“Sweet-ish” Death Cleaning ~ Part 2 ~ The Pollyanna Principle

          Why do I call death cleaning “sweet-ish?” Because to me it has been that. As I evaluate all we own and consider what can be given away or sold, I’ve contemplated it through my experience with the Pollyanna* Principle. Let me digress a bit to explain where I’m coming from.

          Decades ago, after my sister Carolyn and I buried our parents and death cleaned for them, I took a trip to Israel to visit her, toting along some of the treasures she wished to have from our childhood home. Carolyn thrilled, showing me the land and introducing me to friends-like-family. All went well until we left Eilat (southernmost tip of Israel) for Jerusalem, and the car broke down.

          Stuck! It was May. It was hot.

          There we were in the desert wondering how long we’d be stranded. We had some water and snacks and managed to shield each other for “privacy purposes,” seeing we were nowhere near a facility.

          A carload of passers stopped to help us—one gentleman sucking gas from the fuel pump, thinking that might solve our problem. He accidently swallowed a bit of gasoline and let loose an impressive belch! This remedy, however, didn’t help—the sucking or the sound effects!

          While we awaited a tow truck and night fell, I exclaimed, “Well, it could be a lot worse. After all, we’ve got some supplies, we have a great view of the sky, and Israel isn’t presently being bombed from the east, and…”

          “Okay, Pollyanna!” Carolyn exclaimed.

          From that time on, whenever I’d say something like, “Well, it could be worse,” etc. my sister and later (after hearing the story) my husband would say, “Okay, Pollyanna!”

          Although I do despair at times, mostly I’m an upbeat person—perhaps a Pollyanna wannabe. So, the idea of death cleaning made me consider these points:

1) Getting rid of things we don’t need can give joy to others.

2) Removing clutter or unneeded items frees us from things, which are temporal.

3) Giving and receiving both result in blessing—for the giver and the receiver.

4) It’s helpful to repurpose our belongings and give them a use beyond us.

5) It simplifies life for either downsizing, senior-living, or grave-prep.

6) It saves on our children or whoever may be responsible for caring for our estates when we’re gone or become unable to do so.

          Okay, Pollyanna!

          “You can’t take it with you when you go!” If I keep the temporal-ness of things in mind, they become less important to hold so tightly. Are my things so important they own me? If so, my sights might be on the wrong plain.

          When I leave this world, I’ll hopefully go with as much done as possible in regard to items I own (or own me, if that’s the case). I’m really not much attached to things, to be honest.

          Here’s something I’ve started: A list of my children, their spouses, grandchildren, and friends whom I wish to memory-gift with an item I consider precious. I’ll not only write what the item is but will leave a note about its history along with a clear explanation where it’s located (if I don’t “croak” before completing this goal).

          Now, here’s where I need to mention what most of us already know. Our kids don’t want our stuff. In many if not most cases, this is true. Because of that, Brian and I are leaving only items “no bigger than a breadbox” for each because the now-generations don’t generally want the kind of “stuff” we have. There may be exceptions to this rule but mostly your things—as precious as they are to you—don’t matter as much to those whom you wish they mattered to.

          One thing you might do—take your family member for a walk through your home and ask that person if there’s something they’d like to have when you’re gone. If he/she says yes and shows you, write that down. If you’ve already promised it to someone else or have in your mind it’ll go to so-n-so, well then, better tell the person that particular item’s already spoken for. Another idea is to go ahead and gift special items to the people you wish to own them while you’re still living.

          Now, what about the first step in the nitty-gritty of death cleaning? You may be overwhelmed and question, “Where do I even begin?” In The Swedish Art of Death Cleaning, author Margareta Magnusson suggests getting rid of the largest items first. By doing this, you’ll see an immediate difference and ray of hope for moving forward. (You might need to enlist help if you’re bodily not able to do this part.)

