For years now, I have been collecting miniature plates made by Limoge with the theme "love story". These miniatures are expensive for their size but are a great investment for me. A few years ago, I decided to take them in and have them framed so that they would be together and would be a bigger ticket item if I decided to sell them, or as a set together to pass on when I leave this world. They had to be framed in a couple of different sets.

I received a phone call informing me that the smaller set was framed and ready to be picked up. When I arrived at the store, I could tell, by the lady's manner, that something was wrong. The owner informed me that her husband, who does the framing, had dropped one of the plates for the larger set. Naturally, the little thing broke. I was told that he was running around town frantically trying to replace this plate.

I started to laugh, and I continued to laugh off and on most of the day. These folks were expecting me to cry and get upset, and I laughed. While I was standing there laughing, he returned. As he walked through the door, my heart went out to him, and I put out my arms and said, "Do you need a hug?" I cannot explain my reaction, except that I knew how awful these folks felt, and I also knew that they would not be able to replace this plate.

I did not know that he was very ill at the time and would die within the year. I believe that there are times in our lives when we have the opportunity to let our Christian faith and the love that Christ places in our hearts shine through situations that we are not in charge of. This, I believe, was one. I thank God for that broken little plate, with the love story theme etched upon it.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to step out of our comfort zones and listen to Your Spirit when You ask us to do something we are uncomfortable doing. Thank You, Jesus, for the opportunities which You place in our lives each day to touch others with Your love. Amen.

Lord, You rode in triumphantly, majestically, and victoriously.
You were on a path that had been chosen by Your Father.
Did You know, then, that You would be tortured and murdered?
I believe You must have.
And yet, You chose to follow the path Your Father had laid before You.
The love, the respect, the honour, and the faith You showed for Your Father
touches me deeply and humbles me.
I do believe that most of us would have headed in the opposite direction,
filled with terror.
You rode on with dignity and honour.

Even when You were betrayed by Judas,
and were left alone as Your disciples fled into the night,
You, Lord, maintained Your dignity,
while still holding onto Your humanity.
You overwhelm me with Your courage and unwavering spirit.

How intense Your inner pain must have been,
in comparison to the physical that was thrust upon You,
as those You were willing to die for,
stood by,
or became a part of those who inflicted the agony upon You.

Still, even in Your last hours,
as Your tortured body slumped in agony
upon that cross, You asked Your heavenly Father
to "forgive them, for they know not what they do".
As You looked down upon those who loved You,
weeping at the foot of Your cross,
could You feel their hearts break,
as Yours stopped beating?

You were taken down from that cross of death,
and placed into another's tomb,
wrapped with cloth by the hands of those who had loved You always.
Their weeping, their sense of total loss
must have been overwhelming, unbearable.
Did they feel afraid of what was to come?
Or did they remember the prophecy?

Oh, what must have gone through Mary's heart and mind
when she returned and the stone was rolled away,
and angels stood there in glory,
and she walked into the tomb where You had been laid,
and no longer saw Your body!

Why? Where had the Lord been taken —
the Lamb Who had been slain for our wrongdoing,
the Lamb Who had endured agony for our sins?
The Lamb had risen to give us new life!
Our salvation is in the blood of the Lamb,
if only we believe and trust in You.
Praise to the Lord! Hallelujah!
The Lamb of God has risen.
Again I say, Hallelujah!

The Lord God is risen indeed! Praise be to God!

On Sunday, November 3, 2003, my mother-in-law had her eightieth birthday. We celebrated by having open house. I had many people praying that I would have the strength to be able to get through this and that all would go well. I must tell you that it went extremely well, and Mom enjoyed it very much. My mother-in-law is a beautiful woman and very active. Many of her friends have passed away, and she seemed nervous at the idea of this party and who would come to it.

Well, we had a least sixty people come and share this day with her. I watched my mother-in-law move with ease from one person to the next as she welcomed them to her celebration of life. There are many lessons we can learn from our elders if we pay a little attention.

Mom is a strong woman. When my husband, Bill, her son, was twelve years old, his father was shot while out hunting. Mom was a young woman when she had to raise her two sons on her own. My relationship with her has changed a great deal over the years and continues to change and grow as all good relationships do. I have great respect, tremendous admiration, and deep love for Mom.

I have always enjoyed listening to the stories elders tell. The history of one's family is very important and should be passed down from generation to generation. I have information and pictures of both sides of our family, Bill's and mine, to pass on down to our children. If we will take the time to sit and really listen to our elders, we can learn many lessons, while at the same time understanding them better.

In taking the time, over the years, to get to know my mother-in-law, through sharing her past with her, I have been able to understand and appreciate her so much more.

The Bible is also our "family history", its stories telling us things that God wants us to know. We need to take the time to read it and listen to past generations' relationship with God, what they went through, and how they endured and survived. We also need to continue to document our own family's relationship with God and pass the history on to the next generation.

Prayer: Dear Lord, please help us to make the most out of every moment that You give us to let others see You shining in our lives. Help us to be a positive influence on those around us, that Your Kingdom would be glorified by the lives that we live for You. Please open the eyes of the hearts of others around us, Lord, so they, too, may come to know You, not just know about You. We love You, Jesus. Amen.

Romans 8:28 – And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (NLT)

Have you ever felt so lonely, sad, and depressed with the direction that your life was taking you, that you were unable to pray? Today is like that for me. All I am capable of doing is saying, "This too shall pass," as my soul cries out to God.

Day after day, pain and exhaustion are my constant companions, and the silence of my home is so loud that it hurts. Some may call this a "pity party"; however, to me, it is reality. I know that there are millions of people in worse situations physically, emotionally, financially, etc. However, it is not their lives I lead, it is mine. This is the only life I have, and I want to make the most of it. Yet I am stuck in this house, unable to do what I used to do, which is to live life to the fullest.

When I first sat down at the computer, I felt empty. However, God again spoke to my heart. Through writing what I was feeling, being totally honest with myself, and purging the emotions instead of holding them in, I was able to deal with them. This does not mean that I am sitting here laughing and joyful. It does, however, mean that I know that this too shall pass. God, who is with me, is with each of us — especially in our times of depression.

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the promises that You give us. Please help us to remember that You are in control, and that, no matter what we are facing, we can trust You, and You alone, to take care of us. We love You and praise Your holy name, Lord Jesus. Amen.