A THANKSGIVING WISH

May every day be a Thanksgiving day for all of us!

THE OLD MOON WITCH

THE OLD MOON WITCH
Sunny Rowe [c. 1983] 







When the pale gold moon lifts high at night,
and forest creatures scurry out of sight;
Then across the darkened, shrouded gloom
Comes a high-hatted figure riding on a broom.

She's a dandy crone in black gown and hat
as she stalks the heavens with her one-eyed cat.
Their yowling cries climb to fevered pitch,
and the night belongs to the old moon witch.

With gleeful cackle she swoops over land;
Every black-hearted villain at her command.
While she shrieks and dips, and onward she flies,
fetching at random lost souls for a prize.

If you want to see her, if you want to look,
better go down early; find a secret nook
where  you can hide out safely 'til the morning light
from demon forces on Halloweve night.

By cauldron bubbling she sets her broom well,
Calling forth all the demons up from hell.
Crying Up you Jackels, there's work to be done
before the horizon meets the morning sun.

From trembling earth, romping in disguise,
Your darkest nightmares dance before your eyes!
Your heartbeat quickens and your mouth goes dry,
with petticoat rustles of the witch passing by.

She mounts her broom lifting towards the sky.
All earth will shudder, many spirits cry
until silver light gives way to the gold,
The work of the pagans will be swift and bold.

When you're safely home, secure in your room,
You'll think of a witch and a cat on a broom.
Though demons vanish when daylight is met,
the Old Moon Witch you will never forget!

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. [Matt. 5-14-16]

Proud to be an American!

A friend of mine posted the other day that perhaps [because I feel so strongly] I have been called to patriotism! It took me back for a bit.. but it is true. God put it in our hearts to claim, stand for and love the land He has given us. The best example of this is the ongoing struggle in Israel.

President Kennedy said it best: Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.

What can we do for God but to honor, respect and love that which He has given us. I pray that every day is a star-spangled, glory hallelujah day for each American. It will never be perfect in the eyes of man, but if we start looking for the good, then we can withstand the not so good.

I Laught in the Face of Adversity!

 If it makes you smile, giggle or laugh.. do it again. 

Thank you Lord for laughter to fill our hearts, our souls and our days. It is one of the greatest gifts you ever gave us! I am so excited to know that we are made in Your image, and so seeing you face to face will be a time of laughter! For all eternity.. how much fun is that!!!

My Sun Scorched Land of Milk & Honey

I have been living in the Coachella Valley in California for a little more than a year. It was a surprise to me that I was not only willing to move here, but that I faced it with excited anticipation. For years, driving long-haul with my husband we would drive through this area. It was dry, dusty, hot and held no appeal for me whatsoever. But my husband loved the desert and the hot sun. His subtle hints of desert dwelling fell on deaf ears, as I voiced my opinion that this must be the last place anybody would want to live.

God is so amazing... about the time you think you have everything under control, He say, "Just a minute - watch this!". So you stand there in open mouthed wonder. And that was me in June 2009. I stood in this valley while visiting our son and felt as though I had "come home".

When I shared this with my husband, he did not miss the opportunity to jump on the band wagon with me to look at a future living together here. So we sold our home, I moved in with our daughter and her family, and I began trips looking for a home for us.  We ended  up in the last city on my list of choices.. and it has turned out to be the best. [God is smiling right now]

Matters of life have been very strenuous, and sometimes we have asked each other if we made the right move. The answer is always "Yes", because God had His hand in this. And He will see us through.

Do we love it here? Oh, yes. I thank God every time I look out my window.. every day when I wake up. We love it because He loved it for us, and He has put a deep love in our hearts for this new land, and the people. For us it is a land of milk and honey... a place of rest and restoration He promises all of us.

I pray you have found your "home".. your rest in the Lord.

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. [Isaiah 58:11]

Mothers' Day Song

When I was a little girl, every year in our music class we would practice the Mothers' Day song to be performed at the Mothers' Day tea. Every year I hoped my mother would love the tea, and the little gifts I had made her. All little children hold their breath as their mothers carefully unwrap the untidy little packages, filled with untidy little hand made gift. Every little child's heart is on the line. 

