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Intercession to Destiny

25 Nov
16 Prayer Quotes — Quotes About Prayer

“Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:16 (KJV)

How often do we wish we could glimpse into the mind of God to find out why events happen, if we’re on the right track, how long we must endure a trial, and if we’ve heard his voice correctly?

Esther lost her parents at a very young age and was sent to live with her cousin Mordecai, a Godly Jewish man who sat within the gate of the King.  Did Ester question God as to why she was orphaned?  Did she feel lost and small and useless?  Did she wonder if her life would ever amount to anything?  Did she wonder if she would ever have a husband and a family of her own?

Mordecai taught her all of the Jewish customs and behaviors befitting a proper young lady.  When Esther was called to the palace for preparation and training to be Queen, she kept her humility and honored her family and their customs.  Did she have any idea that she would be crowned as Queen?  Did she have any idea that one day the future of the Jewish nation rested on her decisions, words, and actions?

Esther, her very life at stake, challenged her family and servants to fast and pray.  In her hands, and the prayers of her people, not only rested her very life, but that of every Jew.  For 3 days Esther and her people sought God for wisdom, peace, correct timing, and the correct words to speak to the King.  Esther didn’t realize that this night was critical, not only every living Jew in the kingdom, but to the very lineage of Jesus. 

On a smaller scale, I think I can understand how she must have felt.  I recently lost my job of many, many years and everything in my life immediately changed.  It took me several months to find another job, four hours away from where we lived.  Our new journey began.  As my worldly security diminished, my spiritual security increased.  Now our daily needs could not be met by my own abilities, they were being met by God.  I had to completely rely on God and His will for my family and I.

Like Esther, I have questioned God about why I am here, at this place and time.  What plan could God have for me here?  What sort of destiny could I have in a small town of non-Christian believers?  How can God ever use me here?  What can God’s will be; did I miss it?

At the hands of a young maiden who was crowned Queen, Esther saved the Jewish nation and was able to initiate a decree that destroyed all of the enemies of the Jews in the kingdom.  I don’t know what my destiny is here, but if it involves the salvation of just one soul, then all of the turmoil and change will be worth it.

Thank You God, that You use weak and imperfect vessels to touch the lives of Your children.  Thank You for using me.

Written 11/23/2011

Little Lady, I See You

13 Oct

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 (KJV)

The perception of purity grieves me for a number of reasons, not only for the scriptural reasons, but for the women, young and old, caught up in the belief that they must adhere to an immoral cultural standard to be accepted and loved.

The problem really exploded in the 60’s with the Vietnam War. The youth believed that someone was going to drop “the bomb” and we were all going to die. I had friends who vowed never to marry or have children because we were “all going to die soon.” The Haight-Ashbury Park was constantly on TV; free sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll; party and do what “feels good.” Thank goodness I didn’t get caught up in that culture.

I recognize that purity has been a problem since the beginning of time, if it hadn’t been it wouldn’t have been mentioned in the Bible. However, I suspect that with today’s media, our young people are bombarded and confused about what is morally right and acceptable.

In the last 5 years I’ve found it nearly impossible to find reasonably priced clothing in a modest style. Low cut tops and high midriffs, with tight low-cut pants, sends a sexual message, intended or not, that the wearer is available. After clothing stimulation are the TV shows where it is normal to have sex after a casual meeting with music in the background playing “I want to sex you up.” No wonder people are confused.

The culture doesn’t just affect the secular world, the children raised in church face the same issues. We teach them good values and then they have to live in a world where they look so out of norm. Kids tell them they are freaks and if they have to dress that way they don’t want to be Christians. Our kids feel caught between 2 worlds and most gravitate toward their peers.

When a person does step out of the secular world and comes to church, giving their heart to Jesus, a new dilemma arises – condemnation! What was acceptable clothing and behavior outside the church is an offense inside the church and they are torn between the pain of the world and the condemnation of the church.

Before we can teach a person about honor, strength, wisdom, commitment to Christ, fruitful lives and Christ-like intimacy, we have to help them understand who they are in Christ and the preciousness God sees in them. Until they realize that they are accepted, they will not be willing to change their lifestyles.

If the women and men of the church could encourage them in some area of their life, then they will work harder in that encouraged area and the Holy Spirit will work inside of them. The church can’t expect overnight change, they didn’t get where they are in a day and they won’t get out in a day. The more we encourage and spend time with them, the more they will want to model our walk and leave worldly behaviors behind. It takes the older, spiritually mature women, to guide the younger women in the right path; same with the spiritually mature men and young men. Love and respect will be the catalyst for true and continued growth.

The key for the church is mentoring, consistency and love. Once modesty is understood, the other areas will fall into place. You can’t teach honor, wisdom, spiritual strength or a fruitful life, but you can model it. If church representatives dress seductively, the newcomers will become confused and leave. If leadership doesn’t set boundaries for worship teams and platform attire, how can we expect the congregation to be modest? People will follow the area of your life that they see honors Christ. They will want the peace and the joy you have and will see how you attain it. They will read stories in the Bible and see how change in people’s lives brought about a change in the world. They will want to make a difference too. We teach by our walk, our love, our encouragement, just like Jesus did with His disciples. That’s an okay thing; maybe that’s the PERFECT thing.

Father God, please always let me see the person inside, and not what is hanging on the outside. Let me see others with Your eyes.

Written 3-11-2010 / Published 10-13-2021

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When Your World Stands Still

26 Jul
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After retiring, and then developing a debilitating chronic illness, I realized how very difficult it was to continue any sort of a “normal life”. When you spend 50 years up at 6am, off to work by 7am, home by 6pm, meals to prepare, chores to do, kids to help, events to plan, meetings to prepare for, go, go, go, go – and then all of the sudden – STOP – you get lost. You lose your purpose. You don’t know why you are alive anymore. You fall into depression.

This article is about how to continue to feel useful. It’s about how to make purpose out of your non-working life. It’s about realizing how very important your days, hours, minutes and seconds are; not just to you, but to so many other people who have been waiting for someone like you, someone who cares.

