In yesterday's entry, I spoke about my friend J, who had a double lung transplant a few days ago.
What a blessing it is that J received this much needed transplant. It certainly was an answer to prayer. Prayer on her part, and the part of her family, but also prayer sent up for her by many, many other people.
Thank You, Father! Thank You, for positively answering that prayer request. Thank You also, for providing healing for J, as it seems she is progressing well.
Are all prayer requests answered? No. Certainly, God does not have to listen to the prayer requests of those who are not saved, those who are not trusting in Jesus, for they are dead already and have not yet been made alive by trusting in Him. God can listen and answer, or not; the choice is His.
God's word, the Bible, tells us that He hears the prayers of His children, those who belong to Him, who are saved by trusting in Jesus. Still, God is not a genie in a bottle, who will grant all wishes.
In yesterday's entry, I also wrote about the stressful blessing of donating. Believe me when I say that the donor, whose lungs were given lovingly to my friend, had family who had probably been praying for them. Just as I had prayed for my husband, Gordon, before he died.
It never ceases to amaze me, how God answers some prayer requests, while saying 'no' to other prayer requests, and even at times saying 'not now', to others.
When my husband suffered with his ill-health, believe me when I say I prayed for him. Prayed for healing, for him. Never did I stop praying for this.
Was my prayer answered?
Some might say 'yes', because ultimately Gordon was healed. He was healed when God called him home, to heaven. When he died. He's now with Jesus. No more pain, no more suffering.
From my own personal human perspective, all the while I prayed for Gordon, I felt like God was saying, 'not now', because it seemed he did not improve. Yet, he was still with me. He hadn't been taken out of this cold, dark world, but continued to struggle, day by day.
Once Gordon's body died, my dream of God answering my prayer with a resounding 'yes', died along with him. This was God's way of giving me a firm answer of 'no'.
This has been a major struggle for me, through my grief. I cannot tell you how many thousands of times I have cried out to God, asking him why He refused to answer my prayer for healing for Gordon in a positive way.
Have I received an answer? No. Will I? Probably not. Even so, I am determined to try and come to terms with feeling rejected by God, by Him not answering my prayer of healing for Gordon.
Will I ever receive an answer? Maybe. Maybe not while I'm alive, on this earth. Possibly, when I am with my Lord in heaven, I will know the answer. Possibly, not. Once there, with Jesus, it may no longer be a question I need an answer to.
One friend recently reminded me that even though my prayer had not been answered positively by God, it seemed that Gordon's prayer had. Yes, in the darkest moments before he died, he did pray God would just take him home. He did. She was right. God did answer Gordon's prayer.
No matter how heartbreaking it is for me, I know that God did grant Gordon's prayer request. He's no longer suffering, but rather is rejoicing in heaven with his saviour. For this I am thankful.
Now, the same situation applies for the donor who provided an answer to prayer for healing for my friend, J. They are no longer suffering physically here on earth, either.
It's too late to pray for salvation for them, for our window of opportunity to be saved, closes once we exhaust our last breath of life, here on earth. That person's eternity was determined before their death and they are already there. Heaven or hell. Hopefully, it was heaven.
I pray you will trust in Jesus for your salvation today, if you were not already doing so. Nothing is more important, for there is no escape from hell.
Believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31).
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Death Exchanged for Life...
If you read yesterday's Life with Lynnie (LwL) entry, you'll know that my friend J, who lives in Texas, USA received a call to go to the hospital, as a potential donor was available to provide her with lungs necessary for a transplant she required.
Prayer for J went up to heaven BIG TIME! This opportunity would have been of no benefit to J, had the donor not been a match.
Several hours after J left for hospital, we were told that the donor was indeed a match; a perfect match! Believe me when I say I praised God and thanked Jesus!
Not knowing for sure the exact time J would be scheduled for surgery, prayer continued. Not just for J, though.
I knew that the donor's family truly needed prayer.
Again, I requested prayer from others, but this time for the donor's family. Anyone who has not been through a situation like this, may have a hard time understanding the harsh reality.
If you aren't aware or have not been a long time reader of LwL, you might not know that my husband Gordon died, just over 18 months ago. Gordon had been registered with the Ontario government, here in Canada, as a donor.
Not wanting to revisit my husband's death or the circumstances surrounding it, I will just let you know that the hospital planned to pull the plug and force my husband's death. After notifying me and some other family members of this, I was then approached by the team of people who co-ordinate transplants.
The team members explained procedures involved in the process and reveiewed paperwork that I had to sign, in order for them to be able to proceed harvesting Gordon's kidneys.
Then, as agreed, they verified that Gordon was not a match for either of my brothers who were dialysis patients, nor was he a match for another friend on dialysis.
I was told that a transport team would shortly be on their way from London, ON, and would have to arrive here in Windsor, before they could harvest Gordon's kidneys. Knowing the drive was at least two (2) hours, I knew Gordon would remain on life support for at least that length of time.
They explained to me that they do not wait for the donor to die, before harvesting organs. In fact, it cannot be done, once the person has died.
They explained further that once the transport team arrived, they would allow me and others to say our final goodbye to Gordon, while he was still alive. He would then be taken to an operating room, where his organs would be harvested. Then, they would shut off life-support and he would die.
When I tell you this was a crushing reality, I mean it was truly crushing to me. Maybe you've heard this before, but I had never understood this. The thought of the whole procedure broke my heart. Yet, I knew it was necessary.
In Gordon's case, harvesting never took place. There was delay after delay, after delay in getting the transport team into Windsor. Eventually, a team from Toronto was going to fly to Windsor.
One last check on him, before giving final okay for the plane to leave Toronto airport, showed that Gordon's kidneys had begun to fail. By the time the transport team would arrive, they would be in worsened condition. So, the transplant harvesting plan was cancelled.
The hospital proceeded with removing my husband from life-support; he died.
This is how I know that the donor's family truly needs prayer. After all, at the very least, they would be grieving the loss of their loved one.
Melancholy is the only way to describe the feeling, knowing that your loved one will die, yet may give life to another person. Happy. Yet, sad.
The ultimate happiness that is felt, is knowing that someone else will have a gift of life, as in this case with my friend J. I'm sure this will help the donor's family through their grief.
Still, prayer is warranted. Please pray for total, restorative healing for my friend, J. In addition, please find it in your heart to pray for the donor's family, as they will need all the grace from God they can receive, in order to come to terms with their loss and the heartbreak they have suffered. Thank you. May God bless you, always.
Since there is still more to be said, please be patient with me. I will continue, tomorrow.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Prayer for J went up to heaven BIG TIME! This opportunity would have been of no benefit to J, had the donor not been a match.
Several hours after J left for hospital, we were told that the donor was indeed a match; a perfect match! Believe me when I say I praised God and thanked Jesus!
Not knowing for sure the exact time J would be scheduled for surgery, prayer continued. Not just for J, though.
I knew that the donor's family truly needed prayer.
Again, I requested prayer from others, but this time for the donor's family. Anyone who has not been through a situation like this, may have a hard time understanding the harsh reality.
If you aren't aware or have not been a long time reader of LwL, you might not know that my husband Gordon died, just over 18 months ago. Gordon had been registered with the Ontario government, here in Canada, as a donor.
Not wanting to revisit my husband's death or the circumstances surrounding it, I will just let you know that the hospital planned to pull the plug and force my husband's death. After notifying me and some other family members of this, I was then approached by the team of people who co-ordinate transplants.
The team members explained procedures involved in the process and reveiewed paperwork that I had to sign, in order for them to be able to proceed harvesting Gordon's kidneys.
Then, as agreed, they verified that Gordon was not a match for either of my brothers who were dialysis patients, nor was he a match for another friend on dialysis.
I was told that a transport team would shortly be on their way from London, ON, and would have to arrive here in Windsor, before they could harvest Gordon's kidneys. Knowing the drive was at least two (2) hours, I knew Gordon would remain on life support for at least that length of time.
They explained to me that they do not wait for the donor to die, before harvesting organs. In fact, it cannot be done, once the person has died.
They explained further that once the transport team arrived, they would allow me and others to say our final goodbye to Gordon, while he was still alive. He would then be taken to an operating room, where his organs would be harvested. Then, they would shut off life-support and he would die.
When I tell you this was a crushing reality, I mean it was truly crushing to me. Maybe you've heard this before, but I had never understood this. The thought of the whole procedure broke my heart. Yet, I knew it was necessary.
In Gordon's case, harvesting never took place. There was delay after delay, after delay in getting the transport team into Windsor. Eventually, a team from Toronto was going to fly to Windsor.
One last check on him, before giving final okay for the plane to leave Toronto airport, showed that Gordon's kidneys had begun to fail. By the time the transport team would arrive, they would be in worsened condition. So, the transplant harvesting plan was cancelled.
The hospital proceeded with removing my husband from life-support; he died.
This is how I know that the donor's family truly needs prayer. After all, at the very least, they would be grieving the loss of their loved one.
Melancholy is the only way to describe the feeling, knowing that your loved one will die, yet may give life to another person. Happy. Yet, sad.
The ultimate happiness that is felt, is knowing that someone else will have a gift of life, as in this case with my friend J. I'm sure this will help the donor's family through their grief.
Still, prayer is warranted. Please pray for total, restorative healing for my friend, J. In addition, please find it in your heart to pray for the donor's family, as they will need all the grace from God they can receive, in order to come to terms with their loss and the heartbreak they have suffered. Thank you. May God bless you, always.
Since there is still more to be said, please be patient with me. I will continue, tomorrow.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Answered Prayer!
Tuesday evening, I was messaged by a friend of mine on Facebook (FB).
L chatted me up and telephoned me long distance from USA, to let me know that our mutual friend J had received a call from the hospital. J's husband was in the process of transporting J, as we spoke.
The reason? Well, in the past you've heard me ask for prayer for my friend J, who lives in Texas, USA. She has had a lung problem that had deteriorated, rather quickly.
Even with new medications and oxygen 24 hours per day, J just could not breathe. In fact, at the beginning of this year, she had been told that if she didn't receive a lung transplant within about six (6) months, her life would end.
Prayer is powerful. Expecially when it is multiplied mega-fold. I am so-o very thankful that fellow believers, prayed for her too. Even some who do not really even know J personally, or through FB.
You see, once J told me about the condition of her health, I began praying for her to be placed on the transplant list; others prayed with me. She began undergoing tests to confirm she was a candidate for the procedure.
Eventually, she found out she had passed every test with flying colours, except for the final test. Unfortunately, she had developed a lung infection. J took special medication to assist her body in clearing up the problem.
I recall praising God and thanking Jesus, when she told me she had finally healed enough from the ailment, that the doctor placed her on the waiting list. Apparently, due to the severity of her lung/breathing problems, she was placed at the top of the list.
Last week, she had to take some special medication, to prepare her in case she was to receive the transplant within the next couple of weeks. It was such a blessing to hear this, when she told me, because I felt in my heart that God was preparing her for surgery.
Whenever I didn't chat with her or hear from her, I would begin asking other friends if they had any news regarding J's condition. I was praying that her condition would not worsen to the point where her life would end.
Of course, hoping and praying for transplant to occur didn't mean I was hoping someone else would die in her place.
As a Christian, I realize that God has a plan for each of His children, J being one. In fact, He has a plan for everyone's life.
Knowing that God's plan is never thwarted, I realize that He will save whom He will save. He will provide for whom He will provide. And, He will decide when and how someone's life will end.
He told us there is a time to be born and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:2).
So, when I prayed for J, I wasn't praying for someone to die, so that my friend could live. Rather, I prayed that since God's plan was for someone to die, at some point in time, that the particular person would be listed as a donor, who would be a perfect match for J.
God granted a positive response to all the prayer that went up to heaven for J. So, Tuesday evening, with only a few minutes notice, J and her husband left for the hospital, after receiving the telephone notifying them to leave home, immediately.
There is more to be said about this blessing, but it will have to continue, tomorrow.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
L chatted me up and telephoned me long distance from USA, to let me know that our mutual friend J had received a call from the hospital. J's husband was in the process of transporting J, as we spoke.
The reason? Well, in the past you've heard me ask for prayer for my friend J, who lives in Texas, USA. She has had a lung problem that had deteriorated, rather quickly.
Even with new medications and oxygen 24 hours per day, J just could not breathe. In fact, at the beginning of this year, she had been told that if she didn't receive a lung transplant within about six (6) months, her life would end.
Prayer is powerful. Expecially when it is multiplied mega-fold. I am so-o very thankful that fellow believers, prayed for her too. Even some who do not really even know J personally, or through FB.
You see, once J told me about the condition of her health, I began praying for her to be placed on the transplant list; others prayed with me. She began undergoing tests to confirm she was a candidate for the procedure.
Eventually, she found out she had passed every test with flying colours, except for the final test. Unfortunately, she had developed a lung infection. J took special medication to assist her body in clearing up the problem.
I recall praising God and thanking Jesus, when she told me she had finally healed enough from the ailment, that the doctor placed her on the waiting list. Apparently, due to the severity of her lung/breathing problems, she was placed at the top of the list.
Last week, she had to take some special medication, to prepare her in case she was to receive the transplant within the next couple of weeks. It was such a blessing to hear this, when she told me, because I felt in my heart that God was preparing her for surgery.
Whenever I didn't chat with her or hear from her, I would begin asking other friends if they had any news regarding J's condition. I was praying that her condition would not worsen to the point where her life would end.
Of course, hoping and praying for transplant to occur didn't mean I was hoping someone else would die in her place.
As a Christian, I realize that God has a plan for each of His children, J being one. In fact, He has a plan for everyone's life.
Knowing that God's plan is never thwarted, I realize that He will save whom He will save. He will provide for whom He will provide. And, He will decide when and how someone's life will end.
He told us there is a time to be born and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:2).
So, when I prayed for J, I wasn't praying for someone to die, so that my friend could live. Rather, I prayed that since God's plan was for someone to die, at some point in time, that the particular person would be listed as a donor, who would be a perfect match for J.
God granted a positive response to all the prayer that went up to heaven for J. So, Tuesday evening, with only a few minutes notice, J and her husband left for the hospital, after receiving the telephone notifying them to leave home, immediately.
