Sweet visit with Grama Lou

What a busy week it's been; but oh so fun! On Monday my Grama Lou arrived from PA. This is her "Grama trip." She left last Friday from Pittsburgh and traveled to my cousin, Jen's, in Lexington, KY. She spent the weekend with her and then came to my house for a few days. Grama Lou won't fly....therefore; her mode of transportation (unless Grandpa is driving) is Greyhound or Amtrak. Well, since Nashville doesn't have an Amtrak station, she traveled this part of her trip via Greyhound. I don't know how she does it! I absolutely don't have the patience for anything like that--for sure! She'll agree and freely states, "It's not for everyone." Luckily Grama Lou is so happy and laid-back whatever the circumstances. This is how she manages to roll-with-the-punches with all the constant traveling set-backs you're offered with Greyhound. Her bus was supposed to arrive at 3:40pm Monday. She was coming from Lexington, KY to Nashville, TN via Cincinnati, OH, Louisville, KY, Elizabethtown, KY, Bowling Green, KY and then finally to Nashville! She arrived at the bus station in Lexington at 8am to discover that her bus was going to leave 1.5 hours late--already behind schedule and she hadn't even left the first station! So by the time she arrived in Louisville, a whole 77 miles west of Lexington, it'd taken 9 hours! (They had a three hour lay-over in Cincinnati!) Oh the joys of traveling by bus! Definitely NOT for everyone! I assure you my patience would've been spent when I'd found out at the first station that the bus wasn't leaving for an extra 1.5 hours. Grama Lou though, being the sweet-spirit that she is, just laughs it off and gets out her knitting. Oh what a patient heart. I'd love to be more like her. Needless to say, her bus did not arrive "on time" to Nashville. She arrived about 8pm. But that's ok; we didn't waste any time catching up! I love how despite the geographical distance between all of my family members, we constantly stay connected with our cell phones, text messaging and of course e-mail. The joys of technology just totally fascinate me! But oh, please don't let there be a problem with any one of these savvy things! I definitely come unglued when that happens. I can't figure those things out. Just PLEASE let them all work the way they're supposed to. :-)

Late nights chatting, reminiscing, laughing, watching "Crook" on tv, going out to eat, and just simply hanging out in our pj's half the day is such a treat! I introduced my Grama Lou to Angie's blog, Bring the Rain, and got her all caught up on her story and also Nicol and Greg's story. I even had the honor of introducing her to BETH MOORE! I have a DVD of Beth’s lesson on “Biblical Happiness” from the 2007 Women of Faith pre-conference from Denver, CO. ("There is a scriptural premise for being happy; Beth digs deep into the Word to show that happiness may be circumstantial, but it is not bound by any circumstance.") For all of you who are familiar with Beth Moore’s amazing gift of Christian teaching, you know how exciting and passionate she is about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My Grama just loved her! Of course, it’s rare to find someone who doesn’t really appreciate Beth’s gift of teaching God’s Word. But what a treat to worship our Heavenly Father together with my sweet Grama Lou in the comfort of my living room!

I just started the Beth Moore Stepping Up Bible study this week too. So Grama and I worked together on one of my homework assignments. It’s such a treat for me to share my faith with my grandmother. She’s always been such a godly woman to me. She taught me the “Lord’s Prayer” when I was very young. It was my first formal prayer to learn. She also taught me the “Hail Mary” prayer too. Although I’m not Catholic, I’ve always admired her commitment to her Catholic faith. I was baptized and raised Methodist, following my Mom’s example. She was raised Methodist too. (I’ll tell more about my faith beginnings in another blog.)

My Grama Lou has such a heart of gold--such a giving heart. She selflessly gives of her time, money, and energy to several charities. One of her biggest projects is Gifts for the Unborn that she and her brother began several years ago. Together with the help of lots of supporters across the country, they assimilate baby gift packages that include hand-made baby booties, baby shampoo, powder, and lotion. These are distributed to Women's Crisis Centers all over the world! Yes, even internationally! They began this ministry shortly after their mother passed away. To this day, it continues to grow. What amazing stewards of Christ to share their love, time and energy trying to help woman choose life over an abortion. These small gifts are just tangible items to help these women realize that the life they are carrying has worth--that they matter. I'm sure we'll never know this side of heaven how many lives have been saved by the generosity of my Grama Lou and her brother, my Great Uncle Rich, and their teams of workers who faithfully continue to knit and crochet baby booties for these precious babies--gifts from God. But God surely knows! My great Grandfather, Grama Lou's Dad, and his wife, Nora are also instrumental in sewing these baby booties together for the gift packages. My great Grandpa, Doc, will be 105 years old on October 14, 2008! What a blessing in our lives he is!! Even in his old age, he gives of himself to sew these baby booties together for all of these babies around the world. The breadth and depth of their ministry amazes me. My Grama's charities are only just beginning...she also quilts for children who are hospitalized. This charity is called Project Linus. She's been making these quilts for years. Another thing she does is knits helmet liners for our troops at war in Iraq.