Our walk with the Lord is like this... expectation, desire to please, excitement and a willingness on our part to prepare a celebration for Him every day... as we wrap our little gifts, lay them at His feet and eagerly wait to hear "well done, good and faithful child". Oh, the joy of it all!

I want to honor all mothers here today, and I thought the best way might be to write down the words to that song I sang so many years ago. It is my little gift, untidy in its wrapping, but given to all mothers with love.

M - is for the million things she gave me

O - means only that she's growing old

T - is for the tears she shed to save me

H - is for her heart of purest gold

E - is for her eyes with love light shining

R - means right, and right she'll always be...

Put them all together they spell MOTHER... the word that means the world to me.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Un-Mother's Day

Every year when Mother's Day rolls around I struggle with emotion, pain and scars.. and it is beyond my capability to deal with it, if I didn't have the Lord carrying me through.

It shames me to dread this especially blessed of days, but I do. And I have tried to hide it for more than 60 years now, but the Lord has led me to expose my inner turmoil, for the sole purpose of reaching others who struggle in the same way.

So, for those of you who have lost mothers, children, been abandoned, abused, forgotten... or perhaps you have never had children you so longed for - this message is for you.  The Lord loves you, and He has sent me as a messenger to remind you of this, and to let you know you are not alone. He has called me to pray for you for the next few days, and He has compelled me to tell you that I love you in your loss, and that I understand more than you can know. I will stand with you, and thank God for you. I will remember you, even though I don't know you, because Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords loves you, and begs me to love you too.

Do not weep, rather rejoice in the Lord. May this message bring you hope, courage and assurance that you ARE your Beloved's, and He is yours.

Footwashing In Today's Culture

Jesus washed the feet of His disciples; in Biblical times hosts honored their guests by washing their feet as a way of refreshment. It was a kindly, honored service towards another person.

Today, there are groups of folks who take food, drink,clothing and other supplies to homeless folks... and they wash the feet of these lost people, as they tell them of the love and tender mercies of Jesus Christ. Of His servitude so great, that He gave His life for every single one of us. He showed the way! It is an act of total servitude and humility on the part of the washer; it is an act of wonder to the washee.

Yet, when I look through teachings of pastors and evangelists, I find there are those Christians who scoff at this, and in fact put down the act of foot washing! Why? Because, as they explain it was an act of refreshment only, in a bygone day. They further advise that there is nothing in the Bible that makes this scriptural, and to do so is almost to the point of boasting... that it is making new scripture, instead of following that which is already written.

I won't belabor this for long - Jesus showed us about foot washing as an example of a "servant's heart". We should be willing to serve the lowliest, the least of people. Only then will we grasp a full understanding of God's pure love. 

While there are no Biblical instructions as to performing footwashing during worship services, there is no way I could not participate in this demonstration of love, any more than I could not participate in laying my face of the feet of someone when I pray for them. I am compelled by the love of God and the fullness of the Holy Spirit to a place I would not otherwise go. At the foot of another. There is so much joy, richness of spirit, closeness to God when I put myself in that position that I can't use mere words to describe it. When this happens, I am lost - lost in the love of Jesus, and completely vulnerable to His leading. What a joy to be so privileged as to bring this kind of love to someone who is without love in their life.. 

I cherish those moment of being a "lamp unto thy feet". That is my experience. I am not compelled by law; I am not compelled by teachings; I am not compelled by Biblical dictate; I am not compelled by the ideals of man. I am compelled by my Father in Heaven, in the love of Jesus Christ, through the Spirit. And when He calls, I will always come running, no matter what the reasoning of man.

Try it sometime! You will never be the same.

A Child's Easter

The idea of giving gifts out of love is a concept from God, as generously evidenced by his son, Jesus Christ. These celebrations are what God would expect - the birthday of a King, and the resurrection of a king.

