Carry Me (what Senna taught me)

We had a busy day…a busy, fun day. We had played and had many adventures, and now we were heading to the park to see the animals. First, of course, we had to stop by the tractor and sit on the seat and drive it for a bit. Then we walked past the horses munching on their lunch of rich, green grass. Next stop was the peacock barn. We sat on the chairs in front there for a while, watching as one peacock with all white feathers was strutting around, rustling them. He made us smile as he hopped back and forth, looking like he was dancing.

 

After a while, we moved on to the chicken coop and listened as they roamed around calling out greetings. Then it was on to the path toward Turtle Pond. Shortly after crossing a bridge, Senna, my sweet granddaughter, stopped in the middle of the path and simply stated, “Carry me.” Her almost 3 year old legs were tired, and she knew without hesitation that I could and gladly would scoop her up into my arms and carry her. As I picked her up and she wrapped her little arms around me, I thought – this is what God does and wants to do for me. When I am weary, all I need to do is say, “Carry me.” That’s what Jesus promises. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

We saved Turtle Pond for another day and headed out for ice cream instead. A perfect ending to a busy, beautiful, fun day.

 ~ Sarah (and Senna)

Not Done Yet

She tugged back on his hand and said, “No, G-dad, I not done yet.” We were in the mall, slowly strolling along and taking in all the Christmas decorations with our 2 ½ year old granddaughter, Senna. Both my husband, Mike (aka G-dad), and I were enjoying watching the wonder in Senna’s eyes and the smiles and expressions of joy on her face even more than looking at the decorations. We had stopped at a window with an animated fox and bear giving each other presents. We were there for several minutes, watching the scene repeat itself many times, when Mike gently pulled Senna’s hand, and said, “Ok, let’s go on”. After Senna informed us that she wasn’t finished watching this yet, we stayed a few more minutes until she had time to soak it all in.

Mike and our terrific son, Dan.

This made me wonder how much I miss by moving on too quickly. This beautiful Christmas season, I have been really savoring the moments, and I hope you have, too. From stopping for an extra few minutes gazing at Christmas decorations to spontaneous parades with Senna singing Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, and other carols in the house, to laughing and goofing off jumping in front of our Christmas tree, it has been a joy-filled season. As Jim Elliott stated: “Wherever you are - be all there.”

There is so much beauty and joy all around us, not just in shop windows, but also in the people surrounding us. As the saying goes, “The eyes are the window to the soul”. So I encourage you to slow down and gaze into not just holiday decorated windows, but also into the windows, that is, the eyes, of the people all around you.
“Joy to the world, the Lord has come!”

        ~ Sarah

G-dad and me.    

Senna helping with cookie baking. ;)

Senna sampling the cookies while her daddy and mommy decorate them.
(our wonderful daughter and son-in-law, Amy and Dave)

Misjudging the Sunlight

Her face was all scrunched up, rather looking like she was scowling. I was a young teenager, and my mom was driving me somewhere. Truthfully, I don’t remember where we were heading. However, I do remember us making a turn and passing a woman at a stop sign. She was waiting to pull out onto the road, and her head was turned towards us. I said to my mom that she sure looked mad. My mom took a look at her and told me that the woman was simply squinting, because the sun was in her eyes. As I took a second look, I saw that my mom was right. The sunlight was streaming directly in the woman’s eyes, and she was squinting to try to see.

This happened a long time ago, but the memory of it has always stuck with me. How many times do I still jump to conclusions and misjudge people? The answer, unfortunately, is still way too many times. I try to look at the whole picture and also think about the fact that we never know all that is going on in someone else’s life. It seems to me that it’s a great idea to look at others with a lot more grace and a lot less judgment. I know I hope others will look at me that way.

One of my favorite verses says, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:16). How I want my life to be marked by love! Thankfully, this is actually possible. It is only possible because of Jesus and the fact that He is changing me as I yield to Him. It is definitely a process and not an overnight change, but like the psalmist, I pray, “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me.” (Psalm 57:2).

