hope

250 years ago today……

The American Revolution was the start of my love of history. I remember the 200th Birthday of our nation, and now as we are on the cusp of the 250th, I wanted to jump back in and follow the story day by day….. So I started posting this on July 4th, but thought I would add it to this platform also. So here we go with July 6th!

So Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson were at it again today. These two seem to be the official copywriters for the Continental Congress. Dickinson is actually known as the “Penman of the Revolution” for his “Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania” that were published in the late 1760’s.

Today’s post was the “Declaration on Taking Arms”….you can read here: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/contcong_07-06-75.asp?fbclid=IwY2xjawLYB-lleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFIanhEOWlKMllnZkVybDRTAR6MJP0mDxudHHeY7gGrLFjNZkTyHa6DLw8K3nk0F5EYFfnLC9vn5x8a28ktwQ_aem_fwE9tW6RuhGD6ppctf2mSg

I loved the copy I found with both Jefferson’s and Dickinson’s drafts, edits and then the final copy that was distributed. I have worked with people writing different things, and the way people come together and work to make themselves known through writing is an amazing process to me.

“….being with our [one] mind resolved to dye Free-men rather than live Slaves.”

It’s interesting to read the declaration and hear them use such strong language as “slaves.” They both actually did own slaves, and I wondered what kind of mental gymnastics had to be done to own people while actively seeking freedom?

I read a bit more about John Dickinson, since he wasn’t someone I knew right off the top of my head. He will pop up more in this story…. but for now you can actually listen to his letters here: https://librivox.org/letters-from-a-farmer-in…/

July 7, 2025 0

A little Sonshine needed…….

So when I woke up this morning, the temperature was at a brisk -10 degrees. I have never been in weather this cold, so it has been a learning experience to say the least. For any of you who are concerned, we are snug and warm in our home, with plenty of food and are totally comfortable. (Praise God)

This is supposed to be the coldest day of the Arctic snap we are going though, and in a few days we will be hitting the 50’s. So that means the snow will melt and a more normal life will resume with outside temperatures that aren’t a danger to life and limb.

Funny thing is, as I am sitting here with my blinds shut, I can see that the sun is back and while it seems to be pretty strong, I still can’t open my blinds. Why? Well the air temperature is still too low, and while the blinds may not seem like much, they do insulate against the cold. The sunlight that comes through those south facing windows typically does a great job of warming up part of the house, but even that warmth is no match for the blistering cold we are experiencing.

And it reminded me of being in the middle…..and Who is there with me.

The middle can be a problem, situation, education, transition or anything where you are on a path from one place to another. From the middle, you can see the “light” at the end of the tunnel, but you just aren’t there yet. Like me, maybe today you are tempted to cut the journey short, and jump into something that is close to that light? I really am tempted to open the blinds, because I crave the sunlight that’s waiting outside. It’s been days since I’ve seen it, and I need me some vitamin D! I won’t open them though because of the repercussions. I will be cold! Then the heater will have to work harder and not only will it cost me more money, but the static electricity will go through the roof and drive me crazy on a whole other level!

So I keep my focus on what I know will come, and it’s not sunshine. My little analogy today is cute….because I can see the end on my weather app. Most of the time though, we don’t know what the end is going to look like. How do I keep focus?

We may throw the dice, but the LORD determines how they fall. Proverbs 16: 33

Those who listen to instruction will prosper, those who trust the LORD will be joyful. Proverbs 16:20.

God reminds me that He is my focus and when I keep Him in sight, He has my back! He’s done it before, and because He does not change, I trust He will do it again! And when I get out of focus, which I do, He gets my attention to remind me of who He is and how He hasn’t let me down yet!

So from a chilly place in the middle….. I would encourage you to remember what God has done for you! It will help make the middle a little less chilly…..

February 20, 2025 0

What is worth?

So here I am in the dark and I do not fight it

I embrace it

Embrace the fear, sadness and weakness of this moment

I want to leave it behind

Get up and strive

Do things that will cover the anxiety and doubt of this moment

But I don’t

I want to be angry

Anger feels powerful

When I am angry I don’t feel the rejection

That steals my breath away

Instead I resolve to breathe deep and honor the rejection

I embrace the hurt

I revel in the weakness, as hard as it is

It is almost overwhelming, and brings me to my knees

It is on my knees where I again find strength

In Your presence, the darkness flees

I am nothing without You

I am a daughter

I AM’s daughter

April 26, 2023 0

A prayer for a lifetime

_DSC2940 Lord this world needs you. I need you. Help me not to react, but to find the path that leads to shalom in my life and in the lives of all. Today as we think of that day so long ago when You gave us the power to make “Your kingdom come,” help us to not be distracted. Give us the strength to be a conduit of the Holy Spirit that gives us the power that can change the world.

The angels sang on the day You were born and told the outsider, “Don’t be afraid!” They made it clear that the redemption you were offering was “GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY, FOR ALL PEOPLE.” Forgive us who call you LORD, but do not proclaim YOUR good news. Forgive us for muddying the waters. Let this Pentecost be different. Help us to lay down our lives (our opinions/rights/our idols) for our brothers and sisters. What is done in humble love, though imperfect it may be, will be honored by You….and in that there is HOPE.