There is more to be said about this blessing, but it will have to continue, tomorrow.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
He's Alive & Well!
Living alone and having family that usually prefers to spend special holiday times as personal family time for their immediate family, usually translates into me being alone at those times that I was raised to believe are times when all family gets together to celebrate. Thus, becoming rather lonely times, for me.
It's okay. I understand. It's their lives. They can live them as they please.
After last Christmas' troubles, I had already decided I was not going to put myself through any heartache over the matter. Therefore, I wasn't even going to consider inviting anyone for Easter dinner.
As you've heard me say in the past, God is in control. He took over everything. He even allowed me to become sick, so that I wouldn't even want to spend time with my loved ones, putting them at risk of getting sick, like me.
He took over in ways I never dreamed of.
For starters, on Friday, I was so sick that I didn't attend my church's Good Friday worship service; it's the first time I ever missed one. Even so, my friend J insisted she was coming to visit me and bringing supper with her.
No matter how much I argued with J, insisting I didn't want her to become sick after being around me, she just didn't take no for an answer. J showed up at my door with a beautiful dinner ready to be served.
She even stayed and let me beat her at a game of Phase 10. Do you think she let me win on purpose, in an effort to make me feel better about things? :-)) Thank you, J! I cannot believe what a devoted friend you are to me. I am truly blessed.
On Easter Sunday, after coughing myself silly, I got ready to go check on my home across town. After all, I hadn't checked on it, in a couple of days, so I felt my trip there was overdue. No, I didn't worship at church, even though it was only a block away, for the same reason I didn't attend on Good Friday.
Before I left, I actually received a phone call from my eldest daughter B, wishing me Happy Easter and inviting me to dinner on Monday, if I am feeling improved. As shocking as this was to be invited and even if I don't end up joining them if I am still too sick, it sure did my heart good to be invited!
In my travels, I went to the cemetary, to Gordon's grave. Also, I stopped by both my daughter's homes, to drop off Easter goodies to them and their families. They already knew I wasn't dropping by to visit, because I didn't want anyone becoming ill after spending time with me, so I didn't go inside their homes.
Arriving home, I rested for a while.
My neighbour/friend K from across the hall, phoned me. She was hoping I would accept dinner from her, today; however, I politely refused, because I wasn't all that hungry and still had food in my fridge that needed to be eaten. What a sweetheart K is! Thank you for thinking of me, K!
As I was resting, I thought I heard a knock at my door. Opening it, I found a bag hanging on my door handle. No one was there.
Oooohhhh... but, the bag contained a tasty treat! As a matter of fact, it contained my favourite Easter treat. A Mr. Munchy; the chocolate bunny with rice crisps!
At first, I wasn't sure who the Easter Bunny used to bring me this tasty treat, but I quickly suspected it was K and her visiting friend E, from across the hall. Sure enough, there was a cute note inside, containing wishes for a speedy recovery and wishing me Happy Easter! Thank you K & E, for your kindness, generosity and love. I am truly blessed.
Wow! I know God put it on the hearts of my friends and family to show me love at a time, when I wasn't feeling up to snuff. May God bless each of you, who went out of your way to make my Easter weekend a special time, and not just a time of illness and loneliness.
And who says the Easter Bunny isn't alive and well?!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
It's okay. I understand. It's their lives. They can live them as they please.
After last Christmas' troubles, I had already decided I was not going to put myself through any heartache over the matter. Therefore, I wasn't even going to consider inviting anyone for Easter dinner.
As you've heard me say in the past, God is in control. He took over everything. He even allowed me to become sick, so that I wouldn't even want to spend time with my loved ones, putting them at risk of getting sick, like me.
He took over in ways I never dreamed of.
For starters, on Friday, I was so sick that I didn't attend my church's Good Friday worship service; it's the first time I ever missed one. Even so, my friend J insisted she was coming to visit me and bringing supper with her.
No matter how much I argued with J, insisting I didn't want her to become sick after being around me, she just didn't take no for an answer. J showed up at my door with a beautiful dinner ready to be served.
She even stayed and let me beat her at a game of Phase 10. Do you think she let me win on purpose, in an effort to make me feel better about things? :-)) Thank you, J! I cannot believe what a devoted friend you are to me. I am truly blessed.
On Easter Sunday, after coughing myself silly, I got ready to go check on my home across town. After all, I hadn't checked on it, in a couple of days, so I felt my trip there was overdue. No, I didn't worship at church, even though it was only a block away, for the same reason I didn't attend on Good Friday.
Before I left, I actually received a phone call from my eldest daughter B, wishing me Happy Easter and inviting me to dinner on Monday, if I am feeling improved. As shocking as this was to be invited and even if I don't end up joining them if I am still too sick, it sure did my heart good to be invited!
In my travels, I went to the cemetary, to Gordon's grave. Also, I stopped by both my daughter's homes, to drop off Easter goodies to them and their families. They already knew I wasn't dropping by to visit, because I didn't want anyone becoming ill after spending time with me, so I didn't go inside their homes.
Arriving home, I rested for a while.
My neighbour/friend K from across the hall, phoned me. She was hoping I would accept dinner from her, today; however, I politely refused, because I wasn't all that hungry and still had food in my fridge that needed to be eaten. What a sweetheart K is! Thank you for thinking of me, K!
As I was resting, I thought I heard a knock at my door. Opening it, I found a bag hanging on my door handle. No one was there.
Oooohhhh... but, the bag contained a tasty treat! As a matter of fact, it contained my favourite Easter treat. A Mr. Munchy; the chocolate bunny with rice crisps!
At first, I wasn't sure who the Easter Bunny used to bring me this tasty treat, but I quickly suspected it was K and her visiting friend E, from across the hall. Sure enough, there was a cute note inside, containing wishes for a speedy recovery and wishing me Happy Easter! Thank you K & E, for your kindness, generosity and love. I am truly blessed.
Wow! I know God put it on the hearts of my friends and family to show me love at a time, when I wasn't feeling up to snuff. May God bless each of you, who went out of your way to make my Easter weekend a special time, and not just a time of illness and loneliness.
And who says the Easter Bunny isn't alive and well?!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Cleaning Out Garbage...
Truly, I am so grateful God has saved me.
This weekend was a real strain for me. If you've read Saturday's entry, you'll know that Gordon and I had been married on the Saturday of Easter weekend. I wasn't a happy camper, that day.
In addition, I have been feeling really sick. Headache, sinus, sore ears and throat, lungs... coughing, etc. I'm sure this didn't help.
It was more than this, though. I realized that even if I hadn't had these problems, I probably still would have felt badly.
Over the course of my lifetime, several other things had happened to me, all on the Saturday of Easter weekend. None of them, good.
At the time when I married Gordon, I thought that I had put all of this other stuff from those days in my past, behind me. I thought God had given me something good to focus on, to remember, from that day forward.
And, it was good. At least, as long as we were married. Now, Gordon's death is just one more heartbreaking thing to add to my list of horribleness that I have endured in my lifetime, especially on Easter weekend.
What I realized, was that God was showing me that even though I thought I had dealt with those other things, I truly hadn't come to terms with them, fully. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered me, so much. I wouldn't have remembered them, with upset.
God has a way of opening up stuff from my past, that I need to deal with. I suppose this means He wants me to deal with it all, now.
After all, God wants us to forgive. God forgives, and forgets, never more remembering our sin, once He has forgiven. As far as the east is from the west.
The apostle Paul told us, we need to forget that which is past and press on towards the mark of the highcalling in Christ Jesus. No one can do this, erasing past hurts, totally... unless God is a participant in the process.
He doesn't let us just sweep the garbage of life that some of us tote around, under the carpet, forever. He wants us to be clean vessels, who can focus on Him. Love Him.
So, it's time for me to think about these issues and pray about them. I can't say I've prayed much about those experiences, for they happened many years ago.
God will help me sort this stuff out. I truly believe that He is doing a work of housekeeping, in me. Sorting me out. Making me a clean vessel.
Shortly after Gordon died, I met a woman who had recently remarried, after living as an unhappy, lonely widow. She told me it took so-o much longer for God to clean her out, than her new husband, after he lost his wife. She also said that she thought it was because she had much more garbage to clean out, than her husband did. This woman was glad God had done this, for otherwise, a new relationship would have been impossible for her.
Baggage. That's all it is. Heartbreaking as it is, it's all just stuff. Garbage. Nothing to write home about. Nothing to be concerned with, for anyone but me.
So, I'll just take this garbage to the foot of the cross and give it to Jesus. He'll work it out. Of this, I am sure.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
This weekend was a real strain for me. If you've read Saturday's entry, you'll know that Gordon and I had been married on the Saturday of Easter weekend. I wasn't a happy camper, that day.
In addition, I have been feeling really sick. Headache, sinus, sore ears and throat, lungs... coughing, etc. I'm sure this didn't help.
It was more than this, though. I realized that even if I hadn't had these problems, I probably still would have felt badly.
Over the course of my lifetime, several other things had happened to me, all on the Saturday of Easter weekend. None of them, good.
At the time when I married Gordon, I thought that I had put all of this other stuff from those days in my past, behind me. I thought God had given me something good to focus on, to remember, from that day forward.
And, it was good. At least, as long as we were married. Now, Gordon's death is just one more heartbreaking thing to add to my list of horribleness that I have endured in my lifetime, especially on Easter weekend.
What I realized, was that God was showing me that even though I thought I had dealt with those other things, I truly hadn't come to terms with them, fully. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered me, so much. I wouldn't have remembered them, with upset.
God has a way of opening up stuff from my past, that I need to deal with. I suppose this means He wants me to deal with it all, now.
After all, God wants us to forgive. God forgives, and forgets, never more remembering our sin, once He has forgiven. As far as the east is from the west.
The apostle Paul told us, we need to forget that which is past and press on towards the mark of the highcalling in Christ Jesus. No one can do this, erasing past hurts, totally... unless God is a participant in the process.
He doesn't let us just sweep the garbage of life that some of us tote around, under the carpet, forever. He wants us to be clean vessels, who can focus on Him. Love Him.
So, it's time for me to think about these issues and pray about them. I can't say I've prayed much about those experiences, for they happened many years ago.
God will help me sort this stuff out. I truly believe that He is doing a work of housekeeping, in me. Sorting me out. Making me a clean vessel.
Shortly after Gordon died, I met a woman who had recently remarried, after living as an unhappy, lonely widow. She told me it took so-o much longer for God to clean her out, than her new husband, after he lost his wife. She also said that she thought it was because she had much more garbage to clean out, than her husband did. This woman was glad God had done this, for otherwise, a new relationship would have been impossible for her.
Baggage. That's all it is. Heartbreaking as it is, it's all just stuff. Garbage. Nothing to write home about. Nothing to be concerned with, for anyone but me.
So, I'll just take this garbage to the foot of the cross and give it to Jesus. He'll work it out. Of this, I am sure.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Monday, April 25, 2011
Happy Passover & Easter Monday!
Before I begin today's entry, since today is the last day of Passover, I would like to wish all my Jewish friends, a very Happy Passover! Scriptures in the Old Testament, your Torah, were fulfilled. Please read Isaiah 53 and other passages, to read for yourself prophecy. Then, read the book of John, in the New Testament of the Bible. Hopefully, you'll recognize that Jesus of the Bible is the Messiah you have been looking for.
Love.
That's why He did it. He loved God the Father and wanted to be obedient to His plan. Yes, even though we were sinners, our Lord loved us that much.
We inherited sin through Adam and suffer even today, for that sin. Romans 5:12 tells us, "Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death resulted from sin, therefore everyone dies, because everyone has sinned."
Think you're not a sinner? Think again. In Romans 3:23, God tells us, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
Are you getting the picture? You're a sinner, just like me.
Personally, I'm thankful that God loved us. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.", God's Word tells us.
God loved us so very much, that He made a plan for us, before the beginning of time. To save us from an eternity in hell. To save us from our sin. Romans 5:8 tells us, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
This was the plan of salvation that God created, as prophesied in the Old Testament. In the part of the Bible that is the same as the Jewish Torah.
While we Christians recognize that the Messiah did arrive here on earth, was crucified, died, was buried and resurrected to fulfil God the Father's plan, our Jewish friends are still waiting for Him. Unfortunately, they didn't recognize Him, the first time he came.
Even so, He loved us so much, that He fulfilled God's plan so that we gentiles could be grafted in to the family of God's chosen people. The Jews. He tells us in Romans 11:17, "And if some of the branches be broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree;".
In John 15:1, Jesus tells us, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener."
Jesus gave the greatest gift of love, to us. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.", we are told in John 15:13.
"But, he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed", Isaiah 53:5 tells us.
That's right. By His stripes we are healed.
Healed for all eternity, once we leave this earth. Once we die the first death. Physical death. Here's our promise, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
What a promise! What a wonderful life to look forward to, with God!
Believe in Jesus. Not just that he existed, but that He is indeed the Son of God, who died to save you. In John 14:6, we read, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
How do we claim it? Do what I did. Trust in Jesus. He's the only way. Acts 4:12 says, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
Accept the promise God made me...and you, in Acts 16:31, "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
Don't put it off. Do it today. Come to Christ, today. We are not guaranteed tomorrow; we're not even guaranteed our next breath. No. Today, is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Happy Passover!
Happy Easter Monday!
Happy Easter Monday!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter! It's Resurrection Sunday!
Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has risen! He has risen, indeed!
The Bible says best what happened on the third (3rd) day. John 20:1-9 tells us, "Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead."
As Mary wept, two (2) angels asked her why she was crying. Mary replied that her Lord had been taken away and she didn't know where to find Him. She turned and saw a man she thought was a gardener and asked him if he was the person who had taken Jesus' body away. When He said her name, "Mary...", she realized it was Jesus!
Jesus said to her in verses 17-18, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her."
Later, Jesus came to the disciples and breathed into them the Holy Spirit, letting them know that their sins had been forgiven them.
All Jesus' disciples believed upon Him, with the exception of one who has ever since been named doubting Thomas, the one disciple who had not been with the others when Jesus had been seen.
