Bird-in-Hand and The Ventriloquist

Fall is the season for long country drives. Last weekend we took an impromptu drive that landed us in Bird-in-Hand, PA. A small town filled with Amish persuasion of plentiful meals, beautiful craftsmanship, quiet peace; all with crowds of tourist.

We spent the three hours waiting for the ventriloquist show walking through the markets, watching a hot air balloon take off, and talking to Pam, a lovely women making her way back home. The chance meeting with Pam highlights the peace of Bird-in-Hand as we sat at the counter sipping coffee and eating fudge we purchased from Uncle Leroy.

Ryan & Friends: Lifetime of Laughter was the last show of the season. This was a laugh out loud performance of one man and his cast of friends. Jeffrey, the witty 8 year old that exemplifies his quick wit in his response to being called a dummy by stating he prefers to be called a “wooden American”. During this show, I also learned all those horse droppings on the road has the euphemism known as road apples.

The biggest take-away was the art and skill known by ventriloquist as throwing your voice. Its the illusion that makes a voice seem to come from another location. The skill plays well when we get lost in the voice of the puppet as a very real person.

Here’s a quick short. Give it a try-you may find it fun.

I have tried throwing my voice. At times it works well and at times my voice falls short. I have tried to throw my voice with those close to me and it comes back as an reverberating echo. I have learned sometimes it best to be the close up ventriloquist where I am up close, honest, and vulnerable.

I am grateful for a God that acts as my ventriloquist through the Holy Spirit. He is close up and throws his voice to speak for me when I can not muster the words to say. The book of Jude was a great study that has convicted me to hold my tongue when needed and allow the Lord to speak for me. I rest in the promise of Jude 24-26, ” Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen”

May I be called, not a dummy, not a puppet, not a wooden American, but a child of the almighty. A bird in the hand of God who throws his voice to me, close up and in the distant.

Always grateful,

Have you cleaned your screens lately?

It’s a very relaxing two weeks on stay-cation.

Week one was filled with the sounds of children visiting us grandparents. It was filled with drive time to and from camp. It included game time playing, Flip 7, Scrabble, & Monopoly Cards. It included sitting around the fire pit roasting hotdogs and playing childhood memory games. It included a relay race in the yard, a game of catch, and a few minutes on the rotating swing hanging from a tree. It included the gracious gift of a daughter-in-love weeding my garden and digging up plants and moving them to create beautiful symmetry as you walk to the front door.

Week two returned to a quiet home with a mind battling the idea of rest. There is this true resistance to rest. Throughout the day the thought would return, you should post something, you should write something, you should check messages, you should… But I resisted and retreated to read a book, listen to a sermon, enjoy the music of birds singing, and the sound of rain hitting the roof during a major storm.

Then came Thursday. It was a day in the community of others that gathered to celebrate the life of a dear friend. A man that lived his life to the fullest, a man as others would say, sprinted through life and touched everyone in a meaningful way.

Then came Friday, July 4, Independence day for the US. Rest time was over. It was a day to get back in the groove of life, to get back to the tasks at hand, to get back to reflecting on the must dos on the assignment and the opportunities put before me.

One of the task on that list of things to do was clean the windows. As I was cleaning the windows, a rare thought popped into my head- you should clean the screens too. The idea that screens should also be cleaned entered my mind years ago from the movie, My Cousin Vinny.

I pulled the reusable paper towels I purchased from the Walmart clearance isle and a scrub brush and cleaned the screens. There was more dirt on that reusable paper towel than I wish to capture with a picture but it was nowhere near the filth pictured on the photos from the scene in My Cousin Vinny.

It felt good to be back on task! It was fun and relaxing for me to walk through the house and look through the windows beyond the very clean screens and see all there is just outside my doors. Although the fingerprints of children are no longer on the windows, the memory of time spent lingers on.

Just outside my window, I can see clearly all the things the Lord has created. I can see all the life that exist just outside my door. I can see all the Lord is calling me to do. There are many assignments I have been given in this life- daughter, wife, mother, grandparent, friend, confidant, and disciple. While competing in a Bobsled race is not one of my assignments, I am willing to go where the Lord sends me to do his will.

