UNENCUMBERED

 I have missed you, Dear Friends and our conversations.  How can it already be March and I have not posted?  How can the weeks have flown by with so little work on my Memory Book for my offspring?  Life has a way of drifting off course and when we take our eyes off the road, we may find ourselves headed NOT where we intended.

  So it has been since 2024.  I could blame the latest of my series of moves over the past decade plus on the burden of owning two houses at once (long story, but truly I was real estate poor).  As with all things--were all those moves really necessary?  I have become somewhat of a nomad---looking for a house that can become a home---even when knowing the building is not what makes a home.  Currently I am actually in a repeat house---interesting story--or perhaps not.  Maybe it is like a record you really like and decide to listen to more than once or a good book that you re-read--pleasure and wisdom can be garnered from repeats.  This house---is a lovely house---warm and comfortable and less than 15 years old, so no old house problems.  The yard is a great size for me to be able to handle and the downstairs is just enough space for me.  The down-side of this house is all the space upstairs I do not need.  I literally only go up the stairs to clean (my obsessive need for tidiness and cleanliness).  In the world of my economy, more than what I need or want to take care of can be a burden.

Thankfully I am always considering life's happenings and trying to glimmer an ounce of wisdom to use as I finish out these last chapters.  With all these moves and a couple of them long distance, I have garnered this bit of wisdom---downsizing -though NOT easy to accomplish---frees us from taking care of the un-needed things in our lives we have managed to collect over a lifetime of walking through this world.  I am down to a bare minimum---and it is more than enough.  All those material possessions require time, effort, and resources to take care of and provide space for.  My release of material possessions began with selling the home where I raised my children for the most part--5 acres and 2800 square feet of living space along with storage space galore in an attic, garage, and storage house---crammed absolutely full.  It was a herculean task.  With each move, I have whittled down the possessions collected over decades.  These last two moves were absolutely paring down to only what I frequently use and need.  Even the bequests in my will of family keepsakes have been handed over to their new owners.  My memories are now in my head and heart--and I am traveling the reminder of the road to Heaven unencumbered, for the most part,  with material possessions.

As I thought this over during this move, it occurred to me the freedom of not having the responsibility of caring for things which probably do not have any worth to those I will leave them.  Having helped with my in-law's house which was decades upon decades of "things" and dismantling my mother's apartment just before she went on---I am well aware--what happens to the lion's share of the treasures of this world.  Either someone is fighting over them (I absolutely refuse to fight---peace is always more important) or they are dragging them to the landfill and dumping them out to be-literally plowed under.  One man's treasure is another man's junk.  Sooner or later we will be unencumbered---there is only so much room in a casket--and we cannot take it with us.

We will all enter our eternal home--our home which will be permanent--unencumbered.  I am pretty certain we all agree we cannot take our earthly possessions with us---my question is can we also free ourselves while here on this earth of the emotional baggage of a lifetime?  Will we stand at those gates of our eternal home---free of the negative emotions gathered as we walked through this life?   What are we hanging on to and refusing to part with that we will have to explain when we knock on that door?  Food for thought, Friends, food for thought.

"But they were looking forward to a better home in heaven."

Hebrews 11:16

CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME?

 Hero and I have been up since 3:30 AM---SIGH!  That is when the smoke alarm decided it needed to start chirping that its battery was low.   WHY- WHY - WHY is it ALWAYS in the middle of the night.   I have NEVER had one to begin chirping in the daylight hours---not even in the early evening--it is ALWAYS in the dead of the night.  OH--there is NO ignoring it---believe me I have tried.  No pillow is thick enough to drown out the noise when placed on your head.  Even if I stubbornly decided I would live with it to daylight, Hero is terrified of the chirp.  He immediately wants off the bed, and begins the Chihuahua Shakes,  There is no way to comfort him but to rip that battery out.  Once I get up---there is NO going back down.  FIRST and FOREMOST is finding the offending alarm.  For some strange reason, I have three alarms in the hall that dissects my house.  They are all in close proximity to each other.  The first alarm I disemboweled turned out to be the wrong one.  This entails moving the ladder and listening to the two alarms side by side.  I did discover while hanging off the ladder that one of those is a carbon monoxide alarm.  The heater is NOT on---OF COURSE NOT--but that is the alarm that is chirping.  FINALLY after 30 minutes of working at it---I rip that battery out.  PROBLEM SOLVED!  NOW---I have a solution for this---I am going to replace all the batteries in all the alarms now---just before Labor Day.  Next year, on Labor Day, I will know it is the day to replace them again.  The alarm is there for a purpose, to alert you of the possibility of fire.  I certainly do not want my house to burn, but there has GOT to be a longer lasting battery --say 20 years.  AND why can they not come up with a way for the alarm to only chirp with low battery during the daylight hours?  FIRST WORLD PROBLEM!

OF COURSE---one thing always leads to another---and for some reason that wonderful song- "The Midnight Cry".

When the midnight cry sounds---will you hear it?  Will you be awaken from your slumber and rise to meet Him?  "Oh, at the midnight, the Bride of Christ will rise."  

"They will see the Son of Man coming

on the clouds of heaven with power

and great glory.

And He will send out His angels

with a loud trumpet call,

and they will gather

his elect from the four winds,

from one end of heaven to the other."

