Memories of Maggie

Lady Margaret Fortune -- Maggie  -- 

July 8, 2001 - January 29, 2013 

You came into our lives as a bouncing ball of fur
And captured each of our hearts.
For many years you gave us joy and laughter,
But most of all you gave us love.

You loved us through good times and bad,

Through happy and sad.

And that love was unconditional,

A love that knew no bounds.

You were there for Ally, as she went through her pre-teen years
And as she grew into a young woman.
You watched her dress for proms and outings with friends
And then sat and watched as she packed for college.

A greeter for everyone who came to visit.
You always thought they came to see you.
With the wagging of your tail and twirls of delight,
You made everyone feel welcome -- morning, noon, or night.

Your coat held the tears of a family finding their way

Through the ups and downs of life.

And as you got older and didn't want to play,

You could snuggle with each of us in your on special way.

During the day you rested up while the house was quite,
Only to spend the rest of the day in our presence.
In our laps, sharing a spot in the recliner, a corner of the couch,
Or at our feet  -- if we were at home, you were right with us.








You loved each one of us and had unique things you did with each.
From snuggling with Daddy to rocking with Ally or sitting in the chair with me looking over my computer . . .

You made each of us feel special  . . .

In red bows for Christmas, orange for football season,
Pastels for Spring, or purple, yellow, or green . . .
We thought you were the cutest thing
We had ever seen.

Ally had your bow colors planned for the year,

We didn't know your time was near,

That we would have to say goodbye to our furry bundle of love,

But only with the help from our Father above.

It was so hard to say goodbye
No time to plan or prepare.
But know you will always affectionally be . . .
The Baby of our family.

Spiritual Belt

I have a confession to make . . . I lose weight, then gain it back. Lose it again and gain it back again. I have a belt to prove it.

The belt has not one, but three notches that are well worn. Sometimes I come very close to throwing the belt away, but hold on to it because it's one of my favorites. When I am at my last notch I realize how close I am to losing the belt for good. When I am smaller and three notches into the belt, I smile as I remember I am not where I used to be  . . . larger.

If I had a spiritual belt, I wonder what it would look like? It think it would look the same as the belt I wear. Sometimes I am lazy, sluggish, and distracted. It is at these times I began to realize that I am getting near to losing something very special -- a close relationship with my Heavenly Father. When I am lean, focused and dedicated, I look at the last notch and realize I'm not where I used to be.

As I go into a new year I once again spend time reflecting on the past 12 months. In the physical I ask: How did I do with my weight? my eating habits? my sleep habits? my job performance? Then I move on towards the spiritual and I ask: How did I do spending time praying? reading my Bible? memorizing scripture? studying God's Word? reaching out to others? I could go on and on with both the physical and spiritual "check up."

What have I decided? This year I am pulling my belt tighter; physically -- "Only one piece of pie please. Yes, the small one will do", and spiritually -- spending quiet moments reflecting, praying, and thanking God for His love and most of all His gift to us, His Son Jesus.

What would your spiritual belt look like?

image courtesy of photobucket.com

Help!

“I will lift my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber” (Psa. 121:1-3 NIV).

We all have times when we cry out for help. It could be we need help with our health, a relationship, finances, decisions, things that are out of our control and we need to accept, or just to get through a difficult day. I don't know about you, but when I need help I usually go to someone close to me—a family member or close friend. But I'm reminded today that this is not where my help comes from. 

Who is my helper?
The One who made heaven and earth.

How does He help me?
He will not let my foot slip.

What does He do for me?
He watches over me and does not slumber.

Take heart my friends, and remember the One who made all we see and can't see is available to help us through our most difficult trials. He loves us and watches our ever step. And He won't miss a single step we take because He never sleeps. Matter of fact, when we sleep He not only watches over us, He sings over us.  

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; . . .will rejoice over you with singing." (Zeph. 3:17 NIV).

When you cry out for help, lift your eyes and listen closely with your heart . . . you may actually hear the lullaby of love that God is singing over you. 

Wit's End

I think we all have that place we call our "wit's end" and we have been there numerous times.

When I reach my wit's end, I think of it as just that -- wit's END. I'm at the end of my wits, my patience, my rope, my faith, or my control. An end with no where to go.

What I'm finding out, the hard way, is that when I reach that place, it's not really the end, but the beginning. The Psalmist wrote "Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble (their wit's end), and he brought them out of their distress" (Psa. 107:27).

I, like the Israelites, need to cry out to the Lord when I find myself at my wit's end because he will bring me out of my distress.

Now I try to look at my wit's end differently. I try to consider that maybe I'm at this particular place because God wants to:

• Get my attention
• Allow me to look at my circumstances and then to Him
• Realize I'm never alone
• Expose my need for Him
• Turn me towards another direction

So how is that going to sound now?  . . . "I'm at my wit's BEGINNING."

