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."  (Proverbs 31:30 NASB)


*Find Us Faithful: words and music by Jon Mohr

How Much?

 I love Thee, I love Thee; I love Thee, My Lord;

I love Thee, my Savior; I love Thee, my God.

I love Thee, I love Thee, and that Thou dost know;

But how much I love Thee my actions will show.

(words and music: anonymous, from Jeremiah Ingalls’ Christian Harmony)

Like many other hymns of days gone by, this is a hymn we rarely, if ever, sing any more. But my purpose today is not to discuss the history of church music, nor is it to celebrate or complain about (depending on your personal preference) music in churches today. Instead, I would like to focus on these lyrics.

 

It's the last line of the first verse of this hymn that I can't let go of.  But how much I love Thee my actions will show.

 

Saying that we love the Lord is an easy thing to do. Of course we say that. Even the most nominal of Christians would likely say that.  

 

But beyond our words, what do our actions say?

 

Think back over this last week. Or even just think about yesterday. What was there in your behavior or your conversation that gave evidence that you love the Lord?

 

Or did you perhaps give evidence of something else?

When Sunday comes, what will your actions show? Will you join with other believers in praise and worship? In Bible study? In hearing the Word of God proclaimed? Or will your actions show that you just don’t think that’s important anymore? That you’re just too busy.

 

We don't sing this hymn much any more, but I remember singing it frequently as a child in my small-town Baptist church. I loved it then. I love it now. And I'm challenged by it.

 

Are my actions revealing the depth of my love for the Lord?

But how much I love Thee my actions will show.

 

Something to think about.
 

 

"We love Him because He first loved us."  (1 John 4:19 KJV)

Strength

 “The Lord is my strength and my song…..” (Psalm 118:14 NASB)

One of my favorite worship songs to come out in the last 30-40 years is a song written by Dennis Jernigan called “You Are My All In All”. It’s one of those songs of worship we sing back to God.

The first line of that song (“You are my strength when I am weak…”) is a line we can all probably relate to, at least on some level. Most of us feel weak at some point, whether physically or emotionally, or even spiritually.

This worship song is reminiscent of a much older song first published about 100 years ago with this beautiful lyric: “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow……”. And you can probably finish the line:  “Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”

May is Stroke Awareness Month. As a stroke survivor, I am keenly aware that my strength is all and only from the Lord. Without Him, I would not have survived. Without Him, I would not have made it through the grueling months of rehab, and without Him, I would not be able to continue to function as well as I do. He is my strength when I am weak.

My mother was also a stroke survivor, and was an inspiration to me when I faced my own stroke challenge. Although she had multiple strokes which left her with many challenges, she never lost her sense of humor and she never lost her joy in the Lord. Mother had always been small in stature, what some might have once referred to as frail, but she was mighty in spirit.  Because the Lord was her strength when she was weak.

In my months of learning to walk and talk and read and write again, there were many verses from the Bible that were called to my mind. And there were favorite songs that were called up from deep in my memory bank. Even when I couldn’t sing them, I could remember the words. These things gave me strength.

They reminded me of God’s great faithfulness. That He is my strength, even when I am weak. That He gives strength for each new day. When I am physically weak. When I am tired. When I am lonely. On every day, and in every situation, He is my strength when I am weak. All I have needed, His hand has provided. Great is His faithfulness.

“O my strength, I will sing praises to You; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me loving kindness.” (Psalm 59:17 NASB)

You Are My Strength When I Am Weak.  https://youtu.be/xDZZ0-F5EKk

Great Is Thy Faithfulness. https://youtu.be/ErwiBz1QA4o

Last Words

 

We’re heading into Mother’s Day next weekend. In recent years, Mother's Day has been a mixed bag for me. I miss my own mother. She’s been gone from this world for more than 20 years. And I rarely get to spend the day with my sons. In fact the last time I was with either of my sons for this special day was more than 15 years ago. As a result, Mother's Day has become a time for me to travel down memory lane, which results in lots of smiles and some tears as well.

