Letting Go

Letting Go

I had quite the revelation the other day. I have to learn to let go of my siblings, in a little way like my mother does. Definitely not to her extent but definitely something I have to and am learning to do.
You see I'm oldest in my family and growing up I helped take care of my siblings, a great thing for children to do, it teaches responsibility. Some times I was probably a little too much of mommy # 2 but they survived ;-)

It wasn't till one of my sis' recently left for 2 months in Africa, that I realized it. You see she is 5 years younger, with a beautiful smile, a heart that Loves The Lord, and she doesn't usually meet a stranger and she was headed halfway around the Globe alone.....well without me to protect her. Once she was able to email home, she told us of her trip there. (Which you can read at Smiley To Africa) She said that at each step was when she was ready for that step, The Lord kept her from being overwhelmed. Then she arrived, had missing luggage, was 40 minutes late, and of course she was meeting strangers. (I'll let her finish her part over at her blog) :-) Suffice it to say as I read it I was tearing up. I realized how much I Couldn't take her hand and lead her through the fray and take the "shots" for her anymore. I couldn't control the situations for her. She could get hurt, lost, any number of things and I wasn't there! Even writing this has me tearing up. I was also so proud of her.

But you know what The Holy Spirit was right there with her all the time. He never will leave her. Just like she has learned to trust Him, her ultimate protector, I too have to trust Him and know that she is in the Best of hands. Or better yet "Under the Shadow of His Wings".

Just like with her I can look back and see where I've done this before, really without thinking. Us girls on a road trip, I drove the crazy cities. Car trouble, I got the necessary arrangements taken care of. Booked hotels, trips, flights, if I knew what needed done I did it, if I didn't well I called dad, maybe cried a bit and then took care of it. Even as kids/teens, when we went to the beach, I was always afraid of losing one of them to the waves.

As the years have gone by I see the moments when I started to trust my brothers and brother-in-law to handle the welfare of my siblings if the unthinkable happened, If we lost dad and mom early.

My brothers are 8 & 9 years younger than me. Most would think, kid brothers. Not me, they are Godly young men and I do my best to always honor and respect them, with the occasional reminder that I'm big sis. ;-) But for the most part they have made the transition so easy. I think we learned together. As I saw something they should/could do for a lady, I'd graciously stepped to the side and to give them the opportunity to be a gentleman, man of the "house" so to speak.

As for my brother-in-law, I wasn't sure about him at first but then one day we were having a conversation that made me realize that I had another side kick. :-)

Out of all of this I'd say the only thing I wish I would have learned early on was that I could trust The Lord. That He will always be there and Nothing that ever happens has ever Surprised Him. Nothing has ever occurred to God, He knows the beginning to the end of time and into eternity.

There will still be times that "mommy # 2" makes her appearance, even with friends, just please know that if she does show up it's because She cares and doesn't want you to be hurt. She is learning to trust, she's learning to just Let it Go and trust The Lord.

About 2-3 years old

Do we Long for Home?

Ireland....What do you think when you hear that? Someone says, Ireland, what kind of thoughts go through your mind? Why those thoughts?

Since I was little, I've dreamed of going to Ireland. Every time I heard/hear Irish music, I'm right back to the dream, wonder, and love for that country. Why is that?

Lately I've had the opportunity to watch similar reactions in other people too. I'll tell them that I'm getting ready for my trip to Ireland in "X" amount of time, and they'll get this distant, glassed over, dream like, staring off into space look. For just a moment they are back to their dreams of seeing that Fair Land Across the Sea. Why is this? What makes us desire to see another country so much that we have never been to?

It reminds me of this quote from C.S. Lewis - "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world." Goodreads

Not that it isn't impossible to try and fulfill the longing to see Ireland but in the end does a visit/move there really satisfy our longing/dreams of seeing it? We, at least me, grew up hearing heartwarming, heart wrenching, heartsick, heart longing Songs and Stories from there. That we become attached to a dream of it in our imagination, thinking on how wonderful it must be to see. But in the end, when we finally make our journey there, is it what we dreamed it would be or does it not quite measure up?

What if our dreaming and longing is misplaced? What if, like C. S. Lewis said, it is a desire that really can't be satisfied in this world? What if it really is just a longing for that perfect place of beauty, love and family? What if the dream of Ireland is really just a shadow of another place? What if in actuality the place we are really dreaming of won't be reached till we "fall asleep" here on Earth? What if that perfect place is actually Heaven, the real one, not a shadow or ideal but the Real Heaven?

