Autographs and Love Notes Revisited

Today is the day I have set apart to share with you my "Wednesday Treasures".  After our "September" questions yesterday for "Tuesday 4", I was reminded of these pictures and this little autograph book. I knew I must have shared it with you before, so I search for the post and found it. I hope you won't mind reading it again.  Be sure to click on the pictures from the Autograph book so you can enlarge them to read.

Note: This is a new picture. The Autograph book is the pink book standing up in front of pictures of my mother and my sister and me, and the dolls are also special "treasures", from left to right: 

Anne of Green Gables, which was one of my mother's collection of Madame Alexander dolls, which came to me because I am named after "Anne" of Green Gables...my name is Pamela Anne.  The next doll is Valerie, a gift from  my Dad for Christmas one year because she has red hair.  Next comes a doll that I gave to my mother for her 85th birthday, and the last one is my Margie doll, named after my Aunt Margie, who gave her to me for my 7th birthday. 

Original Post from 6/6/2017:

I was looking back through my old autograph book the other day...you remember those little books of blank paper that are intended to have signatures of special people, little funny sayings and other special words from friends or family...and I made a few discoveries that I'd forgotten or just hadn't really paid close attention to.

This particular autograph book was a gift from a friend on my 10th birthday!

It's right down there on the table at the far right end... I also received my first and only Barbie Doll for this birthday from my Grandparents!  I still have her today!

Here I am with my friends who came to my party.  L to R: my neighbor Kim, my cousin Becky, me, my girlfriend Rhonda, and my friend Linda. Linda gave me the autograph book!

I thought it would be kind of fun to go back through and share with you some of the funny and special autographs that I collected in this little book.

The most famous autograph in my book was from the actress Gloria Swanson:

 This was also on my 10th birthday.  Gloria Swanson came to a local new housing development for their grand opening, and my parents took me to see her.  I didn't even know who she was as she was a rather "old" movie star at this time, but it was exciting anyway.  I also had my picture taken with her and a friend of ours, whose mother was the local photographer for the community newspaper, so this picture also ended up in the paper!

Somehow, she also autographed this photograph, but I don't know how that happened since the picture wasn't developed when we were there with her.  The only thing I can figure is the photographer, Mrs. Bunny Rapalje, must have sent the photo to Gloria Swanson for the autograph and then gave it to me.  I never realized that until today as I wrote this!  And Mrs. Rapalje is no longer living, nor are my parents, so I can't ask them.  Maybe her daughter Janet would know, if I could locate her...

Anyway, I digress...

I was having such fun looking back through this little autograph book, reading all the funny, pithy sayings that many of my friends wrote back in the day...here are a few that were typical:

(You can click on the picture to enlarge for better reading)

My cousin Becky wrote this!

(This was written by my big sister...)

It appears that I didn't use this autograph book much after about age 12, so that explains the "maturity level" of these autographs.  I also noticed that even though I saved a special page in the book for a "special fella" to write on, none did.  I guess it was just the age...boys still thought girls had cooties and would never write in our autograph book...and if they did, it probably wouldn't have been anything very "special".

However, in between the silly sayings I did discover two very special messages from my mother.  One I actually chose as my life verse and the key verse that stays on the front page of this particular blog:

My mother wrote this as "A Thought for Every Day"....(and that is why I chose it as my life verse!)

Psalm 19:14

  I just realized that she inadvertently  left out a couple of words, so here is the verse in its entirety:

"Let the words of my mouth 

and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in Thy sight,

O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."

And this note I had actually forgotten or not realized was in here...and just rediscovered it when looking through the pages again...and it is perhaps the most valuable and important message of all to me:

When I read this I just cried.  My mother has been gone from earth for about 11 years now, and this was written to me way back about 55 years ago...and I honestly do not remember reading it before now. The other one I had read over and over again, but the pages must have been stuck together on this one because I just don't remember reading it before.  And what a powerful blessing and prayer for my life!

"Dear Pamela, 

I have nothing very clever to say...I'll just put it on record that I love you so much and pray that you will continue to grow in spiritual goodness and love of God.  

Your Loving Mommy."

Wow! How can I say thank you now to my mother for this wonderful blessing?  I am humbled and in awe of this, because when she wrote this to me, I was only about 11 years old...and I wonder just how much this "prayer" that I would "grow in spiritual goodness and love of God" had to do with the way my life turned out?  I will not claim that I have much "spiritual goodness" in and of  myself...whatever "goodness" is there can only be because of Christ and what He has done in my life...and my love of God is due to Christ loving me and giving Himself for my salvation as well...but I wonder if I would ever have reached that place in my life if it had not been for this prayer and the loving example of my parents and other godly people throughout my life who helped to direct my steps into the right paths that would lead me to Christ.  

