My Life Is So Much Richer

I have to say this has definitely been a week to remember. As you all know my dad had quad heart bypass surgery this past Tuesday. He is doing great now and his recovery is moving along very well. I want to thank everyone for their prayers and phone calls to check on me and my family. I may not have alot of money but god has definitely made my life richer with the people he has surrounded me with. I go to the greatest church ever and the staff and people I go to church with are such a blessing. The phone calls and prayers over the phone was so awesome and I cant thank everyone enough. Kendra was the one who kept me grounded thru this. She may not think what she did was significant but she was a blessing and I love very much for all she did. God has brought me through some very difficult times and he has never let me down and this time was no different. He was there with me through it all. So no matter what it is you face in life know that god is always there with you even when you may not feel like he is there.

God Never Lets Me Down And He Never Will

This has been a week that I never expected to have. It was rough week at work just because we had alot to do and it was hot, but I found out some news that I never expected to hear. My mother called me on Thursday and told me that my dad had a stress test done and they found some damage at the bottom of his heart. They wanted him to go for a heart cauterization on Friday morning so they could see exactly what it was. When they looked at it they said that he has blocked arteries that has caused the blood flow to this heart to be very slow. It has caused him over time to be very short of breath and not to be able to do things like he wants to. My dad and I have had some issues in past because of my stupidity at a younger age of not wanting to listen (I get that from him by the way) to him and caused us to fight alot. I love my dad very much and have grown so much closer to him and my mom after I became a parent myself. They have so much wisdom to give and have taken alot of it to heart. Its never easy to see your parents sick and getting older. I know that god has my dad in his hands no matter the outcome. He is to have surgery Tuesday morning and they will do a quadruple bypass surgery. He said that either the Dr will be able to fix it or he will get to go home to heaven that much sooner. He is right about that, but it is still hard to see him have to go thru all of this. God has blessed me with such a great circle of friends that I appreciate more than I could ever tell them. They have been lifting my dad up in prayer and my family and are there when I need them. God has never let me down and he never will. Its never an easy thing to go thru seeing a loved one go thru a sickness of any kind, but knowing god is in control gives me the peace that I need to get thru it all. Just keep my dad and family in prayer. No matter the outcome of what happens my dad will be fine either way. I would rather him be here with me and healthy, but if it is his time to go I know he will be in heaven with the father and that gives me all the peace and joy that I could ever need. Love ya Pop!

The Door Was Opened Unexpectedly

As many of you know I have been without a job since October of last year. When that happened I prayed that god would shut every door that I was to walk into except for the one he had purposed for me to walk through. I have always kept a positive outlook on not having a job this long. I have had my private moments where I was asking god how long do I have to wait, but he reminded me that I am to wait on him. I knew that in his timing I would have the right one. I have been diligent in looking but til now nothing had come about so I waited. Last Thursday I put an application online to a company and then left a message on their machine on Thursday and Friday both. I called back yesterday someone answered the phone told them who I was and why I was calling. They said the position had already been filled. I didn't let that discourage me I just thanked god for another door that had closed that I wasn't to go through, so I thought. This morning I received a phone call from the very man that told me the position had been filled and he asked if I was still interested in it. He then proceeded to tell me all about the information I needed to know about the job. Now if any of you have ever applied to a temporary agency before you all know that they do not send you to a place sight unseen they make you come in fill out all the paperwork check you background and make you take a drug test. It didn't happen that way for me. It had to be the Favor of God (FOG). He said that he wanted me if I had time today to go to the place where I was to be working and meet the Warehouse Manager. I said sure that I had time today to meet him there. This is just does not happen with temp agencies. I got off the phone thanking god for his favor and the job that he brought to me. Now keep in mind I hadn't been told I had the job but in my spirit I knew that this was the one he had for me. I met Greg at the Warehouse and he took me aside before introducing me to Tom the Warehouse Manager and was asking me a few questions. He was impressed at the work experience I had and that I had worked at UPS before and was a frontline Supervisor there. He had worked for UPS for 11yrs himself the last two years he was there he worked in Human Resources. So he knew what type of person it took to be a supervisor and that impressed him. I had a chance to speak to Tom and he was telling me about the position and then asked if I had any questions for him and I said no I don't. He said well are you interested in the position and can you start tomorrow morning at 9am? I said yes I am interested and I will be here in the morning. At that moment I felt this heavy burden be lifted off of me. I knew at that moment that god had placed me there. I want to encourage those of you out there that may not have a job or it maybe that your waiting on an answer from god about something. Don't ever get discouraged or give up. You hold fast and wait on god and do all that you know you can do but leave the rest to god. His timing is different than ours and he knows what is best for us. God knew what I needed and at the time I needed it.

