Joy to the Fishes in the Deep Blue Sea

Joy to the world – all the boys and girls. Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, joy to you and me! Blast from the past. That’s a couple of lines from 1970’s, “Jeremiah was a Bull Frog” sung by the band, Three Dog Night! Has really nothing to do with Christmas but “Joy to the World” sure does.

What makes us all so much more joyful this time of year? Could it be that the angel's message to the shepherds holds true for us still today? "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of GREAT JOY!" Christ is that good news that no matter how dismal everything around us might be, there is always GOOD NEWS of great joy that can change everything for us.

I took that "good news" personally for my daughter. December 8th was her big 5-0 birthday. Thanks to so many who joined me in wishing her a “Happy Birthday”. She was in Florida at a 7-day conference on her birthday, but she got the message from so many friends via social media and the surprise party we gave her before she left. You can see in these photos it was more than a birthday celebration -- it was a restitution celebration.

A few months back, Staci’s son’s car was stolen from a Dallas parking garage. Traumatic enough, but not as painful as when the car was found, it had been devoured like some kind of monster movie. Every part of the car had been removed, along with the precious treasures that were in the trunk. Payton kept those treasures close by in case he got the urge to go fishing, he was prepared. Those treasures were my husband’s beloved fishing equipment: rods, tackle, vest, etc. All had been passed onto their family because they are the avid fisher-people who learned their skills from my husband aka dad aka papa. All of it was stolen in that fiasco. So, what’s a mother to do? Carry on. That’s the way I roll and my family rolls. We don’t give the enemy the upper hand by bemoaning his tactics. We don’t give up. We get up and get over it because we are too blessed otherwise.

In this case, I asked Larry (Staci’s husband) to make a list of all that was in that trunk. He did and I got to be a restitution maker. It’s one thing to have things returned; it’s a another thing to get restitution. Staci explained it in her tears while opening each item I had wrapped in “fishing” fabric (couldn’t find fishing wrapping paper). The items stolen could have been returned in their original state (some items were worn and tattered). I was able to help bring about restitution -- making up for damages or harm. Brand new items that made up for the loss. What a JOY to see my girl so full of JOY!

“The Bible tells us in Psalm 16:11 that ‘In His presence is fullness of joy.’ If we want joy in our life, we need to revisit the Nativity scene and realize that's where God's presence was experienced in the form of that tiny baby boy. That baby boy grew up and is our living King of Kings! Daily, we can experience His presence and know that GREAT JOY! We can experience it at a birthday party or a busy restaurant. We can experience it when facing a crisis or a disappointment. Joy isn't the same as happiness. Happiness is based on those ooey, gooey feelings when everything is going right. But JOY is based on the CONSTANT of He Who lives big within us. He is that GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY so we can belt out singing "Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room......" That's the key....preparing room for Him inside to be our joy-giver, and peace-maker no matter the circumstances.

Sincerely, God wants us to GET IT – about why He sent His Son Jesus -- the good tidings of great joy which is for all people. “So, here -- take that good news of great joy with you today!” And, all you little fishes in the deep blue sea, better watch out, Staci and all her fishing gear are coming to town!

Because You Deserve to Be Happy

That was the “subject” on my email from Ulta yesterday morning. It jumped out at me. That word, “deserve”, says it all. We live in a self-gratification, self-centered, self-entitlement, and selfie world. I get it! We all want to be happy. Isn’t that the greatest goal in life? I loved Bobby Ferrin’s upbeat, reggae song, “Don’t Worry. Be Happy”. It motivated us to "Be Happy!"

We are hardwired to pursue happiness, so we pursue it, after all, as Ulta’s advertising campaign says: We deserve it!” We don’t have to look far to hear prominent cultural voices, sing and speak about how much they "deserve" their rights, their happiness, and their pleasure. "We’re all about feeling good; We’re all going to die so let’s live it up without regard to morality, being respectful of others or what the consequences of our actions might be. As long as we’re happy – that’s all that matters."

Yesterday morning, my daughter and I were having one of our phone pep talks. We need to record some of those talks because I think we could solve many of the world’s problems if the world would listen to us. We discussed the lack of morality in our world because the world thinks “I deserve happiness, at all costs!” We also talked about how well we sleep at night because of a clear conscience and how happy we are to wake up to freedom from regret of what we did yesterday.

The simple truth is: God REALLY does want His kids to be happy, just like you and I want our children to be happy. God made pleasure because He wants us to be happy. He doesn’t want us shivering in a dark corner, frightened, sad and miserable. He sincerely wants happiness in our lives and He wants to flood our days with a joy that the world can’t even begin to know or take away. This is the God of the Bible. And, no matter what you’ve heard, He’s a joyful and happy God Himself, and He loves nothing more than to make those of us who are chasing happiness to be happy.