After I recognized how to pull myself out of the “why should I even get out of bed” syndrome I noticed that I wasn’t the only “mover and shaker” lost in the transition. Not everyone was a retired person, some were people who had lost jobs, graduated from college and didn’t have something to shift into right away, became ill, or had children and chose to stay home to care for them. Each battled an “importance” in their lives that had to be developed by retraining what was REQUIRED of them, to what was NECESSARY for them to feel their value.

This is a list of things that helped me, and I hope will help you, to restart your time clock to your new “normal”. These steps will help you find focus, purpose, and a new way of seeing your value. I encourage you to take the time to read and consider these suggestions.

How Do I Get My Life Back:

  • Set your alarm – get up by ______. It doesn’t have to be 6am anymore, but it has to be a time that you are accountable to adhering too. I found that I was usually awake early by habit because of my years of working, so I made that automatic wake up time my alarm time. Laying in bed leads to overthinking and depression.
  • Make your bed. Once your bed is made it is harder to just climb back in and lay there thinking about what used to be. Make it and walk out of the room. Go have coffee at the kitchen table or in the living room; anywhere but the bedroom.
  • Change out of your pajamas. It is so easy to live for days in those soft wonderful PJs, but it is hard to not think of returning to bed or vegging on the sofa when you are wearing them! Get dressed. Wear something that you would wear if you were heading to town. Start your day with deliberate anticipation.
  • Eat breakfast by _____. Just like when you worked away from home, you need that most important meal of the day – Breakfast!! Get up and eat. You will feel more determined when you are ready for anything that may come. A good breakfast will give you the energy and soundness of mind to tackle whatever chore you have placed on your calendar.
  • Computer time. It’s great to get on the computer and connect with folks from far and near, but it isn’t okay to spend all day surfing memes and accomplishing nothing! Determine a time for social media. Determine a time for research. Determine a time for game playing. Determine a time to turn the computer off. The computer is a tool that can become an addiction if not monitored carefully. You are the only one who knows what is a healthy time and what is not. You may be on the computer more than others if you have decided to write a book, or research a whole new area, or ???? But you need to decide what is enough and set a healthy boundary.
  • Contact and encourage people in their best way. Each person relates to other people in different ways, and each of your friends relates to you in different ways. I was homebound, not allowed to be around people for many years (immune system problems), and I had little to no phone service. The best way to stay in touch with me was to email or text me. Each of your friends have a different preference, be sure to reach out in the way that they relate to the best. You don’t have to contact people every day, but find a day (or days) of the week dedicated to reaching out. I have several people that I text every day, first thing in the morning, to encourage them. Some people I will send a note, or an email of interest, or a snail mail letter as often as once a week, or as rare as once a month.
    • Email
    • Text
    • Messenger
    • Phone call
    • Visit in person
    • Mail a card or a letter
  • Eat lunch by _____. Don’t let the day go by and realize that you have forgot to eat because the folks you usually ate lunch with aren’t there. Make an actual lunch, not just a handful of chips!! Make a lunch date once every week or two, nothing better than spending 45 minutes to an hour visiting with a friend over a meal. I have found that setting alarms in my phone for stopping for a meal, or exercise, or ??, truly helps.
  • Read – Write – Study. Set a time for yourself to accomplish these areas and write what you have accomplished in a calendar or journal. Don’t rely on your memory to keep track of everything, there are just too many distractions in a day. Write it down and every once in a while, go back and see what you have accomplished.
  • Learn something new every day. Doesn’t matter what it is, it keeps your mind young and your memory strong. It could be as simple as the color of a particular flower, to a process of accomplishing a chore, or to the history of the American WWII fighter pilots. Write it down!!
  • Volunteer at least once a week at a non-profit or church. You have valuable skills that others need. There are so many agencies that need help and so few volunteers. You age isn’t usually an issue, it’s the helpful attitude that makes the big difference.
    • Animal shelters need people to love on animals, take them for walks, give them a bath, even read stories to them.
    • Senior Centers often have kitchens where you can prepare meals, deliver meals, cook, or wash dishes. They also generally have a thrift shop where you can help sort items and price them for sale.
    • Libraries have story hours and are always looking for people to read to the children.
    • Men’s and Women’s shelters need people to help clean, encourage, and research for resources for the people in their care.
    • Food banks always need volunteers to stock shelves, fill food boxes, deliver to the shut ins, and pick up special donations.
    • Churches always need people to help clean and prepare the rooms for classes, services, and special projects in the community.
    • Many companies have on staff Chaplains that are volunteers. They help with employees experiencing life changing events.
    • Hospitals have needs for volunteers to help patients get to their area of care. Directing people, pushing wheelchairs, comforting a spouse or child dealing with very difficult emotions from the loss of a loved one.
  • Eat dinner by _____. Just like when you worked, dinner is the “end of the day meal” that makes the break from “Work” to “Pleasure”! Set the table, make a full meal, sit down, take the time to relax and reflect on your day, just like you have always done. Don’t grab something cold out of the refrigerator and hang over the kitchen sink to eat it. You are more important than that. You deserve the extra time for a favorite meal with soft music and candle on the table. Set a time – not just whenever!!
  • Visit others. Remember when you wished you had the time to go visit a relative far away, but you never did? Schedule a time. Make plans and have an agenda for when you get there. Pick up those travel brochures for the area they are in and make plans to visit a number of sites each day. Make it a special event, not just a drive by, say “Hello!” and off again. Make it special.
  • Take a class. What have you always wanted to learn but never had the time to go to a class to learn it? Drawing, painting, a foreign language, auto mechanics, computer skills, gardening, animal husbandry, so many other subjects are out there to choose from. Go online and find where they offer those sorts of classes. It could be a college, a library, a business that offers evening classes, it could be online classes. There are so many options. The more you challenge your mind, the younger it stays.