When you are a child you sometimes take for granted the love of your parents and other important people in your life...but I know there are many perhaps reading this today who have never experienced that in their own lives.  We can't go back and "do over" life. We can't make our parents into what we wish they could have been for us.  But we can start now, wherever we are in our own lives, and make a difference in the children, grandchildren or other special young people over whom we may have some influence.  We can speak words of love and praise and encouragement that could make a total huge difference in the paths they may choose to take in the future.  We can PRAY for them even when we may feel we don't have any other way of reaching out to them due to circumstances beyond our control.  Many families are broken, separated, spread far apart, and you may feel you can't make any significant impact on them at all.  But you can pray!  Even if that is the only way available...it is always the best way!  God hears our prayers...and He answers them in due time.  

Thank you for taking this little walk down memory lane with me.  

"The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:

"Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;

Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."

Jeremiah 31:3

Click HERE for another post on this topic.

Meditate on These Things

For many years I have kept the above plaque on the top of my desk, above my computer, to serve as a reminder to consider what manner of things we were reading, watching, researching and contemplating as we surfed the internet and opened windows into a world beyond which we had ever imagined before.

Prior to the computer, this same little plaque sat above our television...for the same purpose.

Here is the complete verse from the Bible, found in the book of Philippians, chapter four and verse 8:

"Finally, Brethren, 

Whatever things are true,

Whatever things are noble,

Whatever things are just,

Whatever things are pure,

Whatever things are lovely,

Whatever things are of good report,

If there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy~

Meditate on these things."

Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)

The following Psalm is similar in its declaration of what things are truly worthy of our contemplation and prayerful meditation:

"The Law of the Lord is perfect,

converting the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure,

making wise the simple;

The statutes of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure,

enlightening the eyes;

The fear of the Lord is clean,

enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

and in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can understand his errors?

Cleanse me from secret faults.

Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;

Let them not have dominion over me.

Then I shall be blameless,

and I shall be innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth

And the MEDITATIONS of my heart

Be ACCEPTABLE in Your sight,

O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."

Amen.

Psalm 19:7-14

After reading the above Bible verses I have to stop and examine my own heart and mind regarding the things I meditate upon. According to the dictionary, some synonyms for the word meditate would be: ponder, muse; ruminate; cogitate, study, think, contemplate, plan, devise, contrive.

Likewise, the meditations of my heart would be things about which I ponder, muse,  ruminate , cogitate, study, think, contemplate, plan, devise or contrive to do. 

The final verse of Psalm 19 above has long been my life verse...first taught to me by my mother when I was a young girl.  She wrote this in my autograph book:  

My First Autograph Book...I think the scribbles along the top came from
one of my children...

I didn't realize until now that my mother had written a heading to her inscription in my book:

"A thought for every day"

I wonder what she would think today if she could see that I have made this verse my life-verse, and it is also inscribed at the bottom of my blog page as a daily reminder to make sure that whatever I write on these pages is indeed acceptable in God's sight.  Her early words have truly impacted my  whole life.  Something to ponder about what we teach our own children and grandchildren...

When I sit down at my computer each day, whether at home or at work, it would be wise to re-read these verses before I click on any icon on my desk-top...and say a little prayer that God would help me to heed these warnings and admonitions before I strike the first key or open the first window. I know that there have been times that I have inadvertently hit the wrong key at the wrong time and had things pop up that I did not intend to or wish to see. Those accidental incidents were sometimes shocking and caused me to recoil as though I'd been snake-bitten. Snake-bitten, as by that old serpent himself, "The devil made me do it."  But another Bible verse comes into play here:

"Thy Word have I hid in my heart,

That I might not sin against Thee."

Psalm 119:11 KJV

The fact is, when we hide God's Word in our hearts, verses like Philippians 4:8 and Psalm 19 will come back to remind us to take our eyes off of the offensive pages and help us to keep our meditations acceptable in God's sight.   Then we can declare with the Psalmist in Psalm 119:15-16 ~

"I will meditate on Your precepts,

And contemplate Your ways.

I will delight myself in Your statutes;

I will NOT forget Your Word."

Lord, please help me to remember these admonitions and exhortations from Your Word today. Forgive me when I fail to do so and help me to stay on the right track in what I say, look upon and write.  Thank you.  Amen.