Children aren't complicated. They are capable of learning so quickly, it is amazing. They need to learn about love, not disdain. They need to learn about giving and receiving. They need to learn about waiting, believing and searching.... hope and faith.

We know there is no Easter bunny bringing dyed eggs [or laying them, for that matter]. But it is a lovely story... momentarily brought to life. The symbol of the egg... the carrier of life. We know there are no flying reindeer and elves working at the North pole. Yet,  Santa and the hope he engenders quickens the hearts of all children over time.

When a child is brought up day-to-day with the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the example of Jesus Christ exhibited in his parents... when a child is nurtured, and taught about Jesus Christ, then that child KNOWS Jesus lives! Talk to children who love the Lord. They are straight forward and adamant in their belief... not question for them. Jesus Christ lives. They know him and recognize him as their savior, protector and friend.

There is a season for everything. A time for planting, a time for sowing - and, there is nothing new under the sun. We need to let our children have their season in the sun, laughing and growing strong in the love of the Lord. We need to let them play, as we teach them.

As an adult, I look back on a childhood without those fantasies, those wonderful dreams, those glorious days that make our eyes shine, and our hearts beat faster. And I spent years devoid of the love of Jesus Christ in my life, and family.  I was on the outside looking in, and my heart longed to join in the fun. My imagination knew no limits, as I wistfully dreamed, and longed to become part of the fairy tale.

Yes, we need to keep our Risen Christ in Easter. And we can do that by allowing our children laughter and joy, using these gifts as tools to teach our children how to live with and love the Lord. We can teach them that waiting for Santa is much the same as the world waiting for the Messiah. We can plant, grow, nurture... with laughter and a merry heart.

Or, we can show them how to grow a heart two sizes too small.

You Shall Know Him - Riding on a Donkey

"Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' " [Matthew 21:5 NIV]

If ever words have been spoken about humility, it is these. As Christians we tell the world we "follow Christ". I put this question to all of us - do we really? Do we have an attitude of humility [which can only be adopted through true love of others], or do we seek the best place, the best friends, the best pew in the church, the best... the best.... the best.

Yes, we love our Lord, Jesus Christ. But would we go to Easter services, and be willing to stand outside, so unbelievers may enter and find a seat? Would we be willing to celebrate Easter services in the same garments and unwashed bodies as the homeless?  Would we take to Easter goodies and give them to the poor?  

I am not trying to be provacative, or challenging. I am only testing the waters of our hearts. Are we humble, gentle and loving. Do we see others with the eyes of Jesus Christ?

Let's practice with this song, remembering we are speaking of our Lord and Savior, who was gentle, who died for us. Who thought nothing of entering the throne room of God and conversing with the angels. Who left the palaces of heaven for the crude cross. Who could have ridden in a gilded chariot with fine white horses, but chose to set an example our hearts can follow... he entered on the lowliest of riding animals. The colt of a donkey..

Sing with me.. "Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest! Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest. Lord, we lift up your name, with a heart full of praise. Be exalted, O'Lord our God.. Hosanna in the Highest!"

HOSANNA in the HIGHEST!

And as he rode into Jerusalem on the back of a colt, the people ran before him waving and laying down palm leaves, and singing "Hasanna in the highest!" Oh, Lord, let us never forget that joyous moment of recognition that you ARE the King of Kings and Lord of Lord... Hosanna in the Highest!

AMBER ALERT - KENTUCKY

URGENT... AMBER ALERT!!! Edmonton, Kentucky, USA. Little girl, 3 yrs old picked up by man driving grey car, license plate: Quebec 72B 381. Canada. Please share this on Facebook, Twitter, email and phone - let's save this little girl.

 

It's In the Bag!

I unloaded my car and took my shopping bags into the kitchen. I pulled my receipts out and checked the items registered. It was then that I discovered the store had made a mistake.. in my favor, not theirs! I had a hand bag which had the security device removed, and had been packaged by the clerk.. but it was not on my receipt. 