Why don't we think of Heaven like we think of Ireland? Why don't we dream and long for Heaven? Is it because it would be like we are desperate to die? Not so!  For those who are Followers of Jesus Christ - “that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
The Romans‬ ‭10:9‬ ‭JUB‬‬
http://bible.us/1077/rom.10.9.jub

If that is who you are then you can dream away of Heaven. Now when a person is about to "fall asleep" they could. say I'll be in Heaven soon/one day! Then they see that distant, glassed over, dream like, staring off into space look in their Loved ones eyes. Maybe more people would be excited to be able to one day see it, that they couldn't hold it in, they have to tell people about it. Cause you know as Christ Followers, that is our True Home. This place on earth is only a Shadow of a Perfect place.

What If we really did truly Long for Heaven instead. How would that change us?

Good question. :)

Spring Creek Antiques and Tea Room - Ozark Missouri

Spring Creek Antiques and Tea Room
Ozark Missouri

If you have a hankering for a quaint little eatery, you should stop in at Spring Creek Antiques and Tea Room in Ozark Missouri. Parking is in back, as is the Entrance.

It's a quaint little place, the Tea Room that is, I didn't have time yet to check out the Antiques (trying to protect the pocketbook, food was speaking louder that day). Currently they are open from 10:30am - 2pm. They are on Facebook, so you might double check their hours before you go. :)

I arrived about 10am and they let me sit wherever since it was just me. They weren't taking orders yet but they got me a drink in the meantime. I ordered their Tea Flavor of the day. Sadly I don't remember what kind it was, it was a slightly unusual one But it was good and refreshing.

Once they were taking orders, the first thing she asked me was if I was having desert and if so what would I like to try? :) I'm pretty sure their deserts go Fast, cause they sure Looked Really good.(see picture below) I had to try their Blackberry Crunch Cake. (See picture below) I think I would have liked maybe a Blackberry jam of sorts between the layers instead of the Frosting, just for a variety. Otherwise it was REALLY Good! Moist, Creamy and Yummy! (Technical term I know) :)

Of course I didn't eat desert first, yes I learned well from my momma, desert last. ;) So for Lunch I ordered their Turkey Bacon Wrap (Special for the day). It was good, nice fresh and just the right amount of items in it, there was sprouts in it. I got the chips with it and for garnish, they put a small wedge of watermelon and a thin slice of orange. Both of which were nice and refreshing to the wrap. There was also a Dill Pickle too. :) All in all a nice fresh tasting Turkey Bacon Wrap. (Of course then I had the desert, of which you already read about) :)

Okay now that I made you hungry, you should go check it out. :) Oh, and if you get there before I get back, let me know how the Antique shopping is. :)

Life Dreams - Second of Many

"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world." - C.S. Lewis - quote found @ Good Reads

Ever since I was little I've loved flying. As a child, still at times even now, I dreamed of being able to fly. (i.e.: Peter Pan style) As the above quote from C.S. Lewis says, it shows that we're not made for this world. I believe in some way when I get to Heaven that there will be a way to be able to fly. :) For now I have to let amazing technology of this world Temporarily satisfy my longing. Thanks to the perseverance of people like the Wright Brothers, we now have this amazing thing called an airplane!

Ever since I was little I've loved to watch the airplanes fly by, dreamed of one day riding in one and also dreaming of working at our local airport.

Well when I was about 13 years old I had the opportunity to fly in my first airplane. I was headed to Haiti on a missions trip with my dad. At the time we lived in Pennsylvania, so we were to fly out of Newark, NJ to Miami, to Port au Prince, Haiti. I was so excited, we were just about ready to lift off (literally) when the pilot puts the brakes on. What! :) Yes I was bummed but when he said why I was okay. :) (an indicator light had come on). Oh Well I was going to get to do that again! :) Well at that point we had to be transferred to Laguardia in New York for a non stop flight in to Port au Prince. I can't remember anything else till we arrived. :) Long story short, the part that may have scared some people from flying just made me all the more excited to do it again! :)

After that trip it wasn't till years later that I again had the opportunity to fly. But that is getting ahead of myself. :)

Like I said earlier I had also dreamed of one day working at our local airport. At the time we lived near Harrisburg International Airport (international, either because it had a long enough runway or because it had one flight from Canada....never quite understood that one). Fast forward to 2006, I'm just finishing up Travel school and have the opportunity to work at the Harrisburg Airport for American Eagle! It was definitely exciting but also very stressful. The amazing part is that God allowed this dream to be fulfilled just 6 months before I moved half way across the country.