One memory that always surfaces at this time of year is hearing the doctor say that we would never have children. I remember the Mother's Days when I so wanted to be a mom and it seemed that would never happen. That's a painful memory, but one that is more than balanced by the fact that obviously the doctor was wrong and God had another plan. Two plans! Two sons!  The joy I felt when that same doctor told me the pregnancy test was positive has never diminished!

Motherhood is not an easy job. And I haven't always been a candidate for "world's best mother".  I've made my share of mistakes. Perhaps more than my share. Bad decisions. Lost my temper. Said things I have regretted. But through it all, I have loved being a mother. I love my sons. And the daughters they brought into my life. And the grandsons who now bring us all so much joy!

As I travel down memory lane at this time of year, there are so many things that make me smile.  Sometimes even giggle a little bit.

I smile when I think of hearing I love you, Mom, no matter what day of the year it is.

I giggle when I remember the poor hamster named Roscoe who met an untimely end when Brian jumped off the top bunk and landed on him.

I remember the big bows my mother always put in my blonde curls. And there were the sweet smiles and hugs of my own little blonde boys (who aren't so blonde anymore!).

I remember Baby Dedication services for our sons and our grandsons. Violin lessons and soccer games.  Long distance calls from England when Brian was stationed there during his Air Force years.

And I remember the last words my own mother spoke to me. We knew her time was short. We left Minnesota, flying down to SC, hoping we would get there in time. We arrived on Saturday around midnight. She left us on Monday morning. But on that Saturday night when we got there, she opened her eyes, smiled a faint smile and said the last words I ever heard her say.

"I love you." 

Those words are a treasured memory. And a reminder. We should never miss an opportunity to speak those words to those we love. Because we never know if we will have another opportunity.


"Love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."  
(John 13:34 ESV)

Let’s Make a List

  "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, 

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens......

                                                These are a few of my favorite things."

 

 

If you're a fan of The Sound of Music, those are familiar lyrics. Even if you're not particularly a Sound of Music fan, the lyrics are probably at least vaguely familiar.

 

These days it seems the world is just falling apart. It's hard to find any good news to talk about any more.  If we let it, all the gloom and doom that is part of our world can really drag us down.

 

Today seems like a good day for a change of focus. I don't know how things are where you are today, but here in the Upstate of South Carolina, we’re having a sunny day. Hopefully that means a warmer day! I have the usual aches and pains that come with this season of life. I could find all sorts of reasons for complaining if I really tried. And I wouldn't have to try all that hard!

 

Instead, I'm choosing to focus my attention elsewhere. To be thankful. To make a list of a "few of my favorite things."  Using the song as a starting point, here's my list:

 

• Raindrops on roses. I love roses. And hydrangeas. And gardenias. And daisies. And I love to see raindrops on those roses. It makes me happy.
• The next line of the song doesn't really make my list. I'm not a fan of kittens or their whiskers.  Kittens grow up to be cats, and I'm really more a dog person than a cat person. Whiskers on puppies. That I can get excited about!
• Bright copper kettles. I love copper pots of all shapes and sizes.
• Warm woolen mittens. Again, as with the whiskers on kittens, I'm not a fan. Mittens, yes. Woolen mittens, not so much.
• Coffee. Hot, strong, black coffee. That definitely is on my favorites list.
• Family. They’re my favorite!
• Friends. Definitely thankful!
• Books. Big books. Little books. E-books. All books. I love books. I love reading. It's one of the great pleasures of my life!
• The smell of rain.
• The smell of freshly mown grass.
• A big juicy steak.
• Pimento cheese, homemade by my husband. The best there is! (The husband AND the pimento cheese!)
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Pancakes
• The beach
• Last on today’s list, but certainly not least….my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Him, I am nothing.

These are a few of my favorite things. I'm thankful for these things and for so much more. This only scratches the surface.

 

What's on your list today?

 

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful."  (Colossians 3:15 NASB)