I'll certainly give it a try. What about you?

1-2-3's of Prov. 27:17

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another,” (Prov. 27:17,  NIV).

The Oxford Dictionary says iron is “a strong, hard magnetic silvery-gray metal, the chemical element of atomic number 26, much used as a material for construction and manufacturing, especially in the form of steel.” 

Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another,” (NIV). We need each other and God’s Word gives us an example, so we should take notice.

 First let's look at the 3 phases used to sharpen iron:

1. Filing – The blade needs to be held at an angle while filing the edge with a metal file in slow measured strokes.
2. Polishing – The filing phase leaves rough edges on the iron, therefore oil needs to be applied to a whetstone and rubbed back and forth to leave a smooth, sharpened, polished edge.
3. Sanding – Heavy-duty sandpaper is rubbed carefully along both sides of the blade edge to blend the edges with the rest of the blade which adds an extra touch of sharpness.


So, if Prov. 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another,” what does this look like?

1. Filing – It takes an intentional effort to hold a blade and slowly file with a metal file. It’s the same with friendships and relationships. We must be intentional, taking time to get to know each other so we can help, challenge, and encourage each other.
2. Polishing – A true friend is one who will see the rough edges on us that others won’t. Whether the rough edges are issues with family, friends, co-workers, or some issue of sin we are dealing with, the Holy Spirit – the oil, along with strong love and commitment from a friend can help smooth, sharpen, and polish these rough edges. 
3. Sanding – Sounds painful, however by being a close friend and spending time together, we share and rub along both sides of the blade of life – the good times and the bad – helping each other as we add a touch of sharpness.

The results? We become stronger so we are more useful to serve God and serve others. Iron can't sharpen itself, and neither can we. 

Think about the friendships and relationships that are in your life at this moment. Be open to these 1-2-3's of Prov. 27:17 and where you are in the process AND where God may be using you in someone else's process. Either way, we need each other.

Now, thank God for those friendships . . . I already have!

photos courtesy of photobucket.com

Staying Focused

On my writing/speaking journey, I've had the pleasure of meeting and being under the teaching of some wonderful mentors. One such mentor, Carolyn, recently opened my eyes to the Purpose Board. What began as a solid black board eventually became a visual tool to keep me on track to what I feel is my purpose at this moment.

I began by thinking of the things that are important to me or that I enjoy . . .

• Living Life (my marriage, my family, my friends, my writing, my speaking ministry)
• My faith and God's Word
• Health
• Fitness
• Gardening . . .

My desire is to use writing (articles, stories, books, greeting cards), speaking, blogging, teaching, and mentoring to encourage others.

The words I placed on my Purpose Board keep me focused as I weave in and out of each day -- words I want to remember as I try to always be an encouragement to others.

• It's Never too late
• Reaching Your Potential
• Friendships
• You Can Do It!
• Feeling God's Love
• Direction
• Grow
• Branch Out
• Encouragement
• Cultivating
• Count it all Joy
• Hope
• Healing
• Connect
• Significance
• Doing Life Together

What's your purpose as you weave through each day? Would you like something visual to help you stay focused? Try making your own Purpose Board. Take those magazines you have around the house, purchase a board or poster, and start cutting out pictures and words that have meaning to you. Before you know it, you will have your own board. And . . . what began as a visual tool to keep you on track will actually end up being . . . a snapshot of the desires of your heart.

Runaway Bunny

One of my favorite books that I read to my daughter when she was young was “Runaway Bunny” by Margaret Wise Brown. As we read together, the story unfolded as the little bunny kept threatening his mother that he was going to escape and run away. But, the mother spends time explaining to him the LENGTHS she will go to find her baby. One line in the book is “If you run away, I will run after you.” The baby bunny imagines all kinds of ways to escape, but realizes (with much comfort) he will never be able to leave his home or his mother. What unconditional love! What comfort!

We as adults have our very own “story” that can be read to us about our loving Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally. Our “story” is found in Psalms 139.

     Is there any place I can go to avoid your Spirit 
          To be out of your sight?
     If I climb to the sky, you’re there! 
          If I go underground, you’re there! 
     If I flew on morning’s wings 
          To the far western horizon, 
     You’d find me in a minute –
          You’re already there waiting! 
     Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! 
          At night I’m immersed in the light!” 
     It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; 
          Night and day, darkness and light, they’re all 
          the same to you.

                                         Psalms 139:7-12 (The Message)

As adults, we do not have to fear being alone either. No matter what we are going through, trying to escape from, or run away from, we cannot go anywhere that the Spirit of God can’t find us. Actually, as the Psalmist writes . . . He is ALREADY there!!!