On January 1, 2010 I promised God that I would share my faith in a way that was new to me. Now, as this year approaches its end, I am so grateful for the strength and perseverance which the Lord has given me to be His vessel through my blog, “Anna’s Faith Journey”. I seek his guidance as I write about my life and my faith. I don’t always know who reads or will read my entries; that I leave up to Him. As I look back over the year, I hope that someday my grandsons will get a better understanding of their faith heritage. They are young now and just beginning to read. I want them to know who I am and what God has done in my life. In the same way that I dedicated my own children to God, I dedicate my grandchildren to Him. I envision them as “Men of God” who will pass on their faith to the next generation. Jesus Christ is The Lord of my life; the light of my life. I hope that the light within me continues to light the lives of others as I pass on the faith that previous generations gave to me.
As I praise God for everything in my life, I tell him how thankful I am. Praise is a form of thanksgiving. We should always come to Him in the spirit of praise and gratitude. Gratitude is an attitude. God wants us to have an internal sense of peace and joy even when our external circumstances would deem otherwise. My favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:28. I know that God is always functioning in my life, working things for good. I have and will continue to walk through trials knowing that God has a plan and that He will weave my situation to His glory in my life. I never have to travel a road alone. This is why I have an attitude of peace and in turn a continuous attitude of thanksgiving. Happiness is dependent on external circumstances. I am not always happy. Joy is internal. The joy of knowing who I am in Christ keeps me peaceful and grateful in all situations.
How can one experience joy always? Believe in God. He will give you the gift of faith. I believe that God gave His son for me, for all of us, and that when Jesus returned to the Father in heaven He left the comforter for us; the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in us and through us and gives us The Gifts of the Spirit. Internal joy is one of the Spiritual gifts. Read Galatians 5:22. Joy is God’s gift to the believer.
I will continue writing my blog in 2011. This November has been a busy month for me. We had a trip to visit family in Oklahoma with a stop in Dallas, Texas. We are going to New York for a few days and will come back to Pennsylvania to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with our daughters and their families. I love Thanksgiving; being with family and friends, and taking part in cooking and eating turkey and all of the other traditional dishes of the season. After Thanksgiving we are expecting company, my cousin and his wife will be coming from Norway. We are looking forward to their visit. They were such wonderful hosts when we stayed with them during our trip to Norway in the summer of 2009. Then we will be headed back to Florida for the winter. God blesses us daily and we thank Him for everything in our lives.
This will be my last blog in November 2010. I plan to do one blog in December. I will post my testimony. I presented it a few years ago to the women at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Dix Hills on Long Island. I have also shared it with my friends at the Martin Luther Chapel in Marathon, Florida. It is about my journey to Bethlehem; my journey to the cross. I hope my story will encourage others in their faith walk. We are all on a journey. We are all in a different place. Let us continue to lift each other up and keep growing in our faith. Let us live our lives as an example of who we are in Christ. May we live in an attitude of joy, praise, and thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I love you and God loves you too.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Every Life is a Story
We can learn and grow when we look back on our own lives. We can also be influenced as we view the lives of others by observing them or reading about them. Each of our lives is a story. It is for this reason that I reminisce and write about mine in this Blog.
When my daughter, Christa, was at Muhlenberg College she volunteered to become buddies with an elderly woman, Betty, who resided at The Phoebe Retirement Community in Allentown. A school project turned into a lasting friendship. They became part of each others lives. They would get together for lunch and other activities. They shared stories and shared their lives with each other. Betty joined our family to celebrate Christa’s graduation. Betty died last year but her influence and story go on. This past Friday, Christa was asked to participate in a story telling reception at Phoebe. She was asked to recollect and share about her friendship with Betty. Sometimes we take for granted the people who touch our lives. This exercise in story telling was very emotional for Christa and for the people who listened to their story. Although Betty is no longer physically here, her shared life and story will always be a part of Christa’s life.
Another story that comes to mind is that of the limousine driver, Ali, who picked Richard and me up at the Dallas airport last week. We spoke for less than an hour as we traveled to our hotel. I was so very impressed by him and his life story. He expressed his story with passion and fluency. He came to America on his mother’s passport from India when he was 18 months old. He is the only one of his siblings who has learned his parent’s native language. After college, for ten years, he traveled all over the world with one company. He did very well financially but traveled so much and was so busy that he didn’t have time to enjoy life. He appreciated the sacrifices which his parents made by taking the initiative to travel to a new land and a new beginning. He told us about the time he made a trip back to India to attend a very exclusive affair. There were no limits to the food and fruit which were being served. He became aware of a young child approaching the garbage cans to retrieve what he could of the food which people were throwing out. Tears came to his eyes and he made arrangements for the left over food to be given to the boy and his family. This little beggar boy touched Ali’s life. America had given Ali and his family opportunities and a life that he was very grateful for.
