Banquet Earth Angel
Elaine K. Stephen
Inspirational Gift Gallery
For weeks, all the Pioneer Girls were anticipating the annual Mother Daughter Banquet, except for me. My Mom had just passed away a few month’s earlier and just thinking about sitting alone and watching all the other girls talking, laughing and eating with their Moms made my heartache and tears come to my eyes. I felt so sad and alone at the thought of accepting my earned award without seeing my Mom clapping, smiling, hearing her congratulating me and feeling her hugging me when I returned to the table?
Finally, the day approached. With cleaned and pressed uniform, I climbed into my group leader’s car to go to the banquet. All the way there I tried to think of ways to avoid being alone. Maybe, I could sit with my group leader. Maybe I could sit with my sister who was also a Pioneer girl. Maybe I could sit with my best Pioneer Girl friend and her Mom. Maybe it wouldn‘t be so bad after all?
When we arrived at the Church, I found out my group leader had a special table in the front of the room because she was going to be giving out the awards, I could not sit with her. Then I found out my sister was going to be sitting in a different room with the girls in her own age group, I could not sit with her either. I found my best friend and her Mom and we went to the table with the nametags. As we pinned on our nametags, we were instructed to go to another table with place cards and to take our seats. At the place card table, I found out my friend and her Mom were not even sitting at the same table as me!
Standing all alone with my nametag on and my place card in my hand, my heart started to ache. Just as the tears were about to escape from my eyes, a woman walked up to me. She said, “I don’t have a little girl here today. Could I sit with you?” My heart ached for her. Not having a little girl of her own must be as bad for her as not having my Mom with me was for me. I smiled at the woman and said, “Yes. “ She took my hand and helped me find our table.
It is many years later now and I cannot remember what the woman in my story said her name was. A Christian woman who took time out of her own day to search for a little girl she had never met before by nametag. A Christian woman, who took my hand, sat with me, talked to me, laughed with me, shared a meal with me, clapped for me, smiled with me and congratulated me. I no longer even try to remember what her given name was. I know the name God gave her that day was Earth Angel, and so it always will be to me.
Open the Windows
Elaine K. Stephen
Inspirational Gift Gallery
One morning when I looked out my windows, I could see the sun was shinning in a crystal clear blue sky and the leaves of the trees were swaying in a gentle breeze. The beautiful weather inspired me to open one of the two windows in my home office a few inches. It would be nice to enjoy a little of the refreshing mountain breeze and the birds songs while I typed away at my computer.
A little while later, my 3 ½ year old son interrupted his play to come visit me in my office. He was drawn to the slightly opened window, the cool breeze, the bird’s songs and the sights of nature. My son noticed the closed window and pointed at it saying, “Mommy, open the window.” So I got up and opened the window for him, but I only opened the window a few inches. You see, I wanted the height of the two windows, which were right next to each other, to match. Then I sat back down at my computer and went back to work.
Our windows are very low to the ground. When I glanced up from my work, I saw my son was bent over to fit his head under the window and peering out. Then he pushed the window up a little higher so he could stand up straight. But I wanted the two windows to match in height, so I got up and I closed the window back to just the right height. Then my son went to the other window and opened it a little higher. Once again, I got up and closed the window to match the height of the first window. Just as I sat back down again, my son said, “No, Mommy!” And as quickly as he could he opened both of the windows up as high as he could reach, and ran out of the room laughing at me!
“Think you’re funny? “ I called teasingly. As I rose to close both of the windows back to the way I originally had them, I stopped short! All of a sudden looking at both of those windows opened all the way with every intention of closing them to what I thought was the proper height, I realized how like my heart and my mind those two windows were. I could open my heart and my mind a little way, most of the way or all of the way. I retreated and sat back down in my office chair stunned. My 3 ½ year old son just taught me a valuable lesson!
Hours later those two windows were both still open all the way. I left them that way until the weather turned cold enough to force me to close them. They were my reminder to pray to God everyday to open my heart and my mind to Him, to Christ's teachings, to my family, friends and all other people, to life, laughter, forgiveness, love and to all the earth‘s beautiful offerings!
Sand Castle Blessings
Elaine K. Stephen
Inspirational Gift Gallery
It was the perfect day. The sun was shining, the sky was a vibrant blue, the clouds were pillows of cotton and the breeze was light and cool. God’s creatures were enjoying the day and so I decided, my three year old son and I must too!
