What were we made to do?

I have joined a book club at church because I wanted help finding good books to read, and I wanted to be a part of something that would make me a better person. I came upon a paragraph in the book for this month I just have to share because it was so profound to me...
"People marvel at the genius of Mozart because he supposedly wrote Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star at the age of three and composed his first symphony at the age of twelve. And yes, of course he was a genius, but another way to look at it is that he just discovered early what it was God made him to do. That's all. For some reason, God gave him a little extra, or a little something different, and Mozart found out what that was and then got ahead start on using it. Of course he was brilliant, but that's not the point. The point is he knew, and then he got to work." (From the Book: When Crickets Cry, by Charles Martin, pg.76)
I think through some thought and prayer we can all find out what God made us to do, and then it will be our blessing to share our talents and abilities with others.

The Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone (or even on the toilet) and ask to be taken somewhere.

Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm busy?'

Obviously, not.No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. The invisible Mom .

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more:

Can you fix this?

Can you tie this?

Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a taxi to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe.I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work.

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life.It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4:00 in the morning and bakes homemade pies. Then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

Share this with all the Invisible Mom s you know.

Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does.We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.

(Story courtesy of an invisile Mom),

Being a True Hero

Life is so precious and is meant to be filled with joy. I know that most of you are thinking, "wait a minute.....there are days it is hard....painful....even disgusting." Well, you are right. Life isn't always good. But that doesn't mean we aren't good and that we can't make a choice to have courage in the face of hard things.

We have a friend who's 32 year old daughter is being placed in hospice. Their example of faith and courage is astonishing. Here is an excerpt from a blog posting just yesterday:

I am blessed to know a true hero. His name is Martin. He is the love of Bobbie Jo's life, He has taken every moment possible to be with her and help her through this terrible time. His hands are calloused from working all of his life, and yet those same rough hands are tender and smooth as silk when he is feeding her or cleaning her. He lifts her, stands over the nurses when they care for her, "Watch that you don't hurt her!" or "Her back is hurting, let me lift her." He touches her when she is in pain. He whispers in her ear when she is afraid. He brings her all the little goodies she asks for, no matter how many times he has to go downstairs to the cafeteria....He acts like it is the most important thing in the world to clean up her accidents when she cannot make it to the bathroom. When he does lift her, he puts his arms around her and they sway together as if they are dancing. It gives her comfort. He rubs her feet, changes her bed, changes her gowns, makes sherbet floats...., fixes her pillows and so many other things I cannot list. He is a hovering angel. He loves her......What a gift he is."

Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the determination to face our challenges in spite of that fear, knowing that we can make a difference.

I am grateful for heroes.

"Kachunk, Kachunk, Kachunk!"

I spent most of the day working on a project for my Design class...and running around town finding staples that would fit my staple gun. I can still hear the "kachunk, kachunk, kachunk" ringing in my ears. Who knew that I would become so proficient with so many power tools? I learned how to use my husband's scroll saw over the past three weeks. The smell of saw dust is burned into my brain and I am still blowing white paint out my nose.

Why staples? I am stapling stuff to a board 24" by 36." I have to say, I really appreciate "Tide to Go" as it saved the white covering I stapled to the board today. I pricked my finger at least six times trying to sew it down to the backing and found out I have really bright red blood. Not quite the look I wanted...red on white, although it might have created an interesting anomaly. Some of you are probably shaking your head and saying, "I see dumb people." Sigh......I have no excuse.

I guess I owe a big "thank you" to the team that came up with this little pen of super whitening strength. It has saved me on more than one occasion so thank you Sandra for introducing me to it.

Now if they could just come up with a product that would instantly and permanently remove weeds I would be a happy camper!

This Is So What We Are About!

Phil Vischer , the creater of Veggie Tales and Jelly Telly , said this:

"The problem with kids media today isn't that it is evil, it is that it is vapid. Empty. Pointless. It is empty calories. Frosting. Creme filling. Glaze. It has nothing to say to our kids about life on this earth or the God that made them special and loves them very much. And our kids consume it endlessly, on average, three hours per day.

We can do better.

Kids media can inform and shape while it entertains. Heck, Sesame Street figured that out. Mr. Rogers figured that out. But that was forty years ago. Kids media today lacks the will to teach kids anything. Yes, the shows on Nick and Disney are racially diverse. The characters recycle. But beyond that, they are mute.

We can do better.

We can show kids the real world - a world where God exists and has something to say to us, if we will just stop and listen. A world where amazing people commit their lives to the work of the church and the benefit of others. A world where celebrity pales in comparison to generosity."

Go here and read more about why Phil Vischer does what he does. This is what we do in our work with children!

Take Time to Do Something Now

My heart has been so touched today. My daughter put me in touch with a family who has a 32 year old daughter, sister, mother that is battling Lymphoma. They are looking for white blood cell donations so I contacted several of my friends. The response has been very positive. So many people willing to do whatever they can to lend support.

Tomorrow I will be watching children so that another can donate the needed white blood cells. There is always something we can do to help alleviate someone else's pain and sorrow.

So today....I just want to express my love to all of you out there who step out in courage to help when it's not convenient, who take time to do something now. You are true heroes!

Tired of Sitting on the Sidelines?

I started this blog because I am tired of sitting on the sidelines. I want to do something more than just count my blessings and I am tired of hearing about all the stuff that is going wrong in the world. Two strange thoughts to process together I know, but haven't you ever wanted to make a difference, to make something beautiful of your life?

Well, that's me. I want to find a way to share the positive in life so this is my attempt to make a somewhat small contribution to my personal world.