Eight (8) days later, Jesus revisited the disciples; this time Thomas was with them. Verses 26-29 tells us, "Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”"
Jesus showed himself many times after this, both to the disciples and to many other people. Hopefully, He has revealed Himself to you.
If you would like to watch a short video about Jesus' resurrection, please click on this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smUHqg3npAE
Nothing is more important than salvation. You may have heard me say this before and I'm sure you'll hear me say this many times in the future, that while our lives feel long, in reality our lives are very short here on earth. When we compare our time for life, to time of eternity, which never ends, it is very short.
What happens to us here on earth is truly of no consequence, even though we may feel pain, sorrow and suffer. Why? Because eternity is a l-o-n-g time. It never ends. God has now completed His plan for salvation for you, with Jesus being resurrected. Accept it. Now.
Trust in Jesus. He has risen!
Happy Easter!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Forgotten?
Today, is the Saturday of Easter weekend.
Most people would be happy, but truly, I am having trouble being happy, today. In fact, over the last few days, I have felt rather grief-filled, once again.
While March 29th is Gordon and my wedding anniversary, the day we were married was the Saturday of Easter weekend.
Before our guests left our reception, I recall Gordon handing me a pair of Easter bunny sunglasses. This was truly unusual for him, for he truly thought of Easter as being a wonderful time of new beginnings, relating to Jesus and His resurrection. Sort of like our life together. A time of new beginning.
In any case, we both put on the Easter bunny sunglasses and gave out chocolate bunnies to everyone. Some people might not find this cute, but I did. For Gordon had a heart for people and fun. I miss him.
There are times like this, when I feel forgotten by God.
In reality, I know this isn't the truth. I know that God loves me and this is just part of His plan for my life. I'm just so tired of having a life filled with pain and sorrow. When will my Lord bless me with a better life? Or, am I just to suffer continually, until He finally takes me home?
I'm grateful for friends, who care for me. I'm especially grateful for God's Word, that lifts me up and encourages me. And, I am grateful for Christian music.
As of late, I have found myself listening, singing and thinking about the lyrics for Twila Paris' song Not Forgotten. Here is a link for the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQlKintpAq8&feature=youtu.be
I realize that at least one of my friends has dial-up internet still and cannot open links like this, so I am going to post the lyrics. I'm sure you'll see why this song is so uplifting.
If you have problems in your life that leave you feeling at times rather forgotten, I pray this will be an encouragement to you.
Not Forgotten by Twila Paris
When you think your dream is dying
He has not forgotten you
When your body aches from tryin'
He has not forgotten you
When you worry for tomorrow
Even though the sky is blue
See the sun is shining
He has not forgotten you
When July feels like December
He has not forgotten you
When it's painful to remember
He has not forgotten you
When it seems you can not win
And there is not much left to lose
He has got a plan
And He has not forgotten you
And hope will spring eternal
In the home of those who know
That loving eyes will follow
Every where we go
And even in the darkness
His promises are true
Keep this in your heart
He has not forgotten you.
He is faithful
He is present
He is listening
He is love
He is faithful
He is with you
He is listening
He is love
If your tired flesh has squandered
What your spirit would have saved
And your aimless feet have wandered
Far from all you truly crave
Turn and run toward your Father
Do not wait another day
See His arms are open
And He is calling out your name
And hope will spring eternal
In the home of those who know
That loving eyes will follow
Every where we go
And even in the darkness
His promises are true
Keep this in your heart
He has not forgotten you
He is in your heart
And He has not... forgotten..... you.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Most people would be happy, but truly, I am having trouble being happy, today. In fact, over the last few days, I have felt rather grief-filled, once again.
While March 29th is Gordon and my wedding anniversary, the day we were married was the Saturday of Easter weekend.
Before our guests left our reception, I recall Gordon handing me a pair of Easter bunny sunglasses. This was truly unusual for him, for he truly thought of Easter as being a wonderful time of new beginnings, relating to Jesus and His resurrection. Sort of like our life together. A time of new beginning.
In any case, we both put on the Easter bunny sunglasses and gave out chocolate bunnies to everyone. Some people might not find this cute, but I did. For Gordon had a heart for people and fun. I miss him.
There are times like this, when I feel forgotten by God.
In reality, I know this isn't the truth. I know that God loves me and this is just part of His plan for my life. I'm just so tired of having a life filled with pain and sorrow. When will my Lord bless me with a better life? Or, am I just to suffer continually, until He finally takes me home?
I'm grateful for friends, who care for me. I'm especially grateful for God's Word, that lifts me up and encourages me. And, I am grateful for Christian music.
As of late, I have found myself listening, singing and thinking about the lyrics for Twila Paris' song Not Forgotten. Here is a link for the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQlKintpAq8&feature=youtu.be
I realize that at least one of my friends has dial-up internet still and cannot open links like this, so I am going to post the lyrics. I'm sure you'll see why this song is so uplifting.
If you have problems in your life that leave you feeling at times rather forgotten, I pray this will be an encouragement to you.
Not Forgotten by Twila Paris
When you think your dream is dying
He has not forgotten you
When your body aches from tryin'
He has not forgotten you
When you worry for tomorrow
Even though the sky is blue
See the sun is shining
He has not forgotten you
When July feels like December
He has not forgotten you
When it's painful to remember
He has not forgotten you
When it seems you can not win
And there is not much left to lose
He has got a plan
And He has not forgotten you
And hope will spring eternal
In the home of those who know
That loving eyes will follow
Every where we go
And even in the darkness
His promises are true
Keep this in your heart
He has not forgotten you.
He is faithful
He is present
He is listening
He is love
He is faithful
He is with you
He is listening
He is love
If your tired flesh has squandered
What your spirit would have saved
And your aimless feet have wandered
Far from all you truly crave
Turn and run toward your Father
Do not wait another day
See His arms are open
And He is calling out your name
And hope will spring eternal
In the home of those who know
That loving eyes will follow
Every where we go
And even in the darkness
His promises are true
Keep this in your heart
He has not forgotten you
He is in your heart
And He has not... forgotten..... you.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Friday, April 22, 2011
Good Friday... a Blessing to Us!
If you've never read about Good Friday, you will find information in all four gospels in the New Testament Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. Each book is one person's account of their time and experience with Jesus.
I'll begin with what led up to Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday. Then, will continue with His crucifixion.
Jesus and his disciples shared in the Feast of Passover, what we Christians commonly call The Last Supper, for it truly was Jesus' last meal on earth, as 100% man and 100% God.
At the end of the meal, Jesus foretold of how one of His own would betray him. Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, fulfilled scripture by dipping the last piece of bread, and having satan enter him.
After Judas left, Jesus says in the book of John 13:31-35, "So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”"
In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." He also told us that if we love Him, we should keep His commandments. He promised to send a helper to us. The Holy Spirit.
Jesus told that if the world hates you, you need to know that it hated him first...without a cause, fulfilling scripture.
Jesus and his disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane, to pray. This is where Jesus was arrested.
Jesus was questioned by the Caiaphas, the high priest, before being sent to Pilate's court. Finding no fault in Jesus, he offered Barabbas the robber, to be crucified in place of Jesus, but the crowd cried, "Crucify Him!"
Pilate took Him and scourged Him, fulfilling scripture of Isaiah 53:5, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed."
Soldiers twisted a crown of thorns, placing it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe. And, they mocked Him. Again, Jesus was brought out before the people.
Once again, the people cried, "Crucify Him!" Saying once again that he found no fault in Jesus, Pilate told the Jews to take Him and crucify Him, themselves. He made a sign, printed in several languages, to be hung on the cross above Jesus' head reading, "JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS".
There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. We read in Luke 23:32-34, "And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”"
Prophetic scriptures were fulfilled when the soldiers divided Jesus' clothes among themselves and cast lots for His tunic.
As Jesus hung on the cross, He said, "When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home."
We read in John 19:28-30, " After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit."
Continuing in verses 31-37, "Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”"
Jesus was taken down from the cross and buried in a tomb owned by a follower of his, Joseph of Arimathea.
While it breaks my heart how Jesus suffered, I am truly grateful. Not only did He fulfil Old Testament prophecy in the Bible and in the Jewish Torah, but He made a way for me and for you, to be saved from an eternity in hell.
If you would like to see what Jesus' crucifixion was like, please click on this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_e1zFixFv8
John 15:13 says it all, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." That's what Jesus did... for me and for you.
In Acts 16:31, we are told, "...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house". If you are not already trusting in Jesus Christ, for your salvation, please do so, today.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Love Never Dies...
Sunday, April 18th there was a full moon.
Some people think that people go a bit nuts whenever there is a full moon. They may be right, because some people do act strange around that time of the lunar calendar. But, the reality is, no one really knows why. Is it coincidence? Possibly.
One thing is for sure. Whenever there is a full moon, I recall the movie Moonstruck. After all, the moon draws the woman to the man!
Monday night, although it wasn't truly a full moon, if a person didn't know better, they might have thought it was, because the fullness of the moon was similar to the night previous. Of course, this depended upon whether or not a person could see the moon, due to the amount of cloud cover that seemed to act like a curtain, covering the glow, making it more of a glimmer.
At least, that's how it was through the evening.
As you are probably aware, I have trouble sleeping. Well, about 1:00 am, technically Tuesday morning, while I laid awake, the moon made an appearance that I found shocking.
One minute it was nowhere in sight. The next, cloud cover had rolled away and the moon shone as brightly as it had the night before, when the full moon proudly displayed itself.
Lying there, I once again thought of Moonstruck. And, how the moon draws the woman to the man. lol :-)) To me it seemed rather humerous, considering there is no man in my life.
I reflected upon the thought of love.
Staring out my window, I considered in my mind why God allowed me to see this vision of brightness. After about 20 minutes or so, the cloud cover returned once more, dimming the light emitted. Eventually, there was only a shadow of light. Then, there was complete darkness once again.
As I said, I thought about love.
It amazed me how even though the brightly lit moon still existed, it was covered up by clouds so that it was unable to be seen by human eyes. Sort of like how love actually is, in my mind.
After all, love never dies.
Whether we are talking of love for parents, spouses, first loves, friends, family, pets, who or whatever, it truly makes no difference. Even though we cannot always see the love, it is always there.
Memories of the past can bring to mind circumstances where love's joy can be felt, once again. Thinking of a loved one proves the point, that even though the person may not be together with you at the time, there is a connection.
Because love never dies.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Some people think that people go a bit nuts whenever there is a full moon. They may be right, because some people do act strange around that time of the lunar calendar. But, the reality is, no one really knows why. Is it coincidence? Possibly.
One thing is for sure. Whenever there is a full moon, I recall the movie Moonstruck. After all, the moon draws the woman to the man!
Monday night, although it wasn't truly a full moon, if a person didn't know better, they might have thought it was, because the fullness of the moon was similar to the night previous. Of course, this depended upon whether or not a person could see the moon, due to the amount of cloud cover that seemed to act like a curtain, covering the glow, making it more of a glimmer.
At least, that's how it was through the evening.
As you are probably aware, I have trouble sleeping. Well, about 1:00 am, technically Tuesday morning, while I laid awake, the moon made an appearance that I found shocking.
One minute it was nowhere in sight. The next, cloud cover had rolled away and the moon shone as brightly as it had the night before, when the full moon proudly displayed itself.
Lying there, I once again thought of Moonstruck. And, how the moon draws the woman to the man. lol :-)) To me it seemed rather humerous, considering there is no man in my life.
I reflected upon the thought of love.
Staring out my window, I considered in my mind why God allowed me to see this vision of brightness. After about 20 minutes or so, the cloud cover returned once more, dimming the light emitted. Eventually, there was only a shadow of light. Then, there was complete darkness once again.
As I said, I thought about love.
It amazed me how even though the brightly lit moon still existed, it was covered up by clouds so that it was unable to be seen by human eyes. Sort of like how love actually is, in my mind.
After all, love never dies.
Whether we are talking of love for parents, spouses, first loves, friends, family, pets, who or whatever, it truly makes no difference. Even though we cannot always see the love, it is always there.
Memories of the past can bring to mind circumstances where love's joy can be felt, once again. Thinking of a loved one proves the point, that even though the person may not be together with you at the time, there is a connection.
Because love never dies.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Me...A Plumber?!
While talking about Saturday, in yesterday's entry, there was something I hadn't yet written about.
I became a plumber!
Okay. You're probably laughing. I wouldn't blame you! But, it is sort of true. lol
You see, I began having trouble with my toilet on Thursday. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but as time rolled on, I realized I wasn't imagining anything. The throne was not flushing properly.
Hmmm... What to do about this? This is what I initially thought. I hoped and even prayed that whatever the problem was would correct itself, but it didn't happen. By Friday evening, I knew there was a problem and it wasn't going away!
The thought of hiring a plumber didn't thrill me.
Yet, I wasn't sure what the problem was. By Saturday morning, I decided that I would replace the Fluidmaster unit that didn't seem to be working properly.
Believe me when I say I prayed about doing this, for never in the past had I ever done anything like this. Gordon had always handled things like this, even before we married. He was talented with plumbing and electrical needs. Electrical of course, because he worked as an electrician for a time, wiring locomotive train engines!
Talking about Gordon, he wasn't the best at carpentry, but he did okay. There were times when he had trouble doing things with his hands that required hand-eye co-ordination involving small objects like screws or small parts.
I'll try to not laugh when I recall that on one occasion, I had just bought a home, new to me. My first thought whenever I moved was to change the locks.
Gordon had come over to help me. He insisted he would change the lock on my front door. It didn't seem to go well for him, so I offered some assistance. He replied that he could do it and I should just allow him to do it, without offering suggestions. lol Sorry. I just couldn't resist the chuckle.
After sitting on a lawn chair for over an hour, watching Gordon struggle and struggle, unable to get this new handle and lock installed, I suggested he take a break for a few minutes. You see, by this time, he was becoming rather frustrated. Gordon walked away, taking a few minutes to calm down, to use the washroom and get himself a beverage.
While he was gone, I took the door handle and locking system in my hands, looked at it and installed it. When he returned, he was shocked to see I had done this. Oh well! What could I say?! :-))
In any case, I sure wish he had been here to handle this plumbing problem, albeit a minor thing, relatively speaking.
