Author: Carol

Carol is a follower of Jesus and a wife, mom & grandma. She worked for many years as a childbirth nurse and prenatal educator. She recently retired from clinical work. She has written articles for nursing journals and devotionals. Her novel, Aliisa's Letter, was published in 2010 and she is currently working on another project.

Twelve Owls of Christmas

Owls have always fascinated me. I received a handcrafted owl, made in Finland, as a gift. This owl will make a hooting sound when you blow on the hole at its tailfeathers.

At Christmas I enjoy taking out ornaments that have been packed away. I have a number of owls and I find a place for each on the tree. The grandchildren count them when they visit. (There are twelve.)

A wise old owl sat on an oak,

The more he saw the less he spoke;

The less he spoke the more he heard;

Why aren’t we like that wise old bird?

Edward Hersey Richards

Mom at Rest: December 14, 2020

For the past few years Mom was a resident in Porter Hills nursing home. Her memory and physical mobility were declining. And then the pandemic came and visits were restricted. Mom was alone more and placed on hospice care. We were grateful when in person visits were allowed once more.

Last week the nursing home had a covid-19 outbreak, and within a few days Mom passed away. We grieve her passing but rejoice that she is at rest with the Lord. She believed in Jesus and confessed him as Savior.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Reflecting on Mom’s life and looking through photos, I came across a letter I wrote a few years ago. 

Today is Mother’s Day and I am thinking about all the ways you have been a blessing. I have many wonderful memories.

Do you remember the house on Prevost, in Detroit? One day when I was little you let us eat lunch in our backyard. We were pretending that we were in a restaurant. We had a menu and you served our food through the milk box. 

You planned many birthday parties—making a birthday cake and inviting friends over for a party.

On Easter Sunday I always had a pretty new dress and shiny shoes. Sometimes you sewed the dresses for Joyce and me.

You let me bake and cook, giving some guidance, but also letting me try recipes on my own.  My confidence in the kitchen grew.

You always had books in the house for us and took us to the library. This was a great start for succeeding in school. 

You raised five children and we all went to college.

You shared your love of berries with us. When my children were little you and Dad picked strawberries and blueberries. You gave them to us. You made applesauce for us and your grandchildren still remember. 

I am thankful for Mom and glad that she is at rest in the presence of our Savior.

Beyond the Sunset

Beyond the Sunset is a hymn that I remember from childhood. My Dad had a good voice and sang this with joy. Here are the words to the first verse:

Beyond the sunset, O blissful morning,

When with our Savior heaven is begun,

Earth’s toiling ended, O glorious dawning;

Beyond the sunset, when day is done.

Blanche Kerr Brock, Virgil P. Brock, Albert K. Rowswell

As Christians we have a balance to keep. We hold God’s promises dear and look forward to the return of Jesus. At the same time we have a job to do. We are called to be servants of our Lord.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

During this challenging time with the pandemic and political unrest, we may wonder what our role is. Is a global reset coming? We can pray for our country, for our family and for the church worldwide. After we have prayed we can stay alert, paying attention to the Holy Spirit for our words and action.

Kate’s prompt for the Five Minute Friday writers is: BEYOND Join the fun and visit the link-up here.

Also sharing this post with Crystal’s Heart Encouragement.

Present in Advent

Last Sunday was the first Sunday in Advent. With joy we turn our attention to God’s gift of love. Jesus came as an infant to fully participate in our human experience, and then provide a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus as newborn baby and Son of God was presented at the temple in Jerusalem.

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. Luke 2:22

In a letter to Timothy, Paul gives instruction to present ourselves before the Lord

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Our children attended Awana clubs. The purpose of Awana is to teach Bible verses to children, encouraging them to memorize. The letters in Awana stand for: Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed. The Bible verses that they committed to memory have been a blessing in their lives.

Our son, Steven, memorized 2 Timothy 2:15 and commented on it in the little journal that he kept. In the last days of his life the truth of the Bible guided his thoughts and comments.

