Better than Life

         “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:  When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.  My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.”
Psalm 63:1-8

Look Up

Psalm 121:1 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”

Friendship

           While cleaning my flower garden the other day, I saw my garden stone, given to me by a dear friend many years ago.  She and I had worked together during a stressful time in both our lives, and God used that friendship to gird us up and better prepare us to face the rough seas.  Looking at that stone, I was reminded of the verses from Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”
         I’ve been blessed by many precious friendships throughout my life and as I post this “Moment in Time”, my mind is actively calling up from the past, the many faces of those dear friends.  “As iron sharpens iron, so one [person] sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).  As I think of some of those friendships, I recognize that God sent them to me to make me become a better person.  One friendship from long ago was that of encouragement and understanding.  In 1987, I wrote of that friendship, “

Treasured Moments
Some here, some there
Along the journey of life,
Over a period of time -

Shared experiences,
 trials,
joys and sorrows 

These moments, when gathered together
Create a fragrant bouquet which we call –

Friendship. 

             Today as I reflect upon the journey of life, I pause to thank God for the many blessings God has sent me in the form of friends.  In every church where my husband and I have served, we’ve established life-long friends.  We have dear friends who have made their homes in foreign lands for the purpose of serving the Lord as full-time missionaries.  Precious friendships have been established in neighborhoods where we’ve lived, in the schools where I’ve taught, in our RV Park, in jobs where God has placed us.  Though we seldom see many of these friends, they are ever near to our hearts.
            Acquaintances come and go throughout our lives, but friendships – they are the fragrant bouquet that enriches our lives forever.  Sometimes a friend is given to us as a gift for a season, sometimes for a lifetime, but all are treasures, and gifts from God. I thank God today, for you, my dear friends.

Mothers and Daughters

Our oldest daughter, Rhonda, with her oldest daughter,Cassidy, holding her new little baby sister, MaKayla

Sometimes when I look through my pictures, I discover one that needs no story, no words, no explanation.  This was one of those “moments in time” to just rejoice and remember.

July 23 Anecdote for a Monday Morning

Anecdote for Monday Mornings, or just thoughts when things might seem overwhelming or bleak.

     “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not, they are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).  This was my mom’s favorite verse, and I’ve claimed it for many years – still good for things in our lives today. This would make a great Monday morning verse, or morning verse for any mourning.

     On days when grief or pain has been a tremendous weight upon my shoulders, I have discovered yet another place of refuge for my heart. “My God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we ask or THINK, according to His riches in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:20).  In an ever changing economy, that’s a verse to take to the bank!

     And I just love this one out of the heart cry of David the Psalmist; “He heals the broken in heart; and binds up their wounds.  He tells the number of the stars; He calls them by their names.  Great is our Lord, and of great power; His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147: 3-5).  In the evening when I stand outside my camper, I am able to gaze into the heavens and see the stars spread out across a velvety, navy-blue sky.  The knowledge that I am looking into the heavens just as David did so long ago, brings me a sense of comfort, protection, peace, and praise. Great stuff, huh.  The kind of stuff to make you catch a falling star and put it in your pocket.

         Here’s to a terrific Monday – everyday of the week.

July 20 Too Beautiful for Words

Lord, let me never take for granted the gift of sight.

July 5 We Will Serve the Lord

The Roger Lee Oldham Family – Easter 1958
Langdale Baptist Church, Langdale, Alabama

           Mom and Dad; committed servants, precious parents, diligent workers – and human instruments.  God chose the two of them in 1947, to become the parents of Karen(1949), Ritchie(1951), Mahala(1952), and Sing(1955).  Mom and Dad had one desire for the four of us.  That we would “love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).  From these young beginnings, each of us came to understand our need for a Savior, and have daily chosen to walk in His paths. 
          When Joshua challenged the children of Israel to “choose this day whom ye will serve”, those parents of old had to make a decision.  The decision wasn’t an easy one then, and isn’t always an easy one today.  However, the personal sacrifices are always worth the effort.
          Having visited Langdale so recently,  I am reminded that my parents, though imperfect vessels, had a perfect desire and prayer for each of their children. God honored that desire.  Today I reflect  upon the past, and I thank God for my future, because of the choices of my parents; Roger and Glendora Oldham.

