MAGNOLIAS

I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away. As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man, I felt laden with responsibilities as I watched my budget dwindle .. . So many details, so many bills, and so little time. My son Jack was away at college, but he said he would be there to walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of his dad who had died a few years before. He teased Patsy, saying he'd wanted to give her away since she was about three years old! To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy-white blooms and slick green eaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church. After the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the flowers - would be remembered for years.   The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiance Tim walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check. When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died. I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding. Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.' I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall to put on his cuff links.   Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!' I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias, courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.  As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance. I approached a house...No dog in sight.. knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good. No shotgun. When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!'   He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me. Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.' No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what's happening here.' 'What?' I asked. 'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday . . . He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He looked away. 'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday - yesterday - my children left.' I nodded.   'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody!' I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you.' I stood with my mouth open. He asked, 'Are you an angel? The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room...' I assured him I was no angel. He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?' 'No.' 'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!' I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.' But God found a way. Through dead flowers. 'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.' If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing. If you have missed some of my emails, you may have missed a laugh. But, if you have missed knowing my LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST you have missed everything in the world. !!!! May God's blessings be upon you. THIS IS SO TRUE, BEING NEEDED IS SO UPLIFTING TO EACH OF US.

GOD'S Rosebud

A new minister was walking with an older, more seasoned minister in the garden one day.

Feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do,he was asking the older preacher for some advice.

The older preacher walked up to a rosebush and handed the young preachera rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals. The young preacher looked in disbelief  at the older preacher
and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to dowith his wanting to know the will of God for his life and ministry.

But because of his great respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to try to unfold the rose,while keeping every petal intact.

It wasn't long before he realized how impossible this was to do.

Noticing the younger preacher's inability to unfold the rosebud without tearing it,the older preacher began to recite the following poem...

"It is only a tiny rosebud, A flower of God's design; But I cannot unfold the petalsWith these clumsy hands of mine."

"The secret of unfolding flowers Is not known to such as I. GOD opens this flower so easily, But in my hands they die."

"If I cannot unfold a rosebud, This flower of God's design, Then how can I have the wisdom To unfold this life of mine?"

"So I'll trust in God for leading Each moment of my day. I will look to God for guidance In each step of the way."

"The path that lies before me, Only my Lord knows. I'll trust God to unfold the moments, Just as He unfolds the rose."

Please share this poem with a friend if you enjoyed being reminded to let go and let God unfold your life.

ONLY A MOTHER WOULD KNOW...

~A Cup of Tea ~

One day my mother was out, and my dad was in charge of me.
I was maybe 2 1/2 years old. Someone had given me a little 'tea set' as a gift, and it was one of my favorite toys.
Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news when I brought him a little cup of 'tea', which was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my mom came home.

My dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!' Mom waited, and sure enough, here I came down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy; and she watched him drink it up.

Then she said, (as only a mother would know), "'Did it ever occur to you that the only place she can reach to get water, is the toilet?"

Advice to Live By

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio .
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Subject: Isaiah 65:24

Image by joycechansleymayhan via Flickr

THIS  WILL TRULY LIFT YOU UP SPIRITUALLY. SO  ENJOY & BELIEVE     Isaiah  65:24    This  is a story written by a doctor who worked in Africa.     One  night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but inspite of  all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby anda crying  two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we  had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an  incubator).    We  also had no special feeding facilities.    Although  we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One  student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool  that the baby would be wrapped in.   Another  went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly  in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst   (rubber  perishes easily in tropical climates).    'And  it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good  crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good  crying over burst water bottles.    They  do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. 'All  right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep  between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep  the baby warm.'    The  following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the  orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various  suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I  explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning  the hot  water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also  told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had  died.    During  prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt  conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot  water bottle today It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead,  so please send it this afternoon.'   While  I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are  about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You  really love her?'    As  often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say  'Amen?' I just did not believe that God could do  this.    Oh,  yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are  limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer  would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for  almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from  home.   Anyway,  if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived  on the equator!   Halfway  through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a  message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached  home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel.  I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent  for the orphanage children..   Together we pulled off the string,   carefully  undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly     Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on  the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted  jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted  bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored..  Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of  buns for the weekend.   Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the... Could it really  be?    I  grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I  cried.    I  had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He  could.    Ruth  was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God  has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly,  too!'   Rummaging  down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed  dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never  doubted!   Looking  up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that  little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves  her?'   Of  course,' I replied!    That  parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former  Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting   to send  a hot water bottle, even to the equator.   And  one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before,  in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that  afternoon.'    Before  they call, I will answer.' (Isaiah 65:24)    When  you receive this, say the prayer. That's all I ask. No strings attached. Just  send it on to whomever you want - but do send it on.    Prayer  is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of  rewards. Let's continue praying for one  another.   This  awesome prayer takes less than a minute.   Heavenly  Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this. I  ask You to minister to their spirit. Where  there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where  there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through them. Where  there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding,  guidance, and strength. Where  there is fear, reveal our love and release to them Your courage. Bless  their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to  support and encourage them. I  ask You to do these things in Jesus' name. Amen

GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids...""No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know." As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, 


"We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability.

The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose. "She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
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At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be. 


When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it! These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give. God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it."Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

My Favorite Hymm: "The Love of God"

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The Love of God
Frederick M. Lehman, 1917
Copyright: Public Domain
The Love of God
Frederick M. Lehman

To me this hymm is one of the greatest ever written. I can't sing it but the words are just as uplifting when read.
Meditate upon them and allow them to bless you .

The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell; It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell; The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain:Oh, love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure—The saints’ and angels’ song.

When hoary time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall, When men who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call, God’s love so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong; Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry; Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.