Sweet Sounds From Heaven

The flight home was uneventful. Thankful as she had not flown in 19 years. Lots of changes, but necessary ones since our enemy likes to use airplanes as a fear tactic. Actually the plane left late and arrived early, so - how’s that for the favor of God!!!

Crammed full, lots of race fans returning home after enjoying the Bristol Races. Out of about 200 people, God placed a special person next to her who needed to hear that God is QUITE ALIVE TODAY and gets involved with his people just like HE did in the Bible. It’s an honor when she realizes that God is revealing HIMSELF to HIS PRIZED CREATION, MANKIND. He did that for this writer in 1978 and He is no respecter of persons. He died for the Whole World. Glory to God!!!, that is very Humbling!

My friend planned to pick me up at 9:30 pm. Everyone else was leaving the terminal except this thankful traveler. After about 30 minutes, a phone call was placed to the friend’s cell phone from the information desk. She always answers, but not this time. Fifteen minutes later, another call with voice mail. It’s time to call her sister. “Hey, sorry to wake you, but have you heard from Wanda?” “No?!?, she was planning to pick you up at 9:30.” “Yeah, I know, that’s why I’m checking with you. It’s 10:15 and she’s not here, and her voice mail gives me no clue. Thought you might be privy to some information.” Jeretta and I have learned not to let the devil see us sweat. Jeretta said, “you tell her to call me as soon as you hear from her.” “Oh, I will.”

Jeretta and I are both believers, nevertheless one can’t help but be concerned. Wanda is always prompt, it’s been dropping copious amounts of water on Florida since tropical storm Fay was so fickle. Getting her voice mail was the discombobulating factor causing the internal drama. We stayed in faith though. She’s somewhere, we just don’t know where. By this time, everyone I met tried to help with their cell phone, but still no live person on the other end.

Wanda was lost She must have gone around in circles on CR 46 and 46A for over an hour. Of all times for her cell phone battery to die and go to battery heaven. If I had been guarding the gate, that battery would have gone straight to hell!! She finally pulled over to the side of the dark, country road and had a total melt down, Crying uncontrollably, she put on her flashers. Someone stopped. Wanda wasn’t sure if this was good or bad.

It was very good. Dee Dee, who works at the Orlando Airport and lives in Sanford, had a cell phone and was very good at directions. A call was placed to her sister, Jeretta. Wanda’s voice was an Angelic Choir in a Midnight Hour. Jeretta was asked to call the Sanford Airport and have yours truly paged. An airport worker burst through the doors and said, “are you still looking for Wanda?” “Yes!” “Her sister called and Wanda is lost, but she’s on her way.”

That was four-part harmony to my ears. Sweeter than the Yale a cappella group we heard at “Music on the Mountain Jam Session” Saturday night. On the inside, I bowed humbly in a prayer of thanksgiving. I was so happy that I started proclaiming loudly, “Hallelujah!, my friend is lost! Glory to God!, my friend is lost!” Quite an audience had gathered by this time. They were looking at me with a smile and a twinkle in their eye. They shared in the GOOD NEWS. Everyone was at ease at last. I don’t know how many people were trying to call Wanda on their cell phone, but several.

When she arrived around 11:20, she was a star. People came out to see this girl wonder. We are both thankful for Dee Dee, who stopped (against her mother’s wishes) and had a cell phone. She called Wanda at home the following morning to check on her. Said she had not slept a wink. WOW!, Reminds me of the Good Samaritan, who got involved with a total stranger. Sorry to hear Dee Dee had not slept, because when I hit that bed I slept like a log. Believe I could have slept on hard concrete knowing Wanda was OK.

I am thankful that I have learned how to pray and God holds us in times of uncertainty. My faith was on the line that Wanda was somewhere in good shape, and this too shall pass. Even though thoughts were bombarding my mind, I knew better than to let anything negative come out of my mouth. We can’t give the devil anything to work with. The next morning at breakfast, Wanda said, “I learned something through this whole ordeal.” “What did you learn?” “I learned that even though we have a cell phone, and a Garmin GPS System, they can fail; so we still need God, He never fails.” “You got that right, girlfriend!”

In times of distress, we need to have enough WORD in us to carry us to the other side. Proverbs: 3: 1-6 My son, (or in this case, daughter) forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and PEACE, shall they add to thee. Let not MERCY and TRUTH forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and mankind. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.

This scripture was definitely my stronghold. On the inside I was praying the Word of God. On the outside I was patiently waiting. Favor was abounding to me. Everyone was using their cell to try and connect with Wanda. PEACE was mine too. Relentless, that Wanda was somewhere in good shape and we would soon be face to face. If I had leaned to my own understanding, my mind would have seen Wanda upside down in a ditch, with paramedics using the “jaws of life” pulling her out of a crushed vehicle. When everything looks contrary, we have to stand steadfast on God’s Promises!!!

God’s Word is the only thing that can give us that kind of confidence. That’s why it’s so important to Read and Believe the Supernatural Bible. It can make Supernatural things happen in our life. Thank You Jesus, this was a test, only a test, and one I won. Hallelujah!!!!!

This girl just wanted to look at the multi-sliding glass doors that opened on to the pool area. Stefanie called and said any time was good, but they were leaving the following day for a fast pitch softball tournament (runs in the family) and then on to Key West to visit their son, who is in the U.S. Coast Guards. This writer opted to run right over. Yep! They sure are pretty and kind of what she had in mind for the little house she’s designing with lots of help from her friends.

Stefanie was pretty busy and yet had to pack. On the inside she was lamenting about having to take Sally, their 7 month, 5 pound Yorkie to the kennel and leave her for a week. Lindsey and Brooklyn, her two daughters were none to happy about that either. Now, we’re all lamenting; this girl’s been a dog lover for a long time. On the inside I wanted to reach out and help, do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

“Tell you what girlfriend, if you want me to, I’ll take care of Sally in your absence and she can stay in her own home. I live right here in the neighborhood.” Stefanie glanced in my direction to make sure her ears were not deceiving her and made a quick decision to show me how to feed and tend to the youngest girl in her family. How hot to nuke it and stir to cool some, don’t want to burn the baby’s little tongue. The problem was solved. I love it!!

