My Life as Mama Jodi

When the sun is shining brightly,
And our life is running smoothly.
We find it easy to smile and be pleased,
To praise and give thanks to God.
But when dark clouds begin to gather,
And our life looks grim and bleak.
We begin to grumble and complain,
And blame God when things go wrong.
It is when the clouds are the darkest,
That we should draw closer to God.
For he is the silver lining in every cloud,
The light in the center of our world.

~© Doreen Robinson~

New friends and old
Adventures so bold
God’s way of saying
Are you still praying

Met a senior friend who
Loves to laugh and play
Charming and daring
And she’s so caring

So when we let go
To step out boldly
God’s mission is done
As we unite as one

To find kindness and love
Acceptance and laughter
These are truly God’s gifts
That we share ever after

So take that first step
And say how do you do
The riches of God’s blessings
Are just waiting for you

Copyright © Sally Hagy

I received this in an email and had to share it all with you! Have a kleenex ready, you many need it.

The smell of rain

A cold March wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as the doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing. She was still groggy from surgery.

Her husband, David, held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news.
That afternoon of March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24-weeks pregnant, to undergo an emergency Cesarean to deliver couple’s new daughter, Dana Lu Blessing.

At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound nine ounces, they already knew she was perilously premature.

Still, the doctor’s soft words dropped like bombs.

‘I don’t think she’s going to make it,’ he said, as kindly as he could.

‘There’s only a 10-percent chance she will live through the night, and even then, if by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel one’

Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Dana would likely face if she survived.

She would never walk, she would never talk, she would probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on.

‘No! No!’ was all Diana could say.

She and David, with their 5-year-old son Dustin, had long dreamed of the day they would have a daughter to become a family of four.

Now, within a matter of hours, that dream was slipping away

But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana. Because Dana’s underdeveloped nervous system was essentially ‘raw’, the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn’t even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chests to offer the strength of their love.

All they could do, as Dana struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in the tangle of tubes and wires, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl.

There was never a moment when Dana suddenly grew stronger.

But as the weeks went by, she did slowly gain an ounce of weight here and an ounce of strength there.

At last, when Dana turned two months old. her parents were able to hold her in their arms for the very first time.

And two months later, though doctors continued to gently but grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living any kind of normal life, were next to zero, Dana went home from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted.

Five years later, when Dana was a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life.

She showed no signs whatsoever of any mental or physical impairment. Simply, she was everything a little girl can be and more. But that happy ending is far from the end of her story.

One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving , Texas , Dana was sitting in her mother’s lap in the bleachers of a local ball park where her brother Dustin’s baseball te am was practicing.
As always, Dana was chattering nonstop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent. Hugging her arms across her chest, little Dana asked, ‘Do you smell that?’

Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a thunderstorm, Diana replied, ‘Yes, it smells like rain.’

Dana closed her eyes and again asked, ‘Do you smell that?’

Once again, her mother replied, ‘Yes, I think we’re about to get wet. It smells like rain.’
Still caught in the moment, Dana shook her head, patted her thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced,
‘No, it smells like Him.

It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest.’

Tears blurred Diana’s eyes as Dana happily hopped down to play with the other children.

Before the rains came, her daughter’s words confirmed what Diana and all the members of the extended Blessing family had known, at least in their hearts, all along.

During those long days and nights of her first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Dana on His chest and it is His loving scent th at she remembers so well.

The Color Of Friendship

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed that they were the best. The most important. The most useful. The favorite.

Green said:
“Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority.”

Blue interrupted:
“You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing.”

Yellow chuckled:
“You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun.”

Orange started next to blow her trumpet:
“I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don’t hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you.”

Red could stand it no longer he shouted out:
“I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood - life’s blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy.”

Purple rose up to his full height:
He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: “I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey.”

Indigo spoke, more quietly than others, but with determination:
“Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace.”

And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor, God began to speak:
“You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don’t you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me.”

Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.

God continued:
“From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow.” And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a Rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another.”

I found this on this site,skywriting and wanted to share it with you all.

If I could catch a rainbow

I would do it just for you
And share with you its beauty
On the days you’re feeling blue.

If I could build a mountain
You could call your very own;
A place to find serenity,
A place to be alone.

If I could take your troubles
I would toss them in the sea,
But all these things I’m finding
Are impossible for me.

I cannot build a mountain
Or catch a rainbow fair,
But let me be what I know best,
A friend who’s always there.

The ABCs of Raising Children

A is for Accountability.

Hold your children accountable for their behavior.

Mat 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

B is for Boundaries.

Set specific limits, and make clear the repercussions if those limits are exceeded.

C is for Consistency.

Hold to the same principles and practices.

Rom 2:21-22 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

D is for Discipline.

Make the punishment fit the crime. Never discipline in anger.

Prov 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

E is for Example.

Children are in greater need of models than critics. Set a good example.

John 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

F is for Forgiveness.

Practice it and teach the importance of forgiving.

Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

G is for Giving.

Teach the joy of giving, not only to family and friends, but to strangers in need.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

H is for sense of Humor.

Keep your sense of humor. Promote laughter with your children.

Prov 15:13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Prov 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

I is for Imagination.

Be creative, and play with your children. Read and sing with them.

Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

J is for Justice.

Be fair, and insist that they be fair, also.

Col 3:24-25 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

K is for Knowing your children’s friends and their parents as well as their teachers.

L is for Listening.

Listen to your children. It will teach them how to listen to others, and their thoughts will give you insights.

James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

M is for Morals.

Be sure your own standard of conduct is sound.

1 Pet 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

Nis for No.

Use it, and mean it.

Exodus 20. “Thou shalt not….”

O is for Over-reacting.

Give the kid a brake. Be firm, but don’t act as if the world is coming to an end. Remember that they are, but flesh.

Psa 78:39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

P is for Pressure.

Reduce the pressure on your children, but insist they maintain high standards.

Phil 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Q is for Questions.

Pay close attention to their questions and give simple answers unless they demand more.

1 Pet 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

R is for Respect.

Show respect, teach respect and earn respect.

Eph 6:2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

S is for Source of Strength.

Share your own faith or beliefs with your children. Faith can be their port in the storms of life later.

Deu 6:6-8 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

T is for Togetherness.

Have special, designated times to be together as a family–but know when to let go,too.

U is for Uniqueness.

Understand the uniqueness of each child, and let that child be who he or she is.

V is for Voice.

Tone of voice can convey more to a child than the words spoken.

Prov 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

W is for Words.

Keep your word. Promises broken destroy trust.

Eccl 5:5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

X is for eXamine.

Examine constantly and be aware.

Y is for You.

Take care of yourself mentally, physicaly and spiritually. A happy parent helps a child to be happy.

Z is for Zowie!

Who would have thought they would grow up so quickly?

My Father Knows My Name

© by Chris Hansen
Author of Grandfather’s Journal
Revelation Revisited and Secret of the Psalms

This poem really touched me, maybe it will touch you as well.

When God comes to heal us
It’s final and complete
There is nothing that is lacking
When He meets us in our need

Whether it be in our body
Or the hurt within our soul
He will touch the point of need
And will truly make us whole

His healing is there for you
Just receive it from the Lord
Believe upon the living word
That you can be restored

Wherever there is weakness
He is the strength we need
And He will gently lead us through
And heal the heart that bleeds

Jesus came to restore us
To fullness in our God
But Satan has come to devour
And to kill, destroy and rob

But Jesus won the victory
So we need not be afraid
But claim the victory that is ours
And no longer live enslaved

We need to rise up in our faith
And not depend on how we feel
Keep on praying and standing firm
For our God surely heals.

By M.S.Lowndes