The woman at Home Hardware, who assisted me, asked me what was happening. When I explained it to her, she suggested that possibly I didn't require a whole new unit, but I should try replacing the internal washer. Hmmm... I hadn't even known that there was a washer inside this unit!
In the end, I found this helper sent from heaven was correct!
The only trouble was, I struggled and struggled to get the silly thing apart. Even though I knew what to do, I just did not seem to have the strength to do it. Feeling frustrated, I cried out to God to help me. All of a sudden, I was able to get the cap off! Thank You, Lord!
Then, the system didn't go back together properly. I thought it had, but it hadn't. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way, when water began spraying all over my bathroom! Thinking I had sorted out the problem, I noticed water leaking out of the bottom of the tank. Sigh...
Being Saturday evening, I thought to myself how awful it would be to have to shut off the water to the toilet, permanently. Sigh... Once again, I prayed.
I reached down underneath the tank to figure out where the water was leaking from. After all, it wasn't leaking from the intake valve. There it was!
While reinstalling everything, I must have pushed too hard on the unit and sent it popping out of the bottom of the tank. I repositioned it and tightened the unit underneath the tank and... voila! There it was! All done!
No more problem flushing! No leak! Just a smile on my face! For this, I praise God and thank Jesus!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
I became a plumber!
Okay. You're probably laughing. I wouldn't blame you! But, it is sort of true. lol
You see, I began having trouble with my toilet on Thursday. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but as time rolled on, I realized I wasn't imagining anything. The throne was not flushing properly.
Hmmm... What to do about this? This is what I initially thought. I hoped and even prayed that whatever the problem was would correct itself, but it didn't happen. By Friday evening, I knew there was a problem and it wasn't going away!
The thought of hiring a plumber didn't thrill me.
Yet, I wasn't sure what the problem was. By Saturday morning, I decided that I would replace the Fluidmaster unit that didn't seem to be working properly.
Believe me when I say I prayed about doing this, for never in the past had I ever done anything like this. Gordon had always handled things like this, even before we married. He was talented with plumbing and electrical needs. Electrical of course, because he worked as an electrician for a time, wiring locomotive train engines!
Talking about Gordon, he wasn't the best at carpentry, but he did okay. There were times when he had trouble doing things with his hands that required hand-eye co-ordination involving small objects like screws or small parts.
I'll try to not laugh when I recall that on one occasion, I had just bought a home, new to me. My first thought whenever I moved was to change the locks.
Gordon had come over to help me. He insisted he would change the lock on my front door. It didn't seem to go well for him, so I offered some assistance. He replied that he could do it and I should just allow him to do it, without offering suggestions. lol Sorry. I just couldn't resist the chuckle.
After sitting on a lawn chair for over an hour, watching Gordon struggle and struggle, unable to get this new handle and lock installed, I suggested he take a break for a few minutes. You see, by this time, he was becoming rather frustrated. Gordon walked away, taking a few minutes to calm down, to use the washroom and get himself a beverage.
While he was gone, I took the door handle and locking system in my hands, looked at it and installed it. When he returned, he was shocked to see I had done this. Oh well! What could I say?! :-))
In any case, I sure wish he had been here to handle this plumbing problem, albeit a minor thing, relatively speaking.
The woman at Home Hardware, who assisted me, asked me what was happening. When I explained it to her, she suggested that possibly I didn't require a whole new unit, but I should try replacing the internal washer. Hmmm... I hadn't even known that there was a washer inside this unit!
In the end, I found this helper sent from heaven was correct!
The only trouble was, I struggled and struggled to get the silly thing apart. Even though I knew what to do, I just did not seem to have the strength to do it. Feeling frustrated, I cried out to God to help me. All of a sudden, I was able to get the cap off! Thank You, Lord!
Then, the system didn't go back together properly. I thought it had, but it hadn't. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way, when water began spraying all over my bathroom! Thinking I had sorted out the problem, I noticed water leaking out of the bottom of the tank. Sigh...
Being Saturday evening, I thought to myself how awful it would be to have to shut off the water to the toilet, permanently. Sigh... Once again, I prayed.
I reached down underneath the tank to figure out where the water was leaking from. After all, it wasn't leaking from the intake valve. There it was!
While reinstalling everything, I must have pushed too hard on the unit and sent it popping out of the bottom of the tank. I repositioned it and tightened the unit underneath the tank and... voila! There it was! All done!
No more problem flushing! No leak! Just a smile on my face! For this, I praise God and thank Jesus!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Compromise?
If you read yesterday's entry, you'll know that this past Saturday was a busy day for me.
I was supposed to go out in the evening with my injured worker friend, M.
You may recall that not long ago, M's aunt graciously provided tickets for M to take me to see Celtic Connection at Caesar's Windsor (casino). We had a great time that evening!
Well, M offered to take me to see opera singer Paul Potts do his thing. In case you don't know who Paul Potts is, he is known for having become the first season's winner of the show, Britain's Got Talent.
At first, when M asked me, I thought she needed someone to go with her, so I agreed to join her. However, when I realized that she indeed had someone else available to join her for the evening, I let her know I was backing out.
It's not that I wouldn't have loved seeing and hearing Paul Potts, because I would have. I'm just in two (2) minds about doing so at the casino. Okay, you're probably going to call me a prude, but I just truly don't enjoy supporting the casino, in any way, shape or form.
The funny thing is, it's not just about the gambling. It's also due to the way they have treated injured workers, in the past. This is a story for another time. In any case, I cancelled out.
While working out Saturday afternoon, my trainer/friend M asked me what I was doing for that evening. When I let her know I had cancelled seeing Paul Potts, she suggested I join her, her husband and some friends at one of the legions, here in Windsor.
At the time, I let M know I was rather tired, for I was. I also let her know that I would think about it and possibly attend. M reminded me that dancing is good exercise.
I reminded her that I knew it was, but firstly, I didn't know if my knee was strong enough for that, and secondly, I had no dancing partner. Even so, she insisted I should join them.
Well, at home, I gave it some thought. At first thought, I decided to go and join in the fun. Then, after more thought about it, I decided to not attend there, either.
It's not just because it is a drinking establishment and I'm not a drinker. In addition, as I mentioned, I would have felt like a fifth (5th) wheel, being alone.
But, the main reason was because being alone, in a drinking establishment, people might think I was there in the hopes of meeting a new person in my life. Not.
What convinced me to stay home, was that God reminded me to abstain from the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22), for the appearance of evil is as bad as the evil, itself. I realized that I really didn't want to compromise my feelings, for I love my Lord and don't want to do anything to hurt Him.
So, I stayed home.
Instead, I used my time to write more in my book. Now, I'm in Chapter #10. It is proving to be much more work than I thought it would be.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
I was supposed to go out in the evening with my injured worker friend, M.
You may recall that not long ago, M's aunt graciously provided tickets for M to take me to see Celtic Connection at Caesar's Windsor (casino). We had a great time that evening!
Well, M offered to take me to see opera singer Paul Potts do his thing. In case you don't know who Paul Potts is, he is known for having become the first season's winner of the show, Britain's Got Talent.
At first, when M asked me, I thought she needed someone to go with her, so I agreed to join her. However, when I realized that she indeed had someone else available to join her for the evening, I let her know I was backing out.
It's not that I wouldn't have loved seeing and hearing Paul Potts, because I would have. I'm just in two (2) minds about doing so at the casino. Okay, you're probably going to call me a prude, but I just truly don't enjoy supporting the casino, in any way, shape or form.
The funny thing is, it's not just about the gambling. It's also due to the way they have treated injured workers, in the past. This is a story for another time. In any case, I cancelled out.
While working out Saturday afternoon, my trainer/friend M asked me what I was doing for that evening. When I let her know I had cancelled seeing Paul Potts, she suggested I join her, her husband and some friends at one of the legions, here in Windsor.
At the time, I let M know I was rather tired, for I was. I also let her know that I would think about it and possibly attend. M reminded me that dancing is good exercise.
I reminded her that I knew it was, but firstly, I didn't know if my knee was strong enough for that, and secondly, I had no dancing partner. Even so, she insisted I should join them.
Well, at home, I gave it some thought. At first thought, I decided to go and join in the fun. Then, after more thought about it, I decided to not attend there, either.
It's not just because it is a drinking establishment and I'm not a drinker. In addition, as I mentioned, I would have felt like a fifth (5th) wheel, being alone.
But, the main reason was because being alone, in a drinking establishment, people might think I was there in the hopes of meeting a new person in my life. Not.
What convinced me to stay home, was that God reminded me to abstain from the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22), for the appearance of evil is as bad as the evil, itself. I realized that I really didn't want to compromise my feelings, for I love my Lord and don't want to do anything to hurt Him.
So, I stayed home.
Instead, I used my time to write more in my book. Now, I'm in Chapter #10. It is proving to be much more work than I thought it would be.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Monday, April 18, 2011
Polite Comments...
Yesterday, I didn't get to finish telling you about my week.
Friday, I was unsure if I was going to attend my friend D's Epicure party. Actually, it was her son T's gathering, for he had booked time with my friend M, when he and his Mom attended my Epicure party! Even if I hadn't attended, I would have ordered product, in order to help both T and M..
After giving it much thought, I decided to go, after all. When I arrived, I thought D's home must have been filled with people, for the street parking was at a premium. I had to walk from several homes down the street, to D's home.
Upon entering D's home, I quickly realized that many of her neighbours must have been having guests on this same Friday evening, for there was only a couple of people in attendance, other than my friend M, who was doing the presentation.
Within a short time, more people arrived. Phew! After all was said and done, I was glad to have decided to attend, for we had an absolute riot! A lot of laughs were had by all! The evening truly lifted my spirits.
Spending most of my life alone, isn't what I had dreamed of, but it is what my life has become. Except for work and friends and the occasional time with family, there really isn't much to put a smile on my face. Except for Jesus, of course!
Saturday morning, I had to work. After showing property and arriving home, I thought about taking a nap, for I was exhausted. After all, I haven't been sleeping well. But, the thought of having a quick 40 winks, or even 20 winks at the expense of putting off sleep at bedtime, kept me from doing this.
In the afternoon, I did something I don't normally do on a Saturday; I went and worked out at M's. She normally isn't open for business, but she had let me know that some newer people were going to be working out. I was grateful to be able to join them!
We discussed the Epicure party of the evening before. I let M know that after much discussion with D about how I was working out at her gym, our friend D intended to join M's gym, too. D said she would join, as soon as she was finished competing in the contest she is participating in. Yes! D finishes up the contest on Easter weekend. I've been praying she wins! Lord willing, she will.
It turned out that M wasn't surprised, for after I left D's home, she let M know how she could see an improvement in me and let her know she will join in the fun.
What was shocking to me was that during the course of Friday evening, D kept looking at me, commenting on how good I was looking. I thought at first she was just being polite, since she knew I was working out at M's gym. But, on Saturday afternoon, M let me know that D had commented to her, as well.
Well, I don't see it, for I don't really see much change. My clothes do, however. Some are feeling rather large. Praise God! Thank You, Jesus!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Friday, I was unsure if I was going to attend my friend D's Epicure party. Actually, it was her son T's gathering, for he had booked time with my friend M, when he and his Mom attended my Epicure party! Even if I hadn't attended, I would have ordered product, in order to help both T and M..
After giving it much thought, I decided to go, after all. When I arrived, I thought D's home must have been filled with people, for the street parking was at a premium. I had to walk from several homes down the street, to D's home.
Upon entering D's home, I quickly realized that many of her neighbours must have been having guests on this same Friday evening, for there was only a couple of people in attendance, other than my friend M, who was doing the presentation.
Within a short time, more people arrived. Phew! After all was said and done, I was glad to have decided to attend, for we had an absolute riot! A lot of laughs were had by all! The evening truly lifted my spirits.
Spending most of my life alone, isn't what I had dreamed of, but it is what my life has become. Except for work and friends and the occasional time with family, there really isn't much to put a smile on my face. Except for Jesus, of course!
Saturday morning, I had to work. After showing property and arriving home, I thought about taking a nap, for I was exhausted. After all, I haven't been sleeping well. But, the thought of having a quick 40 winks, or even 20 winks at the expense of putting off sleep at bedtime, kept me from doing this.
In the afternoon, I did something I don't normally do on a Saturday; I went and worked out at M's. She normally isn't open for business, but she had let me know that some newer people were going to be working out. I was grateful to be able to join them!
We discussed the Epicure party of the evening before. I let M know that after much discussion with D about how I was working out at her gym, our friend D intended to join M's gym, too. D said she would join, as soon as she was finished competing in the contest she is participating in. Yes! D finishes up the contest on Easter weekend. I've been praying she wins! Lord willing, she will.
It turned out that M wasn't surprised, for after I left D's home, she let M know how she could see an improvement in me and let her know she will join in the fun.
What was shocking to me was that during the course of Friday evening, D kept looking at me, commenting on how good I was looking. I thought at first she was just being polite, since she knew I was working out at M's gym. But, on Saturday afternoon, M let me know that D had commented to her, as well.
Well, I don't see it, for I don't really see much change. My clothes do, however. Some are feeling rather large. Praise God! Thank You, Jesus!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Sunday, April 17, 2011
My Week...
This past week was a fairly busy one for me, for in addition to what I normally do, I was much busier for work.
Even so, on Tuesday, I enjoyed lunch at Red Lobster with my co-worker/friend C. Arriving before C and a client he was picking up, I secured our table.
What began as being a luncheon meeting for three (3) of us, turned out to be a slightly different meeting, for C arrived alone. Apparently, the woman he was to have picked up, who was to join us for lunch, couldn't make it after all!
Oh well. So be it! Nothing could be done to improve or repair our meeting, especially since the client cancelled. So, we made the best of a bad situation. We did what we thought was best. We ate a fabulous meal and discussed business. :-))
Of course, I managed to fit in time to work out with my personal trainer/friend M. She is amazed that I meet with her every weekday, except when she is not available. To be honest, I'm amazed I meet with her like this, too!
Even though it is hard work for me and wears me out, I do it in an effort to acquire as much healing and strength as I can muster. It isn't always easy. Between feeling physically overwhelmed and scheduling problems, it sure takes a determined desire to make myself do this, but I do it!
