End Of Days is here

I had no idea of how well of a fictional writer I was until yesterday. Last week I wrote Brawl at Summer Camp not knowing that son would be involved in an altercation this week. The incident was not as involved as my imagination had portrayed, it was just him and an older girl. I can’t cite the details as I do not know yet the full story. Basically niece did not budge when she watched a portion of incident and she joined the defense of the girl.

Whether it was “divine intervention”, “Lord works in mysterious ways”, or just coincidence, as some may feel, but it was a blessing that Sis needed me to drop off niece to Mom’s on my way home. In the approximate 10 minutes drive, their incessant bickering pushed me to my “I’m turning the both of you over to Grandma” limit.

In a way, Mom was pleased we had the opportunity to get to the heart of the HATE portion of their LOVE/HATE relationship. It took some prying but we were able to force verbalization of their feelings for one another. Whether it’s called the “Devil”, “Satan”, or “Anti-Christ”, the name doesn’t matter, but what they had to understand is that they are following it instead of God and the teachings of Jesus. A person can’t follow both evil AND good as they are opposite.

It was emotional for me as for 7 ½ months, they lived in my home as siblings. Both agreed that their friction increased during that time. It should have been expected as both had prior lived as an “only” child in a household and then had to adjust to sharing time, space, and attention from “parent(s)”. In some aspect their relationship did grow as they had someone readily for playtime when indoors, even though they wouldn’t admit it.

Thankfully, after techniques of role-reversal and eye-contact communication, they both admitted that they loved the other, but frequently disliked each other. It was a start.

This situation applies to not just them but our society. There is so much hatred and no love for the fellow person. This hatred does not always personify as physical violence, there is ignorance of homeless, spread of sexual diseases, bigotry, envy, road-rage, and something simple as negative assumptions.

In reference to the “End of Days” as written in the Book of Revelation in the Holy Bible, some recant the time as the physical destruction of the world, but what about the destruction of Love. It would seem that this destruction should matter more as this physical world does not exist in Heaven.

We pray that ‘thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven”, but can we ever expect “peace on Earth”?

A Child's Story To God

God
This story is realistic.
A long time ago people was in slavery. Some people died in slavery.
When Jesus was born, he heard God and he trusted him.
I want to obey God, see God and listen to God. Now God is my leader.
I wish I can squish the DEVIL. I hate the DEVIL. Other people like the DEVIL. Some people like God.
From now on, I am going to trust God and believe God.
He died for us.

THE END.

Written by Benjamin, son of Sista GP (Age 7)

Pics from last weekend's snow. You'll see the drainage issue that is my spring project.

What makes a life Grand?

I am not one who takes Blog Awards lightly. Each are special in their own unique way. underOvr (aka The U) has bestowed upon me the Life Is Grand Award and I am most grateful.
There are two requirements to this award: specify five ways why your life is grand and pass it on to five other bloggers. I have been led to approach my acceptance differently than I have done in the past.

As my brain cells squirmed with thoughts for this post, I began to take a look at my daily life. I asked myself, "What makes my life Grand?" In a time when I worry about employment stability because it's been less than a year in our home. Body tension erupts resulting from receiving a letter from my child's school informing me he has been suspended for "dishonest behavior". Then saddened that I'm not shocked because I have been dealing with that same behavior at home. My heart aches every time I realize that my niece has failed to receive some basic knowledge she should have had long ago. Failed by parents, relatives, AND educators as we all are responsible. As I dread paying the $300 electricity bill and make financial arrangements for medical expenses for procedures completed months ago, financial woes overcome me. As family and friends confide their woes to me, I've missed opportunities to do something I've planned.

There may be some who may think that a life with these concerns cannot be Grand, but it is because of these concerns my life IS. Monetary wealth is just a means to a way of physical life; just an aspect of this world. There is hope as my child had already confessed his wrongdoings a day before the letter was sent from the school. It is remarkable at the progress in my niece's life physically, emotionally, and academically in the four months she had been living with us. Thankful that this last medical bill arrived JUST AFTER the payoffs were sent for all of the previous outstanding ones. Humbled to know we all can rest comfortably warm during the many frigid nights this winter. It is an honor to know that some have trusted their confidence in me and to know the advice I speak is not my own; it was being delivered through me.

