Month: November 2021

I was snuggled in my nice warm bed sound asleep, that is, until 4:30 when I woke up in a cold sweat, and for once it wasn’t my hormones. It dawned on me that my Honey Baked ham for Thanksgiving was not in my refrigerator. I had heard the horror stories about food shortages, but surely, they weren’t talking about Honey Baked hams. But just the thought of my turkey being lonely at the table, without its friend kept me wide awake, and nagged at my addled brain until I finally walked into the store and saw an overflowing cooler of hams. But to my dismay there were signs that read, “reserved orders” and another for “paid in full” and I didn’t fit into any of those categories. (If there had been one for crazy momma’s I would have been set.) I tentatively walked up to the cashier and confessed that I didn’t have a reservation and I hadn’t paid anything in full. Was it possible for me to get one of those golden honey coated hams? “Certainly” she said, “how big and how many?”  The weight of the world left my shoulders as I thankfully paid and walked out the door, ham in hand thinking I had dodged the turkey day bullet. 

Hmm, then Jesus tugged on my heart, opened my eyes, or whatever He does to get my attention, and then bam it struck me. How many precious children of God wake up each night not just worried about a Thanksgiving Day ham, but instead, how they are going to feed their family. Not just on special days, but every day. Their beds aren’t warm & snuggly like mine. They may be on the street under a bridge in the fall chill. 

So many lives to touch. So many prayers to whisper. So many kind words to be shared. With my newfound awareness, comes action, and with action comes being the hands and feet of Christ. Baby steps, but the more I am with Him, I will see the way.

Matthew 6:16 tells us, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so thatthey may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

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“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

I’m just gonna be honest with you! I’ve tried to pen this epistle for months but keep stopping, changing the topic. Finally, I have come to accept David’s excellent advice, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord,” Psalm 27:14. It became evident if I just waited for the Lord, just truly waited, something would touch my heart, and then maybe, just maybe, the scribbles flowing out of my pen might begin to make sense. Oh, my goodness, talk about a colossal miracle. You see, my pen has been a little clogged up lately. Who would think that a teeny tiny hole could fill up with a mess of sludge?

Like April showers, tears began to flow at our house in the form of a 911 call. After a two-hour prayerful drive to the hospital, and my baby brother, this heartfelt journey, which continued until August 29, began. I traded in my daily Starbucks and became a regular at the hospital coffee shop. The little bratty brother that used to drive me crazy, continued to make just enough improvement and insisted that he could go home, ALONE, back to his swinging bachelor pad to do his crossword puzzles and watch the Western channel, or so he promised. 

Big sister came home and waited for another call and another crisis that I knew was just around the corner. Big sisters just know those things. And the phone rang again, and I took my jaunt back down the oh-so-familiar road, got reacquainted with my new coffee friends and sat by his side, and peacefully waited for him to heal. The Spirit was with me as I held back the tears when they transported him to a hospice care facility. Once again, I waited throughout the summer as I held his hand, called, and checked on him daily, and drove the nurses crazy. As the light in his eyes began to fade away, my spirit sank. 

During these days of the waiting, I trusted all would be made new as Jesus promised. Not only my brother but me as well. It seemed as if my heart was suspended in time. My daily life continued, but a little piece of my heart was still with him. The fun days as we grew up together, playing on the farm, our summer trips to our grandparents in Louisiana catching crawdads, and even the pesky little things that only little brothers can do to irritate sisters gave me times of joy in the memories.

And when his light left this earth and grabbed the Lord’s hand, I shouted hallelujah. He is healed and now am I. You see, I waited on the Lord, and He came. He came and put His arms around me in the form of my friends and family and held me tight and gradually that missing piece of my heart has returned, bigger and fuller with so much love.  

When I saw the new picture that is the new improved banner for Wandering the Path, I saw my name on one of the chrysalises, and I knew hanging around in a funk was no longer an option.  It was time to make my way out and take flight like the butterfly and begin serving our Savior. I learned so much as a sat in squeaky chairs in hospital rooms, met with doctors, and prayed sleepless nights in the ER. 

I had a full cart of groceries that I left in the aisle when I received the final call and raced down the highway to hold his hand as he was crossing over to be with Jesus. Many of you have walked this way and may still be trudging along. In the days ahead, I pray we can share those times as we begin to take flight together.  You see, in the waiting comes the glory and the strength to fly with our Holy One.

Points to Ponder:

1. Has your heart ever felt clogged?
2. What is the hardest thing for you to wait on?
3. What do you think of when you see a butterfly?

Pray with me