Working out with M truly wears me out. Yet, not enough to make me sleep at night. Yup. Still, almost every night is the same. Either I can't sleep and get up after trying everything I can to drift off, or I fall asleep and after a short time, wake up for the majority of the rest of the night.
Even on those evenings when I have been so exhausted that I couldn't keep my eyes open while relaxing in my recliner chair, I crawl into bed, only to find my eyes go...boing! Open! Can't sleep!
Melatonin seems to help on occasion, but not always.
It's not like there is anything bothering me, for there truly isn't. Except for the grief I am still dealing with, of course. I just cannot relax my mind.
My co-worker/friend C, who I had lunched with on Tuesday, claims he knows the answer. He believes I need a man in my life. lol Whether or not he is right, is of no consequence to me, for this isn't going to happen any time soon, if at all; ever.
Of course, if I fell for flattery from Facebook (FB) men all over the world, that might be a different story. Of course, the story behind this, is a story for another time! :-))
Thursday is usually Bible study day, but we didn't meet. My friend W, who hosts our newest concept meeting, had other plans, so our study was put off until this coming Thursday.
More about my week, tomorrow. Blessings...
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Even so, on Tuesday, I enjoyed lunch at Red Lobster with my co-worker/friend C. Arriving before C and a client he was picking up, I secured our table.
What began as being a luncheon meeting for three (3) of us, turned out to be a slightly different meeting, for C arrived alone. Apparently, the woman he was to have picked up, who was to join us for lunch, couldn't make it after all!
Oh well. So be it! Nothing could be done to improve or repair our meeting, especially since the client cancelled. So, we made the best of a bad situation. We did what we thought was best. We ate a fabulous meal and discussed business. :-))
Of course, I managed to fit in time to work out with my personal trainer/friend M. She is amazed that I meet with her every weekday, except when she is not available. To be honest, I'm amazed I meet with her like this, too!
Even though it is hard work for me and wears me out, I do it in an effort to acquire as much healing and strength as I can muster. It isn't always easy. Between feeling physically overwhelmed and scheduling problems, it sure takes a determined desire to make myself do this, but I do it!
Working out with M truly wears me out. Yet, not enough to make me sleep at night. Yup. Still, almost every night is the same. Either I can't sleep and get up after trying everything I can to drift off, or I fall asleep and after a short time, wake up for the majority of the rest of the night.
Even on those evenings when I have been so exhausted that I couldn't keep my eyes open while relaxing in my recliner chair, I crawl into bed, only to find my eyes go...boing! Open! Can't sleep!
Melatonin seems to help on occasion, but not always.
It's not like there is anything bothering me, for there truly isn't. Except for the grief I am still dealing with, of course. I just cannot relax my mind.
My co-worker/friend C, who I had lunched with on Tuesday, claims he knows the answer. He believes I need a man in my life. lol Whether or not he is right, is of no consequence to me, for this isn't going to happen any time soon, if at all; ever.
Of course, if I fell for flattery from Facebook (FB) men all over the world, that might be a different story. Of course, the story behind this, is a story for another time! :-))
Thursday is usually Bible study day, but we didn't meet. My friend W, who hosts our newest concept meeting, had other plans, so our study was put off until this coming Thursday.
More about my week, tomorrow. Blessings...
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Blessings and Prayer...
My poor friend M has sure had a hard time with this latest surgery.
M was supposed to be in hospital only overnight with her recent surgery. Instead, she was kept several days before finally being released from hospital. Being home less than two (2) days, she had to return once more to the hospital Emergency Room, was kept overnight and was finally discharged for good.
She sure has been through the mill over this past year or so, having to endure several surgeries. But, God is good. He has provided for her, completely. Now, it seems that she is on the mend. I praise God and thank Jesus for this!
I'm grateful M lives right here, in Windsor. At least this makes it simple to visit with her. Hopefully, it won't be long before we share a cup of tea and some fellowship time, together.
Friends, I thank you for any/all prayer you provided for M! I appreciate you praying for the need of my friend M, more than you know. May God bless you.
Speaking of friends who I have asked you to pray for, I have some news regarding my friend J, who lives in Texas, USA.
As you know, I have requested prayer for J, as she is in need of a lung transplant. Even with oxygen 24 hours per day and even with the latest of drugs to assist her with improved breathing, J is still struggling to breathe.
Over the past few months, J has undergone many tests, to determine if she would be eligible to have her name added to the transplant list. Test after test, she endured. Some were truly not pleasant, but God helped her through each one.
As she finished up with the testing, J became ill with a lung infection. She had to take antibiotics and other medications to aide her with healing.
J told me that for her, the worst part was knowing that as long as she was taking these extra medications and had infection, she would not be eligible to be placed on the transplant list. Still, we prayed. Also, on FB, I requested prayer from friends and from those who participated on some prayer groups that I am a member of.
Well, J had some news. The news was both good and not-so-good. Yesterday, her name was added to the transplant list. Praise God! Thank You, Jesus!
That was the good news. The not-so-good news is that her condition is so severe, that she is actually at the top of the list. On one hand, this is good; on the other hand, it shows how desperately she needs this transplant surgery.
Please realize that both J and I are fully aware that in order for her to have transplant surgery, someone else must die.
We are not asking that someone else die, in her place. However, we are asking God that if His plan is for someone else to have their life end, that their lung(s) be given to provide continued life for J.
This is where you come in. Again, I will ask you to pray for J. She is in constant need of prayer, at this time.
Please, pray the surgery will happen, soon. And, that when surgery occurrs, she will receive full and complete recovery quickly, without any complication.
Friends, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. As you know, prayer is multiplied mega-fold, when more than one person prays.
May God bless you, now and always...
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
M was supposed to be in hospital only overnight with her recent surgery. Instead, she was kept several days before finally being released from hospital. Being home less than two (2) days, she had to return once more to the hospital Emergency Room, was kept overnight and was finally discharged for good.
She sure has been through the mill over this past year or so, having to endure several surgeries. But, God is good. He has provided for her, completely. Now, it seems that she is on the mend. I praise God and thank Jesus for this!
I'm grateful M lives right here, in Windsor. At least this makes it simple to visit with her. Hopefully, it won't be long before we share a cup of tea and some fellowship time, together.
Friends, I thank you for any/all prayer you provided for M! I appreciate you praying for the need of my friend M, more than you know. May God bless you.
Speaking of friends who I have asked you to pray for, I have some news regarding my friend J, who lives in Texas, USA.
As you know, I have requested prayer for J, as she is in need of a lung transplant. Even with oxygen 24 hours per day and even with the latest of drugs to assist her with improved breathing, J is still struggling to breathe.
Over the past few months, J has undergone many tests, to determine if she would be eligible to have her name added to the transplant list. Test after test, she endured. Some were truly not pleasant, but God helped her through each one.
As she finished up with the testing, J became ill with a lung infection. She had to take antibiotics and other medications to aide her with healing.
J told me that for her, the worst part was knowing that as long as she was taking these extra medications and had infection, she would not be eligible to be placed on the transplant list. Still, we prayed. Also, on FB, I requested prayer from friends and from those who participated on some prayer groups that I am a member of.
Well, J had some news. The news was both good and not-so-good. Yesterday, her name was added to the transplant list. Praise God! Thank You, Jesus!
That was the good news. The not-so-good news is that her condition is so severe, that she is actually at the top of the list. On one hand, this is good; on the other hand, it shows how desperately she needs this transplant surgery.
Please realize that both J and I are fully aware that in order for her to have transplant surgery, someone else must die.
We are not asking that someone else die, in her place. However, we are asking God that if His plan is for someone else to have their life end, that their lung(s) be given to provide continued life for J.
This is where you come in. Again, I will ask you to pray for J. She is in constant need of prayer, at this time.
Please, pray the surgery will happen, soon. And, that when surgery occurrs, she will receive full and complete recovery quickly, without any complication.
Friends, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. As you know, prayer is multiplied mega-fold, when more than one person prays.
May God bless you, now and always...
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Friday, April 15, 2011
Home Invaded, Shot Fired!
Lord, please be with my family and with the other families who live on Windsor's west side, west of the bridge, in the area of boarded up houses.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, that when you have many, many, many boarded up houses in one area, it attracts crime and the people who commit crime.
Here is a link to the story that was printed in The Windsor Star, Monday, April 11, 2011:
http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Home+invaded+shot+fired/4593490/story.html
You'll notice the article says no one was shot. Well, as per my daughter, this is not quite accurate, for while a struggle for the gun happened, it was fired and someone was hurt.
The man the Star says was "allegedly struck" and struggled for the gun, was indeed hurt. Praise God the bullet didn't enter his head fully, but the bullet grazed his cheek, so that when he was helped by others, blood covered his face.
I praise God that his injury wasn't worse!
Oh, Lord! Please help my daughter and her family! Lord, protect my family and others who have to deal with these issues, more often all the time.
Living with all these boarded up houses in her area, is bad enough. But, when unsavoury people are attracted or drawn to this area, it become truly dangerous.
For me, it was bad enough hearing that this incident occurred in her area at all, but struck a nerve even worse when I found out from my daughter P, that she saw police officers and swat team members outside her home.
P told me she opened her door to find out from the officers what the problem was, only to be told in a demanding way, to get back into her home and shelter her family.
Apparently, the man who police were chasing, because he had fired the gun, was in between my daughter's home and the home next door to her.
Be still my heart.
If I had the power to move her out of that area, for sure I would do it. If she had been speaking with me at the time that a relative purchased this home for her to live in, you can be sure that I would have steered them away from this area.
Not that the area is truly a bad area, for it isn't. However, when you attract unsavoury characters into a poor neighbourhood, the outcome is usually not good.
I still say that our City of Windsor Mayor, Eddie Francis, should move his family into this area for a time. I'm sure it wouldn't take long before these boarded up houses would be torn down, leaving less chance for criminals to find places to hide out.
Of course, this is unlikely to happen. After all, he wouldn't want his family being affected by the stress of gun shots being fired, even on an irregular basis.
Father, I thank You once again for keeping a hedge of protection around my family and the other families who live in this area, where they are targeted by those who obviously do not know You. Father, I thank You for protecting the man who was attacked from worse injury or death. Father, I thank You that the attacker was caught. Father, I wish no evil on this man who attacked and endangered the lives of so many others. Father, if it is Your will, I pray You will save this man. I pray he will come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour of his life. I know that Your word tells us that You wish that none should perish, so I believe it is truly Your will for this to happen. Father, I thank You in advance for this and pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
I've said it before and I'll say it again, that when you have many, many, many boarded up houses in one area, it attracts crime and the people who commit crime.
Here is a link to the story that was printed in The Windsor Star, Monday, April 11, 2011:
http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Home+invaded+shot+fired/4593490/story.html
You'll notice the article says no one was shot. Well, as per my daughter, this is not quite accurate, for while a struggle for the gun happened, it was fired and someone was hurt.
The man the Star says was "allegedly struck" and struggled for the gun, was indeed hurt. Praise God the bullet didn't enter his head fully, but the bullet grazed his cheek, so that when he was helped by others, blood covered his face.
I praise God that his injury wasn't worse!
Oh, Lord! Please help my daughter and her family! Lord, protect my family and others who have to deal with these issues, more often all the time.
Living with all these boarded up houses in her area, is bad enough. But, when unsavoury people are attracted or drawn to this area, it become truly dangerous.
For me, it was bad enough hearing that this incident occurred in her area at all, but struck a nerve even worse when I found out from my daughter P, that she saw police officers and swat team members outside her home.
P told me she opened her door to find out from the officers what the problem was, only to be told in a demanding way, to get back into her home and shelter her family.
Apparently, the man who police were chasing, because he had fired the gun, was in between my daughter's home and the home next door to her.
Be still my heart.
If I had the power to move her out of that area, for sure I would do it. If she had been speaking with me at the time that a relative purchased this home for her to live in, you can be sure that I would have steered them away from this area.
Not that the area is truly a bad area, for it isn't. However, when you attract unsavoury characters into a poor neighbourhood, the outcome is usually not good.
I still say that our City of Windsor Mayor, Eddie Francis, should move his family into this area for a time. I'm sure it wouldn't take long before these boarded up houses would be torn down, leaving less chance for criminals to find places to hide out.
Of course, this is unlikely to happen. After all, he wouldn't want his family being affected by the stress of gun shots being fired, even on an irregular basis.
Father, I thank You once again for keeping a hedge of protection around my family and the other families who live in this area, where they are targeted by those who obviously do not know You. Father, I thank You for protecting the man who was attacked from worse injury or death. Father, I thank You that the attacker was caught. Father, I wish no evil on this man who attacked and endangered the lives of so many others. Father, if it is Your will, I pray You will save this man. I pray he will come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour of his life. I know that Your word tells us that You wish that none should perish, so I believe it is truly Your will for this to happen. Father, I thank You in advance for this and pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Prayer & Blessings!
If you read Life with Lynnie (LwL) yesterday, you'll know that on Friday, April 8th, I was to attend a prayer meeting supporting the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative (DWCC), along with our host Bob Cameron and others who wished to pray and be supportive.
You would also know that due to a brain burp, I found myself attempting to find entry into the wrong church! Oh well, if I don't laugh, I'll cry! :-))
Even though I found myself at the wrong church, I decided to just take a deep breath, get back into my van and drive the few blocks, to the church where I was supposed to be! When I arrived at the church, I parked and was pleasantly surprised to find that I had no trouble entering St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church!
Throughout the whole main level of the sanctuary were groups of people praying. Yes, I missed the very beginning. However, after a quick word with Bob Cameron, I saw a hand waving to me; it was my friend, G!
I was handed a prayer sheet and once the others had finished praying, I prayed.
Then, music began. We sang a hymn. The new subject to pray about was discussed and back into prayer we went. This same format was followed, throughout the evening, until prayer time was finished.
What a wonderful time of prayer it was! Here's what we prayed for:
...the Spirit's movement in the heart of (our city) Windsor.