This may sound ultra-spiritual but at the heart of Christianity, is the key to happiness. It is happiness through holiness. I can hear some saying now, “There goes Donna giving us the “Jesus Talk” again’. But, I promise you, the way to be happy is found in simple obedience to God and faith in His Son. King David said to God with evident delight AND happiness: "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is the fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

It may appear that being a devoted follower of Christ means we’re floating two inches off the ground if we’re living obediently to His words. But God is infinitely happy Himself and we were made in His image, so “happy” should be our way of life; not because we “deserved it”, but because we are God’s kids so it is a part of our DNA. We can’t help ourselves. It’s because of Whose we are. Obedience to our Father is what makes us happy. Pursuing Him is what brings us freedom and joy.

This way of life allows us to enjoy the world as it is. The gift of physical enjoyment and pleasure comes from Him, not an inebriated version of ourselves or an X-rated movie or one-night-stand. The ability to realize that it’s not that we DESERVE happiness, it’s that our loving and holy Father God created happiness for us. Our hunger for happiness and pleasure are God-given instincts and when placed in the right order, as the children of our King, we never need to worry because we are on the receiving end of an abundance of His unmerited favor.

Allll Aboard -- for the Joy-of-Life Bandwagon!

Yesterday is gone and THIS IS THE DAY the Lord has made, so let's be JOY-full and be glad for it!

When you’ve had as many DAYS on this earth as I’ve had, you recognize each new day as a blessed day of start-overs, do-overs, rejoice-overs and be-glad-in-it overs. I live in a 55+ community and when we say to each other “Good Morning! How are you doing today?”, you'll usually hear “GREAT! I woke up. I'm still here!" LOL! So if we’re still here – whatever age we are -- that means that God has plans and purposes for us to fulfill in this new day. My favorite "life" quote is: “If I'm not dead; I'm not done!” So that means I must be the best and do the best I can at who God created me to be each and every day.

Being my best is riding daily on the joy-of-life bandwagon – not only for my good which invigorates me and gives me purpose, but to help others (those who get all caught up in the seriousness and practical demands of life) get back the joy of life, too. You know those folks that wake up on the wrong side of the bed. They get so focused on making a living, that they succumb to life by living each day in an almost robotic routine. They forget the child within them and they lose a lot of the flavor and spice of life. They don’t stop to smell the roses, to be struck with wonder anymore, like they did as children. I love this photo of the little girl chasing the chickens -- that's the closest photo I could find that defines me in my wild chicken chases!! I purpose to be the last one standing!

I never want to EVER lose that youthful pleasure and joy of life throughout the entire length of my life. Here's why I'm campaigning for a fully occupied joy-of-life bandwagon with others who want to live audaciously, free of the dismal, woe-is-me hang-ups. I love being silly with my friends, my children, and my grand-kids. I love belly laughing with them. Since I’ve been caring for all these animals, I’ve been belly laughing so much at myself and with others who are laughing with me. Last night, another two of the hens were out and this morning another of the smaller hens was out. I'm so silly that I like to think that God and my mischievous husband are the masterminds behind these little chicken culprits. They're probably belly laughing in heaven as they watch me tearing through the bushes after them.

You might ask me the secret to waking each day with being intentional with joy. It’s the same as when a friend of mine was expressing some major health concerns she was having. Not because she had issues, but her family had them, and now she was fearing the same thing would happen to her. I gave her many scriptures to take like they were a prescription daily – speaking to her body and mind with God’s promises and words. The same with me -- when I start to feel depleted of joy…I take a “God’s Word” scripture “The joy of the Lord is my strength” Nehemiah 8:10; "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy." Psalm 16:11

Here's the truth of the matter -- none of us are free from life’s challenges, tragedies, pressures, or even suffering. We have known the sorrow of loss, the fears, and challenges of illness, but we don't have to allow any of those things to crush our child-like playfulness. We can prove that true joy and happiness can even be experienced in the midst of life’s challenges.

Being more like the “little children” that Jesus encouraged us to be to enter the Kingdom of God just may be the attitude of living life fully, with great joy and gusto, too!

