Wheels. . .Every Good Gift

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I was watching a car pass by today and the hubcaps caught my eye. As I watched them spin round and round, I thought about the marvel of the wheel. The four wheels of that vehicle allowed a 3,000+ pound car to easily traverse the road.

How many times during my day do I utilize something with wheels? Today at work we had a STAT Cesarean Section. Having to push a 200 pound woman in a 250 pound bed as fast as possible down the hall would be an insurmountable task without those four little wheels. As it was, two nurses were able to get her to the operating room in a matter of seconds.

I use wheels on carts, we have wheels on our garbage can (which thanks to my thoughtful husband I rarely have to even touch). Some people have wheels on their luggage. At work we use small cardboard "wheels" which rotate around to tell us how far along a woman's pregnancy is based on her due date.

Wheels are responsible for bringing everything into the grocery store that we end up bringing home and we bring it all home thanks to the wheels on our car.

I have now completely established the usefulness of wheels. But how many times have I taken the time or effort to thank the Lord for wheels? Here is something that makes my life unbelievably easier and that I use everyday, but I don't think I've ever even thought of being thankful for them to the Person who caused them to be invented.

There are so many more items like that in my life. . .things I have so taken for granted day after day that I can't even pull them to mind now, but for which I know I should be offering thanks to the Lord.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. " James 1:17


I pray the Lord will open my eyes to see more of the good and perfect gifts He has provided in my life that I can give Him thanks and praise for His wonderful provision.

End of October

There is a song I like which begins:

"End of October,
the sleepy brown woods seem to
nod down their heads to the Winter,"

It is the end of October here, and until this morning, it has not been Winter. Yesterday it was 80° and 94% humidity. But this morning, when I stepped outside to take Sparrow out, the cooler air that had ridden in on the rain (the rain that kept us from kayaking this morning) brushed across my face like a child giving a sweet morning kiss.

The changing of seasons is something that I don't take for granted. Those who know me are aware that I dislike hot weather. I often say that the only good reason for summer is kayaking. Of course, now we have learned how to kayak in cooler temperatures, too, I may have to stop saying that. I love cooler weather. I like it as cold as it gets here along the coast. I would love to see snow, whatever that is. But when the Spring comes, I love to see all the budding plants and the new green show up on the trees.

From the very beginning of the world, the Lord instituted seasons. "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years" (Genesis 1:14). Perhaps He knew His creation of man enough to know that we would need change several times a year. Even a continual perfect climate might grow old eventually.

There is so much around us for which to give thanks, and so often that I fail to do so. But today, as I breathe the cool air that feels so much thinner, feels so invigorating, that hints of Winter (even though we know the chances of having an 80° Christmas are pretty good,) I will remember to thank Him who knew from the creation of the world, that I would need autumn winds today.

"For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust." (Psalms 103:14)

Be Still...Wait on the Lord

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I was standing outside of the ER at the hospital the other day, waiting for Glen to pick me up. I do this often since a neurosurgeon told me the worst thing I can do for my neck injury is to drive. I have found his words to be true. When I drive, I usually pay the penalty for a week or two afterward with increased neck pain and headaches. To avoid this, my husband graciously acts as my chauffeur in most situations.

As I was standing there waiting, my first temptation was to be irritated at having to wait. After all, our society is now one in which waiting has become a negative thing. We have fast food, fast news, fast entertainment. We expect fast medicine, fast service, fast recoveries. . .from anything. I began to think about waiting and about the rush in which our society has found itself. The verse came to mind immediately, "Be still and know I am God" (Psalm 46:10)

Be still. How foreign that seems these days to be still and wait. But if we don't be still and wait on the Lord, how can we hear His voice? How can we know His will?

As I write this, my sweet beagle Sparrow is cuddled up next to me as close as possible. I love Sparrow so much and one of the reasons is because she teaches me so much. She teaches me about how I should respond to the Lord, and how my feelings for her are a tiny shadow of what the Lord feels for me.

When we leave in the morning for the hospital, Sparrow often gets to ride with us (she loves car rides.) But she will stand still and watch me, her eyes looking to me for guidance, waiting to see when I start to leave. She doesn't rush ahead of me. When I start to walk toward the door, then she follows.

Each morning, her simple act of respect and love touches my heart. Her acknowledgment of me as her authority and leader humbles me and strengthens my role at the same time.

When I come home in the afternoon, she is waiting at the door, not only her tail wagging, but her whole body wagging in joy. She is thrilled when I bend over and pet her and talk to her about her day. And I am thrilled that she has come to greet me with such obvious devotion.

How much more must be the relationship we have with our Lord. When we still ourselves to see that "He is God", and in doing so acknowledge His authority and Headship in our lives, how much it must touch His heart. When we come to Him in devotion and love, how His heart is thrilled and filled with joy.

He loves us. He cares for us. He joys over us with singing. We must only let ourselves be still. Be still and we will know that He alone is our God. And we will know that He alone is enough.

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)

A Mother's Heart in War. . .6-7-04. . .Day One

The Friday entries of "The Powder Room" are currently from a journal which I started when we found out our son was going to be deployed with the United States Marine Corps to Iraq. The journal was not written with the intention that it would ever be read by anyone else, much less published in any way. There are feelings in the journal that are deep and true and I wasn't sure at first I wanted to share them. But there are many sons and daughters still serving in our armed forces and I think it might be good to share "a mother's heart" with you what those other mothers may be facing. The entries are shared as a tribute to my son and his service to our country, and to all those sons and daughters who continue to willingly place themselves in harm's way for the protection and preservation of liberty.


June 7, 2004 Day One

It was a very hard day. the morning started with distracting myself from what was to happen in the afternoon. It seemed as if Noah would never return from the Unit, but I didn't mind the delay too much -- it kept that inevitable moment at bay longer. then, more abruptly than I thought it should happen, the moment was upon us. We gathered on the carport while Glen prayer -- I had to concentrate on other things to keep from turning into a mass of tears. Then Em and I and the Glen said goodbye first, so that Aimee and Noah could have time alone.

Once again eloquence neglected me. I had such a fragile grasp on control, I could only manage to say, "I love you son." After a quick kiss on the cheek, I walked away and retreated to the dark quiet of my bedroom and burst into tears. I knew that sometime while I was in there, he drove away and not watching that truck leave seemed much more difficult than watching the van pull away toward Parris Island three years earlier.

Overall, the emotions of the day were much harder than I had imagined but deep within a quiet peace prevailed. It is a strange combination, this deep intense emotion in the feelings and the quiet calm in the Spirit.

Then came the smile in tanglible form. . .a knock on the door and then Glen handed me a beautiful arrangement of flowers. How surprised I was to read the card:

Thinking of You

Anita Sonja Sheila Nycole

The thoughtfulness of friends at work brought more tears, but grateful ones. Like a blanket on a cold day, their love wrapped around me and warmed my aching soul.

It reminded me of Aimee, after I had said goodbye to Noah and had come into the house, she hugged me and said, "Don't cry, he'll be okay." And I had thought I would be comforting her!

I was a hard day, a very hard day, but in some respects, a very good day, too.