Just Some Of What Makes Me Smile :-)

Hubstir ~ Bob

Watching my Sister Deanna with granddaughter Ruby !

My son's and  my nieces and nephew.

My favorite neighbors.....Bob and Cath

My flowers

My Oz door stop from daughter-in-law Katie :-)

My Santa Wreath and all things Christmas....

My Granddaughter I've yet to meet !!!!

Daughter Jackie and the best son in law ever!

Grandson Gavin and the pumpkin patch!

Gavin's smile.....

Grandson Dominic and Sea Lion named Bob, after Grandpa :-0

Grandson Calib

Son Joseph and wife Angel nearest, and the rest of our family.

Daughter in law Katie's smile.....

Love that my sons still like to play with Nerf guns :-)

 Jazz in the Pines

My girlfriends from the old hood :-)

Ragzz the only clown I like and Wilson....another story :-)

Sitting with  the peace and quiet of the Gallatin River in Montana, at the site of our I Do's !

All things Oz !

Mom and Dad

I love my Pacific Ocean!

Being in Montana and our best friends Scott and Tami !

At last making it to Tom's Farm

Smile at the fact they loved "their" new room...

Aubrie's cute little feet

Traditional date night with Grandpa

On board the Hornblower Adventure for our two hour cruise !

Little girls that like to hold Grandpa's hand

Having the waiter tell us "those are the best behaved children ever to be in this restaurant".

The excitement of getting to ride on a funny bike!

Grandpa teaching how to slice strawberries

Aubrie'e method of placing strawberries on the pan....and one for me!

The first Grand....growing up...

The love Aubrie shows her dog Alice :-)

My niece Amanda whom I admire and love to bits!

Ruby.....all things Ruby....

"our" new guest room

My new outdoor lights and one of my favorite Bible verses...

The man that loved me first, Dad :-)

I am Far from Close

Yesterday in Church one of the songs that we sang had lyrics that said, I spend my life to know, and I'm far from close, to all that You are. Then the book of Habakkuk was mentioned, specifically chapter three. It speaks of a man in some very difficult circumstances. Circumstances such as crop failure, and the death of animals to the extent it would devastate  his homeland of Judah. Even in this terrible time of starvation and loss, Habakkuk managed to rejoice in the Lord.  Regardless of his circumstances he manages to not allow those circumstances to determine his happiness.

As with Habakkuk, God gives us strength when it appears we can no longer handle bad circumstances in our lives, when it seems we can't possibly take anymore.  The lesson is, we are to take our minds off what is happening around us and to look to Him.  Our confidence if put in Him, is how we get through it, we can be confident in Him.

Our lack of control in certain situations is best dealt with by acknowledging that God is in control, always.  We may not always understand the why and why not, but in all the craziness in the world right now, I am reminded to look up not out.

Though the fig tree does not bud 

and there are no grapes on the vines, 

though the olive crop fails 

and the fields produce no food, 

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls, 

yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 

I will be joyful in God my Savior.

                                                                        Habakkuk 3: 17, 18 

This little lesson, I needed to hear! His timing is always so perfect.  This last week has brought with it some difficult circumstances and I am sad to say I had been attempting to fix them,worry about them and I was asking, why is this happening?  I was thinking,  I don't need all of this to deal with at one time. I was full of worry and fear. My focus on me and how I was feeling about it all.  I had even compiled that list in my mind of all the negative possibilities that will or could come out of it all.  Last night I was feeling so overwhelmed by it all, and I was so disappointed in my response to it ! I wasn't trusting God, I was trying to do what so many of us do....control "it" !

What I heard yesterday is yet another example of God's timing and another reminder that nothing happens is by chance. I was also reminded that He's in control, NOT me.  All my worry, fear and frustration for nothing, when I have a great big God that is in control who already knows the outcome.  I am not capable of changing that outcome, I am not able (she is saying out loud as if to make it stick).

