Angels of Mercy

"Jack Kinder is in the hospital?" The volunteer at Medical City/Dallas seemed shocked as I asked for his room number. "I am in his brother's Sunday School class and sit next to Jack each week. I will walk you over." Well, "over" meant the farthest possible building from the information desk. Dad died in that hospital and I knew those halls very well, having walked them night after night- hour after hour.
"He's in ICU and I will see if we can come in," my new friend Barbara said.
How is it she was standing there at the very time I walked up? Providence!
While Dad was alive, we read together for an hour or more each day, then prayed. After he died, I volunteered to read to Jack Kinder, one of Dad's friends, each week. Jack, an international speaker, writer, and businessman, suffered a debilitating stroke in January, 1995 while speaking in Chicago. He has no speech, and is paralyzed on his entire right side. I love this time with him ---- it blesses my heart.
So, when I arrived at the rehab and heard he was hospitalized, my heart sank. I headed to Medical City and there I met Barbara White, angel of God.
We entered Jack's ICU room quietly and stood by his bed. A bleeding ulcer was trying to throw him for a loop. But, he is way tougher than anything like that. I told him, "Remember what Dad always said, Jack.....there are people who give ulcers and those who get them." He held my hand tightly and clearly understood we were there.
Before we left, I asked to pray with him - even with the nurse standing by to take blood. I put my hand on his head, and prayed for my sweet friend. With eyes closed, I heard the nurse agreeing with "yes, Jesus...." Jack was in the hands of many angels.
What are the chances of this "coincidence?" None at all. God hugged Barbara, Jack, and me yesterday with a precious time together. He blessed me with a new friend and a short time with an old one. He allowed me to lift up the name of Jesus in the Medical City ICU --- pretty cool.
God hugs are all around us. Sometimes I think "lifting holy hands" is really a child reaching up to a loving Father and saying, "Hold me ---- hold me." And hold He does!

Donuts, anyone?

Last year I gave up donuts -----(yikes, what a very few keystrokes to say that, and what an agonizing life change.) No, it wasn't a New Year's resolution ---- it was just a decision.

Yesterday I drove into Dallas for my "Ministry Wednesday." The East Texas economy must thrive on donut shops......I passed one after another and each time my empty stomach growled. Even the Cruiser wanted donuts.....I had to yank the wheel back several times as I inched past the fat pill shops.

BUT, I made it! I had a great day in Dallas, finishing up with peace and satisfaction.

Then, the dire weather forecast forced me to do a one day turn-around. By the time I arrived in Wills Point (passing 3 donut shops now safely closed for the evening), it was very dark. HMMMM --- what is that strange sound? A bumpy road? Oh, no---- a flat tire? Just at that moment I was passing the last gas station for miles and miles on pitch black roads. The Lord grabbed the back of my neck and "urged" me to turn into the station to check. YEP! A flat tire.

An ad campaign years ago ran, "Oh, thank heaven, for seven-eleven." Well, I fished out my AAA card, called, and said a prayer of thanks as she said, "Tommy's Tow Truck" will be there within an hour."

Just 10 more minutes and I would have been on my own with no lights, no easy access to tow trucks and a long wait.

Okay, where is the donut connection? THE CRUISER GOT A DONUT! Isn't that funny?

So, I am headed to Tyler for a new tire (certainly not in my January budget, of course), hoping the Cruiser's donut tire will make it another 35 miles.

God watched over me so abundantly. Immediately, I saw His hand of provision and protection. I felt like His daughter. What a good God we serve. And, how gracious He was to thump me on the head and say, "Let's not ignore this, Brenda."

I hope I remember this every time I pass one of those delectable donut shops, reminded of God's faithful love for this child.

Great Day

On New Year's Eve I made a list of must do items. I even tried to trick myself by calling them my "get to do" list, emphasizing the importance of gratitude for 2010. But, you know what ---it still felt like a bunch of stuff I failed to do in the last few weeks.

When I was young, I loved to read. I took books from the library, read them quickly, and then somehow failed to return them....they found a home under my bed. Don't ask me why, but I just didn't get the "complete the loop" gene. Well, one day the library sent an enforcer to my house and demanded I cough up all the books hidden away.

