So I walked out of work yesterday to discover that I had a flat tire. A coworker had this cute little pump that you plug into the lighter and it pumps up your tire - he was kind enough to pump me up and I went off in search of someone who could fix my tire or sell me a new one. I had not gotten very far at all when my battery light came on and the power steering went out. Ruh-roh.

I was right in the middle of the interstate
.
Right in the middle of rush hour. Yikes!

I took the first exit and made it to a safe place, the parking lot of the YMCA, where I discovered radiator fluid flowing rapidly from the front of my car.

Who did I make angry yesterday? What did I do to deserve this cosmic slap? Whose karma did I stomp all over? A flat AND a breakdown? Who does that happen to?

But then I thought...I am in a safe place. I could be stranded on I-277 in the middle of all that traffic. This could have happened on the way to the beach this weekend to celebrate my son's 25th birthday.

Yes, I know I'm too young to have a 25 year old. But I digress.

Anyhoo - Stuff breaks. Things happen. It's called life.

I have a friend who is so keyed up all the time. The least thing upsets her. Challenges at work, traffic. She flies into a tailspin and it ruins her mood for hours, much to the dismay of everyone around her. It can't be good for her blood pressure, and it pains me to see her spend so much of her time in a state of unhappiness.

Remain calm, all is well.

How you choose to look at things makes all the difference. You can choose to shake your fist at the heavens and ask "Why me?", or you can look for the grace that is all around us every day. If you aren't focused on how incompetent and stupid the driver in front of you is then you might just notice the beauty of the fall foliage right next to you along the road. If you aren't so focused on what is going on in your life, you might notice the coworker who is struggling with something and miss an opportunity to serve someone else.

Ann Voskamp has written a simply beautiful book called One Thousand Gifts: Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. Here's the link:
http://www.aholyexperience.com/one-thousand-gifts-book/

I really can't recommend this enough. Life is too short people, and too precious. Will you make your next challenge a condemnation from the gods or a minor inconvenience? Will you see the brilliant Maple leaves or stop to help the friend who is hurting?

The choice is yours.

My mother's baby brother is only 15 years older than I am. In fact, we share the same birthday. He was still at home when my grandmother kept me for several months while my mother finished college, and spent a good bit of time hauling me around the mountainside in a little red wagon.  He played the organ and piano for our wedding ceremony. He's always been very fond of me and I of him. And now at age 62, he is dying of cancer. My uncle never married and has no family of his own other than his siblings and their children. It's never been officially diagnosed, but we are all pretty darn sure that he has Asperger's Syndrome. He's definitely one of God's special people, very brilliant and very unique. He took the first job he found out of college and stayed there for 40 years. He's lived in the same apartment building all of his adult life. He's eaten the same foods in the same types of restaurants all of his life. Until this past weekend, he had never had a milkshake in his life. Never. I can't even imagine. Anything new or different triggers a fear/panic response in him, but life is too short to never have had a milkshake. He's been forced into trying all kinds of new things as a result of his illness and is delighting in many of them. It's wonderful to see his world opening up, but so sad that it took an illness to bring this about, and even sadder that the time he has left to enjoy it is so short. How many things has he missed out on because of fear? He is who he is and he can't help it so there's no point in blaming him for it. He has lived his life on his terms, writing and playing his music and the four-part book series he has self-published to Amazon digitally (which is really good!), but it makes you think, doesn't it?
How many things have I missed out on or never tried because I was afraid? Afraid of change, afraid to fail, afraid of looking foolish. I'm pretty sure I quit college because I feared I would never live up to my parents' expectations (sorry I didn't mean to lay that on you mom, it's all in my head). I've stayed in jobs for too long because of fear. I know I've failed to reach out to people because of fear. This is something I've really been working on. God did not create us, man or woman, to live in fear.
How many things have you not done because you're afraid? Dreams you've pushed to the side? Opportunities not taken? If I'm being really honest here, I have only told ONE PERSON about this blog because I am AFRAID OF REJECTION AND OF LOOKING FOOLISH AND OF BEING TOLD I AM A BAD WRITER. So. Obviously this needs to change. And it will, but not for a few more weeks as I would not want my sweet uncle to be hurt by anything I have said  here. But if you happen to come upon this, think about it. Don't let fear rob you of your life because you never know when your time on this earth will run out. Amen.
 So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