A close friend of ours is having the majority of his lung removed on Tuesday after being diagnosed with lung cancer.  I was informed another friend will receive results soon regarding a spot found on her lung. I was told by my Mother (78), that she has decided to relocate to a town she isn't familiar with, away from some great Doctors and the history they have made with her.  Away from those of us that have been  caring for her when she's been sick, transporting her to visit family and friends, and going to Dr. appointments in order to be that important second set of ears, for the last three years.  Her mind is made up and we can only hope for the best as she attempts to make it on her own and it will no doubt be a learning experience....for many. Just so many what if's were going through my head.

My heart broke this week for my sweet, sweet friend whose sister of 57 years has made the decision to no longer be a part of her life, over a croquet set?? It's a very hard pill to swallow when you share a  life of ups and downs for so long with a sibling and they choose to end the relationship.  For the one being left behind, its impossible to wrap your brain around the fact that anyone could actually make such a choice about their own flesh and blood. Obviously this isn't about a croquet set...likely some deeper issues she isn't yet willing to acknowledge, let alone deal with.  Not exactly a decision a happy person would make, and at the same time a decision that will affect her entire extended family. As a parent I can't think of a more heart breaking occurrence to have happen between my children. My heart is sad for her sweet elderly Mom, that suddenly one of her own has made such a selfish decision with no regard for the hearts of all involved.

So, all of the above, out of my control and in the hands of the One who is. I am thankful that this morning I was reminded of that. I heard yesterday morning, just like Habakkuk, in the midst of these trials I should simply anticipate His next move.

I am far from close, to all that He is and all He can do.

With these circumstances I can rejoice in God my Savior.

In the midst of these circumstances I will look up and not out!

This is what echo's from my heart today.....

The House That Built Me

My sweet Dad

It's almost three years, June 20th that  I've been without my sweet Dad.I find myself needing to remember our little family in "the house that built me".  That house was on Fisk Lane in Redondo Beach.

Won't take nothing but a memory......

Middle class family, with a hard working Dad and a stay at home Mom.
Forty some new born foster babies called this house home, two at a time were part of that family.
Always a cousin, Uncle or friend living with us, also part of  that house that built me.
It's where we learned to love, it's where we became a family and grew up together.
A waterfall in the back yard, often with gold fish and polliwogs.
A garage with several saws, permanently scented with freshly cut lumber, its where I learned to sand the right way.

Our back yard, Mom and her twin.

A pool table where he taught me to play pool.
The kitchen cabinets, they were built with my Father's hands.
I learned fractions one late night sitting at that kitchen table with him, exhausted from the days work, yet he took the time for me.
The same table I first drank hot tea with a splash of milk with my Mom.  It's the reason I love tea pots today.
A family room with ceiling to floor display cabinets, also built with those hands.  Displaying his love of decorative liquor decanter bottles, over a hundred I'm sure. Some I am lucky to have today.
His over sized desk where he sat to pay the bills, where he diligently made files for everything one should have a file for.
Off to the side is where my sister's and cousin Donna Dee would set up our Barbies.
The pocket door off one side of their bedroom, it's where my sister's and I often could make a complete circle chasing each other through the house.In one door and out the other.
There was an over sized photo in the hall way of Jesus praying near a giant rock. That photo magically provided comfort. I could sit and stare at it for a long time.  Someday, I would think, I will get to meet the real Jesus, wondering if He would look like our hallway Jesus.
My everything blue bedroom just across from Mom and Dad's room. Carpet, curtains, bedspread and walls all a shade of blue.
How many times he had to come into that room to demand my sister Donna and I stop laughing :-)  Bad case of the giggles, and a Father needing sleep.
My bedroom where Donna first cried over a boy...me reassuring her he's not worth it if he won't wait!
It's the same room Dad more than once brought me oranges already peeled when I was sick.
My water bed....the one I wasn't allowed to have.
 Sister Deanna's bedroom, covered with photo collages she made to include he favorite artists, boy friend, magazine quotes cut out an put in just the right spot.

The living room, where my friends would meet me every morning to walk to school.