God is always faithful and always loving. You can count on it!

~ Sarah

 

30 Dates for 30 Years

 

It's 30 years later, and the smiles are still there!

30 years holds a lot of memories, and for Mike and me, it holds a lot of happiness. This past summer we celebrated our 30^th anniversary. Actually, we are still celebrating it, because we decided to have 30 dates in celebration of our 30 years. We even had fun putting the list of dates together. They range from ones as simple as having a cup of tea together on our deck to spending a day at the beach in New Jersey where we had our honeymoon.

 

Our daughter, Amy, is getting married this month. At her bridal shower we had a spot for people to write a message or advice for the bride-to-be. This made me think about the best advice I’ve received. Probably at the top is my mom’s encouragement to always put Jesus first, others second and yourself last. That leads to true joy, just like the acronym created by the first letters of Jesus, others, you. This is true not just in marriage, but in all of life. I know it is backwards from what most every commercial tells us. However, if you put it into practice, you will be surprised at the depth of joy it leads to.

 

The pastor who married Mike and me also gave us sound advice. He talked about how often you hear that marriage must be 50/50, then he said to forget that. He stated that if we each focused on always giving 100%, we would have a solid marriage. I’ve found that to be another excellent truth. I wonder if part of the reason may be that those who approach marriage with the 50/50 concept are always calculating if they each are doing their “fair share”. Believe me, as long as you both give 100%, it balances out! It also brings joy, because you are helping the one you love.

The advice I decided to share with Amy was to keep God first always, and to be sure to keep having dates. Going on dates is crucial, and it is so much fun!! I don’t think it even matters all that much what you do; the more important thing is who you’re doing it with! Throughout our lives together, Mike and I have enjoyed many dates. It is so good to set aside special time together, to catch up together, talk together, laugh together, and simply be together, apart from everyone else. Notice that the key word is together.


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Of course, I am so fortunate, because Mike is one of a kind. Then again, I hope that everyone feels that way about the one they marry.

 

                                                                                                                               ~ Sarah

 

My Mom

Mom enjoying holding her great-granddaughter, Senna.

The night we heard the news, I told my husband, Mike, that we needed to make a “Going to Heaven” mix CD for her. He replied that he had been thinking the very same thing. My mom is now there, in heaven. She placed her trust in Jesus as her Savior many years ago. When she was diagnosed with leukemia and informed that she only had days or months to live, that trust continued. She inspired and encouraged me! As the pastor stated at her memorial service, she lived well, and she died well. I would say that her whole life was a song of praise.

Mom enjoying a last trip to World's End State Park.

I was privileged to help care for her during her last days here on earth. Many times I heard her praying, unaware of my presence. I heard her telling Jesus how much she loved Him and simply praising Him with joy in the midst of her suffering. She talked about how excited she was to be going to heaven.

In her honor, I’d like to share a devotion that she inspired. May you also know the joy and peace of trusting in Jesus. Oh, and we did make that music mix, and she enjoyed it a lot!

Collecting Seashells

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:28-29

Mom enjoying her quiet time with God.



 

My mom has mastered the principle of letting all things make her more like Jesus. Recently, Mom was getting ready to have surgery on her left shoulder. When I asked what help she’d need and mentioned that it would be hard for a while, she said that she’d just learn to use her right arm better. What a great perspective! Instead of asking God to change her circumstances, she asks God to use her circumstances to change her.

When Mom and I go to the beach together, she likes to collect shells. She doesn’t look for that “perfect shell”, though. Instead, she seeks out shells that are broken and have had their rough edges smoothed and shaped by repeated exposure to waves and sand. To me this is a picture of a Christian – a broken life allowing God to shape it by whatever waves and sand He chooses, abandoning itself to Him with joy in the process! I know God’s goal is to make me more like Jesus, and I know that He knows best how to accomplish this. Psalm 138:8 promises, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands.”