I am so thankful that He gave me that opportunity, I enjoyed it but man I don't think I'd ever want to go back. One thing though, it has helped me to be a better traveler. I know what to watch for, mainly if my flight may be delayed but it also helps me to have an understanding for what the ticket agent is going through when they're dealing with delays. Y'all it is Not an easy thing to rebook an entire flight, be kind to those airport agents! You'll get where you're going, it just might be a slight delay. :)

When I was at Harrisburg, not long before I was leaving, we had a whole weekend of Stress. You see we only flew to Chicago's O'hare airport at that time. When Chicago goes down, especially in the morning, OY, it effects the rest of the day. Like a fellow airline employee from London told me once, "Airlines are the only place you're worried about the weather in Chicago from London". :) She was/is probably right. :) Back to that weekend. The weather rolled into Chicago that morning, so we started rebooking passengers to later flights and on different carriers. By late afternoon we had a line of people starring us down, waiting to be rebooked on the next available flight, which by this time, wasn't till the next day. They weren't happy and I had had my limit, I ended up in tears. Thankfully I had a great boss, he pulled me back into the office and helped me calm down. We finished the night and that line was gone.

That was when I learned that This too shall pass. It doesn't just keep going, it will have an end and I won't be stressed out, with a line of unhappy customers starring me down. :)

And it did, I've since moved on to be the passenger now. I have had what I consider a blessing, to be able to travel on occasion for work. Each time I get to Take Off, Soar and Land is exhilarating. This year I will finally get to cross the Atlantic, now that shall be an experience.

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
— Leonardo Da Vinci - quote found @ - Business Aircraft Center

Anyway, that was my simple dream of getting to fly and to work at a place I thought would be neat. I love how God desires to give us even the simplest of desires. Sometimes right away and sometimes years down the road.

Life Dreams - The First of Many

Have you ever dreamed of something for so long that you had begun to believe that it may never happen? Well that was me, until January 2016 when that all began to change.

Ever since I can remember, my dad would tell us about his mother. My favorite being, one time she was on the phone near the washing machine and dryer. Well, above there was a shelf that had a Large size jar of green olives, that was just calling my dad's name. He was little, about 5 or 6, he climbed right up got the jar, sat down and chowed down, right in front of his mom. She didn't even bat an eye, even when he finished the whole jar.
She passed away when he was about 12 years old. Hence I never knew her but through his stories and sharing of her favorite music, I grew to love her and to love the country of her ancestry. The country that all of her grandparents had to leave behind. She had longed to see it but sadly never fulfilled that dream. My dad too has held a special place in his heart for that country, it's people and it's music. Of which he has shared with me.

So through the years I have dreamed of seeing that Fair Land Across the Sea. Though as the years have passed the dream seemed farther and farther away, until now! Now I will see this beloved land, the home of my ancestors, the home of Part of my heart.

Will you join me, as I plan my trip, pack my bags and head out on this journey to my ancestral homeland?

As I go on my Journey "Home" to Ireland.

Now don't read that wrong, I do not worship my ancestors. If anything I learn about them and see how Faithful my God has been to my family and I. Where He has brought us. My ancestors left Ireland at the time of the Potato Famine, a time when approximately 1 Million people died. It could have very easily been one of my great great grandparents but it wasn't, they lived. They moved to a strange new land, built new lives and raised their families, some never seeing family again. Impacting many generations.

The other thing, anywhere we go on this earth, as great as it may be, as much as it feels like Home, we will never Truly be Home until we reach that Great City across the Great Chasm. And there is Only One way to cross over that Great Chasm. He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to The Father but by me. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

In the end, The Father (God) knows our dreams. He wants to hear us tell Him about them and longs to bring them to pass, especially when it's for our good/benefit. If you're a parent, think about it, don't you love it when your child (whatever age) shares their dreams with you? Like at Christmastime, there's that one gift they've been dreaming about for years and finally you see they are ready for that gift. Finally Christmas morning comes and they are so excited/surprised to find their dream gift under the tree. And your...well me I'd probably be crying. :)

Think about that, If you desire to give your child his or her dream gift, How Much more do you think our Heavenly Father wants to give you your dream gift?

I may be paying for and planning for my Dream trip to Ireland but God is the one that is opening the doors for me to be able to go. Providing the means to save the money to go, putting me in the right place at the right time to see the sale that made the trip affordable, providing me with a willing travel buddy(i.e.:my awesome Brother), just enough accumulated vacation time and a boss who is willing to let me go that long. Yes I'd say He is giving me one of my many Dreams! And I am So Very Thankful.

So stay tuned for updates. :) It may be before, during or after but you can count on that I'll update y'all on my Journey to Ireland!