Secret Sister

We've all seen it.

The latest thing flying around the Internet.

People everywhere are weighing-in as to how they feel about a gift exchange...

I propose a slightly different idea!

The holidays are coming up and with them New Years Resolutions.

No matter whether you make them or not, I suggest a sort of "resolution" that will lift the spirits of all involved:

Secret Sisters!

Before you write me off and stop reading, give me a chance to explain.

Raise your hand if you like mail.

I don't mean "You've got mail" mail.

I mean the old-fashioned, slower-than-it-used-to-be, snail-mail mail.

Anyone?

I thought so.

Me too. ;)

So here is my proposal in a few simple steps:

#1 -- Think about your family & friends - is there a woman that you know has been struggling with something lately? Is there a woman that needs some encouragement?

Don't you dare tell me that there is no one you know that fits in either (or both) of those categories!

Every single woman has a struggle. Every single woman needs encouragement.

You can pick just one woman for the year or several - it's completely up to you! :)

#2 -- Do you have their mailing address? It might be hidden away in the dark crevice of a desk in something called an "Address book"...or maybe you really don't have it & you'll need to acquire it (do this as secretly as possible!)

#3 -- Grab a piece of stationary, make a card, buy one at the store - the main point is to have something to write on or in.

#4 -- Write! Write a note, create a poem, share a favorite Bible text...

#5 -- Do not sign your name - just put "secret sister," or whatever you would like to call yourself.

#6 -- Put it in an envelope, seal it up, clearly print the address, add a stamp and place it in the mailbox! Remember to leave off your return address if you want to be anonymous & be creative with the town you mail it from (postmark ;) .

#7-infinity -- Repeat!

Sound easy? It is! :D

Think about it - you are being a blessing to someone without asking anything in return.

How would you feel if you came home from the worst day ever - work was terrible, your boss didn't understand why you were late for a meeting, a cow stepped on you, your kids won't stop screaming...

You walk to the mailbox and begin sighing at the pile of bills that never ever get lost; suddenly something catches your eye.

An envelope with your name on it.

You open it up to find that inside is a note that someone took time to write - just for you!

Your day doesn't seem so bad now, does it?

The noise from the kids starts to lessen, work is a memory & the toes don't throb as much...

All because God just used someone to sign His name to the end of your day.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Lord, I give my life

A living sacrifice

To reach a world in need

To be Your hands and feet

So may the words I say

And the things I do

Make my lifesong sing

Bring a smile to You

Let my lifesong sing to You

Let my lifesong sing to You

I want to sign Your name

To the end of this day

Knowing that my heart was true

Let me lifesong sing to You"

(Lifesong by Casting Crowns)

FireFighter Wife

I am living my dreams. No, let me rephrase that: I am living better than I dreamed.

I am married to a wonderful man who just happens to be the love of my life as well as my best friend.

And to top it off, he’s a real-life firefighter! I mean, what girl doesn’t want a smokin’ hot firefighter for a husband?!

I am so proud of his accomplishments since he has joined our local volunteer department.

He passed his FireFighter 1 class with flying colors and completed 200+ hours of training that means he is nationally certified.

He has thrown himself into our community that before 2013 he had never stepped foot in, and has lent a helping hand whenever needed.

He is the definition of a volunteer firefighter.

As tones dropped tonight for a medical call, I kissed and hugged him, and watched his taillights heading to help someone in need.

And I realized how blessed I am.

I know that when the call is over, he’ll be home. I’ll have his arms to hold me when I fall asleep. I’ll wake up to a smile (or a grimace and a groan because it’s morning…haha). I worry and pray for his safety every time he goes, but I know that more often that not he’ll be here when he’s not out on a call or working.

Career firefighter families don’t have hubby/daddy home when he’s not out saving someone’s life. His wife hugs a tear-soaked pillow and falls asleep praying her husband will come home safe when his shift is over. Texts, phone calls, and time spent at home are everything.

Whether carrier or volunteer, firefighters and their families are/have to be a tough bunch.

So here’s to the men (and women) who decide to put their lives on the line for complete strangers every day. You are a rare breed and I’m so proud to be married to one!

The following poem is said to be carved in stone at the National Monument for Fallen Firefighters in Colorado Springs, CO.

It’s a beautiful tribute for our heroes.

“The Last Alarm”

My father was a fireman.

He drove a big red truck

and when he’d go to work each day

he’d say “Mother wish me luck.”

Then Dad would not come home again

’til some time the next day.

