oh no!

Oh no! Once again I've been shirking my duties to blog on here. You see, I've become a facebook addict. My email is so boring in its continual forwards from others. What happened to sending an email to say hi? Oh, sometimes I get a particularly funny or thought-provoking forward that I am thankful for, but mostly it seems to be the same repetitious political themes, or the same scary warnings that Snopes has already denied for two years. I want to know what you've been doing or who has found a particularly good new recipe that I could make for supper. I want to know how I can specifically pray for you and the struggles in your life. I want to know the answers to prayers in your life so I can rejoice with you. I want to know what you think about things, not what 15 people or 1500 people before you thought was worth sending on down the tubes. I'm sorry, I need to climb down off my soapbox here.

So why do I love facebook? Facebook is current and quick and honest. I can turn on facebook and know within a couple of minutes how my friends' days went. I knew within 3 hours when a friend passed away from cancer. Her husband shared his grief and also his relief that she was no longer suffering and in Heaven. I know what my boys are up to even though they live many miles away; one is even on the other side of the world. I can see photos the same day of my friend's first grandchild. I can talk to my nieces and my sister-in-law and my son all at the same time even though they are all in different states. I can reconnect with friends I went to summer camp with 35 years ago, and people I went to school with and I can visit with relatives who would never call or write a letter. I've even had people who were my heroes when I was a kid, ask to be my friend, right out of the blue! Wow! And the best part of all? There are no forwards on Facebook. Anybody want to be my friend?

Saving Lives

There is a reason I am a school nurse. It isn't because I truly love puke or paperwork. It definitely isn't because I make a lot of money. I barely make more today than I did as a hospital nurse 25 years ago. It isn't because I like dealing with parents who refuse to be parents or responsible for their children. But today I was reminded why I do what I do when I received the following letter from a second grade boy. It said:

Dear Nurse,
Thank you for fixing my coat
you savd my life.
Other wis I wud be in big do do
I glad that did not hapin
Thank you!!!!!
vary!!much!!!!!!!!!

Now frankly I laughed and then I shed a tear or two. But it truly reminded me why I do my job. I do it for the kids. I do it for the little lives I save. See a few days ago he was sitting on a post when it was time to go in from recess. He jumped down, the post went up under the back of his coat and as he hit the ground running, the coat tore from the hem almost to the armpit through both the outside layer and the lining. When he brought it to me the stuffing was hanging out. He asked if I had some big safety pins or another coat he could borrow. I told him to come back when it was time for the next recess. When he returned, I had hand-stitched both layers of his coat back together. He was delighted, and I promptly forgot about it. Then today, after several weeks of intensely busy days with many very ill kids, he brought me this letter. He handed it to me and said, "this is for you for fixing my coat", and off he rushed back to class. He not only made my day, he made my week and many weeks to come since I intend to save that letter and reread it often. I need reminding that the little things I do can make a big difference and I can "save a life" and keep others out of "big do do". WOW!

Where do you go for hope?

It's been an interesting few days? weeks? months? Everywhere you turn people are talking about the poor state of the economy. You hear people comparing it to the Great Depression and wondering if they should plant a garden this summer. It seems as if we are constantly hearing about suicides or even worse murder/suicides. And you wonder what could make someone so hopeless that they want to end it all and maybe even take others with them. Often it seems it is because they lost their job or were in financial difficulties. I'm not always an optimistic person, although I try to be. But I often have thought and said, "If I ever messed up my life so badly that I wanted to kill myself, I'd probably mess that up too and end up in worse shape." That sounds really pessimistic doesn't it? I don't mean it to be. I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter how bad things have gotten, they could always be worse. I don't mean that in a pessimistic way at all. Really I don't. Maybe I should say it a different way. No matter how bad things look, they are better than they might be. Does that sound more optimistic even though essentially saying the same thing? No matter what happens to me and my family, I know my hope is in the Lord and He is still in control. I literally stake my life and soul on the promises in the Bible. My hope for the future isn't wrapped up in my house or farm or bank account or my job and income. I don't care about being "successful" in worldly terms. In Bible study yesterday we talked about the definition of financially blessed. We decided we are blessed if we have food and clothes, our needs met, our bills paid, and are able to give to others.

A year or so ago, my employer gave me the difference between my allotted insurance allowance and the premiums of the plan I chose, but it had to be put in a tax-sheltered annuity or something like that. I called a man I know and trust who works in that investment stuff and said for him to set me up what I needed and send me the paperwork. He wanted me to meet with him and he'd show me my options. I said no, that I trusted him to make wise decisions for me and I really didn't need to understand it all. This year when it was time to do this again, I told him the same thing and he was shocked that I trusted him to do this. Well, first of all, I know him to be a reputable person. Secondly, this wasn't my life savings that I was investing in a troubled economy. I wouldn't go hungry if I lost it all, it was just leftovers that I had never even seen. And thirdly, but most importantly, I trust God to take care of me and my needs no matter what the stock market does. My hope isn't in a tax-sheltered annuity or retirement plan. My hope is in God and in the best retirement plan ever, Heaven.

Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:38,39 says, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

I Timothy 6:6-8 says,"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."

I Timothy 6:17-19, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."

Where is your hope? I am finding more and more of my friends who are looking for a source of real hope. They want to learn more about the Lord. They are hungry for the assurance only He can give.