Sunday Sabbath August 30 2015  HELP US TO FIGHT!

How very sheltered we are here in America.  Do we really know what is going on outside our borders, much less, inside our borders?  Speaking of myself, there is so much more that I don’t know, than what I do know.

Dave and I had an interesting day today.  We volunteered to help out Intervarsity Fellowship, which is a group that has a presence on the University of Wisconsin’s campus.  It is a God based group that helps incoming students become acclimated to college life.  It’s beliefs are Christian oriented and the workers work with new students to lend support for settling in, especially with foreign students, and to witness to them about the love of God when the time is appropriate.  They offer field trips to build relationships and need volunteers to help.  What Dave and I  did today was to be driver and reader for a tour of Madison.  I was the driver and Dave was the reader.  We had a capacity to take two people.  There were several carloads of people who met at a host home after the tour in order to allow the volunteers to become better acquainted with each other and the students.

Dave and I were assigned a mother and and her 11 year old son.  They both have Chinese names which I cannot pronounce.  The mom and son choose to go by “American Names”, Nancy and Stephen.  Nancy is a college professor in China and teaches the Chinese language.  She is here as a professor to teach Chinese to University of Wisconsin Students.  She will be here two years.  Her husband is also a professor and did not have permission to come with her.  The Chinese must pay for their own college education and they have very tough tests to see who is allowed into the best colleges so they acquire the best positions.  The government runs the universities and the professors are all paid by the government.  Nancy said neither she, nor her husband, are paid very much.  She turned to me and smiled and told me they didn’t have much money but they had a loving family and were very happy.  She thought that she was fortunate because they have love together.

I asked Nancy if she had any other children.  She said, no, she was not allowed to have more children.  I asked her what happened if she became pregnant.  Then something will happen to me she told me.  Like what, I asked?  I maybe lose my job, was her reply.  I asked her if she was serious and she affirmed that she was.  If you have a sibling you can only have one child.  If she and her husband had no siblings then they would be allowed to have two children.  Her son will be allowed two children.

When the above conversation transpired we were walking in Olbrich Gardens, in the tranquil beauty of a quiet Sunday afternoon, thousands of miles away from China.  I looked around me and observed several Olbrich Garden  guests laughing, having fun, not an apparent care in the world, and totally taking for granted the freedom in which they live.  Here in America we have become so accepting of our freedom that many don’t even see how it is being chipped away, and if we do know, many don’t seem to care or take time to understand how our country could become if the government takes more and more of our freedoms.  Freedom of speech is being chipped away, the Ten Commandments being erased from public buildings, limiting prayer in certain places, and so many other freedoms receeding.  I turned to look at Nancy and her son and realized again, just how precious our freedom really is.  Nancy confided that she wished she was allowed to have more children because she so very much wanted a larger family.  I guess the threat of losing your income hangs heavy over one’s deciding factors.  Both she and her husband being professors, they would likely both be stripped of their professor status. As we walked she turned to me and quietly said that she could see that I had a very loving relationship with my husband too.  I told her, yes that was true.  I walked away from that conversation realizing how very fortunate I truly am for both, living in one of the last countries to have a semblance of freedom, and for having a loving husband.  It is the loving relationship that makes me the richest, but I am ever so grateful for the freedoms we have left.

Look at the people around you, your children, your extended family, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews and try to imagine life without them.  If you are an only child (which China had mandated for many years past) you have no aunts or uncles or cousins or brothers or sisters or nieces or nephews.  You simply have your parents, and grandparents as long as they are living.  When your parents are gone there is no family left on earth that knew and loved you as a baby and child.  Except for your only child, you will grow old alone without any extended family support system. In China you are allotted one begotten child to love and one spouse to love and that is your entire family.  China only recently allowed more births.  One reason was because sons are the  most sought after.  Eventually there were fewer females that were allowed to survive.  Many of the abandoned girl babies were adopted by foreign families and when the boys grew to be men, there were simply not enough females for them to marry.  So policy changes were made.