          We recently unloaded 6 large items from our home. We also have a clue what additional furniture we don’t need in the event we move into senior-apartment living rather than the grave first. And several carloads of boxed items have already been donated to our local thrift store.

          Now, this may sound contrary to all we’ve done so far, but we used the money from the sold items to buy “old-age-friendly” ones. Yes, we added things that make life simpler now as well as will benefit when we grow older, but we added less than we removed.

          Next, list more items in your home you’ve considered living without in the near future. At the top of your sheet of paper (or computer file), put the name of the item then 3 columns labeled YES, NO, and MAYBE. As you make your list, some things you’ll check off as YES or NO right away.

          My advice on the MAYBEs? Store them away (not buried too deeply though) and revisit them at a later time. If they’re still MAYBEs after some time, keep them until you’re absolutely certain so you have no regrets. If you’ve not missed them when put away, you likely needn’t hold onto those longer. Your call!

          For tackling all items in a home without becoming overwhelmed, try using the Mount Vernon method, introduced to me in another book I read decades ago about organizing a home. At Washington’s historic home the people who clean start at the front door and move through the home in a logical sequence until the entire place is cleaned.

          You can practice this same principle in death-cleaning. Don’t worry about how long it takes you to “travel” through your entire home. Some people will handle this quicker than others. No worries if you aren’t thorough the first time. You can always Mount Vernon-ize again for simplifying/minimalizing.

          This blog post series on “sweet-ish” death cleaning may seem contrary to the overall theme of my blog—Hope! I would argue it’s quite the opposite. If you’re a believer in Jesus as Lord and Savior and you decide to death clean, you’re exercising the Hope Who’s within you. You’re showing eternity holds more value than the here and now. And you’re making more time to spend with the Lord while you wait because you’ve lessened what requires care or burdens you.

          Let me close this Part 2 by telling you that death cleaning has been an enjoyable process for me, it’s given me great joy, it’s brought back so many special memories, and it’s reminded me of all God has blessed us with over the years.

          “Okay, Pollyanna!”

You Can’t Take It with You When You Go

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=you+can%27t+take+it+with+you+Christian+song&qs=n&sp=1&ghc=1&lq=0&pq=you+can%27t+take+it+with+you+christian+son&sc=040&sk=&cvid=116939B348DE45A6A10FB5272AEE33C5&ajaxnorecss=1&sid=143A6C5D97DF663027347A669659670D&jsoncbid=0&ajaxsydconv=1&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dyou%2520can%2527t%2520take%2520it%2520with%2520you%2520Christian%2520song%26qs%3dn%26form%3dQBRE%26sp%3d1%26ghc%3d1%26lq%3d0%26pq%3dyou%2520can%2527t%2520take%2520it%2520with%2520you%2520christian%2520son%26sc%3d040%26sk%3d%26cvid%3d116939B348DE45A6A10FB5272AEE33C5%26ajaxnorecss%3d1%26sid%3d143A6C5D97DF663027347A669659670D%26format%3dsnrjson%26jsoncbid%3d0%26ajaxsydconv%3d1&mmscn=vwrc&mid=BC8CB188A64B8BBFA810BC8CB188A64B8BBFA810&FORM=WRVORC

 #deathcleaningbenefits #treasures #upbeatattitude #Pollyanna #MountVernon #blessingsfromGod

*main character in a 1913 novel & later in a movie who, despite all the hardships she faced, maintained a cheerful, optimistic attitude

Photo Credit: noredos.com

“Sweet-ish” Death Cleaning ~ Part 1 ~ Inheriting a Forklift

          When our dad died, my sister and I were left to clean out what had been our family home—a very full 2-story house with equally full attic and basement, plus garage (which I’ll comment on a bit later). My husband held down our home and family a great distance away in another state to free me to work with my sister for the 3 weeks she had left in the USA (having come from overseas).