Ali decided to quit his all-consuming traveling job. The pay which he collected from his former employer gave him a financial cushion but when that was spent he still didn’t have another job or know what he wanted to do. He vented his dilemma to a friend, a limousine driver, who had previously taken him to the airport so many times when he was traveling at his previous job. This friend offered to set him up with his own limousine. He suggested that it was something that Ali should try because of his personable nature, experience, and education. Ali said, “I have two college degrees and you suggest that I become a limousine driver?” The rest is history. Ali started with one limousine and now owns his own company which runs fourteen vehicles. He is doing very well. He married, bought a home, and has twin sons. He mainly manages the company but still has certain customers that he likes to drive for. We thank him for wanting to pick up Christa’s parents and for telling us his story. I hope my account has done it justice. I am so very proud of America and everything our country offers to those who have a dream and ambition. Ali, we wish you continued success in your business and personal happiness to you and your family. It was a pleasure to have met you. You are a very impressive young man. As I suggested, you should write a book. If you do, I want a copy!
Our lives aren’t compartmentalized. All areas of our life are connected. Decisions which we have made in the past, or even yesterday, will affect our lives today. They compose our story. We reap what we sow and everything we do has consequences. The character of our life will touch the lives of others. Not only are we personally connected; mind, body, and spirit; past and present; our lives are connected with others. Sometimes we don’t even know who is looking at us or listening to our story. Our character is what we are when no one is looking. Let us try to be real, not disingenuous. God sees our hearts and motives in every situation. We cannot always control our circumstances, but with God’s help, we can control how we act and respond. He looks on the inward, not the outward. Let each of us live a story that we would want to be told.
When my daughter, Christa, was at Muhlenberg College she volunteered to become buddies with an elderly woman, Betty, who resided at The Phoebe Retirement Community in Allentown. A school project turned into a lasting friendship. They became part of each others lives. They would get together for lunch and other activities. They shared stories and shared their lives with each other. Betty joined our family to celebrate Christa’s graduation. Betty died last year but her influence and story go on. This past Friday, Christa was asked to participate in a story telling reception at Phoebe. She was asked to recollect and share about her friendship with Betty. Sometimes we take for granted the people who touch our lives. This exercise in story telling was very emotional for Christa and for the people who listened to their story. Although Betty is no longer physically here, her shared life and story will always be a part of Christa’s life.
Another story that comes to mind is that of the limousine driver, Ali, who picked Richard and me up at the Dallas airport last week. We spoke for less than an hour as we traveled to our hotel. I was so very impressed by him and his life story. He expressed his story with passion and fluency. He came to America on his mother’s passport from India when he was 18 months old. He is the only one of his siblings who has learned his parent’s native language. After college, for ten years, he traveled all over the world with one company. He did very well financially but traveled so much and was so busy that he didn’t have time to enjoy life. He appreciated the sacrifices which his parents made by taking the initiative to travel to a new land and a new beginning. He told us about the time he made a trip back to India to attend a very exclusive affair. There were no limits to the food and fruit which were being served. He became aware of a young child approaching the garbage cans to retrieve what he could of the food which people were throwing out. Tears came to his eyes and he made arrangements for the left over food to be given to the boy and his family. This little beggar boy touched Ali’s life. America had given Ali and his family opportunities and a life that he was very grateful for.
Ali decided to quit his all-consuming traveling job. The pay which he collected from his former employer gave him a financial cushion but when that was spent he still didn’t have another job or know what he wanted to do. He vented his dilemma to a friend, a limousine driver, who had previously taken him to the airport so many times when he was traveling at his previous job. This friend offered to set him up with his own limousine. He suggested that it was something that Ali should try because of his personable nature, experience, and education. Ali said, “I have two college degrees and you suggest that I become a limousine driver?” The rest is history. Ali started with one limousine and now owns his own company which runs fourteen vehicles. He is doing very well. He married, bought a home, and has twin sons. He mainly manages the company but still has certain customers that he likes to drive for. We thank him for wanting to pick up Christa’s parents and for telling us his story. I hope my account has done it justice. I am so very proud of America and everything our country offers to those who have a dream and ambition. Ali, we wish you continued success in your business and personal happiness to you and your family. It was a pleasure to have met you. You are a very impressive young man. As I suggested, you should write a book. If you do, I want a copy!
Our lives aren’t compartmentalized. All areas of our life are connected. Decisions which we have made in the past, or even yesterday, will affect our lives today. They compose our story. We reap what we sow and everything we do has consequences. The character of our life will touch the lives of others. Not only are we personally connected; mind, body, and spirit; past and present; our lives are connected with others. Sometimes we don’t even know who is looking at us or listening to our story. Our character is what we are when no one is looking. Let us try to be real, not disingenuous. God sees our hearts and motives in every situation. We cannot always control our circumstances, but with God’s help, we can control how we act and respond. He looks on the inward, not the outward. Let each of us live a story that we would want to be told.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Seeing and Doing
There are some things in life that we hope for. Some things can be imagined, wrongly or rightly. We visualize in our mind's eye that which we have not experienced or seen.
