Lasting Love

Have you ever thought about what you would do if your mate had a serious illness that was going to be ongoing for a long time?  Have you ever found yourself taking care of a loved one and discovered that you didn't have as much patience as you thought you did?  What would you do if your mate really needed 24 hour care and you were the one doing it?  How would you decide if a nursing home, or home health, or live in assistance or doing the care yourself was the best idea?

We have a friend who has been ill for 40 years with Parkinson's Disease.  It has progressed to the point where she is basically bent in half and requires round-the-clock care.  She and her husband have been married for 61 years, and she remains at home with live-in care.  Another couple we know deal with having endured several strokes, and the partner of nearly half a century, lovingly cares at home, and they even go on trips together.

Do a bit of self-evaluation.  What would it take for you to give up on your marriage?  Would you take the easier path of not dealing with an invalid partner, by just placing them in a facility when you could make some arrangements for in-home care so that you can be together?  One of the saddest pictures to look at is a couple who have lost their partner into Alzheimer's Disease.  The mate looks perfectly healthy, but the eyes are vacant and the mind confused and forgetful.  How difficult is would be to have your mate slip away while still with you.

Watching couples who are devoted and committed to each other regardless of the blows that life brings them is inspiring.  We are being blessed this week by such a couple visiting in our home.  God Bless them both for 48 years of adoration and commitment, regardless of life's hardships.

Think on this . . . what would you do?  what have you done?  How has it felt  and how have you coped.  Your comments are welcomed!!






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Countdown

Four days and counting to the anniversary of one of America's most horrific days - September 11, 2001.  So many are attempting to get prepared for the worst, as the enemy has warned and predicted another doomsday for America on this anniversary.  TV stations are posting something every day about what transpired ten years ago.  Our local station, each day this week, is recalling what happened ten years ago on each day leading up to the famous attack on our country. 

For many, the stress connected with the memory and the stress created in the process of recall, is devastating! New York City is on VERY high alert.  Police officers and security guards are to be seen and unseen everywhere, and the memorial of the event and the fountains created to memorialize the dead from that event are presented to the world this coming Sunday.  Families of those whose lives were snuffed out on that day, not only in New York City, but also at the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field, will gather for a special day of honoring the deceased and all of those who valiantly fought to save lives in that attack.

The world remembers September 11th on September 11th, but the loved ones of those who died, remember every day.  Wars and rumors of war abound - Iraq, Iran, Afganistan, Syria, Palestine, Israel, North and South Korea, VietNam.  And the two great world wars fought in Europe, the war against personal freedom and dignity daily fought in Communist countries - it seems to me like a whole lot of war to remember, instead of a whole lot of peace!

What many do not comprehend, is that the war between good and evil has been being fought since the beginning of time.  The instigator has one thing in mind - divide and conquer.  The war is raged in our heads, dividing us within ourselves (head vs. heart).  It rages in our marriages and homes - our personal need to be right; to be top dog.  It is the war that devastated us in our early childhood years that keeps being fought on the battlefields of our minds, and dumped on those we profess to love.

Peace is an internal experience that begins within each of us.  It is our own unsettling, usually caused by early experiences of wounds received, that causes us to lash out, in an attempt to see to it that we can survive.  That need for self-protection, built in to us in our brains, when dominant in our lives, can be a great detriment to peace. It separates the love of the human heart from the survival brain and we are left with self-protective behaviors with minimal if any love from the heart.

So yes, doomsday is coming; we may be attacked again by the enemy of our country.  The greater question is, will our need for self-protection and survival outweigh the love in our hearts?  Can we have both?  The answer is YES!  Check out www.kardiakare.com and read about it.

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Be Responsible?

This morning an amazing program was on the Internet.  Glenn Beck, a former Fox News Contributor who is an outspoken Christian and reformer of sorts, conducted a  program broadcast live from Jerusalem, Israel.  Hundreds of people from around the world met him in Jerusalem for a "Restoration of Courage" rally, similar to the rally conducted one year ago at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.
While you may not be a supporter of his views on politics, one could hardly ignore the content of his speech this morning.

Awards were given to three entities in Israel: 

• a 12 year old whose parents and siblings were slaughtered in cold blood by extremists and haters of the Jews. She received an award for FAITH, based on her actions after the murders.
• two restaurant owners - a Muslim and a Jew, in whose establishment peoples of all faiths often ate.  A suicide bomber took out herself and many customers there.  These owners received an award for HOPE, as they re-opened 2 months following the incident.
• An owner of numerous super-markets, who serves Muslims and Jews alike, and often donates food to poor families of either faith who cannot afford the food.  His award - COURAGE.