Sally was such a treat, however, this writer quickly learned she could not hang with her 24/7, but at least she was not in a kennel. Sally found every hole in my head. She has the quickest tongue in the East. She got me so tickled, it was difficult to discipline her. She would try to chew on my baggy eye lids, guess it’s time to talk to my doctor. We did not swing from trees, but we did our share of singing and dancing. She always kept her play clothes on. Take your eyes off her for a second, and she’s in it. Yep, she likes her coffee real creamy. Admittedly, it was funny to see her entire little head down in my coffee cup. Her whole face was wet. I’m thinking, your mama’s going to have a conniption. Where’s that washcloth to wipe off your pretty little face? I’m hoping Sally will brush back out and be none the worse for the wear.

Being retired with no obligations, sleeping in is a treat. Not this week. Hadn’t thrown orange juice in my mouth and swallowed it on the run since I lived in the dormitory. Nobody poohs ‘til Sally poohs, just get that straight! It was a stretch, but not one I regret taking. The first day on the job, we went to Gainesville to have dinner with a friend. Wanda has two small male dogs, Max and Chester, she calls her boys. When Sally came out of her pet taxi and saw the two other dogs, her tail was a blur. The boys were tickled to have company. The fenced back yard had St. Augustine grass. Little, short Sally was in high cotton. It was a hoot!!

Thankful for God’s timing in our lives; who knew they needed a puppy sitter. Proverbs 13:12, Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life. Stress rolled off all three ladies of the house when the volunteer showed up. God is concerned about every thing that concerns us and He’s right on time. Proverbs 16:9, A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. Yes, Almighty God , Creator of the Universe was concerned about Stefanie, Lindsey, Brooklyn and little fluffy Sally!!! She will be my friend forever.  Huh!, and I thought I was going over to look at doors.

We were headed home after nearly 2 wonderful weeks in the mountains with fabulous family and friends. What a great trip this has been. We spent the last night at the Walker Inn. Frank had told us exactly how to go and where to turn to hit the interstate. Now we’re fairly intelligent, but this particular morning, we were cloudy headed, trying to solve all the worlds problems, and had traveled a long ways before we realized, we’re lost. The phone call at 4:00 a.m. notifying us that Uncle Bruce had died didn’t help. But like Shirley said, “I can follow him better to the grave than back to the nursing home.” He was, after all, 85. These Blonde’s were off to a great start, winging their way back home!!

Our back seat driver got on her cell. “Hey Frank, we’re in front of the Laurel Springs Post Office, can you help us?” “Oh my goodness, you’ve missed the first turn on to16 right out of the gate.” “We’ve driven at least 20 minutes.” “Well, you’ll have to drive 20 more minutes almost back to Walker Inn, because you’ve missed the turn.” “Oh Great!, well, thank you Frank. Oh Frank, when you and Shirley go to church, could you keep your phone on vibrate, just in case?” I’m thinking, since we’re going almost back to Walker Inn, maybe I could use his bathroom, but dismissed it as trivial as we must all focus on getting to the interstate. Hang in there bladder, breakfast is on the horizon.

We don’t get all our prayers answered, but one thing is sure, we do know without a doubt that HE hears and delights in answering when we call. Our first 2 nights were spent at the Greer’s Bed and Breakfast in Lenoir, N.C. What a great time with five star accommodations. With little to do in Lenoir, we created our own entertainment.

Antiquing and shopping were on the agenda. Jeretta announced to the band of believers, “After we rummage every sale item in Belk, I want to eat in the food court and ride the merry-go-round.” I’m thinking, O.K. girlfriend, you’re on!!!! “Bill and I will sit on the bench. Glancing at her watch, you’ve got one hour, go for it.” “Wanda, you paid $9.99 for that beautiful cashmere sweater that was originally $l29.99? Teach me how to not sit on the bench, Lord Jesus!!!!!”

The food court was crowded, which added to the adventure. “O.K. Jeretta, now that we’re five pounds heavier, let’s see if these horses have a weight limit. Will we break these horses backs?” Coming back in broken English, “no, no, you con ride, no break de back.” Jeretta chose the horse; the ostrich appealed to me, they’re slower. I can hardly believe we’re doing this. Wanda took pictures as evidence of the crime scene. Seeing Ann and Bill afar off, I could not resist the urge to throw both my arms up and shout over the crowd, “look mom, no hands!!!” Their faces turned a light red. They did not dare break and run for fear of identifying themselves with the two clowns entertaining the crowd.

Suddenly, a gentlemen appeared in uniform with a walkie talkie on his shoulder. He sat down at a table close to the merry-go-round and observed. On one go-around, I said to him, “this is the most fun I’ve had since I was ten.” He nodded, saying nothing. His eyes said it all. “Just keep it in the middle of the road, kid, just keep it in the middle of the road.” No worries, I’m thinking as we bounced up and down and around and around, after all, I ain’t driving. Once back at our table, deciding how to top this one, we concluded we could not, and stay out of jail, so we returned to the Greer B & B.

Before leaving the food court, however, a lady came up and tapped me on the shoulder and said, “this is probably the dumbest question you’ve ever heard from a black woman, but Why did you ride that merry-go-round? I looked up at her, grinning and replied, “to entertain you.” Well, you certainly did that,” she said as she and her male friend walked away still gawking in our direction. Couldn’t help but notice that she, and everyone else in our sight, had light hearted looks and happy faces to prove it. If we’re the toughest job security ever has, next time I‘m in the area, believe I‘ll put in an application!!!

The next morning, we were leaving for the Maple Syrup Festival at Mt. Rogers High School in Whitetop, Va. We stopped to pick up Frank, Shirley, and Ronnie. Ann and Bill decided to come too. That was our hope all along. The weather was contrary to our wishes, cold and rainy. Jeretta and I ask God to stop the rain. HE decided to ignore us and let the vegetation have some moisture, which admittedly, was badly needed. I can still see Ann walking around the house saying in a sing-song fashion, “you need to pray harder, it’s still raining.” What fun we had with them. Yes, and granted, we need to pray harder. We both need lots of practice.