          Our mother died first almost 4 years earlier. Before she passed, she apologized for “the mess I’ve left for you to deal with.” Over the next years whenever we offered to help weed down piles in the house, Dad expressed that he didn’t want us “to touch anything. You can do it when I’m gone.” So it was, when Dad passed, we were stuck touching everything.

          To complicate life just a bit more, our grandparents had owned this home before they could no longer stay there, and they left family treasures dating back more than a century.

         Our parents weren’t sloppy nor dirty. They weren’t hoarders, but they kept a lot of stuff that “might be useful one day.” Yes, they were depression-era graduates, and many in that class didn’t throw anything away.

          Dad went to Heaven in the month of July—one of the hottest New Jersey summers in a long time. After we said our “see you later” to Dad at the graveside in Pennsylvania, my husband and kids drove north to our home. My sister and I headed east to tackle the task before us.

          The house had 2 window air conditioners only. But we determined to honor our parents and do the best we could—until we were weeks into it, taking a couple showers a day to survive, and so exhausted that everything seemed funny when it really wasn’t.

          Example: When we headed down to the basement where it was slightly cooler, I climbed onto a stool to empty shelves. “Hey, these look old!” I said handing cans and bottles down to my sister and turning some around to read the labels. “They’re so old they don’t even have zip codes on them!” We laughed so hard we nearly wet our pants!

          Then we tackled Dad’s workbench and the piles of parts he kept “in case,” lots of antiques he picked up from the Englishtown Flea Market, and everything else imaginable hanging from the joists with hooks made from old phone wires (which, when I was growing up, I used to create little animals—so, of course, not junk).

          Mom saved a lot of magazines and booklets with Biblical themes. She kept every Radio Bible Class Our Daily Bread devotional book for scores of years “in case” she needed an inspirational piece for speaking or teaching opportunities. There were Our Daily Breads upstairs and downstairs, in cabinets and on table tops.

          When I finally decided to tackle the garage (my sister opting not to step foot in there—smart girl), we dubbed me with a super-hero name before I charged forward! No one had been in there for years, I don’t think, because the only way in was to walk sideways between all the stuff that Dad accumulated, and Dad, in his later years, was wider than “sideways.”

          I started moving one item at a time out the big double doors, until I could get in far enough and discovered…

          …IT!

          Sweaty, dirty me ran back into the house. “Carolyn, you’re not gonna believe what’s out there!”

          “There can’t be anything worse than what we’ve already uncovered. Can there?”

          I wiped the sweat from my forehead to keep my eyeballs from drowning. “A forklift! We’ve inherited a forklift!”

          We were stymied! Again, we broke out in laughter along with banter about how much our dad must’ve loved us to leave us…

          …a forklift!

          I could barely spit out my next words. “W….we…ha-ha-ha…can…ha-ha-ha…use it to move all the Our Daily Breads!”

          Yup, Dad left us a forklift. (How many people can make that claim!)

          When my sister needed to return to her employment overseas, I asked a few friends if they’d like to help me with an estate sale. They gladly agreed. We spent several days preparing what was left for the sale, and God honored all efforts with amazingly good results.

          My sister and I were able to honor our parents after all. They wished for us to make sure the missionaries they supported were taken care of for quite some time. The results of the estate sale made that possible.

          As for the friends who came and helped, when all was said and done, they returned home and started giving away, throwing away, repurposing contents of their homes.

          Why?

          They mutually said, “We don’t want our kids to go through what you girls did!”

          And that’s why I’m writing this post and the ones that will follow. Because we, too, don’t want our kids to have to go through that. It just doesn’t seem fair.

          Because the diagnosis I have doesn’t necessarily promise me a long life, I’ve decided (and hubby’s on board) to do what some call death cleaning. I don’t have to do this now, but I may not be able to do it down the road, even if I’m still on this side of the grass.

          So, I purchased a book which intrigued me and offered helpful suggestions—The Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson—a small, easy-to-read book written by a Scandinavian woman in her 80s. You see, in her country, death cleaning is something most the population does as part of life because…

          …well, because everyone dies. Period.