We drove off to the community lake. My son and I were alone walking the lake shore for only a few minutes when we came upon the most intricately built sand castle country I had ever seen. There were many small sand castles along roads that traveled through tall sand bridges. A mote was carved into the sand with water from the lake flowing through it. Over the mote a tree bark draw bridge led to a large sand castle on a sand island all its own. There were duck feather flags proudly displayed from sand castle turrets whose feathers gently swayed in the breeze. This sand castle country was so inspiring, I could almost see the prince and princess kissing in the castle window, the town’s people hurrying through the streets and knights riding on horse back across the bridges.
Oh, how I wished I had brought a camera! Surely my photograph of this sand castle country would win the annual "Life in Our County" photo contest this year! I considered going home to retrieve my camera, but I knew my young son would not understand our sudden departure and be very distressed at having to leave so soon. So, we continued walking along the lake. My son chattered excitedly about butterflies and caterpillars and I planned to return later in the day to take a photograph of the sand castle country. I thought about angles and lighting and how this photo would be an unspoken tribute to life in our county.
A short while later, a woman with a boy just a few years older than my son joined us at the lakeside. The young boy ran to play with my son and I began chatting with the woman. We both kept an eye on the children.
I watched as the children played along the lakeside. Little by little their play brought them closer and closer to the sand castle country. I thought, just wait until the boy and his Grandmother see the sand castle country! Then, all of a sudden, the boy spotted the sand castle country and jumped upon it stamping every last bit of it into mere grains of sand on the beach. Duck feathers and tree bark began floating away in the lake, now just debris. The boys Grandmother took no notice of this atrocity at all!
My mouth opened to scream my dismay at this callous offense, but no sooner did I open my mouth, I closed it again and bit my tongue. Why should this young boy or his Grandmother see that sand castle country as a work of art just because I did? How could that young boy possibly know he just destroyed my winning photo dream?
The children continued playing, the Grandmother continued talking and I was thinking, how like life itself that sand castle country was. One minute it had a life of its own and the next it was crushed under a heavy weight. Just like my winning photo dream had just been. Then I returned to the conversation at hand and to keeping an eye on the children playing and enjoying the beautiful day. Soon the sand castle country was forgotten.
A couple of hours later, while driving home from the lake, I thought of the sand castle country once more and how it had been destroyed along with my prize winning photo dream. Then I realized, it wasn’t a sand castle country or a prize winning photo that really mattered at all. What really mattered was a young boy instantly befriended my son. If he had not done so, my son who is an only child, would have spent yet another day without a playmate. Beside me walked a woman who instantly befriended me. If she had not done so, my day would have been a little emptier then it had turned out to be.
God taught me a lesson that day. For every disappointment that life lays at our feet, in return it gives us two blessings. We just have to open our eyes and our hearts to find them.
Susan Peterson
VP Sales
I would love to give you a shortened version of my testimony. I also am a new Christian songwriter and will be publishing my work within the next few years. I will start below.
My name is Susan Peterson and I am from a small town in North East Georgia called Toccoa. I am 28 years old and a mother of two adorable children. My transformation took a long time and looking back on the decisions I have made in life I know I still would have been blind in the darkness of life despite my upbringing. For any teenagers that might be reading this blog listen up you might learn some hard truths about the narrow path.
I grew up in a Christian home with my father being a pastor of a Baptist church and my mother being a wonderful Christian. Well the preachers kid is not always the bad one just the easiest one to be led astray from the truth. I know I did astray way off the path. In 1996, I began a rebellious streak against my parents and everything they set out to teach me about how to live a good life. I was involved in sex, pornography, drugs and other dangerous things. Somehow, I know that even though I rejected my parent’s advice and of course, God, most of all I should have known better and I did. The Bible says in Proverbs 23:23 “Invest in truth and wisdom, discipline and good sense, and don't part with them.” Therefore, I lost my good sense and departed from the truths that I had been taught. I continued down this path until 1999, when I was raped by someone who I thought was my knight and shinning armor. I left that situation and moved to South Carolina with my sister. I found out that I was pregnant out of wedlock and put shame on my parents for that. One day unexpectedly my father and mother forgave me. It was then that I realized that I needed to seek new direction a new path if you will. The Bible also tells us in Proverbs 23: 19-21,” Listen to me, my children! Be wise and have enough sense to follow the right path. Do not be a heavy drinker or stuff yourself with food. It will make you feel drowsy, and you will end up poor with only rags to wear. “Trust me I was on that bad path that many teenagers and young adults are on today. There is good news. I found Christ as my savior, when I was 20 years old and turned the right corner and got on the right path. I had that baby and he was a boy. I kept him and gained a new husband, a non-Christian. There is a reason the Bible also tells us not to be unequally yoked in the spirit. It more than often does not work out. I had another child a girl in 2001 and she is my little princess. I see through both of my children the truths I wished I had learned as a child. Proverbs 23: 25 “Make your parents proud, especially your mother.”
