A Tribute to Mothers

In honor of Mother's Day, The Professor has written a poem in tribute to the mothers in his life, as well as to each mother who has given so much to her family.

More than Flowers for Mums

On this day for our mothers

I search the green mountain side

not for wildflowers blooming,

but for words that abide

For daisies and marigolds

make a fine show, then fade

but a bouquet of true verses,

on the heart can be laid

For my dear mother, Janice,

my loving caregiver from birth,

you are bright, bold, beautiful,

the mom I cherish, of infinite worth

You showed me compassion and faith,

you nurtured me with skill and great love.

You taught me goodness and kindness,

and the grace of the Lord Jesus above.

For my beloved wife, Tami,

my best friend and eternal flame,

you are great, godly and gorgeous.

Wife of excellence is your name.

You are thoughtful and sacrificial

your virtue towers in plain sight

you give so much to your children and husband,

our home shines bright with your sweet light.

For my supportive stepmother, Billie,

who graced our family later in life,

you are lovely and so hospitable

and to my dad, a faithful wife

You share stories and cook goodies

we have laughs and talks with weight.

Your generosity is always noted

we're joined by God and not by fate.

For my charming mother-in-law, Nita

the red-headed granny of my daughters and son

you are good, giving, and hysterical,

a woman of honor, a barrel of fun

You are a hard worker, a good listener,

a loyal and decent matriarch

I've watched you serve with true devotion,

like few others, in days light and dark.

And now for all the "mothers" in my life,

who have gone on to be with God,

I thank Him deeply for you, too,

for your presence on the paths we've trod.

For Grammy - oh my sensational Grammy!

How I've loved you since I was a boy

Your faithful life is an inspiration,

our vast time together, a spring of joy.

For Grandma Buckles - most dignified lady!

I am so grateful for our time

you showed me grit, principal and wisdom,

your steady mind and hand were sublime.

For Great Aunt Lois - dear quick-witted auntie,

how I miss the many fun times we would share,

your generosity has impacted our lives immensely,

your Godly example is a treasure quite rare.

For Great Grandmother Pearl - sweet-natured servant

you were a precious, playful friend.

Your love was unconditional and constant

and your loyalty knew no end.

Other "Mothers" too I hold within my heart,

like Great Grandma Davis, funny and spunky

and Great Aunt Alice, creative and smart.

To all of you fine women,

the Mothers and their type,

I give you thanks and many cheers

you merit all the hype.

Happy Mother's Day. You're terrific!

You're awesome! You're the best!

With all your love, your prayers and your labor

our lives you've greatly blessed.

Johnny Buckles

May 6, 2016

Mothers, may you have JOY in knowing you are loved!

Tami

Cleaning the Shower

Well . . . if you want to or not, ever so often you have to clean your shower. I spent the morning doing just that. Being totally honest here, it was way overdue. As I was scrubbing away, it dawned on me that you, my readers, just might benefit from knowing some of the cleaning wisdom I have gained.

In an effort to try to stay away from strong smelly chemicals that reek havoc on my lungs (the lungs that are still attempting to recover from having pneumonia), I went in search of an alternative cleaning solution. I remembered reading that white vinegar is suppose to be a good cleaning agent. After googling white vinegar, I made a paste of baking soda and a solution of white vinegar and warm water. I have to say, this solution worked pretty well. I will probably try it again. I have used baking soda in the past, but adding the white vinegar worked even better. The chemical reaction and all the fizzing when the two were mixed together was actually quite fun. I recommend it!

When using a toothbrush to get into those tiny corners, I recommend a toothbrush with stiff bristles. I used an old toothbrush of one of my kids that had soft bristles. I am totally convinced that stiff bristles would work much better.

If you see that the drain of the shower is . . . well . . . rather gross and is in desperate need of being cleaned, by removing a couple of screws the cover will come off and you can then proceed to clean it. I do recommend that you don't attempt this if you have just eaten because it could cause even more of a mess.

You should be very careful while the drain is sitting there uncovered. If you drop the before-mentioned toothbrush down that drain, there is no retrieving it. I am not saying that I did this. I am just saying that it would be very wise to be careful.

If, like me, your birthdays have added up and you can no longer see things that are right in front of your face without your glasses, I recommend not having the water too hot. If the water is too hot, your glasses will fog over and then you won't be able to see at all.

Not only have I experienced this personally, but I have also done a little research on the ever so trustworthy internet and believe that when it really comes to killing everything that is growing in all those grout lines and tiny little corners, bleach is your best bet. It works well if you scrub the shower first then spray it with bleach cleaner and leave the room. That way you are not breathing it. You can come back a little later when the fumes have died down to rinse it out.

Just like a dirty shower that is in need of cleaning, so are we! Thankfully, because of God's great love for us and the sacrifice of Jesus, it is possible.

We are told in I Corinthians 6:8-11:

Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

How beautiful is that? No matter what dirt and grime is in your life, it can all be cleaned by the Spirit of God! Just like bleach can get into every crack and crevice to thoroughly rid my shower of all the gross stuff, the Spirit of God can do the same for my life and yours!

