Dedicated to Johnny and Suzanne Duque, two of the most spirit filled people I know!

   

Today's post will be on a different level than what I normally post. Today is a very special day for two very special people, and although it is a day of celebration it is a bitter sweet celebration. Today is a special birthday for their son John, who left this world much to soon and left a mom and dad with broken hearts but not broken spirits. The Duque's are two of the most spirit filled people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and although I have only met them for a matter of minutes once in my life I know that we were friends in the spirit world and I know that they will both return home one day and be reunited with a son who has smiled many smiles in watching how his parents have coped, and continued to hold fast to their faith.  I asked God last week to allow me a gift for them, to allow me to share the love I feel for them. I have waited for this moment and I know he wishes for me to share with you so that you too can feel the love that these two offer to so many! God bless you Johnny and Suzanne, and your sons and grandbabies. You are such inspirations to me and to a multitude of others, we each love you and look to you both for strength and example of being a true son and daughter of our Father in Heaven. May this day the veil be thin, may you feel John in all that you do and may you know that he lives in your heart and in all of your memories, he will be standing at the gate with open arms when God calls you home and the angels will stand and weep when you are once again together! In Jesus' name I ask mercy, grace and peace for you, amen! I love both of you so very much and appreciate who and what you are!!! 
     I came across these poems and felt the spirit move in me, I felt such intense love, such intense soul and knew that you too, would feel them in these words!

~Keep My Memory~

Keep my memory with you, for the memories never die;

I will be there with you , when you look across the sky.

I will be there in the clouds, in the birds that fill the air;

in the beauty of a fragrant rose, you will find my memory there.

You will feel me in the tenderness, of a baby's gentle touch;

You will hear me if you listen, in the twilight's gentle hush.

When your hearts are heavy, and you feel you are alone;

Just reach down deep inside of you, for your heart is now my home.

I will always be with you, I will never go away;

For I live on in your hearts, forever and a day.

~author unknown~

~My Mom Is A Survivor~

My mom is a survivor, or so I've heard it said.

But I hear her crying at night when all others are in bed. 

I watch her lay awake at night and go to hold her hand.

She doesn't now I'm with her to help her understand.

But like the sands on the beach that never was away...

I watch over my surviving mom, that thinks of me each day.

She wears a smile for others, a smile of disguise.

But through Heaven's door I see tears flowing from her eyes.

My mom tires to cope with death to keep my memory alive.

But anyone who knows her knows it is her way to survive.

As I watch over my surviving mom...Through heaven's open door. 

I try to tell her that angels protect me forever more.

But I know that doesn't help her or ease the burden she bears.

So if you get a chance, go visit her and show her that you care.

For no matter what she says, no matter what she feels

My surviving mom has a broken heart that time won't ever heal! 

~author unknown~

~My Dad Is A Survivor~

My dad is a survivor too....which is no surprise to me. 

He's always been like a lighthouse that helps you cross a stormy sea.

But, I walk with my dad each day to lift him when he's down.

I wipe the tears he hides from others. He cries when no one's around.

I watch him sit up late at night, with my picture in his hand.

He cries as he tries to grieve alone, and wishes he could understand.

My dad is like a tower of strength, he's the greatest of them all.

But there's times when he needs to cry...Please be there when he falls. 

Hold his hand or pat his shoulder...and tell him it's okay. 

Be his strength when he's sad, help him mourn in his own way.

Now, as I watch over my precious dad from the Heaven up above...

I'm so proud that he's a survivor...and, I can still feel his love!

~author unknown~

~And God Said~

I said, "God, I hurt. " And God said, "I Know."

I said, "God, I cry a lot." And God said, " That is why I gave you tears."

I said, "God, I am so depressed." And God said, "That is why I gave you sunshine."

I said, "God, life is so hard." And God said, "That is why I gave you loved ones."

I said, "God, my son died." And God said, "So did mine."