  • Start a hobby you always wanted to try. Wow, that’s such a huge base, I wouldn’t even know what to suggest. In my case I wasn’t allowed to exert myself, so I started to watercolor. I tossed a whole lot of paintings in the trash at first, but now I actually sell some! I learned from online tutorials and purchasing my supplies online that were delivered to my door. If you really want to do something, you will find a way to make it happen.
  • It’s ok to watch TV, as long as it isn’t taking over your day. Set a boundary for yourself for normal day viewing. There are always those stormy weekends when you want to curl up in a soft blanket and binge watch something. That’s okay, as long as it isn’t every day. I don’t turn my TV on until after 6pm. It keeps me from losing focus on what I have set for my daily practices to keep myself strong mentally and physically.
  • Go to the library, museum, bookstore, and/or school. I always wished that I had more time to go to these places. Grab out your calendar and plan a day a month, or a week, to go enjoy. Learn as you explore. Journal what you found and how you felt when you were there.
  • Invite friends and family over to play board games. Pop the popcorn, make the Kool aide, clear the table, get ready for a few hours of laughter and challenges. I have found the greatest joy in board games. Everyone just becomes themselves – vulnerable and silly!!
  • Invite folks over for a meal. If you think that you are the only one who wishes that they had someone else to talk to for a bit, you are sadly mistaken. Many wonderful friendships have developed over a hamburger and French fries!! Having people to your home requires planning, setting up, and preparation. If you can only invite one person because of financial constraints, then just invite one, or you could organize a monthly potluck where everyone brings something. The more the merrier! Provide the place for people to gather. You will be surprised at how many people are looking for others to spend time with, just like you.
  • Meet a friend for coffee. If you don’t have a local friend, make a new friend at a coffee shop, or a safe place. It may be brief, or it could start out as a short visit that turns into a life changing event. Offering encouragement or listening to someone going through a difficult time is such a blessing for both of you. You may be listening this time, but next time you may be the person who needs a listening ear.
  • Bake a dessert for a family or someone who is shut in. This is something that has almost been lost over the generations. I remember when I was a child that people would bring us a dessert when we moved into a neighborhood, or when one of the family took ill. It doesn’t take much time to bake something, and if you aren’t skilled in that area, there are lots of desserts to choose from at the grocery store. The important thing is that people will realize that you care and are willing to be there for them when they feel so alone. What better feeling is there than that.
  • Send cards and letters to folks who mean something to you, or even a stranger that someone has made you aware of that is going through a difficult time. The years of Birthday Cards and Christmas Cards through snail mail are almost gone. I paint cards for people to say thank you, bless them in an event, or just to let them know that I am thinking of them. I always receive a wonderful response, it blesses me as much as it does them.
  • Start a blog. It isn’t that hard and there are folks who can help you get it going. Share your story. Your story may seem unique to you, but you will be blessed and surprised at the responses you get from others who are going through the same or similar situations. Share the wisdom you have developed over the years. Teach through your blog. Encourage through your blog. Offer questions of intrigue on your blog.
  • Write a book. It isn’t as hard as you think. It could start with your blog, then compiling the blogs into a format that others would enjoy. You could probably take a class that could help you develop the skills to share the story that has been in the back of your mind for years and years. It could be a paper book or an eBook or a coloring book or a children’s book or a book of your photos or illustrations. But it will never exist until you take the time to sit down and write out an outline and then fill in the gaps with the journey and characters and unique storyline that only you can share.
  • Plant a garden and can the overflow. I love gardening and have always had something growing. At some of my homes it was small. At some of my homes the plants grew so well that I had to give away fruits and vegetables, and in a few places I was able to can my fruits and vegetables for sale and storage.
  • Raise chickens and ducks and sell the eggs. This is one of my favorite things to do. Those little lives all have their own little personalities and quirks! Plus, I made a good income from the sale of fresh cage-free eggs. Double benefit!!
  • Find something you are interested in and learn everything you can about it. Visit it, write about it, teach about it. Find your passion. I know that I have repeated this several times in this article, but it is critically important. What makes you excited to get up for? How can you share and teach that excitement to others? You used to HAVE to get up, now you need to find something that makes you WANT to get up. What is it???
  • Drive to a lake to reflect and journal. I love doing this. Just finding a place of peace to review where I am in life, how it relates to where I have been and where I want to be. Journal your thoughts.
  • Go on a hike. The time it takes you walk has so many benefits. Physically it helps you stay in shape and strengthen your lungs and heart. Mentally you reflect on what you are seeing, how it relates to where you are in life, where you can go to build on the desires you have had, but never had time to do before.
  • Find an accountability partner. This is the best thing that I have ever done. Someone who keeps you accountable to the things in life you want to accomplish, and those that you don’t want to fall back into. Your accountability partner could be the person you have lunch with, coffee with, invite over for dinner, or email when things get tough. It is someone that you trust with your dreams and your failures. It is someone that you give permission to correct you, or encourage you, or turn you around when you are heading in the wrong direction. My closest friends and family are my accountability partners, but who you choose depends on your personality and who you feel safest speaking too. It could also be a counselor or a priest.
  • Join a gym. You definitely need an accountability partner here! Someone to challenge you and make sure that you don’t skip out on your scheduled time to exercise and grow. Plus, we all feel so much better after getting a good workout. Warning – it could result in the purchasing of a new wardrobe! Nothing wrong with that!!
  • Find a group to join that meets at least once a week. Find a subject that you want to know more about and find a group that meets about it. You will find people of like minds in subjects that you can share your expertise in and that you can learn from. What a better way to make new friends with your same interests and desires.

