top of page
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
Search

Updated: Apr 13, 2022

April 2022 Blog


He sits on the sidewalk or on a small folded seat at the edge of a parking lot by the traffic light. Sometimes he’s standing and holding his sign or just looking up to warm his face and body in the afternoon Sun. His small knapsack is at his feet with a few paltry belongings. There are some bushes near by that conceal the sleeping bag he huddles in each night. His skin is ruddy and weathered with a couple days of unshaven facial stubble, yet his eyes are kind and grateful to those who dare to stop and meet him.


There is a rundown car with faded beige and brown paint, fifteen to twenty feet away. An older man is shading himself, as he is hunched over and leaning against the hood of the car. A long gray oversized coat protects his thinning frame. He and his vehicle sadly blend together. They both have lost their luster. All his worldly possessions are stuffed into every inch of the front and back seat. They are covered with a mustard yellow blanket and leave just enough room for him to sit or rest.


Diagonally across the street are a series of stores: fast food, pharmacy, grocery, cleaners, health food and coffee shop. A man dressed in a dark hooded sweatshirt, baggy jeans and scuffed up tennis shoes is carrying a couple of large plastic bags. He moves along the sidewalks, outside the stores, staying behind the stone pillars in an effort to be as inconspicuous as possible. He means no harm. Rummaging through each trash receptacle, his hands reach down in search of every plastic, glass or aluminum container he can find.


She is aware of their presence. They are always there when she is at the food market or running her list of errands. What of the one in the wheelchair or the white haired woman by the home improvement store? A friend mentioned to her in a past conversation of keeping extra food bars on hand to give out when encountering someone in need. What can one person do? Why are there so many on the streets?


For many weeks she has felt a tug on her heart. She recalls the struggles in her own life: sleepless nights, falling to her knees before the One who never leaves or forsakes us.


It’s a few days before Christmas and ham is on the menu for guests that will arrive shortly. While viewing the selections in the meat department, two choices appear: a ham steak which would be ample for the dinner she will prepare or an entire ham. Extra loaves of seven grain bread, cheese and lettuce are instantly added to her list.


All that evening, the aromas of brown sugar and honey glazed ham mingle together and permeate her kitchen. She had already baked a variety of cookies and decides to also boil a dozen eggs. A fresh bag of carrots and a stalk of celery are in the crisping drawer of her refrigerator. She finds herself gathering colored tissue paper, strudy Styrofoam plates and festive holiday napkins, as well as a new box of Christmas cards. She places everything on her dining table, to assemble as many packages as possible.


She knows the saying that it is more joyful to give than to receive. For the next few days, her first hand experience in this unusual venture creates fulfillment beyond what she could have imagined.


December and early months into the New Year have come and gone. It wasn’t just a holiday gift. It’s the time spent talking, listening, praying, encouraging and meeting with these people in transition. Whether it’s Randy a Naval veteran or James who attended Northwestern University in the 60’s. Kathy with a degree in psychology, Willie who lives temporarily at the Ventura Armory, Bob, Valerie or others she has only seen once.


Each week has provided insight, patience and words of hope, along with something home baked. It’s become a labor of love, because, they all have names and she has more than enough.




It was June 2004, a warm, balmy mid-summer morning, as we sat in the

bleachers, along with hundreds of other proud parents, for high school graduation ceremonies . The sound system crackled, the microphones faintly amplified

the small orchestra’s processional accompaniment of the graduating class.


Our daughter was somewhere among the myriad of caps and gowns. Once our

binoculared eyes located her, we kept a steady gaze to capture that cherished moment, on

camera and in our hearts. We sat there discussing all the wonderful years ahead that we

would share together: her college graduation, her wedding day, our first grandchild,

baptisms, birthday parties and holidays. With her holding down summer jobs, we realized

our traveling would be a little different now. Quick weekend getaways or cross country

vacations, as a threesome, would need to be more strategically organized. But, for

now, it was June 2004, graduation day and that night she was headed for Disneyland

with all her classmates and we were empty-nesters for one night.


