Terrible Storm or Friend Maker....you choose.

So many things have happened in the past five days. I will take away a multitude of cherished moments from the event known as Hurricane Ike.

While we could many of us kept in touch through Facebook and Twitter. This confirmed in a real way what a vital role social networking sites can provide. We encouraged one another. It lessened for many the isolation a storm like Ike can bring. It was fun to see how friends all over town were weathering the storm. A misery shared is a misery lessened.

After the initial storm had passed it was such a joy to be out of the apartment. My heart was so happy to see so many of the neighbors come together to clean up the storm damage. One of my neighbors is a sweet lady who had just gotten home from the hospital last week. Even though she herself had a middle of the night ambulance ride just a few days prior, she waded through ankle deep water to check on an older neighbor. Her girls joined the group of us cleaning up debris. We ranged in age from the sixties to young children. Everybody pitched in!

As I was walking the rest of the property in the afternoon it was great to see how everyone was sharing their resources. People shared water and food. Generators were in courtyards with plugs leading to several apartments. I was helping a neighbor pry open her gate so she could get back in to check her home when several young men came by and gave us a hand. Perhaps the best thing the power outage brought was forcing everyone out to sit on their porches and patios. We got to know each other better and it can't help but to make people feel more friendly toward each other.

As I got to spend more time with neighbors today I began to feel a deep sorrow for the people who chose to stay in their apartments. God gifted all of us with an opportunity to love our neighbors in a tangible way. They threw away His gift by insulating themselves from the life taking place in the courtyards all over the property. For them the past week will always be primarily remembered as how they survived the storm. How sad that they could not see the gift they were given.

Like anything in life, we have no real control in what comes our way. Our control is in how we respond to it.

Thankful for so many new friends,

jené

Why am I here?

I kept waking up all night to sneeze or cough. After I had worked my way through my prayer journal and sneaked a peak at this morning's devotional I decided to blog. Fortunately even in my fevered state I recognized most of what I intended to post was just a collection of odd and disjointed thoughts. Thank heavens for the delete key!

Instead I am going to share with you something I read yesterday which has confirmed a life decision made recently. I spent some time this spring re-evaluating where I have invested myself. I seriously considered moving back to West Texas. I have family there and with my physical limitations increasing I considered how much easier life would be with help at the ready. That is not to imply that help is not available here, it's just easier when it's family.

One thing that has always had me reluctant to return to the area is the leaving of my church here. I love my church because I feel they understand the burden I feel upon me to share God's love with everyone I meet. There are some good churches in West Texas but I just don't feel as much ease there as I do here. I did get a glimmer of a common goal when I went to a Christmas Eve service with my parents. They had installed a new pastor and he seemed to feel the same need I feel to inspire the people in the pews to action. Their youth group was raising money for a trip by selling t-shirts with this message. On the front it said "Frozen Chosen" and on the back it said "Thaw Out." This gave me hope for any future move to San Angelo.

I have lived in Houston for 18 years now and feel totally at home here. More importantly I have invested myself in friendships with many from differing faith walks. I have Buddhist, Islamic, Shinto, Jewish and atheistic friends who count me as their Christian friend. In some cases I am their only Christian friend. God has really blessed my life by giving me the opportunity to love these people the way my Christ loves them. In my current neighborhood more that half of my neighbors do not go to church. I have a fantastic opportunity to share His love right outside my doorstep. Yes, you can share your love on the front stoop. Just wait until the cool part of the day.

So the question I was pondering earlier this year became "Why should I move?" instead of "Should I move?" Yesterday's Wizard of ID strip brought home the need to share the Kingdom of Heaven wherever you are.


Staying here,

jené

How I learned chicken broth makes a great moisturizer

To understand my discovery we need to review a little background info. My weather predicting arthritic joints have been spot on in alerting me to the pressure changes this coastal city has had in the past few weeks. While somewhat useful, it means slower going and taking more care.

When I woke on Sunday I discovered the little tickle in my throat and occasional sneeze of the night before had blossomed into a right nice cold. I found myself seven minutes late to church. As is often the story, the parking lot was full with the only places open in the far ends. I debated staying or going and staying won out. As I was getting out of the car I had a moment of dizziness which caused me to smack my head on the car door. I sat back down to wait out the dizziness and ease the throbbing in my brain. By the time things were on a more even keel it was 11:30. I am totally comfortable with being a little late and making my way down front where you can always find a seat. Even I however gave pause at being a half hour late. I decided I would catch the sermon on-line later and took my Bible and Zune to head to a park. It was a beautiful day and very easy to see the wonder of God's creation all around me. God is marvelous and used the silences between sneezes to give me peace and comfort. I headed home feeling my soul at ease.

I made a big pot of chicken soup to ward off all the nasty little viruses trying to have a party in my body. I make a great Cold Killer Chicken Soup. As a consistent life pro-lifer I make an exception for organisms attacking me. I had already eaten a bowlful of this wonderful elixir and reasoned another half serving would be a good medicinal dose. I was picking up the pot when I lost my grip and it all went falling to the floor. My relief at seeing the pot land right-side up was quickly replaced with surprise as the soup came flying out and hit me full in the face.