I end this week referencing a song I sang as a child. The movie clips from Cool Runnings exemplifies removing the dirt of the screens I put on throughout my life so I can see clearly all the obstacles ( as a child I would sing all the ice sickles) in my way.

As Paul testifies in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Pressing on…

Always grateful,

Compromise?

Have you been compromised lately?

In the last post, An Inventory of Things, I came to realize all the things from the past are recorded in the books or stored somewhere on this earth.

These past two weeks have brought me very fond memories. Some experiences brought joy and others that resonate as sadness. We received wonderful news of a friend receiving a new heart and we received news of a friend who no longer walks on this earth.

These two life events is a realization that we all sit in the middle of life and death. How I walk and live my life can be a compromising journey of living by my values or living to please others. Both have their moments of finding peace in a given situation.

In the last post, I also shared the how the book Ezra opened my mind to the realization that there is a record of all my thoughts, my actions, and my deeds.

As I finished the reading of Ezra this week, I again realize that I can easily compromise my values to make someone else feel comfortable. It may show up as a simple favor or sitting quietly to words that need a rebuke.

It is my continued hope and prayer, like Ezra, that I do not grieve God or the Holy Spirit by being too timid when I should be bold, or too quiet when I should speak out against a wrong. In all these situations, I am always grateful for a God that does not change, for a God that loves me unconditionally, and for a God that waits patiently for repentance.

Glory to a God that does not compromise in his truth, in his ways, or in his love.

To all those that have been given the opportunity for new life and to those that have passed on, let it be said we serve an awesome God.

Always grateful,

An inventory of things.

Have you taken inventory lately?

I’m seating in my office looking at a shelf full of books. Last night, I changed my closet from winter to summer wear. I kept some things, discarded some things, and plan to donate some things.

The last two weeks were full of fun and vacationing. I have gathered more memories, more places to visit, and more insight to the life all around me. I enjoyed listening to hip hop karaoke from those a few generations behind me. The lyrics hindered my joining in the sing-along. Wow, that was a wake up call to the person I once was. I appreciated the fun near the beach with crowds dancing outside to the live “Grown Folks Music” of Brasswind, a band composed completely of retired/active duty military and local teachers. A big thank you for your service!

I began this BLOG journey months ago with the post, We Filled a Dumpster. It was a reflection of things past and the memories shared with our descendants over the generations.

This morning I started a new study in the Biblical book of Ezra, a priest and scribe. I am one easily fascinated by the stories of war. The battles we face everyday and the fortitude needed to remain steadfast in the aftermath is a lesson in overcoming. Ezra opens with an inventory of the spoils of war and the descendants of a people displaced in exile.

What captured me in the reading of chapters 1 and 2 is the record of inventory of things and the people that returned from captivity. I thought about the things I put in that dumpster months ago. I thought about my descendants, past and present. I thought about the experiences I have had over the years as inventory to the person I am today and the new experience that may determine who I become tomorrow. The book of Ezra mentions descendants of singers, servants, gatekeepers, people of province, and more. It list items such as bowls, plates, knives, and livestock. When is the last time you counted the number of bowls, plates, and knives in your house?

What fascinates me and excites my awe and wonder is the thought that there is a record of my coming and goings, a record of my thoughts and actions, an inventory of me that will be presented when the exile to this earth is over. What intimidates me and gives me peace, is the loving grace of Christ. That I am counted as heir and descendant of creator GOD is an awesome responsibility.

Although my days of hip hop are beyond me, I still reminisce and dance around to a good beat. I still shop and gather new things. I still seek the Lord daily and grow exponentially in the calling to do his will.

May the inventory of my life be pleasing to Christ.

Always grateful,

You Matter

Hello Wonderful People,
May you never forget- you are created & wonderfully made!
As Mental Health Awareness month comes to an end and we recognize Memorial Day for all those that fought in the battle; Know that we can overcome the daily battles we all endure.
May you find your peace and comfort in a faith journey with friends and those that KNOW YOU MATTER.



May your journey continue with the peace of mind that passes all understanding. I hope to meet you in the online SANe community read along. https://a.co/d/aWswnzg

Always grateful,