The Maple Syrup Festival was like a mini family reunion. We saw lots of people, some for the first time in a very long time. It was a great occasion of fellowshipping and reminiscing. Thousands of people come for the Maple Syrup, and rightly so. It is so good you could sit under a tree and drink it, and not even get arrested, sick, but not arrested. Hated I missed getting a picture of the trees in all their glory, giving up the sap. It really did look like they had stethoscopes around their necks.

On up the mountain we went, to deposit my belongings at the LaFon Lodge. Greeted upon arrival by Linda’s three cats and, “Karen called and Chris wants you to call him. Shanna has had a miscarriage.”  ”Oh No!!”  They had been trying to have a baby for several years, finally conceived with a due date in July. They were so excited. Not good news. It was difficult to enjoy my good company and the festivities with a heavy heart.

Back at the Lodge, a call was placed to Chris, thinking consoling would be the topic of discussion. “Hey Chris, what’s happening?” “Hey, Aunt Sandy, it’s still happening.” “What do you mean, it’s still happening?” “Well, Shanna got an infection in her womb, and she is leaking embryonic fluid; the doctors have tried to induce labor and her body won’t cooperate. They are going to try again tonight at 8:00.”

“Wow!!!, so she did not lose the baby?” “No!, but she is only 24 weeks and things are iffy at that stage of development” “Chris, what do you want God to do?” “I want Shanna and the baby to live, the infection to go away, and the doctors to know what to do and how to do it, so we can have a healthy baby.” “Me too, Chris, let’s pray. Just remember, Chris, God’s God, and I’m not, but I can believe for everything you said.” “Me too, Aunt Sandy, I knew if I could just get in touch with you, things could change for the better.” We prayed and asked God to deliver everything Chris requested, using our faith and giving God something to work with, we both said Amen!

My body was in Virginia, but my heart was in Florida with Chris and Shanna. While taking my bath, a spirit of intercession came upon me like I’ve not experienced in several years. Excusing myself and locking myself away in the bedroom, on my knees before God for Shanna and the baby. All I knew was, the doctors needed heavenly help! Within an hour, I was confident God had everything under control, including me.

Three days later, a call was placed to Chris’ cell. Shanna answered the phone. “Where’s Chris?” “He went to work for the first time in nearly a week.” “How’s everything going?” “Lot’s of things have happened since we talked last. The doctors decided not to induce. They started carefully fighting the infection. Aunt Sandy, the infection is gone.” “Wow!”, now I’m crying. Shanna said, “Aunt Sandy, I’m no longer leaking embryonic fluid.” “Wow!”, and Aunt Sandy, the wound is completely cleared up where I was leaking. The doctors are baffled, they have never seen anything like it, but pleasantly amazed.” “That’s our WOW GOD that we serve and pray to, Shanna. I’m grateful that He delights in hearing and answering our prayers.” “Me too, Aunt Sandy. What a turn-a-round!!” I’m so glad I got on my knees.

Spending the night at the Hensley Hide-A-Way seemed prudent, since Slick was coming to take me to Greer’s B & B in Virginia the following day. Carla and Jean cooked, and Shelby came. Thankful to see so many people on one visit, and breathing easier since Shanna was out of the woods. Slick and Jean were glad to return with me to the mountain and see old friends at Senior Citizens. It’s weird how the words “senior citizens” don’t taste so bad in my mouth now; it used to be like a brillo pad, now, it’s more like cotton candy.

One thing, I know. Ann was right. We need to pray harder. Even on vacation, there’s no break from prayer. There’s no time for separation from God. There’s no time that we don’t need HIS HELP. Ps 27:13,14 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD be of good courage, and HE shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Ps 119:89 Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. So we have to know what the WORD says. Matthew 21:21, 22 Jesus answered and said unto them. Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. God is not a slot machine, however HE honors faith and HIS WORD. If we can find it in HIS WORD, meditate on it until our believer is full, we can have whatsoever we believe in prayer. Shanna is home and doing fine, and closing in on her 28^th week. Thank You Jesus that we are not in this thing alone!!!

Mama and daddy had just returned from a trip to Virginia. Unfortunately, they had wrecked the van and traveled home in a rental. Bummer! Thank God, at least no one was hurt, the van can be replaced or restored.

A couple of weeks later, the van was ready and daddy, feeling antsy, made a run back to Virginia to retrieve it and turn in the rental. This time he left mama at home. The trip was just too much for her. She was, after all 85 years young. Daddy was a spry 79. He took a church buddy with him, so we were OK with his decision.

Mama called and asked if I would spend the day with her. “Sure, I told her, what do you want to do?” “I want to go pick persimmons.” “O.K., great, where do we find persimmons?” “There’s a persimmon grove down 301; I know how to get there.” “Sounds like a great time, we’ll do it.”

Mama had recently started making a persimmon cake. Man, they are the best! We both wanted more persimmons for the holidays. Mama was such a good cook, and her baking abilities were unbeatable. I’m certain she could cook dirt, and we’d all be licking our chops and want seconds. What a gift! Wish she had tossed that gift to me, but she didn’t. I did, however, get that cake recipe.

Bright and early Monday morning, daddy left for Virginia. I left for mama‘s. We had great anticipation for the day. We were traveling in my trusty Honda. Kind of difficult for mama to get in and out of, but we managed. Traveling down 301 towards Ocala when intuitively, I just suddenly and out loud read a road sign, “Island Grove.” This is all new territory for me. Mama said, “that’s the road to the grove.” With little notice, and plenty of Angels, we made the exit. Certainly was thankful no policeman was around to witness what surely would have been considered reckless driving.

After checking for my passenger and finding her still with me. I sighed a sigh of relief. I’m sure glad mama knows the way, huh!!! We’re still on hard top for a short while, when mama said, “there’s the road to the grove.” I glanced to my left to see what looked like a cattle path. Oh Great! We haven’t seen anything yet.!!!

This was turning out to be quite the adventure. Sure could have used a 4 wheel drive. My little Honda had it’s work cut out for it. I’m praying we don’t get bogged down. Seemed like we were totally ill equipped, wheeling through a Mud Bog, only it was sand. No cell phone, no muscle on board, no brains (working knowledge), no wonder God gave us Angels.

Mama just had her mind on those persimmons. “Dear Lord, Please help us maneuver and not get stuck. We’re way out in the middle of nowhere.” God was faithful! We came upon a clearing. Wah lah!, lots and lots of trees, bare, fruitless trees. Looked like Jesus had already been here and cursed everyone of them and told them to bear fruit no more.

