Tag Archives: The Unexpected

July 30, 2013 · 2:27 pm

Celestial Comfort For The Broken Hearted

Though I can honestly say I rarely run out of a topics to write about, I was not sure what to write about today. I looked at my list and this story stood out.

As I have mentioned before, my life has bounced from one tragedy to another since childhood, to the point at times all I had left to hang on to has been my faith in the living God.  And that, by the skin of my teeth.

What I am about to share is an odd story, perhaps some will even doubt my sanity, but as God is my witness, it is as real as I am sitting before my keyboard today.

After all, isn’t our God the God of the impossible, the unexplainable?

Continue reading →

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Filed under Awed by His Love and Grace, Everydayliving, Following Christ Has Changed My Life, Loss of a Child, Seeds of Inspirations

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July 20, 2013 · 7:24 pm

The Leftovers

Do you remember those brutal days in school when the team captains took turns picking players for their teams?

If you were a team captain, or one of the first four kids to be picked, then never mind.  On second thought, you may want to read on to understand the rejection the rest of us felt.

But if you were one of the kids picked last, you know, the ones the team captains really don’t want to be stuck with; then my condolences.

Read on. Continue reading →

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Filed under A Broken Childhood, Awed by His Love and Grace, In a Kids World, Inner Sruggles and Heartache

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July 19, 2013 · 12:12 am

Overindulgent Slugs

The cashier scanned my groceries.  We talked about the importance of eating healthy and the extraordinary cost of the organic and natural food I was buying. She shot me a sideways glance when she scanned my extra-tall aluminum can of Coors beer.

“I plan on getting some slugs drunk!”  I said.

“Oh,” she said nodding her head, as if that was an ordinary response.

I told her about my slug problem.  She also was plagued by slugs, but never heard of the beer trick.

“I got the idea online. It’s supposed to really work.  They drink the beer and die!” I said. Continue reading →

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Filed under Everydayliving, Gottalaugh, Just for Fun

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July 12, 2013 · 4:13 pm

Why, Oh Why All The Suffering?

I banged on the locked door screaming in horror, begging my mom to let me back in.  My grandmother pleaded with her to open it. The neighborhood kids laughed and shrieked,

”Look! She’s naked!”

I tried to hide behind my grandmother.  My mom opened the door, but blocked the entrance.

“Oh, no, you stand out where everyone could see you.”  I rarely disobeyed her, this time I didn’t move.

“Don’t you dare hide.  Stand out here or I will give you an even bigger beating!”

“She is just a child.  Don’t do this.  Let her back in the house,” my grandmother interceded.

“No!  She needs to feel the shame I felt today when that black b***h humiliated me!  How does it feel to be ashamed?  Maybe you won’t embarrass me anymore!” Continue reading →

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Filed under A Broken Childhood, Child Abuse and Neglect, In a Kids World, Inner Sruggles and Heartache, Life Lessons, Life with Chronic Pain

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June 29, 2013 · 10:10 pm

LIVING WITH ADVERSITY!

So often we believe we are ready, we have had enough teaching, yet look at David, he needed to go through years of serious, life threatening harassment from Saul before he was ready in God’s eyes. Joseph is another excellent example. Interesting enough, these men tragically suffered through tormenting persecution they didn’t deserve. Often, I feel I have been tragically tormented and persecuted, then I am reminded of these men and God’s full purpose for them. God called that man hiding in caves and running for his life, David, ” A man after His own heart!” God used the frightened boy thrown in a well by his brothers then sold as a slave, Joseph, to save His very people, His most beloved nation! David’s psalms clearly tell of his anguish and despair. Had we been flies 0n Joseph’s walls, (whether well wall or prison wall) I am sure we would have heard similar anguish, but neither of these men lost faith! We must not lose faith, either!

By ~ Elizabeth Yalian 2013 ©http://hiseyeisonthissparrow.com.

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Filed under Everydayliving, Everythingelse, Seeds of Inspirations

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June 28, 2013 · 1:24 pm

Providence For A Hardened Heart

It was in the mid to late 1990s that I had the worst financial struggles as a single mom raising three teenagers alone.  I had no family support, and an ex who refused to pay child support.  I worked multiple jobs, yet still could not fully provide for my family.  One winter, the temperature dropped to the single digits.  My teenage son, who normally, proudly walked around in shorts and a T-shirt in the winter, begged me for a winter jacket to replace the one he had long outgrown.