Ministries:
* St. Leonard's
* Salvation Army
* Downtown Mission
* Lazarus Commission
* Men United for God
Agencies:
* Street Health
* MHC (Mental Health Connections)
* YMCA
* DWRA (Downtown Windsor Residents Association)
* Multicultural Centre
Churches:
* Rose City Community
* St. Andrew's Presbyterian
* All Saints Anglican
* Central United
* First Baptist
* Harrison Memorial
* Tanner
* Mount Zion
* Dayspring
* Korean Presbyterian
* Living Word Pentecostal
Government:
* Mayor Eddie Francis
* Councillor Fulvio Valentinis
(plus, I prayed for our upcoming election, etc.)
Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative (DWCC):
* Lighthouse in every neighbourhood
* Community Home
* Community Gardens
* Cafe
Commerce:
* Healthy businesses (Boaz)
* Downtown BIA (Business Improvement Area)
* Unhealthy businesses (Zacchaeus)
Community Needs (Micah 6:8):
* Mercy for deprivation
* Justice for oppression
* Relationship for alienation
What a blessing this meeting was! Truly, it was a wonderful time of prayer. Afterwards, we enjoyed some fellowship time and some sweet treats. It was surprising to me how many people were in attendance that I knew!
Praise be to God! May He work mightily, in the core area of our fair city, Windsor.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
You would also know that due to a brain burp, I found myself attempting to find entry into the wrong church! Oh well, if I don't laugh, I'll cry! :-))
Even though I found myself at the wrong church, I decided to just take a deep breath, get back into my van and drive the few blocks, to the church where I was supposed to be! When I arrived at the church, I parked and was pleasantly surprised to find that I had no trouble entering St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church!
Throughout the whole main level of the sanctuary were groups of people praying. Yes, I missed the very beginning. However, after a quick word with Bob Cameron, I saw a hand waving to me; it was my friend, G!
I was handed a prayer sheet and once the others had finished praying, I prayed.
Then, music began. We sang a hymn. The new subject to pray about was discussed and back into prayer we went. This same format was followed, throughout the evening, until prayer time was finished.
What a wonderful time of prayer it was! Here's what we prayed for:
...the Spirit's movement in the heart of (our city) Windsor.
Ministries:
* St. Leonard's
* Salvation Army
* Downtown Mission
* Lazarus Commission
* Men United for God
Agencies:
* Street Health
* MHC (Mental Health Connections)
* YMCA
* DWRA (Downtown Windsor Residents Association)
* Multicultural Centre
Churches:
* Rose City Community
* St. Andrew's Presbyterian
* All Saints Anglican
* Central United
* First Baptist
* Harrison Memorial
* Tanner
* Mount Zion
* Dayspring
* Korean Presbyterian
* Living Word Pentecostal
Government:
* Mayor Eddie Francis
* Councillor Fulvio Valentinis
(plus, I prayed for our upcoming election, etc.)
Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative (DWCC):
* Lighthouse in every neighbourhood
* Community Home
* Community Gardens
* Cafe
Commerce:
* Healthy businesses (Boaz)
* Downtown BIA (Business Improvement Area)
* Unhealthy businesses (Zacchaeus)
Community Needs (Micah 6:8):
* Mercy for deprivation
* Justice for oppression
* Relationship for alienation
What a blessing this meeting was! Truly, it was a wonderful time of prayer. Afterwards, we enjoyed some fellowship time and some sweet treats. It was surprising to me how many people were in attendance that I knew!
Praise be to God! May He work mightily, in the core area of our fair city, Windsor.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
An Evening of Prayer... and a Laugh!
Last Friday evening was a special time. It was a time of prayer.
At last month's 50+ luncheon at my church, Bob Cameron was our guest speaker. After approximately 20 years absense, Bob and his family returned to live in Windsor, after living in the Brampton and Mississauga areas.
Bob and his family have associated themselves with a group called the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative (DWCC). As Christians, they are using their time and resources in a Christian mission effort to rejuvenate Windsor's core downtown area, opening up their home and assisting in activities that they believe will help the community.
G, a friend of mine who attended the 50+ luncheon with me, was happy she heard about the Cameron family's efforts. Even though she lives in the nearby community of Tecumseh (Lakeshore) and not in Windsor, she thought this was a good project to support. As I did, too.
As a Christion, G wanted to participate and agreed to attend an evening of prayer scheduled for Friday, April 8th that Bob had arranged. She decided to bring a friend with her, who she would pick up on her way downtown. I agreed to meet them, there.
Truly, I cannot believe what I did. Hopefully, you'll have a good laugh. After all, we all need a good laugh, sometimes. And, if we can't laugh at ourselves, then what's the point?! :-))
All day, I was reminding people about the meeting scheduled for 7:00 pm, at All Saints' Church, near City Hall.
Driving was easy and the traffic was light, until I reached the area of Caesar's Windsor, the casino and hotel complex, near where my destination was located. When I turned south onto Glengarry, I was delayed a few moments, due to the volume of traffic entering the parking garage. Obviously, there must have been a well-known entertainer due to grace fans at the casino, although I don't know who it would have been.
Finally, I arrived at All Saints' Church and immediately found parking, even though there was quite a few cars parked in the area. For this, I praised God and thanked Jesus!
Finding the front door to the church locked wasn't a surprise, for sometimes the front door is not used, so I made my way to the side door entrance. I could hear people singing, so it was shocking to find that door locked, as well.
Standing there, I couldn't tell if the sound of music was resonating from the church itself, or the attached Scott Hall. My next thought was that the meeting entrance must have been the hall entrance, so I walked around the complex to that door. Nope. It was locked!
Then, I thought maybe I was confused about the time or something, so I pulled out of my purse, the ad I had received, giving the meeting information.
There it was! The name of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church graced the ad, with the information on the meeting time and date. :-)) While I can laugh now, I wasn't laughing then!
There is more to this story, but I will have to finish it, tomorrow. Hopefully, you'll stay tuned!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
At last month's 50+ luncheon at my church, Bob Cameron was our guest speaker. After approximately 20 years absense, Bob and his family returned to live in Windsor, after living in the Brampton and Mississauga areas.
Bob and his family have associated themselves with a group called the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative (DWCC). As Christians, they are using their time and resources in a Christian mission effort to rejuvenate Windsor's core downtown area, opening up their home and assisting in activities that they believe will help the community.
G, a friend of mine who attended the 50+ luncheon with me, was happy she heard about the Cameron family's efforts. Even though she lives in the nearby community of Tecumseh (Lakeshore) and not in Windsor, she thought this was a good project to support. As I did, too.
As a Christion, G wanted to participate and agreed to attend an evening of prayer scheduled for Friday, April 8th that Bob had arranged. She decided to bring a friend with her, who she would pick up on her way downtown. I agreed to meet them, there.
Truly, I cannot believe what I did. Hopefully, you'll have a good laugh. After all, we all need a good laugh, sometimes. And, if we can't laugh at ourselves, then what's the point?! :-))
All day, I was reminding people about the meeting scheduled for 7:00 pm, at All Saints' Church, near City Hall.
Driving was easy and the traffic was light, until I reached the area of Caesar's Windsor, the casino and hotel complex, near where my destination was located. When I turned south onto Glengarry, I was delayed a few moments, due to the volume of traffic entering the parking garage. Obviously, there must have been a well-known entertainer due to grace fans at the casino, although I don't know who it would have been.
Finally, I arrived at All Saints' Church and immediately found parking, even though there was quite a few cars parked in the area. For this, I praised God and thanked Jesus!
Finding the front door to the church locked wasn't a surprise, for sometimes the front door is not used, so I made my way to the side door entrance. I could hear people singing, so it was shocking to find that door locked, as well.
Standing there, I couldn't tell if the sound of music was resonating from the church itself, or the attached Scott Hall. My next thought was that the meeting entrance must have been the hall entrance, so I walked around the complex to that door. Nope. It was locked!
Then, I thought maybe I was confused about the time or something, so I pulled out of my purse, the ad I had received, giving the meeting information.
There it was! The name of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church graced the ad, with the information on the meeting time and date. :-)) While I can laugh now, I wasn't laughing then!
There is more to this story, but I will have to finish it, tomorrow. Hopefully, you'll stay tuned!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Eureka!
As you know, I don't always write about work. Truthfully, it's enough to live it, without writing about it! lol :-)) Even so, since this one problem took up so much of my time this week, I thought I should write a little bit about it, on Life with Lynnie (LwL).
Over the past couple of years, I have had nothing but trouble with a web-site that I use for work. It is an intranet site, meaning I can access it from any computer, with access to the internet. Truthfully, it should be easy to use.
Think again! In the past, I've spent much time praying over these problems!
Between all the government's regulations regarding privacy, the do-not-call legislation, etc., my life as it once was as a Realtor, has definitely changed. Many of us feel our hands are already being tied behind our backs, making our work difficult.
However, between security needs and government regulations, the site I mainly use for work is now a nightmare to use! It's not as if I don't know how to use the site, for I do. In fact, although I may not be the greatest computer nerd, I teach many others when they have problems or are learning.
Still, it's become harder and harder to send my clients info through e-mail, not because of my e-mail programme, but because of the intranet site that I use, that has so many built-in security situations. For instance, we used to be able to just click on file, print and select to send the info. Life's become more complicated, now. Now, we can't just do this.
In fact, over the last few months, I truly thought possibly part of the problem wasn't the system, but possibly my now fairly aged laptop computer. But, I found out recently, I was wrong; it wasn't my computer.
For example, all week long, I've been trying to e-mail clients some information on properties. Nope. It didn't happen. No matter what I tried to do, I just could not do this.
By the time Thursday came, I was feeling very frustrated. Thinking it was possibly a problem related to my e-mail set up on my new laptop, I called my internet service provider (ISP). Yes, there was a problem.
After spending over an hour with a representative in El Salvador, my problem was supposed to be solved. I went to send my clients e-mail, but couldn't. The problem wasn't resolved.
So, I once again called my ISP. This time, I spent over two (2) hours with a techie in India, only to find the problem still wasn't resolved. (once again, I am giving a huge SIGH!)
Friday, I dropped by the store where I purchased my new laptop. I had hoped to see the person who had sold me the computer, for he used to be our in-house computer person at my real estate board office; he wasn't there.
However, the young man who helped do the original set up on my computer was there. After discussing the problem, he suggested I bring in my computer and he would fix the problem, free of charge. Praise God! Finally, some help!
After picking up my laptop, I returned to the store. The tech fellow and I worked together to try and recify the problem. No such luck. Although I must say, that we finally got the system working so that I could at least send e-mail from other sites, other than my real estate site I need to use for work.
I was asked to leave my computer for him to work on further, but I decided that it may be an issue now from the site provider, so I suggested I try to rectify the problem through them. He agreed, letting me know I can bring it back, if I need more help.
Thinking maybe my new computer still wasn't properly set up, I tried my old computer, once again. Nope. No better than the new one, for I just couldn't do this. (I am inserting a BIG sigh, here!)
Realizing I still couldn't use either computer to send my work e-mail, I wasted no time in contacting the site provider. For the first time ever, I actually received help from someone at this site.
For over the past several years, whenever I experienced a problem, it seemed the techies I would speak with were of little help. This time, I was floored to actually receive help. And, not just help that fluffed off the problem, but actually helped to determine the problem and provide a solution!
Firstly, I must tell you that Windows 7 does not support provide access to the system requirements I need. Great, I thought! So much for my new computer!
Then, I also must tell you that Microsoft no longer supports Outlook Express as I was using on my old laptop, with Windows XP. So, there was no help to be found, for the problem of not being able to do my work through my old laptop!
Give me a break! What was I to do? Well, the woman from the site provider I need to use for work, helped me by showing me another way I could send the e-mail I needed to send. By sending it directly through their site.
Eureka! Believe it or not, when I tried this, it worked!
The only draw back is that it adds another step, that will add about 15 or more minutes time to each and every e-mail I send out, ensuring that my job will once again, become somewhat harder and more complicated. But, still... I praise God and thank Jesus, for providing for me!
This last SIGH is one of relief!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Over the past couple of years, I have had nothing but trouble with a web-site that I use for work. It is an intranet site, meaning I can access it from any computer, with access to the internet. Truthfully, it should be easy to use.
Think again! In the past, I've spent much time praying over these problems!
Between all the government's regulations regarding privacy, the do-not-call legislation, etc., my life as it once was as a Realtor, has definitely changed. Many of us feel our hands are already being tied behind our backs, making our work difficult.
However, between security needs and government regulations, the site I mainly use for work is now a nightmare to use! It's not as if I don't know how to use the site, for I do. In fact, although I may not be the greatest computer nerd, I teach many others when they have problems or are learning.
Still, it's become harder and harder to send my clients info through e-mail, not because of my e-mail programme, but because of the intranet site that I use, that has so many built-in security situations. For instance, we used to be able to just click on file, print and select to send the info. Life's become more complicated, now. Now, we can't just do this.
In fact, over the last few months, I truly thought possibly part of the problem wasn't the system, but possibly my now fairly aged laptop computer. But, I found out recently, I was wrong; it wasn't my computer.
For example, all week long, I've been trying to e-mail clients some information on properties. Nope. It didn't happen. No matter what I tried to do, I just could not do this.
By the time Thursday came, I was feeling very frustrated. Thinking it was possibly a problem related to my e-mail set up on my new laptop, I called my internet service provider (ISP). Yes, there was a problem.
After spending over an hour with a representative in El Salvador, my problem was supposed to be solved. I went to send my clients e-mail, but couldn't. The problem wasn't resolved.
So, I once again called my ISP. This time, I spent over two (2) hours with a techie in India, only to find the problem still wasn't resolved. (once again, I am giving a huge SIGH!)
Friday, I dropped by the store where I purchased my new laptop. I had hoped to see the person who had sold me the computer, for he used to be our in-house computer person at my real estate board office; he wasn't there.
However, the young man who helped do the original set up on my computer was there. After discussing the problem, he suggested I bring in my computer and he would fix the problem, free of charge. Praise God! Finally, some help!
After picking up my laptop, I returned to the store. The tech fellow and I worked together to try and recify the problem. No such luck. Although I must say, that we finally got the system working so that I could at least send e-mail from other sites, other than my real estate site I need to use for work.
