“People grow old only by deserting their ideals, Macarthur had written. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope as old as your despair. In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber. So long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer and courage, so long are you young. When your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and then only, are you grown old. And then, indeed as the ballad says, you just fade away.”
Worth fighting for.....
Morning of Feb. 2, 2011
This ice blizzard most certainly interrupted many of our plans but I remember years ago the Lord Himself talking to me gently about interruptions! He allowed and chose Himself to leave all the GLORY and COMFORTS of Heaven for the sake of us! The womb of a woman, think about that for just a moment! For YOU, for ME, He was obedient all the way to the cross. Who am I to complain about a few frozen water pipes....
I woke to the sound of my daughter asking me if the schools in our area were going to be closed again today. I almost laughed at loud except the bleak reality of our extended forecast was embedded deep into the tracks of my mind! IDK WHY I did, but, I turned over in bed and decided to read the news feed on FB and discovered the state of Texas was experiencing rolling blackouts! Thanks Google for educating me quickly. The only thing that was rolling at my house was me trying to get motivated for yet another freezing day in the northern part of our county. The only blackouts were going to be me with no coffee! I found myself stopping dead in my tracks when I discovered the well water was not flowing into ANY of the faucets! A few not working is ok but none of them working is not ok!
All I could think of was a house full of stinky, hungry people, cabin fever attitudes and the thawed turkey that was sitting on the kitchen floor. I had planned a day of cooking so that the kitchen would be a warm spot. The continued forecast of freezing weather seemed bleak and now a new dilemma. Jose’ just walked in and announced that the propane tank was dropping way too fast! That means heater rations. How much propane does one turkey really need? Options??? Well I could slide into town, melt snow in order to flush or start digging holes! We could tough it out, eat cheese crackers and drink water bottles for three days. My so so attitude was sliding fast into a pit of doom and dismay. I decided to read a few quotes on ATTITUDE and came across this one and decided to share it plus a little history trivia. Hope you enjoy it and think about the power we have as people, and as moms!
As I type this I am praying that my attitude returns to a place of hope and my body a place of health! (I still do not have my voice back and I tire easily when I have to talk) We are funny creatures, yes we are, we like what we like and want it when we want it, I call us the Burger King generation. All of my children were watching MTV Cribs this morning and all I could think was, really!? The attitudes of these multi talented wealthy people made me tired. All I wanted was running water and heat! My older kids tried telling me that the attitude was just part of the show. I found myself thinking about how silly we act when things don’t go our way. Wait until the next inconvenience happens, is it a test of patience, a gift of a lesson to be learned or simply a speed bump!
Olivia’s Bday is today, yes my Groundhog Baby. She thought it would be fun to have a snow day holiday for her Bday, I think she is officially getting tired of all the snow. I wish you could have seen her face when I told her there would be no school tomorrow and possibly none on Friday. A kid can only watch so many movies and color so many pictures. Making snow angels is a cold job and building a snowman was not going to happen with the powder snow! Once again a snowfall that would refuse to conform to our hands! Abraham Lincoln once said, “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” We could so change those words to, “Faith is going from one icy day to another icy day and not loosing sight of the Son!” As I sit here on my comfy couch, bundled up with my fuzzy blanket, my fingers hitting the warm keyboard of my laptop, the aroma of baking turkey filling the house, I can think myself HAPPY again!
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| My Groundhog Baby! |
Did I mention having no voice? Yes, I thought I did! One of the biggest disadvantages of having no voice is not being heard! But, I was able to do a lot of talking to my heavenly Father and I know that He was listening to me! And He was not saying “what did you say?” I began to feel the deep cold melting away and some of the icy cynicism beginning the thawing process. By the fourth day of the great ice storm I felt like venturing to the great outdoors. I shoveled the ice and snow off the porch and walkways. For most of you that would probably be no big deal, but for me it was! Various members of the cabin kept venturing out to see what I was doing, and asking why I was doing it, after all the sun was shinning and it would melt. I cannot begin to tell you how my perspective begin to change as I shoveled and as the sun begin to shine in my face! It was a perspective I had not banked on….. The fifth day of the ice storm found me in much better spirits, my voice beginning to return and my doubting self was finding confidence that nothing could hinder the plans the Lord has for us.
There is something to be said for a childlike attitude! Forever young, yes that’s what we will be on the other side. I have been blessed to be surrounded by young children and young people ….when you observe them up close you can suddenly feel the despair of old age creeping up on you. We have to choose daily to allow our minds to be renewed, refreshed and change our perspective to one that is hope instead of despair, joy instead of sorrow, courage instead of fear. An amazing thing happens when you put on the garments that you were created to wear! You can have an instant face lift and an amazing attitude change!
