Saturday, August 30, 2008

Thorns and flowers

Thankful For The Thorns
Sandra felt as low as the heels of her Birkenstocks when she pulled open the florist shop door, against a November gust of wind. Her life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then, in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a 'minor' automobile accident stole her joy. This was Thanksgiving week and the time she should have delivered their infant son. She grieved over their loss. Troubles had multiplied. Her husband's company 'threatened' to transfer his job to a new location.Her sister had called to say that she could not come for her long awaited holiday visit. What's worse, Sandra's friend suggested that Sandra's grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. 'She has no idea what I'm feeling,' thought Sandra with a shudder. 'Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?' she wondered. 'For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life, but took her child's?''Good afternoon, can I help you?' Sandra was startled by the approach of the shop clerk.'I.... I need an arrangement, ' stammered Sandra.'For Thanksgiving? Do you want the beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the 'Thanksgiving Special'? I'm convinced that flowers tell stories,' she continued. 'Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving? ''Not exactly!' Sandra blurted out. 'In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.' Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, 'I have the perfect arrangement for you.'Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new customer, 'Hi, Barbara... let me get your order.' She excused herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.'Do you want these in a box?' asked the clerk. Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. 'Yes, please,' Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. 'You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again.' She said, as she gently tapped her chest.Sandra stammered, 'Ah, that lady just left with, uh.... she left with no flowers!''That's right, said the clerk. 'I cut off the flowers. That's the 'Special'. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet.''Oh, come on! You can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!' exclaimed Sandra.'Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do, today,' explained the clerk. 'She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into drugs; and she was facing major surgery.''That same year I had lost my husband,' continued the clerk. 'For the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to allow any travel.''So what did you do?' asked Sandra.'I learned to be thankful for thorns,' answered the clerk quietly. 'I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I NEVER questioned Him why those GOOD things happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, 'WHY? WHY Me?!' It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life, but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others.'Sandra sucked in her breath, as she thought about the thought that her friend had tried to tell her. 'I guess the truth is, I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God.'Just then someone else walked in the shop. 'Hey, Phil!' the clerk greeted the balding, rotund man. 'My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement. .. twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!' laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.'Those are for your wife?' asked Sandra incredulously. 'Do you mind telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like that?''No... I'm glad you asked,' Phil replied. 'Four years ago, my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we trudged through problem after problem. The Lord rescued our marriage. Jenny, here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from 'thorny' times. That was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific 'problem' and give thanks for what that problem taught us.' As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, 'I highly recommend the Special!''I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life.' Sandra said to the clerk. 'It's all too... fresh.''Well,' the clerk replied carefully, 'my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember that it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns.'Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment. 'I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please,' she managed to choke out.'I hoped you would,' said the clerk gently. 'I'll have them ready in a minute.''Thank you. What do I owe you?''Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me.' The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. 'I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first.'It read:My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant.'Praise Him for the roses; thank Him for the thorns.~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~Author Unknown

Monday, August 18, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To the WORLDS BEST father, husband and friend!!

Thank you for everything you do for ME and our family! You are an excellent provider,you are strong, you are loving and my "bestest friend" ever :) I love you!!!!!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Please DO NOT see this Movie, "Tropic Thunder"

Please take a moment to go and check out this blog and sign the petition AGAINST the movie "Tropic Thunder". This is very important to me, let me know by leaving me a comment IF you did it!!! THANKS!

(the petition is down toward the end of the page on the blog)


http://mosaicmoments.today.com/

Friday, August 8, 2008

Contest @ mom4life.com

Baby Light & Clip Lighted Safety Nail Clipper - Weekly Giveaway
This week we are giving away a Baby Light & Clip Lighted Safety Nail Clipper
Retail Value $10.99


I love this website, they have the neatest stuff. I have done multiple orders from them and have loved everything I have received!

Check them out!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Whats wrong with this?

Healthy eating by crew

SO irritating to me; we went to a street fair over in Morro Bay on Sunday, they had lots of fun stuff, one thing we enjoyed was this little booth of veggies and fruit that were baked rather then "dried", which was really different but very good... So of course we were sold on it and purchased some "baked" goods from them! I came home with some really yummy strawberries, the kids loved them, we ate them on our way home and really could not stop eating them:) Well later on I decided to turn the container over to read the "nutritional" facts on them, WELL low and behold there it was "RED 40" ARRRRRRRRRUHHHH!! HOW STUPID!!!!!!! How sad for me, I was already thinking "yummy, here is a very tasty treat for us to snack on, different from the average dried fruit" AND NOW it is full of color!

ANYWAYS, I feel like sending an email to these people and telling them some info. that they seem to be lacking! There is my rant, I'm done:)