Putting our conversations aside, I do want to say we had a wonderful afternoon.  We had a map to follow, words to read describing the sites, and places to stop and take pictures.  At the close of the day there was a reception with snacks and time available to become better acquainted.  I would do it again!  I told Dave last night that I believed we would be assigned students from China.  I just knew in my heart that it would be so because I have such a deep love for the Chinese people.  Our friend Betts instilled that in us by introducing us to some of her friends with whom we became well acquainted.  I do hope Nancy will be receptive to my overtures to become better acquainted.

We made a quick stop at the grocery store because my friend is coming by tomorrow and I invited her to stay for lunch.  Remember, my refrigerator was empty and I didn’t even have what it took to make another salad for us tomorrow.  And while I am thinking about it, I must go get a jar of soup out of the freezer to thaw out.  I’ll be right back…

Okay, that’s done.  I took out a jar of Stone Soup from October 2014.  It will defrost on the counter tonight and I will refrigerate it when I leave the house at 7:30 a.m.  for a Doctor appointment.  I have a busy morning and not much time to prepare for the lunch, so soup and salad it will be.

We had a guest speaker this morning at our church.  His sermon is one of the most important sermons that anyone will ever need to hear (of course that is just my opinion).  It is about the Blood of Jesus and what it means.  If at all possible please google City Church Madison WI and listen to Sunday August 30 a.m. service.  This is a sermon that makes a lot of sense out of many scriptures that we have probably just glossed over in the past as we read our Bibles through in one year.  This will be my wisdom this night!  “Listen to this sermon as it is very powerful and easy to understand”.

HELP US TO FIGHT

By Kathleen Martens

August 30, 2015

Dear God,

Thank you for the freedom

That comes from you.

It’s because of your blood

That we are made new.

Let us never take for granted

That a life was given,

So that we experience

An eternal living.

Washed white as snow

By the blood of the lamb,

Who IS THE SON OF GOD!

Which is not a scam.

And Lord we give thanks

For the freedoms of life

That we still have in America

Amidst all the strife.

Keep our eyes open

To the chipping away,

And help us to fight

For our freedoms to stay.

Well, it is after 10:00 and my proof reader is in bed.  So I will close and say good night.

“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

HEBREWS 13:20-21

Saturday August 29 2015  BEST LAID PLANS…

Midnight tolls.  No matter how hard I try to get to bed on time (9:00 p.m.) it seems to be getting later and later.  Another midnight tuck-in for Dave and me.  So, in order to balance it out we allowed ourselves to sleep in again.  No kids this morning but I still woke up at 6:30 a.m..  I had a wonderful hour of solitude, listening to the rain outside the window over the head of our bed.  Until it gets below freezing we sleep with the windows open.  I heard the rain all night off and on.  I think it rained all night but I was only awake off and on for potty runs.  It was delightful to lie in bed and watch the light of morning brighten the day as it struggled to make its way through the covering of rain clouds.  Dave was breathing restfully beside me and all was right with the world.  FINALLY at 7:30 he woke up and we had our leisurely time of quiet conversation.  Remember, this is one of my very favorite times of the day.

And so my day was planned.  I planned to spend my morning in the library downstairs, just me and the Lord and my books.  I never made it to the library.  Every so often I plan what I call “a housecoat day”.  That is a day that I do not plan to go out.  I do not answer the phone, except for the hospitals in case of an emergency photo session is needed.  I do not go anywhere and do not have anyone over and I do just what I want to do.  I thought I wanted to go downstairs.  And so I did want to, but like I said, I never made it.