          In Part 2 I’ll share with you benefits of death cleaning. I’ll also try to give you some tips from the book I read to help get you (who are older) started.

          Now, the term “death cleaning” may upset some. Don’t let that deter you. Just call it down-sizing, eliminating clutter, whatever you wish. The helpful hints apply to whatever you call it. I’ve chosen to name our process “sweet-ish” death cleaning—the reason for that title I’ll also explain in Part 2.

          Need help? I’d lend you our forklift if I could, but my sister and I decided that was something we wouldn’t keep…

          …after moving the Our Daily Bread devotionals, that is! Sorry, Dad…and Mom.

          I always include a song with my blog posts. Often songs I add just “pop” into my head and heart. This time I was stumped, so I explained to hubby what this post would be about and asked, “What song or hymn would go with something as crazy as death and a forklift?”

          Without hesitation he replied, “Burdens Are Lifted at Calvary!”

          “Why didn’t I think of that one! Not only forklift apropos but also one of Dad’s favorites. Talk about fitting!”

Burdens Are Lifted at Calvary by John M. Moore, 1952

—Gaither Homecoming Friends—

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwXz5Mx7ZWE&list=RDfwXz5Mx7ZWE&start_radio=1

 

P.S.—Although this blog post centers on the theme of death cleaning and the humorous times my sister and I experienced while emptying our parents’ estate, we truly loved them and grieved their passing. Inasmuch as the death cleaning “nearly killed us,” in hindsight the comic relief may’ve been a blessing in disguise. Mom’s been gone almost 35 years, and Dad 30. It hardly seems possible this was so long ago yet “just yesterday.”

 

#Swedishdeathcleaning #parentsdying #clutter #cleaningoutestate #estatesale

#forklift #inheritance

Photo Credit: shutterstock.com

Changing Times—Unchanging Message

          As I go yet again to purchase eyeglasses, I’m reminded of my last visit to the optician’s.

          After my exam, I scanned displays filled with the latest fashion frames. I always have trouble making this decision, so I was glad hubby accompanied me.

          After about 15 or so minutes, I narrowed my search down to 3 choices. Then I spotted another! Oh, they were lovely! I laughed as I told Brian, “Looky here! These are a Sophia Loren design! I wonder if I’d be as beautiful as she is if I chose these!”

          The assistant at the fitting desk overheard me. “Who’s Sophia Loren?”

          I was surprised, not having considered anyone didn’t know who this mega-movie star was. “You don’t know who Sophia Loren is???”

          Nope, she didn’t. Then I considered her age. She’d likely lived about 1/3 of the years I’d been alive.

           So, I felt obligated to give her a brief education (which may have included the word bombshell). “She was a knock-out beauty of a movie star back in the…well, a long time ago.” I realized now I was defining my age, like my whitish hair hadn’t already done so?

          Brian searched for a photo on his phone and found one to show the girl.

          “Wow! She really was beautiful!”

          “Still living, I think. She’s even got her looks in her 80s.”

          Okay. This influencing the frames I chose, I settled on the Sophias! How could I not!

          When we went to the car, Brian and I chatted about the younger generations of today, all they don’t know, and how we sounded like a couple of…well, maybe like our grandparents did when they talked about us.

          Yet another “episode” took place between our granddaughter and me. While Avery and I cooked together during a visit, she broke into a country song.

          “You’re like a junior Trisha Yearwood!” I shared.

          “Who’s Trisha Yearwood?” my young granddaughter asked.

          “You don’t know who Trisha Yearwood is??? She’s a famous country music singer who also has a cooking show, and she’s got a great sense of humor too. A lot like you.”

          Avery just shrugged and chattered away. “I like Billie Eilish.”

          “Who’s Billie Eilish?” I asked.

          “Grandma! You don’t know who Billie Eilish is???”