I've got a seat reserved for you on the joy-of-life bandwagon with me.. Come on. Get on board! The ride is oh so sweet.....and hilarious. Just maybe you'll see a frenzied, but joy-filled blonde-haired lady chasing chickens down the road!! It will be worth the ride!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year -- Not Time for Down and Out Songs or Words

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year to Sing Joy-Filled Songs

I apologize in advance of this post because it's me being REAL again -- expressing what I've learned the most from the loss of my best friend and husband during this time of the year, and how much I want to help others glean from my experiences. Just maybe this is your first Christmas without that special someone in your life. I hope you'll be encouraged from my words.

This is what my first Christmas looked like without my "special someone". It had been just a few weeks after my husband of 44 years had graduated to heaven when my daughter and I headed out to do some Christmas shopping. By that time we had heard every rendition possible of “I’ll Have a Blue Christmas Without You!” and of course we always thought about him when we'd hear it. We even started to sing along with the song, when we both caught the words we were singing. We said to each other, almost, simultaneously “Oh, no, we won’t. We’re going to have a bright, merry Christmas, because he's having a bright, merry Christmas in heaven!” We realized that there were too many blessings, and too much to be thankful for -- to allow ourselves to be singing “down and out” songs or saying “woe is me” words.

Just shortly after his funeral, I attended the funeral of a dear 98-year old friend who was my mentor in so many ways. She rarely missed church -- rain or snow -- she was always there; she always had a kind word to say to everyone. She was just the person you would want to sit by at a table because you never heard her complaining. She loved God with all her heart. It was such joy to know she had reached her heavenly reward -- she earned it! After the funeral, a dear friend acknowledged me and said, “Oh, it must be so hard for you to attend another funeral.” I quickly replied, ”Oh, no, not at all. It’s another joyful celebration to attend!"

Being a new widow, it was amusing AND disconcerting, to hear what well-meaning people said. “You’ll have a hard Christmas and new year, but God will be with you!” “Just go ahead and grieve – it’s okay!” I told a friend that my youngest grandsons would be spending a week with me after Christmas. Her reply, “Oh, that’s good. It will help you get through this tough time.” I started thinking "Wow, these well-meaning friends need a class in “Bringing Hope and Cheer:101." The fact is, I could have chosen to soak up that pity and be pitiful. But, instead I chose the "powerful and productive" way.

Yes, there were times when I thought about the sweetness of our love story, and I'd start to shed a few tears because I missed him so much. But, time after time, I would remember God's words. "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18) "...let your widows trust in me.” (Jeremiah 49:11) “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.” (Psalm 68:5).

With absolute trust in God, I found such beautiful dependence in Emmanuel "God with me". It felt like I was carrying a new "Widow's Card" that entitled me to so much special treatment. God was there when I couldn't find my passport to travel to Mexico for R&R after the funeral. It was found by my daughter, where my stealth husband kept it hidden for safekeeping. God was with me when I needed to visit our attorney -- after all we had businesses and a humanitarian foundation I needed to deal with. I couldn't find an important file after hours of looking. But then, from a hall closet, I saw some greenery sticking out from under the door. I put it there to make room for Christmas decorations. I opened the door and there was a box of files -- with the file I needed for the attorney. I started paying attention to so many little kisses from heaven because rather than a spirit of heaviness, I had chosen to put on a garment of praise.

Here is how I've maintained my peace: 1) Psalm 16:11 “…..in His presence is fullness of joy”. When I take my eyes off myself and enter into His presence, I live in a state of overflowing joy and peace."

2) Psalm 22:3 “He inhabits the praises of His people.” He inhabits (hangs out) with me when I praise Him. God with me.

3) Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want." He promised to be my Shepherd, therefore, I will not want. He leads and guides me. He provides just what I need.

After seven years, my faith journey continues. There have been many course alterations, but the journey keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. The more I have trusted Him, the more He has given me “Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” Isaiah 61:3.

These are the words I continue to give to those who are going through a crisis of any kind! Emmanuel -- God IS with us, so It is possible to be full of joy and peace -- even at a funeral! Regardless of the time of year, God is faithful, and we can make the choice -- pitiful or powerful. If it's powerful, then, instead of those "Blue" days and Christmases, we will be singing -- all year long, "IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!"

Joy to the World

Those words resonated with me yesterday, especially when I was standing in an extremely long check-out line. A voice came over the loud speakers "We assure you all our available cashiers are working very hard to get you served as quickly as possible." When I arrived at the front of the line, I noticed there were only three cashiers checking out all those folks and there were five vacant cash registers. When I saw the manager making her announcement again, I said, "It looks like you don't have enough cashiers!" She replied, "We don't. We're hiring. If you know someone that needs a job, please send them our way!" With only three cashiers, however, the line went quickly and in spite of the wait, there were no Scrooges or Grinches because we were all echoing Christmas joy. We were laughing and making conversation and everyone was tolerant of the manager's dilemma. No one was complaining. We all agreed -- "It's the time of the year for Christmas cheer!"