While cleaning up the breakfast dishes I looked around me and became so exasperated at how cluttered and messy my kitchen had become.  I decided to just take a few things off the counter and get rid of them (which I did).  Then I decided to just take a couple of more things off the counters because now they were more obvious because the big thing in front had been removed.  So I did.  Then I thought…it would sure look better if I got that pile organized, so I did.  And then…on and on…So I did.  I have quite a large kitchen and a lot of counter space and all of it is in need of a good cleaning and decluttering.  I have not even mentioned all the cupboards I have, and even more drawers.  So my day proceeded.  I went from one task to the next, slowly and deliberately, no hurry involve, actually enjoying what I was doing.  IMMEDIATE RESULTS!  What could be better than that?  All told, I organized an “L” shaped area left of the sink, cleaned out the lowest shelf of the corner cupboard above it, cleaned out two drawers, and the little area between the refrigerator and the pantry.  I don’t even want to think of the pantry.  Not only do I have one pantry with pull-out drawers, but I have another pantry that opens with bi-fold doors and covers a large wall area.  Both are way over crowded and stacked precariously.

I wish I had taken a before picture, but I probably would not have posted it.  I did post an after picture of the “L” shaped area.  I actually took a picture of the next area I want to clean but will see when and if that happens in the next few days before I post it.  I would like to have it cleaned up before I post the messy one.

To make a long story short, I never did get downstairs.  Not even once today.  Dinner is over, my face is washed, my teeth are brushed and it is only 7:16 p.m.  And here I am already started on my blog.  And, as you can very well figure out, as far as how my day has been, I don’t really have much to tell you.  I climbed no mountains, have no grandkids to discuss, did not accomplish any great feats, but I am completely satisfied with how my day has gone.  I am still in my housecoat, no one came over, I only answered the telephone when our daughter called (I always answer the phone if it is my family calling), my refrigerator is almost empty (which is a good thing), I do not exercise on Saturday so I did not need to go out, and I have the best husband in the world.  What more could I ask for.  Oh yes, and I’m retired.  Oh man, I can’t wait to get used to that!

IT WAS WHAT I WANTED TO DO

By Kathleen Martens

August 29 2015

A day of rest

So hard to find,

So I made it happen

And claimed it mine.

No alarm to ring,

No reason to rise.

It made me happy

And very wise.

For I am a Grandma

Recovering from two kids,

Two days in a row

I now put on the skids.

Peace and calm,

No reason for guilt.

So this morning

I snuggled under my quilt.

What to do?

At leisure ponder

And enjoy the solitude

In quite wonder.

It took a long time

For this day to come.

First raised out daughter,

Then our son.

Then worked forever,

Long stressful hours.

Now I can sit

And enjoy my flowers.

I make no excuses

For a lazy day.

I worked long and hard,

It’s time to play.

But what do I do

When I arise?

That I tackle a task

Is no surprise.

But it was fun

To work it through

All because

It was what I wanted to do.

One of the pleasant benefits about working by myself is that I can let my mind think on whatever I desire to think about.  And I desired to think about the Lord.  Today I was more focused on the task at hand but I felt the Lord’s presence within me.  My heart was at peace, my soul at rest, my body strong and alert, and I was accomplishing a task that would benefit not just me, but also anyone else who comes into the room.  There is something about having uncluttered surroundings that allows your spirit to feel free and untethered.  I believe that God has been dealing with me about the situation of having so much in the house and that it is time for me to start the journey to simplify.  It is time to rid our home from the clutter of 42 years.  And it is happening.  I have several piles of “things” to drop off at St. Vincent’s Store.  I will have many more before I am through.

I don’t know if any of you who are reading this blog have ever heard of the “Fly Lady”.  It is a web address where you can get tips and help on decluttering and cleaning up your area.  At one time I was on the email list but the emails became so many that they cluttered my email in box so I had to get rid of the Fly Lady.  I will say I learned a lot.  I’ll see if she is still on line and refresh myself on some of the tactics I used way back when my kids were still at home.  She was very helpful in having easy ways to keep your house clutter free.  Well, I think I need her information once more. I’ll keep you posted at how I am doing. Maybe I will take before pictures and after pictures.

I read an interesting quote the other day.  I think it is appropriate for all of us, whether our houses are stark or over-loved with too much stuff.  It comes from the book, “You Can’t Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought” by Peter McWilliams:

“WE SHOULD BE TAUGHT NOT TO WAIT FOR INSPIRATION TO START A THING.