Richard and I just came back from a trip to Texas and Oklahoma. Now we have seen for ourselves that which before the trip we could only imagine. In addition to cementing a picture in our minds, we are so glad that we didn’t put off a trip which we have been talking about for months. We chose to light the candle and make it happen.
We went to visit Richard’s family in Oklahoma. Tela will be 90 years old on March 3, 2011. She has made a major change in her life and moved into a Retirement home in Oklahoma City. Prior to being with her, we could only imagine how she was doing or where she was living. Words cannot express how happy we are with our decision to make the visit. She absolutely looks wonderful and is adapting so very well to her new home and regained sense of independence. Her new life has freed Richie’s sister and husband, Nancy and Lloyd, from worrying and extra care giving. They can now feel peaceful about her comfort, care, and life in general. Now we have seen her elegant new home. We have seen Tela for ourselves and are happy that she looks so well and is doing so well. We had hoped that she was doing well, now we have seen.
How many times do we put the things that we know we should do on the back burner’s of our lives. I can only encourage you to write that card, make that call, give that word of encouragement, or visit someone as we did. Give and it shall be given unto you. A kind act shouldn’t be done for that reason but it sure has that effect on one’s life. Don’t procrastinate and be generous. These are good rules to live by.
The other purpose of our trip was to be with our daughter, Christa, for a couple of days in Dallas. Her job, with a growing internet advertising company, Reach Local, brings her from Pennsylvania to Texas once or twice a month. She introduced us to so many of her wonderful out of state co-workers. She took us to work with her as she taught the new hires, from all over the country and Canada, about the company and their internet media products. The company labels this teaching orientation their “Boot Camp”. For us, it was “Bring your parents to work day”. As it was with Tela, we now can visualize where Christa is when she is in Texas and we will be able to put faces to names as she talks about her job and the people she works with. It is so important to us to be involved in our children’s lives. We never want to be intrusive, but always want to be there for them and to be aware of things that are going on in their lives. This trip opened up a window into her life and this makes our lives richer. Thank you Christa for lighting this candle with us, and for driving with us to Oklahoma to visit Grandma Tela and our extended Oklahoma family.
God is good. When we honor Him, He honors us. He shows us His favor and makes our lives work. The only thing constant in life is change. God gives us wisdom and is always there to help us adapt to new situations. He is with Tela. He is with Christa in her travels. He is with us as he directs and leads us to care for others and be an important part of the lives of our loved one’s. I am so grateful that we took this trip. I ask The Lord to always keep us aware of where He wants us to be and how and when He wants to use us, to His glory, in the lives of others.
Richard and I just came back from a trip to Texas and Oklahoma. Now we have seen for ourselves that which before the trip we could only imagine. In addition to cementing a picture in our minds, we are so glad that we didn’t put off a trip which we have been talking about for months. We chose to light the candle and make it happen.
We went to visit Richard’s family in Oklahoma. Tela will be 90 years old on March 3, 2011. She has made a major change in her life and moved into a Retirement home in Oklahoma City. Prior to being with her, we could only imagine how she was doing or where she was living. Words cannot express how happy we are with our decision to make the visit. She absolutely looks wonderful and is adapting so very well to her new home and regained sense of independence. Her new life has freed Richie’s sister and husband, Nancy and Lloyd, from worrying and extra care giving. They can now feel peaceful about her comfort, care, and life in general. Now we have seen her elegant new home. We have seen Tela for ourselves and are happy that she looks so well and is doing so well. We had hoped that she was doing well, now we have seen.
How many times do we put the things that we know we should do on the back burner’s of our lives. I can only encourage you to write that card, make that call, give that word of encouragement, or visit someone as we did. Give and it shall be given unto you. A kind act shouldn’t be done for that reason but it sure has that effect on one’s life. Don’t procrastinate and be generous. These are good rules to live by.
The other purpose of our trip was to be with our daughter, Christa, for a couple of days in Dallas. Her job, with a growing internet advertising company, Reach Local, brings her from Pennsylvania to Texas once or twice a month. She introduced us to so many of her wonderful out of state co-workers. She took us to work with her as she taught the new hires, from all over the country and Canada, about the company and their internet media products. The company labels this teaching orientation their “Boot Camp”. For us, it was “Bring your parents to work day”. As it was with Tela, we now can visualize where Christa is when she is in Texas and we will be able to put faces to names as she talks about her job and the people she works with. It is so important to us to be involved in our children’s lives. We never want to be intrusive, but always want to be there for them and to be aware of things that are going on in their lives. This trip opened up a window into her life and this makes our lives richer. Thank you Christa for lighting this candle with us, and for driving with us to Oklahoma to visit Grandma Tela and our extended Oklahoma family.
God is good. When we honor Him, He honors us. He shows us His favor and makes our lives work. The only thing constant in life is change. God gives us wisdom and is always there to help us adapt to new situations. He is with Tela. He is with Christa in her travels. He is with us as he directs and leads us to care for others and be an important part of the lives of our loved one’s. I am so grateful that we took this trip. I ask The Lord to always keep us aware of where He wants us to be and how and when He wants to use us, to His glory, in the lives of others.
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