Heart Matters Blog

Some of you say, "Today or tomorrow we will go… we will stay… we will do…"But you do not know what will happen tomorrow! Your life is like a mist.You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away. So instead you should say, "If the Lord wants, we will live and do this or that." James 4:13-17 [New Century Version] Most folks in the 21st century live by their daily, monthly, and yearly planners. I admit that even before my new calendar goes up on the wall each January, I have already penciled in plans as far out as October! We funny little humans seem to schedule ourselves into oblivion, running from one thing to the next. Yet, we rarely stop to think about the fact that all of our best-laid plans could come screeching to a halt in a blink of an eye. Sadly, when those roadblocks eventua...

 We cannot forget the terrorist attacks on 9/11! On the Pentagon and Shanksville!.  LuAnn, Julie and Sally

Happy Labor Day! LuAnn, Julie and Sally 

At every moment and every situation, God is the intimate, attentive and encouraging friend. — John O'Donohue/ Anam Cara I love my precious Savior… You are acquainted with all my ways… —Psalm 139:3. He walks so intimately with me; on this journey I am on. A journey with dementia and primary progressive aphasia. I love this quote by Frederick Buechner, "If we keep our hearts and minds open, if we listen with patience and hope…then I think we come to recognize, beyond all doubt, that however faintly we may hear him, he is indeed to speaking to us…his word comes to each of us is precious beyond telling." "Like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship." ― Anne Lamot...

He leads me beside quiet waters… he restores my soul. —Psalm 23:2 I am sitting by still waters today, but there is a party on the lake. People having fun; diving in and dive-bombing into the water. Someone is tubing on the lake as well, and jets skis too. It is not exactly quiet, but it does restore my soul. Just when I was going to write that it is calmed down now, there is another whoop from the party boat. It is so peaceful here by the water, despite the party. I took my shoes off and dangled my feet in the lake. I love the sound of water lapping up on the shore. It is so soothing. It reminds me of the Allegheny River when I was young. My Grandpa Simey would take us out on the rowboat. We would pack a lunch and I remember the waves lapping on the shore of the river as we parked our boat...

We were all intrigued. All eyes were riveted on them as the Wedding Day approached. The would-be King of England had a found a bride. Through the miracle of television, we were invited to join them tuned in early that Wednesday, July 29th, 1981. I happened to one of them. We had just arrived in the States from France with our two-week-old son. I, like the rest of world, was curious how the Royals live. I wanted this for myself. We saw Diana riding in a horse-drawn carriage to St. John's Cathedral. Trumpeters heralded her arrival. Diana's incredible gown was forty-six yards of silk to match her complexion. One hundred yards of netting to poof her crinoline skirts. It took her three-and-a-half minutes to walk down the aisle of the church and to her groom. What we didn't w...

Jeremiah 33:11: "The sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,'Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever." Matthew 25:1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom." I had been feeling a flood of loneliness. There I was pregnant with my first child, and I was so far from home. Rey and I, through series of events, found we were living Southern France. It was a thrill of a lifetime. Rey was getting a chance to play European Professional Basketball. The president of the team and his family extended an invitation to us; maybe it will take the edge off my...

We love our readers! LuAnn, Julie and Sally 

Thank you to our readers,  LuAnn, Julie and Sally 

Hello July!

We love our readers,  LuAnn, Julie & Sally

Happy July! We love our readers! LuAnn, Julie and Sally 

We're going to take July off...LuAnn, Julie and Sally "Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."― Henry James"it's a smile, it's a kiss, a sip of water ... it's summertime!"― Kenny Chesney Summertime is always the best of what might be…  Love in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air. - Ralph Waldo Emerson  If it could always summer…always lonely, the fruit always ripe. -Evelyn Waugh

Live a life of love… Ephesians 5:2a A Safe Place to Land Alice wasn't the only one to have a wonderland…I had one too. Or at least that's what I used to call it. In actuality, my wonderland was a modest little house that belonged to my grandparents, nestled in the Appalachian foothills, along the banks of the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania. Although the setting was idyllic to a little girl with a romantic heart, it was the warmth and unconditional love that my grandparents showed to my sister and me, that made summers spent in PA such a refuge. During our parent's strained 19-year marriage, my sister, Sherri, and I learned to cope in our own unique ways; her through escape, me by assuming the role of burden-bearer. But ahh…when we drove "over the river and through the woods to grandm...

We realize some of you going through a tough time... some of your friends have even died this year. We love our readers, LuAnn, Julie and Sally 

Thank you readers for being so faithful! Love and bless you this Memorial Day weekend! Julie, Sally and LuAnn 

I am the Vine; My Father is the Gardener…you are the branches.If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit... John 15:1a and 5a The picturesque town where my husband Rey and I lived in southern France was surrounded by vineyards.Growing up in the Midwest where soy, corn and wheat fields spread across the land, acres of vineyards were an anomaly to us.So every now and then, as we traveled the winding roads of our wine-producing region, our curiosity would get the best of us, and we'd just have to pull our little Fiat over to the side of the road and sneak a peek down one of those neatly manicured rows. Joseph, one of the financiers of the basketball team that my husband played for, happened to be a vinedresser.When he extended an invitation to us, to dine with him at hi...