I was far behind on paying my utility bills. The credit cards I relied on to buy groceries, gas, or sometimes pay utilities were full.  One evening, overwhelmed with the desperate situation, I tearfully sought out God’s help in spite of the anger I felt towards Him over our drastic situation. After several years of extreme poverty, I saw no relief in sight.  I was physically exhausted, mentally spent, and spiritually tired of God’s silence. Continue reading →

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Filed under Awed by His Love and Grace, Following Christ Has Changed My Life, Inner Sruggles and Heartache, Life Lessons, Seeds of Inspirations, Single Parent Struggles

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June 28, 2013 · 1:27 am

Shhhh, Listen, Can You Hear Him Now?

We have a fancy-schmancy coffee maker that comes with all the typical pre-programing bells and whistles. This one also alerts you when the coffee is finished brewing, and one hour after to remind you it will be turning itself off.  Originally, it must have been pretty pricy.  I bought it for $10, lightly used from a friend.

We are super spoiled nowadays with all the alerts and signals our gadgets, appliances and cars are programed with.  Our phones signal us of voice and text message alerts.  Mine sounds like the ding-dong of a doorbell, my husband’s whistles.

Even our body comes with basic pre-programed signals that remind us to eat, to sleep, to take better care of ourselves, etc.  We even have a pain alert most of us don’t appreciate.  I sprained my ankle Memorial Day weekend, and I still get you-over-did-it alerts when I get physically overzealous. Headaches alert us of stress or misalignment or that something else is going on.  If we accidently lean up against a very hot surface, we get an immediate pain, signaling us to move quickly or we will get burned. Continue reading →

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June 25, 2013 · 9:09 pm

Blog Blitz

I’m game! This sounds like a fun idea!

melanie jean juneau's avatarmother of nine9

What would it be like if the support, encouraging nature, and community spirit of the blogosphere were ever focused on a single blogger? A few of us have experienced that sort of attention via book launches or other publishing announcements, and still others have achieved that level of awareness through the popular blogfests we host.  In most cases there is a lot of work that goes into generating that amount of interest.  What I’m talking about is being suddenly thrust into the spotlight, without even lifting a finger. What would it feel like to be the recipient of that kind of exposure? Could something like that even be possible? Can the power of the blogosphere be harnessed and directed?
Everyone knows I like to try new and different things, so today I present to you the BLOG BLITZ.  Here’s how I see it working.  Sign up on the linky list below, making…

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June 22, 2013 · 2:12 pm

Why Are You Doing This To Us?

My kids still talk about the time I was the meanest mom ever. And around Christmas even.  My daughters were just reaching their tween years and my son was about eight.

I had already proven myself to be a cruel mother by policing television programs, and limiting their TV and video time to two hours a day. I made them have reflective quiet times spent reading or writing in their journals.  In the summer, I extended the TV-movie time to four hours, after much begging.  We had a large supply of what I called clean movies. Any movie encouraging good morals, respect for parents, caring for others, and loving God, qualified.

But this time, I really outdid myself. I was “forcing” them to almost entirely go off TV and videos, cold turkey, for a month.

“It will be our Christmas present to Jesus. God gave us a part of Himself, in the best present ever: the baby Messiah in the manger.  We give Christmas gifts to each other each year. This year, let’s give God a part of ourselves.  The time we would spend watching TV or movies that exclude Him, let’s instead give to Him as a thank-you and birthday gift.” I said. Continue reading →

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Filed under Everydayliving, Everythingelse, Following Christ Has Changed My Life, Gottalaugh, In a Kids World, Life Lessons

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June 18, 2013 · 12:29 am

My Graham Cracker Assistant

With 3 children born in 3 1/2 years, my life was busy in the 1980s.  I had no nearby family to help with childcare, so I learned to improvise.

Rachel, 5 years old, was a good natured child. Once in a while, I let her be a big–girl.  She could stay up and watch a video or we could have together-time, but only if she was quiet while the others napped.  Rachel loved to be up with Mommy.

One day, I dared myself to paint the bathroom while the kids napped.  I found a can of pretty miss-mixed paint for only a couple of dollars.  Desperate for a change, I couldn’t pass up it up.

It took me longer than I thought to paint the small bathroom walls. Of course, as Murphy’s Law would have it, Jonathan, then 1 ½, woke up much earlier than usual. I heard him fussing in his crib and decided this would be a great time to let Rachel, who’d been watching a movie, be an even bigger girl. I needed our only bathroom to be usable before Hannah woke up. Continue reading →

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