The Lion and The Lamb

March ends this week. It did roll in like an angry lion for me but hopefully it will go out like a peaceful lamb. That lion roared around all month, leaving me rethinking life’s probabilities. There were many tests; some oral, some silent, some I passed, and some, I admit, I failed. March is considered to be the time of transition from winter to spring. My March has been a transition of another kind…one of reflection, one of questioning, one of wonder…one of change. As I watched the season change in front of me through the rebirth of nature and blooms springing forth their beauty; I stood apart from it, wondering what was next.

After watching Army Wives and Coming Home last night while crying my eyes out, I thought of all our many service men and women. The choice they have made is like that of the lion, the king of beasts; brave, strong, and proud of his country. A fallen soldier that would give their very life to honor and protect our country is the bravest person I know. I can’t begin to imagine filling their shoes, walking their miles, bearing their load or withstanding their duty. If you are not familiar with the show Army Wives, last night’s episode depicted a young American soldier who lost his life on the front lines of battle. His parents lost their son who had not yet met his new baby sister. His whole life ahead of him and engaged to be married; life was just beginning for him….

This is real life, it happens, it’s not just a TV show. Mighty is the soldier of our country but even a great lion like him can be defeated and brought down, all while doing what he or she was trained to do. 

My thoughts then turned to my daughter’s sister-in-law, Ellen, who is currently serving in Afghanistan with the US Air Force. A young mother herself, she is with a medical team working at the hospital, saving lives and trying to put lives back together again. It seems so senseless to hear of people getting shot up and then fixed up, only to go at it again. And like any soldier would, sometimes I don’t even think they fully understand what the fighting is all about…what started it and why it is still going on. They just know their job; their call to duty and do it without ceasing. Ellen has seen more than any human eyes should be allowed to see, all while putting her self in harms way too. She has mended lives that have met battle and has even seen death… Americans and Afghanistanians alike… Soldiers, men and women, and even little children. My heart bleeds and aches.
…and yet we march on, sometimes proud, brave, and mighty like that lion and sometimes, meek, humble, and frightened like a little lamb. I am more like the lamb. God help me to be brave and strong for whatever purpose You have for me, yet gentle and humble when I need to be. "Because THE LORD IS MERCIFUL to us, we are not consumed...HIS compassions never fail."  ~Lamentations 3:22  God protects us like a mighty lion, keeping us safe and under his protection (if we allow) yet He is as gentle as a little lamb, loving us even though we are sinners.

Why can’t the whole world be as compatible as the lion and the lamb in this photo

...strong yet gentle, loving each other, and living in harmony?

It’s a beautiful day here…still wet from the rain we had yesterday. Everything is bright and clean feeling…the pollen is laying low right now *smiling*. My garden is growing and thriving and I am both blessed and pleased. We had a fellowship meal yesterday after church and I took Copper Penny Carrots along with a peach cobbler. I wanted to share this recipe with you for the carrots. I am not a carrot fan but I’m learning to like them, however… this recipe is so good even if you do not like them.

Copper Penny Carrots

2 pounds of fresh carrots, cut into small slices

1 small bell pepper, chopped into bite size pieces

1 medium onion, chopped into bite size pieces

1 -10 ¾ oz can to tomato soup

½ cup olive oil

1 cup sugar

¾ cup vinegar

1 teaspoon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Bring carrots to a boil for about 10 minutes, do not over cook. Drain.
Do not cook onions and bell peppers.

Blend in saucepan all ingredients except onion, bell pepper and carrots. Heat until very hot and steamy. Pour over carrot mixture and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours.

Enjoy!

Please pray for all service men and women who are honoring our country. They are someone’s mother, daddy, son and daughter, wife and husband... young and young at heart. Would you, could you… take their place?

Happy Spring to you!

Eat your veggies, brush your teeth and smile a lot!

Photo of the lion and lamb from google search

Unsolved Mysteries

Many thoughts and concerns are laying heavy on my heart lately, not to mention the heavy pollen laying everywhere making it difficult to breathe! Life has placed some situations in my path and I’m trying my darndest not to stumble and fall flat on my face with them. After all…it could be a lot worse.

I believe the hardest part of some circumstances is the understanding of them. I am prone and driven to figure things out. I need an answer. I love to watch a good mystery only to spoil the ending with figuring out who-done-it before the end of the movie. But in my real life moments, I for the life of me cannot even begin to comprehend some of the reasons, the outcomes, nor understand why some things happen.
And drama…who needs it?