But the thing that bothered me the most

was the things some folks would say,

“A fireman’s life is easy,

he eats and sleeps and plays,

and sometime’s he won’t fight a fire

for days and days and day’s.”

When I first heard these words

I was to young to understand

but I knew when people had trouble

Dad was there to lend a hand.

Then my father went to work one day

and he kissed us all goodbye

but little did we realize

that night we all would cry.

My father lost his life that night

when the floor gave way below

and I’d wondered why he’d risked his life

for someone he didn’t know.

But now I truly realize

the greatest gift a man can give

is to lay his life upon the line

so that someone else might live.

So as we go from day to day

and we pray to God above

say a prayer for your local Firemen.

He may save the one’s you love.

Someday

I have been thinking a lot lately of all my friends and family that have lost loved ones recently (or not so recently).

There is never a "good time" to have someone taken from your life.

Watching death come can be a painful journey for all involved, while having them snatched from you suddenly can be a real shock.

In my short 29 years I have experienced more deaths than I care to count.

I hate funeral homes.

Funeral homes exist because death exists.

I think I can safely make the general statement that no one likes funeral homes.

The scene is always the same: grieving immediate family lined up to receive their friends and extended family's hugs and sympathies.

I never know what to say. Is there really anything one can say?

"Sorry. He/She was a good man/woman. They lived a good life."

Those sentiments are all well and good, the family appreciates the effort.

But I've come to understand that just being there, loving and supporting the family, is what matters most.

I have been part of the immediate family, as well as the extended family and friend circle.

Neither is easy.

I have to confess that I have not been back to the local funeral home since my Grampa died. I just can't bring myself to step inside those doors...too many people I held dear to me have passed through there on their way to a cemetery somewhere.

I don't like funerals either.

Sitting there, watching the family weep and struggle to deal with their loss...

Or being the one sitting up front, knowing but not believing it's really happening.

Saying goodbye is never easy. No matter who it is.

Death is not natural.

It's foreign to the way God designed us.

I hate funeral homes. I strongly dislike funerals.

I like cemeteries.

Cemeteries are quiet and in a way very calming.

There is still the pain of losing those buried, marked only by a piece of rock.

However, for me, there is the knowledge that they are no longer suffering. They are sleeping a dreamless and painLESS sleep. They no longer have any worries or cares.

I claim the cemetery to be one of my favorite places on this earth because someday it will NOT be quiet!

Someday Jesus WILL come back!

Someday there will be a SHOUT!

Someday a trumpet will BLOW!

Someday those who are now sleeping will WAKE UP!

Someday the dead will be ALIVE again!

Someday I will see my loved ones RISE from those dirty graves!

Someday!

I want to be in the middle of a cemetery when Jesus calls the dead from their sleep and takes all of us to Heaven to be with Him.

On earth there is pain and death and tears.

In Heaven there will be no pain, no death, and no tears!

As I sit here typing, crying for yet another loved one who has gone to sleep in Jesus, I have HOPE that I will see him again.

Oh blessed HOPE!

Now Is the Time to Get Married and Have Children...

At least that's the opinion of a certain blogger I stumbled upon the other day.

This blogger claims to not have enough time under his belt to pass advice about marriage and family, but this doesn't stop him from throwing out his thoughts.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that it is his prerogative to have an opinion, a different way of thinking. But so do I. So here's my response to that blogger and anyone else who thinks that college leads to marriage and kids before reaching 30.

As I read through the post, I realized that this blogger felt if people aren't married and starting a family by the age of 25 they are not fulfilling their destiny...

At a young age, I understood that everyone walks through life differently.

Some people go to college, some don't.

Some people are happy with their job, some aren't.

Some people get married.

Some people have kids.

And no one should be badgered about their life decisions by someone else.

That woman you asked about marriage has had her heart broken more times that she can count. She genuinely wants to love and be loved by someone who will treat her like the queen she deserves. However, God hasn't sent the man along who can fill those boots. Your questioning only makes her feel like she isn't doing something right; that she's not good enough for anyone.

That couple you know that have been married for a couple months or even a few years...they would make perfect parents! But what you don't know is that they have been told biological kids are not an option for them. Your comments about having little ones cuts her to her core. Her husband holds her as she sobs, assuring her that she's no less a woman and he loves her no matter what.

Everyone has hopes, dreams, fears, wounds...

Everyone has a story.

Just because they are not living their lives by your standards or your rules or your ideas does NOT mean that they are wrong.

So maybe the next time you see that friend, or family member, or acquaintance, or church member, or co-worker, or stranger and want to make a comment about their life...

Stop.

Smile.

Accept.

Love.