And then, sandwiched between beautiful music,  Beck gave a speech that could easily have made him  a martyr for the cause of Israel's right to exist.  Courage?  It was far beyond courageous!
In this speech, he challenged us to be responsible - to not rely on government leaders, priests, rabbis and pastors to do the right things and be responsible, but to be responsible ourselves - wherever we are and whomever we are. Be responsible to God, to each other, and also to link arms to do the right and responsible things for Israel and for mankind.

What ever happened to responsibility anyway?  When did we stop teaching it to our children, first by example and then by precept?  When did we lose courage to do the right thing?  When did we forget that there are right things, not just our feelings to consider?  When did we turn our backs on "thus saith the Lord" to just "do it MY way?"  Oh yes, selfishness abounds, and it does because we think it's the only way we can survive, but will mankind survive if all we think about is ourselves?

Would love to read your answers to the questions posed!

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Eye on the Sparrow

We just turned off the news, and I'm glad that we did. News anchors of great renown are reporting the worst possible economic news.  Experts are predicting China's anger over our financial mess.  More local (statewide) reporters spew out tales of murders, robberies, DUI's, hit and run accidents.  tornados, floods, fires (we've had an elegant sufficiency of them in our area this year!) earthquakes and other disasters, than ever before.

Are men's hearts failing them for fear?  Is yours?  Are you watching the grocery bills escalate?  I know that I spend at least one third more now than I did a year ago, and we've really cut back on what we buy.  I'm not entertaining nearly as much as I once did. We were with extended family the other night and while at the table having dinner, one of the family got a phone call and acted horrified at the news he was getting.  The wife of a friend was slated for retina (eye component) surgery, and at the last minute was denied the surgery.  WHY?  Because the insurance company said they would pay for the operation but not for the hospital costs.  WHAT?  So the hospital crossed her off their surgery schedule for the next morning.  Unbelievable!

You know, I bet we'll see a lot more of what's been listed above, but it's not surprising.  The Bible has predicted these things would happen.  But . . . I can recall my sweet English grandpa quoting many, many times an interesting Bible text that went something like this: "I've never seen the righteous go hungry or his seed begging bread."  And many times these last few months, I've heard it repeated in his old English accent, in my mind.

I for one, take it literally.  When I look at grocery items I used to buy and cannot now afford, I just say to myself, "we didn't need it anyway."  Eating simpler is better for us.

I used to be afraid of the time of trouble, but you know, I've seen God work mightily in the past and have confidence that he can do the same again.  Our meeting (Ron's and mine) was miraculous, the births of our two daughters were miracles, the change in our lives from marital strife to marital harmony is another work of God, so why should I fear the future?  His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!

How about you?  

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Forty-Six Years of Love

Forty-six years ago tomorrow, on the hottest and most humid day ever (the temp and humidity were 96 degrees) the Love of my life and I walked down the aisle of the little church in New London, Connecticut as husband and wife.  What a joy for us both!

Today we celebrated that achievement with Sunday Brunch at a lovely old inn, high in the Sacramento Mountains (8750 ft. altitude) in a small town called Cloudcroft. We toasted each other and gazed into each other's eyes like we did at our wedding reception, but this time with the history of 46 years behind us, two beautiful daughters, two exceptional son-in-laws, and four fabulous grandchildren born to our girls.  And, lucky us, one little Great-Granddaughter!

Amazing how the years change things.  Our bodies creak and groan, our hair has turned to silver, and we aren't the whispy things we once were (added a few pounds)  But has the change in the outward appearance changed our love?  Yes it has.  Our love has deepened, and there is a knowing, a security, a blending that we didn't comprehend 46 years ago.  While the years haven't always been easy, there has come a priceless love between us that hair color, added pounds and creaking bodies cannot destroy. To me he is as handsome today as the day we met and the day we tied the knot. Our passion for each other has multiplied through the years and the years that didn't go so well have become a part of today's mission.  Read Heart Connection if you're not sure that's possible. You can find it at www.fixablelife.com.

Many such blessed years to you too!



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Friends I Can't Do Without

I have very little blood family left - other than children, grandchildren and one little great granddaughter, I have just one cousin left, and he's 2500 miles away!  Of course, my family was small in size to begin with, but lucky me - I've enlarged the group!