          We both laughed and high-fived!

          These conversations reminded me of something else though—very much unrelated to Sophia Loren, Trisha Yearwood, or Billie Eilish—and INFINITELY more important—but on the same theme—youth now not knowing what we learned quite well when we were growing up.

          Startling examples of this have been visible over the decades we’ve conducted Bible clubs and VBSs in churches. Over the years, a large gap revealed to us that kids, for the most part, are either not grounded in their faith or have no or little knowledge of it. (This is magnified even more when it comes to secular kids.)

          I remember teaching the Christmas story in a Baptist church 10+ years ago. Most the kids grew up in that church although they weren’t regular attendees. When I mentioned Jesus’ mother…

          One of the boys asked, “Who was his mother?”

          I was shocked but tried hard not to show it. “Mary. Her name was Mary.”

          “Oh,” he said.

          I realized then, I needed to start over and cover much more territory.

          This isn’t an isolated incident. It’s happened repeatedly.

          The point here: Don’t assume the young can put all the pieces together regarding the Word of God because they might not be able to, lacking a firm foundation.

          Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis puts it this way (not just about youth but about all humankind): That we formerly lived in a Hebrew world—the one my husband and I grew up in—when, even if children didn’t know a lot about the Bible, they still had a knowledge of God and a respect and honor of Him. This may have been because our public schools still included Him in the start of our days. More children attended church then, and sound family still mattered.

          Teaching youth Bible differed. The kids had some basis of understanding of what may now be considered archaic or Christianese.

          But then times changed…

          …and we became, as Ken Ham explains, a Greek world where there are many gods and so much is foreign—literally like speaking a different language to those who are generations younger than us.

          The way we teach the Truth now differs, but the Truth itself—Himself unchanged.

          Maybe this post will be a bit of an insight to those of you who are trying to reach the younger generation and feel like they “just don’t get it” because maybe they just don’t. If you’re presenting Bible, try different ways of reaching them without compromising. It is possible to do but will require more time, work, and patience.

          But don’t give up! You can reach the youth in so many ways that don’t disregard honor and respect to God and don’t cross the line into anti-God culture.

          The young need foundation stones to stand on, just like we did. They’re slipping and searching for those but don’t even know what to call them, yet alone know how to stand firm.

          Teachers, pastors, youth leaders, parents—you are in my prayers!

A song relaying core beliefs as stated in the Westminster Confession:

Westminster Confession of God - Official Lyric Video

 

P.S.—I recently found this quote in a book about the British Broadcasting Corporation and the argument whether to change their approach in telling the Christmas story as it always had been broadcasted up until, during, and after World War II or to consider the other end of the spectrum—new territory—

“...where a large and most youthful public to whom the whole story of Jesus

is terra incognita—children who do not know the meaning of Christmas,

men and women to whom the name of Christ is only a swear-word—besides a

considerable body of agnostics and semi-Christians who accept some incidents

of the story and firmly disbelieve the rest…” –Dorothy Sayers to the BBC, 1941

 

Here are a few helps for reaching youth:

Celebrate Kids with Dr. Kathy Koch

Living Waters/The Way of the Master with Ray Comfort. Kirk Cameron, & Todd Friel

BCM Int’l, Inc. Mission Board—resources available along with teacher training information

 

#eyeglasses #cooking #youth #differentgeneration #biblicalfoundations

#KenHam #AnswersinGenesis #hebrewworld #greekworld #teachingmethods

#Truth #standfirminfaith #WestminsterConfession

#CelebrateKids #LivingwatersWayoftheMaster #BCMintlinc

 

Photo Credit: Pexels

Quote from C.S. Lewis in a Time of War by Justin Phillips

Free Stuff!

          Back in the 1980s we lived in New York City. Our kids ranked in ages elementary school level down to baby.