I hope this writing has encouraged you to take control of your life when things around you seem to be crashing down. You can make the changes you need to find your purpose once again. You can make the change to start a new career, or begin a new endeavour that you never had the time to begin before. You can find a reason to get out of bed every morning with enthusiasm for what you are about to encounter and learn. I believe in you, believe in yourself.

I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences about your journey to your “New Normal”.

—

By Linda J Humes

written 1-2-2021 Republished 7-26-2021

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What Are You Going To Do About It?

12 Jul

Well, Did You?

Revisited 7-12-2021

So, I am going to share a little of my point of view. Folks are sharing posts saying that they believe the Rapture is almost here – I disagree. I firmly believe Genesis 50:20 –

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

Yes, these times have been hard and even a bit unfair – but God!!

  • How many times in years past have you said that you wished your family was all together for meals? Able to spend time together playing games and just talking? This gave you that opportunity – did you take it?
  • How many times have you prayed to God for more time to pray, seek, read the Bible and study? This gave you that opportunity – did you take it?
  • How many times did you say that you wished you had time to try new recipes or start canning or make a bunch of different sorts of desserts? This gave you that opportunity – did you take it?
  • How many times have you said (or thought) that you wish you had more time to connect with distant family and friends – send a card, send a letter, start a texting conversation? This gave you that opportunity – did you take it?
  • How many times did you wish that you had time to start a backyard garden or re-pot house plants or start a new hobby that you have always wanted to start? This gave you that opportunity – did you take it?

I understand the oppression and depression that has come with this time of our lives, I really do – I fell right in with everyone else. I had to stop watching the news on TV. I had to block pages on my FB that was FB spamming all sorts of negative things. I had to tell myself to get out of bed and make a difference in this chaos!

What can YOU do? Get out a piece of paper. Make a list of all of the things that you wished you could have done in the past, but never had the time to do.

  • If you don’t have the supplies for some of the, post a note on FB or the Online Yard Sales for supplies for – for instance – painting. Make a note that you needs inexpensive supplies – I bet folks will send them to you for free or for very little. You would be surprised at the number of people who will step up along side you – because – well – they are in the same pandemic as you !! Also, the dollar stores always have a small section of crafting supplies for really cheap – then as you get better you won’t mind spending a little extra on good supplies.
  • Send an encouraging email – or MEME on FB – or a text message to someone every day! Doesn’t have to be the same person, just pray and see who God puts on your heart.
  • Read a new book – lots of your friends will give you suggestions of great books to read, I have seen it over and over again lately.
  • Bake that dessert!! YUM.
  • Google a recipe for something you have always wanted to try – you will get a dozen hits! Read through to the ones that find your fancy and give it a shot.
  • Build that tent fort in the living room and gather the family for story time or desserts or old fashioned kids songs or ??? Well, just take a nap!!
  • Get that Bible out and a good Bible Study (hundreds are online) and a good “read the Bible in an year plan” – And Get Started!!
  • Your Turn: Put suggestions in the comments below – be “G rated” please.

What are you waiting for? What if you find out that there are actually wonderful things you can do while locked in at home. Yes, it is scary at times. Yes, financial burdens can be overwhelming. Yes, it isn’t always fun being alone.

SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?!?!?!?!

I am praying blessing over you. I am praying an enhanced imagination over you. I am praying peace over you. I am saying “Seize the time!” Refuse to live in fear. Refuse to live in depression. Refuse to live in oppression. Make every day count.

—–

Original Written 7-12-2020

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Musings From A Princess Bed

6 Jul

I was awakened by a bright light coming through the curtains. It was the moon, brighter than I had ever seen before. 4:00 AM!

“Good Morning Lord! Speak to me, why have you awakened me with the moon?”

“It’s time to write My daughter,” He said.

We shared a sweet time of prayer and reflection. I walked outside, the scripture echoed inside of me, “To him that made great lights: for His mercy endureth forever. The sun to rule by day: for His mercy endureth forever: The moon and stars to rule by night: for His mercy endureth forever:” Psalm 136:7-9

His Mercy Endureth Forever!! Selah!!

 We all begin new journeys. Some journeys are amazing. Some journeys are enlightening. Some journeys are very difficult. All journeys help us grow, in one way or another. We can grow spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, and (ahem!) physically!! And some journeys are . . . well . . . adventures in disguise!!

I have been on so many journeys in my lifetime. I like to believe that we all begin a new journey every year on our birthday, those are the journeys of home and growth, entwined with dreams and planning for the future. But then there are those journeys that sort of begin without warning and take you to places that test you to the very core. I started one of those journeys several months ago; walk with me for a while!

The Journey Begins

I sold my home in Snowflake, AZ in March of 2021. I felt that I had received a fair price for my home, I had taken very good care of it and it was on a nice piece of land. I had to rehome some of my farm animals; I won’t kid you, that was very hard. I had all of the possessions at my home moved to Chino Valley, AZ where I planned to purchase another home and settle into the last home I will purchase (Note: I told myself that on the last 2 purchases too). What I didn’t understand was that the homes in Snowflake were much less expensive than the homes in Chino Valley and surrounding cities, and to purchase a home here of the quality I had there would be $100,000 more than I received for my home there. 

I hadn’t found a home to purchase before I left Snowflake and there weren’t any meeting my needs up for sale. My time was fast approaching to leave my home in Snowflake and go . . . where??  I posted on Facebook and asked everyone in the area to keep their eyes open for me as I was soon going to be in quite a predicament with 4 dogs and a 20 pound cat and only my van to stay in.  All my possessions were in 2 storage lockers, one in Chino Valley and one in Snowflake. 

A dear friend contacted me and said that I could stay with her. I kept reminding her of my fur family and she said it was okay. As the days approached I would text her every day and ask again if it was ok, the answer was always yes. I really don’t think she understood exactly what she was getting into. All of my animals are rescues and very nervous with change and new people. They sleep as close as they can get to me and never leave my side during the day.  Thankfully, since they have all been in shelters and around a lot of other animals they were good with the new environment and the additional cats and dogs when I arrived. What a blessing that was. 

My new temporary home was a 10’ x 10’ bedroom, minus a door. There was plenty of room for the floor blankets and suitcases and 2 pet carriers. The interesting part of the room was that the only bed was a princess bed. Yep, hand built by the lady of the house for her young daughter. This princess bed was to be my place of rest for the next several months. 

I learned a lot while sleeping in that bed! Let me share some of those “Musings” with you. Place yourself in that setting and smile with me on this journey.

The Unique Qualities of Sleeping in a Princess Bed!!

There is a definite stacking order when getting fitted into the princess bed. Largest participant should be first (that’s me), then the next sized participant (that’s my 20 lb cat), and then the smallest – my little 4 pound dog, Joseph Moses! He often gets moved around until we all fit like puzzle pieces, and once installed NO ONE MOVES;mostly because we don’t want to squish Joseph Moses. There are railings all the way around the Princess bed and there isn’t any chance of anyone falling out! I guess that’s good – right?? Poor Joe.  **sigh**

When you have dogs they always want to be right next to you – when you eat, when you watch a movie, when you write and especially when you sleep. It is complicated enough to get out of a princess bed at my age, let alone have the only exit blocked by 3-4 dogs at any given time! **sigh**  All Princess Beds should come with servants to help you get in and out!