July 4 Sweet Land of Liberty

My Dear Precious Children and grandchildren,
                Nearly 11 years have come and gone since September 11, 2001 when I first wrote this letter to you.  As we celebrate the freedom of America today, there will be fireworks, music, family gatherings, and moments of remembrance.  It is for this reason; I again post this letter I wrote to the three of you, with a slight change.  Today I desire to share it with a larger audience.
                I can’t seem to get very far beyond the great sadness about New York and about the events upon our nation.  True, the fighting is far from our home right now, but it is our army of Americans that are in harms way for the next many years.  In trying to encapsulate the source of my grief, I find myself weeping for my Aunt Hallie who lost her only son, Buddy, in defense of my freedom.  I grieve for every mother, and father, son or daughter, brother or sister, uncle or aunt, grandparent…who has lost a loved one in defense of American freedoms.  I weep for the Patriots who brought to life the reality of America, for the soldiers and the families who were more than actors in the unfolding saga of “Saving Private Ryan.”  I weep for my friend who lost his dad at Hiroshima.  Sadness fills my heart for all those I have known and loved who were impacted during the Vietnam era.  I grieve for the losses felt eternally at Pearl Harbor, and now the thousands of thousands who are personally impacted by the terrorist attacks on September 11. I grieve for the thousands still being impacted around the world in the war against terrorism wherever it is being fought.
                I grieve, yes, but I refuse to be paralyzed by that grief.  I refuse to remain afraid of the future.  I rise above my grief, and numbness, and my stunned horror, because I am an American.  My flag waves freely on a lighted pole in my yard.  I rejoice and find a song victoriously erupting each time I see old glory.  “America, America, God shed His grace on thee…”  The price all those who have sacrificed their lives and the lives of their loved ones, has been too great to do otherwise. 
                Today, I will relish life with renewed enthusiasm, zest, awareness.  I will be creative and rejoice in the friendships and pleasures this day unfolds before me.  I will embrace the beauty of myAmerica.  I will really see when I look at the hillsides, the colors of the fall, and the sunsets.  I will hear the birds song, the rippling brook, the droplets of rain upon the earth, and the voices of the little people around me as they explain things they are experiencing.  I will laugh more heartily with my friends, and I will cry more openly with those who weep. I will pray more earnestly for my world.  I will say more often to my own children, I love you!!!  I wish only the best for you, you and your precious families.  I desire to see you all rise and shine and give God glory through your life.  I pray that God will make of you the persons He had in mind when He gave you the gift of His breath of life. Today I will celebrate the lives of  the families God has blessed you with.  I will celebrate our grandchildren.  Live life fully.  Live it abundantly.  Live it humbly, and obediently.  It’s His gift to you.  It is limited.  He holds the key to its longevity.  Use it wisely, as I pray I also will do from this moment forward.

I love you, my dear children, and grandchildren,

Mom

July 3 Down Memory Lane

Langdale Baptist Church 1957-58, Valley, Alabama – now named Valley First Baptist Church

Cherub Choir, Langdale Baptist Church 1957

            As my husband and I drove across Alabama recently, I realized that we would be going through Valley,Alabama, formerly an area called Langdale.  It was there that I attended kindergarten, first and second grade.  My dad was the minister of music and education at the Langdale Baptist Church, now called First Baptist Church, Valley.  What a precious thing it is to discover that for all the changes in the valley during these past 50 plus years, many things have remained the same.  Houses I lived in, the kindergarten building, the elementary school, and the church, still stand.  This church holds many precious memories for me, and significant milestones on my life journey.  It was here that my dad led many choirs and I was in the “cherub choir” (for kindergarteners), here that I remember looking across the valley and seeing the life size Nativity each Christmas (still being displayed), here that my second grade teacher, Miss Hooten, sang in the adult choir, and here that I was baptized as a young Christian.  My Christian life began in this church and has continued to grow from those small beginnings. As we drove through the town, landmarks and memories rushed to my mind and I realized just how precious the memories of days gone by have become to my heart.

Inside the Teacher’s Mind

         Thoughts, words, philosophies, theological ideals . . . they all swirl together like dry fallen leaves on a windy day.  I envision them in a miniature whirlwind, gaining momentum as they spin across the yard.  Just at the moment they create a definite shape, the wind stops and the leaves drop to the ground in a disheveled heap.  So are my thoughts oft’ times as I prepare for a new day of teaching.  I study my various curriculums, comb through the language portions, and search for clues about the developmental skills of the students at the various ages.  I continually teach, analyze the learning process, and then adjust and teach again, always seeking to address the skill levels of my material to the learning levels of my students.

            Each day I read more books, think more thoughts, and become more agitated that the “electrodes” are not down loading from my head.  I am thinking always on “a better way” to teach my boys and girls.  It consumes my mental space and over-rides many other daily routine priorities.  I awaken with fresh thoughts, I type in a few seed thoughts, and then so many others get lost in the process.  There are jumbled ideas standing impatiently in line, all pushing and shoving, trying to be first and because of the chaos, many getting lost in the shuffle.  That’s okay because I am finding that they get back into line and conduct themselves in a more orderly fashion the next time around, and I am able to let them have their turn at the front.  I am just impatient.  I want this done now . . . while I’m thinking about it.  But I have time, and patience has its own reward.

            But for now, I will thank God that He has equipped me for this day, and will supply the needs I will encounter this day.  He will be my Helper, this day.  I will face this day with joy and expectancy as I stand before my class and look into the eyes of my students.