Grand kids in our living room.

Sister Donna with her baby and my Mom. Taken in front of
the wall where she fell and cut her head.....

The over sized picture window that we would dance in front of  while lip syncing to our favorite songs.
The same window I lay in front of  watching for Santa in the sky.
The heater I would lay next to daily after school, the warmth of home.
The corner of the wall where my sister Donna fell and cut her head open.
Our console stereo that played, Elvis Gospel album, Tammy Wynette, Tennessee Ernie Ford,  Andrews sisters.Occasionaly the Four Seasons, Beatles to Beach Boys..... Playing the songs that still today take me home.
It's the room where my prom photos were all taken.  The same room we said good bye to many a foster baby.

Sister Deanna, husband Mike.  The picture window (we moved on to a real tree!).

Our silver foil like Christmas tree with the revolving color wheel, red, green, yellow and blue.
Just off the living room was a room that was originally to be a dinning area.  It's where my piano sat and where I practiced more times than I wanted to.
The carpet in that room, it's where my little brother Tony rubbed a cube of butter in one large circle.
Our brick front porch, where the milk and paper were delivered.
The porch I sat to put on my roller skates. The porch where I  learned to play Gin Rummy with a friend on a summer day.
It was on that porch I first saw a cocoon and learned it would one day become a butterfly.
The front yard with brick planters on each side filled with my Father's roses.
The flag pole where our American flag flew daily, where I learned we to be full of pride when that flag is viewed..
The perfectly manicured lawn my Father so enjoyed and took such pride in.  He would cringe if he came home and saw a blow up pool on a hot summer day, and he did....several times.
It's the yard we and the neighborhood kids played tag and Mother May I.

My Brother Tony in the front yard.

It's the yard we took our Easter photos, capturing our new dresses, our hats, shoes and purses.

"Wont' take nothing but a memory, from the house that built me."

I hope you will again, take the time to listen to the words of the song I have playing.  It can really take you back.  Back to the house that built you. Enjoy the memories!  This is what echos from my heart today....

Wings ~

I was on a break, standing out front of my office building years ago .  Across the parking lot I see an older gentleman trying to cross the roadway.  He was wearing a prosthetic leg, one that he had not yet become too familiar with and was lacking the confidence to trust it in route to his destination.  I remember thinking about how sad that he had to experience losing his leg now the frustration of trying to become one and work in unison with his prosthesis.

 I walked over to him offering up my arm while asking if he would like some help. He didn't have to give it much thought, he latched on as if he had been drowning and I his preserver! As I walked him to the elevator of his Doctors office, he stopped for a moment, turned and look directly into my eyes.  He asked, "when did you get your wings?"  I was so touched that he felt this way, a simple random act of kindness.  "We are supposed to be here for each other" I replied.

That comment changed my life that day.  It  gave me cause for thought....why was that such a big deal to him... Its wrong that we are so surprised when someone does something nice for us outside our family.  That means, it's obviously not a part of our daily life to be there when someone is in need, and why is that?  I'm not tooting my own horn here, but I have always been sensitive to someone with a need.  Rather it be a physical need or the need of a the spoken word.  I have always described myself as someone that has a heart for people.  This particular day just made me aware that if its such a surprise to be the recipient of a kind gesture, then we are not doing enough of them.

 As a Girl Scout I remember going to a convalescent home with my troop and singing "In my Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it...." to several of the residents.  It was so huge to me to see how much they enjoyed it and how they all wanted to take our hands as they thanked us. It was just a song...

About a year ago my Church encouraged its members to volunteer somewhere in our community. A small group I belong to in my church volunteered to go to go to a local convalescent home that my friends Mom was a resident of.  We decided to arrive as they were finishing lunch and make them ice cream sundaes.  We had all the ice cream and toppings on push carts and went table to table taking their personalized order.  It was so apparent that they couldn't believe we were doing this for them.  It was apparent to me when I first looked into the dinning hall while they were finishing up lunch, that no one was talking to each other, and there was a lack of expression on their faces.  I knew we were at the right place.  As we began serving them, their faces lit up, smiles starting appearing and conversation about all the "fuss" we were making over them began. It was as if they had just met those at their table and normal conversation was rampant.  It was just some ice cream...