I think I need a big Princess hat (the pointy one with tulle dangling) and Princess shoes (the ones with the curled up toes)! Wait! Uummm, maybe not – Scratch that!!

When you climb into a princess bed you can feel every bruise, scratch and “ouchie” on your hands, wrists and knees. Being the graceful grandma that I am, face-planting is not unusual! I have lots of experience in yipping “ouch” with every inch across the bed to the top. **sigh**  I think I need to consider a bubble-wrap suit.

Pain is still pain in a Princess bed. It isn’t better, it isn’t worse, it just is. Physical, emotional or psychological pain doesn’t give way to how fancy your bed is, it just doesn’t. I guess that’s just for the fairytales!

I have discovered that trying to sleep with all those pillows in the corner of the Princess bed is not as easy as it seems it might be. I start out on top of all the pillows and end up underneath them all. Not sure what happens in the middle of the night to end up with that result. I generally wake up early in the morning (blame the dogs dancing around) with a Trump hairdo!! Yay! Actually, he wears it much better than I do. **sigh**

I went to get my haircut so it would actually look nice and found out that all hair cutting personnel are not created equal!! In this area of the world it took 2 different hair stylists and 3 tries, to attempt to make something of my mop. The first one did such a bad job that the second one threw up her hands after a half hour and said “That’s the best I can do!” Note to self, may be time to look into wigs for such a time as this!!  **sigh**  I am definitely not princess material!!

Dreams don’t change in a Princess bed. You don’t dream of Knights or castles or dragons, or even of a handsome prince. You still have the crazy dreams you always had that rarely made sense. But, if you blame it on the bed others will likely nod in agreement, because, most likely, they don’t have anything to compare it to. I guess that can be good! Right?

There’s a silver cherub face glued to the wall opposite the wall with the Princess bed. It appears to be blowing silver stars across the wall. If you shine a flashlight on it in the dark it reflects up and the stars glow on the ceiling. That makes me smile every time. Why do I have a flashlight in bed? Because the light switch is on the same side of the room as the cherub face. **sigh**

If you think changing sheets on a regular bed is a pain, try changing sheets on a Princess bed where the mattress is wedged in so tight that you have to really manipulate the sheet to get it to go between the rails and the mattress. Consequently most of the sheet and covers lay on top of the mattress and on those “toss and turn” nights (everyone must turn in unison) all the covers end up in a big pile in the middle of the bed. Poor Joe – he’s usually at the bottom of the pile somewhere.

Must I even bring up the issues of drinking too much water before bed and having to get up and visit the “facility” in the middle of the night?!?!?! **sigh**  I didn’t think so.

One nice thing about sleeping in a Princess bed is that you actually have 2 roofs over your head! So in the event that we ever get rain (it is Arizona after all) and it leaks through the first roof, I have a little more protection! Maybe. HHHmmmm????

Getting in and out of a Princess bed is the biggest challenge of sleeping in one. There are 2 possible methods: Crawling across on your hands and knees and scooting across on your behind. Crawling can be hard at this age, but scooting can be quite embarrassing if you aren’t careful (literally). I generally crawl. Enough said!

Shiloh, my biggest dog (130 pounds) has always awakened me by licking my toes, which generally stick out at the end of the covers. One morning was quite cold and I had pulled up into a ball to stay warm under the covers. Shiloh “had to go!” What’s a dog to do??? In she hopped and started digging in the covers to find my toes! Nothing like slimy toes at 4 in the morning. UUGGHH!! Plus a quick retreat to the yard to solve the original issue. Really looking forward to a yard with a fence and a gate! **sigh**

Sleeping in a Princess bed doesn’t automatically make you a Princess. If it did I would have control of the Mariachi music playing at 2am almost every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If it did I wouldn’t have to do a daily pooper scoop of the dog doo!! If it did I wouldn’t have to do any chores. No, sleeping in a Princess bed definitely doesn’t make you a Princess. I still think it should come servants. 

What do I love about sleeping in a Princess bed? I get to be close to my dear friends. I get to look for my new home in person instead of online. I have a place to live and have all of my dogs and Cat (that’s his name – Cat) with me. And most of all, I get to attend a church that I have missed so much for 10 years and it is still so on fire for Jesus that you can almost see the flames on top of the church building. And that makes sleeping in a Princess bed all worthwhile.

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The Story of Jan’s Mom

18 Feb

“And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth” Revelation 14:2-3 KJV

I woke up this morning with a most vivid memory. It was about a woman that I knew 50 years ago, an amazing woman that I haven’t thought about in such a very long time. A woman that made a powerful impact on my life, but I never really realized it until just today, this morning, in the dark before dawn when everything seems to be more pronounced and clear.

This is the story of that woman. Jan’s Mom. I don’t remember her name for sure, but Ruth echos in my mind. I’m not sure whether Ruth was her name or whether her story reminds me so much of Ruth in the Bible that I have honored her with it. It fits her.

Ruth was a frail looking woman in 50’s when I met her. She was the mom of my husband’s best friend, Jan. If you saw her on the street you might think that she was eccentric, perhaps not “all there”, but you would be wrong. She was . . . Ruth.

Ruth lived in a simple 50s home in Tempe, AZ not far from the ASU campus. In her home were 2 pianos, an upright in what was designed to be a living room, and a baby grand piano in what was designed to be the family room / dining room. Besides the pianos there was a small inexpensive dining table with 4 chairs neatly placed around it. That was it. Nothing more. I never went into any of the back rooms. I suspect that Jan may have had a traditional bedroom, but I never saw, I only assume.

Ruth wore 2 long bath towels stitched together at the shoulders and along the side, with a heavy string around her waist. During the winter she wore a long sleeve shirt underneath, but when it was warm, just the towels. On her feet were cheap flip-flops with the strap designed to go between your toes behind her heal and several wraps of duct tape making a strap towards the front for her to slip her toes into. She always wore socks with them. Always.

