Our Christmas Cat

This poem and picture are in tribute to our childhood family cat Taffy who lived 19.5 years(May 25, 1990 - Dec. 14, 2009). My Mom wrote this poem about her after Christmas 2008. Taffy must have loved the items under the tree as much as i did growing up.


Our Christmas Cat


By Betty Lehman

What does she dream, our Christmas cat,
As she curls beneath the tree
To rest in peaceful sleep, content,
Beside the Christmas scene?

What does she dream, our Christmas cat,
As breaths come slow, with
Body still, she lies
At dreamland’s door?

What does she dream, our Christmas cat;
Of ribbons and paper,
Of Christmas past,
The chase, the hunt, the laughter?

What does she dream, our Christmas cat?
Only she knows,
As she rises and yawns
And stretches and turns.

What does she dream, our Christmas cat,
As she curls beneath the tree,
To sleep again and dream
The dreams that only cats can see?

© 2009

Our House Rules

Our House Rules

Love God and Love each other

Be Generous with Hugs and Warm Words

Be Patient and Respect each other

Practice Forgiveness
Be Kind and Tenderhearted

Pray Often Live with a Thankful Heart

Prayer for Parents

O Heavenly Father, make me a better parent. Teach me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to say, and to answer all their questions kindly. Keep me from interrupting them or contradicting them. Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me. Forbid that I should ever laugh at their mistakes or resort to shame or ridicule when they displease me. May I never punish them for my own selfish satisfaction or to show my power. Let me not tempt my children to lie or steal.

And guide me hour by hour that I may demonstrate by all that I say and do that honesty produces happiness. Reduce, I pray, the meanness in me. And when I'm out of sorts, help me, O Lord, to hold my tongue. May I ever be mindful that my children are children and I should not expect of them the judgment of adults. Let me not rob them of the opportunity to wait on themselves and to make decisions. Bless me with the bigness to grant them all their reasonable requests and the courage to deny them privileges I know will do them harm. Make me fair and just and kind and fit, O Lord, to be loved and respected and imitated by my children. Amen.

prayer by Fr. Anothony Coniaris from Making God Real in the Orthodox Christian Home

Jesus, help me.

Lord, in every need let me come to You with humble trust saying, "Jesus, help me."

In all my doubts, perplexities, and temptations, Jesus, help me.

In hours of loneliness, weariness, and trials, Jesus, help me.

In the failure of my plans and hopes; in disappointments, troubles, and sorrows, Jesus, help me.

When others fail me and Your grace alone can assist me, Jesus, help me.

When I throw myself on Your tender love as a father and savior, Jesus, help me.

When my heart is cast down by failure at seeing no good come from my efforts, Jesus, help me.

When I feel impatient and my cross irritates me, Jesus, help me.

When I am ill and my head and hands cannot work and I am lonely, Jesus, help me.

Always, always, in spite of weakness, falls, and shortcomings of every kind, Jesus, help me and never forsake me.

Amen.

IMPOSSIBLE

IMPOSSIBLE means that i,
an ordinary young woman,
can be something special and significant
in an enormous, hurting world.
i can be love where i live,
and that is Christ...

and He really does make ALL
the difference!

~quote from Ann Kiemel

captivated......

Your laughter it echoes like a joyous thunder
Your whisper it warms me like a summer breeze
Your anger is fiercer than the sun in its splendor
You're close and yet full of mystery
Ever since the day that I saw Your face
Try as I may, I can not look away, can not look away...

Captivated by You
I am captivated by You
May my life be one unbroken gaze
Fixed upon the beauty of Your face

Beholding is becoming, so as You fill my gaze
I become more like You and my heart is changed
Beholding is becoming, so as You fill my view
Transform me into the likeness of You

This is what I ask, for all my days
That I may, never look away, never look away...

Captivated by You
Captivated by You
May my life be one unbroken gaze
Fixed upon your beauty
Fixed upon your beauty

No other could ever be as beautiful
No other could ever steal my heart away

No other could ever be as beautiful
No other could ever steal my heart away

Just can't look away...