My favorite thing to do on a regular basis is to let others get in front of me in the grocery line when they have less than myself to pay for.  Or, to be behind someone who is just a little short on what they owe.  In both cases they typically respond with, "Are you sure?"  That is my chance to encourage them, "pay it forward, do it for someone else."  Or,  " God wants us to be this way."  That comment many times catches them off guard to hear, but it's the truth.  It's how we were supposed to treat each other from the very beginning.

On Mother's Day my Mom and I took the train to spend the day with my sister and her daughter who put on beautiful brunch for us.  I know this meant a lot to my Mom especially, she enjoys time when we are all together for "her" day :-)  What Mom doesn't?  On the train ride there we had to sit on different sides of the train due to the crowd.  She was close enough I could see her settle in her seat as she began her conversation with the lady seated next to her.  I asked a gentleman who was on an aisle seat if he minded if I sat next to him.  I wasn't so sure he was thrilled, as he had what looked to be legal papers he was reading through and he was so serious.  He stood and let me sit on the inside seat.  I settled in and purposed to stare out the window so he could have his privacy reading his documents and to be clear, I wasn't going to disturb him.

As the train rolled down the track he eventually put his papers away and rubbed his eyes as if he was exhausted from the read or because of it?  I had to ask now that he wasn't reading, "did you play football?" He was a huge man so it seemed obvious with his build  and a good conversation starter.  He began to share that yes at one time he played ball but that was cut short do to an alcohol problem, one which he was now free of.  The next topic was easy due to the holiday, "are you going to see your Mom?" I asked.  He replied that his Mom died when he was 7 and his father was military so the neighborhood Mom's looked out for him.  I told him I was sorry about his Mom and he asked about my family.  As I shared about the loss of my Dad he could see the emotion.  "Sorry, I cry easily, more so in my old age", my disclaimer.  He said he sensed I was a good person, sensitive to whats going on around me.  I shared that it seems God puts others in my path which provides me the opportunity to do so.  I also made it clear to him that I believe, that nothing is by chance, he wasn't quick to agree.

Oscar was his name,  and he had been reading a Hollywood script (I felt better about the interruption). I shared with him that I felt  a heaviness come on me as I took my seat on the train.  A feeling that there were so many hurting people on this train and was it why I was here on this day.  At this point I notice Oscar's posture slump a bit, his African American skin seemed to lighten a shade or two and  he just looked at me.  After a moments pause he said, " when I got on this train today I cried the first 10 minutes of travel, and I never cry."  Hearing this of course causes me to tear up.... "why the tears?" I asked him.  He said, "I just wish I had a family, a wife, kids, just to know I was going home to spend the day as a family".  By the time I reach my stop, Oscar learned and believed that nothing was by chance and told me so. I felt lighter knowing I had a purpose that day and thanked God for the experience.

It seems we have lost our sense of community.  Everyone is just looking out for themselves or their own. Are we really so busy that we can't take the time to look around us, look for an opportunity to perform a random act of kindness?   It is just so exciting for me to be a part of what is going on around me, stuff I may otherwise miss if I weren't looking for it!  God will put others in your path daily, how will you respond to the opportunity to act on it?

To us it's just a song, an ice cream sundae, a conversation.  To another it may be a life preserver tossed their way, just before giving up the fight.  Challenge yourself and be available to others as God intended us to be. Challenge others to do the same!  This is what echo's from my heart today.....

Siblings....

Siblings....we all come from the same mold yet in many ways we are so different.  Long before my eldest sister and I finally had a relationship I was wondering why it was we didn't ?  Growing up we were in very different places socially, we lived our lives very different from one another.  I seemed to me she always had a plan for her life and was ready to work towards it and to get to it.  I on the other hand lived for the moment, the day, the most current of events going on around me.  As far as my future, all I knew for sure was that I wanted to be a wife and a mother. My focus was not on the future....I would deal with that once I was done being a kid, a teen.

