CAN WE BE FAITHFUL

Mother Teresa said, "God doesn't call us to be successful. He calls us to be faithful".  I know that to be true intellectually, but sometimes I waiver emotionally.  The people in our world are fine tuned to expect success.  And at times, they want to and do decide what is to be considered success.  We get a value assigned to us based on our occupation, our wealth and sometimes based on factors that we can't comprehend.  I would not hide the fact that I would want to be known as a productive writer. 

During my years in rescue ministry I came to know that people in the throe of their addiction assumed the identity of their addiction.  They were John the heroin addict, Alice the alcoholic, or simply Patty the homeless woman.  They had lost their identity.  I shared with them that successful or not our true identity must first and foremost be a person that belongs to Jesus.  I must remember that I am first Marty of Jesus Christ and secondly a person that is a mother, grandmother, great grandmother and a wife.  Also I am a person that wants to write and share thoughts with others.  But, none of those things define who I am, or my success in the eyes of God because I am first to be faithful. 

Dear Lord protect us from ourselves and help us rest in you.



SACRIFICE

     Completing ones Bucket List most often is accompanied by sacrifice.  We must be cognizant however, that what is a sacrifice for one person may just be "business as usual" for someone else.  What one person may conclude as abysmally failing the quest, another may be able to move forward, leaving that item to evolve into something else or perhaps to fade in the memory all together.

     I have to ask myself about my sacrifices for the items on the list. If I have made sacrifices, no one would recognize  them.  For most of us our Bucket List is usually a very private list, a protection against failure.  More common is a bucket list that has been produced without prayer or deep enough contemplation.  When I looked this week at my list I was unable to decide if I had made adequate sacrifices or not enough serious introspection before adding some things to the list. 

     My sister has been ill recently and she confided that she has nothing to regret or change about her life.  For me,. there are many things I would do differently.  I am not sure if those things should include regret or not. One point that I am unwavering about  is the fact that my Lord is always present, always compensating for my stupidity, always loving me even when I am wrong.  I am reminded of the scripture:  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.  Micah 6:8.     

THE EVOLVING BUCKET LIST

     Today is the first day of the rest of my life.  And I am jubilant as I realized that I wrote 1200 words of my book over the past few days.  The past year has been filled with some troubling health issues that have side tracked me as far as getting much writing completed.  My most troubling issue was vertigo which made it almost impossible to concentrate on writing anything of any quality or quantity.  In fact, when I started this blog last year on occasion I was already needing to hang onto the wall for stability.  And so, I put my quest of words aside for a time, but now I am back and the words are flowing. 
     Probably 40 years ago I started a bucket list, simply called my "Things To Do Before I Die".  That title is not as civil as the "Bucket List", but just as accurate.  Some items on the list are still there and will be there until I physically can not satisfy that item. Two years ago I was able to check one item off.  I had always wanted to ride a camel and was able to do that.  My dream had been to ride one across the desert some place, some time, with my hair flowing in the wind.  Well,  I rode a camel but it was in a corral.  So that item evolved into what is possible in my life at this time.  But, let me tell you if I ever have an opportunity to ride the back of a camel across the desert, I will make 2 checks by that item on my list.
     I have always had a love affair with Alaska and wanted to move there.  I should have gone when I was 18 years old but was frozen with fear. But alas, I married and had babies and Alaska was put on the back burner. And then, my family and I were actually moving there and my husband suffered a broken leg and we were not able to go.  But, it still is on my list but it has evolved.  I will make a check on my list when I can fly into Alaska, rent a 4-wheeler and take off for the woods.  You see my dream and the response to it has evolved. 
     Back to the conversation about my writing.  There may not be anyway for that passion to be satisfied other than write the book.  Is it more important than a trip to Alaska?  You bet.  In this instance, the process of evolving can not include failure to write the book.  But it may involve some stumbling blocks as I navigate through these years as a senior citizen.    
       

THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH

In 1984 Wendy's hamburger chain came out with a brilliant television ad campaign.  It started with 3 little old ladies looking at an enormous hamburger bun and one of the ladies finally saying "Where's the beef"?.  The hamburger patty almost appeared to be a small dot on that large bun.  It was a brilliant ad that caught on like a wild fire.  Even children could be heard  around town yelling, "Where's the beef?" In my circle of family and friends the popular saying was used in a variety of situations where truth was questioned. 

Recently there has been a raging controversy about the USA's decision to not show death pictures of Osama ben Ladin. I hear many basically asking, "Where's the beef"?  They want to see the body.  But like the enormous bun and tiny patty, even seeing may not equate to the truth.  Twenty people can observe a crime and there will be different interpretations of the event, and truth.  Knowing this, I don't need to see the bullet riddled body.



However, there are many events in our nation and in the world that I can without a doubt see the beef.  I recently watched a modified townhall meeting where President Obama was answering questions from the assembled group.  One man spoke about struggling to fund the rising cost of gasoline. President Obama laughed and told him that he needed to purchase a new car that would get better gas mileage.  Mr. President my question to you is, what makes you think a person can purchase a new car during a time that they are struggling to purchase gasoline?  His comments were not presidential.  Mr. President, we now know where to find the beef and it is not with you.   

GOVERNOR SNYDER WOULD BE PROUD

Ambition is alive and thriving in Michigan.  We hear so much about the dismal Michigan economy that it would be easy to fall into the "bah humbug" trap.  Yesterday I met a group of people that smiled, lifted others up and are definitely looking forward to the future. These people understand sacrificing for a dream.  They understand the cost of moon lighting at a second job while pursuing a better future for themselves and their families.  Pursuing that dream is the number 1 priority of this group.  They all have a dream.  I am talking about writers. 

Authors from far and wide met for the Michigan Spring Book Festival.  One woman I spoke with had traveled from New Jersey to be at the Festival.  She sat at a table with her family, a husband and two darling small children.  She proudly displayed her children's book.  Her name was Antoinette Gelin.  Antoinette shared her frustration with me about the trials and tribulations of publication.  But frustration was tempered with a willingness to share the joy of seeing her book in publication.  As she sat there her husband was working on the illustrations for her next book.  You can reach Antoinette at agelin22@comcast.net.

A bubbly young mother who is originally from France and still speaks with a French accent was generous with her time and knowledge.  Her children's book is currently in use in French public schools.  She has just recently published here in the US.  She also sat with her family as they visited with shoppers at the mall and other authors.  Her name is Gwen Bocher Pion and you reach her at gwenbocher@gmail.com.  Absolutely charming.

I spoke with the author and his family that had also self-published a children's book about bullies. He has another book in progress and is planning to do his own illustrations with this new book.  Talent was everywhere you looked yesterday.  You can find David L. Watkins at http://booksbydavidwatkins.com/.

Not everyone there at the Festival is new to promotion.  I visited with Harriet Cammock and anyone living in the Metro Detroit  area would recognize the name.  She is very active in our community, hosting a radio program every Sunday afternoon.  She has written a book about domestic violence.  She speaks from experience.  She was delightful and informative. The name of her book is, "Through the Fire".  You can reach Harriot at http://harrietcammock.org/.

My spirit was in need of fellowship with other authors.  I could have used the word networking but it just does not explain the camaraderie that was present yesterday.  Yes, Michigan Governor Snyder would have stood proud at the self determination of the writers.  I am looking forward to next year when my husband and I will have a table with my dream baby, "Jesus to the Rescue".  It's all good in the neighborhood.


 

A COINCIDENCE. NOT HARDLY.

My family's fascination with our country's space travel has always been active.  I recently wrote about my trip to Florida and the Space Center. There is another story to tell. Years ago when my children were still all at home we had an opportunity to see the space shuttle land at Edwards Air Force Base in California.  Tickets were free and available locally. This was a once in a life time treat for our cash strapped family. They were expecting people in the thousands to attend and watch the shuttle landing. 