This has happened to me many times over the years, and I always groan and fuss when it does. Not because I am tempted (which I am, but never enough to follow through, thus ensuring endless sleepless nights), but because of the process of returning the items. This is more difficult than it seems.

Do I walk into the store and tell them the item just appeared out of the blue in my bag? (Visions of handcuffs and flashing red lights zip through my mind!) Do I slip as unobtrusively into the store as possible, and try to put the item back on the shelf? (Oh, those visions again...) Either approach could land me in a world of trouble. But will they even begin to believe me?  There is only one way to find out.

When Jacob went to meet up with his brother Esau, from whom he had stolen the birth right, he sent word ahead. He offered gifts and glad tidings to make the meeting safe. He understood his situation was precarious, and that it called for finesse and thoughtfulness. This is a good lesson for all of us, and one the Lord has carried me through over the years.

So, I followed Jacob's game plan. I called the store and talked with the manager. After explaining to him the reason for my call, he offered to let me come in and pay whenever it was convenient, if I wanted to keep it. I was amazed! "Really?" I asked, "you would give me that kind of open end arrangement?". To which he replied "How could I not? We never get these kinds of calls.. you could have kept the bag and not said a thing!"

The next morning I returned the handbag. They thanked me profusely. And guess what!?!  I was given an application form for employment! 

God was with me, and the Spirit directed my steps, my attitude and my words to keep me safe from what could have been a nasty situation. Not only that, He saw that I was awarded in an unusual manner - with an employment application. This spoke volumes for the integrity I enjoy, not of myself, but because I serve a risen Christ. 

For just a moment I was tempted to submit that application, even though I am retired. After all, it IS my favorite store. Alas, it is not to be. I learned a long time ago, God will never tempt us beyond that which we are able to handle. I would be like a kid in a candy store! Thank goodness I have the Lord directing my steps. It's best if I just remain a customer in good standing.

Crackle Glass

One of the joys in my life is crackle glass. As a tactile person, I love to touch and hold items, relishing the different textures and what they represent to my fingertips. It is nearly impossible for me to pass by a crackle glass item and not pick it up; cup my hands around it and get lost in the beauty of it. Thousands of light shards dance across and through its surface, smiling back at me. Every piece is unique, and each tells its own story.

Yet, surprisingly all the beauty, depth and light comes about because the piece is flawed. Over heated, too quickly cooled. It is a mistake that somehow turns out beautiful. It doesn't matter the color, the style or what it serves - each one calls out to be picked up, held, loved and enjoyed.

We are, each of us, like that. Beauty from ashes. Flawed, yet beautiful. Each will serve a different purpose. Each will be placed in different circumstances. For every person who sees us and fails to understand the depth and beauty of us, there will be a hundred who draw in their breath in awe.

One such person is Jesus Christ. He loves us in our flawed beauty, because he knows we have come through the fire more beautiful, more bright, more sparkling than before. God has a plan for us all, knowing we will be beautifully flawed by events in our life. Yet, He arranged it so we could still let our beauty rise and shine!

I raise my crackled glass to you today, in honor of who you are. Let your light shine through your history and shed love on those you meet.