Matthew 24:30b-31

HALF A BUBBLE OFF CENTER

 Currently I am not feeling my best.  I cannot really put a finger on my problem, but I am extremely thankful for Tylenol which is keeping me going.  I woke up in the middle of the night aching a few days ago and cannot seem to shake it. No temperature, in fact well below average temperature--even in this heat (I AM cool!).  In a word I have a malaise--"a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify."  POST SCRIPT (Keep in mind I am probably back to "Normal" [not the setting on the dryer] since this was written two weeks ago).  POST-POST SCRIPT--yes I am back to normal--well as close as I get to normal.

Couple this, not quite my usual good health, with losing an old friend recently and you have the perfect storm for pondering my own eventual demise.  HEY--we have talked about this before--we DO NOT GET OUT OF THIS ALIVE!  My question becomes can I get out of this without suffering?  That seems to be a rare occurrence---we lost my grandmother while she was out raking the yard~  WHAT COULD BE BETTER?? BUT medical science has become really proficient at keeping us here until the mushrooms are growing out of our ears.  NOT my intended path of leaving.  The fact remains I am not good at suffering--never have been.  I tend to become grumpy, and just want to be left alone.  Put me out to pasture and let me die!  When all I can focus on is the misery I am suffering, what is the point? My mother, in all her wisdom, tied all maladies to this question, "Have you been to the bathroom today?".  I cannot tell you how that question would set me on the edge.  It did not matter what you were suffering--be it physical or emotional, a good session in the bathroom would sort it all out.  Let me just say, I NEVER asked my children that question, unless they had a tummy ache.  THAT would make some sense.

While recently speaking with a dear friend, we both were a little off center-physically and emotionally.  We had a good session of dissecting exactly all that was wrong.  Later that day, I thought of the Old Testament book I am currently in and had a good laugh.  I sent her this text, "Can't you just imagine the Old Testament patriarchs and matriarchs sitting around complaining about old age. Some things never change."  You are only as old as you feel, but today I feel every minute of my age.  Tomorrow may be better, but the present is where I am.

SO--where is this long and rambling missive going?  If the bell was to toll today, do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt where you are headed?  That is the most important question I will ever ask you.  My prayer, for all of you who have the patience to read my ponderings is that if you know, that you know without one glimmer of doubt--you know. As the wonderful old hymn says,

"WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN"

My prayer is we ALL---will sing and shout the victory!

"Jesus said, 

'I am the Road,

also the Truth,

also the Life.

NO ONE gets to the Father

apart from me.' "

John 14:6

WAKE UP!

My sweet neighbor came by yesterday for a quick catch up.  I have wonderful neighbors here in the hood.   We all seem to stay on the fast track, but catch up is always a pleasure.  She related a story about a close friend which was the God nudge #1 for today's blog.  Her dear friend who is terminally ill.  Not too long after the diagnosis the friend told her she did not want to die and was afraid.  The last time they visited, after enduring treatments and the pain of the disease itself, the friend told her she was ready and at peace.

 

I have a long list of friends who have lost loved ones.  I pray for them to find peace and to be comforted by their sweet memories.  COVID has not helped with the length of the list and the season of life I am in has a huge impact.  In case you have not realized it yet, let me share, we do not get out of this alive.  God nudge #2 came while praying for those who mourn today.

Today's devotional covered the story of Jairus' daughter's death.  God nudge #3 was precipitated by these wise words.  "When you fall into a deep sleep, the next thing you know it is morning.  When you die in Christ, the next thing you know you will be with the Lord."  If that doesn't grab you, nothing will!  What a sweet comfort as I thought over this image.  We have all experienced that sensation of transformation from the depths of sleep to the awareness of still being alive.  The journey from sleep to awake is timeless.  Only if we dream are we aware of our state of sleep.  Then the shutters are raised as our eyelids pop open and we are still here--in our bed--ready to experience yet another day.  OH, the joy we will feel as our eyes close that last time to "wake up" in the presence of a Holy God and His Son who gave His all for us.  NO--none of us get out of this alive--but we have the promise of waking eternally in the next moment.  What a comfort!

"My Father's house has many rooms

if that were not so,

would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come back 

and take you to be with me 

that you also may be where I am."

John 14:2-3

GLIMPSES

Heaven remains a mystery--with the exception of a few brief glimpses

contained in The Word--and perhaps from those who have made brief visits.

On this earth though we have been given clues

Of what our Creator may have in store

As we cross that final divide

And enter into His presence

THE BEAUTY OF A FIELD FULL OF FLOWERS

WITH BEES BUZZING AMONG THE SWEET FRAGRANCE

THE DEEP DARK MYSTERY OF THE DEPTH OF A LAKE

AS WE SILENTLY GLIDE OVER THE STILL SURFACE

THE BRILLIANCE OF A SKY FILLED WITH A FLASH OF LIGHT

IN THE MIDST OF A SUMMER STORM

MOUNTAIN TOPS AND VALLEYS LOW

CREATED AGES AGO

THE SWEET WATER PULLED FROM A DEEP WELL

FED BY A SPRING WITH UNENDING SUPPLY

THE GLORY OF A SUNRISE

DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY

THE SWEET SONG OF THE BIRDS

TO BEGIN AND END OF EACH DAY

THE VASTNESS OF THE OCEAN

AND THE POWER OF THE WAVES

THE PROMISE OF TOMORROW

CONTAINED WITHIN EACH SUNSET

All---sweet reminders of what is yet to be
With a promise of so much better
And more than we could know
In the mansions of heaven

Everyday glimpses---of heaven's promise
When we gather in the presence
Of the radiance and beauty
At the feet of Jesus.

"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going."

John 14:2-4