A POEM

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp --
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I said to Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.
And why's everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'

JUDGE NOT

Remember...just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any
More than standing in your garage makes you a car.

Author Unknown

GUIDANCE

Here is a very interesting email I received yesterday called "Guidance." Lots to think about here:

When I meditated on the word GUIDANCE,
I kept seeing 'dance' at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.

It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word GUIDANCE.
When I saw 'G': I thought of God, followed by 'u' and 'i'.
'God, 'u' and 'i' dance.'
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.

This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for you in your life,
please share this message with someone else.

There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
so let's continue to pray for one another.

AND I HOPE YOU DANCE

A DEDICATION SUNDAY

This past Sunday, I went to visit my daughter, Jillian of Jillian's Pages as little Bebe was being dedicated in their church. The dedication is like a Christening or a Baptism and it means that the child will be brought up in a Christian home and the congregation will take part in her Christian education.

It was a very nice ceremony and I was glad I got to be a part of it. Jillian called me on short notice that it would take place on the upcoming Sunday, so I didn't have a lot of time to get ready!

Of course, I took the train and got there late Saturday afternoon. Jillian and her Dear Hubs were going to see "Fireproof," the movie, being shown at their church on Saturday night. So,I got to babysit for the very first time with little Bebe! It was a fun night for all!

PRESIDENTS' DAY

Today is Abraham Lincoln's birthday. We won't celebrate it today, though, we will lump it together with George Washington's birthday (Feb. 22nd) and we will make a "Monday Holiday" called Presidents' Day on Monday, February 16th.

There are many sales going on right now to "celebrate" these two famous men's birthdays. Although, I'm not sure how many people are shopping right now with all the doom and gloom around about our economy. I was in a department store yesterday picking up a birthday present for a relative and I was talking to some of the salesmen I know. They were quite down in the dumps as there were no customers and there hadn't been any customers in their department (appliances) for awhile. They said they had never seen it as bad as right now. I'm not in the market for any appliances just now (but my refrigerator is making funny noises) so who knows? I did remind them that we have lived through worse days than these in the retail business and to keep in mind that washers, dryers and refrigerators do wear out and need to be replaced. Nothing makes an appliance salesman smile more than the thought that appliances don't last 20-25 years like they used to! Oh well, at least I made them smile!

I shudder to think, though, what Abraham Lincoln and George Washington would say if they could see how cavalierly we treat their memories.

George Washington President from 1789 - 1797
Abraham Lincoln President from 1861 - 1865

DUST IF YOU MUST

I seem to be into poems lately, but the email I recently received just begged to be passed on. It wasn't signed so I can't give credit to the writer, but here it is from Anonymous:

Dust if you must...but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter,

bake cookies or a cake or plant a seed,

ponder the difference between

want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time, with rivers to swim and mountains to climb,

music to hear and books to read

friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there

with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,

a flutter of snow, a shower of rain.

This day will not come around, again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind

old age will come and it's not kind.

and when you go -- and go you must --

you, yourself will make more dust!

SPIRITUAL SUNDAY

I found this collection of poems by Helen Steiner Rice a few years ago in a slim volume called, "Just For You." I really like this one and thought I'd share it on my Spiritual Sunday post.It is called, "Lives Distressed Cannot Be Blessed."

Refuse to be discouraged,

Refuse to be distressed,

For when we are despondent

Our life cannot be blessed --

For doubt and fear and worry

Close the door to faith and prayer,

For there's no room for blessings

When we're lost in deep despair --

So remember when you're troubled

With uncertainty and doubt

It is best to tell our Father

What our fear is all about --

For unless we seek his guidance

When troubled times arise

We are bound to make decisions

That are twisted and unwise --

But when we view our problems

Through the eyes of God above,

Misfortunes turn to blessings

And hatred turns to love.

I'VE BEEN TAGGED!

Charlotte of Char72 tagged me awhile back for this fun meme. Here is what I have to do:

Answer the following questions.

Tag 5 other bloggers.

Let them know they have been tagged.

1. Name 5 things in your purse:

- keys

- hard candies scattered on bottom

-driver's license

-small compact mirror

-needlepoint cross made for me by 87 year old acquaintance

2. Name 5 things in your work room:

Oh dear, where to start?

My workroom/computer room/guest room/storage room/craft room, etc. is overflowing with items left over from my now defunct Antiques Booth.

also:

- computer, printer, telephone, etc.

- collection of watercolor paintings.

- my new digital camera (still learning to operate)

- craft items: paper flower supplies, paper trinket/gift box supplies, quilting supplies, pictures and picture albums (works in progress), sketch paper, boxes of artists pencils, erasers, how-to books on sketching.

- books, books, books and books.

3. Name 5 things you are into:

- church

- blogging

- reading

- crafts

- bus trips to NYC to see Broadway plays

4. Name 5 things you've always wanted to do:

- See more of our Country

- Take more adult education courses at our local community college

- Learn another language

- Return to Paris

- Learn to draw, sketch and do watercolors

Pick 5 bloggers

I've picked some new (to me) blogger friends to have some fun with this meme:

Jennifer at Sit-N-Chat

Shimmy at Shimmy Mom

Beth at Aunties With Advice

Jillian at Jillian's Pages

Eleanor at Thatchwick Cottage

THE ANSWERS TO THE BRAIN TWISTER

Well, at least the 16 books of the Bible that my friend, Peggy and I found! Here they are in the order that they appear in the paragraph:

Mark, Luke, Kings, Acts, Revelation, James, Ruth, Numbers, Job, Amos, Esther, Judges, Titus,

Lamentations, Hebrews, and Peter. I am still looking for the 17th!

Thanks for playing along!