Author Archives: Patricia Ann

Blessed Indeed

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Here is what I learned from MatthewRuttan.com/Up yesterday, and I quote:

Today’s Thought
Horatio Spafford lived in Chicago. And when the great fire of 1871 ripped through the city, not only did it destroy his home, but it destroyed much of his livelihood. (He was in real estate.)

Did I mention he had no insurance?

This was a huge blow at an already difficult time. The previous year he and his wife had lost their son to scarlet fever.

So now, having no home, he put his wife and four daughters on a ship back to England as he stayed behind to try and get things started again.

Shortly thereafter he got a telegram from his wife that said, “Saved alone. What shall I do?”

There had been a shipwreck at sea. All four of their daughters drowned.

Horatio got on a ship to go and meet his wife. As he passed over the very same waters where his daughters had lost their lives, he wrote some lyrics to a song. Some of you will know them very well:

“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.”

These are the now-famous words to the hymn “It is well.”

How many of us can say, “It is well with my soul” even without going through the tragedies that Horatio did. There lived a man with great faith. When we get to that place in our lives, we will be blessed indeed.

Instant Smiles

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Remember the list we made of things that make us smile instantly? Well, here’s another one.

A good news letter in the mailbox…

A single parking spot in a full lot…

A friendly wave in traffic…

The ice cream truck’s jolly jingle…

The word “uppy” from a tiny tot with up-stretched arms…

A sudden show of dimples in a smiling face…

Birds feeding birds…

People hugging people…

A rainbow after a storm…

Parched plants perking up after the rain…

Again, this is only a list of ten but you get the idea; so many things can bring an instant smile. What made you smile today?

 

 

A Little Jolt of Happiness

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“Your cholesterol is too high!” This is what my family physician has been telling me for years. My body will not tolerate statin drugs, and dietary and exercise regimens have not worked, so yes, my cholesterol is too high.

“Your cholesterol is too high!” This from my cardiologist in June.

“So I’ve been told,” was my demure reply.

“Dangerously high!” No demureness on his part. “But I can help you.”

I went home with a new plan involving a new drug…a very expensive drug…which needs to be administered by injection twice a month. I learned how to do this in two hours on June 29th, with the help of a nurse who visited me in my home.

After two doses of this new drug, I had my blood work repeated.

“Your cholesterol is really good!” This from my family physician who took time out of his busy schedule to tell his receptionist to relay this news to me yesterday.

The jolt of happiness that went through me more than made up for the jolt of the medicated needle that is responsible for this wonderful turn of events.

My thankfulness extends not only to my doctor and my cardiologist, but to my insurance plan that covers the cost of this drug.

And thanks be to God, the overseer of my life, for this newest little jolt of happiness.

…Give her medicine. Perhaps she can yet be healed.  Jeremiah 51:8 NLT

Praise the Lord, and pass the medication!

 

A Second Cup of Coffee

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If we were having coffee right now I would ask you how your life has been since we last met. You would tell me of a difficult situation you were dealing with, not knowing how to handle it, when without warning it was resolved to the benefit of all concerned.

If we were having tea right now…because you prefer it to coffee…I would tell you how much a recent lunch with friends meant to me…how I still smile thinking of the camaraderie and affection that was more nourishing than the delicious food.

If we were having coffee right now you would share with me how lonely you are after the passing of your loved one…how the days follow each other in meaningless order and the nights hold nothing but darkness and tears.

If we were having coffee right now I would reach across the table and hold your hand as you struggle to contain your grief. And I would say, “Don’t contain it, let it find its way where it will and be thankful you are alive enough to feel it.” And I would feel your pain.

If we were having coffee right now you would listen while I ranted on one of my pet peeves, like the supermarkets putting a sale price on a display of mixed merchandise, from which you choose an item you’re delighted to find at a reduced price until you get to the cashier and find out what you chose wasn’t part of the sale…grrr.

If we were having coffee right now you would tell me again that you need more faith, and I would tell you that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life…you can believe that.

If we were having coffee right now…or tea because you prefer it to coffee…we would have enjoyed our time together enough to say, “Let’s do this again soon.”

Until then, may all your problems be resolved, may all your friendships be meaningful, may your times of grief have longer intervals, and for my part…thanks for listening. My load is lighter right now because we had coffee together…or tea, because you prefer it.

 

 

The In Between

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The following is a poem by Linda Ellis and contains her copyright at the end of it. It is a lovely poem about life and death and everything in between.

The Dash
by Linda Ellis
 
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
 
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end
 
He noted that first came her date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
 
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years
 
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
 
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
 
For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,
 
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
 
So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
 
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.
 
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
 
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
 
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
 
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.
 
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
 
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.
 
So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
 
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?
 
© 1996 All Rights Reserved, Linda Ellis
 This entry was posted on Friday, July 28th, 2006
My reason for sharing this poem today is for the many people in my life sphere who are grieving the loss of a loved one…a daughter, a sister, a husband, a wife. May it also serve as a reminder that those we love have a dash as do we ourselves. May this lovely poem be the blessing that I’m sure it’s author meant it to be.

Something Borrowed

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I can’t help once again sharing something that touched me from another person’s blog, so I borrowed this from Matthew Ruttan who writes “UP! Your Daily Devotional”. It is from a piece called The Clock is Ticking posted on July 12th.

I want

  • Someone to not feel alone
  • Someone to laugh and mean it
  • Someone to know God has a plan for their life
  • Someone to serve others and help others serve others.
Do you?
Let’s analyse what Matthew is saying here.
First       Someone to not feel alone…..I feel very sad thinking about the loneliness some people endure on a daily basis…especially those who have just lost a loved one.
Second    Someone to laugh and mean it…..laughter can be so superficial sometimes, that it is good to hear someone have a great laugh that comes from their toes and works it’s way up to the face where it can be a joy for all to see and hear.
Third      Someone to know God has a plan for their life…..so many people don’t know this wonderful fact and therefore miss out on the adventure of living in anticipation of “something wonderful is going to happen”.
Fourth    Someone to serve others and help others serve others…..this is a wonderful antidote for mild depression, melancholy, self pity, self-centeredness and boredom.
There is so much rich material out there that tomorrow I just might use another “something borrowed”.

 

 

It’s a Wrap!

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”

“That’s all folks!” said Porky Pig of Loony Toons fame.

The End is an all time finale signaling the conclusion of a movie.

“It’s a wrap!” is a well known term in the filming industry to signal the end of a scene.

These are some of the ways to acknowledge the last segment of an undertaking. In this case it is the final assignment of #everydayinspiration, a twenty day series of blogs wherein prompts and inspiration were offered to those taking part.

It was a fine learning experience for me. I found discipline and a much needed release from my usual procrastination habit. Admittedly I’m behind on the twenty days but that’s because I didn’t blog on the weekends.

The post that was the most receptive to my Facebook followers was day eleven’s If We Were Having Coffee Right Now…two-hundred-and-eighty-three views. Day two’s The List was the next favorite at two-hundred-and-seven.

It was a fun experience for me and I looked forward to each assignment and met some new people in the blogging world whose writing also inspired me.

I shouldn’t fall prey to writer’s block any time soon because there is a stockpile of topics just waiting to find their way into a daily writing routine…not necessarily from WordPress, but things that came to mind during the entire process. I look forward to their unfolding.

But for now…that’s all folks…the end…it’s a wrap!