I am captivated by You
Captivated by You
May my life be one unbroken gaze
Fixed upon the beauty
Fixed upon the beauty
Fixed upon the beauty of Your face
Beauty of Your face

When Trials Come

Today I learn that i face yet another trial in my life.
Can anything separate us from the love of Christ?
Can trouble,
suffering,
and hard times,
or hunger and nakedness,
or danger and death?
In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us.
I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love–
not life or death,
not angels or spirits,
not the present or the future,
and not powers above or powers below.
Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! romans 8

I am Blessed

God has reminded me lately that I am truly blessed, most of all with His steadfast love. I love the word steadfast…”firmly fixed in place; immovable; not subject to change”. This steadfast love is the love that has captured my heart! This song below was on my mind the morning of my hysterectomy, and with it came the peace that whether the worst or the best came, that it was my Father’s love for me that would see me through.



Thank you God for giving me the courage and the strength to walk through these past 2 months, and for all of the ways that you have surrounded me with your love.

Walk in love

God has really been convicting me lately that He wants me to be a person who loves others, and sees them as his loved creation. I have been convicted for awhile now that I am too focused on task, and it was really apparent to me at work, where i see that my relationships have been suffering with conflict because i am not taking the time to care about people.

My prayer about 3 weeks ago was "help my work to be about people. not tasks. please show me what this means, practically. how to do this. how to live a life of love. how to imitate God in this area." Even though I knew what was wrong, and that God wanted me to love others, I couldn't see HOW to do this! So this weekend at church, I had Kurt pray with me, and I believe it was in response to my seeking Him in this way that He opened my eyes! It's been a work that God is doing in me, but it all came together for me this past weekend.

God showed me that life is not a business contract. i have been operating with people out of necessity, not out of desire. if i go to the store, i would be pleasant, but not pleased to be interacting with other people. they were an means to an end. My experiences in missions and support raising also contributed to viewing people as a resource :( AND God just opened my eyes to show me that my relationship with HIm is not a contract either where i am to be following Him because he is a means to an end.

People are important! God is giving me a new love for people, and helping me to set aside the judgement that i have struggled with for so long, and to embrace people...faults, weaknesses and all.

Jesus didn't just focus on the task of giving his life for us. He could have come, skipped ministering to people, caring about people, loving people, and simply given His life for us. Instead, He did it in love. (Gal. 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who LOVED ME, and gave himself for me.")

Eph. 5:1-2 "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. WALK IN LOVE, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

God wants me to love Him, and to love others. to love my neighbor in the same way i myself long to be loved. we are His hands and His feet. He has commanded us to love one another, that our joy may be made complete.

so what does this look like? taking a genuine interest in the people around me. seeing them! making eye contact. asking them about themselves. serving them, loving them in whatever way presents itself. reaching out to others to let them know you care. stopping to talk instead of walking by. believing the best, assuming postive intent instead of jumping to the worst conclusion. giving the benefit of the doubt. walking in grace. reflecting feelings and showing compassion. going out of my way to think of someone and call them to ask if you can meet a need. God did not intend for me to recluse myself in my house with just my family. I can be a catalyst to show them and lead them to learn how to love others. i need to seek for what i can learn from others. I can be open to relationship and to seeing what God will do in our lives corporately. God uses us in each others lives. Perhaps i have not discovered completely who i am, because i have been hiding. it is in relationship that you learn about yourself, that you reveal yourself, that you share who you are.

Lord, i pray that you would help me to continue to grow in this area. I want to love unconditionally and unselfishly. Not holding back in sharing today what i can with others. If you give me opportunity, may i speak of your love and share the hope that i have.

UPDATE 11/14:
I had several connections with people today that i normally don't have. I was able to genuinely pray for and listen to and love D at work re: her situation. i connected more with the moms at MMO and engaged them more in conversation than normal. S bore her heart to me about her situation with her MIL, and we embraced in a hug. I am so amazed at how God is opening doors for me in relationship to those around me. i am not afraid to talk to others. if i am thinking about how i can love and care for someone, then i am not thinking about what they are thinking about me, if that makes sense.

the Servant Song

This is one of our wedding songs that we had my sister and a friend sing as a duet. From the moment i first heard this song, i knew that i wanted to have it as part of our wedding. to me, these words are vows in their own way. I often think of this song as well when i think of my online GCM group of moms and all of the ways that we support one another along the journey.



Will you let me be your servant.
Let me be as Christ to you.
Pray that I may have the grace
To let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey
We are brothers on the road.
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and share the load.

I will hold the Christ light for you.
In the nighttime of your fear.
I will hold my hand out to you,
Speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping.
When you laugh, I’ll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow
‘Til we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven
We will find such harmony
Born of all we’ve known together
Of Christ’s love and agony.