Thoughts of Heaven

There's a little girl in my Sunday School class, Mallory, who suffers from Leigh's Disease. There's no cure for this and death at a young age is eminent. Mallory is six years old and has probably lived 95% of her expected lifespan at this point Her younger sister suffers from this genetic disease also.
I've known Mallory since she was an infant. She was not diagnosed with this condition until she was a toddler, but I always knew something was a bit different about Mal. She seemed to be a little weaker in her limbs and maybe a little slower to respond. She also seemed to smile more than the other babies and toddlers I came in contact with. She was much more loving and caring, even at a young age. Mallory has always been special to me.Mallory is not doing well. As I write these words she is moaning and restless at home in her bed. Her parents are taking shifts caring for her through the night. They have a nurse to care for her, but they are the ones who are holding her and caressing her and shushing her pain away. They are the ones holding the basin as she vomits the contents of her stomach every few minutes. Her parents are the ones wondering if today will be the day Mallory sees Jesus face to face.
I can't imagine life without any of my children. I can't imagine seeing them suffer from the stick of needles every few days, from the insertion of tubes and gadgets into their little bodies, and from the pain that comes from this and other horrible diseases. I can't fathom what it would be like to see my daughter's beautiful face draw up on one side from paralysis or her eyes cross from lack of muscle tone. I just can't imagine...
But, I can try to imagine the life Mallory will have very soon. One without pain, paralysis, and tears.
A life with a Savior who is waiting for her to come home - to her real, forever home. To meet her Heavenly Father who is not sitting idly while she suffers. No, He has been busy preparing her home and the celebration that will ensue when Mallory enters His Kingdom - a precious daughter of the King.
Mallory gives me a glimpse of Heaven everytime I see her smile or feel her arms around my neck. She has been a precious reminder that there's more to come and what's waiting for us is far greater than what we have already. Thank you, my sweeet Mallory.

It's a small world, after all

Our world is so large and yet so small. As I sit at my desk and write this post, the islands that make up the country of Japan have been devastated by an earthquake, a tsunami, and more than one explosion in a nuclear power plant. And, what's worse, there will probably be more devastation to come as a result of the three aforementioned disasters. Thousands will have lost their lives by the time the tally of the dead is complete. Probably even tens of thousands. I can actually turn on the television set and watch this "live" on some Japanese tv station broadcasting on our local cable network. I do not want to watch the "live" broadcast of this. I'll settle for second-hand information.
I did notice Ann Curry and Diane Sawyer are there amidst the ruin and wreckage. I asked myself, "Why are they there? Are they there to offer help to the helpless, food to the hungry, shelter to those without?"  No, I think not. They are there because that's where the big story is. They are there because we are voyeurs who have a freakish desire to be a part of another world without having to experience the horrific results of this disaster. They are also there because of greed and competition. Let's see who can get the most heart-wrenching, tear-jerking story before the other reporter. Let's see who can get the best video of that family who lost four children and a grandmother in the waves of destruction. Let's see who can have the highest ratings when the Nielsens come out.
I hate to sound like the skeptic that I am and I also hate to sound like a mostly negative person, but when it comes to the media, that's actually what I am.  Sure, the networks and news sources can say they're doing it for us, but that's untrue. They're doing it for themselves. I'm sure Ann Curry and Diane Sawyer will be changed somewhat by what they experience in Japan and that's well and good. Hopefully, we Americans will be changed by what they show and tell us. But, in the end, is it really worth it?  Are we changed enough to act upon what we see and hear? Do we, especially the Christians, see enough that we want to offer hope to a hopeless world? Do we continue to sit in front of our computers and televisions and watch, or do we get up and act upon what we see? Do we sit at the dinner table and just talk about those poor people in Japan (and Haiti) or do we actually stand up and do something? I'm sure the networks would disagree with me, but that's ok. I disagree with them most of the time anyway.
Japan is known as "The land of the rising sun" - My prayer today, for the people of Japan, is that their hearts will be opened to the God who loves them. That they will seek and know the One who heals and restores - not only physically, but spiritually. That the Son will rise within them.
My prayer for us here in the Good Ol' US of A is that we will seek to be the ones that bring good news to those in need...in Japan, Haiti, and right here at home.

Kids say the darndest things...