When Ron and I married, I was thrilled that he had 5 siblings.  Now there's 2 of them left - 2 of his sisters, and they are precious to me!! But again, they live far away, so get-togethers happen infrequently.  Our youngest daughter is far away in miles too.  YUK!

Through the years however, we've made friends wherever we have lived - and there have been quite a few places due to career.  In our God-given work as a couple, we have met very dear people who continue as loyal supporters and with whom we love to be in touch - Karan and Eric who moved 3500 miles to help us with our ministry.

One female friend is a gal I cannot be without - she's fun and a builder-upper.  We e-mail and chat on the phone whenever we get 5 minutes. Another female friend is a loyal chum - understanding and tender and a fabulous cook - thanks for the great lunch, roommate. Another friend lives in cold country - far too far away.  We get to see each other once a year if we are lucky. She has been a precious friend who has helped me move and my mother too, far too many times - and done a whole lot more! I have a few new friends who are special too.  We plan lunches whenever we can, keep in touch by e-mail and short visits whenever we are in each other's area.  There's sweet Linda, the best Massage Therapist in the world, who lives just down the street. YEA!

My Best Friend? - My Savior
My Next Best Friend? - My sweet hubby

But at this moment, my treasured friend is Audrey - a woman of great computer intelligence and know-how, who has helped me out of a computer glitch - so that I could write and publish this blog!

Write and tell a short story about your best friend - Male or Female.  I'd love to hear it.  Write it in Comments - bottom of this page.

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A song in Time

Have you ever noticed that just when you need a boost - a few words of encouragement, the listening ear of someone who "gets it", an offer of help even though it's reality may be impossible - that help arrives, and usually just in the nick of time?

Today was not one of my better days. I'm coughing like crazy and feeling generally awful; I guess from that horrid Arizona dust storm we came through last week.  Sure enough, when some allergen from the outside or some nasty bug is floating around, it'll go to my compromised lungs. Add to that, computer frustrations and trying to accomplish some work, and I was close to my wits end!

And the phone rang.  I answered and a little voice that at first I did not recognize inquired about how I was doing - and what I was doing. Once I recognizedthe voice, and I had coughed a couple of times, the caller quickly got the message that my answer was - "not too great."  "What do you need to do for that cough?" she asked."  I assured her that I was taking all the "stuff" I could and probably just needed rest.

"Well, can you do that? Can we come and help you?"  WHAT?  That person lives a nine hour drive away! 
"No", I replied, "Really, the work we are doing is stuff we have to do ourselves, but thank you."
"Why do you have to do it?" she asked.  Well, we are preparing for our new seminar and have to do this because we want to be ready for it, and quite frankly, we need the added income," I answered sheepishly.
"Well, would you let us send you a bit of money?  You know, we think so much of you and of your work, so we would be happy to send a little to help you."

I was overwhelmed!  Just when I needed a shot in the arm, God must have spoken to her and prompted her to call.  The "shot in the arm" wasn't her generous offer of time or money, it was just the fact that she had called, was concerned, solicitous and kind, and that God had answered my prayer for a boost even before I prayed it.

It is so true, that God gifts us with the desires of our hearts, when we don't even know what they are! When her kind words were spoken, they went straight to my heart from the heart of my friend.

One of my favorite sayings . . . A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.  Thanks for singing today, Katydid!  and to you Priscilla and Donna for all the songs you have sung to me in the past!

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Tradition . . .

Do you have a cherished tradition? I have a few, actually very few, but the ones I do have are oh-so-special!


At Christmas there’s Auntie Helen’s Cardamom Coffee Bread and a Christmas Eve gathering of family and friends, usually with a unique menu that includes that scrumptious coffee bread. For Thanksgiving, Donna and I get together the day before and make the grandest Pumpkin Pie and a few other pies too. For supper we make homemade Pizza and Salad, and perhaps for dessert a piece of her fabulous fudge. It seems that whenever she and I are together, we cook or bake – just our thing, and we have a way of enjoying ourselves, chatting and singing while we “work” – as we consider it, having fun.

Today, I am at Donna’s house, which is unfortunately a nine hour drive from ours. They remained in Arizona when we made our move to the mountains of New Mexico, but we find any excuse we can to get together. Last time, it was a Julio Iglesias concert near our place, and this time we are in Arizona because Ron has been accepted into a national study for Parkinson’s, and they even pay our transportation here – what a blessing in more ways than the one!