Turned away from it all like a blind man

Sat on a fence but it don’t work

Keep coming up with love but it’s so slashed and torn

Why, why, why?

Love, love, love, love, love

Insanity laughs under pressure we’re breaking

Can’t we give ourselves one more chance?

Why can’t we give love that one more chance?

Why can’t we give love, give love, give love, give love

Give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?

‘Cause love’s such an old fashioned word

And love dares you to care for

The people on the edge of the night

And love dares you to change our way of

Caring about ourselves

This is our last dance

This is ourselves under pressure

Under pressure

Pressure

Under Pressure….. Queen

May 31, 2020 0

Easter: Coffee, jammies and HOPE!

So here we are …. Stuck in the middle again. I felt like this last year, when Mike was recovering from brain surgery. Now? Well there’s nothing like a global pandemic to put life on hold. But is life really on hold, or has the focus just shifted? Maybe here in the middle is where we regain perspective?

They were in the middle too that Saturday, but they didn’t know it yet. They thought it was over, the wise teaching, the healing and the restoration of a nation. Everything they had been living for was changed in one day. Continue reading “Easter: Coffee, jammies and HOPE!” →

April 11, 2020 0

Hosanna?

So Palm Sunday is typically my favorite Sunday of the whole year. I think back to spending it with preschoolers and how we would tell them about that special day when Jesus entered Jerusalem. Making leaves, doing a parade and shouting Hosanna! For preschoolers, it’s the perfect lesson! There is a lot of energy, color and activity in the re-telling of the event. Today though I sit alone in my backyard, missing the energy of the typical Palm Sunday celebrations in church.

I am beginning to think though, that maybe this is how it’s supposed to be? Instead of songs and shouts of Hosanna, I have wind and rain shouting a chorus. And while there are no palm fronds, there are the trees in my backyard violently waving their praise!

While this might not be the Palm Sunday you were imagining, maybe it’s just what you need? This week as we all move toward a very different Easter, may it be a time of reflection and focus. A time to look at life and our priorities. To decide if what we think is important, really IS that important!

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. James 3:17

April 5, 2020 0

Ready to soar in 2020

I was able to talk to my oldest son for a while last night. We stood outside beneath the stars, wondering at the beauty of the night sky. We talked of the new year and the feeling that something was coming. It was a bit foreboding, but we both agreed that no matter if it’s good or bad in store, God would have our backs.

Those were the words I wrote on December 31, 2018, and how prophetic they would turn out to be. So in the few weeks following, my hubby endured more pain, doctor visits and the diagnosis that would change everything. Brain tumor. Even now when we hear the words we shake our heads in disbelief and laugh.

images Now that it’s (mostly) behind us, we are looking forward to the new year more than we typically do. Mike is looking forward to regaining strength and feeling more like his normal self. I am looking forward to …. well I am not sure what? Don’t get me wrong… for Mike I am praying for excellent recovery, and for the boys that they would continue to make strides forward in their lives. Above all that they…….that we all would be able to know God’s presence. But while I felt foreboding last year, I am not sure what I feel this December 31st? It’s definitely not the same heaviness as last year, but it’s also not the normal New Years day feeling. Continue reading “Ready to soar in 2020” →

January 1, 2020 3

Advent: Rejoice!

So it’s Christmas Eve and I am fighting my feelings. I’m sitting here with my hubby on a quiet evening. No family…. Not that normal excitement that usually comes with the season. In some ways it seems kind of sad, but it’s just because things have changed. Most of the boys are now with significant others and living out of town. So we spent our “Christmas” together on Saturday, so that they would be with their ladies families on Christmas day. It was wonderful to be together, but the new normal is taking some getting used to. It was kind of getting me down having such a quiet Christmas Eve and anticipating the same on Christmas Day. It didn’t help that I was going to the doctor because I wasn’t feeling well. Really? Is this how the holiday is supposed to be? Continue reading “Advent: Rejoice!” →

December 25, 2019 0

Advent: Hope

I started tearing up the other day. They were on me so fast, I could barely stop them from coming. It was because of the rain. Now it typically rains during the fall/winter, but this was the first of the year. I may live in California, but here in the Central Valley, there is not a beach in sight. That’s OK though, because I do live just west of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and they are amazing!

There are good points and bad points to this area, but the worst is the air quality. It sucks to put it mildly. As the year goes on, the air quality deteriorates to the point where you can’t even see the mountains, that are with a short drive away. The funny thing is, at some point, I forget they are there. I drive east every morning, and eventually they fade into the haze. So with the first rains of the year, I knew the mountains would be making a comeback. I also knew that since it was raining, they would be obscured by clouds for now, but soon I would see them. And in the anticipation, I found hope. Continue reading “Advent: Hope” →

December 10, 2019 0

Cheryl Mendoza

How He speaks to me…..Or… can't He just call my cell when He wants to talk?

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