As we approach Christmas let us recognize God’s gift with awe and seek to come to Him, continuing to learn and grow in our faith. 

Every Friday Kate gives a one word writing prompt. Today’s prompt is: PRESENT Visit the writing community here.

Linking this post with Heart Encouragement .

Giving Thanks in 2020

Thanksgiving was different this year. We exchanged dishes with my daughter’s family but enjoyed the meal in our separate homes. My granddaughter made a delicious bundt cake and dinner rolls. Another granddaughter made the cranberry sauce. I made my traditional cornbread stuffing. We all had a wonderful meal. In the evening we zoomed with our children and grandchildren in New Mexico, Kansas and Illinois.

I’m thankful for family and the ability to connect over zoom. We celebrated six birthdays this month—daughter, spouses and grandchildren. God has blessed us.

In the United States we have so much that we can access. I am grateful that all the ingredients for the cornbread dressing are easily available—butter, herbs, chestnuts and more. And turkeys are abundant in the grocery stores.

Cornbread dressing

The apples, berries and currants were made into pies. We are blessed to have these available.

A hymn written by Martin Rinkart (1586 – 1649) expresses thanksgiving joy.

Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices,

Who wondrous things has done, in whom His world rejoices;

Who from our mother’s arms, hath blessed us on our way

With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

What if we began and ended each day pausing to give thanks for something? I know it would lift my spirits in this unusual year.

Linking this post with Inspire Me Monday and the Five Minute Friday writing community. The writing prompt given by Kate is: GRATEFUL

For the Sake of the Children

The questions about the integrity of the November 3rd election are troubling. I am most concerned for my children and grandchildren. What does the future hold for them?

This morning I read a parable recorded in the book of Luke.

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming. And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay longer them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? Luke 18: 1-8

Many people are praying for truth and justice in the election results. What are the concerns?

I have found a number of articles that point to huge irregularities in the vote counts.

The vote totals defy mathematical logic.

Joe Biden’s votes violate Benford’s Law (Mathematics)

The hour by hour totals of votes as posted by the New York Times, points to fraud.

https://centralcitynews.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Central-City-News-11-19-20-Small.pdf

The sworn testimony of a person with direct knowledge of the dominion voting system points to fraud.

https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.gand.283580/gov.uscourts.gand.283580.6.14.pdf

Perhaps you have seen the press conference that Rudy Guliani and Sidney Powel participated in—if not here is the link:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?478246-1/trump-campaign-news-conference-legal-challenges

Sharyl Atkinson has accumulated a list of articles that are difficult to find in the news media.

https://sharylattkisson.com/2020/11/hard-to-find-2020-election-fraud-stories-and-links/

We must continue to bring our request for truth and justice before God in continuous prayer.

Global Reset or Global Prayer

Last night I didn’t sleep well. I have grief over the state of our country. We are experiencing limited social interaction, censorship, financial pressures and school closures. I am most concerned when I hear world leaders talking about a Global Reset or a New World Order.

Del Bigtree had a lengthy interview with James Corbett about the relationship between the pandemic and a Global Reset, reviewing the comments of numerous world leaders. The episode on The HighWire is HERE.

It is a confusing and chaotic time, but I firmly believe that we must not be overtaken by fear. I spent time praying this morning and asking the Holy Spirit to intercede where I lacked words.

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

I am praying for the children and the future of our country. I am praying that families will be strengthened. I am praying for revival in the church. And I am praying for election integrity, for fraud to be exposed.

I have been encouraged by a global prayer meeting that has been taking place a couple times each week. It has blessed me to hear Christians in Israel, Africa and South America praying for the United States.

This coming Sunday, 11/22, there will be another prayer meeting at 7:00 pm CST. It is accessible on Facebook. Eric Metaxas has been posting invitations to the prayer on twitter. Click here for a link to the page.

Every Friday Kate gives a one word prompt to the Five Minute Friday writing community. Today’s prompt is: GRIEF

Historical Fiction: 3 Good Reads

This year my mind has become weary with the news. The amount of time that I spend watching the news on TV is decreasing and the amount of time that I am reading is increasing. I admit that I have been a bit of a political junkie, and it is good to spend more time with books (the Bible being first).

