Kindred Spirits

A Tribute to a Special Friend

Ms. Rose and Me this weekend

Ms. Rose came into my life several years after the death of my Mother.

More of a friend than a mother-substitute,

she was witty, encouraging, spunky, and so very full of life.

I met Ms. Rose while caring for her husband.

Capable, caring, adept, quick to learn -

she soon assumed the dressing changes of her husband's wounds.

Although she'd had no formal nursing training, it came natural to her.

Not afraid to take on challenges, Ms. Rose was no shirker.

After the 2009 ice storm, although in her 90's, she could still wield a chainsaw,

and cleaned up much of the fallen limbs herself!

Rose and Hal

Rose's husband, Hal, had been in the entertainment business.

On my nursing visits he never failed to make me smile

 and brighten my day with a funny story, no matter how badly he felt.

On his good days, he'd even have Rose get out his autoharp,

and he'd sing for me.

Soon after her husband died, Rose moved out of state to be near family.  

I have missed her, and think of her every time I drive by her road.

What a beautiful surprise to have a visit from her this weekend!

She is still very independent at the age of 96,

but is blessed to have loving family check on her every day.

 

If I live to be as old as Ms. Rose,

I hope I am as fully alive as she is!

More than a kindred spirit,

she is a most unforgettable woman 

whose influence challenges me to be my best!

(Shared by permission of Ms. Rose)

A new post for the Names of God on Rocks

will soon appear on Rock4Today!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jump INTO the boat - Risky?

Risk Taking...

I've heard a lot of talks about "Jumping out of the Boat",

referring to when Peter took the risk

and jumped out of the boat to attempt to walk on water to Jesus.

(If you're not familiar with this story, you can find it HERE.)

If you have been following any of my posts 

about my nephew Joel and his fight with brain cancer,

you will probably understand why I've been thinking about risk taking. 

A few "risk takers" in the Bible caught my attention this week.

One was Jacob, as he finally relented in letting his older sons take his beloved son

Benjamin to Egypt to purchase food in order to keep the family alive

during a time of great famine.

(You can find that story HERE.)

 Another person, 

this one ready to give up her own life to save the lives

of her people, was Esther. 

You have probably heard her famous quote which says, 

"If I perish, I perish"!

(Her story can be found HERE.)

Diane, a friend of mine that is pretty much home-bound due to intense pain,

sent me a link to an incredible video about the largest sea evacuation in history.

It was after 911. 

 People were trapped  on the island of Manhattan.

Many of them had never been in a boat,

and were terrified to jump onto a boat with strangers,

but since it was their only option,  

THE RISK WAS WORTH THE JUMP!

(To watch this amazing short video narrated by Tom Hanks, click HERE.)   

And of course, we can't overlook the greatest risk taker of all!

What a risk it was for Jesus, the Son of God, to leave heaven,

in hopes that we would accept His sacrifice of His life for us!

And it's even a bigger risk for us not to take the leap of faith to believe it!

(You can watch Billy Graham explain that  HERE.) 

 

We can either sit and look in...

...or take action,
and JUMP!

May we all have courage to take the necessary JUMPS that are before us today,

remembering the words of the Apostle Paul who said,

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"!

Philippians 4:13 

My ROCK of the week can be found on Rock4Today,

featuring the Names of God on Rocks! 

Thanks for stopping by!

God bless!

 

It's Eagle Awareness Time!

In our area this was "Eagle Awareness Weekend".

This afternoon Gary and I headed to David's Trail to check on the eagle's nest.

Last year I did a few "eagle posts" from photos taken there.

(My first eagle post can be viewed HERE,

 and has a view of the eagle's nest.)

...But although the nest was still in tact, we didn't spot any eagles around it.

Earlier this weekend I did spot two bald eagles in Searcy County.

One was flying too high to capture on camera.

The other one was spotted while we were driving near the Buffalo National River,

but I couldn't get my camera out quickly enough to capture it!

I'm not sure when the eagles start nesting.

I think it was in March last year when I first spotted some babies in the nest,

so they must start sometime soon!

(To see that post, click HERE.) 

I love the picture God gives of Himself in Exodus 19:4,

when He says "I carried you on eagle's wings, and brought you to Myself".

I know several of us that have had to be carried by God this last week!

How about you?

For my Names of God on Rocks post this week, click HERE.

Shut In with God

"Then the LORD shut him in"

Genesis 7:16

In obedience, Noah built an ark.

Can you believe, it took him 120 years to build it?

Obviously they lived a lot longer back then!

But the part that stood out to me was that when the LORD shut him in,

he was stuck in that ark with all those animals for over a year!

Sometimes God shuts us in - like today, with snow and ice.

Other times, it's with a broken bone, a tragedy, an illness or a bad diagnosis.

How do I handle those times of being "shut in"?

I hope that I will use them to bring me closer to God like Jeremiah, who says:

"I will never forget this awful time,

as I grieve over my loss.

Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!

His mercies never cease.

Great is His faithfulness;

His mercies begin afresh each morning...

I will hope in Him!

The LORD is good to those who depend on Him,

to those who search for Him...

For no one is abandoned by the LORD forever.

Though He brings grief,

He also shows compassion

because of the greatness of His unfailing love."

(Selected verses from Lamentations 3)

If you, like me, are "shut in" today, no matter what the cause,

may you "find rest for your soul"!

Matthew 11:29 

A posting on "The One" will be up soon on Rock4Today!

Outstretched Arms

Several years ago my next door neighbor made this beautiful

wood carving for me of Christ Jesus with outstretched arms.

"...I will rescue you with an outstretched arm..."

That verse comes from
Exodus 6:6,
 (Amplified Version),
and it really got me thinking this past week
about the arms of God.

He has L-O-N-G arms,
because He says His arms are never too short to save!
(Numbers 11:23)

He has S-T-R-O-N-G arms:
"He was amazed to see that no one intervened...
So He Himself stepped in to save them,
with His STRONG ARM."
Isaiah 59:16

And when His arms aren't reaching for us,
THEY'RE CARRYING US!
"He will CARRY the lambs in His arms,
holding them close to His heart."
Isaiah 40:11

 That last verse reminds me of the "Footprints" poem.
If you're unfamiliar with it, you can find it HERE.



This post is written especially for my nephew Joel,
who is facing brain surgery on Monday, 01/06/2014.
Prayers and support for him would be appreciated!
A short video of his reaction to the news of the tumor can be found HERE.
A web page has been created to keep us informed of his progress after surgery,
and can be found HERE!

Rock4Today, my other blog,
which features The Names of God on Rocks,
is starting a new series on "The ONE".

I hope you'll be blessed and encouraged by it!

Thanks for your visit!