Goodwill All Year Long

Twenty four years ago this day, I was 26 years old. Twenty four years ago this day - just 4 days before Christmas, my uncle and grandmother came to my door in the early morning hours to tell me that my Dad had passed away. There's never a Christmas season that this doesn't dampen my joy a bit and I miss him.

My Dad was a very loving, giving and thoughtful man. Mom always said that was what drew her to him. But after several years of marriage and I had already come along, Mom discovered that my Dad had a secret life. He kept it very private and out of our lives, but he was homosexual. My Mom tried to stay in the relationship to give me a family because he was a very good man, but it wasn't long after she found out, she left him.

It was some time after they divorced that I learned of his life on my own. Mom never said a bad word about him. I was 11 years old when I found out and my world fell apart. First of all I was young and never even knew such a thing exsist. Secondedly, in the 70's it was such a disgrace. It was not in the news like it is today and it was kept very secret. But even at 11 years old, I knew it was terribly wrong. Even though it was secret, I wondered who knew and I was afraid that if people knew they would think I was like that too, like it was health thing that gets passed down through generations. Never did I confront him about what I knew and he kept everything in my life as normal as possible.

I can't even begin to tell you how his secret effected me and it was very difficult for many years keeping it buried inside me and trying to live as normal I could. You see, Dad did such a good job at hiding his secret that people in our community and our own family didn't know or if they did they never mentioned it. Dad was a very friendly person and everyone in our town knew him and liked him. That was very evident at his funeral, the church was packed. He was the backbone of his family, the one who handled problems, loaned money, helped family members get jobs by the people he knew in business.

Later I married and had my first child, my daughter Christy. He adored her and everytime we went to visit, she had gifts and usually a trip to Disney or Sea World was a regular event. He remained a loving father and grandfather until the day he died.

Dad never went to church, but when I was growning up he made sure I went. Just a few weeks before his death he and I were riding together, it was Thanksgiving and he told me that every night in his prayers, he prayed that God would take care of me and my children. He said he prayed for his mother too, as her health was failing he never wanted her to suffer. That gave me peace knowing that he believed and still prayed faithfully.

A week or so later, I had woke up like 5:00 a.m., looked at the clock and dosed back off. During that time of sleep I had the strangest dream. I dreamed that my cousin Kathleen and I were in my Dad's car driving into his car port. It was daylight, but suddenly it went dark - I saw the grim reaper coming up behind someone like he was going to strike a person with his staff. Then suddenly it was light again. I looked up to the sky and saw hundreds of people walking on the clouds all going the same direction. I woke up and did not know what that dream meant. My Dad died just weeks later and I like to think that my Dad was among those walking on the clouds to Heaven.

At his funeral, a family come up to me with several children and you could tell that they didn't have much. The wife told me, "You must be Cheryl, your Dad talked about you and your kids all the time". She also told me that many a meal came to them because my Dad would take bags of groceries to them all the time. She said her children also had Christmas presents from him every year and how they truly appreciated the things he had done for them.

Dad died in his car in the middle of Orlando traffic from a massive heart attack. When his car was released to us by the police, we opened the trunk and it was full of toys and gifts. Footballs, dolls, clothes, and the gift he had for my grandmother was in there too! I made sure the gifts were delivered, he had gifts for all of his employees too and I made sure they got theirs as well.

Dad went to his grave not ever knowing that I knew his secret. But because of his acts of giving and kindness, that day I was never more proud to be his daughter.

Dad had lived his life by showing goodwill all year, not just at Christmas. And that was the beautiful lesson he taught me.

Teaching My Grandson to Pray

My son Jeremy was on a traveling baseball team the summer before his senior year of high school. We traveled extensively that summer traveling all over the state of Florida, as well as going into Georgia, South Carolina and even spending a week in New York.

One particular trip to Georgia, I took along my grandson Brant who at the time was four years old. We made the trip to Atlanta, Jeremy's team played two games that afternoon and by the time we had dinner, got to our hotel, showered and lay down for the night, it must have been 9:30 p.m. Brant crawled into bed next to me and I told him it was time to say our prayers.