ACTION ALWAYS GENERATES INSPIRATION.

INSPIRATION SELDOM GENERATES ACTION.”  Original quote by Frank Tibolt

Okay, here is my first confession.  If you scroll down to below the blog you will see my “neat” little desk where I type my blog (so I won’t need to go into my messy office).  The only thing is, I have been here a few weeks now, and as you can see, to even copy the quote from the book I had to stack it up on top of a foot high stack of other books that thrill me to have by my side.  So, perhaps the first thing I should do is start some action (clean up the pile) and then perhaps I will receive the inspiration to do even more.  Hey, you know what, that was exactly what happened this morning.  I had one plan, but saw a need, and when I started in on the task to clean up an area I was then inspired to keep on going.  I think I accomplished quite a bit for a Saturday when I originally planned to do as little as possible.

Am I rested?  Probably not.  But I feel great about my little in-roads, and that is almost as satisfying as feeling rested.

I thank God for this beautiful day that He has made for me to live in.  I will rejoice and I will be glad in it.  And I hope you will too!

Proverbs 19:23  “The fear of the Lord leads to life.  Then one rests content, untouched by trouble”.

And I found that I could even “work” content, untouched by trouble.  It is so wonderful to just be CONTENT.

Good night,

Kathleen

Friday August 28 2015  MY DAY HAS GONE TO POTS!

Or is it pot?  Anyway, it definitely went to pots!

This was supposed to be my recuperation day from having the boys.  It didn’t work.  Well, perhaps for the first part because I did not awaken until 8:00 a.m.   That was wonderful.  Started the day by cooking my beans that had soaked all night for the soup I would make later.  And it was later when my day went to pots.

At the present I am in my son’s home theater watching Alvin and the Chipmunks “Chipwrecked”.  I have never seen an Alvin and the Chipmunks anything so I am experiencing a new event in my life.  I am in an awesome easy chair, with a place for water, kicked back with my feet up, and snuggled under a warm and cozy blanket.  The theater is in the lower level of his house and therefore pleasantly cool.  Two little boys are on an on an ottoman, lying on their tummies, elbows bent with their chins resting in their hands.  It is quite dark but I can see their silhouettes and hear their delighted laughter.  Dave sits beside me, then Courtland and then Amy.  These are the sum of the seating area.  It is our first time to be here and enjoy their new theater.  Court and Amy have lived in their new home for the past 12 months and slowly they are accomplishing the long list of changes they plan to do.  This was one of them.

I just thought I’d set the stage as to where I am right now because this is the highlight of my day.  Especially following this afternoon.  Dave and I worked out at the gym from about 10:30 to 12:20.  When we came home Dave set up lunch from the food I already had prepared and I started in on the soup I wanted to make.  If you don’t’ want to hear another soup story go down a couple of paragraphs.  Again, my fridge was pressed for space with too much food from the food box that was delivered yesterday.  Now realize, I am not complaining, just stating fact.  Last week I made Vegetable Medly.  It is a made up name for a made up soup.  Last week I used everything fresh and edible that was in the vegetable family and currently presided in the refrigerator.  This week I pretty much did the same thing but had to come up with a different name for it because no two soups ever taste the same.  Well, I named this soup “Stone Soup”.  I named it after the story written in the 1500’s about the traveler who came to a town where no one would sell him any food.  The traveler proceeded to fill a pot with water and placed a stone in the pot and built a fire to cook it on.  When asked what he was doing he told the townsman that he was making stone soup but it needed a little something else to make it taste better.  The townsman gave him a vegetable to put into the pot.  Then another man came by and asked the same thing and was told that the soup needed some spices to make it just perfect.  The spices were sprinkled in by the townsman.  This went on all through the day, people passing by and each contributing another thing to the pot until it was evening and the soup was finished.  It was a delicious pot of stone soup that served the entire town.