In 2005, their father and I filed for divorce because for at least 5 months their father was having an affair with another girl (17 yrs old). I was devastated and did not even see this coming. I began to pray for God’s guidance in my life and the direction he has for my family and me. I had decided that what I needed more in my life was God and no man would be able to fill that inner hole. Although, everyone needs a helpmate I didn’t focus on that need. Thanksgiving 2006 my sister and brother –n- law teased me and a long time bachelor (Dennis Peterson) and friend about us going out on a date. Well he was interested in another girl and I was not interested in dating. New Years came around and we broke down and decided to try at least hanging out, okay date. We knew each other for 11 years but not that well. By April, we were engaged and yesterday celebrated our one-month anniversary. We were married July 21, 2007.
Therefore, the lessons I learned I pass on to you in a Psalm actually my vow and prayer for all that read this testimony of faith and love Psalm 25: A Prayer for Guidance and Help
1.
I offer you my heart, LORD God,
I offer you my heart, LORD God, 2.I trust you. Do not make me ashamed or let enemies defeat me.
I trust you. Do not make me ashamed or let enemies defeat me. 3.Do not disappoint any of your worshipers, but disappoint all deceitful liars.
Do not disappoint any of your worshipers, but disappoint all deceitful liars. 4.Show me your paths and teach me to follow;
Show me your paths and teach me to follow; 5.Guide me by your truth and instruct me. You keep me safe, and I always trust you.
Guide me by your truth and instruct me. You keep me safe, and I always trust you. 6.Please, LORD, remember, you have always been patient and kind.
Please, LORD, remember, you have always been patient and kind. 7.Forget each wrong I did when I was young. Show how truly kind you are and remember me.
Forget each wrong I did when I was young. Show how truly kind you are and remember me. 8.You are honest and merciful, and you teach sinners how to follow your path.
You are honest and merciful, and you teach sinners how to follow your path. 9.You lead humble people to do what is right and to stay on your path.
You lead humble people to do what is right and to stay on your path. 10.In everything you do, you are kind and faithful to everyone who keeps our agreement with you.
In everything you do, you are kind and faithful to everyone who keeps our agreement with you. 11.Be true to your name, LORD, by forgiving each one of my terrible sins.
Be true to your name, LORD, by forgiving each one of my terrible sins. 12.You will show the right path to all who worship you.
You will show the right path to all who worship you. 13.They will have plenty, and then their children will receive the land.
They will have plenty, and then their children will receive the land. 14.Our LORD, you are the friend of your worshipers, and you make an agreement with all of us.
Our LORD, you are the friend of your worshipers, and you make an agreement with all of us. 15.I always look to you, because you rescue me from every trap.
I always look to you, because you rescue me from every trap. 16.I am lonely and troubled. Show that you care and have pity on me.
I am lonely and troubled. Show that you care and have pity on me. 17.My awful worries keep growing. Rescue me from sadness.
My awful worries keep growing. Rescue me from sadness. 18.See my troubles and misery and forgive my sins.
See my troubles and misery and forgive my sins. 19.Look at all my enemies! See how much they hate me.
Look at all my enemies! See how much they hate me. 20.I come to you for shelter. Protect me, keep me safe, and do not disappoint me.
I come to you for shelter. Protect me, keep me safe, and do not disappoint me. 21.I obey you with all my heart and I trust you, knowing that you will save me.
I obey you with all my heart and I trust you, knowing that you will save me.22.Our God, please save Israel from all of its troubles. Amen
Our God, please save Israel from all of its troubles. AmenI hope that you will always seek God in this way boldly asking for repentance every day so that you may receive grace and blessings. My God bless you and keep you in his shelter always.
Susan Peterson
VP Sales
www.forgetmeneversolutions.com