Many years ago, my Grama Lou was diagnosed with macular degeneration. This diagnosis was devastating to her given the need of her vision to perform the necessary focused work to knit, quilt, and crochet all the things she does for others through these various charities. When she was diagnosed, she began taking Occudyne (ocular vitamins) everyday. Macular degeneration is a debilitating disease that eventually robs its victims of their central vision. How could she continue to work so diligently with all of her charities if she couldn't see? She prayed earnestly for healing and took her vitamins faithfully. This condition is normally irreversible; however, my Grama was completely healed!! She continued to go to the eye doctor for regular check-ups and eventually he told her that there was no longer ANY evidence of macular degeneration--AT ALL! PRAISE THE LORD!

I have so many fond memories of times shared with my Grama Lou! I'm blessed beyond measure to have had so much time with her and so many in my family. I'll never forget the late-night hours we always see together when we're visiting so as to fully maximize our time together, and the stories upon stories that we can go on and on over. I believe I get my "gift" of story-telling from my Grama Lou! :-)

One of my favorite desserts is bread pudding from Famous Dave's BBQ. While Grama and I were listening to Beth Moore's study on DVD, Gary so thoughtfully went to pick up some bread pudding for us to share together! The above picture is of Grama and I digging in and her trying this decadent dessert. She agreed that it's definitely a dessert to remember! Don't worry, we shared it with Gary too!

Grama Lou and I had a wonderful time together! I will always remember the many times she's come to visit me and how often my sisters and I were able to visit our grandparents (both sets) in PA while we were growing up. As adults we continue to make the journey back-and-forth to PA to visit our family "up north." Those times are always so much fun and so relaxing. The special times we've all shared together and the many, many beautiful memories we've made together will always be cherished. I hope that all of you reading also have many fond memories with your loved ones that will always hold a special place in your hearts. Life is short--enjoy the times with your loved ones while you can!

Blessings,

Dawna

Hope you enjoyed the links within the text to various websites and also the pictures. I'm still learning how to do all this neat stuff!!

Oh the joys of a clean home!!

Ok, for a type-A personality and someone no-doubt with OCD, having a neat and orderly home is not just a priority for me, it helps me to invoke feelings of peace, contentment, rest and relaxation. But to have a clean home? Oh what a feeling of pure joy for me! I’ve wanted to hire a housekeeper for awhile now, but I’ve struggled with the feeling that such an expense was a “luxury” I could do without. It just seemed so frivolous for a single girl and her sweet puppy to need a housekeeper. I’d tried a housekeeper once before, but realized that no one, or so I thought, was going to clean my house the way I wanted it to be cleaned. So after a few unsatisfying visits with the first housekeeper, I decided to forego that “luxury” and go back to doing the time-consuming chores myself.

Then the dog hair and dust just got to be such a constant effort to keep at bay. I decided to start researching to find another housekeeper. I have finally found exactly what I was looking for! See, good things do come to those who wait… This woman and her team are a true blessing to me! Her name is Maria, of Maria’s Pristine Cleaning Service (I have her permission to use her name and give her business information in case anyone else is interested in hiring her). Maria, Rachel and Margarida cleaned my home so thoroughly and so impeccably, I can’t say enough how much I appreciate their hard-work and their true gift of domestic divahood. Ok, so I’m sure that’s not really a word, but it works for me, and I’m sure you catch my drift. These ladies are oh-so-good at what they do and super friendly and nice too! I know this is hard to believe, but these women clean even beyond my high expectations! This is a treat I shall keep around.

While these three women cleaned my house literally from top to bottom, I had extra time to play in my yard all afternoon. For those of you who don’t already know me, I love to garden and play in my yard. I can’t describe the feeling of satisfaction I felt knowing my home was being cleaned so meticulously while I was outside mowing, trimming and edging the yard, driveway and flower beds. In a matter of a few hours my entire house was not just neat and orderly, but clean and smelled so good, and even my yard was in top shape! I slept like a baby that night, and am continuing to enjoy the comforts of knowing my house has been taken care of and I can do other things with my time like blog, read, ride my recumbent bike, and follow our crazy hurricanes (Ike this week).

I think it’s interesting how different we all are. How is it that some people can’t go to bed at night unless the house is all straightened-up? While others can navigate through mazes of junk and clutter for weeks, months or longer, and not give it all a second thought? I’m sure it’s a lot easier for me to keep things kept-up since I don’t have any children yet, but knowing that everything is in its place and presentable at any given moment helps me to feel happy, relaxed and contented. Oh, in case you’re in Nashville and would like to contact Maria…her number is 579-8183! Blessings, Dawna

Is is better to have loved and lost, or to have never loved at all?

It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all!

Hi, welcome! This is my very first blog. I’ve wanted to start blogging for awhile now; but have finally decided to make it happen and quit talking/thinking about it.