Mama sure looked disappointed. Actually, there were a few persimmons way up in the top of a couple of trees. After surveying the situation, there was clearly only one solution. I hadn’t climbed trees in decades, “Lord Jesus, please help me.” We pulled the Honda up real close to a tree, I climbed up on the car, giving mama my best monkey impersonations and started climbing. Mama was easy to entertain. I’d practiced on her for years.

Mama opened her door and was out of the car. Now, I did not expect her to do that and suddenly I was really scared !! She’s 85 years old, feeble in her feet, wears special shoes, on uneven terrain and she’s ready to catch me, should I fall. I’m certain Our Heavenly Father had Angels all around us. He sure knew we needed ‘em. Admittedly, she had never seen her 59 year old climbing trees either.

She’s standing there with her hands up. I’m thinking she praising the Lord, then I remembered she’s Baptist. I said, “mama, what are you going to do, catch me?” She said, “yeah, if you fall.” Bless her heart! Real touching, not convincing, but touching. She was worried. I assured her I would not fall.

“Here, mama, watch where these persimmons fall, so when I get down I can find ‘em.” That worked. Took her eyes off me. I’m up a tree and can’t hold on to her. I don’t want her to fall and she don’t want me to fall. What a pair of clowns!!! To accomplish what we did without Heavenly Help, I might as well have been trying to ride a unicycle, juggling persimmons; mama might as well have been trying to walk on stilts.

If this had been on video, we could have been instantly rich. If daddy had known what we were doing, he would have wrecked another van. We had a pretty good haul, as it turned out; 46 persimmons and only sore muscles in the bargain. Not bad, considering what could have been. We headed home with happy faces. I can just taste that persimmon cake. What an adventure with mama. She went to Heaven the next year in the same month.

When reflecting on that day, with mama on such uneven terrain, and with me up a tree, I could not help but be so thankful that JESUS IS OUR ROCK, A SURE AND FIRM FOUNDATION. No shifting sands in our pathway. No place where we could stumble. He catches us every time. He keeps his eye on us, we are never out in the middle of nowhere. He is always with us. He is where our help comes from. If we need a legion of Angels, so be it. They are at our beck and call. Now, that’s Good to Know. I like this Kingdom Living!!!

Psalm 91: 9-12: Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 15: he shall call upon ME and I will answer him; I will be with him in TROUBLE; I will DELIVER him and honor him. 16:With long life will I satisfy him and show him MY SALVATION.

She was awakened by the telephone. “Hello.” “Hey, Sandra, Bucky has been real sick and you need to go lay hands on him.” Cloudy headed, she’s thinking, it’s late and I’m in bed trying to sleep. She said, “you’re a believer, you have hands, you can go and lay hands on him.” “No, no, you need to go and lay hands on him.” Now admittedly, today this girl would probably have stuck to her guns and gone back to sleep. However, she agreed to get up and get dressed and venture out in the night to lay hands on Bucky.

She had been to their home on several occasions, and had heard that Bucky, the youngest boy of five children was sick. His parents took him to the doctor and Bucky would get better, but before long, he was sick again. This had happened several times. This girl knew in her heart that they needed Heavenly intervention.

The parents of these 5 children were not believers, however, they had agreed to allow her to pick up the kids and take them to church. She had been doing that for some time now. They had lots of dogs and without fail, at least one of the children would step in dog poop and we didn’t know until half way down the road. Oh well! Sometimes, preaching the gospel can get messy. She’s trying to walk in Jesus’ footsteps; at least, we have shoes.

She grabbed her little blue Bible and headed out the door. When she arrived, she was greeted and welcomed. She knew she needed to get the parents permission to pray for Bucky. She opened her Bible to James 5:14,15 Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

After reading that scripture out loud to his parents and all the children, she turned to the father and said, “Do you believe that?” He said, “I’d rather not say,” which is the same thing as, “No, not really.” She said, “Well, that’s O.K., because I do. Do you mind if I pray for Bucky and lay hands on him and Jesus will heal him?” He said, “No, I don’t mind.”

She explained to all listening that Jesus is the Healer, and that God was eager to heal their 6 year old son. She further explained II Corinthians 10:3-5, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh; For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. Casting down imagination, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. She explained that the sickness was exalting itself and could not stand against God’s Word.

After expounding on the Word of God, she retrieved oil from her purse, put a dab on Bucky’s forehead and prayed the prayer of faith, James 5:14,15. She commanded the spirit of infirmity to leave Bucky and never to return again. She told them to expect Bucky to recover immediately and completely, and never again to be bothered with that sickness. She thanked everyone for their time of fellowship around God’s word, went home and went back to sleep.

Bucky did recover immediately and completely, and never again was plagued with that sickness. That got his parents attention. They started coming to church. The whole family got saved, and is still serving God today.

Recently, this girl was invited to a Mission Fund Raiser at their church and saw lots of her ‘ol friends again. She could not help but reflect on those earlier days when disturbed sleep, venturing out in the dark, dealing with dog poop and unbelief could not stop her from doing what she knew in her heart God wanted her to do.

Today those kids have kids of their own and it won’t be long before grandkids will be on the scene. God’s Word is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, Heb. 4:12. That entire generation has a new lease on life because of God’s Word. When we believe His Word, His Word will work mightily in us. She is thankful that the Word of God is the antidote to sickness. She is also grateful that she just believes what The Word says, and the Word does the work. Thank You Jesus for being So Faithful to even the faithless; and Thank you Jesus for being So True to Yours Truly.

Today she spoke with Bucky’s mother, who also remembers that night very well. Vicky said that Bucky had been coughing all night long. After prayer, his coughing completely ceased. He did not cough ONE MORE TIME. Everyone had a good night’s sleep. God had their complete attention. Healing the sick is truly God’s Dinner Bell. Timmy, Bucky’s father, put down his beer and picked up his Bible. What a swap! Ain’t God Good!!!