I did not have anyone offer me anything extra to put in my pot but I just kept adding to the pot myself.  I first started making the soup in my 6 quart Nesco Cooker.  I quickly realized it was not going to fit so I had this hot steaming mass and had to get a bigger pot to pour it into.  I put the bigger pot into the sink and emptied the partially made soup into it.  I kept adding to the pot and later realized that the second pot was also not going to hold everything from the fridge.  So out came pot number three, my stock pot.  If you know what a stock pot is you will be impressed to know that by the time I was finished it was over  ¾ full.  By the time it was finished it had over 7 quarts of homemade chicken broth, two cups of V-8 juice, 6 tomatoes, and all the liquid that cooks out of the vegetables. These are the vegetables I remember using, 3 large onions, garlic, celery, carrots, beets, beans, 4 ears of fresh corn, half head of purple cabbage, zucchini squash, 4 peppers, kale, and I’m sure there is something I am forgetting.  I topped it off with two pounds of black beans and a pot of cooked Quinoa.  And now you know why my day went to the pots.

I started by 12:30 and did not stop until after 4:30.  We had to leave the house at 4:30 in order to get to Court’s by 5:15 for dinner and a movie.  I turned off the stove, took the lid off pot number three and we left.  Hopefully it will cool enough to bottle up when we arrive home later.

The movie is almost over and it does have a happy ending.  And I guess my day that went to pots also has a happy ending.  My soup is made, my veggies did not give up their lives in vain.  And…there are no stones in my soup but at least I’ll remember what batch it is.

MY DAY HAS GONE TO POTS

By Kathleen Martens

August 28, 2015

Stone soup, a fable of yore,

A little bit of this, a bit of that.

Mighty tasty and all low calorie,

Guaranteed not to make you fat!

A full fridge

And an empty pot

That once was empty

But now it’s not.

In deepest winter

With snow on the ground

My delicious soup

In the freezer found.

I will read it’s name,

“STONE SOUP” it will say

Bringing back the memories

Of this lovely day.

Movie is over.  I have now seen the new version of Alvin and the Chipmunks.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was nice to share my evening with you, my blog reader.  Joyce, are you out there?  Just wanted you to know, I could get use to this!

I’m home and tried to send pictures of all three pots.  I could only get #2 and #3 to send.  I’m also having difficulty sending my “Calendar Wisdom” picture.  I’ll write it here

August 28:  

“The world is such a busy place

There’s so much hurry in it.

Isn’t it nice sometimes

To pause for just a minute…”

After hearing what my husband said to answer our grandson’s question yesterday I think I need to heed this advice.

Zach asked grandpa why we had two chairs in the living room.  Dave replied, “to sit on.  At least I sit in this one but you have a motorized grandma and she never sits”.  I wonder if I was meant to overhear that?  Well, I sat tonight in a plush comfy chair for over 90 minutes to watch the chipmunks (who don’t even exist).  So at least I sit sometimes.  I will try harder to sit down.  Oh yes, I also sit in my library and read, one of the great treasures of my day.

I want to tell you one more little true story that happened yesterday.  I was SITTING at my desk working on my blog last night and received an email from someone who told me she needed a word from God so she googled “word from God” and the first google response was my blog from the day I went to Olbrich Gardens (which was just the day before she googled looking for a “word from God”).  As she read the blog she realized she knew the author, ME.  She was so surprised when she put two and two together.  I don’t think she had ever read my blog before.  The thing that surprised me was that I am not on google for surfing.  My site has always been by personal invitation only.  We will be seeing each other soon…to talk about God!

Update:  I called the young lady back I met yesterday but no one answered.  I left a message with resources for help and told her I would try again tomorrow.  Please say a prayer for her survival and a close walk with God.

Good night!

Thursday  August 27 2015  I WONDER WHAT HER STORY IS?