Those of you who know me will not find the next part of the story at all unusual. I fell to the floor with the most serious case of the giggles you have ever heard. Honestly, I know my soup is good for a body but have never applied it externally before. The kitchen and I both needed some good scrubbing.

When I woke up this morning I discovered a benefit to the small fiasco that was yesterday. My skin is so soft today. I may have to investigate the moisturizing qualities of chicken soup.

Wonderingly,

jené

Dr. Suess life lessons

I have a favorite quote on my flair board and it is attributed to Dr. Suess. I have found however there is some debate as to it's authorship. It is still a good life lesson so I have included it in my favorite Suessicals

• Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

It is sometimes a hard to be totally honest with how you feel. There will always be others who think what you feel is wrong. I know personally how hard it can be to open yourself up especially with those closest to you. Just this week I was chatting with one of my sisters about a candidate. She was sharing with me how proud she was to see a pro-life women running for office. I thought for a moment just to let the comment pass without note but I would not be true to my ideals if I did not mention that I had yet to ascertain the candidate's views on the death penalty. As a consistent life pro-lifer, this is important to me. I did not press the issue but could not in good conscience let it go unsaid. My sisters and I often disagree about many things. That aside, I know their love for me can withstand them occasionally doubting my sanity.

• Sometimes the questions are complicated but the answers are simple.
  

I have also learned that many of the problems that have found me in my life can be answered by simply trusting God has a plan for me.

• The more that you read, the more things you know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.

We have a saying at work that intuition does not come to an unprepared mind. Over the years I have spent much time reading many things. I am as eclectic in my reading as I am in my music. I can honestly tell you I would be hard pressed to pick just one book which has most affected my life. This of course excludes the Bible. No matter how many times I have read a particular passage I seem to find something new in each reading.

• Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It is not.

Simply knowing that the world has many problems and talking about them is not enough. To care connotes taking action. Another flair I have states "One person can only do so much." Never let the fact that you can't do everything stop you from doing anything. One action can beget another action and so on and so on. Make that first action happen.

Having learned many things from Dr Suess I leave you with this thought.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.

Taking my shoes in many directions,

jené

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Another abnormally long title taken from my flair board.

Dancing in the rain is fun, you let go of your troubles to sway, splish and splash. The hard part comes in seeing the rain as a blessing instead of a curse. Whenever things get a difficult I try to remember to think of lessons learned in physics.

Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in
that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.
Newton's First Law of Motion

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
Newton's Third Law of Motion

You are probably wondering why both of these laws cause me to think of dancing in the rain. I am using these laws outside the realm of physics and have taken them to a spiritual plane.

When life is hard and things are difficult I have two choices. I can choose to allow the difficulties to provide the direction for my life or I can apply an external force to change the direction. In my case I choose to accept the hardships for the blessings they will someday bring. I use prayer as the external force alter my path from difficult to delightful. When I make that pendulum swing I then note that Newton's third law holds true. For every physical setback I am grateful to receive a spiritual blessing.

Not quite the way Sir Isaac meant for his laws to be applied, but I find them handy.

Who knew physics class would one day lead to dancing in the rain?

Swaying in the raindrops,

jené

Hiding away never works for God sees everything!

I have had the privilege of having made many mistakes in my life. While that may seem an odd thing to consider a privilege you need to know why it is so.

• When you have made major screw ups you know that failure is not fatal.
  
• You learn nothing is so bad that God cannot forgive you.
  
• You know which of your family and friends are compassionate souls.
  
• You also learn that trying to keep everything hidden away until you can resolve it never works. This you learn after the first mistake if you are wise enough to realize it.
• You learn that pride is a real stumbling block to repentance. If you could fix it yourself, you wouldn't need forgiveness.
• You learn to care less for what others think of you.
• You learn to care more for what God thinks of you.

Katie's sermon this Sunday dealt with David and Bathsheba. There was a screw up of monumental proportions. David resorted to murder to hide his sin. David who had been such a strong example of God's man fell as low as you could go. (BTW there is no scorecard awarding points for different sins, we have all been as low as you can go.) In Psalm 51 David writes one of the most heartfelt verses which has meant more to me than there are words to share.

Going through the motions doesn't please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don't for a moment escape God's notice.
Psalm 51: 16-17
The Message

I can remember one occasion where I let shame and embarrassment keep me from reaching out for love and support. It took me a while to realize that what I believed was shame and embarrassment was actually pride. I was afraid to let go of my pride and let someone see me in my fallen state. I had a misguided belief that if my friends knew the real me they would be so disgusted they would leave me. I could not find any peace no matter how much I prayed for relief. It was only after I went and confessed my sin and the pride I was hanging onto to try to hide it away that peace came.

Whatever may be keeping you from God's presence is not worth it. If your friends can't love you the way you are, they aren't friends. Do whatever is required to find peace for yourself. It is worth anything.

love,

jené

Soul aid

The past few months have been full of things which have caused my heart to ache. So when a niece asked if she could come for a visit I was glad to see her arrive. My favorite little girls came for one night of her stay. It is always a heart healer for me to spend time with children. They are so genuine.