He sat up in bed as he said his standard prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep, etc". I had taught Brant the five fingers of prayer and after he said his standard prayer, we always did the five fingers.

The thumb because it's closest to your heart, you pray for friends and family. The point finger represents, preachers, teachers, doctors and nurses. The middle finger represents presidents and world leaders. The fourth finger because it is the weakest, represents the sick, abused and the unsaved. The little finger represents yourself, because it is the smallest and the farest away from your heart, everyone else comes before yourself and this is the time to ask for forgiveness and guidance.

With Brant's prayers, he named off our friends and family one by one and usually he had no problem throwing in the pets, birds, trees and so forth. He never was quite tired enough not to draw it out into a long prayer.

Well on this night as he sat next to me reciting his prayer, he finished the standard part and fell straight back on his pillow. I asked him what about the five finger part and he replied, "Mimi just have God bless everyone, I'm tired".

Brant is now 13 and I love to share this story with others. It still brings a smile to my face after all these years. I sometimes remind him of it when it's just he and I. He just smiles and says I remember.

I cherish these moments with Brant and he always has plenty of hugs for his Mimi. I also ask him on every birthday if he remembers what I did the night he was born. "Yes Mimi, they put you in a room with a rocking chair in the hospital and you rocked me all night".

He looks at me, smiles, gives me a hug and says, "I love you Mimi".

Start a Thanksgiving Tradition

On my drive to work each morning, I turn down the radio and say, "Good Morning Father". I love this time each morning where I can pour out my heart and pray. This morning was no different and I couldn't help but pray for our country and our world. As our world is in such a financial turmoil, the upcoming holidays crossed my mind. As our funds aren't as abundant as we would like, there is so much to be thankful for that makes this time of year something to be excited about. My children and grandchildren are healthy and happy, we are all very close and we can depend on each other for support. Our family has had it's share of trials, but we face each one as a family. I am thankful each day for each family member and I'm also thankful for the parents and grandparents that I was blessed with. My grandmother was such a influence in my life by the way she lived. Always a loving and caring person who loved me even when I failed and supported me no matter what. My mother has that same disposition towards me and all of my children. In her life and the way that she continues to fight health issues, her only concern is me and my children and grandchildren. Among many illnesses she has had, my mother is a four year colon cancer survivor, or should I say 4 years this coming Thanksgiving. Her surgery was the week of Thanksgiving in 2004. Each Thanksgiving I have each of my children and family share things they are thankful for before we eat our meal. Each year for the past three years, my mother has been able to bless our Thanksgiving dinner after we each tell what we are Thankful for. I hope that this is a tradition that my children will always carry on after I am gone. Traditions are gifts handed down through generations, so give your family the gift of a tradition.

God's Melting Pot

There's a saying that I keep on my desk at work that I've shared with others and I believe it to be true. "Be careful how you live, you may be the only Bible some person ever reads". I ask myself sometimes, can people tell that I am a Christian by the way I act or what I say. No, not always but it's something I work on constantly. Now more than ever, it's so important to let others see that we are believers.
A piece of jewerly that I like to wear is a cross, because without saying a word - someone sees that you believe in God. Strangers that I pass by in a store know that I believe, just by seeing my cross. I have been giving cross necklaces as gifts to the girls I work with and I gave one to Bridget recently for her birthday. Bridget is a co-worker of mine who recently found out that she had colon cancer, ovarian cancer and liver cancer. She has had surgery to remove the cancer and is going through chemo now. Bridget is strong and she is a believer and I was so touched when I gave her a sterling silver cross. Her eyes filled with tears and she said that she was hoping someone would give her a cross for her birthday.
I am so grateful to work with the people that I do, because so many of them are believers and many times over I had seen how God uses each of us for support and encouragement through very difficult times in our lives. I'm glad to know that this group of people put prayers up for me like I do for them.
There's an illustration that I love and I have shared it with others. A gold smith works with gold, melting it down, stirring and mixing until the right moment where he can bend and mold it into whatever he choses. Then he polishes the shaped gold until he can see his reflection in the finished product. I think that's how God works with us. He stirs us and mixes us with other believers, bends and molds us into who we become. I think that God is pleased when He can look at us and see His reflection.
Do people see God's reflection in You?