          It was during this time I learned people discarded things at curbs on garbage days. This may sound strange—that I didn’t realize this until then, but we had lived in a rural setting prior to this with a burning barrel and mission truck that collected our trash. We didn’t even have a curb until we moved into the City.

          I admit it. I liked finding furnishings and sometimes toys on curbs. Some of these were nicer than what we already had (or didn’t have).

          Our kids, however, hated when their mom exclaimed, “Oh wow,” swerved right, and hit the brakes. It didn’t take them long to learn what that meant, and they’d exclaim, “Uh oh! Duck!”

          What! My kids weren’t thrilled with their mother’s discoveries and savings? Hmph! Much to their chagrin, that didn’t stop me.

          I remember as a girl always wishing I had a canopy bed once I’d seen one. This carried over to the time when we had a daughter. If only we could get her a canopy bed! Dream on, Sarah.

          We pulled out of our driveway one day, turned the corner and my eyes spotted it! Lo and behold! It was beautiful! Okay. It wasn’t that beautiful, but it was better than anything I could’ve imagined. A white canopy bed head- and foot-boards!

          I had to get it, swerved right, hit the brakes, and heard my kids mutter, “Uh oh! Duck!”

          I didn’t care, and they needed to be unwilling partners in getting this bed home. It wouldn’t fit in the car, so I told the kids, “Roll down your windows, and, boys, you can help me get the two parts on the roof of the car.

          They wanted to die yet did help while making sure their faces weren’t turned in view of the oncoming traffic.

          We got the 2 large pieces up there yet lacked anything with which to secure them. So, I gave orders: “You’re all going to reach up outside your windows—me too—and we will drive slowly to get this home.”

          There were audible groans, but the hands went out the windows and held on tight. I turned on the flashers.

          Although very close to home, we were on a major 4-lane road and couldn’t turn around at that point. I needed to drive around the block which ended up being multiple blocks before one-ways went the right way to get us home.

          Our kids survived, and our daughter got her canopy bed—the one I dreamed of more than she ever did. Oh well. I cleaned it and gave it new life with a fresh coat of paint.

          A beautiful bed, and it was free!

          Another wonderful find happened when I was on my way to pick up the kids from school. I happened to glance down a side street and spotted an antique treadle sewing machine table, complete with sewing machine. My heart likely skipped a beat! I couldn’t stop to get it then because the silly school had a rule that parents were supposed to be on time to pick up their kids. (Imagine that.)

          I actually prayed that item would still be there by the time I collected the 3 kids and got the baby back into his carseat, etc. I told the kids, “We need to hurry! There’s something I’ve got to get! And I’m going to need your help. I think it’s heavy.

          They looked wide-eyed at each other and chorused, “Uh oh…”

           I pulled up to the sewing machine and table the same minute another person did. I admit, I wanted to dash over and grab hold of it! But my heart wouldn’t let me. Instead, I said, “What a find, huh?”

          “It’s great! I’ve always loved this type thingy,” she said, “but I’m going to pass on it.”

          I think I must’ve grinned ear to ear at that moment!

          “Can I help you get it into your car?” she asked.

          Oh, how happy our kids were—not!—as they sheepishly peeked over the edge of the car doors.

          I took that treasure home and gave it new life.

          Free! An antique t’boot!

          Many years later (while I still “honed” my curb shopping skills) I took a long walk with son, Stephen (the baby in the last find), who rode his bike ahead of me back and forth so it was sort of like walking together but totally not. We didn’t live in New York City anymore. Instead, we lived in upstate New York on a lovely hillside with houses spread far apart from one another.

          When we were about a mile from home, I spotted it! My heart skipped beats, I’m sure! Now, first let me explain what one of my weaknesses is (oh, I don’t have many—haha): Doll houses! Yes, I adore them and am sure if I was wealthy, I’d have a room in my house for all my dreamed-of doll houses. Good thing I’m not wealthy, but…

          …how could I leave this lovely Colonial on the trash heap? I went to grab it.