The children piled into our newly purchased used car, I patted my pocket to make sure I had the ticket and off we went across the desert for the 60 miles to the Base.  The closer we got to the base we saw larger and larger numbers of cars and buses.  Finally we were in a long line of vehicles waiting to enter the Base. Military police personnel would stop each vehicle or bus and then wave it on to the right at a branch in the road.  When it was our turn the young man stooped slightly toward the window and said, "Good afternoon.   Do you have a ticket?"  He was but a few years older than my oldest son.  When he told me to take the road to the left I questioned him.  But he insisted.  " Just keep to the left and you will go around a curve.  Keep going and you will see a group of vehicles off to the right.  Just pull in there and you will have a good view of the landing."

The older children were frowning and were confused as I was.  But...............for some reason I felt we should comply.  After all, he was the military police. As we pulled onto the dirt area that he had directed us to, there were other cars parked there and people were getting out of their vehicles.  As we moved to the edge of what appeared to be a drop off I realized we were on one side of the air runway and on the other side there were hoards of people.  The bleachers were over flowing and military police were trying their best to keep the people in the bleachers.  The children and I stood there in shock as we realized that we were with some kind of privileged group.

A person in the group yelled here it comes and we all looked up and had I been 7 feet tall I could have touched the bottom of the shuttle as it went right over our heads. Today I still get chills just thinking of it.  There are not enough words to describe that moment.  It was magnificent, thrilling, engulfing, and it was American. Many of us stood there and cried. And if this post was going to go snail mail you would find a few splatters on the paper from today's tears.  

As people began to get back into their vehicles to leave I realized that most of the men were in uniform. Then I understood. The previous owner had been in the military and had not removed the sticker when he sold the car to us.  The guard at the gate had mistaken us for a military family. It was an unexpected blessing for my family. Was this a coincidence?  Not hardly. I once read that there are no coincidences.  Only blessings and miracles where God may choose to remain anonymous.   

    

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

Florida is a favorite winter vacation spot for many of us living in Michigan.  In the winter Florida is warm and welcoming and offers such attractions as alligators, manatees, the Everglades and beaches where seniors gather.  But for me the most important attraction is the Space Center, which chronicles a proud space history spanning over 40 years.   A human first went into space in 1961 and that was the beginning of the Apollo space program for the US.  In the 1990's many private interests began to look at space as a possible profit center.  Just the idea of space travel brought forth dreams of a space adventure for my family.  When Star Trek hit the TV scene we never missed a segment.  But now with the new Administration in Washington, the space program is being cut to the bone.

At the Space Center we soon realized that we needed to take one of the tour buses or we would miss much of what there was to see.  Our old bones just couldn't take us to every exhibit that we wanted to explore.  After paying the ticket price of the tour we scrambled aboard the bus and snagged a seat behind the driver. The bus driver provided a canned presentation about the space program and how each building and site is used. But in between areas of interest we were able to talk with him privately.  Knowing that the space program was going to be dismantled soon it was a treasured moment as he provided insight and his passion for the program.  I never knew before that the Space Center is the only Federal program that actually makes a profit.  To this day I can not get my head wrapped around why we are abandoning a profit center such as the Space Center.

Aside from financial considerations I believe we must consider the issue of national pride.  Because a launch was planned for the next day, the "ship" was standing erect on the launch pad.  We were somber in the knowledge that it may have been the last. We saw it clearly from a third level viewing tower.  My husband and I stood there in reverence, holding hands knowing that this was a special moment.  Perhaps it was the last time that any of us that day would ever see such a magnificent sight again.  I wanted to turn to the other vacationers and lead the Pledge of Allegiance, but I didn't.  Or perhaps we should have started singing the "Star Spangled Banner".  I know others would have joined us.  Or the Center should have been playing the National Anthem over the PA system. Perhaps, this was a missed opportunity. I know that this country is not perfect but it is still the best nation in the world.  It is my nation and it is yours. We must be vigilant in preserving our history. God bless American.