Okay, Folks! I Did It!

You are probably scratching your head and wondering, "what now?"

"Did she climb a tall mountain?

Run a race?







Win the Lottery?" (no picture to describe how amazing THAT would be!)



Well, no, nothing quite that exciting or exhausting or amazing...but I did something that I've been wanting to do for a LONG time...probably for about 65 years or something like that!  I finally took the plunge and gave my notice that I am actually going to.....drum roll, drum roll...

RETIRE!!!!  YAY! YAY! HIP HIP HOORAY!!!! THREE CHEERS FOR ME!!!!

I expect to be doing a LOT more of THIS in the near future...
Taking lots of pictures...and smiling a lot more!!!

Now, just please say a prayer for me to survive the next few weeks as I train someone to take my place and clean out my five and a half years worth of stuff from my office. (Click HERE for more about these pictures)

 (Actually, I can't wait to bring this tea set home...I just have to find the right spot for it...and have a tea party as soon as I can!)

Another of my office "treasures" that I will have to find a home for here at home.

I'll probably be leaving this lovely picture behind...maybe...unless I see that my successor
doesn't fully appreciate it the way I do...
Psalm 33:1-3
"Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
Praise the Lord with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy."

 Pray that I will leave on a positive note, and that God will be with me as I embark on this new adventure in my life. I know that the Lord has been with me throughout these past years (and I am most thankful for His Presence in my life both then and now)...and all the years prior...so why should I doubt that He will be with me when I take this big step and leap into the great "unknown" of retirement?

I do have concerns...mostly financial issues...I don't have a big cushy pension to fall back on...I don't even have a small one...so the government better not mess with my Social Security and Medicare...or I'll be in a real pickle.

But my God is bigger than any government or any retirement plan.  He has sustained me thus far in life, and I have no reason to fear that He will ever change His mind about that.

"Even to your old age, I am He, 

and even to gray hairs I will carry you!

I have made, and I will bear;

Even I will carry, and will deliver you."

Isaiah 46:4

Actually, I am excited about the new adventures that are waiting to be discovered.  I may not have a lot of money or big plans, but God has promised to give me good things...

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,

Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope..."

(Jeremiah 29:11)

He also reminds me of this... 

"Do not remember the former things,

Nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert."

Isaiah 43:18-19

So.....Ready, Set,  Here I Go!

Wanna come along?

Get ready for the great adventure!

I can't wait to see where God will lead me in the very near future!!!

Stay tuned, folks! This is not THE END...This is just the beginning!

A Psalm of Joy... Reposted and Updated 6-11-13

Just a quick update on this story...I still have that beautiful painting in my office, and I still look at it from time to time and remind myself of this Psalm and give thanks for the job that I still have. There have been "moments" throughout these past few years when I needed something pleasant to remind me to be thankful for my job...and for God's daily provision. Sometimes I just have to break forth and sing to the Lord a new song...I still can't play the piano.  

The picture in my office

(This was originally posted back in March of 2010, right after I started work here) Psalm 33:1-3  "Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. Praise the Lord with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.  Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy."

My friend Laura will appreciate this Psalm as it relates to my being able (or NOT able) to play a piano.  You see, Laura and I shared a very similar experience.  We were both new pastor's wives many years ago...and we were each asked the very same question (in different places and different times) as our husbands were being interviewed for their first ministry position.  The question that was directed to me from the ladies of the church was, "Do you play the piano?"  I fearfully responded, "No, I do not play." (Fearfully because I feared that if I couldn't play the piano, my husband might not be called to be the pastor of their church).  The woman who was in charge of the interrogation was rather alarmed and said, "But our pastor's wives have always played the piano!"  I laughed then and said, "Well, if you like singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" or singing hymns to the tune of "Chopsticks", I'll be happy to play for you, but that is all I know how to play!"  In my mind I was thinking how interesting it would be to sing "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" to one of those tunes!  Somehow my husband was still called to be the Pastor of that church, so I guess my piano skills weren't really all that important after all!

I thought about this story after a little trip this morning to my new place of employment, which happens to be at a church.  The women of the church were having a yard sale, and one of the items for sale was a beautiful painting of an elegant room in which stood a baby grand piano and a lovely golden harp.  I fell in love with that painting, and just had to have it for my new office.  Much to my great surprise and pleasure, the kind ladies of the church who were in charge of the sale gave me the picture with their blessings.  We immediately hung it on the wall where I can view it at any time during my hectic day of work and pause to "praise the Lord with the harp" (in my heart) and "make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings".  I don't believe I will be able to "play skillfully", but I can surely give a "shout of joy", for "praise from the upright is beautiful"!  I wonder if praise from the baby grand is just as beautiful as from the "upright"! (Upright piano, get it? :)) 

Yes, I am singing this "Psalm of Joy" tonight...joyful that God has heard my prayers...joyful that He is indeed filling my heart with joy as I embrace this new calling in my life.  Now if He will just help me do the work that He has given me to do, I will definitely give a "shout of joy"!

"Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!"

Here are some other things that I enjoy looking at in my office when I need to 
give my eyes and my mind a break~

My Victorian Garden Tea Set...which I purchased from our church Yard Sale the first week I was here! Quite a discovery!

Chinese crock...and the Bibles of course!   The Chinese Crock was another church yard sale find!

Angels watching over me!


I hope you've enjoyed this little tour of some of my favorite things in my office!

Be blessed today, my friends!

Surprise Packages...

"Praise the LORD with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy..." Psalm 33:2-3

The past week I had some "minor" surgery..."minor" only in the sense that it wasn't "major"...not a serious illness or problem...but something that needed to be "fixed", nonetheless.  And yet, anytime we place our bodies under the complete control of others, i.e.; doctors, anesthesiologists, nurses, nursing assistants, dieticians, etc...it is a "major" situation requiring the guidance and complete control of the One Who sees all and knows all and is all powerful...God Almighty.  Without Him, my "minor" surgery could have become a "major" problem.  So, I pause to give thanks, and to praise Him for His marvelous acts of kindness on my behalf. 
I can truly say with the Psalmist:

"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."  Psalm 34:4

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

So, I am taking some time off from work and my daily duties and am recovering, one day at a time.  I am thankful for this time at home with my husband and two of my sons.  They have blessed me with their constant attention and ready and willing assistance (most of the time :)).  I am being spoiled, and I love it...and I think I deserve it, don't you?  :)    Seriously, I am so thankful to have my family here with me...all except for our #2 son, Matthew and his wife Nicole and our grandson, Noah, who live in Maine...too far to come for now.  But, after the year Matthew has had with his own illness...I am just thankful to know he is there, alive and well and enjoying life again! That is comfort enough for me.

Right now I am being especially blessed by some special "music" from my youngest son,  (#3 ) who recently came back home to live with us after being away and working up north for over a year.  #3 son is a unique individual (aren't we all?)...with varied talents and a gift for being very creative in a way that others may not readily see or understand.  Oftentimes the outside world never sees the inside heart and soul of a person like him, because he keeps it covered with feelings of lack of self-confidence and fear of someone discovering what is really going on under the surface and exposing his more tender side. This has always been a frustration to me as a mother, because I could  see the true talents waiting there to be discovered, but others totally missed it because he didn't meet up to their standards of ability and/or behavior.  When he was in elementary school he struggled to keep up in some areas, and yet excelled in so many others.  Unfortunately, the areas in which he struggled to keep up were the ones deemed more important to the testing authorities in "higher education".  So, that lack of confidence coupled with our frequent moves due to our service in the ministry, created a difficult educational atmosphere for our son, and he eventually dropped out of school.  After wandering around both emotionally and spiritually for a few years, he finally persevered and completed his high school diploma by taking and passing the GED exam the first time around.  I won't say that solved all his problems, but it helped restore some of his self-esteem and confidence and it was a very positive step in the right direction.

Scott, (#3), at age 11 playing the organ at Grandma and
Grandpa's house

So, anyway, to sum this up...recently when my father passed away, our son asked if there was anyway I could get the electric "Wurlitzer" organ at my parents' home.  All of the grandkids and great-grandkids loved playing this organ when visiting at Grandma and Grandpa's house, but our son had a special affinity with this instrument. You see, he spent several years living there with my parents and helping with the caregiving while my mother was failing and then also when my father was left alone after her death.  Although "#3" never had any real music lessons, he has this creative drive to make music within, and claimed that playing the organ was a form of "therapy" for him after a long day at work.  Fortunately for those around, the organ works beautifully when the player uses headphones...and this gives the instrumentalist the freedom to make any kind of music he so desires without bothering anyone else.  I always assumed this was a really good thing when our son was playing, knowing the style of music he seemed to like best.  :)

Scott (#3) today- a surprise package!

However, since our son has come home, and yes, the organ is now a part of the very crowded furnishing of our home,  he has actually taken off the headphones so that we can hear what he is playing, and we have been blessed.  I have been very pleasantly surprised at the beautiful and calming music that he has been playing for me each evening since I came home from the hospital. The melodies are soothing and tranquil, peaceful and comforting.  No, he doesn't read music...he has no idea what he is playing in the technical sense...but in the realm of melody and tone, the music is heavenly.  A gift from God...whether he realizes it or not.  It is one of those unique presents that has true presence...the presence of God's Spirit ministering to my soul. And I give thanks.

Sometimes gifts come in surprise packages....

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continuously be in my mouth."  Psalm 34:1