So what do you suppose we are doing? You’ve got it – we are doing our traditional cooking. She is making a potato salad to go with supper, and because my market had fresh rhubarb, I brought some to make a couple of strawberry-rhubarb pies. So tonight will be a grand feast; the product of a wonderful day of chatting and our time-honored tradition.

I sit here with computer before me, wondering if you have traditions that are precious to you. If you do, won’t you make a comment, sharing yours with all of us? Thanks!


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Frustrating Days

I’m sure that you have ‘em too; those days when you sorta’ wish you’d never gotten out of bed! Today was one of those days for me.

First of all, when I awakened and did get out of bed, my Hubby was nowhere to be found. It took a couple of minutes to remember that he had an early morning appointment for our car, which, when you put on the brakes makes a growling sound, and doesn’t want to stop properly. So I figured that since our early morning ritual had been interrupted by needed car repair, I would scrape the peeling paint off of our two door trims, and repaint the trim.

Well . . . I did the scraping, and then went to the shed for the primer. No primer. Couldn’t find the exterior paint either, or the “good” paint brushes. Oh well, the scraping done, I opted for another chore. Pull back the gravel that had snuck out the end of our driveway, but halfway through that job, I was beyond exhausted, and my back was screaming. “So what,” I thought, “it’s half-done anyway.”

So I returned into the house, overheated and back aching, and decided to sit with an ice pack, a bowl of cereal, and my computer. I’ll write the blog, I figured. Cereal devoured and back pain easing, I tried for the blog, but couldn’t get on the spot for blogging.

After a brief rest, I opted to get out the paint I bought weeks ago for the new color on the Living room walls (two of them) and painted two large spots. Figured I’d better wait until Ron came home to love or hate the color. He likes it!

Ron came home with the news that the AC had also gone out on the car – oh the virtues of living on Social Security with no extra cash for such pricey problems, but the Lord will supply, I keep telling myself. Know why? Somehow, He always does, and at the end of the day, some of the painting is done, and half the driveway, the blog is written, and the rest will get done when it does. In His time, In His time. He makes all things beautiful, In His time.

Tell us about your days . . .





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Rushing to Judgment

How quick we are as humans to rush to judgment without knowing all the facts or the ins and outs of a person's life experience.  We look at an unshaven homeless man standing on a street corner with a "will work for food" sign, and we automatically assign him a label - LAZY BUM.  We see a discheveled woman pushing an overloaded shopping cart, and we figure that she never did amount to anything much.  How WRONG we are to pass judgment when we have no idea of the circumstances of that person's life.

Why write about this now?  In the news yesterday and today is the result of the famous Casey Anthony case. I'll have to admit that when I learned she had been acquited, I yelped - "What?"  But the real truth is that I don't have all of the facts, and quite frankly I have been to pre-occupied with other things to watch the trial or read about it either.

You know what?  That's how we are with most people we meet.  We make value judgments based on appearance, conversation and what seems to be their attitude.  We sit near people in church and make those conclusions based on what we see on the outside, and the reality is that we have no idea what hereditary and life experience factors have created the person.  Those who dress the snazziest and speak with the most polished diction can be covering up a life filled with abuse and pain.

Most of the time we choose to not get involved, to not care to inquire about a person's life or to get to know them beyond a casual "Hi. How are you?" and we hope they really will answer with the proverbial, "Fine thanks, and you?"  Seldom do we want the real truth.

Do you think that Jesus would have engaged people like we do?  Did he want to know the truth or a convenient lie to make his life easier?  If we are Christians (followers of Christ) what should our engagements with others be like?  As for me, I have found that the reply, "Fine," often hides a multitude of pain.

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God's "Sneaky" Messages

Have you ever wondered why just the right thing, be it a person who cares, a Biblical passage, a TV program, or even a cough drop wrapper can offer you a message - one that raises your level of positivity and negates your fears?

Ron was scheduled to preach, and because of his Parkinson's Disease was concerned that exhaustion would hit him while he was standing at the pulpit, or his speech would trip him up. Tiredness is so very common with PD and when exhausted, depression kicks in easily.

He reached into his pocket for a cough drop, and as he unwrapped it, he noticed that on the Hall's wrapper, there was some writing.  He looked closer and found the words:  "You can do it and you know it."  Funny, the origin of a "shot in the arm," but the question is, was Hall's really the originator of the encouragement, or was Hall's used to pass on a message from Ron's Dad - our Heavenly Dad?