Ruth made her living teaching children to play the piano. She had developed a numbering system to teach the basics of music and after the students had mastered it she taught them the notes that associated with the numbers. I never quite understood it, but I heard the results of her teaching and it was amazing. She taught them the gift of music, the basic structure of music, the love of music. They played because they wanted to, not because their parents were forcing them to take lessons. You could see in their eyes that they loved the sounds that resonated when they sat at the keyboard.

Ruth drank water from an old jar, but made sure that I had a plastic drinking cup to drink my water from. She always had one soda set aside for my husband, it was his favorite drink and she would always make sure that she had one just for him. Every day she ate tuna from a can for lunch. The cans were kept in a bag to be recycled. Nothing was ever wasted. Every thing had a purpose.

In the family room was a fireplace and on the floor in front of it was a stack of laid out towels. Long ones. That’s where Ruth slept. During the day she would walk around the neighborhood with a cloth bag and collect up pieces of wood to bring home. If she found out about a home being remodeled or a area where they were building new homes, she would go pick up the wood pieces that were going to be discarded and she brought them home. That was how she warmed her home. A small fire in the fireplace, right next to the stack of towels on the floor where she slept, a few towels beneath and a few towels on top for comfort.

Whenever I visited Ruth we sat at the little table and talked. Her skin was so thin you could see her veins beneath. Her brown and gray streaked hair fell on her shoulders, framing her wonderful face that always paid complete and absolute attention to every word you spoke. She would always place a piece of blank paper and a pencil where I sat because she knew that I liked to doodle. So, as she paid her undivided attention to another at the table, I would doodle. When she gave me her undivided attention, I would honor her with the same. When I would leave she would collect the doodles and put them on the front of her refrigerator. Maybe she knew that one day I would become an artist. I wonder if she did.

When Ruth listened to you speak it was as if you were the most important person in the world and every word you said was imperatively important. Her eyes were focused on yours and she nodded as she listened to encourage or agree on points. She never gazed around the room or in the direction of another, when it was your time to talk; you were the only thing that she focused on. I never had met anyone who did that before. I was 1 of 5 children and in my home focus was always broken as craziness was happening all around. Not with Ruth. When I talked to her I felt very important. I felt like my words mattered. I felt like I was being heard. And yet, all the time that Ruth listened or spoke with you her hands were playing a song on the dining table. Not a simple 2 or 3 finger picking song, but her hands danced across the table, back and forth, just as if she was sitting at the piano keyboard. She was playing wonderful music that only she could hear as we shared precious time together.

Ruth was a wonderful classical music pianist and I often wondered if our conversations were being spoken over the sweet echo of Debussy or the strong impacting Beethoven, or perhaps somewhere in between with Bach, maybe the sweet lullabies of Brahms. I never knew. But I knew that music was so much of a part of her that it never left her for a moment. What a wonderful peaceful place to be.

I remember her out on the back patio, planting vegetables in Styrofoam lunch coolers she had found discarded along the road, and swaying with the music only she could hear. Her little Styrofoam garden did very well in the AZ heat, I wonder if those plants could hear the music as it flowed through her fingers into the soil. I could not hear the music, but I could feel its presence within her.

I felt as if God had given Ruth a very special place to be even when her environment was not the best. A place in her mind where there always was beautiful music and peace. She was never sad or angry. I didn’t ask about her life before, how she came to live such a simple life. She seemed content and that was all that I needed to know. She was an amazing person and I am sure that she touched the deep lives of many, many people.

I don’t know what happened to her. My life moved on and I lost touch with her. I never told her how much she meant to me; I regret that. I never spoke to her about her spiritual life, but if I were to guess, I would bet that she had a very special relationship with God. I bet she heard the music of Heaven in her head every minute of the day. I bet she’s in the angel choir. I miss you Ruth. I wish I had told you 50 years ago how much you touched my life.

I want to be like Ruth. I do hear the music every day, all day, but I want to spend time with others looking intently into their eyes as they speak, making them feel like every word they speak is critically important. I want to hand them a paper and a pencil and have them doodle as they formulate new ideas and thoughts to share. I want to put their doodles up on the refrigerator so that the next time they visit they realize that I didn’t forget about them.

Thank you Ruth for being you. Thank you God for reminding me on this cold winter morning about an amazing person that made such a difference in my life.

Written 2-18-2021

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When Your World Stands Still

2 Jan

After retiring, and then developing a debilitating chronic illness, I realized how very difficult it was to continue any sort of a “normal life”. When you spend 50 years up at 6am, off to work by 7am, home by 6pm, meals to prepare, chores to do, kids to help, events to plan, meetings to prepare for, go, go, go, go – and then all of the sudden – STOP – you get lost. You lose your purpose. You don’t know why you are alive anymore. You fall into depression.

This article is about how to continue to feel useful. It’s about how to make purpose out of your non-working life. It’s about realizing how very important your days, hours, minutes and seconds are; not just to you, but to so many other people who have been waiting for someone like you, someone who cares.

After I recognized how to pull myself out of the “why should I even get out of bed” syndrome I noticed that I wasn’t the only “mover and shaker” lost in the transition. Not everyone was a retired person, some were people who had lost jobs, graduated from college and didn’t have something to shift into right away, became ill, or had children and chose to stay home to care for them. Each battled an “importance” in their lives that had to be developed by retraining what was REQUIRED of them, to what was NECESSARY for them to feel their value.

This is a list of things that helped me, and I hope will help you, to restart your time clock to your new “normal”. These steps will help you find focus, purpose, and a new way of seeing your value. I encourage you to take the time to read and consider these suggestions.