This girl doesn’t generally get out at night; she just likes to be at home when it’s dark. She picked up a flyer in the foyer of the church and stuck it in her Bible. It said something about Women’s Resource Center of Bradford County. Hum…., that’s where she lives. She’ll read it later. Later came the following morning when she settled into her prayer chair. She was impressed. They had a strategic plan and God led them to Bradford County. They pray and use their brains at the same time. Something that seems sadly lacking in our Christian community today.

She set it aside to seek God’s face and find grace for the day. Her prayer time is Rich and Rewarding. She loves to petition and receive from Heaven. She just goes boldly to the Throne, and God does not tire of her continual coming. She is always welcome. It’s almost like God has her coffee fixed, just like she likes it. She’s betting that He enjoys her as much as she enjoys Him. She talks and HE listens; then He talks and she listens. He’s a strategic planner and very smart and she’s not, what a partnership!

This flyer hung around her prayer chair for weeks. It never found the trash bin. Then the announcement that Dottie was coming to speak at the Church. Who’s Dottie? She’s wondering. Oh…yeah, Dottie is connected to that Flyer that keeps hanging around, like it still has something to say. This girl had read the flyer at least 10 times, and it always said the same thing. Still, there seemed to be something more. When God acts like that in her life, He’s up to something. She would venture out in the dark and glean what she could.

Dottie came, we worshipped and she spoke, and it was good. It was about saving babies, and helping girls who find themselves at a crossroads in their lives. On the drive home, she’s pondering about the Women’s Resource Center. It’s right here in Starke. It’s during the day. She wondered if she could fit in and help. The next day, she made the call, and decided she would visit, to kinda get a feel for the atmosphere. Wow!!, was she ever impressed. The girls are young, and have such a heart for the ministry. Their character seems superior. She immediately volunteered some of her time.

Discontent that she would no longer be able to spend quality time on her Thursday mornings with God, she told Betsy she would only be available from noon on Thursday, and shared why. Betsy immediately asked her if she would be the prayer cover for the Center. That was like saying, Sik ‘em to a hound dog! Would she cover the Center in Prayer? Huh! On the insides, she was turning flips. Wow!, now she knows why that flyer seemed to have a mind of it‘s own.

Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them, Matt 18:20. She needed prayer warriors. Without hesitation, Irene and Shirley made themselves available. We have watched God answer so many prayers. It has been a wonderful experience for all of us. One answered prayer that caught us off guard was when Betsy asked us to pray that she would get accepted into nursing school. She had applied twice and been denied. She was submitting her application for the third time. You could just tell, she was thinking, “Here comes disappointment again, but I’m going to send it in anyway. Please PRAY!” And Pray, we did. Immediately we knew in our hearts that Betsy was accepted. Took about 6 weeks for Betsy to receive the good news that she would be going to nursing school, and soon. She was so thrilled. So were we, until we realized Betsy would be leaving. We told her if we’d known that, we wouldn’t have prayed for her. Of course, we were kidding, but we had grown to love her already and would surely miss her exuberance.

We realize that all things are for a season. Betsy began immediately to focus on someone with the same heart and attitude for the ministry. We were introduced to Tiffiny, a new volunteer. Betsy had exuberance. Tiffiny was exuberance on wheels! Maybe it was because she had been a stay at home mom with 4 small children (one still in diapers), and home schooled. I doubt she ate baby food, but, I’m confident she talked baby talk in her sleep. Enough of that would bring anyone out like a canon ball. She was definitely ready for a new challenge. Tiffiny applied for Betsy‘s old position as Director and got it.

Miss Organization swept through that Center like a tornado. I’m wondering where did she get all that energy. Then, I remembered, I’m old enough to be her grandma. I’m thinking, don’t get to obsessive compulsive, and don‘t forget to breathe. Then I remembered the Bible saying something about the older women teaching the younger woman in Titus 2. Somehow, this thing seems to be working in reverse. We’ll see. Hang in there grandma.

Then, it started happening. She began to see the fruit of her wisdom. She did not realize to the extent that these younger girls were taking heed as we prayed and got answers. They were getting hungry for answered prayers themselves. We had our little chats about faith, tithing, righteousness, money, and how important our words are. She was teaching and didn’t even know it. They were listening and learning and their lives were beginning to show it. They knew God was no respecter of persons, they just never had used their faith (the word of God) on purpose like a carpenter uses his hammer, aiming for and driving home a nail. They saw the prayer team do that with regularity. They started pulling out their own tools.

This girl had started writing stories in September. It was so cool when she’d come in and Betsy would say, ” Boy, Have I’ve got a story.” “Whip it on me!” She just knew it would be good. Betsy was using her faith on purpose. Knowing that God knows everything, she asked Him to locate her mail carrier. Today is the due date and the money was somewhere out there in an envelope. She knew it was not God’s will for the payment to be late. Betsy prayed and asked for favor to find the mail carrier and retrieve the money. She did and headed for the bank, careful not to speed. When Betsy got the receipt at the bank, it was clocked in at 2:00 o’clock. The payment would have been late at 2:01. God knows how to impress his girls. Betsy was finding out how to use her faith.

After Tiffiny came on board, she was driving a jalopy. Once when we were leaving for the day, she cranked the vehicle and literally scared me. It made really weird noises. “Good Lord!, I prayed, please protect that car. There’s people in that thing.” We committed it to prayer. It was no time at all until Tiffiny was sporting a new vehicle. She has a whole new life and her dreams are getting bigger. God is moving mightily in her entire family. Tiffiny is using her faith on purpose, and reading the Bible with these brand new eyes.

I would be remiss not to mention one of our most memorable clients. A black lady came in for a pregnancy test. She had her toddler with her. She also had a little white girl with her, for whom she was tending until her daddy got off work. The lady finished her test and was in the counseling room with her toddler. The little girl, who was waiting in the lobby, said “what is this place called?” I said, “The Women’s Resource Center, and you’re a little women, so you qualify”… just trying to connect with the youngster.

Without hesitation, the youngster said, “My Mother died.” She had my full attention as I moved towards her and took a seat. “Your Mother died?”… I said, thinking my ears were deceiving me. “Yes ma’am.” “What happened honey, do you want to talk about it?” “Yes ma’am. We prayed and did everything we could and she was getting better, but she died anyway. Daddy was at the hospital with her when she died and he came home and told me all about it.” “When did this happen, honey?” “This year, I think it was in June”, the youngster replied.