Green Things

I Received the posting in my email today ... I have lived through this time, and could add a bit more to it. Civilization is a demanding lady, and there is a price to pay for growth. I added my notes at the end...   In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, We didn't have the green thing back in my day. That's right, they didn't have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But they didn't have the green thing back her day. In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks. But shes right. They didn't have the green thing in her day. Back then, they washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady was right, they didn't have the green thing back in her day. Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded Up newspaper to cushion it, not store bought Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.  Oh, no, they didn't have the green thing in her day. Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But shes right, they didn't have the green thing back then. They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But they didn't have the green thing back in her day. Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. No, they didn't do the green thing in her day. That old lady was right. They didn't have the green thing back in her day.  Taking care of the environment wasn't a problem because they also didn't have all the destruction caused by OUR day.     My notes: Back in the day we didn't have antiperspirants, wash & wear clothes, instant cell phones for emergency calls, air bags and seat belts in cars, canned goods that didn't taste like tin, hypo-allergenic vacuums and room air cleaners. Restaurants and public places were filled with second hand smoke. We brushed with baking soda or brushing talc.   Back in the day we could mail a letter for $.02, and Christmas packages were tied up with brown paper and string. Morning began with percolators bubbling merrily on the back burners. Back in the day we had sock eggs for darning worn heels and toes on socks, and we turned collars and cuffs on shirts and blouses to lengthen their use. Back in the day I used to sit at a mangle iron, relishing the whosh, pop and starchy steam from the ironing.    Back in the day a lot of folks didn't recover from illnesses we shrug our shoulders at today. I remember the fear of summers when one-by-one folks were picked off and held prisoners from polio. I remember the hospitals with huge rooms filled with iron lungs. I remember my sister in the hospital under a tent with pnemonia. We had aspirin for a headache, and nothing for migraines. Visits to the dentist would send chills down a child's spine.  We lined up in school for shots, but nobody told us our meat or egg sandwiches (wrapped in waxed paper) were simmering pools of bacteria after hours on the shelf.    Things I miss most are folks on their front porches visiting with neighbors and offering never-ending pitchers of iced tea or lemonade. Christmas shopping AFTER Thanksgiving, where everybody gathered downtown in a flurry of excitement.. later gathering for a cup of hot cocoa before making our tired, happy way home. I miss making homemade bread for friends, because it is their favorite thing. Getting dressed up for very special occasions to go out for dinner. Ladies wearing gloves. Men opening doors. Lollipops with loopy handles. Corn Soya. 5 Cent comic books. And caroling in groups on Christmas eve. The smell of the original Jergens lotion and Lanlay Oil for my legs.    Back in the day there was no "credit card debt". Folks saved their money and shopped with cash. Some things weave like a thread, staying with us and keeping us in balance. Church. Family. Libraries. Parks. Picnics. Board games. Laughter. Changes bring good things, while sadly some dear old favorites have to stay behind. How about you.. do you have something special you remember?

Sickness

I hate to say this, but I, too have fallen to the sickies that have been going around. Hope to be up and chatting in a few days. In the meantime, be blessed... live, love, laugh and be happy! ♥

This is the Day

This is the day that the Lord has made..

What a day of remembrance for me, and for people around the world, as news of a 8.9 point earthquake shakes Japan and causes another tsunami. Truly a storm to be reckoned with, with so many lives affected, worldwide. (Update at 1:30 PM PDT - another 6.8 point earthquake hit Japan, a little further away. This is probably the aftermath shock of settlement. However, due to the fragile state from previous earthquake, and the tsunami, this one was even more devastating.)

We are helpless in the face of such storms. They cause us to remember how frail, fragile and feeble we are as humans. The tremors beneath our feet, the roar of the winds and the water, the shudder of buildings folding in under the onslaught... it is altogether terrifying. We who watch from afar fear for those caught in the midst of it.

In the meantime, we celebrate the birthday of a loved one, or an anniversary. Perhaps a marriage. Life goes on in the midst of the storm. We go to our jobs, happy to be able to provide a living for our family. We go to church; we kneel and pray.

Here in the desert it is 82 degrees, with sunshine and all the birds joyously announcing the warmer, spring weather. I sit at my keyboard, taking a moment to share thoughts about living one day at both extremes of the see-saw. I can't still the waves, or make the earth stop trembling. I can't rescue those facing disaster - not just Japan, Hawaii, the Pacific coastline, but people all over the planet whose day just isn't going well. They are toppled over by unexpected tragedy.

The good news is, in Jesus Christ's name I can pray for those folks. I can live assured that our God is an awesome God, and there is no tragedy so great that He isn't greater. We can run to Him and hide in the shelter of His wings. We can abide in Him.


This is how we become strong; this is how we persevere. Please join me in prayer today that God may touch these people and that they may come to know peace and rest in the arms of God. It is the least we can do.

