Please fix Rosie

(This is one of my favorite Christmas stories)

When I was a little girl, Santa Claus not only brought new toys, he mended beloved old ones.  Every year early in December I would write a note to the jolly old saint, “Dear Santa, please fix Rosie!”

Rosie was an old rag doll, much battered, whose kind embroidered eyes viewed the uncertainties of my childhood with calm reassurance.  I had other dolls, but none was so close to my heart as Rosie.  I took care of the other dolls.  Ragged though she was, Rosie took care of me.  So every December with a parting pang, I would place her on the table with my note to Santa pinned on her torn dress and go to bed lonely but hopeful.  I never knew exactly what happened to Rosie on those pre-Christmas trips.   All I knew was that every year she came back, torn dresses mended almost as good as new.

I still have Rosie with her limp cotton arms.  On her sweet embroidered face is a relaxed and sleeping look as if she knows her mission in this world is over.  She now dreams those dreams sacred to faithful retired rag dolls.

And now at Christmas time when once again the world turns to the ancient story of rebirth, when the exchange of presents among friends expresses our longing for a peaceful world I find in my heart among all these things a place for the memory of Rosie’s annual restoration.

Surely in the renewed blossoming of a little child’s favorite doll lies the meaning of the miracle behind the Christmas story, through which we too can be reborn…the simple miracle of understanding love.

-          by Frieda Marion

Mrs, Vicki's Legacy

So life happened again this weekend and I have more to write about.  I have been blessed to have been part of four churches in my life.  That could be a blog in itself, so I will stay on topic. 

As I mentioned in my first blog, I married and immediately had children that were entrusted to me.  My husband and I were involved in different churches when we met, and we ended up at Kingsland Baptist.  There are so many reasons this church has been the right church for this season in our lives.  I love Pastor Alex who models the godly man; the servant leader who is strong, but leads with love (and I thank God for the former ministers in my life who are also servant leaders). I became involved in Joshua House where I have met some great women who encourage me as a Christian, a woman, wife and mother; we are accountable to each other and we do life together.  Last, we have three children coming up through the children's ministry that has been led by Mrs. Vicki Hoyle.  This ministry is part of the legacy she is leaving behind as she has finished the race and received her crown of righteousness on Friday, November 18, 2011 (2 Timothy 4:7-8) .

The second Sunday Katherine and Kristen lived with us, they came home from church and over lunch they accepted Christ as their personal savior.  Soon after that, we had the opportunity to meet with Mrs. Vicki in person.  She asked them questions about their decision, gave them books to learn more about God and encouraged them as her little sisters in Christ.  The girl's attended children's church and many activities.  They have been loved on by so many people at the church and they have been greatly influenced by these people and the events they have been able to participate in.
 
Yesterday, the girls and I attended Mrs. Vicki's funeral.  We talked about how sometimes we are separated from people through death, sometimes by moving or just not being involved in the same things anymore.  God places people in our lives and they are blessings while they are with us.  Some people impart things to us that we take with us through life; we are part of their legacy.  We talked about what a legacy is and Mrs. Vicki's legacy.  We talked about how we can be happy for her even though right now we are sad because we miss her.

Hebrews 11 talks about the great people of faith from the Old Testament who have died and are now in heaven.  Our ancestors/family, mentors and friends who have passed on are with them now.  Hebrews 12 goes on to say "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith."  The cloud of witnesses just got a little greater!  We love you and will miss you Mrs. Vicki!

We all have a board!

I had a different story in mind for my second post, but life happened!  Last Sunday evening, Brian and I picked the twins up from Life Groups (a bible study they participate in with other sixth graders) and they were so excited!  They had a friend stuggling with something, and they were able to use a story I shared with them to help their friend.

2 Corinthians 1:3,4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Here is the story:

We all have a board.  When we are younger, people write on our boards.  They tell us we are pretty, funny, smart, precious, stubborn, awkward, in-the-way..you name it.  As they tell us these things, we take it all in.  They are older, and these things are impressed on our hearts.  They write directly on our board and we believe them.

When the girls were entering Junior High I told them they owned their board and they should not let anyone else write directly on it anymore.  I did tell them they were responsible for hearing criticism and filtering everything through God to see what He says about them.  I told them when they received criticism they should ask two questions: (1) is it true?, (2) if it is not true, is there a reason the other person might think it is true?  I gave them the example that they might say I was selfish.  If they said that I would ask myself, "am I?" and I would say "no."  The next question, "is there a reason the girls might think I am selfish?" and I would have to answer that there might be.  Early on, they had a habit of borrowing my things and not putting them back...hairspray, hairbands, paper, pencil sharpeners, etc.  I learned to buy enough for everyone and then I really did not want to share my things; we all were responsible for keeping track of our own stuff.  That might cause them to think I am selfish, and I could address that with them, but I would not write the word "selfish" on my board.

Where can we find things to write on our board?  Can I encourage you to read Psalm 139 for the truth about who you are...we are fearfully and wonderfully made!  God has precious thoughts for me that outnumber the grains of sand.  I can never get away from God, even if I settle on the far side of the sea, His hand will guide me, and His right hand will hold me fast (He never let's go of us).

Get your marker and eraser out and ask God to help you clean your board and fill it up with His truths about you!

We all leave a legacy



by Lynn Bowen Walker

For years I have said "I am going to write a book".  Encouraged by friends who maintain blogs and a cousin who published a book before starting her blog: http://queenofthecastlerecipes.blogspot.com/, I decided there was no time like the present!

When coming up with a name, I decided on "Leaving A Legacy".  Somewhere in my core I have had the understanding that we all leave a legacy, regardless of whether we intend to or not.  Once we get to be a certain age, there are generations following us.  We might be a parent, an adult, or a big brother/sister setting an example for a younger sibling.  We all have a circle of influence.

Why do I feel so strongly about this?

I think my grandfather had very strong feelings about family, and while I was only 12 when he died and I did not understand the legacy he was leaving behind, it impacted me later.

Second, my mother passed away when I was 35 and my father followed her 13 months later.  Their lives and legacy spoke volumes to me, and at the age of 36, I became the older generation.

Last, I married later in life to someone who had three daughters and a grandson.  In one day I became a wife, a step-mother and a grandparent.  I understood there are generations following me who will be part of the legacy I leave behind. 

To quote my grandfather "Maybe a hundred years from now some descendents will feel as we do now, that not many things are more important to us than our ancestors.  The circumstances and conditions that molded them and the decisions which they made in their day has so much to do with who we are and where we are in our day. The 'genes' we inherit from them determine to a large degree our hopes for long life and for natural good health of mind, body and spirit.  Then too, what was bred into our hearts by parents and grandparents in our childhood so greatly determine our hopes for eternal life in that which follows this."

May I be a blessing to others and breed hope into the hearts of those I touch.