I was asked to leave my computer for him to work on further, but I decided that it may be an issue now from the site provider, so I suggested I try to rectify the problem through them. He agreed, letting me know I can bring it back, if I need more help.
Thinking maybe my new computer still wasn't properly set up, I tried my old computer, once again. Nope. No better than the new one, for I just couldn't do this. (I am inserting a BIG sigh, here!)
Realizing I still couldn't use either computer to send my work e-mail, I wasted no time in contacting the site provider. For the first time ever, I actually received help from someone at this site.
For over the past several years, whenever I experienced a problem, it seemed the techies I would speak with were of little help. This time, I was floored to actually receive help. And, not just help that fluffed off the problem, but actually helped to determine the problem and provide a solution!
Firstly, I must tell you that Windows 7 does not support provide access to the system requirements I need. Great, I thought! So much for my new computer!
Then, I also must tell you that Microsoft no longer supports Outlook Express as I was using on my old laptop, with Windows XP. So, there was no help to be found, for the problem of not being able to do my work through my old laptop!
Give me a break! What was I to do? Well, the woman from the site provider I need to use for work, helped me by showing me another way I could send the e-mail I needed to send. By sending it directly through their site.
Eureka! Believe it or not, when I tried this, it worked!
The only draw back is that it adds another step, that will add about 15 or more minutes time to each and every e-mail I send out, ensuring that my job will once again, become somewhat harder and more complicated. But, still... I praise God and thank Jesus, for providing for me!
This last SIGH is one of relief!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Monday, April 11, 2011
You Showed Me!
There are times when I feel like I'm such a loser, even though I realize there are truly no losers with our Lord.
These last couple of entries sound so very depressing. The only thing worse than the sound of the entries, was the way I felt.
Sometimes, even after I begin to feel better about my grief, I want to give myself a kick in the pants, sometimes thinking things like: Shape up, Lynn! Give yourself a shake! There are so many people worse off than you; don't you get it?
Then, God usually brings me back to reality.
Although some people believe that as a Christian I should not suffer or feel badly for any reason, this is a fallacy. After all, God's word does tell us in Isaiah 43:2, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle on you."
Notice God tells us... when, not if. We know from this that all God's children will suffer in this life.
God has blessed me with some great friends. Some I know personally, while some on Facebook (FB) I haven't yet met.
The other day I was messaged on FB by a friend I met at my grief counselling, here in Windsor. Her husband had died prior to Gordon.
I recall her telling me at one of our counselling sessions that she felt she had already dealt with losing her husband in some ways, prior to his death, because he had been sick for several years. Even so, in her FB message, she told me she was just finishing up another grief counselling course, through Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), where I used to take Gordon for help.
Wow! You could have blown me over with a feather, when I read this message from her! Here, I thought she was doing so much better than I. How wrong could I have been?!
Saturday evening, my neighbour/friend K handed me a plate with a couple pieces of pizza on it. She knew that since our water had been off, I didn't have company as I had originally planned. She also knew I was suffering another bout of grief.
K knows and understands, because she told me that even though it will be 24 years on Tuesday, April 12th since her husband L died, she still grieves him. Be still my heart.
On Saturday evening, something else happened. I received a message from another FB friend; my friend, A. She had decided to message me, to encourage me, as she knew I was feeling the effects of grief, once again.
In her message to me, A said, "I can truly say I know how you feel, I felt like half of me was gone, I went thru such severe grief that I actually thought I was going to die and wanted to, but I had such a big church family and my family, they would`nt let me give up!!!!!! Lots of love and prayers coming your way! God bless Lynn!!!!!!!!"
Wow! Another blow me away, incident. While this was A's message to me, I felt like it was something I would have and could have said to her, for she described feelings I've had, exactly.
God bless, indeed. He does! As you can see, He has blessed me with great friends who understand and support me.
Then, Sunday afternoon, my telephone rang. Not once, but twice.
The first (1st) call was from one of my cousins from N. Ireland. What a blessing it was to hear her voice. She too, is a widow who lost her husband just a few months before my Gordon died.
The second (2nd) call was from P, the daughter of a friend of mine who died about three (3) weeks before Gordon died. P and I spoke about many things, but mainly about how she misses her Mom and how she still suffers grief. Wow! Double wow!
Father, thank You for showing me that I am truly not alone in my grief. Thank You for providing me loving, supportive friends to help me through the rough times. Thank You for showing me that I am not just a weak Christian. Thank You, for providing not only for me, but also for my friends who have need of support, themselves. Thank You, that I can lift them up in prayer and support them, in their need. Thank You, that You provide for all Your children. I praise You for this and ask You to bless each of my friends. Father, as we trust You for everything in our lives, may we be mindful that we will never be truly alone, that You will never leave us, nor forsake us, that You will be with us always, even to the end of the age. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
These last couple of entries sound so very depressing. The only thing worse than the sound of the entries, was the way I felt.
Sometimes, even after I begin to feel better about my grief, I want to give myself a kick in the pants, sometimes thinking things like: Shape up, Lynn! Give yourself a shake! There are so many people worse off than you; don't you get it?
Then, God usually brings me back to reality.
Although some people believe that as a Christian I should not suffer or feel badly for any reason, this is a fallacy. After all, God's word does tell us in Isaiah 43:2, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle on you."
Notice God tells us... when, not if. We know from this that all God's children will suffer in this life.
God has blessed me with some great friends. Some I know personally, while some on Facebook (FB) I haven't yet met.
The other day I was messaged on FB by a friend I met at my grief counselling, here in Windsor. Her husband had died prior to Gordon.
I recall her telling me at one of our counselling sessions that she felt she had already dealt with losing her husband in some ways, prior to his death, because he had been sick for several years. Even so, in her FB message, she told me she was just finishing up another grief counselling course, through Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), where I used to take Gordon for help.
Wow! You could have blown me over with a feather, when I read this message from her! Here, I thought she was doing so much better than I. How wrong could I have been?!
Saturday evening, my neighbour/friend K handed me a plate with a couple pieces of pizza on it. She knew that since our water had been off, I didn't have company as I had originally planned. She also knew I was suffering another bout of grief.
K knows and understands, because she told me that even though it will be 24 years on Tuesday, April 12th since her husband L died, she still grieves him. Be still my heart.
On Saturday evening, something else happened. I received a message from another FB friend; my friend, A. She had decided to message me, to encourage me, as she knew I was feeling the effects of grief, once again.
In her message to me, A said, "I can truly say I know how you feel, I felt like half of me was gone, I went thru such severe grief that I actually thought I was going to die and wanted to, but I had such a big church family and my family, they would`nt let me give up!!!!!! Lots of love and prayers coming your way! God bless Lynn!!!!!!!!"
Wow! Another blow me away, incident. While this was A's message to me, I felt like it was something I would have and could have said to her, for she described feelings I've had, exactly.
God bless, indeed. He does! As you can see, He has blessed me with great friends who understand and support me.
Then, Sunday afternoon, my telephone rang. Not once, but twice.
The first (1st) call was from one of my cousins from N. Ireland. What a blessing it was to hear her voice. She too, is a widow who lost her husband just a few months before my Gordon died.
The second (2nd) call was from P, the daughter of a friend of mine who died about three (3) weeks before Gordon died. P and I spoke about many things, but mainly about how she misses her Mom and how she still suffers grief. Wow! Double wow!
Father, thank You for showing me that I am truly not alone in my grief. Thank You for providing me loving, supportive friends to help me through the rough times. Thank You for showing me that I am not just a weak Christian. Thank You, for providing not only for me, but also for my friends who have need of support, themselves. Thank You, that I can lift them up in prayer and support them, in their need. Thank You, that You provide for all Your children. I praise You for this and ask You to bless each of my friends. Father, as we trust You for everything in our lives, may we be mindful that we will never be truly alone, that You will never leave us, nor forsake us, that You will be with us always, even to the end of the age. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Woman...
As you know if you read yesterday's entry, Saturday was not a good day for me. And, not just because of lack of sleep, but more from feeling the effects of grief.
Today, at 12:30 am, it was the 18 month anniversary of Gordon's death. A year and a half. Hard to believe, but true.
When I awoke Saturday morning, after only a few short hours of sleep, I had a song on my heart and mind.
If you've been a regular reader, you'll know that sometimes I wake up like this. Usually, once I hear the song in my mind's eye or should I say...ear, I usually see there is a message for me, in the lyrics.
Well, I couldn't even bring myself to listen to the song that was on my heart, yesterday. At least not until in the afternoon, when a Facebook (FB) friend posted the song. Coincidence? Only God knows. In any case, that's when I decided to listen to the song.
Here is a link to John Lennon's song, Woman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1hh0-DWKPo
Prior to listening to the song, I just couldn't see the relevance to me. Then, I decided to finally play the song. I realized that there was indeed a message there for me.
Usually, when I am feeling periods of grief and lonliness, I cry and later, feel better. This didn't happen for me, yesterday. Instead, I found myself crying all day and into the evening.
It seemed no matter what I thought about, tears flowed. No matter how I prayed, talked with God and friends, I just did not feel any better. In fact, the later it got in the day, the worse I felt.
As the evening progressed, I thought maybe I should go out, but decided against it.
Actually, I had plans for the day and part evening, but they had to be cancelled. My friend M, who will be getting married at the end of May, was supposed to visit me. I was to pick her up and bring her to my home, where we would share dinner, together. Then, we were to watch a movie; one that she hoped I would watch with her.
This didn't happen. Not because of my upsetting day. I wouldn't have cancelled out because of this, for I know that ultimately, it probably would have been good for me to have had company.
What happened was, during the afternoon, after I had read the paper, finished reading my book and updated on Facebook (FB), I decided to finally take my shower, before going to pick up M. To my shock and surprise, I had no water!
I could hear some noise from outside, but didn't really think anything of it, at first. I called my neighbour/friend K to see if her water was working, because we in the building, are not all on the same water pump system.
K told me her water was off and let me know she had already spoken to others. Apparently, there had been a watermain break, out at the street. From her side of our building, she could see that a backhoe had arrived and was digging up the ground, so the repair could be made.
Needless to say, I called M and let her know that I thought we should take a raincheque (or if you are in USA: raincheck) in getting together. After all, not only had I planned to make dinner for us, but having no water would mean I would have to go without a shower (ugh!) and no one would be able to flush the toilet or wash hands.
Even though our water had been restored by early evening, I truly didn't even feel like going out, anywhere. I had already declined attending a birthday party and a musical evening with another friend. And, I was grateful for M's understanding.
All in all, I felt like God took care of me. Thank You, Lord.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Today, at 12:30 am, it was the 18 month anniversary of Gordon's death. A year and a half. Hard to believe, but true.
When I awoke Saturday morning, after only a few short hours of sleep, I had a song on my heart and mind.
If you've been a regular reader, you'll know that sometimes I wake up like this. Usually, once I hear the song in my mind's eye or should I say...ear, I usually see there is a message for me, in the lyrics.
Well, I couldn't even bring myself to listen to the song that was on my heart, yesterday. At least not until in the afternoon, when a Facebook (FB) friend posted the song. Coincidence? Only God knows. In any case, that's when I decided to listen to the song.
Here is a link to John Lennon's song, Woman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1hh0-DWKPo
Prior to listening to the song, I just couldn't see the relevance to me. Then, I decided to finally play the song. I realized that there was indeed a message there for me.
Usually, when I am feeling periods of grief and lonliness, I cry and later, feel better. This didn't happen for me, yesterday. Instead, I found myself crying all day and into the evening.
It seemed no matter what I thought about, tears flowed. No matter how I prayed, talked with God and friends, I just did not feel any better. In fact, the later it got in the day, the worse I felt.
As the evening progressed, I thought maybe I should go out, but decided against it.
Actually, I had plans for the day and part evening, but they had to be cancelled. My friend M, who will be getting married at the end of May, was supposed to visit me. I was to pick her up and bring her to my home, where we would share dinner, together. Then, we were to watch a movie; one that she hoped I would watch with her.
This didn't happen. Not because of my upsetting day. I wouldn't have cancelled out because of this, for I know that ultimately, it probably would have been good for me to have had company.
What happened was, during the afternoon, after I had read the paper, finished reading my book and updated on Facebook (FB), I decided to finally take my shower, before going to pick up M. To my shock and surprise, I had no water!
I could hear some noise from outside, but didn't really think anything of it, at first. I called my neighbour/friend K to see if her water was working, because we in the building, are not all on the same water pump system.
K told me her water was off and let me know she had already spoken to others. Apparently, there had been a watermain break, out at the street. From her side of our building, she could see that a backhoe had arrived and was digging up the ground, so the repair could be made.
Needless to say, I called M and let her know that I thought we should take a raincheque (or if you are in USA: raincheck) in getting together. After all, not only had I planned to make dinner for us, but having no water would mean I would have to go without a shower (ugh!) and no one would be able to flush the toilet or wash hands.
Even though our water had been restored by early evening, I truly didn't even feel like going out, anywhere. I had already declined attending a birthday party and a musical evening with another friend. And, I was grateful for M's understanding.
All in all, I felt like God took care of me. Thank You, Lord.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Saturday, April 9, 2011
After Midnight...
Last night was just awful.
I crawled into bed, totally exhausted, after almost falling asleep in my livingroom, in my comfy recliner chair. Did the sleep fairy find me? No! Not for many hours!
How can this be? This is something I go through, regularly!
Ah, but then, it hit me. The date. It was after midnight when I crawled into bed. The ninth (9th) of the month. The last day before the tenth (10th).
Call me crazy. Maybe I am. I cannot really say. I just know that even without consciously thinking about it, I tend to fall apart every month on the ninth (9th). The date of the last day of Gordon's life.
As I've stated in the past, it's not just it was his last day on this earth. Although that is heartbreaking enough, knowing he died just after midnight, about 12:30 am on the tenth (10th) of the month. The 10th of October, 2009. A year and a half, ago. It's also about the suffering. His. Ours. And, now... mine.
Can it really be this long? One and a half (1 1/2) years? It's absolutely mind-boggling to me, to realize this. At times, it seems to have flown by. But, on a daily basis, time seems to drag, filling my heart with brokenness.