Evening of Feb. 8, 2011
As I pull my blanket around my shoulders a little tighter and snug closely to the kitchen oven I choose to wrap up this past due “note” tonight before the next Artic blast hits us. In my heart I would want all of the world to be a perfect place to live and everyone to live at peace with one another, wait that is starting to sound like a line out of Miss Congeniality! I am reminded that I do not live in a perfect society, but I do serve a perfect God and although my life will soon fade away I will live forever in a perfect Heaven and I will not ever have to say goodbye to any of my friends or family…..It will truly be a Kingdom celebration with no end. Age will have no bearing, wrinkles will not matter and peace shall abound.
Until we say goodbye to this life here on earth, I believe we have a mission field ahead of us. I attended a funeral this week that was postponed six days because of the ice blast. This was a new one for me, but as I sat and listened to the gentlemen talk all I could think about was all the times I had said I wanted my body rolled in thirty minutes late so that everyone would chuckle because I was late to my own funeral! I liked what the preacher had to say when he talked about living with the dysfunction of our families and friends and that many times there were unhealthy goodbyes. Jesus had given us a picture of a healthy goodbye in the book of John. When someone knows Jesus, it is a temporary parting. The enemy really would like to see us fail in everything our hands touch, relationships, and most of all that we would not share our “hope” that is in Jesus Christ! Sometimes I can get tunnel vision and forget about the bigger picture!
“The battle in our minds will continue until our earthly lives are complete. We will never become so spiritual that the enemy decides to stop harassing us, but we can become stronger and stronger against him as we grow in our relationship with God and in understanding His Word. We can learn to live in greater measure of power and authority over the enemy, which will result in greater abilities to enjoy our lives, receive God’s blessings, and fulfill the good plans He has for us.” Joyce Meyer
In parting, I would like to encourage all of us moms and any dads who may be reading this rambling of my thoughts. We too might have the next Douglas MacArthur amongst us and during our brief season of influence that we would not take the responsibility too lightly but embrace the challenge just like Pinky did! Sometimes us moms just have to do what we have to do! Behind every success story there was a force driving that person to break a barrier…..Douglas MacArthur had a mother that did not quit! We have a God in Heaven that never sleeps, never gives up on His children and loves us deeply and without reservation or conditions!
WORDS WORTH MEDITATING UPON:
Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me (as a vital necessity) and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
This is the day which the Lord has brought about; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). John 10:10
Trivia I found in research:
General MacArthur Had a Helicopter Mom. General Douglas MacArthur and his mother, Pinky“Over parenting had been around long before Douglas MacArthur’s mom Pinky moved ...en.wordpress.com/tag/pinky-macarthur -
Prior to his acceptance at West Point in 1898, Douglas MacArthur had been rejected twice due to curvature of the spine. Once he was finally accepted, his mom Pinky was not about to let him flunk out. She packed her bags, left her family in San Antonio, Texas (where her husband, also a military man, was stationed), moved across the country, and checked into a hotel suite overlooking the West Point Academy grounds forty miles north of distant New York City. Pinky MacArthur was determined that her son would be a success. (Her middle son had died six years earlier.)
MacArthur did not disappoint his mother. In 1903, he graduated first in his class of 93. Brig. General Douglas MacArthur then went on to become superintendent of West Point in 1922.
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| MacArthur with his mother, Pinky |
Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) continued his meteoric rise in service to his country. He fought in three major wars – World War I, World War II, Korean War – and was one of only five men ever to rise to the rank of General of the Army. For his leadership in the defense of the Philippines in World War II, he was awarded the Medal of Honor - a decoration for which he had twice previously been nominated. Allied forces under General MacArthur’s strategic command brought about the surrender of Japan. (3)
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| Douglas MacArthur |
“Overparenting had been around long before Douglas MacArthur’s mom Pinky moved with him to West Point in 1899 and took an apartment near the campus, supposedly so she could watch him with a telescope to be sure he was studying.”
Two of the greatest figures of the Twentieth Century, F.D.R. and Douglas MacArthur, shared a common heritage; both had stage mothers. So doting was Pinky MacArthur that she erected a tall ladder under her son’s second-story room at West Point so she could have easy access to him
There is a season for everything......
In loving remembrance of the loved ones that ran their race and crossed the finish line in 2011.... Brandy I continue to pray for your family....Cyndy, happy that your feet are safely on Texas ground again, I know you were used by our Lord! Denne, I will miss you, your courage, your battle, your forgiveness! I will never forget your smiling face and traveling Hwy 52 will be different without meeting you on the S curve……
Go and make some melodies!
Till next time my coffee cup and mouse meet.....
Teresa