June 2010, the plans we sat there dreaming about that day, six years before, took very different paths than what we had seen. And the seven words in the subtitle at the top of this page, are what have guided us through.


Trust and Obey

Our daughter thought she was supposed to go to Pepperdine University, a dream she held all through her teens. And I certainly approved, as I had attended there for my graduate studies. But as her father shared with her, “Sometimes it feels like God slams your fingers in the door, but it’s only because He has a better one for you to walk through.”

And oh…how true that statement became, her sophomore year at Westmont College. She had to trust in her Dad’s words and obey God’s direction. Because what happened between 2004 and 2006 changed her and my life forever. She needed the support of her closest friends, the understanding of her professors who gave her six extra weeks to complete her studies, and the shelter and protection of her mother’s arms.

You see, God gives us special people in our lives, some for just a season and

some for many, many years, like a husband and a dad. But when He calls them home, He

calls them home. And that’s what He did in the Spring of 2006 to Shane’s Dad, my

husband. And even though it’s not the easiest thing to do, trust and obey, in the valley of

the shadow, it’s really the only thing you can do.

Trust and obey, trust and obey.


Order My Steps

When you look into people’s eyes, one of the things you usually wonder about is

who they are and where are they headed. I don’t mean to the mall, to the movies or to the

beach. The question is: where are they headed in life?


When you looked in my eyes, those early days of widowhood, there wasn’t a

direction in sight. God has a way of putting this protective shield around you, because

time has just stood still. You have been given a glimpse of eternity that permeates your

spirit with its’ glory and peace. And you want to, and need to, rest as much as you can for

a while. Because when humanity comes crashing back in on you, the pain and the

loneliness can leave you empty on the floor.


And then one day, your daughter says, “Mom, we need help, to both get through

this. We can’t do this on our own. Let’s join a Grief Share group.” And she was right.

So let me say thank you to the wonderful organization that developed Grief Share.

To the ministers, the authors, facilitators and loving Christian people who shared their

stories on DVD’s through a thirteen week program. Even though we knew, we learned

anew that you have to reach beyond yourself to the only true higher power for His

guidance and His path on which to order your steps.


See Farther

In August of 2004, only four months after her Dad moved onto Heaven, our daughter was scheduled to live in Mexico for a semester. In July, she had serious doubts on whether this was what she should do. We prayed continually and had extensive

conversations throughout that month. And one night, as we sat on her bed talking, three

options were very clear. One: She could stay home and not spend the semester in Mexico.

But this would also mean a semester off from college because Westmont was at capacity

on enrollment. Two: She could go and if somewhere within that time she couldn’t handle

it, she could come home. It’s only money. We’ll get by. And Three: She could go, gut it

up, have one of the most wonderful experiences of her life and I would come visit her

halfway through the semester.


A few days later, just two weeks before her scheduled departure, she chose what

was behind door number three. See farther.


From that decision, she selected a more aggressive focus on a double major and

graduated with two degrees, Business and Spanish. First semester junior year in Mexico,

final semester senior year in Europe. Ah…and Mom (me) flew to London to meet her at

the end of Summer 2008 and we traveled through London, Paris, Barcelona and Rome.

Thank you Lord God for making us see farther.


Life is a gift to unwrap each morning, even though for every one of us, in various

seasons of our lives, it may not feel that way. But it still is. We love people, we lose people, we change jobs, we change directions. We move to a new community, a new state or a new country. Our tastes alter, our perspectives expand, hopefully our wisdom deepens and our character strengthens.


Our days are numbered, from our first to our last, and the building blocks that we

fashion, out of each twenty-four hour component, create the foundation of what we

ultimately become.Yes we want to chart our own course, we want to sculpt the most beautiful, we want to taste the most exotic. That’s how we are designed.


Where to turn along the many paths we travel, when we feel that perhaps no one

“gets” us, no one understands us, or no one cares. Who to thank for those exquisite

moments of peace, of resolve, of beauty, of warmth and of which way to follow. Well,

three messages brought me through a very dark and uncharted season.