What do you think?



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Be Sure of Where You're Going

Be Sure of Where You’re Going!

This story is really an adjunct to our article in this newsletter. It’s about our trip to 3 ABN on June 7th – the day before we filmed the interview about Heart Connection.

We arrived at the St. Louis airport at 1:30 pm and headed for the Rental Cars and the car that would take us to our destination. “Do you have an idea where Franklin, Illinois is?” Ron asked the car attendant. “Yes Sir, I do, he replied and after advising directions, sent us on our way. We knew we had about a two and one half hour drive there from the St. Louis airport.

Our trip was lovely. We chatted about the lovely scenery along the way, the many fields of corn growing at various stages of development, and that we must be going a different way than we had last time, because we didn’t recognize things along the way. Oh well, it was just enjoyable being together and having an “adventure.”

Arriving in Franklin, we began looking for familiar landmarks to direct us to 3 ABN, but couldn’t find any. Rather than feeling frustrated, we decided to ask a garage mechanic.

“Never heard of it,” he replied.

“That’s strange. It’s a huge complex,” Ron remarked. “It’s an international Television Station – lots of acreage.”

“Not familiar to me, but let’s look in the phonebook,” the mechanic offered.

M.m.m. not there either. “Let me call my son and have him look on his computer,” the kindly man suggested.

Moments later, the phone rang and the son said that he’d looked up 3 ABN and the facility was located in Frankfort, Illinois. Franklin, Frankfort. Well they sounded alike, but we soon found out that they weren’t nearly the same place. We discovered how precise one has to be when it comes to destinations!

A two and a half hour ride back to St. Louis and a two and a half hour ride in the opposite direction from where we had gone, and by 9 pm we were at our little guest room at 3 ABN.

Are you sure of your destination? And are you sure how to get there. Is your map helping you on your Journey, or are you looking to the wrong advice.

Remember, LIFE IS A JOURNEY, and only you have the map. EXCEL!

Read the full article in the soon-coming June Newsletter. Don’t get the newsletter?

Go to www.fixablelife.com and subscribe. It’s FREE!

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Heavy Learnin'

Today we are doing something that I personally have resisted for a long time.  We are learning Facebook.
Our wonderful friend and assistant, Audrey, flew here to NM to teach us, and while I was thrilled to have her with us for a few days, I HONESTLY dreaded having to sit with the computer on my lap, feeling its heat and the heat in my brain as I would struggle to learn a modern way to connect.  After all, I am a  great-grandma!

Amazing how what we picture as our future creates our feelings today! So as I awakened with a headache this morning, knowing that I would have to fix breakfast and then try to get my head around something I didn't care to see, but knew I HAD to, I was not a happy camper!

So breakfast done, shower taken, I sat in my chair awaiting the dreaded lessons.  But . . .

What to my wondering eyes should appear, a teacher who was able to allay all my fear!

OK, so now I've been "at it" for nearly four hours, and I'm having a blast!  So much so that I just asked Ron how he planned to eat if I was going to be the Facebook Person. 
"Easy," he said, "You have two hands!  One for Facebook and one for cooking!"

This can be addictive!  Anyone with this concern?

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Stressed? - December 2009 Newsletter

Download Vol. 35 of the Fixable Life/LRI Newsletter. Includes: Christmas Greetings from Ron & Nancy, "Stressed", Free DVD Info, Searching, and more...Life Renewal Institute and Fixable Life Inc. grant you the rights to download and save a copy of this to your computer for your personal use. There are no implied or granted rights for you to sell, disseminate, or edit any of the material. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat on your computer, click here for a free download

Snowflakes, Snowmen, Candy Canes.......

Snowflakes, Snowmen, Candy canes, Christmas trees and Gingerbread boys.

M.m.m. ?

You're right! They are cookies!

Today two ladies from our church came and we made cookies and decorated them. Last night I had mixed up the batter and refrigerated it overnight. This morning I made the frosting. When the ladies came, we rolled out the dough, and made the cut-outs, baked the cookies and began the tedious, yet fun chore of decorating the cookies.
What fun we had! We sang Christmas songs along with a CD, we laughed, prayed for a sick church member, had lunch and even sampled a gingerbread man and a candy cane each - without the frosting.