What all this comes to is my faith. My faith to believe life is not "half-empty" or "half-full", but filled to the rim. There are so many blessings in life, the cup "runeth over", all we need to do "seek and they shall be found".

My Life Is Grand, because my life is Blessed.

Here is the part where I am supposed to pass on this award to five other bloggers. Normally, I would review the blogs I follow to locate the ones that most affect me in the manner of the award and then select. In this case I am led to nominate "bloggers" of a different sort. They are the ultimate communicators. The most encouraging of mentors of living a grandious life. They have been the most effective in my life. I nominate:

• God
• Lord
• Father
• Son
• Holy Spirit

No explanation necessary.

would have been 77

As I unpacked yesterday in a urge to finally clear out boxes in my office. I opened a box of old books. I did not peruse them to see who they belonged to, but assumed they belonged to hubby since they were biblical study in nature.

After arriving from work, hubby looked at a few and said they were not his.

Puzzled, I opened one, Matthew Henry's COMMENTARY ON THE WHOLE BIBLE VOL. VI., and immediately saw my father's name and the address of his aunt's house. It is where he lived before he purchased the home for my mom a few months before they were married. This book was over 45 years old. The other addresses were my parents' first home and the address were I was raised.

Oddly, there was no copyright. I was able to find out that the original text was published in 1706. I am now intrigued. I have sent a message to the publising house. Hopefully someone will call me back.

Some of the other texts I found of his are ...
Bible Readings for the Home, 1949
James Moffatt, The Bible, A New Translation, several copyrights up to 1954
The Lost Books of the Bible, 1926

Now there were a few books that should belong to one of my brothers. I doubt they were apart of my father's collection and all of my old books and school texts have not been unpacked yet.

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, PART ONE and PART TWO
Stephen Demko, Primer for Linear Algebra

Ironic or coincidental, books that will provide another perspective into my father's life, are found on his would have been 77th birthday.

Happy Birthday Dad!

God's Little Cherub

A friend gave me permission to post this. Her daughter was in a critical auto accident a few years ago. Her survival that day and her recovery since has been a miracle blessing. Now her daughter has had another...

God's Little Cherub

***** I have witnessed another one of GOD’s miracles *****

You know the story about my daughter (Daughter1) injuries when she had the accident. All of her internal organs shut down. Last year in August she had a miscarriage. She was pregnant again in November. Her OB/GYN told her that her body rejects the shot and she can not take birth control pills.

Daughter1 arrived at the hospital on Wednesday morning around 10:00am. She was still one centimeter. The doctor gave her “something” to soften her uterus at 1:00pm. Still one cm. The nurse assured me that she will NOT have the baby until Friday morning or around noon. Still one cm, I got ready to leave at 11:00pm and was planning to come back by 6:00am. When I got up to leave, her water broke so I stayed. One hour after her water broke, she had dilated from 1cm to 4cm. It’s about 12:05 or so. She was hurting so bad, she asked for an epidural. Around 1:40 she dilated 8cm. Around 2:00 she had dialed 10cm. The baby would not come out. Every time she lay on her left side, his heart rate would drop. When she pushed, his heart rate would drop. Her nurse say there is a chance the cord was wrapped around his neck. At this point the doctors begin to prepare for a Cesarean. 10 minutes later, the baby acted liked he wanted to come out again. She pushed but his heart rate dropped so low the doctor stop. He went to prepare for the Cesarean again. The doctor told her to lay on her right side and do not push.