To occupy my time and talents, *insert smile* I am working on some small projects, painting an antique beveled edge mirror frame so that it will have that shabby look; and a few other things. I’m trying to enjoy this beautiful weather all while doped on allergy meds! Our veggie garden is growing like crazy! We will soon pick our first crop of English peas ~ swoon. You have not lived until you have planted a small seed, nourished it, watched it grow and bloom, and then reap the harvest of your work! It’s a personal reward.  I also beat the dust, or maybe it was pollen, off my camera and took a few photos of some spring flowers.  Boy did it feel good to click click click...

My daughter Holly and husband Richard are anticipating a big move. As you may know Richard is in the US Coast Guard and has gotten new orders to move. So they will be leaving New Orleans behind and welcoming their new place in Jacksonville, FL. They are so excited…everything offered so far as been BETTER; his job hours, 15 minutes driving distance to work from the new house they found, 30 minutes from beautiful beaches, and good old Florida sunshine. They actually found old friends in the area where the house is. The house is beautiful, over 2,000 sq ft with a Florida room and double garage!! Moving from a crappy apartment to this is going to be heaven for them and the fur babies. So….with lots to do in preparation for the move, I will be making a trip to NOLA in May to help pack and clean. We will then meet them in Jacksonville on June 1st to unpack and start a new adventure. I’m so excited for them!!

Please continue to pray for hurting and troubled people whether they be friends, family, strangers, enemies, and neighbors…this old world is hurting in many ways. Another why question comes to mind…Why is the child the one who always gets hurt in an adult situation? There is a child near and dear to my heart that has seen an unfair amount of hurt, disappointment, pain, and pure crap. No child should have to endure what this one has been through. God please keep this one safe and in your protection. Thank you.

It’s amazing how my happy-cookie-baking-cookbook-giving-away-photo-snapping-crafty-thrifting-blogging life can be turned into a spinning roller coaster ride lately. Talk about exercising my faith!! I’m out of breath… or is it just the pollen?

Faith grows by being exercised, and faith is not exercised
when we receive everything we want or think we need.

~ Graham Pockett

 I had to share this quote again…I love it!

Light, light, light up the sky to show me You are with me.

He Answered…

I prayed….everyday for months without ceasing; day in and day out. Dear Lord You know the desires of my heart. You know what I want and I know You hear me and listen to every word. I cling to hope on the promises You gave us long ago. Every reason I can think of makes sense…it is right for everyone concerned; it’s all stacked in the right order. . I have confidence that You hear every plea in my prayer. It makes perfect sense. "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts".  Psalm 139:23 KJV
I have made my requests known to You. I trust You. I know that You will answer. I believe You know what is best. You will give the right answer. I have a peace about it.

Just as an earthly father listens to his children, God hears the prayers of His children.

The answer You me gave was "NO".
That answer was not the desire of my heart. It was the wrong answer. No…not there, its too far away. You did not listen or either I did not make myself clear. Why have You squashed this dream? The plans, hopes and dreams I had cannot be fulfilled now. I prayed with faith…believing that You would give me the right answer. My answer…the one I wanted to hear. Why? I am trying to wrap my thoughts around this answer and understand it. Doubts are lingering and making me question Your answer. It was not suppose to happen like this. My thoughts have joined the pity party with the devil and his crew. The whys…the its-not-fair, the no-not-there, the no-that-was-not-it, the You-didn’t-listen…You-misunderstood-me ideas came rushing in. The tears of disappointment rained on my party, they flooded my judgment. Why did you say NO? I was so sure and my request made perfect sense. Anger clouded my faith to the point I was dancing with the devil. I labored in doubt and lost my peace. You had let me down. I became temporarily drunk on doubt and blinded by misguided thoughts. The party with the devil was in full blown form.

It was only after kicking the devil out on his butt and slamming the door in his face, that I regained my faith and spun those thoughts around in my head again. He made me question my faith and placed a doubting question on my belief in prayer.
I hate that…

I know that God promised to cause all things to work together for our good. (Romans 8:28). I found my inner strength again through You.  Jesus, I know You never make mistakes, Your timing is always perfect and there is a good reason why You answered this prayer with Your will in mind.  I now understand that my request was self-centered and self serving. Your answer was not what I wanted but what Your will had to be. You always know what is best…Your plans are perfect and I must trust and go in faith with the answer You provided. What I do with that opportunity is up to my free will. You answered my plea…it was not the answer I was hoping for because it was my plan, my desire, my hope, my dream, my belief, my will……..mine……not Yours!
I was wrong.
It was not what I wanted but what was needed. "The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you". I understand this and know this to be true and right.