It occurred to me around 2006 0r 2007 that my sister an I didn't really know each other at all.  We knew the people we were when we lived at home with Mom and Dad, as well as maybe the next 4 or so years that followed.  Beyond that we saw each other at family gatherings.  She did live on the east coast for nine years and we weren't two that spoke on the phone too often.

Deanna and I when all was still cute :-)

  I recall thinking, " she doesn't know me at all nor I her" and " I think she would like the person I had become in my old more mature, life experienced age that I was."  Not only that I would probably have more in common with her now than in those teen years when we were so different. I mean lets face it, I was now well beyond borrowing her clothes or jewelry without her permission (which used to drive her crazy)!  All I knew was I wanted to have a relationship with her, I wanted to get to know her as an adult.  She was my family and I wanted more of my family as time marched on.  I have always wanted my children and the children of my siblings to be closer to each other.  I had a bazillion cousins and had so many happy childhood memories with them, I wanted that for our kids.

Long story short, it wasn't until 2008 while we spent a lot of time together at the hospital, during what would be the last days of my Father's life that we finally connected.  We saw in the most difficult of circumstances what the other had become in life.  There was no childhood jealousy, no competition, no trying to measure up or second guess the others intention.  It was pure and simple from the heart, us being who we were in life and with each other. It is what I have since considered my Father's last gift to me, my sister in my life.

I'm sad to say it didn't occur until  we were 52 and 54, yet so thrilled it happened at all. We can never reclaim those years but we can make the most of the time we have moving forward.  I have since learned we actually have a lot in common as far as our beliefs, how we live our lives and what's important to us.  She is after all my older sister so, needless to say she corrects me when I'm wrong in my thinking, or when I am reacting rather that accepting what is. She isn't judging me she is teaching me through what she has learned in her life experiences.  She is a wise woman and I'm glad she loves me enough to do so. I hope I have done the same for her in some way.

The greatest joy of having this relationship is that  I have access to her perfect little grand child Ruby. Ruby, who was born the month following the loss of my Dad.  She reminded us we can still have joy in our lives and she continues to do so almost three years later!  She makes my heart smile.....

I hope this sparks a thought in one who might read this, to question yourself as to why you may not have a good relationship with a sibling?  Consider the possibility that the person they were or whom you were back then, may still be the one responsible for a lack of relationship. You aren't those people any more and  you really don't  know the other at all.

As our parents leave us, and our children create their own little families, that is when we are available to draw closer to our siblings and enjoy our time together.  Time we can share the joys of our children and grandchildren, as well as the sadness and troubles we face in our lives with each other.  To share with each other the loss that still overwhelms us at times in regard to our Father, that is big! We are aware the other really gets it, really knows the level of loneliness for him we feel. Too, on the brighter side, be able to discuss with each other  the great memories of him as he brought us from childhood  into the adults we became.

There are no do overs in life, and siblings may not be what we think they should be.  What they are is a product, the sum of the life they have experienced that is different from ours.  Accept that in each other and let old hurts or misunderstandings go.  If you can't do that, you may be missing out on the best of relationships, those that carry us through our elder years.

I'm glad my sister knows now that I am not that young girl that  borrowed took her things with out asking,  I'm glad we share this life with each other,  free of childhood pettiness. Free of what used to be !

This is what echos from my heart today..........

New for Spring ?

There is so much I love about the newness that comes with spring time.  The skies a deeper blue, the early morning light becomes brighter
and makes almost makes me want to jump out of that bed and start the day. I love my sleep, so I'll just say it makes me smile on the inside when I first open my eyes and sense the brightness.