Daughter1 and I was the only two in the room. She looked up and said someone just sat on the bed with her. I said…..well, maybe it’s my mom. So she begins to relax. About 10 minutes later, she said someone is sitting on the bed and is rocking. I said Daughter1; it has to be GOD or maybe my mom and dad. After she laid there for 30 minutes, I went to get the nurse. I had a feeling that she should not just be laying there and his head was at the opening ready to come out. The nurse checked her and told her the baby had to come out now. She called for the respiratory specialists. At this point everything was critical. 10 respiratory specialists were in the room in less then 3 minutes. It was like they were waiting at the door. There were 16 people in the room which included Me, Daughter1 and Daughter2. As she being to push his heart rate begin to drop and I called on the name of Jesus and asked him to please come in the room with us. When Grandbaby3 came out, the cord was wrapped around his neck and a knot was in the cord. He was not breathing.

The specialists begin to work with him tying to get him to breathe. Everybody else was silent except the ones working with him. My daughters did not know that he was not breathing but I did. All I could say was Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Lord have mercy. One of the respiratory specialists kept hitting him in the lower part of this back and another one were clearing and cleaning him at the same time. The head nurse is a friend of mine and she kept looking at me as if she was worried. Grandbaby3 made a weak sound and I shouted and said breathe baby breathe. Scream baby scream. They kept working with him and he began to cry. Thank you Jesus.

The head nurse told me she had to give Grandbaby3 two breaths. I explained to Daughter1 and Daughter2 what I was told and what was going on. I told them Jesus was there and his angels were there with the baby. Daughter1 has not gotten much sleep. I stayed with her 4 days last week to help with the baby. He is a good baby. I keep telling Daughter1 that GOD did NOT bring her this far to leave her.

Just as the Lord is on her side, everything will be alright. Please hug yourself for me because you would have to have been there to feel the presence of Jesus.

I thank my GOD at ALL time for HIS mercy and HIS present in our lives.

now i know

Man of the house. Head of household. Father. Husband. Teacher. Leader. There are so many titles applicable to you. Your family was your life. Went to work each day, returned home each evening and there you stayed.

Taught me strength, courage, dedication. Taught me how to roof a house, mix concrete, lay bricks, change oil, change a tire and play horseshoe.

Represented the finest qualities to seek in a man. Represented the finest qualities of a man of God. At times you were not a man of many words, your actions spoke your meaning.

In your final hours, the last words I heard you spoke, you said to me, “you will find your answer”, I did not understand its meaning. Now I do. When you put your faith into the Lord, realize what truly matters is what is inside, then you are truly blessed. Jobs, houses, cars, worldly possessions are immaterial in the light of the Lord.

It took the loss of those items for me to focus my attention in the right direction. I possess those items again, but with a different perspective. There is no sense of “mine”. They just exist today and can easily be gone tomorrow. What matters is what is inside of me. My thoughts and actions represent who I am, what I am. A child of God.

At times I am saddened that you did not live to see me as I am now. Then I remember I know you are aware because of your presence in my dreams.

I thank you daddy for living your life as you had. I thank you for giving a daughter everything she needed in a father.

May your soul rest in peace.

april 25, 1998

ten years today i declared 'I DO'
solidifying i belonged to you

vowed to love, comfort, honor, and keep
the embodiment of your love in my soul deep

for richer or poorer, in sickness or health
your love the most valuable nature of wealth

through better or worse, sadness or joy
we were blessed with the birth of our boy

promised to honor and to cherish
a precious bond no need to embellish

although our life has not been what we've expected
my love for you has never deflected

through our trials and time apart
you are ever present in my heart

mutual prayer guides our way
through our destined path each and every day

most of all we must remember
keeping God first we will never surrender

this declaration comes from within
to my first love, my darling Ben

© 2008 Bernice Burks

Fear

How could a word so small control the majority for one’s life?

As children, we fear our parent’s wrath, loss of their love, and the ‘boogie’ man.
As teenagers, we fear lack of popularity, not ‘making the grade’, and making incorrect decisions that affect our future.

As adults, we fear financial instability, substandard parenting skills, and lack of a significant other.

Why should we fear these things? They are unknowns.
What are we lacking in our lives that allow us to succumb to these emotions?
How do we conquer these emotions?

God

The love of God erases the doubts of the unknown. Within faith, nothing should be feared.

© 2008 Bernice Burks