I now also understand why Your answer was the right one all along. It is the best for everyone. I have a renewed faith through seeing things in a different light. It is all coming together in bits and pieces. It is Your best laid plan and the evil one needs to stay out of it, and out of my head. He caused my temporary lack of faith in You. How ashamed I am for that… I should have never doubted you and went to that party. Please forgive me. You have opened my heart. These doubts and questions will cause me to trust You even more especially with the unknown. Though no one has perfect faith I will grow stronger in mine through every life experience as I walk with You. Thank You.

I prayed …You listened ~ You heard…You answered.

It was the right answer.

"Faith grows by being exercised, and faith is not exercised

when we receive everything we want or think we need."

~ Graham Pockett

Postscript~ 

I began pondering and writing this post over a week ago. The days following its inception held a terrible tragedy for my family and our city. The questions, the hurt, the heartache and the pain of that go somewhat hand in hand with this post, but were neither the original prayer request nor the reason for my writing…This tragedy made my prior prayers and requests seem insignificant and small at this time. I have learned that no matter the request you have with God…it is not insignificant in any way. He listens to all of our prayers, considers them all, and answers them all…with the RIGHT answer. We are His children; He loves us all and wants us to trust Him with His will, not ours.
Standing in line for hours last week to speak to grieving family members gave me a renewed insight to prayer. A family member that did not know me from Adam’s house cat…thanked me for coming and told me to continue to pray for them.  I assured her that I had been and would definitely continue to do so. She responded with this: "I know you have been or we would not have been able to stand here and do this tonight".

God blesses with the strength and courage to endure and persevere.

Now I hope to beat the dust off my camera and get busy!

Thanks for listening...

The Winner and A Heartfelt Thank You

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A special thanks to everyone who commented and entered to win this fantastic cookie cookbook; "Best Ever Cookies" ! The response was great. Thanks also to Gooseberry Patch for their wonderful ideas, books, and wonderful connection with their readers!! You are awesome!

Congrats to the lucky winner of GP’s "Best Ever Cookies" !!! ...and the winner is #41... Pam at PamsFamily 2006.  Pam please contact me ASAP with your mailing address so that I can get this beautiful cookbook in the mail to you! Happy Baking… or in some cases….No baking, there are recipes for those kinds of cookies as well.

You will love this book!

Concerning a previous matter:  Thanks for all the heartfelt comments and many prayers on my last post. The pain and heartache is still running heavy through-out our area. It is in times like these, that the out pouring of love and prayers from friends as well as the Lord’s comfort; are the only sources that will get us through each day.  I appreciate you praying for these families. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart…as I also thank God for you all.

You owed me nothing yet you responded with love and concern.



In Memory

…of a young friend, a beautiful energetic loving soul…a friend to my daughter Holly. They grew up together, played together, had sleepovers together, won athletic awards together, and had fun together. They were friends, buddies, team mates, and pals. Brittany was her name. Through years of playing softball, they became a team of two...when Holly pitched, Brittany caught behind the plate. My scrapbooks became filled with pages and pages of sweet youthful memories of the two of them.

Brittany grew to become a beautiful young woman. She was our Miss Ozark and went on to become The Miss National Peanut Queen.
Brittany was 24 when she lost her precious life in a tragic automobile accident last night which involved another mother who had had a seizure while driving, when they met face to face on the road. Hearts are breaking and hurting and crying out for some understanding.

Brittany was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a friend, a teacher and a mother. A mother to a 14 month old little boy named Shep. Brittany is with Jesus, seated at the foot of His throne in Heaven, holding Shep in her arms.

Shep was in the car with his Mommy last night.

Dear Lord please comfort these families in the loss of Brittany and Shep. They are hurting and breaking apart. They do not understand and are in utter shock and pain. Give them peace that only You can offer, give them rest in these weary days and nights ahead of them. If Heaven could possible get any better than it already is….it just did when it received these two sweet beautiful angels.

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word.

~Psalm 119:28

Please pray with me for the Shepard/Pugh, and Adams families.
The Adams children have lost their mother.  Life is just too short and sweet.

~The beautiful photographs found here were taken by Haiden Woodall, please visit her here.

May the Lord bless you and keep you,

and make His face to shine upon you
and give you peace.

Hurry!

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