May you have JOY today in being cleaned by the Spirit of God!

Tami

Things That Never End

After being sick for a couple of weeks and then it taking even more time for me to get back to functioning on a normal level, I have become very aware of several things around my home that are never ending. Some never ending things are good. However, there are some things that just keep going and going and going and they are not so good. Just to name a few:

Dirty Clothes. No matter how many loads of laundry are washed per day there is absolutely no way to have all clothes clean. Unless . . . well . . . we won't go there.

Dust. Due to my extreme allergy to dust mites, we do not have carpet in our home. The amount of dust that can build up on hardwood floors is unbelievable. It astonishes me how I can dust mop the floor in a room, leave the room, return ten minutes later and there is more dust. From where does all that dust come? Dust abounds no matter what type of super dust grabbing cloth is used.

Dirty Dishes. It never ever fails. I search the house high and low. I gather all the dirty cups - even those The Professor "thinks" he has hidden from me for later use - load them in the dishwasher and start the washing processing to discover there is another dirty dish! I cannot tell you how many times I have had to stop the dishwasher just to add one more item. Then, by the time the dishwasher has completed its cycle, there is a stack of dirty dishes on the counter above the dishwasher. It is never ending!!

As I was cleaning my way through the house yesterday and making note of how my cleaning doesn't last long, my mind wonder over to God and his great love for me and for you. No matter who you are, no matter what you believe or don't believe, God still loves you with an infinite love. It is a love that doesn't ever change. One of the very first Bible verses I learned as a child was John 3:16. It is such a great reminder of God's never ending love.

For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The thing about God and his never ending love is that He loves you so much that He wants you to come into a relationship with him. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus, as a way to enter into that relationship. I can tell you it is a relationship like no other.

I would like to get rid of some of the dust in my house. It would really help with the itchy eyes and sneezing. God's love on the other hand is what I hang onto ever so tightly. It is that never ending love that brings the true peace and joy to my days. It is that never ending love that helps me to know I can keep going when I really want to give up.

If you are reading this and you have not experienced that great never ending love, I pray today that you accept Jesus and the free gift of His love.

May you discover true JOY while resting in the never ending love of Jesus.

Tami

New Things Learned During Sickness

Being sick is never fun nor is the timing of getting sick ever good. However, being sick can have great moments of new insight as well as moments of sweet reminders.

Here are few of the highlights that I have learned over the last few weeks while being sick.

*In a matter of 24 hours, Puppy can go from being the one receiving all the care to being a caregiver. I have to admit, I was impressed with her ability to care for me in my time of need.

*The Professor can multi-task! Granted, it is not is his favorite thing to do, but he can rock multi-tasking when he has to. Go Professor!

*The Professor can also change the sheets on the bed (multiple times within one week). He may not do it exactly how I would do it - you know, the perfect way - but he can do it!

*Having pneumonia is much harder on a 47-year old than it is on a ten-year old. The recovery period is also much longer for the 47-year old than it is for the ten-year old.

*I really can cough so hard that it feels like my eyeballs are going to pop out of my head. But they don't. That only happens in cartoons.

*The box of cleaning supplies that was delivered the day that I got sick will still be sitting in the entry way two weeks later when I finally start "thinking" about opening it. No need to worry about it disappearing.

*I really need to change my name to Naomi and my dog's name to Ruth because his motto is truly "Wherever you go, I will go." That little fella never left my side. I am told he even went a couple of days without eating on the days I didn't get out of bed. Now, that is loyalty! (If you are not familiar with the story of Naomi and Ruth, you can read it HERE.)

*Dust bunnies and dirty clothes really do reproduce over night.

*Sweet friends can take the place of family during illness. The Professor was relieved of cooking duties many evenings by those bringing us meals. We are forever grateful.

*When I was at the end of my rope and feeling as if I was never going to stop running fever and feel better again, God used my sweet little Puppy for the best reminder of all - His great love for me. Her words reminded me of God's promise found in Hebrews 13:5:

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

There are no truer words for a child of God. He is always there - in sickness, in health, in good times, in bad. He is steadfast and remains the same ALWAYS.

May you have JOY today in knowing God is always there for you.

Tami

Kindness

Kindness - How does it look to you? Do you consider yourself a kind person? Is it something you think about?

Puppy has been sick for over two weeks now. Throughout this time period, we have been shown a lot of kindness from her home school coop teachers being understanding of her not being able to do schoolwork to balloon bouquets, homemade cookies and a hot meal delivered ready to eat. The acts of kindness from very dear friends as well as from those whom are only casual acquaintances has made me stop and think about kindness.

Am I kind? Do I go out of my way to be kind? Are some people just naturally kind? Do you have to learn to be kind? Is it easier to be kind to some people than it is to other people?

I think there are days that I am a really kind person and then there are days . . . well . . . that I am not. I do believe that some people are just naturally kinder than others. I also believe that one can learn to be kind. I have one child who is just naturally kinder than my other child. (If you know my kids, you can try to figure out which is which.) The one that is not so naturally kind has truly worked at becoming kinder and has been successful. I see a difference in how the sibling is treated. Proof that it can be done! Kudos to that child for making the effort.