Historical fiction is a favorite genre. Books can take us to another time period, showing us places, events and people. We can learn from books that are carefully researched. 

In the past month I have read three books in this genre. Two of the books are set in the time period of WWI, the Great War.

City of Scoundrels by Victoria Thompson includes the 1918 flu pandemic, along with masks and disagreement about the effectiveness of masks. The main characters are involved in cons and the movement of money to make people rich. So much reminded me of the current time that I had to check the publishing date. Did the author write this after the pandemic began? It was published in 2019.

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Web is a WWI story set in Europe. The book has an unusual structure. The story is told completely by letters between the main characters. The reader is invited to see the effects of the war on daily life and decisions through the letters. This perspective allowed a view of internal emotions and hopes. I was drawn into the lives of the characters.

Tessa Afshar writes stories tied to Biblical characters. She has firsthand knowledge of the middle east—I enjoy her descriptions of setting. The Thief of Corinth is set in the time period following Jesus death and resurrection. The apostle Paul makes an appearance in the story. The reader gets a glimpse of wealthy villas in Corinth, the way of life in a rapidly growing commercial center.  Afshar presents Paul consistent with the Bible.

Each of these books does a good job of revealing human nature, the good and the bad that is possible in all of us.

Sharing this post with Inspire Me Monday and Booknificent Thursday .

Saving Seeds with Hope

The leaves are falling. Red gold and bronze. I have been raking the leaves, thankful for the outdoor activity.

My miniature rose bush has surprised me, continuing to bloom even though we have had some nights of frost. The bright red blooms bring joy.

The garden has been put to bed, but I am looking forward to next year. I have saved seeds from some squash plants and calendula flowers.

My neighbor gave me an Italian basil plant. It grew slowly and I decided to bring it inside, placing it in a southern facing window. I am hoping to gather some seeds from it for next year—and perhaps the plant will survive through the winter.

A couple  of English lavender plants did well (planted from seed). I left one outside for the winter and brought one inside. It has charmed me with flowers.

I am so thankful for the order, beauty and diversity of God’s creation. Despite human chaos, the seasons continue. We can trust God’s word. He is faithful and knows the future. We continue day by day with faith. 

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

Psalm 1: 1-3

On Friday Kate gives a prompt and we write for five minutes (and sometimes more). Today’s prompt is: AHEAD

Visit the Five Minute Friday writers to read more insights on this prompt.

Sharing this post with Tuesday’s with a Twist, Sue’s Image-in-ing, Crystal’s Heart Encouragement and Inspire Me Monday.

The Year My Vote Was Denied

During my childhood I was aware of elections and political jingles. My parents voted in every election. It was a citizen’s duty.

The first year I was eligible to vote (1972) Richard Nixon was running against George McGovern. I had registered to vote in Ann Arbor—where I lived as a student. But in the fall of that year I was living and working in Detroit. I was determined to carry out my civic duty.

I drove to the polling station in Ann Arbor and was dismayed to see a huge, long line. When it was 7:00 pm the officials told us that everyone who was in line by 7:00 pm would be allowed to vote. So I waited . . .  and waited. It was close to 1:00 am when it was my turn. The poll worker looked through his documents and shook his head. He told me, “You are at the wrong polling place.” Despite my efforts I didn’t vote in that election.

Over the years I have committed to understanding political policies and have voted in every presidential election except my first attempt and 1988. That fall I was in Seattle with my son during his bone marrow transplant and follow-up care.

On Tuesday afternoons I have three of my grandchildren at my home. Something was said about the current election. My six-year-old grandson turned to me and asked, “Who are you voting for?”

I responded, “I am voting for religious liberty, the constitution and the sanctity of life.”

He said, “I know who you are voting for.”

As the days wind down to this election please join me in praying for a fair election with clear results. Pray for peace in our streets.

This post is shared with the Five Minute Friday writing community. Today’s prompt is: VOTE