          “Oh no, Mom! You’re not gonna, are ya?” Stephen questioned, straddling his bike, rolling it a distance from me.

          “It’ll be prime real estate when I’m done with it, and someone will enjoy it!” I got it down. “I can handle it. You go ahead home.”

          “Then I’m outa here!” Stephen zoomed off to save his reputation from this affluent street where some of his schoolmates lived.

          I was only half way home when I tired from carrying my curb find and was perspiring like a water fountain.

          Just then a car pulled up. Our chiropractor! “Need a lift?”

          “Sure,” I replied, this time me being the slightly embarrassed one realizing our doc only bought his kids top-notch toys. “I couldn’t pass this up. I’m a sucker for doll houses, and it will increase in property value with a face-lift, etc.”

          “That was a good one in its day!” He said and dropped me home with my fantastic find.

          Free! And I so enjoyed that project as did our grandchildren who played with it for several years before I “put it on the market.” SOLD!

           We found other freebies over the years; but the canopy bed, sewing machine & table, and doll house? Prizes!

          Sometimes great things can be free. But there’s another “thing” that’s free that surpasses anything on earth ever.

          Salvation! New life in Christ!

          I “picked” that when I was 12 years old. I grew up knowing about God’s free gift, how Jesus died on the cross for my sins, how He rose again in 3 days proving He truly was God, and how He is preparing a place in Heaven for all who believe in Him as their Lord and Savior.

          Yes, I knew all that but didn’t accept Him into my heart until that fall day when I knelt beside my bed and told Jesus I was a sinner, I was sorry for the wrong I’d done, I believed He was Who He said He was, and I wanted Him to come into my heart and life.

          Free! The best thing ever ever ever! How could new life with eternal life included be anything less!

          I hope you who read this blog post know Jesus as your Savior and Lord. If not, I pray you’ll come to realize your need of His free gift and do as I did when I was 12. It’s not hard. In fact, it’s easy—the best, greatest gift!

          And it never comes with a price tag. Jesus paid that with His blood when He died on Calvary. There He cried out “Tetelestai!” It is finished. Paid in full!          

Jesus Paid It All

 

I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small,

Child of weakness, watch and pray, find in Me thine all in all.”

 

(Refrain) Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

 

Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r and Thine alone,

Can change the leper’s spots and melt the heart of stone. (Refrain)

 

For nothing good have I where-by Thy grace to claim;

I’ll wash my garments white in the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb. (Refrain)

 

And when, before the throne, I stand in Him complete,

“Jesus died my soul to save,” my lips shall still repeat. (Refrain)

 

(from the hymn, Jesus Paid It All, by Elvina M. Hall, 1865, public domain)

 

Freely, Freely

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS1ndKgU36I&list=RDBS1ndKgU36I&start_radio=1

 

#free #curbshopping #embarrassingyourkids #greatfinds #deals

#salvation #freegift #bloodbought #God #Jesus

 

Photo Credit: istock.com

(…and, yes, I think it’s funny there are FREE trash images!)

The Work of Our Hands

         There are so many things I love about our church—the people, our pastor, the singing of hymns, the fact that we stand when the Bible is read, and that we carry one another’s burdens and rejoice with the church family when they joy.

          But I also love something else—the beauty displayed in the sanctuary. Large, tall American and Christian flags flank the top of the platform, and a huge open Bible rests forefront.

          There’s something else, though. In this particular blog post I wish to share with you about the flower arrangements, beautifully designed and changed often throughout the year.

          I wondered who produced the floral arrangements. We’ve only been a part of this church family since we settled in Missouri, unlike many members who’ve been there forever (okay, maybe not forever but a long, long time).

          Come to find out these were arranged by two lovely octogenarians—identical twins, t’ boot! Jenette and Jeniece—Jenette being a member of the congregation. I admired their skill and faithfulness to this task.