Julia and Meredith are missing their big sister this week. She is off at camp. So last night when they came over we decided it would be "Camp Nené." They have both called me Nené for all of their lives. "J" sounds are hard for little mouths and this just worked out easier for them in the beginning. Truthfully, they probably didn't think of calling me anything else as they just copied what their older sister had done.

Last night we did silly dances, watched Donald Duck, ate pizza and made cinnamon rolls for in the morning. The girls love doing a massage train so that was our last activity before bed. We all sit in a row and massage the back of the person in front of you. You switch places from time to time and then everyone ends up with a good massage. While we were doing the train we also had our "thankful time" and "what am I going to do this week to make the world a better place" time. Each of the girls was thankful their sister got to go to camp even though they were missing her. Their choices to make the world a better place included picking up litter, being nice to people, listening to mommy and daddy and putting away toys.

After we had finished we all gathered on my niece's airbed to say our goodnight prayers. The girls love to lay down and stretch out with all of us joining hands in the center to form a cross. I love praying with little ones. They just open up and pour out whatever is troubling them, what they are grateful for, and what they want. I love that these girls know that they can pray together and feel comfortable doing so. I pray they continue this even as adults. I too am so grateful for the chance to refresh my soul by spending time with little ones who love me. I am truly blessed.

Tired but thankful,

jené

P.S. You'd be tired too if you had two little whirling dervishes in your bed.

I'm not superstitious, I'm just a little stitious.

When I saw this flair I knew it was for me. I love to play with words. I can play word games by the hour because I get so lost in the moment. Words are one way we can convey the intention of our hearts. Ideas are born and blossom by the exchange of words. When I wake each morning I spend time with the words God has for me and then pray that all of my words for the day will be nurturing and encouraging. I do this because I know that words can also be hurtful and belittling.

I was helping a Mom today and her son and daughter were in their own little universe. I heard the brother tell the sister "You mean nothing to me." She was still for a moment and then looked away seeming to struggle to not cry. I wondered if the mother had heard or was she ignoring those words deliberately. A minute later he banged his sister's head with a metal drawer. Now she did cry, and her mother did intervene. She told her son to apologize to his sister and to put the drawer away. I know the knock on the noggin was an "owie" but I think the bigger hurt was the earlier words. "You mean nothing to me"; could there be a more damaging phrase in the English language. Even when someone says "I hate you" there is still some emotional feeling to the words.

I was meditating at lunch and my heart kept feeling such sadness for this little girl. It was just a moment of time. She may never remember it clearly. But for that moment she was hurt as deeply as she can ever be. I prayed the rest of her day would have moments of love and compassion, God knows her morning didn't.

Praying that my words harm others as infrequently as possible.

jené

Knowing when to say nothing

Right now there are several people close to me who are suffering through various hardships and I don't feel there is anything I can do for them. I know that the feeling of inadequacy on my part is false. I have offered them my love and support, but more importantly I have offered them my silence.

That may seem odd if you don't know that silence can be a very loving gift. When someone is hurting they don't necessarily want to hear the "God works in mysterious ways" or "all things work together for good for those that love God". Just because it is a right message does not mean it is the right time for the message. My father and I were discussing this just yesterday. A cousin's family is enduring a horrific tragedy. Their two year old daughter was run over and killed. To add to their suffering is the fact the car was driven by her father. For this family the only thing I can offer is my sincere sympathies and unending love. There are no words to in any way make this situation better. Silence is a great gift to give them and I am hoping everyone they meet this week will offer a quiet hug.

I often think of Job when his life fell apart around him. His friends came and for a week they sat with him in the dirt and kept silent. They could not know exactly how he was feeling but they wanted to offer their companionship anyway. For that week, they were the greatest friends a hurting man could have. After that, he should have sent them away.

The next time someone you know comes to you and tells you their tale of woe, pause for a moment and see if the desire to speak comes from your desire to do something or from God. Remember, just because your words may be right, it does not mean it is the right time for them.

Quietly,

jené

This should make you laugh

This little guy knows that happiness is of his own making. The hard part for him and for all of us is to remember that happiness is a choice we make. It's certainly influenced by our surroundings, but ultimately we either choose to be happy or don't.

You can find joy in all sorts of places. Earlier this week I was pretty worn out. I had a rough day and could not wait to get home. Once I got home I parked the car and went to get out. While driving home some of my joints locked up and my knee just didn't want to let me stand. I sat there for a moment and contemplated how I would even call for help. Do you call a friend and say "I'm stuck in my car and can't get out." For some reason just the thought of having to call someone to help me get out of the car started me giggling. It is not the first time I had been stuck in a car. Twice I have been in accidents severe enough that I had to wait for outside assistance to get out . Here I was again only I had no accident to blame. Giggles soon gave way to very large laughs. Before I knew it, things loosened up and I was free from my Nissan. I was sharing this story at work today and had everybody in the breakroom laughing along with me. I could have chosen to panic at the moment I realized my predicament. Fortunately, I am predisposed to laughter. I have had so many bizarre moments in my life I have long learned laughter is always a better response.

Still chuckling,

jené