Joy to the world! Could it be that the angel's message to the shepherds holds true today? "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of GREAT JOY!" Christ is that good news no matter how dismal or hectic everything might be. There is good news of great joy that can change everything for us -- especially as the rest of the words in that song sink in "Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart PREPARE HIM ROOM." Aw! That's the answer -- making room for JOY -- making room for Jesus..

I know it was that JOY that I sensed yesterday. I drove past a Luby's Cafeteria. I hadn't seen one in a very long time and It brought back sweet memories of my husband and I eating at Luby's. He loved cafeteria-style restaurants. I thought...."I'll visit a couple of stores in this area and time it so I can have lunch there", and I did. I chose food items we both enjoyed together . I texted my two children and told them I just had to stop and celebrate remembering how much daddy loved this place. I was embracing the memories. When I returned to my car, I remembered the little bottle of his favorite cologne that I keep in the car and gave it a spray. I teared up for a minute at the thought AND smell of him.. Just a minute because, though those were some of our best of times, I don't live there anymore. It's sweet to remember, but there's too much living for TODAY with gratitude and purpose and I began to sing "Joy to the World".

It was pre-electricity era 2,000 years ago when the dark night skies became brilliant and the angel appeared to those terrified shepherds and said , "Do not be afraid. I bring you GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY that will be for all the people."(Luke 2:10). Those terrifying moments were replaced with good news and great joy.

Psalm 16:11 says "In His presence is fullness of joy." To have that joy, we need to make room for the JOY GIVER. Though He came as a sweet little baby boy, He is ALIVE today and is our King of Kings. We can experience His presence and know that GREAT JOY! We can experience it in the crowds at the store or at a crowded restaurant. We can experience it when facing a crisis or a disappointment or any other time of weakness.

Joy isn't the same as happiness. Happiness is based on those ooey, gooey feelings when everything is going right. But JOY is based on the CONSTANT of He Who lives big within us. He is that GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY and when we sing those words "Joy to the world, the Lord is come", we know we have found the key to joy is welcoming the JOY-GIVER inside our hearts. Let me start your day with GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY today. Go ahead. Receive this most precious Christmas gift EVER. Welcome Him -- the JOY GIVER into your heart -- into your day -- into your Christmas. I just gave you JESUS!Welcome, JOY!

Is This Christmas a FIRST For You?

My heart goes out to anyone that this is their first Christmas without their loved one(s). The memories seem more vivid and the love we had for them is even greater during this beautiful season. Pictured here is our last Christmas with Papa (my sweetheart) who always read the Christmas Story to the grandkids before opening presents on Christmas Eve. He was hilarious -- making the sounds of the animals and the innkeeper and Joseph. Such sweet memories. And, quite honestly, there's this yearning to be with them -- after all, what Christmas could compare to a Christmas in heaven?

My Sweetheart (husband of 44 years) graduated to heaven on November 16th, 2010. That “Christmas in heaven” mindset brought such comfort to me. When my daughter and I were in the mall a couple of weeks after his funeral, we were singing along with the mall’s Christmas music playlist. By then, we had heard every rendition possible of “I’ll Have a Blue Christmas Without You!” and we started to sing along with it, when we both caught the words we were singing…..and we said to each other, almost simultaneously, “Oh….no, we won’t. We’re going to have a bright, merry Christmas, because you are having a bright, merry Christmas in heaven!” We knew then, and I still know now, there’s just too many blessings, and too much to be thankful for -- to allow myself to be singing “down and out” and “woe is me” words and songs. I am just too blessed.

I know people mean well, but I have always found it amusing AND disconcerting, to hear what they would say to try to bring me comfort. Such remarks as: “I know your Christmases must be so hard on you.” or “Just go ahead and grieve – it’s okay!” That first Christmas without him, people would say "It’s so good you’ll be with your family to help you get through this tough time.” I thought ”Wow, those well-meaning friends need a class in “Bringing Hope, Cheer and Joy: 101”

Oh, yes, there are those times when I think about the sweetness of our 44-year love story, and I start to shed a few tears because I still do miss him so much. But then, almost immediately, the tears turn to rejoicing! I think, “These tears will do me no good…except for messing up my make-up”, and then, a profound sense of thanksgiving and praise begins to take over.