An unscheduled, unplanned day ahead, and who knows what can happen.  I hadn’t finalized any plans for today so I just went with the flow.  I had my grandsons with me and when I have my grandsons with me you can never know ahead of time which way the wind blows.  I knew I wanted to do some sort of adventure with them but didn’t really have confirmed plans as what to do.  There were some errands I needed to do but I knew it would not make them (especially the older one)  happy campers to know they had to go “SHOPPING”.  I truly believe Zachariah detests  shopping.  First of all he knows I cannot be coerced, begged, or pleaded into purchasing anything other than what I have on my list to buy.  I had a mission.  And they had to go along.  Zach was a bit sullen at first until I told them a little more as to what the day held.  First, we would take care of the necessities, which were errands for grandma.  The first errand being a trip to Target, short, but very boring to the boys.  We then stopped at a Goodwill Store to check out the toys. This was a much more exciting endeavor.  Zach found a “chapter” book he liked.  Xander found nothing on which to spend his two dollars.  The next trip was to the car dealership where I receive FREE car washes as long as I own my car.

The kids were very happy to go to the car wash because there was a T.V. to watch and free popcorn to eat.   After the car wash we stopped in at St. Vincent’s to check out their toy section.  Their toy selection was much more extensive.  The grandsons had so much fun trying out everything and how to spend their two dollars each.  They are savvy shoppers!  Grandma (me) taught them how to barter at garage sales.  You should see the good deals they get.  I encourage them to do all the talking and count out their money themselves to pay for their transactions.  It is amazing to see how much they have learned.  With a limited budget they are very deliberate in deciding what to buy.  They really want their money to work for them.  And Zach is pretty good at trying to get my money to work for him too.  He doesn’t miss an angle.

After the St. Vinney’s stop we drove to MacDonald’s and splurged!  I even had a chicken wrap.  I ate the chicken but not much of the white tortilla wrap.  While we were dining I noticed a young woman who came into MacDonalds and walked in and out a few times.  She caught my eye.  Young, very pretty, simply dressed with a baseball cap and a #1 shaved hair cut (I know that from experience).  As when I see anyone out in public my mind always makes a lot of assessments and judgments, intermingled with curiosity.  But there are only a few people who evoke the thought “I wish I knew their story”.  For this young woman my curiosity was intrigued.  I wondered who she was, what she was doing in MacDonald’s, why was she kept walking in and out of the door.  The look on her face was sad and lonely.  She was very attractive, but oh so sad looking.

The boys and I ate our late lunch, had a good time and then got up to go.  Then I noticed the same lady sitting at the table behind me.  Here was my chance to know the rest of the story of this lonesome figure whom I wondered about earlier. I looked her in the face and could tell there was something grieving her heart.  She looked so lost and hurt and even scared.  I asked the boys to sit back down and wait for me.  I turned around to the table behind me and asked her if she was okay.  She tried to shake her head yes and her head sort of went in a square nod and then shook out a “NO”.  Then the tears spilled over her eyes and I could see her heart was heavy.  I was about to hear her story, or at least a fragment of it.  And oh what a sad story.  Her story is the story of so many others lost in our nation.  I won’t go over our conversation in full because I asked her a lot of questions.  Instead, I’ll just give a synopsis of the answers and who she is.  I don’t fear that she will read this blog and I think her story bears being told.  I would never want to embarrass anyone by writing about them unknowingly.  I’ll call her Tarra.  Tarra is sixteen years old.  She is a heroine addict.  She has been drug free for two months, working a minimum wage job, living with a friend until today, when her friend kicked her out.  Tarra has been through rehab twice.  Her mother lives in Milwaukee and also had kicked her out.  Tarra has no money, no place to live, no transportation to work, and she was very frightened.  We talked awhile and I knew it was not an accident that I had met her.  I did not give her any identifying information of myself, not even my name.  I told her I would not give her money and she was emphatic that she did not want my money, but the fact I had stopped and talked to her, had done more for her than anything else could have.  I did tell her I would like to find some resources for her in the community and she offered me a cell phone number to call.  I told her I would call her tomorrow and meet her someplace public.  I spoke with my son who deals with such situations and he gave me several resources in the area that would be able to reach out and help her.  Tarra is a 16 year old high school dropout since the last two months of her Freshman year.  Were she going to school she would be starting her Junior year of high school.  We talked about that and the possibilities of going back to school.  Like I said, we discussed a lot of things in just a few moments.  I got up, went around the table and opened up my arms to her.  She walked into them, wrapping her thin arms around me so tightly like a lost and frightened toddler might do.  I prayed with her.  She told me that she had given her heart to Jesus two months ago and prays every day for sobriety to get through just that day.  She takes one day at a time regarding her sobriety and that is how she is getting through.