September 11, 2013

I mean to live out my faith. Even if I don’t know what to do. I mean to live out my faith, even if I don’t know what to say. I mean to live out my faith, even if it makes me uncomfortable. Even if I’m afraid. If I’m alone. I mean to live out my faith.

Tonight I did something small, something insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Tonight I tried to be a blessing to someone in need, but he blessed me instead. But that’s how it usually works when God is involved. On the way home from choir practice I noticed a homeless man walking down my street. I certainly don’t live in the richest part of town, just a good middle class neighborhood full of families but one doesn’t usually see the homeless too often around here. I got to the house and my husband and daughter were out so I was alone. I turned on the TV, petted the dogs, took a phone call but he weighed on my mind. I looked out the window and I could see him standing on the corner just down from my house. What was I going to do about this? Would I turn a blind eye and close the blinds because the sight of him made me nervous? Would I excuse myself from doing anything because I was home alone? How many times do we see need and look the other way? I know I have. I had just put on my pajamas and put my clothes in the washing machine too. But what was I going to do about this? Determined not to turn my face (and my heart) away this time I grabbed the peanut butter and jelly and made a couple of sandwiches and basically raided my daughter’s lunch supplies. It wasn’t fancy but it would fill his stomach. I threw some clothes back on and went outside. He had walked further down the street by this time so I hopped in the car and drove down the block, got out and met him on the sidewalk. As I gave him the food, I looked into his face – it was not at all what I expected. He was young – maybe thirties, and handsome under the beard and grime. He didn’t seem to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or mentally ill. Who knows what his story was – I wish now that I would have spoken longer to him but it was dark and I was alone and I never said I was brave or strong but next time I’ll be braver and stronger. He thanked me and told me how much Jesus loves me. He was warm and caring. I meant to bless him, but he really blessed me. I am humbled, and I am thankful. I mean to live out my faith.

Introduction...

Grace and Chocolate

 

Ok, so I’ve been thinking of starting a blog for some time, mostly waiting on divine, brilliant inspiration…LOL. Anyway, here goes. I am a wife, a mom, a cook, a friend, a daughter, an animal lover, an avid reader, a conservative and most importantly, a Christian. It’s all about Jesus, people. So from time to time I may have some things to say, about God, politics, food, family, books, etc. Maybe someone will be interested, maybe not, but here goes…

I’m calling this thing Grace and Chocolate because they are two things that every woman needs, at least several times a day. Do I hear an amen?

 If you know me, you know I love to cook. Watching someone enjoy something I have made with care and love gives me deep satisfaction. I’ll be sharing recipes quite often, I’m sure. Right now I’m completely obsessed with The Pioneer Woman. I want her life and her basset hounds! Here’s the link to her blog –

http://thepioneerwoman.com/

 

The most important thing to know about me is that I love Jesus Christ, who died for me, a sinner of the worst kind. A couple of years ago I said a simple prayer, asking for a closer relationship with God and received an immediate answer and so the journey began. At least three things I know for sure – God is good ALL THE TIME, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light, and we must love one another as he has loved us. Easier said than done, obviously, since we are all flawed but all things are possible for God! I believe this with all of my being. That being said, I would like to recommend the book that started me on this path, this closer walk…”Sometimes He Whispers, Sometimes He Roars: Learning to Hear the Voice of God” by my sweet friend Marilynn Chadwick. Here’s the link to her website -

http://marilynnchadwick.com/the-book/

It’s awesome – revolutionized my prayer life. I highly recommend it! In these difficult times faith is so important. It’s the only thing we can really count on in this crazy world!