Last night, I found myself once again praying. Praying that God would find it in His heart to allow me to fall asleep in my bed and allow me to wake up in heaven and not here on earth. I suppose you can tell God didn't bless me by granting my prayer! lol
Lord, only You can help me. Help me, Father. Lord Jesus, heal me, please.
I truly don't know what to do about this, anymore. I feel like I've done everything possible. I've honoured Gordon's life, written in his memory, talked about him and his suffering and subsequent death. I've prayed to God to wipe my memory clean of the heartbreak that led up to his eventual shocking hospitalization and death.
Friends have been patient, listening to me. Praying for me. Helping me. Keeping me busy. Including me in activities. Encouraging me.
What more could anyone ask?
I know I will feel better after 12:30 am, Sunday morning. When the time on the clock reads the time Gordon was pronounced dead. Usually, after this, I feel a peace come over me, even if the sadness is still there for the day.
Father, I pray You will bless each and every friend, whether a friend in real life, or in cyber-life. Thank You for each one. Thank You for providing for me, always. You promised to always make a way of escape when we are faced with sin. Well Father, I feel like it is almost sin in my life, that I just cannot seem to come to grips with this most heartbreaking of trials. Even if it is not sin in Your eyes, I realize that I cannot do this life, alone. I am grateful You are with me, for without You, I would already be dead. Help me, Father. Heal me. Continue to provide for me, as per Your will. I just pray it is Your will to heal me. Thank You, for the hedge of protection You provide not just around me, but also around my dearest of friends and family. I pray it is Your will to provide for the needs of each one, Father. I thank You in advance for this. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
I crawled into bed, totally exhausted, after almost falling asleep in my livingroom, in my comfy recliner chair. Did the sleep fairy find me? No! Not for many hours!
How can this be? This is something I go through, regularly!
Ah, but then, it hit me. The date. It was after midnight when I crawled into bed. The ninth (9th) of the month. The last day before the tenth (10th).
Call me crazy. Maybe I am. I cannot really say. I just know that even without consciously thinking about it, I tend to fall apart every month on the ninth (9th). The date of the last day of Gordon's life.
As I've stated in the past, it's not just it was his last day on this earth. Although that is heartbreaking enough, knowing he died just after midnight, about 12:30 am on the tenth (10th) of the month. The 10th of October, 2009. A year and a half, ago. It's also about the suffering. His. Ours. And, now... mine.
Can it really be this long? One and a half (1 1/2) years? It's absolutely mind-boggling to me, to realize this. At times, it seems to have flown by. But, on a daily basis, time seems to drag, filling my heart with brokenness.
Last night, I found myself once again praying. Praying that God would find it in His heart to allow me to fall asleep in my bed and allow me to wake up in heaven and not here on earth. I suppose you can tell God didn't bless me by granting my prayer! lol
Lord, only You can help me. Help me, Father. Lord Jesus, heal me, please.
I truly don't know what to do about this, anymore. I feel like I've done everything possible. I've honoured Gordon's life, written in his memory, talked about him and his suffering and subsequent death. I've prayed to God to wipe my memory clean of the heartbreak that led up to his eventual shocking hospitalization and death.
Friends have been patient, listening to me. Praying for me. Helping me. Keeping me busy. Including me in activities. Encouraging me.
What more could anyone ask?
I know I will feel better after 12:30 am, Sunday morning. When the time on the clock reads the time Gordon was pronounced dead. Usually, after this, I feel a peace come over me, even if the sadness is still there for the day.
Father, I pray You will bless each and every friend, whether a friend in real life, or in cyber-life. Thank You for each one. Thank You for providing for me, always. You promised to always make a way of escape when we are faced with sin. Well Father, I feel like it is almost sin in my life, that I just cannot seem to come to grips with this most heartbreaking of trials. Even if it is not sin in Your eyes, I realize that I cannot do this life, alone. I am grateful You are with me, for without You, I would already be dead. Help me, Father. Heal me. Continue to provide for me, as per Your will. I just pray it is Your will to heal me. Thank You, for the hedge of protection You provide not just around me, but also around my dearest of friends and family. I pray it is Your will to provide for the needs of each one, Father. I thank You in advance for this. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Friday, April 8, 2011
Fun, Food & Fellowship!
On Thursday, after trying to send e-mail to my clients and once again, not having any luck, I went to work out at my friend M's. This problem had been going on for over a week, at this point, but I knew I couldn't resolve it any time, soon, so I just did what I needed to do elsewhere.
Afterwards, I had to rush and get ready to go. Out I went, driving to Essex Baptist Church, in Essex, Ontario, a nearby town to Windsor. The meeting began about noon.
What we did at Essex Baptist, was very different from normal.
Normally, we at Campbell Baptist Church 50+ group don't entertain any at/with/for any group other than our own, even though we support other groups at other churches. But, my friend W who leads our 50+ group had arranged for us to provide and entertain for the Essex group meeting.
Our Pastor B, was speaker of the event. I was singing for the group, acapella of course. And, my friends W and H acted in a skit they wrote and produced.
W played the cartoon character Maxine. H played Martha Stewart.
I wish you could have been there to see Martha arrive in all her finery! But, the best was when Maxine joined us, wearing mismatched slippers, rather disheveled clothing similar to what Maxine wears, her hair quite messy, tied up with a hair band.
What a hoot! I'm sure you would have laughed, for there wasn't a straight face to be found, anywhere in the room!
Arriving home, I had to focus on work. This is a story for another time!
At suppertime, I knocked on my neighbour/friend K's door and handed her dinner, once again. I had prewarned her to expect this, once again tonight. If you've been a regular reader of Life with Lynnie (LwL), you'll know that K and I do this, regularly. Sometimes, she cooks for me; other times, I do for her!
Friday, once again, I tried to get some e-mail work done, before going to work out at my friend M's home, but I had no such luck. Frustration was mounting, to be sure! Of course, working out always takes away some of the stress of life, so I was glad to do this!
Arriving home, I only had a few minutes to shower and get ready to leave, once again. This time, I had to meet my friend A for lunch at Red Lobster, stopping at the bank along the way!
While I usually try to arrive early, this time my friend A arrived before me. Together, we were seated in a booth in an area we don't usually sit in, but this worked out fine in the end.
We feasted on a fabulous lunch! After all, who can go to Red Lobster and not enjoy it?!
Our fellowship time was long over due. I was glad to be able to spend some time with A!
On my way to meet her, I had been concerned as to what I would be able to talk about with her, for A reads my blog, daily. Now that I know this, I am always concerned as to what to talk about, for she already knows what happens in my daily life!
As it turned out, once again I worried for nothing. We never stopped talking! The fellowship we shared was wonderful, as was our meal. A felt it was her turn to treat, so she did. Thank you A, for treating me to lunch and such a wonderful time!
Feeling truly blessed, I thought I should head home, but made a stop along the way. I won't go into detail now, because I will be writing about this in another entry.
Try to not lose sleep over what I will be writing about, please! lol :-))
Afterwards, I had to rush and get ready to go. Out I went, driving to Essex Baptist Church, in Essex, Ontario, a nearby town to Windsor. The meeting began about noon.
What we did at Essex Baptist, was very different from normal.
Normally, we at Campbell Baptist Church 50+ group don't entertain any at/with/for any group other than our own, even though we support other groups at other churches. But, my friend W who leads our 50+ group had arranged for us to provide and entertain for the Essex group meeting.
Our Pastor B, was speaker of the event. I was singing for the group, acapella of course. And, my friends W and H acted in a skit they wrote and produced.
W played the cartoon character Maxine. H played Martha Stewart.
I wish you could have been there to see Martha arrive in all her finery! But, the best was when Maxine joined us, wearing mismatched slippers, rather disheveled clothing similar to what Maxine wears, her hair quite messy, tied up with a hair band.
What a hoot! I'm sure you would have laughed, for there wasn't a straight face to be found, anywhere in the room!
Arriving home, I had to focus on work. This is a story for another time!
At suppertime, I knocked on my neighbour/friend K's door and handed her dinner, once again. I had prewarned her to expect this, once again tonight. If you've been a regular reader of Life with Lynnie (LwL), you'll know that K and I do this, regularly. Sometimes, she cooks for me; other times, I do for her!
Friday, once again, I tried to get some e-mail work done, before going to work out at my friend M's home, but I had no such luck. Frustration was mounting, to be sure! Of course, working out always takes away some of the stress of life, so I was glad to do this!
Arriving home, I only had a few minutes to shower and get ready to leave, once again. This time, I had to meet my friend A for lunch at Red Lobster, stopping at the bank along the way!
While I usually try to arrive early, this time my friend A arrived before me. Together, we were seated in a booth in an area we don't usually sit in, but this worked out fine in the end.
We feasted on a fabulous lunch! After all, who can go to Red Lobster and not enjoy it?!
Our fellowship time was long over due. I was glad to be able to spend some time with A!
On my way to meet her, I had been concerned as to what I would be able to talk about with her, for A reads my blog, daily. Now that I know this, I am always concerned as to what to talk about, for she already knows what happens in my daily life!
As it turned out, once again I worried for nothing. We never stopped talking! The fellowship we shared was wonderful, as was our meal. A felt it was her turn to treat, so she did. Thank you A, for treating me to lunch and such a wonderful time!
Feeling truly blessed, I thought I should head home, but made a stop along the way. I won't go into detail now, because I will be writing about this in another entry.
Try to not lose sleep over what I will be writing about, please! lol :-))
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Library?!
My, has time flown by! I've been busy with work, but aside from this, I've been busy writing. Not just blog entries for Life with Lynnie (LwL), but also for my book.
Writing my book is proving to be a lot more work and much harder than I expected. There are parts that are very difficult, emotionally. Even so, our God is a big God. He's always there for me!
Of course, I've been preparing for Easter, as well. Shopping. Yuch! lol But, someone has to do it!
In addition to Easter shopping, I've done regular every day shopping. And, I did something I haven't done, for a long time. I went to the Windsor Library.
Truly, I wasn't looking forward to going there, without Gordon. He used to go to various locations of the library, regularly. Just the thought of going to any of our libraries, brought back some of those grief feelings, once again.
Still, I knew I had to this. Of course, I could have gone to a bookstore and purchased a copy of the book that I'm supposed to read. You may recall that on Saturday evening, I went to the first meeting of this new book-reading group I am now a member of.
However, after giving it some thought, I wondered why I would want to purchase the book, when I could borrow it! After all, would I ever read it, again? Probably not.
I could have tried borrowing the book from my apartment building library, but I decided that I am not yet ready to do this, either! All these firsts are coming up in my life, after thinking all the firsts were done and over with!
In any case, I dropped by a library branch only to find it was closed. By the time I was almost home, I decided I would try going to another location another day. Making myself go there in the first place, had been about all the stress I wanted for one day!
Eventually, I forced myself to visit the branch closest to where I live, in Riverside. The young woman on the desk was very helpful. I must admit, I thought I would feel worse than I did. Thank You, Lord!
Just looking around made my heart feel like it was crying, inside me. But, I did it.
After obtaining the book I need to read: Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson & Richard DiLallo, I noticed a sign announcing a book sale. Just what I need! Ha!
The sign said to request a bag and go downstairs to where the library was selling off books. So, I did this. I recalled Gordon doing this, in the past. Never did I think I would every do this, myself!
Did I need books to read? No! I have a pile of books I haven't yet had time to read! Even so, I made my way to where the book sale was located.
As I said, my thoughts weren't about finding books for myself, but rather for my family.
Sound strange? Well, my thoughts were that whenever I ask my grandsons if they have read anything good lately, their answers are usually that they haven't. So, I thought it might be a good idea to find books they might find interesting.
To my amazement, there were books suitable to each age group I needed to find reading material for. Praise God! Thank You, Jesus!
Once I've seen my family and distributed the books, I'll be praying that they will be read and not just left on a shelf!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
Writing my book is proving to be a lot more work and much harder than I expected. There are parts that are very difficult, emotionally. Even so, our God is a big God. He's always there for me!
Of course, I've been preparing for Easter, as well. Shopping. Yuch! lol But, someone has to do it!
In addition to Easter shopping, I've done regular every day shopping. And, I did something I haven't done, for a long time. I went to the Windsor Library.
Truly, I wasn't looking forward to going there, without Gordon. He used to go to various locations of the library, regularly. Just the thought of going to any of our libraries, brought back some of those grief feelings, once again.
Still, I knew I had to this. Of course, I could have gone to a bookstore and purchased a copy of the book that I'm supposed to read. You may recall that on Saturday evening, I went to the first meeting of this new book-reading group I am now a member of.
However, after giving it some thought, I wondered why I would want to purchase the book, when I could borrow it! After all, would I ever read it, again? Probably not.
I could have tried borrowing the book from my apartment building library, but I decided that I am not yet ready to do this, either! All these firsts are coming up in my life, after thinking all the firsts were done and over with!
In any case, I dropped by a library branch only to find it was closed. By the time I was almost home, I decided I would try going to another location another day. Making myself go there in the first place, had been about all the stress I wanted for one day!
Eventually, I forced myself to visit the branch closest to where I live, in Riverside. The young woman on the desk was very helpful. I must admit, I thought I would feel worse than I did. Thank You, Lord!
Just looking around made my heart feel like it was crying, inside me. But, I did it.
After obtaining the book I need to read: Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson & Richard DiLallo, I noticed a sign announcing a book sale. Just what I need! Ha!
The sign said to request a bag and go downstairs to where the library was selling off books. So, I did this. I recalled Gordon doing this, in the past. Never did I think I would every do this, myself!
Did I need books to read? No! I have a pile of books I haven't yet had time to read! Even so, I made my way to where the book sale was located.
As I said, my thoughts weren't about finding books for myself, but rather for my family.
Sound strange? Well, my thoughts were that whenever I ask my grandsons if they have read anything good lately, their answers are usually that they haven't. So, I thought it might be a good idea to find books they might find interesting.
To my amazement, there were books suitable to each age group I needed to find reading material for. Praise God! Thank You, Jesus!
Once I've seen my family and distributed the books, I'll be praying that they will be read and not just left on a shelf!
Until next time...
If you would like to comment, please e-mail: lifewithlynnie@gmail.com
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