How Do I Get My Life Back:

  • Set your alarm – get up by ______. It doesn’t have to be 6am anymore, but it has to be a time that you are accountable to adhering too. I found that I was usually awake early by habit because of my years of working, so I made that automatic wake up time my alarm time. Laying in bed leads to overthinking and depression.
  • Make your bed. Once your bed is made it is harder to just climb back in and lay there thinking about what used to be. Make it and walk out of the room. Go have coffee at the kitchen table or in the living room; anywhere but the bedroom.
  • Change out of your pajamas. It is so easy to live for days in those soft wonderful PJs, but it is hard to not think of returning to bed or vegging on the sofa when you are wearing them! Get dressed. Wear something that you would wear if you were heading to town. Start your day with deliberate anticipation.
  • Eat breakfast by _____. Just like when you worked away from home, you need that most important meal of the day – Breakfast!! Get up and eat. You will feel more determined when you are ready for anything that may come. A good breakfast will give you the energy and soundness of mind to tackle whatever chore you have placed on your calendar.
  • Computer time. It’s great to get on the computer and connect with folks from far and near, but it isn’t okay to spend all day surfing memes and accomplishing nothing! Determine a time for social media. Determine a time for research. Determine a time for game playing. Determine a time to turn the computer off. The computer is a tool that can become an addiction if not monitored carefully. You are the only one who knows what is a healthy time and what is not. You may be on the computer more than others if you have decided to write a book, or research a whole new area, or ???? But you need to decide what is enough and set a healthy boundary.
  • Contact and encourage people in their best way. Each person relates to other people in different ways, and each of your friends relates to you in different ways. I was homebound, not allowed to be around people for many years (immune system problems), and I had little to no phone service. The best way to stay in touch with me was to email or text me. Each of your friends have a different preference, be sure to reach out in the way that they relate to the best. You don’t have to contact people every day, but find a day (or days) of the week dedicated to reaching out. I have several people that I text every day, first thing in the morning, to encourage them. Some people I will send a note, or an email of interest, or a snail mail letter as often as once a week, or as rare as once a month.
    • Email
    • Text
    • Messenger
    • Phone call
    • Visit in person
    • Mail a card or a letter
  • Eat lunch by _____. Don’t let the day go by and realize that you have forgot to eat because the folks you usually ate lunch with aren’t there. Make an actual lunch, not just a handful of chips!! Make a lunch date once every week or two, nothing better than spending 45 minutes to an hour visiting with a friend over a meal. I have found that setting alarms in my phone for stopping for a meal, or exercise, or ??, truly helps.
  • Read – Write – Study. Set a time for yourself to accomplish these areas and write what you have accomplished in a calendar or journal. Don’t rely on your memory to keep track of everything, there are just too many distractions in a day. Write it down and every once in a while, go back and see what you have accomplished.
  • Learn something new every day. Doesn’t matter what it is, it keeps your mind young and your memory strong. It could be as simple as the color of a particular flower, to a process of accomplishing a chore, or to the history of the American WWII fighter pilots. Write it down!!
  • Volunteer at least once a week at a non-profit or church. You have valuable skills that others need. There are so many agencies that need help and so few volunteers. You age isn’t usually an issue, it’s the helpful attitude that makes the big difference.
    • Animal shelters need people to love on animals, take them for walks, give them a bath, even read stories to them.
    • Senior Centers often have kitchens where you can prepare meals, deliver meals, cook, or wash dishes. They also generally have a thrift shop where you can help sort items and price them for sale.
    • Libraries have story hours and are always looking for people to read to the children.
    • Men’s and Women’s shelters need people to help clean, encourage, and research for resources for the people in their care.
    • Food banks always need volunteers to stock shelves, fill food boxes, deliver to the shut ins, and pick up special donations.
    • Churches always need people to help clean and prepare the rooms for classes, services, and special projects in the community.
    • Many companies have on staff Chaplains that are volunteers. They help with employees experiencing life changing events.
    • Hospitals have needs for volunteers to help patients get to their area of care. Directing people, pushing wheelchairs, comforting a spouse or child dealing with very difficult emotions from the loss of a loved one.
  • Eat dinner by _____. Just like when you worked, dinner is the “end of the day meal” that makes the break from “Work” to “Pleasure”! Set the table, make a full meal, sit down, take the time to relax and reflect on your day, just like you have always done. Don’t grab something cold out of the refrigerator and hang over the kitchen sink to eat it. You are more important than that. You deserve the extra time for a favorite meal with soft music and candle on the table. Set a time – not just whenever!!
  • Visit others. Remember when you wished you had the time to go visit a relative far away, but you never did? Schedule a time. Make plans and have an agenda for when you get there. Pick up those travel brochures for the area they are in and make plans to visit a number of sites each day. Make it a special event, not just a drive by, say “Hello!” and off again. Make it special.
  • Take a class. What have you always wanted to learn but never had the time to go to a class to learn it? Drawing, painting, a foreign language, auto mechanics, computer skills, gardening, animal husbandry, so many other subjects are out there to choose from. Go online and find where they offer those sorts of classes. It could be a college, a library, a business that offers evening classes, it could be online classes. There are so many options. The more you challenge your mind, the younger it stays.
  • Start a hobby you always wanted to try. Wow, that’s such a huge base, I wouldn’t even know what to suggest. In my case I wasn’t allowed to exert myself, so I started to watercolor. I tossed a whole lot of paintings in the trash at first, but now I actually sell some! I learned from online tutorials and purchasing my supplies online that were delivered to my door. If you really want to do something, you will find a way to make it happen.
  • It’s ok to watch TV, as long as it isn’t taking over your day. Set a boundary for yourself for normal day viewing. There are always those stormy weekends when you want to curl up in a soft blanket and binge watch something. That’s okay, as long as it isn’t every day. I don’t turn my TV on until after 6pm. It keeps me from losing focus on what I have set for my daily practices to keep myself strong mentally and physically.
  • Go to the library, museum, bookstore, and/or school. I always wished that I had more time to go to these places. Grab out your calendar and plan a day a month, or a week, to go enjoy. Learn as you explore. Journal what you found and how you felt when you were there.
  • Invite friends and family over to play board games. Pop the popcorn, make the Kool aide, clear the table, get ready for a few hours of laughter and challenges. I have found the greatest joy in board games. Everyone just becomes themselves – vulnerable and silly!!
  • Invite folks over for a meal. If you think that you are the only one who wishes that they had someone else to talk to for a bit, you are sadly mistaken. Many wonderful friendships have developed over a hamburger and French fries!! Having people to your home requires planning, setting up, and preparation. If you can only invite one person because of financial constraints, then just invite one, or you could organize a monthly potluck where everyone brings something. The more the merrier! Provide the place for people to gather. You will be surprised at how many people are looking for others to spend time with, just like you.
  • Meet a friend for coffee. If you don’t have a local friend, make a new friend at a coffee shop, or a safe place. It may be brief, or it could start out as a short visit that turns into a life changing event. Offering encouragement or listening to someone going through a difficult time is such a blessing for both of you. You may be listening this time, but next time you may be the person who needs a listening ear.
  • Bake a dessert for a family or someone who is shut in. This is something that has almost been lost over the generations. I remember when I was a child that people would bring us a dessert when we moved into a neighborhood, or when one of the family took ill. It doesn’t take much time to bake something, and if you aren’t skilled in that area, there are lots of desserts to choose from at the grocery store. The important thing is that people will realize that you care and are willing to be there for them when they feel so alone. What better feeling is there than that.
  • Send cards and letters to folks who mean something to you, or even a stranger that someone has made you aware of that is going through a difficult time. The years of Birthday Cards and Christmas Cards through snail mail are almost gone. I paint cards for people to say thank you, bless them in an event, or just to let them know that I am thinking of them. I always receive a wonderful response, it blesses me as much as it does them.
  • Start a blog. It isn’t that hard and there are folks who can help you get it going. Share your story. Your story may seem unique to you, but you will be blessed and surprised at the responses you get from others who are going through the same or similar situations. Share the wisdom you have developed over the years. Teach through your blog. Encourage through your blog. Offer questions of intrigue on your blog.
  • Write a book. It isn’t as hard as you think. It could start with your blog, then compiling the blogs into a format that others would enjoy. You could probably take a class that could help you develop the skills to share the story that has been in the back of your mind for years and years. It could be a paper book or an eBook or a coloring book or a children’s book or a book of your photos or illustrations. But it will never exist until you take the time to sit down and write out an outline and then fill in the gaps with the journey and characters and unique storyline that only you can share.
  • Plant a garden and can the overflow. I love gardening and have always had something growing. At some of my homes it was small. At some of my homes the plants grew so well that I had to give away fruits and vegetables, and in a few places I was able to can my fruits and vegetables for sale and storage.
  • Raise chickens and ducks and sell the eggs. This is one of my favorite things to do. Those little lives all have their own little personalities and quirks! Plus, I made a good income from the sale of fresh cage-free eggs. Double benefit!!
  • Find something you are interested in and learn everything you can about it. Visit it, write about it, teach about it. Find your passion. I know that I have repeated this several times in this article, but it is critically important. What makes you excited to get up for? How can you share and teach that excitement to others? You used to HAVE to get up, now you need to find something that makes you WANT to get up. What is it???
  • Drive to a lake to reflect and journal. I love doing this. Just finding a place of peace to review where I am in life, how it relates to where I have been and where I want to be. Journal your thoughts.
  • Go on a hike. The time it takes you walk has so many benefits. Physically it helps you stay in shape and strengthen your lungs and heart. Mentally you reflect on what you are seeing, how it relates to where you are in life, where you can go to build on the desires you have had, but never had time to do before.
  • Find an accountability partner. This is the best thing that I have ever done. Someone who keeps you accountable to the things in life you want to accomplish, and those that you don’t want to fall back into. Your accountability partner could be the person you have lunch with, coffee with, invite over for dinner, or email when things get tough. It is someone that you trust with your dreams and your failures. It is someone that you give permission to correct you, or encourage you, or turn you around when you are heading in the wrong direction. My closest friends and family are my accountability partners, but who you choose depends on your personality and who you feel safest speaking too. It could also be a counselor or a priest.
  • Join a gym. You definitely need an accountability partner here! Someone to challenge you and make sure that you don’t skip out on your scheduled time to exercise and grow. Plus, we all feel so much better after getting a good workout. Warning – it could result in the purchasing of a new wardrobe! Nothing wrong with that!!
  • Find a group to join that meets at least once a week. Find a subject that you want to know more about and find a group that meets about it. You will find people of like minds in subjects that you can share your expertise in and that you can learn from. What a better way to make new friends with your same interests and desires.