As it turned out, this little 8 year old lost her mother to cancer. It is no coincidence that this writer lost her mother at the same age. I am amazed when I reflect on how God orchestrates situations and circumstances. God is here at the Women’s Resource and Medical Clinic for all woman of all ages; for all reasons and all seasons. The following is a small tribute from my heart to Our Lord, His Mission and Ministry to Women in Bradford County.

JESUS…THE BRIDGE
God, how much YOU love these girls that we see
Please help them to see YOU, when they’re looking at me.
You are Definitely the missing link in their lives
That’s obvious to me when I look in their eyes.
We humble ourselves as the Bridge you choose to use
Sometimes, scraping them off the floor of despair
Please let them know how much YOU truly care
It’s really easy to feel their pain
When I reflect, Your Grace is made So plain.
When I ponder my past and I find I’m still here
You have a plan for my life, You’ve made that quite clear.
In YOU, we live and move and have our being completely
YOU alone are Sovereign and planned our lives so tenderly and sweetly
There’s no way around it Father, Your way is right
Even though we may get stuck in the night
Struggling with things we know will bring plight
You’re not Dethroned by our decision;
Our wrongs are weighed, BUT made right.
Help us to learn from our mistakes and our blunders
Teach us to quickly run to YOU for cover
Your Blood is enough to Wipe out all of our sins
To Cleanse us and help us to Start over again.
Poem by: Sandra Rash Marchman

The young couple had moved into town to be closer to the hospital. She was pregnant and due three days after Christmas. It was an exciting time in their lives. The first child, the first grandchild and first great grandchild. Folks on both sides of the family were very excited.

She visited her doctor regularly and followed his orders completely. Very careful about what she did. She didn’t even let the weight gain bother her, knowing this was temporary. The important thing to consider was the well being and development and delivery of the baby. Hallelujah! Everyone was excited and Christmas could not come soon enough.

The baby’s room was being prepared and decorated. The baby showers and gifts. All the planning and anticipation any soon to be mother experiences. A life changing event was on the horizon. Babies change everything and she knew that. A transformed life was in the very air she breathed.

Christmas morning she was greeted by several family members bearing gifts. They had it all planned. She was still in bed. Surprised and truly warmed by their love for her and the soon arrival of the baby, she got up and headed for the shower. On the way to the bathroom, some serious cramping occurred, so she took a quick shower and was driven to the hospital.

Placed in a small room with only her grandmother allowed, she labored alone. She did not know what to expect, but she did expect some attention. She got none. The nurses were having a party of their own, after all, it was Christmas Day. Who wants to work on Christmas Day? No doctors were even around. Her contractions were very serious from the start and grew increasingly worse as the day advanced. Her grandmother, who had delivered 9 children at home, could only shake her head and wring her hands, wishing she could help, knowing she could not.

She thought she would die, but knew people had babies every day. This had to be normal, she was thinking. Finally around 5:00pm the doctor came in to check on patients. Suddenly there was a flurry of activity. Immediately she had more attention than was appreciated. Rolled into the delivery room under all the bright lights. No doubt, given drugs to induce delivery and did within 30 minutes. Relieved in every way, she smiled.

The first words she heard from the hospital staff were, “Mrs. M., your baby was born dead, do you want to see her?” In absolute shock, and mind boggled from the stark presentation, she uttered a bewildered “no.” End of conversation. She was placed in a private room under supervision. It was a long night and this was just the beginning. Deep depression set in. Lots of questions and no answers. No one could help her. Everyone tried. Surely, this was a bad dream. But reality set in when two days later, she was sent home empty handed.

Originally, she had no plans to return to work after the baby came. Now, things were different. She needed some routine that would take her attention off of her recent knock out punch. Work was the answer. Everyone was very kind and did not speak of the trial she had just gone through. Things seemed fairly normal on the outside, the inside was a different story. Her coworkers were smart enough to know she needed time. Boy, did she ever.

Anger is a difficult emotion to properly deal with. Though she dealt with it daily, some days were tougher than others. Even though her baby was born dead, others had pictures of their children on their desk. On the really bad days, somehow she wanted to slam the pictures face down. Thank God she never did. The hurt was raging a fierce battle inside of her. God had started His healing process and it was going to be a while coming.

Somehow, she knew that reaching out and helping others was part of the healing she so desperately needed. Her coworker was planning a birthday party for her seven year old daughter. She engaged in and helped with the planning. Enjoying this interaction, she was asked to spend the night. Surprised at her response, she accepted the offer. The little seven year old was thrilled, and of course, had to sleep with her grown-up guest.

Watching all the little girls play brought healing to her severely damaged heart. The healing was taking place, and now was on the fast track. Who knew that reaching out and helping a little girl have a special birthday would be entwined with so much Heavenly Healing. Only God, I’d say. By no stretch of the imagination was she healed, but she was headed in the right direction. Now she was confident it would not rain always. The sun would shine again. The seething anger was gone. It was just a matter of time, and she would be almost well.

Today, I can say with great confidence that God is Faithful! It will soon be 34 years since that mishap. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says it best. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies, and the God of all Comfort. Who Comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to Comfort them which are in any trouble, by the Comfort wherewith we ourselves are Comforted of God.”

One thing learned through life’s experiences is that life is not fair, but God is Just. He is Just Wonderful to Help Us. Hebrews 4:16 tells us how. “Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace…the throne of God’s unmerited favor; that we may receive Mercy for our failures and find Grace to Help in Good Time for every need…appropriate Help and Well-Timed Help, Coming Just When We Need It.”

My daughter is in heaven. We’ll have a lot of catching up to do and all of Eternity in which to do it. Don’t let Life’s Knock Out Punches make you bitter. Let them make you better. God’s counting on us to show the world how to be winners, and with His Help we can. One of my favorite scriptures is 1 Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God Who gives us the victory making us conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ.” So, hang in there, and let the Son shine on you. He wants to rain blessings down on your parade.

God had completely melted her heart. For the first time this angry, fearful, abandoned, rejected, very injured girl felt loved and found new hope in this world. Her whole world had just changed. God had revealed Himself to her in a very special way. Letting her know she was forgiven and she was HIS. HE had Chosen Her for HIMSELF. She slept with sweet peace, a brand new experience.