          But imagine my surprise to discover the church had a flower room! Yes, full of beautiful arrangements—the “flower girls” preparing them all.

          When I learned who was responsible for the floral decorations, I wanted to meet this person (not realizing then Jenette had a twin).

          You see, my husband and I are part of the music ministry at church. We love serving in this way, but the disadvantage (besides always having full hands to and from the car)? We never finished packing up instruments before most of the people exited the church. Thus, after a handful of years there, we still didn’t know all our church family.

          And I didn’t know Jenette, so I decided to write her a note to tell her how much I love the flowers. The way she blends them, the textures, the color schemes!

          She replied with so much gratitude, warmth, and love! And it wasn’t long after that we met and exchanged hugs. (She’s a small lady but a big hugger!)

          I also wanted to know more about these ladies and how they became the “flower girls.”

          Yes, Jenette and her sister did this together, just like they did so many other things in their long lives. But now Jenette serves alone since God walked Jeniece Home last year.

          I asked Jenette if she’d share with you how she and Jeniece “adopted” the mission of flower arranging, and she gladly agreed. So, now I’ll turn over this blog post to her.

          Thank you, precious Jenette! 

          “I have been fixing flower arrangements for my church for about 6 years. Before I started doing this, my friend fixed them until she passed away. I prayed about it and felt like God wanted me to take on that role, so I told the preacher.

          I don’t feel like I have a talent for arranging flowers, but I pray before I start, and God guides me. I love doing anything to serve and honor Him.

          I have always loved wild flowers in the field, so I have God’s flower garden in my backyard. I did this with the help of my twin Jeniece. She helped me dig up wild field flowers to plant in my yard.

          I always asked Jeniece’s opinion about every arrangement, then she would go with me to take them to the church.

          God started showing me how to fix so many different arrangements that I had several prepared in advance. God knew that I would need them as I contracted an autoimmune disease for about a year and couldn’t use my hands. My children had to care for me. and my daughter stayed with me. God healed me, and I was so thankful to be able to do the flowers again as I get such enjoyment out of it.

          I had 2 children, a boy and a girl—and Jeniece had one daughter. She thought she was not going to have any children, but after being married 8 years, she finally had a girl. Unfortunately, her daughter had cancer and passed away at 50 years old.

          Our Bible verse is Matthew 7:12 as the Golden Rule is a favorite of mine and my twin sister. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” One of our all-time gospel favorites is Amazing Grace— sang at Jeniece’s funeral.

          It’s going to be a different life without Jeniece, but with God’s help I can make it.”  –Jenette 

          Jenette continues adding beauty to our world and church. And, even as Jenette still cares for her backyard garden, Jeniece is in “the Garden of Eden in the skies” (translation of the Hebrew word for Heaven)! Isn’t that amazing? Twins still walking in their gardens!

          As I thought more about these ladies, I’m reminded about the work of our hands—using them for the Lord. I also reflected on the talents God has loaned us. The church flower arrangements are visible reminders too; and I smile, thinking of the lovely ladies who used their hands and talents (yes, Jenette—you do have this talent) for the Lord.

          Have I given God my Hands? Do I use them for Him? Not all my hands find to do for the Lord require talent. Some of those things are just needful, time-consuming, and hard work. On other occasions God may ask me to do something for Him that really does require talent. Either way, am I willing? I pray I’m faithful in this!

          May you be also—just like the “flower girls!”

“…establish thou the work of our hands upon us;

yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” Psalm 90:17b

&

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might…” Ecclesiastes 9:10a

I Give My Hands to Do Your Work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL5QrV5f89g&list=RDlL5QrV5f89g&start_radio=1

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#hands #flowers #floralarrangements #twins #Godsdesign #talent #servingtheLord #gardens #workofourhands

 

Photo credit:

Twins when young—used w/ permission from J. Waggoner

Twins when older—by Linda Heman, used w/ permission

Hebrew interpretation: Carolyn Burns