Last night I was exhausted; mentally, emotionally, and physically. Wednesdays are always difficult for me since I work the previous two nights, but despite extra sleep yesterday afternoon I was pretty pitiful. So, I put myself to bed. I snuggled under my Grandma quilt and drifted off to sleep.

Today is the 98th anniversary of the day my Grandma Jones was born. This marks the first birthday we won’t be celebrating with her. She is celebrating it in heaven and I don’t regret that. I miss her. A lot. But, I know she was ready in every sense of the word and I’m thankful she is there. However, I couldn’t help but think of the impact she had on the lives of so many people in this world. She wasn’t famous. She wasn’t rich. She wasn’t a huge success by today’s standards. Yet, in every way that really counts she was famous, rich, and successful. And she did it stitch by stitch.

You see, my Grandma was a wife, mother, grandma, sister, friend, daughter. She took her relationships and responsibilities seriously. One way she showed her care was by providing for her family. She made quilts. Lots of quilts. When her children were at home she made quilts to keep them warm. They weren’t for show, although she loved to make them beautiful. As her family expanded, so did her quilt making.

For each new grandchild she made a baby quilt. There were 23. For each grandchild’s high-school graduation she made a tie-quilt. There were 23. Then she went on to make each of us a quilt for a double bed. When she came to a wedding, she brought a quilt and Grandpa brought money. A few years ago, when it became apparent even to her that she wouldn’t be able to keep her house much longer, she gave out he quilts to those who weren’t yet married. I put mine away for awhile but then decided I wanted to use it, married or not.

Since getting married I have kept the quilt folded at the bottom of my bed. When I am cold I pull it up. I can see different pieces of material in it that I recognize. They were the remnants of things Grandma made for us when we were younger. I know that Grandma put a lot of love into each of the quilts she made, just like she put a lot of love into each of our lives. She wasn’t a woman of many words. She wasn’t managerial. She was just a woman who loved her family and provided for them.

Even though I don’t have children I can learn a lot from her. I need to use the talents I have to provide for, and bless those God puts in my life. That’s all He asks. I don’t need to do it all at once, either. I can do it like my Grandma, stitch by stitch, over a life-time.

We so often talk about our physical and personality traits and trace them back to our parents. I love doing this. Today I received this amazing song. It is one I have never heard before but it is well worth the time it will take to listen to it.  For someone like me who needs a human connecting point to “get something” this was amazing. Thank you, Jesus for coming as the perfect God-man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5ddoyfn6g4&feature=related

Why is it that we sometimes have to  be reminded of our own advice?

Right Feelings Follow Right Actions.

The first time I remember hearing this phrase was at Northland Baptist Bible College. It is an amazingly simple concept, one we all have experienced but certainly one that is difficult to live consistently. At least it is for some of us. I’ve found it useful when teaching children. I even put it in my first book. It is such a critical concept to “get”.

While I don’t remember hearing it put quite that way before Northland, I had certainly been taught the concept. I had been taught that if you do your work first, your fun time is much more enjoyable. I can attest to the fact that is true. We all know that if there is a task we are dreading, getting it done brings such a sense of relief and accomplishments. I had also been taught that if we obey, even when we don’t want to, we will be thankful we did. This also is true.

So why the difficulty? I’m sure it is wrapped up in the human nature, sin, selfishness, laziness, all of those negative traits.

Whatever causes it, I struggled this morning. I didn’t feel like getting up but I wanted to get things done. Once up I didn’t feel like doing the things I wanted to get done, but I wanted them done. The longer this tussle went on the more miserable I became. I even started to get a headache.

Finally, after a few stops and starts and some prayer on my part for divine help I gave myself the right-feelings-follow-right-actions speech. Then I got the two things I was most dreading DONE! Then we rewarded ourselves and went to Sonic for a Diet Cherry Limeade and a drive in the convertible. Now that I am home I am whizzing through my list.

 Well, maybe plodding is a better word but at least I’m moving forward.