I said, "God, it is such a loss." And God said, "I saw my son nailed to a cross."

I said, "God, but your son lives." And God said, "So does yours."

I said, "God, where are they now?" And God said, "Mine is on my right and yours is in the light."

I said, "God, it hurts." And God said. "I know."

~authors K.C. and Myke Kuzmic~

Our Son

From the time you were a tiny baby, then as a little boy,

we watched you grow into a man; you brought us so much joy.

When we were praying for a son, God granted our wish and gave us you,

you were everything we longed for, and made all our dreams come true. 

In everything we have gone through, we know that we were blessed,

No matter what the circumstance, you were the very best.

If God had given us the chance, to search the world from end to end;

our search would have stopped when we found you, for you were the

perfect son and our best friend.

~author unknown~

 As always please go to the comment section and feel free to let us know of any specific prayer requests you have, we stand ready to lift those in need in prayer many times this day! God is love, he is merciful and if we go through our savior Jesus Christ all of our prayers will be answered. 

~~"I AM WORTHY"~~

     Good morning and happy, happy, Friday!  It is hard to believe it is already toward the end of June and still so chilly out in the morning, 44 degrees, the sky is a bit gray but with chance of clearing and delighting my heart with the blue of the blues:) The birds, as like everyday, are singing a happy tune, there is a bit of a breeze and the world is just beginning to wake up:) Oh the beauty he provides us!!!! AMAZING:)
      This morning in prayer, I was filled with such a presence of the holy spirit, it was as if he were sitting beside me, I sat there with goosebumps on my arms and legs, I was inside so no...it was not the 44 degrees:) The deeper into meditation, the stronger the spirit became, at one point I felt tears streaming down my face and my heart was dancing with excitement! I tried to think of exactly what I was praying at the moment that I felt him but was so filled with emotion that I could not remember. It was very difficult to finish my prayer, to even sit still with the power of him around me. I calmed my mind and proceeded with prayer, I began again asking mercies and strength for myself and boom the goosebumps got bigger and my heart fluttered more, at first I thought...maybe he is irritated because I am praying for "me" but then I know that the holy spirit will not stay in unholy situations...so I proceeded... heart pounding, goose bumps, chills, almost giddiness...when I finished my prayer and sat in the quiet, I realized that the message I need to leave today is "SELF" how can we be healthy of mind, how can we pray for others if we do not ask mercies for ourselves. How can we be examples of Christ if we do not pray for us? I thought about it and wondered...am I worthy to seek God for me? Am I worthy to ask him to feed me for strength, to cover me with his healing hands, to calm the fears in my heart, to wash me clean from the sin that I encounter on a daily basis, to forgive my unclean thoughts???? I was so validated by once again feeling the strong presence of the Holy Spirit! I now get it....if I do not take care of "me" I will not be able to continue in my journey of spreading God's message. Thank you Lord for blessing me with another truth, for opening my eyes so that I might see what I am in need of in my life, for allowing me to feel, to hear, to see. God is amazing, I am so thankful that he is in my life. 
     May this day, you really...really....really....ask blessings and mercies for yourself, may you not be like me and think to pray for everyone else but neglect yourself? May you feel the presence of the holy spirit in validation that  your choices are pleasing to our father in heaven. May you feel God's love and share with others! Love in Christ to all:) amen.