There’s several lessons I’ve learned about making it through the holidays: 1) Psalm 16:11 “…..in His presence is fullness of joy” – His presence will always be sensed when I take my eyes off ME, and turn them to Him; 2) Psalm 22:3 “He inhabits the praises of His people” – He is there with me when I praise Him; 3) He promised to be my Shepherd in Psalm 23, therefore, I shall not want because He leads me and He guides me. Why should I be surprised when He provides just what I need?

My Journey of Faith continues. Yes, there have been course alterations and my life-long companion is no longer holding my hand on this earth, but nevertheless, I am finding that the journey still keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. Tthe more I trust God, the more He gives me “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” Isaiah 61:3. Yes, those are the words I will give to those who are going through a crisis of any kind! It is possible to be full of joy….whenever….and, even at a funeral! Regardless of the season or time of year, God is so faithful, and instead of singing the “I’ll Be Blue Without You” songs, we can always be singing, "IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!" Might as well embrace heaven on earth while we're still here!

What Would You Request of Your Genie?

When driving my two youngest grandsons to school, the older one, Brennan, asked his younger brother, Bryson, "If you had a genie in a bottle, what would you wish for?" They certainly earned love tokens when they both replied "For Nana to live with us forever!" Of course they had some other outlandish wishes, but that one put a big smile on this Nana's face.

Now, how about you? What would YOU ask for if YOU had a genie in a bottle and he'd grant just one wish to you? What does YOUR heart long for the most? No doubt, our answers would vary. More time. A healed body. A restored relationship. A financial breakthrough. A child. A spouse. Passing the BIG test that enables a BIG promotion.

King David's wish (or ask) went like this: “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.” Psalm 27:4

When I read that scripture, I am drawn to the “one thing” David asked of God — to dwell in His house forever. How can we live in God's house while we're still here on this side of heaven? More than anything, David longed to be in God’s presence. No wonder he was called “a man after God’s own heart.” Though David experienced many highs and lows in his life, I think the one major theme in his life was a singular longing to be in God’s presence.

Psalm 16:11 speaks more to dwelling in God's presence and the greatest perk from doing so is joy! It goes like this: " In Your presence is fullness of joy." And that's my "wish" and my prayer today, that our hearts will be filled with this one thing . . . a desire to dwell in His presence. I’m pretty sure God delights in lavishing His love upon us. In fact, Jesus tells us God takes it to a level beyond anything any parent has ever done for their children. After all, He has already been more generous toward us than we will ever deserve. To live daily practicing His presence, creates plenty of opportunities for God to show up and show out. No, He's not a Genie or Fairy Godmother, but He is the God in WHOM all things are possible. What better place to be than in His presence?

Christmases in Heaven Are Beyond Compare

Day 352 of Photo Inspirations -- Christmases in Heaven Are Beyond Compare
#TBT  This is Roscoe Owen Wheat, Sr., my sweet Daddy who graduated to heaven 51 years ago today, December 17th, 1964. I was 15.  I remember that day so clearly. I came home from school and found him lying on my bed. I said, "Daddy, are you okay?" He responded, "I'm okay, Baby, I'm just resting." I knew he wasn't okay -- he NEVER took naps on MY bed. I ran quickly to a neighbor for help and by the time we got back home, he was gone. My Mom was at work -- we had to break the news to her. While rushing home, she passed the ambulance taking my Daddy to the hospital. She knew it was him. We wrapped our arms and hearts around each other -- from that day on....it would be just Mom and me.

There were pj's and house shoes already wrapped for him under the tree. I remember my precious Mom, tearfully unwrapping them. But, having had so many years of illness, we knew my Daddy was loving having Christmas in heaven.

My heart goes out to anyone that this is their first Christmas without their loved ones. The memories seem more vivid and the love we had for them is even greater during this tender season. And, quite honestly, there's this yearning to be with them -- after all, what Christmas could compare to a Christmas in heaven? We all have this sweet assurance, they aren't celebrating with Baby Jesus. They're with our King of King and Lord of Lords. So rather than feeling sad or disheartened -- let's celebrate that they get to be where joy and peace and love and comfort and healing is ETERNAL.... and one day we'll be there to celebrate with them.

I hope you are comforted and embraced with God's loving arms around you.  You are not alone --  He is with you, and He's probably sending kisses down to you from your loved ones.

Watch and listen to this beautiful video "Christmas in Heaven". I hope you are comforted and embraced with God's loving arms around you and know you're not alone -- He is with you, and He's probably sending kisses down to you from your loved ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QroAdejZD4w

"You make known to me the path of life; In Your presence there is fullness of joy;  at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  Psalm 16:11