This year our church is giving out a "Christmas Bag" to each child of the church. So this week-end, after the services, each child will be called to the front and given a bag.

You know, when I was a kid, my church always gave each child a gift, and I've never forgotten that. In our last years of Pastoral Ministry, we started that at our church. What delight in the eyes of the children, to think that their church cared enough to give each child a special bag. One year, the church refused to allocate the funds for this, but still I baked gingerbread boys, my dear friend made popcorn balls and another church donated bags to the children of our church. This was "kinda" humiliating for the members of our church to think that another church in the community had cared about our children when our own members did not, but I guess it was a good lesson for them and the children were blessed.

With the advent of the famous "Dollar Store," it's quite easy to delight the children with a minimal outlay of money. What I recall is that my heart was always drawn to my church because they cared.

Are there children in your church who could use a Christmas Bag from you? It's not too late to do it! And you will be blessed when you see the reactions . Let us know if you do it, and how the children responded.

God Bless you and may you have a BLESSED Christmas and Love-filled New Year!

Ron and Nancy

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Countdown to Christmas

Lately I have been going into stores or to a Doctor's Appointment, and seem to be frequently asked, "Are you ready for Christmas?" Am I? I wonder.

Let's see: I have gifts for everyone, except Christopher, but I will get him a gift certificate to a restaurant. He can get a few good meals with that, and single guys ought to like that. Joshua - well he and Bobby are concerns!
Oh yea, Bobby will be starting school (college) soon and perhaps a good backpack would be nice for him. Not sure about Joshus, but I'll check with his Mom.

I have bought all the cookie ingredients I need for the gingerbread boys for the church children, and I have almost all I need, except the fresh food, for the Christmas Eve Family gathering. I have the canned goods put aside for the Christmas basket at church, I have those three pairs of pajamas for the children of the needy family, but I do have wrapping to do yet. And the house needs cleaning after all the baking coming up.

So am I ready for Christmas? Well, in my heart (which is the most important place) I am definately ready for the celebration of the greatest gift ever. The thought that He, a member of the Godhead, was willing to take the form of a baby, live within a young woman for nine months and be born like you and I (well, sort of - a manger is not exactly a clean and sterile birthing room) and carry the issues from the woman who mothered Him and the father who raised Him and then be the sacrifice to insure our salvation - WOW! That REALLY calls for an internal celebration in the hearts of ALL mankind!

You may not have all the gifts beautifully wrapped, the house neat and tidy or the cookies baked, but if you have pondered in your heart the real "Reason for the Season", then you are ready to celebrate with more than fruitcake and tea; you are ready to give your heart to the babe in the manger, to the Sacrificial Lamb, to the King of Kings and Lord or Lords - and that's what really matters!

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Those Less Fortunate

Turkey or Tofurkey, Dressing, Mashed potatoes, butternut squash, (British favorite) -turnips, green bean casserole, sweet potaotes, cranberry sauce or relish, Homemade rolls, Apple, Pumpkin, Tripleberry or Custard Pie. And if you are as blessed as us, Donna's homemade yummy fudge! What a feast!

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. it was our privelege to deliver a "Thanksgiving Basket" to a needy family from our church. I couldn't believe what the ladies of the church had bought for that basket! Over the years, I have delivered many a basket, but never one like this. Fresh fruit and vegetables and more than enough fixins' for a dinner fit for a King!

The people who received it were more than shocked! The lady of the house told me that after we left she burst into tears - tears of unbelief and tears of joy!

I remember once in my much younger days when I was still working at a Nursing home as a nurse, I brought home an elderly man who had no family and fed him Thanksgiving Dinner around our family table. Now that was thrilling!

If you've never done something like that, you ought to try it - even if just once. It turned out to be a blessing to our entire family!

With Christmas coming on, consider doing something for those who are less fortunate in worldly goods - the poor, the unemployed, the hungry, the lonely.

We would love to hear your experiences - either from this Thanksgiving or from past Christmas holidays - experiences when you went beyond yourself to bless others. Write them to us in a paragraph, so that we can publish some in our January Newsletter. Send them to nancy@LRInstitute.org.

May God give you inspiring ideas that will be a blessing to others!

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Thanksgiving and Affirmation

I know, it's been a while since a new blog was posted. Call me old and weary and pre-occupied with getting our new room finished ASAP! Well, it's done.

So what do I have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season? Among our many blessings are each other, our children, grandchildren and great-granddaughter, our friends, our home, our ministry and most importantly a God who is ever-present to comfort, protect, guide and supply our needs.