A Hero's Funeral

 

 

 

Veterans Protect a Fallen Soldier's Funeral From Protesters - Amazing, Heroic Video!

www.godvine.com

I am posting this site for everybody to have the chance to take a look at what happens when people join together, in the love of the Lord, and show the world we are not full of hate.

This young soldier, only 25 years old was the target for protest - not because he had done something wrong, (he was a helicopter crew member who died in the line of duty), but because some folks had an agenda, and they decided this was a good place to air it.

A motorcycle ministry, led by a church pastor, showed up at the funeral and blocked the view of the protesters from the family, so the family could bury their son with love and dignity. Hundreds of American flags lined the way, as the army of the Lord stood their ground against the hate mongers.

This is how our country was founded. Americans standing together, shoulder-to-shoulder. We were founded through the grace of God. I simply had to share this joyous moment, as Christians stepped in for God, and showered this young hero with the love he deserved.
 
There wasn't just one hero at that funeral, there were hundreds doing the right thing, standing against oppression and loving with the love of the Lord.

 

A Bloom on the Rowes

Oh, what a joy! I just went into my garden and found that all my citrus trees I planted last May have flower buds on them - overnight. It is so exciting to see the work of my hands bloom and grow. 

Many of my attempts seemed so futile last summer, as I practiced gardening in the desert. I have always loved to garden, but most of it was done in Oregon, Michigan or in the Long Beach, California area. The desert is a new game, a new challenge for me.

When I find delight in creating something from nothing, in conditions that are so difficult, I can't help but wonder at the delight God sees when He creates us, molds us, shapes and tries to use us. We are like the desert - arid, windy and not so much inclined to bloom where we are planted. 

He does delight in us. And He created all things - for His pleasure. So perhaps when He plants us He has a little twinkle in His eye... then sits back to see all the fun. And He says: "Oh, the joy. I just went to my garden, and the children I planted last year bloomed overnight!"

Now, that's fruit that bears watching.  

Til Death Do Us Part

It began as just another day in the desert, and life was good. Job was a happy man... a man who served his God and experienced great blessings. He had a beautiful home (tent), and fabulous cars (healthy camels). His quiver was filled with children, and his herds thrived. He sat at the beautiful gate with all the men, and they called him blessed.  In the meantime, Mrs. Job was busy at home, keeping everything ticking along like clockwork. Although she was not seemingly important enough for her name to be written for all eternity to see, she was the catalyst that kept the family going. Long before the Proverbs were written, Mrs. Job was busy being a Proverbs 31 wife.

Then the Great Depression came, and with it came pestilence and loss of everything Job had been blessed with. In the midst of this drama, Job's friends gathered around to explain to him all the things he had done wrong. Job even questioned God.  The disease took hold of him and he was covered with boils all over his body... and nobody wanted to look at him, let alone touch him. He tore his clothes in anguish and threw ashes over his body. His grief had to be beyond belief. 

About that time, Mrs. Job came along and wailed at him for all the loss, grief and pain they were going through. Good touch, huh? Bad Mrs. Job.

But just wait a moment.  Let's consider her position, and what she was experiencing during that time. No children left, no livestock, no money, no honor in the community - most certainly she faced a lot of jeering. She probably would have covered her head in shame. As a wife and mother, she had run a tight ship, now it lay at her feet - dust among dust. 

Who would comfort her at this time? Who was there to tell her God would prevail? Who was there to encourage her everyday? She was accountable, but unattended. Broken and not lifted. Bereft and not comforted. But she still took care of all the needs of the home during this time. 

What do you think about this... please share your thoughts on this. Was she, as God stipulated to Adam and Eve, Job's helpmate, or his housekeeper? In the end Job received a double portion of all he had before. Do you think is is possible that is because Mrs. Job held the line during his God time? 