After that, I created my "under the bed" frame of mind. When things stayed on my to-do list long enough, they proudly took their place in this hall of shame.

Today I pulled out a vast number of dusty, cob-web covered items AND DID SOMETHING ABOUT THEM!

I wish I could literally lose all the weight I feel has rolled off my shoulders.

I still have two big items to go, but the pesky ones that create ulcer-like conditions in my stomach are checked off.

YAY!

Where Have You Been?

Somewhere in September I dropped out of the blogosphere, didn't I? I stopped taking pictures, finding spiritual principles in the everyday, and generally disappeared. But here I am again ---writing to you while talking to myself.
My Dad used to love quoting Emerson and Thoreau who would greet one another with, "What has become clearer since we last met?" What would you say if I asked that question?
And what answer would I give you?
1) Living at Holly Lake has brought new friends, new experiences, and a missing of old friends.
2) Life is very precious. I have 10 friends who are struggling physically. I put each one of them on a finger and when I wiggle it heavenward, then I pray for them. I drive so many miles and type so many words, they get lots and lots of prayer time.
3) It is possible to get mentally and physically lazy without structure.
4) God doesn't quit working in and on us just because we age... His purpose and plan seem to be even more alive.
Enough ---- oh, and I have learned the deer will eat anything and everything with absolutely NO REGARD for the amount of money I spent on landscaping. Next year they will have to go elsewhere for their fresh salad bar!

Adopted for Life

On December 8, 2009 Bree Anna became a forever member of the Richardson family...and my one and only granddaughter. I will later post my thoughts from that day. Just know that it brought joy, tears, and laughter to us all.

Bucks Rule

The door bell's ring surprised me. I don't get many drop-ins, but my garage door's up position indicated my presence. One of my neighbors suggested I have a flag I fly, much like the Queen who notes her "in residence" status by unfurling the banner.
The neighbor who stood in my door was new to me. He simply said, "I took a picture of four bucks standing in your yard....would you like me to email it to you?
You KNOW how big a fan I am of the overgrown rabbits who rule my home, don't you? "Sure, I would LOVE to have it."
So, here are three of the four....I cropped the original to give you a closer view of these maurauding masculine menaces. Sorry, if I am a bit testy, but they have managed to eat over $3000 of flora.

What is the spiritual principle? Where do I see God in this picture and in this situation? After all, that is the purpose of this blog ---- to chronicle God sightings and my puny understandings of His activity.

The easy one is recognition that they are His creatures. They deserve respect because they are a product of His creative Hand. Okay, I will go with that one.

Harder is His sovereignty who allows these beautiful, but scavenging men to eat up everything I have planted. A good friend has told me to ask "what is bringing honor to God in your struggles," not "why am I going through this?" So, I will acknowledge God knows best----God is teaching me----I am a slow learner-----and my plans are not always His plans. And thankfully, my thoughts are not His thoughts.

On Tuesday I am teaching a Bible Study on reconciliation. Do you think this is an object lesson?

Of course, it should be flattering to have men gather at the bottom of my stairs.....

Rare Blessing

"Jill, I brought my camera and could I please have a picture with you?" Even though she was tired from travel, and weary after a long day, she graciously agreed.

This meant the world to me! Jill Briscoe is one of my heroes. Here she was at the CASA Leadership Conference ---- and there I was on the front row with notepaper in hand and a happy heart.
I actually met her for the first time in 1971. She and her husband were speaking in Kentucky. During the intervening years, my Dad and my brother have served with her on Christianity Today's board. Even though my contact has been marginal, her impact on me has been great.

Friends of mine seek autographs of sports legends, movie stars, and well-known politicians. I am thrilled to have a remembrance of a woman whose life reflects joyful discipline. As I said after the meeting, "She's who I want to be when I grow up."
Admiration doesn't slide into adoration ---- that place is held only for the God Jill loves so deeply. She reminds me what a loving heart looks like when it has flesh on. She makes me want to know God....a pretty good goal.