A Piece of Earth Giving Life

"Showing kindness to others is one of the nicest things we can do for ourselves."  ~Janette Oke

He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.   ~Proverbs 11:25

"Be content with who you are, and don't put on airs.  God's strong hand is on you; He'll promote you at the right time.  Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you."   1 Peter 5:6-7



The Nursing Home. Our best friends in the whole wide world.  This is a wonderful shot of my sweet Buddy, a dear friend, an angel, with two of our daughters, Michelle and Rebecca. He can't speak very much because he has a speech impediment, has no movement in his arm, can only see out of one eye and has little hearing.  He. is. my. buddy.  The BEST.

We go the nursing home to share Love and Life and receive so much more back.  This is where it's at.

A precious friend, she's been there in the same physical position, it seems almost paralyzed in the same position in her reclined wheelchair for years, I wasn't sure if she comprehended...I notice she makes small gulping noises when I speak to her. I sing Jesus Loves Me to her and she squeezes my hand...It dons on me...She understands so very well!...I whisper to her:

You have so much life in you...You want to talk sooo bad...

Her beautiful turquoise eyes look up to me.  Tears well up in her eyes... I looked in her eyes with awe as tears well up in mine. Maybe my tears spoke to her too...

I think...Oh God! This Precious Saint does comprehend!  She has been comprehending for years when I've visited her! She does have so much life in her, oh this poor angel...
Please pray for my sweet friend, I will call her Angel.  Her tears spoke so much...just. so. much.


 I've seen and sang to, prayed with sweet Angel for years and never realized.  Now I do realize.  When we see people, we don't know sometimes what their lives could tell us do we?   
...Let's find out. 

I sometimes think of this song by Jars of Clay in these instances, how could I not?  If you could see the faces and situations...
 
And the following is no different...I thought once again of that song... 

The other night Jem and I were eating out at a salad place, such a sweet little place with nice lighting, a very homie place in uptown.   I see a darling little hostess, she quietly passes our table carrying plates.  I tell Jem in a hushed voice, she reminds me so much of our Rebecca, this precious young lady stood out to me like you would not believe, she intrigued me.  Her fair skin, her darling retro red lips, a simple blonde ponytail.  She looked like she should be in a European cafe in France or something, it's a look certain people have you know...

Jem and I finished our cozy dinner and I headed to the customary lady's room.  Aha...I run into the lovely girl in the corridor.

I say with a big toothy grin, (my mom says our big gigantic toothy grins come compliments of the Trapolino family, my Great Grandma) Italiana trivia there. ; )

I love your red lipstick!

She quietly pulls her lipstick tube out of her apron and shows me her brand...She also pulls out a clear mascara of the same brand...She was so darling, just so eager to share with me and I. loved. it.

She sweetly shares that she is part Italian and part German ...just like me and our girls...Does God know what He is doing or what?

We talk and she was so adorable...She just chatted in a most shy but comfortable way with me, my heart was melting.  I tell her how much she reminds us of our youngest daughter...  She tells me she is adopted.  I say with watered eye...and slight smile, eyes trying so hard  to convey love and care...tilted head as telling a sweet secret, a sweet encouragement as a mother would tell her own daughter.

Your mother gave you life...

 She smiles and tears overflow...We share.  She shares it's her adopted mother who she is sooo much and miraculously alike, their love for holiday season decorating, cut crystal and all kinds of wonderful things.  She tells me she doesn't like her real mother much because she and her brother were something of an afterthought...  

I tell her our oldest daughter counsels young ladies at a prolife clinic to choose Life and how wonderful it would be if she could share sometimes...  I tell this precious girl that ...

God is going to use you so much in your Life...

Beautiful precious, tears ensue once again and I just cannot tell you the wonderful feeling it was...It's the best thing on earth I tell you.  Being aware of God's Children and listening for that Still Small Voice, being Jesus with skin on. 

Being Life, bringing forth Life. Receiving Life.

I love that so much that the Holy Spirit can work in such BEAUTIFUL WAYS!

Jem was on the phone with our girls over in the booth taking their Whole Foods "order",  He had noticed the beautiful girl and I had been in heavy conversation with tears involved...He tells the girls and I'm sure he has them praying.

When we get home our daughters were so interested to hear about the beautiful girl...Rebecca smiled as I share...

She was so sweet and so European looking ...Just. Like. You.  

Those words were definitely encouragement for Rebecca's journey in Life as well...God's hand goes on and on and on.....into ....    Eternity...

This song resonates within my soul this morning as I hear Li Li listening to this several times in her room upstairs...   

 What am I but a piece of earth, a wayward child .....giving Life...


I'll close with some shots from our sweet day...We gave Life and we received Life.



Our Buddy and Michelle.


 My sweet friend, Betty and one of her boys.  Betty is such a blessing, she was an optometrist and left to be home as a wife and mother, a fellow homeschool mom. : )


This is beautiful Carolyn with her baby.  She has several babies, she likes to roll them in her walker with her books, she is soooo adorable.  The nurse says...What
are you doin'?  Carolyn says...I'm rocking my baby. The nurse: What is your baby's name?  Carolyn: She's just my Baby....  Carolyn was from a farm family and tells of plowing with horse and wagon, she would fall asleep as the horse plodded along, so....the horse would skip a row as Carolyn's hands loosened her handling of the reigns... Her daddy would see the row skip over, and say..."Sister...did you go to sleep?"  Her mother would put a white pillow over the roof from an upstairs window to let her daddy know when to come in from the fields for supper.

Precious Mr. Maxwell, he asked me to take his photo, he said he needed a newer one, he wanted one of him smiling. : )  sooooo darling.

  This is Ibena.. so...sweet. She is from an old farm family too and has the best attitude ever.  She is 100 years old!  I'm not sure she was feeling so great bless her heart and she wasn't smiling as much as usual.  She tells me in her precious Czech accent illustrating with her sweet little hands... Some days are good and some days are bad...we just have to go on ya know?  She smiles so sweet when she talks... Precious.  Her Christ-like attitude is such an example to all.

Tinkerbell. We call this cutie, Tinkerbell, her name says it all. : )

 Our nursing home day, such a sweet time.
 




 

Give Life, Receive Life....It's a Gift.  Slow down...Take the long way home...

Have you given that Life this week or month?  Please share here! : )  Thanks to my sweet friends who left such precious, precious comments on my last blog. I treasure and ponder each one, sometimes those tears of Life eek out as I read each one... 

Love, Amelia