I’ve been dealing with depression for several years. Recently there have been several deaths that have occurred to people that I know of and many others that I’ve just learned about. Consequently, I’ve been praying even more frequently than I normally do. First of all, I believe in God. I believe in Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior and know that through God’s grace, I have been forgiven of my sins and have been saved through Jesus’ death on the cross for me. When I die, I know that I will be in heaven in the arms of my Lord and Savior. The knowledge and awareness of God’s presence in my life and the assurances of His promises through His Word gives me a peace that truly “surpasses all understanding.” But yet I still struggle with trusting that it’s all going to work out for me like it seems to for others... Although I can’t explain all the mysteries of God and how He “works everything to the good of those who love Him and believe in/know Him,” I do without doubt believe in Him. I also believe in prayer. I believe in not only respecting, loving, trusting and fearing God, yes, fearing God; I believe you have to have a relationship with God, through Jesus, to develop, strengthen and understand your connection to our Heavenly Father.

I do not read my Bible everyday as I know I should and often desire to. But that doesn’t mean I’m a “bad” Christian. Too often we have unrealistic expectations of ourselves and others and end up defeating ourselves. Remember we’re “saved by grace. God’s grace.” God’s desire for us is to know Him, love Him, trust Him and to choose Him. He created us to glorify Himself and to be in communion (in relationship) with Him. I believe the best way to grow in your faith is to lean on Him, to trust Him always—especially when you feel your life is out of control and everything is falling apart all around you. God loves us always—unconditionally. When our walk falters and our faith is tested, God still doesn’t leave us. He’s “with us always.” I’ve just about completed an amazing book by Marilyn Meberg of Women of Faith. It’s called “Love Me Never Leave Me.” It’s a profound book that has helped to remind me that despite life’s craziness and the disappointments that inevitably come with life, God will never, ever leave me or “abandon me.” He sacrificed His ONLY Son for me—for all of us! That’s exactly how much He loves and values me/us. That’s a LOT more than I can fathom. See, the mysteries of God are not ours to understand or to solve. One day in heaven, when we’re in His Glorious Presence and rejoicing with the angels, we may know more answers, but for now, it’s not our “business.” Life hurts. Life is hard. Life is painful and sad—at times. But it’s also good. It’s also fun, exciting and often rewarding. My Mom has always told me that if life was always great and blissful, we wouldn’t really appreciate and value the good times. It takes the bad times to allow us to really embrace the good times and appreciate them for the gifts they are. And so it is…..death comes….to all of us at some point.

With the recent deaths I’ve experienced through so many others around me over the last few months, I’ve landed on a topic to discuss for my first blog….”Is it really better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all?” My first response, through depression, was “No. It’s better to not have the companionships around us that are only temporal. After all, at some point everyone is going to die. So maybe if you don’t get yourself too involved emotionally with other people, you won’t be so affected when they or others die? But what kind of life is this to live? Constantly living in fear of death, or loss? It’s especially difficult to understand and accept the deaths that to us seem to be so “untimely.” Young people, young children, new families, etc. But as a Christian, I know that I’m incapable of seeing the whole picture and how even through these apparently “untimely” deaths, God’s purpose is being fulfilled around me and in this world. But then if that’s what our lives were…no companions: friends, families, lovers, our lives would be boring and unsatisfying and very, very lonely. We can’t truly experience life, have life, and not love and be in communion with others. It’s just not possible. God is Love. He made us to be in communion with each other. We’re all interdependent on each other in one way or another. We’re not meant to go through this life alone—fearing death, loneliness, abandonment, hurt, rejection. I don’t believe that you can love others if you do not love God. Afterall, God is Love!

So for a couple of days I pondered this concept: Do I really believe that life would be better if we didn’t have people in our lives that we truly love and care about to avoid the inevitable pain of loss, through death or abandonment, rejection, etc., or despite the inevitable pain that life brings, isn’t it still better to share and enjoy the rocky roads of life with those we love to help and encourage us along the way and also to help us through the pains, trials and disappointments in life? Maybe this is all a selfish perspective? What about the influence our lives can and do have on the lives of others? I know that I “matter” to those who love and know me. And obviously the lives of my family and friends all “matter” to me. I think God gave us relationships with each other, whether by blood or otherwise, to enhance our experiences, called life, here on earth. Despite the fact that life can throw us curve balls at times, I have come to accept that even though there is much risk of loss in life, it is still better to love and lose, than to have never loved at all or to avoid the risk of another loss following a previous hurt/disappointment in life.

God is the ultimate Physician. He can heal all things. I believe that in time, in God’s time, even our own broken hearts, pains, and disappointments are healed. I think on some days the wounds will seem fresh and new again, and on other days we’ll feel pretty good. But even still, I wouldn’t trade the wonderful memories I’ve had with my family and friends to have avoided the few big “bumps” I’ve had in my own life. Life is meant to be lived completely and as fully as humanly possible. After all, life is a gift from God—I believe we should make it a good life and do all we can to make our lives honorable and good—seeking God in all we do. Jesus was sent to live on earth to show us the way to live. Our job is to share the testimonies we all have of how God has turned the ashes of our lives into beauty—His beauty! As Christians, we should try to emulate the life of Jesus and try to be His Light in this dark, cold, hateful world. Let others see Christ in us!

Go live this day fully—it truly is a gift from God to celebrate this day and its opportunities. Go and love others, share your faith, your testimony, yourself, your love and presence with others. You never know whose day you may brighten, enrich, and enhance by just being you, the glorious creation in whose image God created!