I pray...that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope to which He has called you! Ephesians 1:18 Shutters When my hubby Rey and I were newly married, we found ourselves living in the south of France. Rey had been recruited to play semi-pro basketball in the quaint little town of "Valence sŭr Bäise", just 90 kilometers from the Pyrenees Mountains and the border of Spain. As one might expect, there were innumerable adjustments to be made in a culture quite different from our own. The first and most prominent was getting used to the seven-hour time-zone change. But it was not just our internal clocks that needed tweaking; our taste buds had to learn to acclimate as well. Being typical American's, we were accustomed to eating hamburger, but not to eat...

The last time I went home was in early spring. It had become increasingly obvious that it wasn't feasible for us to keep the property any longer. After all, there was nothing on it anymore. My husband and I drove down the familiar dirt road in silence until we came to the mailbox I had passed a million times throughout my life. But that's where the familiarity ended. When we turned in the driveway, I was met with… nothing. That place where the log house my dad built stood nestled in pines like a postcard was now empty. It looked like a hockey player's mouth where the front teeth had been knocked out. I slowly got out of the car and walked over to where the front door had been. I stood there, in that gaping black hole surrounded by emptiness and burnt trees. I remember falling to the ground...

By Joy Lenton brought down to dust his body pierced and soul crushed never more alone trapped in the deepest darkness no wriggle room on the cross his weakened voice cries out nevertheless to the Father desolation reigns supreme in this hour becoming sin his heart broken as his father turns away cannot look at him at his glorious Son ingloriously undone the skies weep the darkness closes in like a curse as heaven watches, waits with tears and bated breath it is finished groans and silent sighs escape they rent the air as dividing curtain tears heaven's rejoicing occurs © joylenton *This is posted on GODSPACELIGHT.com it's a beautiful site... 

Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." —Genesis 21:6 Meet Sarai. She is ninety years of age. Abram was nearly 100. Well past childbirth. But God had a special surprise up his sleeve, and Sarah would bear a son in one year. I forgot the story… "No longer will be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father to many nations of you, kings will come from you. As for Sarai you wife; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will give you a son. Abraham fell facedown; and laughed and said to himself, will be a son be born to man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a son at the age of ninety." —Genesis 17:15-17 The Hebrew letter "h" is the letter symbolizes breath. The Hebrew people felt that writ...

Death, like ocean waves, surrounded me, and I was almost swallowed by its flooding waters. 2nd Samuel 22:6 I have heard it said that trouble comes in threes. I know it's just an old wife's tale, but oddly enough it happens from time-to-time. It's happened to me. How about you? The first time it happened I was a freshman in college. The troubles started when my parents divorced and sold our home. A couple months later I was involved in a rollover car accident that completely totaled my car. Then three months later, after a constant struggle with neurological issues, I discovered that I had broken my neck in the accident. Surgery, a month-long hospital stay and six months in a metal body/neck brace followed. Fragile and unable to care for myself, I was released into the care of my precious G...

 At every moment and every situation, God is the intimate, attentive and encouraging friend. — John O'Donohue/ Anam Cara I love my precious Savior… You are acquainted with all my ways… —Psalm 139:3. He walks so intimately with me, on this journey I am on. A journey with dementia and primary progressive aphasia. I love this quote by Frederick Buechner, "If we keep our hearts and minds open, if we listen with patience and hope…then I think we come to recognize, beyond all doubt, that however faintly we may hear him, he is indeed speaking to us...his word comes to each of us is precious beyond telling." "Like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship." ― ...

We love our readers... thank you so much! Emilie, LuAnn, Julie and Sally

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. - Helen Keller Throughout the years, it has been my habit to keep a Faith Journal. I call it a Faith Journal because what I have written on those pages... when my faith is firm and the eyes my heart are open to see the various blessings that God has touched my life with, have been the greatest source of encouragement to me when my faith is especially thin, and my eyes so clouded with tears that I have a hard time seeing God's presence anywhere. As I flip through that journal, I am reminded that yes! God has walked with me through every twist and turn along life's way. He has whispered my name on the wind and touched my innermost being with beauty. He has embraced me through the hugs of friends and spoken dee...

Our Pastor at Genesis East Covenant Church has challenged us to write a Recipe for the New Year. To leave the past behind, one needs to remove something in order to move forward. It as if we crossed the river… never to return to the other side. This is what our Pastor said was the beginning of recipe: The first thing he told us is to remember. In Joshua 4:1-9 they set up a memorial of twelve stones, so they could remember where they been, what they overcame and where they are headed next. The next thing he told is to be still. From Exodus 14:14, "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still." The following thing he told us… to be filled with courage. Joshua 1:9, "because God is with you." Let go of your burden. "Come to me when you are weary and I wi...