My son told me that the grip heroine takes on the body is an ongoing torment no matter how long you are drug free.  There is never a day that goes by that a heroin addict doesn’t have to fight the overwhelming craving of feeling so low and so dirty when they don’t have the drug in them.  It must be an awful fight.  I prayed for full release of this drug craving she was experiencing and prayed that she would know God so closely that she would feel like she was in His lap with His arms tightly around her.  Please join with me and pray for Tarra.  God knows her name, who she is, and all her pain. The Holy Spirit is fighting for her.  When someone comes on my radar like she did I know that God is pointing them out to me so I can pray over them.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to draw her closer to God during this great upheavel in her life.  Tarra is just one little lost 16 year old girl.  There are thousands of others just like her.  I saw them all over the country on my travels, sleeping in alley ways, on sidewalks of downtowns, and probably places I couldn’t even see.  My heart broke every time I looked into their eyes and read the hopelessness that looked back at me.  I actually cannot get some of the images out of my visual memory.  Perhaps it is God’s way of reminding me to pray for those people.  Such young lives wasted.

I asked Tarra what she thought I could do for her?  That’s when she told me that what I had already done by just showing concern and speaking with her was the greatest thing I could have done.  She said she wished she had a mentor.  I asked her what role would a mentor be in her life?   She responded that a mentor was just someone to talk to.  That’s when I told her I would call her tomorrow.  Please pray for me that if it be God’s will for me to be involved any further than I already am, that God would confirm it in my heart.  Please pray for Tarra’s protection and for my protection as well.  Pray that God will give me wisdom in this matter.  My heart is sad for all the Tarras there are on the streets of our country this very night.

I WONDER WHAT HER STORY IS?

By Kathleen Martens

August 27, 2015

Oh God, I am so thankful

That at a very young age

My heart was turned to you

And it wasn’t just a phase.

Somehow I was protected

From following worldly sin,

Drugs, and alcohol,

And all that could have been.

But so many others

Quagmired in worldly death

Even their days are dark

As evil steals their breath.

So many young, floundering.

And who is it, hears their cry?

And so many are perishing

And others longing to die.

What would you do Lord

If you were in my place?

How do I help another’s pain

When they run such an evil race.

For it truly is evil forces

That overshadows their life,

And there seems no way out

Of such a place of strife.

What can I do Father

To help the hurting lost?

What can I do dear Lord

When I know you paid the cost?

Speak Your wisdom into my heart

Show me each day how to live

For it is Your will I choose to do

And Your love I desire to give.

My part may very well be

A very small part indeed.

But whatever it is I am to do

Your direction I desire to  heed.

Oh, how I wish I could help Tarra.

I don’t mean to leave you with a melancholy story, but believed Tarra was part of my day today for a reason.  Perhaps if it will allow even one other person to open their heart toward the lost and suffering it will have been worth writing.  Your prayers over me are cherished.

It is late, the boys are gone, the house is quiet (too quiet), my body is tired, my thinking is over.  I’ll close now, though I have ever so much more to say.  I hope you have a good night’s sleep in a safe and comfortable bed and are surrounded by people around you that love you and whom you love.  For that is what truly makes us rich!

Good night!

P.S.  It is now Friday morning.  My husband read my blog above this morning and informed me it needed to be redone.  It was too late last night when I wrote it.  The above blog is the overhauled version.  I hope it makes better sense this morning than it did last night when I went to bed.  I just hope no one has read it yet.