She immediately forgave everyone who had ever hurt her and really meant it. She was free. All the anger and it’s side effect were gone. Living in a small shanty, she felt rich. All she wanted to do was please God. Prayer was her daily routine and she grew accustomed to hearing God’s voice.

HE began speaking to her about going to Johnson, a small community about 35 mile away and ministering to some old friends. She immediately put up walls. All her friends had heard through the grape vine about her new faith life and stayed away in crowds. These girls were no different. She was not rude with God but figured HE must be mistaken. Can anything good come out of Johnson? Nevertheless, she kept hearing the same thing every time she fellowshipped with Him. HE NEVER CHANGED.

After about 6 weeks of this, she was losing her peace and this wonderful honeymoon like relationship seemed to be changing. She really did not know what to do. She knew God still loved her, but somehow things were not warm and fuzzy like before. Finally, she said, “OK God, I’ll go just to get YOU off my back.” Now, she had to figure out how to make it happen without letting these girls know she was on a heavenly mission.

She made the phone call and asked if she could come out and spend the afternoon with them. She had also made a shorts outfit for the daughter, soon having a birthday. All seemed innocent enough. She wasn’t excited, but somehow anxious to get this thing over with. Her relationship with God was very important. If this pleased Him, she would do it. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see these girlfriends. They just no longer had anything in common. Nor was she afraid she would be out numbered. There was a strength inside of her that could take on an army and win. She just didn’t understand what God was up to.

She arrived with gift in hand and the afternoon was actually quite pleasant. Both girls seemed pleased to see her. Nothing much had changed in their lives. However she saw them in a new light. She was full of compassion and kind of felt sorry for them. If they could only see what was going on inside of her.

They still smoked dope and offered to share, however she politely turned down their proposal. She was not moved by their actions, however. She settled in and flowed with these old friends quite well. Surprised at her freedom and their acceptance. More than anything, she was pleased that God would probably never again bug her about going to Johnson. She smiled all the way home knowing that she had accomplished the mission. How could her going there make any difference? She was about to find out. Both of these girls shared the same name, Linda.

Real early the following morning, Linda T. knocked on my door. Kind of surprised to see her. We had just spent yesterday afternoon together. She was crying and said, “Sandy, I want what you’ve got.” I said, “come on in, it’s free.” She came in. I shared the Word with her. We prayed together and she received Jesus as her Savior.

We fellowshipped only a short while as she was in town to do laundry. She was sent home with a Bible and a mini book on the Holy Spirit. She was a new creature and full of power. She shared with our mutual friend, Linda S. You know what happened. Now we all have something in common, or should I say Someone in Common, Jesus. What a wonderful Life.

Have you ever noticed that God does not necessarily give us the BIG picture, just a glimpse. He already had a church right there in their back yard. He had this whole thing planned before either Linda was in their mother’s womb. Linda T. and I talked recently and she is still serving God and thankful for my visit nearly 30 years ago. Still has her first Bible. We are all thankful that God does not give up on us when we have a “throw in the towel” attitude. He still has a plan beyond our wildest dreams.

Trusting this Wonderful unseen by the natural eye Friend is an ongoing experience. He still does not give up on us, and we are thankful. We will never quit Trusting Him and that is settled. One of my favorite scriptures is found in the Book of Ephesians 3:20. “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we dare ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” And to that, I can only say, “Amen!”

Do you have a grandma? This is not a trick question, but let me help you with it. If you have a belly button, you do. Neither is it the chicken or the egg dilemma, grandmas came first. There’s just something about grandmas. They are grandmas because they are so grand. Little Red Riding Hood had it right from the start. Going to grandma’s house was always met with such anticipation.

My grandma and I were roommates for about 25 years. Either I lived with her or she lived with me. We were very close. I could tell her anything and she would not act surprised, she would give me wisdom on the situation every time. That’s why older people are so valuable. They truly do have the tee shirt on wisdom and It was my good fortune to be around this older, wiser woman a lot.

Grandma always told me to do unto others as I would have them do unto me. As much as that was understood, it was taken to heart and applied in my life.  One day while cadillacing through the Bible, in the Book of James it read, “If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.” I gasped and put my hands over my mouth and said, “Dear Lord! God’s quoting my grandma.”  But then my brain returned. That had been taught to me all my life. It did not dawn on me that grandma got it from the Bible. Probably the reason it stuck, that powerful WORD OF GOD.

We all know you can’t get born again again, and my heart was given to Jesus at about 12 years old. My memory is very clear on the event and I was as serious as all get out too. We don’t always understand eveything.  I lost my zeal.  It seemed that I leaked, because when God got my attention 21 years later, He sowed me up and filled me up again with His Love. Grandma was the first person notified. She was so thrilled. She never gave up on me, everyone else certainly had. Thank You Jesus for grandma’s prayers.

Whenever pondering whether to purchase something or give something away, and debating because of the money involved, grandma always helped me. She’d say something like “Sandra, you’ll never miss it in a million years.” I’d think about that and it’s true. Really helped me put a lot of stuff in it’s proper perspective. Helped me really get it. Life is short and death is long. We only have one shot at this thing called life, and I was trying to get it right.

We were raised Baptist. We were Baptist born, Baptist breed, Baptist living and Baptist dead. When God got my attention in 1978, He connected me with a small non-denominational church. Jesus came alive to me in those stories in the Bible like He never had before. I just believed more and expected more. It was exciting. I went to Virginia and brought grandma home with me just about every Fall and took her back home every Spring. This was the first time with grandma since my new found faith. She really sensed a big difference in me. She was right. I couldn’t explain or even understand, but things were so different. So much better.

One Thursday night grandma wanted to go with me to church. Tickled me. She said she wanted prayer for healing. We trucked off to church. At the end of the service, an alter call was made for anything needed. Grandma stepped up for prayer for healing. Richard anointed grandma with oil and prayed for her. She received her healing, and received the infilling of the Holy Spirit and received her prayer language. What a night that was. When we started home, we started laughing and could not stop. Grandma was kind of heavy and we rocked that little VW Bug all the way home. We just could not stop laughing. Every time we would look at each other, we would laugh uncontrollably. God is so Good.