Every year at this time I do clean out cupboards, closets etc....the term spring cleaning (which happens through out the year) ignites something in me.   Something about the brightness of the days that makes me want every thing in a new order.....you know, making sure all the blouses are in color and sleeve length order, all can's and bottles have labels facing forward, shoe boxes stacked according to heal size,and the never ending ....getting rid of yet more stuff!

My yard is like a blank canvas to these eyes. With exception to the  plants that are coming back from last year, I know there are older plants that have lived their lives, leaving behind pots of soil that are shouting "Vacancy" !  I can't wait to make my first trip of the season to "Green Thumb" and walk up and down the isles looking at all  the new flowers for this years enjoyment. I totally enjoy my time at the nursery , so much so I find myself frequently wishing a had a larger yard to house it all...Yet thankful for the small yard when it comes to upkeep :-)

This spring has got me itching to go back to work (did I just say that?).  There is so much about retirement I love (sleep) yet I am wanting to find more purpose than that of my home and yard. Money too is an issue, to live how we want to live requires money and we don't want to live off our retirement money just yet. Funny, it's like we pay for car insurance every month but when we have reason to file a claim it's....let's just pay out of pocket so our insurance rate doesn't go up? Hard to determine the time for the retirement funds, timing it just right so we have the assurance it will last till the end.

I'm hoping to find something I love to do and then it won't be work at all!  But what is that? And will employers want me at 54 a mature age? I'm much younger on the inside!

Wanting a new beginning, but one with purpose. I want to feel I am doing something that is appreciated by whomever. Cliche' maybe, but I want to make a difference in the lives of other people, not just appreciated by a boss (though that's important). A difference, rather it be in word or deed for someone that needs it! I'm not trained in a paid for education sense, so I  don't have a degree to love others and to help them, but I have a heart for them. I don't have a degree that say's I can speak kind words or even share some of the wisdom I have gathered in my travels to this time in my life. Maybe I can share something that someone else is needing to hear. So just what are my qualifications and experience? Life.

Looking for a new start at a new stage in my life...often frustrated as to what it might be....at which time I am reminded to trust that God has a bigger plan for my life than I can even imagine.

Something...new defined ~

   Not previously experienced or encountered; novel or unfamiliar

 Different from the former or the old

 Changed for the better; rejuvenated

New is indeed in the air, new order, new beginnings, new....fresh! This is what echos from my heart today.....

A Place in Between ...

So, I've been on a blog hiatus since February and its been an experience.  Since my back surgery (which went well, thanks for the prayers) I've been somewhat limited as to what I can do...still!  I'm still on the B.L.T. restrictions....and I don't mean like, hold the mayo :-) No I mean restrictions of bending, lifting and twisting.  There are many points to be made but I'll just give you a few....1) no Bending - I wish I had kept a record of how many times in one day I dropped something, wanted something that was down in the land I could not go.  2) Lifting....nothing over 5 pounds - Well that rules out my purse, a laundry basket, a shopping bag and thank heaven my newest Grandchild doesn't arrive till the end of July or beginning of August!  Our little tacquito is a girl by the way :-)  3) Twisting - this occurs every time one tries to turn over in bed, reaches to turn a light on or off, twist the slightest to fasten a seat belt or turn in order to back out of a parking space.  Basically the upper body can not turn without the feet turning in unison.

It has been 7 weeks since my surgery and I am still in that place in between.  In between the bad back and the fully recovered back. Not knowing exactly how it all ends up until I get there.  It is a very slow healing process and with its limitations I have had to find ways to avoid going stir crazy, I've had nothing but time.  Sitting has been pretty limited which is why I didn't get on the computer much, spent the majority of the first month laying flat.  I generally would be the one to get up and clean something, or throw in a load of wash if I found myself getting bored.  For sometime reading was out, as I was on constant medication that caused me to sleep....a lot!

There are many ways one ends up in "a place in between".  Sometimes it's after the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a diagnosis, a divorce, a major move....well the list goes on.  Initially after each of the fore mentioned it's where we find ourselves....in between.  After the initial "incident", we are often in a place of darkness, a place lacking hope, a life suddenly out of balance, a place that lacks anything familiar.  Now, my in between is nothing as difficult as the examples I've shown.....sometimes, it was learning what to do during the in between when your on B.L.T. !