In Ephesians 4:32 KJV, we are commanded to be kind:

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Hmmm . . . looks like being kind includes forgiveness. Maybe that is because we are to be forgiving when someone isn't so kind?

Being kind is something that I not only want for myself, but I also desire for my kids. And my kids are more apt to act in accordance with what they have witnessed.  That's another reason for me to strive to be a kind person.

If kindness is as difficult for you as it is for me at times, with God's help you can live a kinder life. All you have to do is ask!

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us -- whatever we ask -- we know that we have what we asked of him.  

                                                                                                    I John 5:14 and 15 NIV

May you find JOY in being kind to someone today!

Tami

There is hope and then there is HOPE!

Hope - my mind has been parked on "Hope" for the last several days. Merriam-Webster defines hope to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true. I have had a lot of "hopes" this past week that have gone down the drain. How about you? Did your week go as planned? Or, did you too, have hopes that went down the drain?

I have been told that I am an "idealist". I would agree. I have an image in my mind of how things should play out and then when they don't . . . well . . . it's just not fun! This past week was like that because sickness hit our home. Poor Puppy. She has suffered greatly with an upper respiratory something or other. After two trips to the doctor it was "officially" printed on our take-home paperwork that she is suffering with an "unspecified respiratory infection". Needless to say, my hope of this picture perfect Easter Sunday morning went down the drain fast!

Life is like that. If you want it to be or not. You can make plans and have hope that those plans will come to be . . . the new Easter dress for Puppy and the new spring shirt for the Little Man . . . pictures taken with Easter Baskets and smiling faces . . . that wonderful Sunday morning church service . . . Instead, sickness has hit three more of our four. As a result, we are all in our jammies on this Easter Sunday morning. I am typing a blog post while others are in various rooms throughout the house coughing as we wait to watch the live streaming of Easter Service.

Even though the hopes that I had for this day have been shattered, I have an even greater hope that cannot be shattered. As we are first told in Isaiah 40:8 and then again in I Peter 1:24-25:

"All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever."

This is where I want to ultimately put my hope - in the Word of the Lord! Because, in the Word of the Lord, there is Living Hope. We are told in I Peter 1:3 and 4:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. 

There is "Living Hope" in Jesus Christ! Praise God, He is Alive yesterday, today and tomorrow! In Him I place all hope. If you, my reader, have not placed your hope in Jesus and would like to do so, contact me. I would love to tell you how.

All because of Jesus, there is Living Hope! May you have JOY on this Glorious Easter Morn in knowing HE IS ALIVE and there is HOPE eternal!

Tami

My New Favorite Thing

You do not have to get to know me very well at all to figure out that I love hot tea (extra sweet), crocheting and chocolate. Very seldom do I have a day that I do not do all three. Yes, I can sip hot tea, pop a piece of chocolate in my mouth and crochet all at the same time. On a really good day, I add a Hallmark movie to the mix and . . . well . . . it is almost perfect!

Recently, though, I discovered something even better than chocolate and hot tea. You see, this new love of mine has long lasting results. Unlike eating chocolate, these lasting results are not extra pounds on the hips!

This new love involves a novel way to study the Bible, the Holy Word of God, the Good Book . . . whatever you choose to call it. It is one amazing book. It contains stories that will make you go "awww" while others will literally curl your toenails. It contains the details of the fiercest of battles and the most scandalous of romance stories. I have read the Bible from cover to cover - once. It took a year, but I did it! That's the important thing. My family sets aside time each evening to read the Bible together. The Professor lets the kids take turns picking a book. We then read through it verse by verse and discuss it. We started this practice when Puppy was just an infant. It is one of our most cherished times as a family.

Through the years, though, I have searched for the perfect thing just for me. I have done various Bible studies on my own as well as with groups. Even though I always gained Bible knowledge and spiritual growth from each study, some studies have been really hard to complete. I have to admit, at times it has been a real struggle to stay in God's Word and stay focused without my mind wondering all over the place.

Then, several months ago I saw a post on Facebook by Darlene Schacht of The Time Warp-Wife (You can check her out HERE) on Bible Journaling. Wow! I fell in love instantly. I immediately went to Amazon, ordered a Journaling Bible, and the rest is history.

For the first time, I have discovered a form of Bible study that really clicks with who I am. I have always been a "doodler" so to speak and now I am using that doodling to study God's Word. What a great combination.





Even within the world of Bible Journaling, there are many different forms and many different styles. There are numerous Facebook groups and thousands of pins on Pinterest. You really can't go wrong! I have discovered what works best for me is picking a book of the Bible, starting on the first page of that book, reading through everything on that page several times and then choosing the verse that speaks to me from that reading. From there, I meditate on that verse until I have an idea of what I would like to journal. Some pages are very detailed while others are very simplistic. The key is spending time in God's Word. Bible Journaling has made the scripture come alive in a new way for me!

 If you are not currently digging into God's Word, I encourage you to do so. You won't regret it. It will literally change your life. If you would like more information on how to get started in Bible Journaling, I would be glad to help you. Just let me know.

May you find JOY in digging into God's Word!

Tami