I'm so thankful for my mom's example, and it fills me with joy, knowing that one day I will see her again!

                                                                                                       ~ Sarah

Mom and me







My husband, Mike, making my mom laugh (as usual:).



A birthday celebration!





Washing Gum and Other Misadventures

I found it. It had been missing for over a day. I found it after I unknowingly washed and dried it. It was a half a pack of chewing gum, and yes, you read that right. I found it after I washed and dried it. Did I mention that it was in the midst of my nursing uniforms? Ugh!

After several sighs and de-gumming the dryer, I started thinking about failures. Usually I don't like to mention my failures, because, well, they make me feel like a failure! But here I go, sharing with the world a few of my misadventures and what I've learned from them.

I never thought I would do this, let alone share it, but here I go. This past year I was given a beautiful, cute puppy. I was really excited to have a dog again. Five months later I gave her up to another family. My family and I prepared our home for this furry little addition, and we worked hard at making her part of our lives. We live in a townhome, so we knew she would need several walks a day to get enough exercise. Many hours were spent on training and walks and runs. We even took her to obedience school for training. We loved and still love her.




In spite of the love and training, she remained resistant to following commands. The worst part was that we couldn't trust her around people. She would nip at them quite hard, not viciously, but hard enough to possibly hurt them. We eventually came to the conclusion that she would be better with a family with a fenced yard where she could run around more frequently. I freely admit I cried when we gave her up, but I felt and still feel certain that it was the right thing to do. You may think this is no big deal, but it really impacted me.

That may seem trivial to you, particularly if you don't like dogs. So let me share one more sample of failing. I'm a nurse working in an intensive care unit. Sometimes in spite of all our efforts, a patient's body simply doesn't respond to treatment. They worsen and sometimes die. Their organs fail. They go into heart failure, respiratory failure, kidney failure, and so on. The reality is that God designed us incredibly, but still, our bodies aren't meant to live forever.

The lesson from the gum incident is simple. I should more carefully check my pockets before throwing clothes into the laundry basket. I must admit that I'm still trying to figure out the lesson from getting and then having to give up a puppy. One thing is that I wouldn't judge anyone else for having to give up a pet. Another is that failing at something doesn't mean you're a failure.

One thing I've learned from being a critical care nurse is that while we encourage our patients to fight to live, we must also prepare them for dying. This may seem contradictory, but I truly believe that these go hand in hand. We should all face the fact that death will find us at some point. Doing so should spur us on to live more fully and to treasure each moment.

A while ago I met a girl from Australia who was living here in the United States for a season. She really impressed me, because she was so enthusiastic about trying new things. I remember her playing volleyball for the first time. To be honest, she wasn't a natural and was not that good. However, she enjoyed it so much that her enthusiasm was contagious. Her joy at experiencing life inspired me!

The most important lesson I've learned from failing is that God loves me all the time. He loves you all the time, too. His grace and mercy are never ending. It's astonishing how much He loves us, failures and all!

No Worries

She doesn't worry about anything. She is completely dependent, but she doesn't worry. Sure, she has needs. She just makes her needs known, and they are happily and lovingly met.

Meet my granddaughter, Senna. She is just over one month old now and is already teaching me things and reminding me of truths that never change. Like the wonderful truth in the verse, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

The last few months (actually, all of 2012) have been rather a whirlwind. Senna has helped me to stop again. Just stop and be still and appreciate. She has reminded me to simply relax and enjoy the moments.

I look forward to all the moments to come, but I am heeding the words of Jim Elliot, who said, "Wherever you are, be all there!"
                    May you rest in God's presence in the present!  ~ Sarah

Here are some more photos, because I can't help but share my joy!

Happy parents Dave and Amy.

Sweet smiles.

G-Dad enjoying being G-Dad.

Uncle Danny!

Me enjoying the moment.