Looking forward to your thoughts. Have a Sonshiney day! ♥

Threads of Life

There have been so many wonderful people I have met along the way in my life, and I want to share some of their stories with you. So be looking for these on this adventure. If you have stories to share, let me know so we can get them posted. ♥

Women of Faith

Check out this site on Facebook, and plan to join some of your sisters in celebrating the Lord at a conference near you. 

http://www.facebook.com/womenoffaith#!/womenoffaith

The Fence

This is a story of hope too wonderful not to share. It is a true story of Herman Rosenblat, and his story is being made into a movie entitled "The Fence".

The sky was gloomy that morning as we waited anxiously.  All the men, women and children of Piotrkow's Jewish ghetto had been herded into a square. Word had gotten around that we were being moved. My fatherhad only recently died from typhus, which had run rampant
through the crowded ghetto. My greatest fear was that our family would be separated.

'Whatever you do,' Isidore, my eldest brother, whispered to me,'don't tell them your age. Say you're sixteen. 'I was tall for a boy of 11, so I could pull it off. That way I might be deemed valuable as a worker. An SS man approached me, boots clicking against the cobblestones.
He looked me up and down, and then asked my age.
'Sixteen,' I said. He directed me to the left, where my three brothers
and other healthy young men already stood. My mother was motioned to the right with the other women, children,sick and elderly people.

I whispered to Isidore, 'Why?'He didn't answer.

I ran to Mama's side and said I wanted to stay with her. 'No, 'she said sternly. 'Get away. Don't be a nuisance. Go with your brothers.' She had never spoken so harshly before. But I understood:  She was protecting me. She loved me so much that, just this once,
she pretended not to.  It was the last I ever saw of her.

My brothers and I were transported in a cattle car to Germany. We arrived at the Buchenwald concentration camp one night later and were led into a crowded barrack. The next day, we were issued uniforms and identification numbers.

'Don't call me Herman anymore.' I said to my brothers. 'Call me 94983.'

I was put to work in the camp's crematorium, loading the dead into a hand-cranked elevator. I, too, felt dead. Hardened, I had become a number. Soon, my brothers and I were sent to Schlieben, one of Buchenwald's sub-camps near Berlin. One morning I thought I heard my mother's voice.

'Son,' she said softly but clearly, I am going to send you an angel.'Then I woke up. Just a dream. A beautiful dream. But in this place there could be no angels. There was only work.
And hunger. And fear.

A couple of days later, I was walking around the camp, around the barracks, near the barbed-wire fence where the guards could not easily see. I was alone. On the other side of the fence, I spotted someone: a little girl with light,almost luminous curls. She was half-hidden behind a birch tree. I glanced around to make sure no one saw me. I called to her softly in
German. 

'Do you have something to eat?'

She didn't understand. I inched closer to the fence and repeated the question in Polish..
She stepped forward. I was thin and gaunt, with rags wrapped aroundmy feet, but the girl looked unafraid. In her eyes, I saw life. She pulled an apple from her woolen jacket and threw it over the fence. I grabbed the fruit and, as I started to run away, I heard her say
faintly,

'I'll see you tomorrow.'

I returned to the same spot by the fence at the same time every day.  She was always there with something for me to eat - a hunk of bread or, better yet, an apple. We didn't dare speak or linger. To be caught would mean death for us both. I didn't know anything about her, just a kind farm girl, except that she understood Polish. What was her name? Why was she risking her life for me? Hope was in such short supply, and this girl on the other side of the
fence gave me some, as nourishing in its way as the bread and apples. Nearly seven months later, my brothers and I were crammed into a coal car and shipped to Theresienstadt camp in Czechoslovakia.

'Don't return,' I told the girl that day. 'We're leaving.' I turned toward the barracks and didn't look back, didn't even say good-bye to the little girl whose name I'd never learned,
the girl with the apples.