The Words We Speak Into Peoples Lives

I recently had a good friend of mine to move away to another state. When he and I had met I was unaware of the problems he was facing in his life. I got too quickly involved with him and soon learned that there were some things that he needed to work out and to get his life straight. We did not date anymore after that but have remained good friends and I tried to be there when he needed to talk to me. He had an opportunity to move to another state with his job so he took it and wanted a fresh start. He is working on getting the mess he left behind straightened out and putting it behind him. He said to me "Barb your a special lady and you have opened my eyes to alot of the things that I have been doing and I want to thank you for that". Sometimes we don't know the influence we have on other people. I know I didn't realize the impact I had made in his life. I am just me and try to live my life the way I know god would want me to. I never knew how much he listened to what I said until that moment. There were times we would talk for hours by text or he would call me when he was having a rough time. I didn't always have an answer for him but I would listen and pray about it. The words that come out of our mouths should never tear someone down but always help to build them up. If there is something that needs to be said then you do it with love and respect. I will miss him very much and he and I will always be friends and I pray for him everyday that god will help him on his road ahead. Please keep him in your prayers.

Childlike Excitement

This past weekend a few of the ladies and I went with Tammy to help her with a dance workshop she was doing in Lexington, KY. I have to say I walked away from this weekend changed and touched by some of the people I met. The church were the workshop was held at has a broad spectrum of people such as our own church. They have a large number of exceptional adults who have disabilities of varying degrees. The sweetest people you will ever meet. One in particular touched my life this weekend. Her name was Barbara just like mine. I was her buddy for the weekend. Most people would look at her and not want to pay her any mind or attention, but I took the time to listen to whatever it was she had to say. When she smiled it made you want to smile back. We were teaching the ladies at the workshop a dance that they were going to be able to minister in front of their church on Sunday morning. Tammy chose a few of the ladies to do some flags at a point in the dance. Barbara was fascinated by the flags just like a little child would be. She wanted so much to be able to wave the flags. When we came back on Saturday morning to continue the workshop Barbara had asked Tammy if she could put the cd on so she could listen to it and wave the flags to it. Tammy smiled and told her yes and left her there to do it. No one was watching her because we were all over on the other side eating breakfast. I happen to peep around and see her standing there on the stage with the flags with the biggest smile on her face. She said "Barbara you see me...you see me...I'm doing the flags. I smiled back and said yes I do. She wanted so much to do them in the dance and wanted me to ask Tammy if she could do them I told her I would ask for her. So much was going on in the room I didn't say anything right away and Tammy knew already what Barbara wanted without me asking. She walks up to Tammy and says "Tammy she want to ask you sumting". It was so childlike and so sweet we smiled and laughed. Not at her but at her innocence and excitement to want to wave those flags. That's how it should be with us every time we worship god. We need to come with that childlike excitement wanting to praise him with everything we have in us. I learned alot just from that moment with Barbara. I want to come before him with the childlike excitement to praise him and not be inhibited by what others think. No matter how silly it looks I should want to praise him with everything I have in me and not let anyone stop me. When the Sunday service was over Tammy told Barbara that we had something for her. She gave her an old flag that we don't use for her to have. She smiled the biggest smile I have ever seen and gave Tammy a hug and said thank you. I will never forget that look on her face as she walked out with her flag.

Face To Face

Lately god has allowed me to be face to face with my past. I wish I could say that I have handled it good, but I did not. I have had to do some repenting for my actions and felt like the worst christian in the world for my actions. I felt as if I had let god down. We all make mistakes its how we get up and dust ourselves off and keep going that counts. I know god has forgiven me for my actions...its just alot harder to forgive yourself for them. If he remembers them no more than we need to say it was a mistake and hope that someone can learn from my mistake. I was telling a friend the other day as we were eating that what you go through in life and the hardships you have is not for you, its for that person who sits out in the congregation watching you, that person you work with, or just someone you may meet out that god brings by your way. Its for those people that we go through what we do so that god can use us to bring them to him.

Burger King Has A Whole New Meaning After Today!

I was having a discussion today with a great friend today in the middle of Burger King and we laughed and cried the whole time we were there. We mostly cried but not because we were sad. We were looking back at the awesome things that god has brought us thru and where we are at now. We were both affected by an individual that Im sure never thought she would be where she is at today. I had told my friend that I have had lots of people in my life that call themselves friends but actually they just used me for what they could get from me and suck the life out of me. God had to break down and remove me from those people and has placed such an awesome circle of friends on whom I can count on to pray for me and with me whenever I need them any day or time. I am so blessed and thankful that god has placed these people around me. I love each and everyone of them and love all the different quirks of their personalities. You ladies know who you are and I want to say that I am so truly blessed by each of you and seeing what god has been doing in your lives. It has changed my life by knowing each of you.