The last time I took grandma home was 1988. She had several strokes and was thereafter unable to come to Florida to spend winters with me. Her health was declining, but I was praying. She was in the hospital and family kept calling me to come if I wanted to see her alive. It would go in one ear and out the other.  Finally, Teresa called and said, “Sandy, honey I know you are praying and believing God to heal grandma, but if you want to see her alive, you probably should come on up.” I could hardly stand it, but I decided to catch a flight.

Linda picked me up at the airport in Tri-Cities around 6:00pm. We traveled to Abingdon where grandma was hospitalized. All the family were there and had been there for days. They told me to go on in and spend time with grandma, they had all been spending time with her already.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. I was almost too late. All I could do was rub grandma’s arm and cry and tell her how much she meant to me. She had machines and tubes everywhere and struggled to breathe. A nurse came in to turn her, and still clinging to hope, I asked him, if she was getting any better. He looked at me like I was a moron, the final straw.

I composed myself and went out and retrieved my Bible and returned to grandma’s bedside. This time I went around on the other side of the bed since she was facing in that direction. I said, “grandma, you want me to read to you from the Bible?” I opened my Bible to St. John 14 and started reading in the first verse. Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me. In My Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and grandma breathed her final breath and went home.

It was hard, but not on her. She was free. I just had to cling to “O death where is thy sting. O grave, where is thy victory?” I Cor 15:55, and I did. Grandma waited for me to come before she went home.

If I could sum up my life with grandma, it would be laughter and wonderful fellowship. If she ever taught me one thing over another, it would be to Love God and Forgive People. And there are also many other things which grandma taught me, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Needless to say, she was way up there on my hero list.

Seems such a shame we must grow up. Our childhood days are memories we will have forever. God placed us in the loving care of parents or sometimes grandparents, but nevertheless, someone always cared for us. Once Karen and I were reflecting on our past and she said, “Sandy, do you think God placed you in the wrong family?” I said, “no, because God doesn’t make any mistakes.” Even if our childhood isn’t what we would have chosen, God chose it and He always knows what He is doing.

Karen was sharing a time when she and Kerry were small. We spent some summers with grandpa and grandma Hensley in Whitetop. Since our mother died when we were young, we may have been living there. At any rate, it is some of our most precious memories.

She and Kerry would get up every day and make bologna sandwiches and head for Pond Mountain on foot. They traveled the road. On one occasion they met up with a big bull. A steep incline on one side and a deep drop off on the other. They were scared silly.

Suddenly a farmer came by with his big red tractor. He correctly evaluated the situation and saved the day. Just in the nick of time too, as the bull was charging in their direction. Don’t tell me we don’t have angels watching over us. They continued this daily all summer long. Playing in the creek, picking berries, and other fruit, and drinking from fresh springs. Being rescued from bulls and maybe even bears. If life could be so simple always. That explains why they are still so full of bologna today.

When I was in the first grade, we attended school in a one room school house. The grades ranged from first through the seventh. I had several girl friends, but I had to sit with a boy. Yuk! And worse, we had to share a book. I thought I might just die. It didn’t get any worse than this. My girlfriends got to sit with each other. Not me, I just knew life was against me early on.

One day, Betty Sue didn’t come to school. At lunch, I went down the hill to check on her. She was sick. I decided I would be sick too. We played all afternoon. We turned the bed into a trampoline. What fun we had. No one home, just us two sick ones. We were smart enough to watch the clock. I knew I needed to leave at 3:00 and go home. When the time came to leave, I simply went up the hill a little and down toward my home as if I had been at school all the time. Only trouble is, my teacher was there inquiring why Sandra Kay didn’t come back to school after lunch. Boy Oh Boy! Mama really loved me because she did not spare the rod that time. I never skipped school again. You know even though something may hurt, like spankings, that does not make it bad.

Another life long lesson was learned when I would follow Ambrose home. We were both given a penny. I lost mine so I stole another one. Before I went home I piled dirt on it and went straight to mama and said, “look what I found in the dirt.” Well, somehow that did not compute with her. The truth came out and I was whipped all the way back to Ambrose’s house to return the penny. They did not like me lying or stealing. Thank You Jesus for discipline. Proverbs 23:13 is still true today.

Preacher Lewis lived up on another hill. His wife took five of us girls in the community, all about the same age and we had Vacation Bible School. We met in an old warehouse across from Carter’s Store. I remember we had a stick and string and made a fishing pole. We cut fish out of colored paper and on the fish we wrote Matt. 4:19. No doubt, our lesson all week was “follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” We enjoyed VBS all week; we especially liked being together, we were all buddies.

You know, we might not think things like that amount to a hill of beans, but The Word of God is very powerful, Heb. 4:12. When I got right with God in 1978, one morning just as I was waking up, I remembered that week, those fishing poles and the scripture we wrote on the fish. I cried like a baby. God knew the time was coming when Mrs. Lewis’s VBS would impact my life. She is in heaven today, but one day I’ll get to thank her. Jesus, If you can make me a fisher of men, do it.

I was always a tomboy growing up. Running and playing was my middle name. I could fight with the best of ‘um. Gender didn’t mean a thing to me. Riding the bus was an adventure, and some kids would make fun of this new little girl because she was heavier. They would not let her sit next to them. When I took note of that, I beat the snot right out of all of ‘um. This little girl was given priority seating with me in the front row. That little girl, as it turned out was Carla Sue. a friend who sticks closer than a sister. Funny huh, God saw that coming too.

Karen, Kerry and I have precious memories of our childhood in Whitetop. Uncle Doyle often bought ice cream for me at the school store. I really liked that because he was very popular and I wasn’t even his girlfriend. He pulled us around on a rug to polish the hardwood floors, and pulled me to school on a sleigh when the snowdrifts were over my head. Karen and Kerry enjoyed rides on his shoulder. I enjoyed watching the older girls, Paige, Gladys, Freda, and others getting dressed for dates. They always looked so pretty when they came downstairs. All that fixin’ fascinated me.

Childhood is just part of growing up and one day I’m going to consider doing just that; not any time soon though, probably. Jesus said to come to Him as a little child, and I’m thankful we can do just that. It’s great when we have good childhood memories. But what really counts is not how we start out, but how we end up. Ending up is a given, growing up is an option. Just make sure you end up going up.