We were in Theresienstadt for three months. The war was winding down and Allied forces were closing in, yet my fate seemed sealed. On May 10, 1945, I was scheduled to die in the gas chamber at 10:00 AM. In the quiet of dawn, I tried to prepare myself. So many times death
seemed ready to claim me, but somehow I'd survived. Now, it was over. I thought of my parents. At least, I thought, we will be reunited. But at 8 A.M. there was a commotion. I heard shouts, and saw people running every which way through camp. I caught up with my brothers. Russian troops had liberated the camp! The gates swung open. Everyone was running, so I did too. Amazingly, all of my brothers had survived.... I'm not sure how. But I knew that the girl with the apples had been the key to my survival. In a place where evil seemed triumphant, one person's goodness had saved my life, had given me hope in a place where there was none.

My mother had promised to send me an angel, and the angel had come.

Eventually I made my way to England where I was sponsored by a Jewish charity, put up in a hostel with other boys who had survived the Holocaust and trained in electronics. Then I came to America, where my brother Sam had already moved. I served in the U. S. Army during the Korean War, and returned to New York City after two years.  By August 1957 I'd opened my own electronics repair shop. I was starting to settle in.  One day, my friend Sid who I knew from England called me.

'I've got a date. She's got a Polish friend. Let's double date.' A blind date? Nah, that wasn't for me. But Sid kept pestering me, and a few days later we headed up to the
Bronx to pick up his date and her friend Roma.

I had to admit, for a blind date this wasn't so bad. Roma was a nurse at a Bronx hospital. She was kind and smart. Beautiful, too, with swirling brown curls and green, almond-shaped eyes that sparkled with life. The four of us drove out to Coney Island. Roma was easy to talk to,
easy to be with. Turned out she was wary of blind dates too! We were both just doing our friends a favor. We took a stroll on the boardwalk, enjoying the salty Atlantic breeze, and then had dinner bythe shore. I couldn't remember having a better time.

We piled back into Sid's car, Roma and I sharing the backseat. As European Jews who had survived the war, we were aware that much had been left unsaid between us. She broached the subject,'Where were you,' she asked softly, 'during the war?'

'The camps,' I said. The terrible memories still vivid, the irreparable loss. I had tried to forget. But you can never forget.

She nodded. 'My family was hiding on a farm in Germany, not far from Berlin,' she told me. 'My father knew a priest, and he got us Aryan papers.There was a camp next to the farm.' Roma continued. 'I saw a boy there and I would throw him apples every day.'What an amazing coincidence that she had helped some other boy. What did he look like? I asked.

'He was tall, skinny, and hungry. I must have seen him every day for six months.'

My heart was racing. I couldn't believe it. This couldn't be. 'Did he tell you one day not to come back because he was leaving Schlieben?'

Roma looked at me in amazement. 'Yes!'

'That was me!'

I was ready to burst with joy and awe, flooded with emotions. I couldn't believe it! My angel. 'I'm not letting you go.' I said to Roma. And in the back of the car on that blind date, I proposed to her. I didn't want to wait. 'You're crazy!' she said. But she invited me to meet her parents for Shabbat dinner the following week.

There was so much I looked forward to learning about Roma, but the most important things I always knew: her steadfastness, her goodness. For many months, in the worst of circumstances, she had come to the fence and given me hope. Now that I'd found her again, I could never let her go.

That day, she said yes. And I kept my word. After nearly 50 years of marriage, two children and three grandchildren, I have never let her go.

Herman Rosenblat of Miami Beach, Florida 

(This story is being made into a movie called The Fence.)

Miracles in Progress

 This is my first attempt at blogging! They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but I am giving it a go, anyway. Our family ministry "Miracles in Progress" has several pages on Facebook, but I am continually being led of the Lord to create a broader forum for discussion. So, after many errors, starting over and wondering if I would ever be smart enough to do this simple thing... here I am!

Let me say at the start that this is not a political platform. This is not a crusade to blast other religions, churches, races, homosexuals or any other militant issues.  It IS a platform to share moments of our lives, stories, ideas and events. Just share with me honest to goodness living, embracing what the Lord has done for you, today. Let's shine a little light into the darkness, one little miracle at a time.

I am just one person, with one little light. But co-joined with other lights, we can blaze a glorified Jesus, and offer hope to the hopeless. And possibly an open door that others might enter.