Kids are strange and fascinating creatures. Has society, namely the internet, corrupted them already? In fact, has it pushed them to the point that they believe everything that's told to them by their friends, stuff they read in magazines, things they watch on television and all that dreaded junk that urban legends are made of? Example in point:  Little Neighbor Girl came over to play with Youngest Son. I informed her that Youngest Girl and Youngest Son had gone to see the Justin Beiber movie. Little Neighbor Girl had a look of utter disgust on her face and then proceeded to tell me that the Beib doesn't really sing and she knows this to be a fact. She watched a documentary (you might ask yourself, at this point, how many 8 yr. olds watch documentaries?) that showed someone sneaking backstage during a concert. They snapped a picture of a person standing directly behind Justin B.,with only a curtain separating them, singing into a microphone! Can you believe it? The Beib is a "lip singer" - her words, not mine. I kindly explained to her that the "documentary" she watched was probably not accurate and that if Justin Beiber had been caught on tape/film "lip singing" - remember, her words, not mine - there would be a great amount of hoopla surrounding it. She just shook her head and said it was true, turned around and walked off.
You know, I could care less if Justin Beiber "lip sings" or not. I could care less if he lip syncs too. My point is we have so much garbage floating around that our kids are bombarded with lies, falsehoods, and just too much information on all fronts. There is coming a generation that will believe in nothing because they just don't know what's true and what's not. In fact, that generation is probably already here.
Another case in point: Youngest Daughter has been checking out a popular magazine for seventeen yr. olds from our public library. Obviously, the young adult librarian has been previewing the magaznines before they hit the shelves and removes any "objectionable" material. Some folks would call this a form of censorship. I call it protection. And, I appreciate it.
Anyway....Youngest Daughter has been given a free subscription to said magazine. The first copy arrived in the mail last week. Youngest Daughter was not home when the mail arrived, so I decided to look through the rag a bit to catch up on the latest fashion and makeup trends. I was appalled, to say the least, at what I saw. Sandwiched between cheesy perfume ads (Mariah Carey's Bling Candy) and the article telling one how to acheive super voluminous hair, was an entire section on how to "hook-up" the right way and how to tell if a guy is really "into you" - and the  words "into you" were meant quite literally. Oh, lest I forget to mention the three or four pages dedicated to "sex secrets no one tells you".
I became Miss Censorship and started pulling out pages one by one. Was Youngest Daughter angered by my mutilation of her brand new magazine? No, not in the least (whew!). She was actually grateful and said so. Had she not had my super-dooper censorship abilities working for her, she would have read those articles and probably been influenced in an extremely negative way.
I am sitting her shaking my head wearily as I type these words. It concerns me for my own children most of all, but what about those kids whose parents don't censor (protect)? What are they, namely our young girls, going to believe about themselves and life in general? I think I'll come back to this topic again really soon, but for now  I must go check the mail. Who knows what's waiting in the box this time.

money vs mom

I received a small check in the mail yesterday. It was my portion of a life insurance policy mom had which designated her four children as beneficiaries. Now, granted, it is a very small amount of money but it is enough to help cover the cost of some much-needed dental work and for that I'm thankful.
When I opened the envelope, read the letter of condolence, and looked at the check, I just gazed upward and said, "Thanks, Mom."  You can't read the sarcasm in my voice as I said that simple statement yesterday, but it was there. Don't get me wrong. I'm always happy to receive money, especially unexpectedly, in the mail. But, in truth, I would much rather have my mom.
It's amazing how much your life changes, no matter your age, once your parents are gone. I told my kids the other day that I am now, according to the world's standards, an orphan. I felt sad. I felt incomplete. For some reason, I felt lonely. I knew I was different too. I knew I had changed. Maybe not an outward change, but something on the inside that just felt empty and void of something that really should be there because it's been there all your life.
Mothers have this sneaky trick they like to play on their kids.They birth them, they nurture them, they grow them into adult-hood. They stay in touch with their lives through the vast technologies of today and then, here's the sneaky part, they leave them.
Yes, I'm an orphan. I have no parents. I will never have parents again. I'm too old for foster care and no one really wants to adopt an almost-fifty-year-old woman with grown children of her own.
I guess I'll just be happy for the memories and the money.
Thanks again, Mom.