I humbly offer that they may be there for you as well.


Trust and Obey – Order My Steps – See Farther

These are the scriptures that continue to carry me through my days.


Trust and Obey:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

NKJV


“But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you,

that it may be well with you.’ (Jeremiah 7:23) NKJV


Order My Steps:

…Order my steps in Thy Word… (Psalm 119:133) KJV


See Farther

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:6-7) NKJV


I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) NKJV


  • Nov 15, 2021
  • 3 min read

Updated: Dec 26, 2021

Whether you’re a kid or wish you still were. When you were younger, what did you love most?

When you are daydreaming or letting yourself travel to “Imagine Land”, what ideas keep re-appearing?

ree

What were some of the wonderful experiences or even the mischievious ones?

What were your struggles, those things that you wished were different or better, (subjects in school, people, situations). What were the things you wished you’d gotten to do or places you’d wanted to visit?

Take a few minutes and revisit some of the positive paths, the encouraging moments (past or present).

What were your favorite topics to study?

What were your favorite books, your favorite stories?

Who did you look up to?

Who were your role models?

What about your closest friends?

Who did you admire?

Wherever you are: a kid, a parent with kids at home (young or older), an empty nester, a grandparent, single and planning on having your own family some day.

YOU’RE STILL A KID!

YES YOU ARE!…. You Are A GOD INSPIRED WITTY INVENTION…GIWI®

And there is always time to strengthen your current course or redirect it, if you’ve stumbled or fumbled and want to change direction and focus. Who Are You and What Do You Love? And What Are You Waiting For?

At this point perhaps you are asking,

“Who is this person and what are they talking about GIWI® ?

Are they going to answer some of these same questions?”

Glad you brought that up.

I’ve always had a hunger for learning. I’m a regular bookaholic. Not the romance sort of reading, although I’ve enjoyed a few on occasion. Romantic comedies, love stories, I’ve shed many a tear over the years. More often than not however it’s health, nutrition, faith, finances, family, biography and history trails that I stroll along.

If someone were to ask you, as I just did,

Who Are You? What Do You Love To Do? What Challenges You?

I think that is a good ‘self-check’ list to consider a number of times throughout your life.

WHO AM I?

I’m a Mom — I’m a Widow — I’m a Daughter of my Creator God — I’m an Author

I have a hunger for truth and wisdom — I’ve been a Math Teacher & had a career in Sales and Marketing — And I love dogs. In the race of life I’m not the Hare, but I’m not the Turtle. I’m somewhere in between moving ahead and allowing the Lord to fashion my steps.

WHAT DO I LOVE TO DO?

Read — Cook — Bake — Sing — Dance — Listen to Music — Spend time with my daughter — Have Deep Conversations — Encourage others of their Value and to go for their Dreams — Share The Truth About Our Amazing God — Exercise? getting better on this one — Never stop growing and learning, seeking more depth of understanding — Hopefully making a difference on the positive end of the scales.

CHALLENGES

Staying Focused (but I just take it a bite at a time and it keeps moving things forward)

Not Grasping All the Technology (does anyone?)

Negative People (ahhh, gotta love them anyway)

How do you put this or how do you put you all together in your own ‘rhythm of life’.

We’re truly each a unique creation from God and these are characters He has put in my heart to share. We want a safe place and want to know who really is influencing our kids. Maybe who is also influencing ourselves. So, that’s what I’m doing and sharing with you through four or more characters known as GIWI®’s.

MARGIE is a very inquisitive young girl.

MEASURE is an curious inch worm.

TRUMPETER is an expressive elephant.

BEAR FRUIT is a thoughtful bear (of course).

There are other friends who I’m sure will be added along the way, but this is where we’ll begin. These characters are curious about so many things in life.

My prayer is that their journey’s will spark, highlight, ignite ideas in you, wherever that may be. I invite you and we invite you to come along!

You might want to start with our first book called “The GIWI Kids and The Great Big Book” and download some fun music as well.

bottom of page