Last Saturday my husband and I helped my daughter and her husband move a U-haul truck down to Virginia–only 3-1/2 hours from our home.  It took only a couple of hours to unload everything into their apartment, but much longer to unpack and put their belongings away before we headed home later that evening.  We pulled into our driveway around 1:00 a.m.

Exhausted, but with a feeling of accomplishment, we headed for bed to get ready for a very busy Sunday–church and an afternoon service at a personal care home–along with a quick trip to Walmart for much-needed groceries.

On Saturday, July 7, my daughter and her husband will make another trip down to Virginia, only this time they will take the rest of their belongings and be “permanently moved”.  Since they were married, they have been living with us for the past two years so I have not yet experienced the meaning of the “empty-nest syndrome.”  I know that when they pull out of our driveway on that day, I will begin to feel a twinge of “missing you” and “can’t wait” until they come back for a visit.

Because my daughter and I are very close–she tells me I am her mother first and also her best friend–she assures me that she will call or skype as often as she can, and that they will visit at least once a month. I know that I will look forward to those times.

But until next weekend, I will enjoy being with her–whether we are shopping for more things for their apartment or just having lunch together. I will be continually happy for the “biggest adventure” in their lives at this moment in time.

Sometimes it is hard to let go of friends or family members that we love, but God promises that “He has plans for us; plans to not harm but for our good.”  Knowing that God has a plan for their lives and that they are following what He has for them is the greatest comfort a mother could ever ask for.

Sometimes the hardest thing we ever have to do is to “let go” and “allow God” to do the rest.

Blessings on you.

Yesterday, I learned that the couple I babysit for had lost the baby girl that she had been carrying for almost 6 months.  Just before this happened, she began having trouble with high blood pressure and the doctor was concerned that she could have a stroke.  Options were discussed at the hospital but, due to a medical issue that was extremely dangerous for the mother,  the end result was that they would have to take the baby.

My daughter and her husband are very close friends with this couple.  When they found out, they recalled their own grief from last fall when they, too, lost their own baby very early on in her pregnancy.  My  heart deeply remembered their loss as well.

We wonder why these things have to happen and sometimes question God’s reasoning and purpose for it.  Yet, I am reminded of the scripture in Psalm 30:5 that says, “weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (NIV)  God sees the bigger picture and helps us through our struggles, pain, and grief.  We may never know “why” but in our hearts we continue to trust and believe that “all things work together” and that “joy will come in the morning” as long as we continue to keep our trust and faith in Him.

May the Lord bless and keep us as we trust Him at His word.

It has been 15 years since my mother passed away.  She had been battling lung cancer for almost two years.  We thought it had gone into remission, but when she contracted a deep cough/cold and had another xray, we knew it had returned.  At that time she and my dad were living in Omaha, NE, and we had recently moved back to Pennsylvania.

My sisters and I decided that it was important that we move my mother in with my family because the doctor said she had less than six months to live.  As it turned out, she lived one month to the day we moved her back.  The trip was long but she never complained.   She would just look at me, smile, and say thank you.

Over the years, especially on Mother’s Day, I have often reflected on my mother’s strengths.  Although there were 12 children in the family, she always manged to be thrifty and crafty.  I can remember coming home from school and finding her sitting on the couch sewing a valance for the kitchen window.  When I asked her where she had purchased the material, she smiled and said she used ready-made curtains–she just took them apart and made something new.  It was then that I realized she did the best that she could with what she already had.  Over the years, she crafted numerous creations for our humble environment, and we were always amazed at the beautiful results.  She even knew how to fix a chair’s leg that had fallen off and got pretty handy with a screwdriver and hammer.  Those projects and lessons spilled over into my own life, and I believe she was the catalyst to my enjoying sewing and crafts today.  My mom also encouraged me to become the best person I could be, and she always believed in me when I did not.

I am reminded that, if my mother could turn something old into something new, God can do the same.  He loves us unconditionally and will create in us a new heart if we just ask.  Since God is the Potter and we are the clay, He creates and molds us into what He wants us to become on a daily basis.

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day and enjoy reminiscing about all the things you loved about your own mother.  Until next time.

In December, two days after Christmas, my husband and I celebrated our 43^rd wedding anniversary. Instead of spending time away at a special retreat, we decided to celebrate it with family members that we had not seen for a while and drove the 3-1/2 – 4 hours to be with them. In my heart, I felt the need to renew friendships and relationships with both family and friends and this was just the beginning.

Recently, I received a phone call from my brother whom I had not talked with in ten years. He had chosen to not let family members contact him by phone and to know his whereabouts. We tried several times to “google” him but came up with nothing. So I began to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to “speak to his heart” and have him contact someone in the family. Four weeks ago when I answered a routine phone call, it was my brother asking if he and his wife and daughter could visit with us the week after Easter. They stayed for most of the week, and we were able to catch up on the past ten years’ events. What a wonderful reunion. Other family members were notified of the wonderful time we spent with them. He is now planning to come back for another visit during Thanksgiving, along with two other family members and their families.

At this time in my life, it has become an important priority for me to renew friendships with both family and friends that I have not seen in quite a while. This week I had a visit from another sister who I had not seen in 15 years but talked to on the phone each week. She has a bipolar disorder and had some questions she needed answering by visiting with us.

Sometimes all it takes is simply a phone call or sending out a card telling family and/or friends that you have missed them in your life. You have initiated the contact and it is up to them whether they will choose to reciprocate like my brother and sister did.

I believe prayer is a powerful tool and that broken relationships can be restored, mended, and healed with just a simple act of kindness and compassion on our part. Don’t tell yourself that they should contact you first or wait until “one day” when you have more time. Take that leap of faith and renew those lost friendships with family and friends today. You will be happy you took the time and so will they.

Blessings on you until we talk soon.