Which Way Did I Go?

Sometimes I just don't have a clue what direction I'm suppose to be heading - literally. I mean I start out in one room of the house heading to do something in another room in the house and by the time I get there, I forget why I was going there. I know that is something that comes along with that turning 50-getting older thing, but you just have to laugh. Ok, let's regroup and start over.

Have you ever started toward something, only to have your goal changed to something completely different than you began. That's God working in your life. There have been many times in my life like planning a career, or a house I really wanted and even things that I had hoped and prayed for for my children that didn't come out like I planned. But know what I found out. I didn't get the job I wanted or the house I wanted - God always had something better.

There was this house that my husband and I wanted to buy, we really wanted it badly. It would have taken some work to get it just right for us, I mean I had three kids and needed a room for my son and two daughters - but I still wanted the house. Well, things didn't work out on that house and I was discouraged about the whole thing. Then one day I drove past a house being sold by the owner. The house looked good on the outside, good roof, niced fenced in yard but what did the inside look like? I wrote the phone number down, went home and told my husband about what I had found. He told me to call and see when we could make an appointment to look at the house.

The following saturday, we arrived at the house and an older couple met us at the door. As I entered the house and walked into the living room, I was amazed that the walls, the carpet everything would match the current furniture that we had. I walked through to the dining room and kitchen, perfect everything just like I would have chosen. Then the whole purpose of the why we didn't get the first house became apparent. I walked into a formal living room that had the perfect carpet and wall papering for the furniture I had just received after my father had passed away. Then down the hall to the bedrooms, one room with pretty pink and lavendar wall paper for a girl, the next room had colors perfect for a boy. Nothing had to be done at all to this house to be the perfect home for my family. Financing went through immediately and that home on Mission Drive became our family's home for the next 12 years.

So don't get upset with God when things don't turn out like you plan - He has something better in store for you.

The Big 50

I have to say that when August rolled around I began dreading my birthday, August 25, the Big 50! It does put this thought in your head, I am a half of a century old. Scary! But my children went to extreme depths to put together such a memorable day for me which I really messed up by going to the hospital. But the day after returning home from the hospital was one of the best birthdays because of my family.

Little do my girls know that the work and all they put into an absolutely wonderful video has given me a new & different perspective on the subject. The video which they spent weeks on and took such care in choosing every photograph right down to the songs they chose was just amazing and brought me to tears. It started with a picture of my beloved grandparents that I absolutely adored and carried me on a journey of 50 beautiful years of blessings I have been given. From my birth to a mother who is truly a proven tower of strength and a hero to me, to my teen years, marriage, motherhood and now grand parenthood.

Images of those I love so much put to music special to me for different reasons. From songs that I loved to hear my daughter Mandi sing, or one from my wedding, there was one that just right down made 50 years of living a simple gift from God, "In My Daughter's Eyes". I realized that one line in that song had been my greatest gift in my life - my children. The line in the song said "In my daughter's eyes, I am a Hero". On this day I felt in my heart that I was a Hero in My Children's Eyes. My ultimate reason and purpose to be on this earth 50 years was to be the mother to three of the greatest kids in the world. Every time the phone rings or they walk in my door and the word "MOM" comes from their mouths there is a reassurance of my purpose on this earth.

From the first moment I looked into each of their eyes as a babe, I knew that my job was to lead, guide and direct them into the ways that God would have them to go. I feel that I have done this by the adults that have turned out to be. To add to my blessings, each one has chosen someone to share their lives with. The addition of a daughter (Kiley) and sons (Larry & Bubba) are also my responsibility and they are vital to this family. It only gets better with the addition of each new grandchild. The cherry on the top are those precious grandchildren that to them I am simply MIMI, but to me they are my world. In their eyes I see my future filled with pride, hope, joy and always sweet loving.

Turning 50 is absolutely nothing to be afraid of, it is one of the greatest blessings I have received from the Good Lord above. I have had 50 years of awesome living. There is one thing for sure, everyday that God gives me is a gift and those He places in your life make it a journey worth living.