It's what we do in those in between times, that we realize our strengths, our creativity to change up a day, a new way to make it through another 24 hours. We may find we  have to map our way through life, for a time, a day at a time. We do what we have to do until we get to the place were going.  The fear we may experience often comes from the fact that we aren't sure where it is we are going to end up, let alone how we'll get there, will we ever get there at all.

The in between times for me are where I have made my greatest self discoveries, learned some invaluable life lessons, grown ever closer to God, who becomes more real in my life everyday....may it never stop.

Several women from my church organized eight days of meals for Bob and I following  my surgery.  Initially this was a very difficult gift for me to accept, help is just something I prefer to provide than receive.  It was such an incredible gift and it made me realize more than ever how very lucky I am to have so many incredible women in my life, women whose friendships I treasure.  One great friend would make us tea and sit at my bedside just to provide me conversation as I lay in bed day after day.  One day she sat and wrote out thank you notes for me as I dictated my words to her.  I can tell you, having meals prepared and delivered will never again be a problem accepting ....a girl could get used to it !

Having to rely on my husband, for almost everything and I do mean everything has been really hard for me. Having to interrupt whatever he happened to be doing in order for me to accomplish something was so frustrating for me.   I would try and think of any possible way I might be able to do something before having to give up and call for his help.  It is not in my character to sit or lay while work is being done around me.  Day after day I have watched Bob do the laundry, cook, clean, shop, drive me to Doctor appointments, take care of the yard and squeeze in a tiny amount of time for himself.....all the while taking care of my personal needs.  I've realized more than ever, there isn't much this man wouldn't do for me. Our marriage through this, in between time, has grown to a whole new beautiful place.

I have had a difficult time as have most of us, with the tragedy in Japan.  With nothing but time, I watched a lot of the reports coming out of Japan.  I am amazed at the strength of the Japanese people as they are now in a place in between.  The values, respect and honor they live with even while in their darkest place. When a reporter stated there had been no reports of looting....none, I was taken back.  Still I wonder as I did then, what did an entire country do right that many here in the states seemed to miss?  Really, I can think of many times in a disaster, natural or not...when looting occurred and I am ashamed it happened in my country. Take note of the behavior of the Japanese people and apply it!  I mean, they can stand in an organized line for food in a calm, civil manner when their world around them is in chaos, a life of complete uncertainty as far as their tomorrow ....really  in a place of "in between".

My friend Denise's daughter Charity and her  family who are in Japan, keep them in prayer :-)

All we know for sure while in the place of in between, is we are not where we were. Just because we can't see anything happening doesn't mean God isn't working in our lives. We always come out the other side ....it's taking it a day at a time, a faith that God knows where we are going to be and its always in our best interest.  We may get sick of the place we are now and its so easy to begin to complain rather than taking pause to realize, that even in the midst of it we are so blessed and it could always be worse.... The tragedy in Japan has put the smallest complaint for me into perspective....B.L.T. really isn't such a big deal.  Really debi, your bored, somewhat limited and frustrated?  I know where my family and friends are, my home is still standing, all of my needs are met.  I have the best of friends, a husband that loves me, a marriage that is stronger than ever, a new found example of human kind, in the people of Japan. We so often miss the journey and the good that's taking place while we are in the place in between. God is always growing us up, and refining us during these times. We can always look back on a life experience and more than likely see the good that came from it. Accept that it is not always going to be a comfortable place your at when you are flailing in a sea of the unknown, in that place in between. It's where He has us so that we might totally trust in Him.  It is not forever, it is not your final destination!

Believe His promises to hear and to answer those who wait patiently for Him.

Psalm 40: 1

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 

I am happy to be back with my blogging friends, one of the things I realized while in this place in between was how much I love the lives we share with each other through our blogs!  This is what echos in my heart today....