Is your "tank" full?

~~~OH HAPPY DAY~~~Good morning and happy Sunday, I am beginning to think that our  chilly mornings are gone, I am sitting out in shorts and short sleeved shirt as  6 a.m. and it is already 56 degrees, the sky is a bit cloudy, we are expecting showers at some point today but 73 and showers not 40 and showers:) 
     As I have said in other blogs, church, religion, prayer,  and God were not really a staple in our household when I was a child, it was not that we did not believe, it just did not hold a place at the dinner table. When I got married I went to church, (hit and miss) kind of when the mood suited me. I really enjoyed Brother Kenneth James at the little baptist church down on Camp Karankawa road. Then changes took place in my world and I did not go to church again until I moved to Utah. My relationship with the holy spirit started much earlier but my knowledge did not really begin until I was in my early 30's. In Utah, from the front patio, where I lived, I had a perfect view of the Bountiful Utah temple. At night it was so peaceful to sit out and view it sitting there on the side of the mountain, emitting a light comparable to a lighthouse in a storm. I would sit, in the quiet of the night, enjoy the song of the crickets and let the "aura" of this unique building wash over me, leaving a sense of peace and calm that I had never felt. I always say that it was this temple that confirmed to me that I was where God needed me to be. It gave me a sense of belonging and comforted me when I was so very homesick for family and Texas. 
     When I became a member of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, I truly began to understand and accept the Lord Jesus Christ into my life, I really "got it" I understood the meaning of the cross, the sacrifice, the resurrection, the power of repentance...I finally "got it", I enjoyed the fellowship on Sunday, relief society, (women's study group) bible study, sacrament meeting....I loved all of it, I could not get enough of it.....I am not going to say it was the "perfect" experience. I encountered people that lived in glass houses, I encountered many people that had let the blessings given them become the focus of their lives, in turn forgetting who had given them their bounty...(we all know a few like this) I could not get enough of the spirit in the church. I looked at it like this.....I would go to church on Sunday and absorb as much as I could, I would take in every word said and let the spirit wash over my entire being! I would go the entire week, each day losing a little spiritual steam, by the end of the week I was really in need of a "fill up" by the time Sunday got there, I was running on fumes, thank God in heaven it was Sunday so that I could go in and "fill up" Once my tank was replenished I knew that I could make it another week. I left the LDS church after several years which is another blog to be written. I continue to love the teachings, I love the tenants, the beliefs, I "get it" I would never say an ill word against any church, any spiritual meeting place, any religion...I began to seek out other churches to become a part of, I would leave these churches, go home feeling only half way full, open my scriptures, get "on bended knees" and fill my tank the remainder of the way.  Then came a relationship that I totally allowed to strip me of spirituality, not that it was not there inside of me anymore, but that I was made fun of, called a Jesus freak, did not fit in kind of thing, so I pushed it all on the back burner, I continued to pray, I continued to try and live Christ-like, but I failed miserably...how can he be the all in your world when you have stuck him somewhere behind you thinking you know better than he what you need in your world? After 13 years of being separated from my Father in Heaven and my savior Jesus Christ, I realized that all of the crap that had attached itself to me was just that crap, it was not of God, it was bad juju, it seemed satan had the upper hand and was quickly pulling me into the pits of hell, I knew that I had to make a change and I had to make it right then. I pulled out my bible, I got down "on bended knees" and I prayed. I prayed for forgivness, I prayed for salvation, I prayed for him to take me by the hand, pull me out of the dark abyss I was falling in to and "fill my tank" I have not looked back, I have moved forward my hand in his each day, I have turned it all over to him and it feels good, it feels wonderful , I share this feeling everywhere I go. I have a strong testimony of Jesus Christ, I know he died on the cross so that we could have everlasting life, I know that he lives, I  know what is pleasing to him and my Father in heaven and I try each day to be obedient. Many people think they are not receiving God blessings because they are not going to church, because they do not read the bible, because they do not pray as they should....spiritual blessing are earned by our character, by who we are, by the life we choose to lead....yes church is a wonderful way of sharing with other Christians, it is a way of going and "filling your tank" but it is not the only way. God does not deny you if you do not belong to "the one true church" Today, no matter where you are,  think of our Father in heaven, think about the sacrifice, think about the great love, think about what you need to do to be closer to him, take time to "fill your tank" our world is a very difficult one to live in, we need a "full tank" to get us from Sunday to Sunday. May you be blessed with an overpowering sense of the holy spirit today, may you be prompted to testify to another your love for Christ and may you feel his love in all that you do. God bless you!!!!