Meaningful Message

I've seen this a few times before, but it always makes me smile. God is good. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Woman and a Fork

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things in order, she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. 'There's one more thing,' she said excitedly. 'What's that?' came the Pastor's reply. 'This is very important,' the young woman continued, 'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.'The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say. 'That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked. 'Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,' said the Pastor. The young woman explained, 'My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming....like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie; something wonderful, and with substance! 'So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them; 'Keep your fork....the best is yet to come.'

Holy Spirit

Last night when Randy and I attended church, the message was on the Holy Spirit. I've been meditating on these words from Romans 8:26-27, "And the Holy Spirit helps is in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will."

This message gives me hope that my own inadequacies will not get in the way of God knowing my needs at this time. His grace will remove the bitterness and anger I have toward Andrew in time and I trust that those feelings will be replaced with God's peace which passeth all understanding. Only my Father in heaven can give me the peace for which my heart yearns each day.

I cannot imagine how I could survive without God's word reassuring me each day. My faith has been a true blessing that gives me the breath of life and desire to move forward.

Karen

Finally a Breather

I made it until Spring Break!!! I'll have the next nine days to prepare myself for the remainder of the school year. Testing will totally occupy the month of April.

Thursday night Beth, Manuel, Necon, Jeni, Tasha, Lydia, Levi and Josiah joined us for supper and a much-needed visit. It was so great to have all of them here. The kids kept me laughing all night. They have so much personality!

I want to share the photo that Becky sent to me. It's the first group portrait preview of Betsy and Vic's 4 boys. They're all so precious.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CARALEE!! I never reached you on the phone Friday, but I thought of you all day long. I hope it was a wonderful day. Love you.

Take care, everyone,

Karen

Mama's Birthday

I know most people think of today as just St. Patrick's Day and wear their green. But, this day always has bittersweet memories for me. My mom would have been 81 today. She died at the early age of 48 (33 years ago) when I was 24. She never got to see me happy in my marriage to Randy or hold her grandson, Travis. I pray that she and Trav are watching over us now and have embraced each other in God's presence. My mom was a very generous Christian lady. She made a point of attending worship services with my brother and I even when my dad would not go with us. We changed churches several times when I was a child to encourage my dad to join us. He never quite found the place that he liked better than being on the lake on Sunday mornings. ( I know this is where Trav got his love for the outdoors.) She always put others first in her life. I guess that's what I remember most about her is that she always provided for my brother and I before she considered anything for herself. She made her own clothes and often sewed clothing for me. At the time, I was not very grateful, because I wanted store-bought clothes like everyone else. Pretty selfish, huh? Now I wish I'd appreciated her efforts more and learned from her a very useful skill which she often tried to pass on to me. I love you, mama, and miss you daily. Forgive me for often being ungrateful for all of the wonderful things that you did for me and love you gave. I wish we'd been able to communicate better while you were still here with me. That was my fault totally. Until I became a mom myself, I never realized the amount of love and compassion you had for Bill and I. I truly understand now the many times you suffered from our bad choices and painful experiences. I know you were always there for me. Take care of Trav until I get there, please.

Sincerely,

Suzie

Meditation

I've been meditating on these two verses today, so I wanted to share them with you:

Hebrews 10:36 "Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised."

Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen, it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."

Hopefully, you will be comforted by these words in your own lives.

Love you,

Karen

Busy Weekend

Saturday evening we attended the Team-Monavie monthly seminar. The speakers, Chuck and Nancy Cullen, were very engaging and informative. Every day I feel stronger that we will be able to make our business grow as others have done before us and build a legacy in Trav's name. We are determined to have our son's life remembered through preservation of our beautiful state and its natural resources that he loved so much!

On Sunday afternoon, Necon, Jeni and Tasha had planned a surprise get-together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their parents, Manuel and Beth. There were many of their extended family members and friends there to share their love and happiness. It was a special event for two very special people. The picture above is in Kansas City when we were there for a national baseball tournament. I also added a collage of some of the memories we've shared. The twenty years we've known the Warriors has gone by very quickly and has been an adventure filled with lots of love and fun. Travis loved the Warriors like family and enjoyed every moment he spent with them.

Hope all of you have a wonderful week.

All of my love,

Karen

EMERGE

EMERGE was the title of the Women's Conference at the New Life Church on Sunday, March 7th. I attended with Freddie Neal and Nancy Porter. The music and dance performances were outstanding, but I came away with several thought provoking scriptures that I wanted to share with all of you.

Isaiah 49:16 reminds us that God has a plan for each of us.

In Ephesians 6:13-18 God has given us the tools we can use in the midst of our battles: "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil......after the battle you will be standing firm....Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

Psalms 118: 17 "I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done."

Romans 8:18 "Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later."

We were reminded that we are daughters of the King. We should become a force on the Earth.

"Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."

Love to you all,

Karen

Today

I have been really busy lately with work and haven't taken the time to write. Randy has gone to Hot Springs this evening to watch the Trojans play basketball. I've finished reading my second Karen Kingsbury book today. I'd never read any of her books before, but I really enjoy her writing. Even though it's fiction, she expresses her faith throughout the stories. Lloyd and Hazel gave me a Kindle for Christmas. I'd never heard of one, but looked it up on the web and got really excited about its arrival. It was back-ordered and finally arrived at the end of February. If you've never seen one, look on Amazon and see what it's all about. They let me order my first 10 books on their account and I've been reading at every opportunity.

I hope everyone is doing well. I've missed seeing you.. All of my love.

Karen