I hope this writing has encouraged you to take control of your life when things around you seem to be crashing down. You can make the changes you need to find your purpose once again. You can make the change to start a new career, or begin a new endeavour that you never had the time to begin before. You can find a reason to get out of bed every morning with enthusiasm for what you are about to encounter and learn. I believe in you, believe in yourself.

I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences about your journey to your “New Normal”.

By Linda J Humes

written 1-2-2021

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Merry Christmas

24 Dec

Praying blessings over each and every one of you for the New Year. 

This year has been a tremendous challenge for so many in the United States and around the world.  Peace comes through clinging tightly to the hem of His garment and believing that He will watch over and care for us, making provision as each of our needs arise.

God Bless you all.  Thank you so much for always encouraging me to continue teaching and lifting up others through my writing. 

 

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YOUR LOVE

17 Sep

“We love him, because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19-21 KJV

🌹

Lord, with the gentle fall of snow,

With the opening of a rose,

You have shown Your love for me.

🌹

Then, when the day has turned to nigh’,

When the angels touch the sky,

You have shown Your love for me.

🌹

How could I ever doubt you’re there,

With the wonders that we share,

Everyday and everywhere.

🌹

Lord, keep me humble in my walk,

Let me teach as You have taught,

Show the world how much You care.

🌹

Written as a song on 1991

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WHICH SIDE

17 Sep

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Matthew 12:30 KJV

✝

When tempests boil and turn,

This way and that,

Uprooting all you find sacred,

All you find worthy –

On which side of the cross do you rest?

✝

When your thoughts are so strained,

Facts threaten your hope,

Doubts threaten your faith –

On which side of the cross do you rest?

✝

When your family and friends,

Dwell on sorrows and pain,

Straining joy,

Stretching joy,

Quenching joy –

On which side of the cross do you rest?

✝

When you’ve let promise down,

To the ones that you love,

To yourself,

To your dreams –

On which side of the cross do you rest?

✝

Do you curse and cry out,

Blaming God in the dusk,

Screaming “why” in self-pity,

In pride?

✝

Or do you lay yourself down,

At the foot of the cross,

And rest in His promise,

His love?

✝

Written 6-20-1998

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