Thatt's one thing we don't do enough of - we don't praise God for His blessings and thank each other for the ways that love and caring are shown to us. Every day should be Thanksgiving!

At one time, we pastored a church that had some of the congregation who resented affirmation for jobs well done and duties faithfully carried out. We would publicly honor a deacon or elder or treasurer for faithfulness and excellence and would be called down by some for doing so. But we chose then and still choose to affirm and encourage one another as the Bible tells us we should.

Has someone blessed your life? Did they call at just the right time to encourage you? Did they invite you for tea just when you were down and needed a friendly pick-me-up? Did they perform a job well as your employee? Have you noticed a child doing a kind deed or carefully performing a task? Tell them so. Encourage and affirm Lift others up. In so doing, not only will the other person be uplifted, but so will you!

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Will You Give This to My Daddy?

This was sent to me by a friend and I thought it so good, I had to share it with you here.

As a Company, Southwest Airlines is going to support 'Red Fridays.'

Last week I was in Atlanta, Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed One of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.

Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.

When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and Cheered for, it hit me.. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.

Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.

Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our Service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said 'hi.'

The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her.

The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.

The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up ..

When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.

After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and
He is coming home very soon.'

The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event.

As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.

We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.

RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing red every Friday.. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.

We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing.. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions. Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops.

Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday - and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear
Something red..

By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.

If every one of us who loves this country will share this with
Acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be longbefore the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever; certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is...We need your support and your prayers.

Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.

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How Much?

If you thought that last week's blog was cool - miracle colors and all, wait ‘til you hear this one!

When I got to the condo, I discovered a major problem in the master bathroom. There was a hairline crack in the toilet's tank. The water had seeped out and down the back of the tank and onto the wall and floor. The wall surrounding the toilet was mold and mildew. I was horrified, to say the least!
Now here's the corker! The toilet is a rare wall-hung model. They are common in Sun City homes. This was a big complication to the mess!

We have a special insurance on the condo called Service One. They sent a plumber to have a look. He informed me that a new toilet would cost $1000.00! and the insurance would NOT cover it. Something about we needed an up-graded premium plan. "WHAT?" I almost had a heart attack there on the spot! And no Ron to pick up the pieces!. He had to supervise construction at our NM home.

Anyway, then the plumber informed me that if I went to Habitat for Humanity store, I MIGHT be able to find the toilet that would fit, but no guarantee that the toilet I would find - even a wall-hung - would fit where the old one was. And then, what to do about the surrounding wall??

Off to Habitat for Humanity. They had two toilets. "Lord, will you guide me to choose the one that'll fit?" They were $150.00 each - certainly better than $1000.00! I sat there waiting for Ron to answer either his cell phone or the house phone. I waited three hours! Finally an answer. "Get the toilet, and if it fits, it fits!" he said.

Meanwhile Ron was negotiating with Service One and the Plumber over finances. The next day, the plumber returned. When he informed me that he was there to replace the toilet with the one I had bought, I said, "I just may hug you!" But of course, I did not. However, was I thrilled? Beyond words!

Then there was the question of the mildew behind the toilet. I called a handyman, no one I knew, but turned out to be an honest, good guy. He told me how to get rid of the mildew and how to repair the problem myself. No outlay of money for that. YEA!

AND . . . there was the front door knob that needed replacement. I bought a lovely one and proceeded to remove the old and replace, but . . . alas, the Sun City doors require a "special lock" and a wood rasp to make the hole bigger. YUP! I bought a rasp, played carpenter, returned the lock to Lowe's, and went to the only store that carried a lock that would fit the condo's door. They had ONE left, and the locksmith informed me that the company was no longer going to make the kind that would fit. WOW! Was I blessed or what? I would have had to replace the whole door without that last lock!

Floors scrubbed with an electric scrubber, walls, bathroom cabinets and trim painted, new toilet and wall repair, a wall of wallpaper in the Master Bedroom, a new ceiling fan, vertical blinds and door knob and lock later, the condo is transformed, clean and ready for my roommate and her husband. And every step of the way, the good Lord walked beside me!

It's the same thing when we begin the transformation process within ourselves. We meet hurdle after hurdle, and the good Lord smashes through some for us, gives a boost to climb over others, and carries us over the insurmountable ones, all to make us return to the image of Himself within us. What a miracle-working God!

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