My Mom

My mom, Carma Blouin, died on March 14, 2012. She would have been 89 on April 6th, so lived a long life. However, the last several years were spent in an assisted living home because Mom had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.
Mom was a Christian and her family knew she'd be in heaven at the moment of her death - joining my dad who went there in 1994.
Since I live in Washington State, and Mom was in Minnesota, I only got to see her once a year. For many years, I felt she knew me even though she didn't say my name. She was a person who always wanted to please, so perhaps her smile was just because someone came to see her. In any case, I prayed for her and sang to her, and she smiled.
It came to a time when her care-givers said she could no longer wear any jewelry, so an Austrian crystal heart-shaped stone on a necklace was given back to me, as I was the one who gave it to her. Whenever I wore it, I'd receive compliments. One day, while wearing it at my work place, I started to cry when I received the compliment. I explained to my customer that it had been my mom's necklace. Right then I realized that I had "lost" my mom years ago, but since the chapter of her life was not really over, I had not grieved her loss fully.
Her funeral service was truly a Celebration of her life, and all of her family members received so many loving words and hugs from friends and relatives.
I was blessed to be able to speak for a few minutes and told about her early years. She was only 2 years old in 1925 when her parents divorced. For whatever reasons, they allowed her to be raised by a great aunt, by marriage, named Robey Burch. Robey was a dear Christian woman who taught Mom about Jesus, and Mom trusted Him as her personal Savior as a young girl.
God took a sad situation and changed it into a much better one. Mom grew up to be a beautiful and caring person. From this only child, Carma, came 4 children, 10 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren! She has left us a great legacy of kindness and devotion to family and God. Such a blessing!
I am so glad she is with our dad now and most importantly with her beloved Savior!

Locked Out

A few days ago my daughter, Lisa, got locked out on the 2nd floor deck of their home. She had gone out there to check on her cat that was recovering from surgery. Before she could stop him, her little boy, age 19 months had shut the sliding door and it locked! He didn't know what he had done so he didn't know how to help his mommy get back inside either.
Lisa tried to talk to him and encourage him to try to unlock the door to no avail. They live in the country with no close neighbors. Of course she didn't have her cell phone either.
Her little guy seemed to be OK with just staying in the bedroom watching her, watching a show on TV, and eating his snack. I'm thinking his guardian angel helped with that. :-)
Lisa pondered whether she could crawl over the deck and drop down to the lower deck, but it was pretty far and didn't seem possible. Eventually - after about an hour or so, her son decided to go over to the narrow window near the deck and played with the crank opener. It moved about an inch. How could she get it open far enough to get inside?
She had a wire closeline on the deck so she took it down and made a loop in one end. Next she punched out the screen and was able to loop the wire around the crank and get it to open all the way. Whew! Now she could carefully crawl over the rail and slip in through the window.
How frustrating it is for a mom to not be able to get to her little one!
As I was thinking about this, it occurred to me that this is not only when they are little. Sometimes we moms (and dads) have a hard time getting through to our children when they are older - even adults! If it is not a window blocking us, it could be a closed mind. But I do know one thing, moms and dads should never give up. We l0ve our children and continue to want to be near them, taking care of their needs, instructing and guiding them. Sometimes it can only be done through prayer - to the One who loves us and our children more than we can ever know!

Shane

One late summer day, several years ago, my daughter, Lisa, and I were having an Italian soda at an outdoor beverage stand in our small town of Snohomish, WA. We were seated at one of the tables enjoying the cool drink and our time together. Soon I noticed a slightly built young man sitting at another table with an empty pop cup, just waiting or passing time. Something (or more likely "Someone") told me I should talk to him. I asked if he was waiting for a ride somewhere. He said "no", and that he was just waiting until it was time to walk to his job at the local McDonald's. I asked if he was new to this area and where he lived. In a soft voice he said he lived a few blocks away in a cardboard box. "Excuse me?", I said, "what did you say - you live in a box?" He answered, "Yes, it is all I have right now. I came here from Utah. My car broke down in Redmond (about 30 miles away), and I don't even have the money to get it back from the towing company. I just got this job at McDonald's, so hopefully I can find another place to live soon." He told me his name was Shane, and he was 19 years old, and had left home because of an abusive situation with his mother and her boyfriend. My heart went out to him; he seemed so lonely and much younger than his 19 years. Then I was led to ask him a very important question. "Shane, are you a Christian?" "No, I don't think so," he said. "Would you like to know what it means to follow Christ?", I asked. "OK", was his simple answer. I invited him over to our table. "Shane", I began, "God loves you very much and has a plan for your life." I went on to tell him that our sins separate us from God. I told him God loved us all so much that he came to earth as Jesus Christ. I told him Jesus died for all of our sins, and that He wants us all to spend eternity with him. He just requires us to believe in him and to repent of our sins, and to make Him Lord of our lives. He was raised from the dead by God the Father and is seated in heaven with Him now, waiting for us to be reconciled to him." Then I said, "Shane, would you like to pray to receive Jesus as your personal Savior right now?" He didn't hesitate for long, then he said that he would like to, and he did - right then and there on that beautiful summer day, while Lisa was silently praying too, for his salvation. I gave him a little book explaining more about salvation. Then I asked him if he had any money. He showed me his empty wallet. I had a $10.00 bill and gave it to him. He said it would be awhile until he could pay it back, but I assured him it was a gift. I also gave him my phone number and asked him to call in a day or two and let me know how he was doing. Then he left, and we left. A couple of days later Shane called as he had promised. I asked him if he'd like to go to church on Sunday. Yes, he would, but he didn't have very suitable clothes he said. Our boys had some, I said, and I dropped them off for him at McDonald's along with a small Bible. On Sunday he went to church with us and seemed interested in all that was being said. He even tried to sing the worship songs. Later we were able to help him in some other ways too. We got his car released for him and helped him replace a minor part. A woman at his work place offered him a place to stay. Shane said he was reading the little Bible and even understanding it. He also went to another church in town with a guy he had met. We saw him a few more times, and then one day a fellow worker at McDonald's said Shane had gone back to Utah. I'm glad I talked to him that summer day. I might have missed the chance to see a young man give his heart to Christ. I pray he is following Him now too, and that someday he'll get in touch with us again. I also know that the Good Shepherd knows His own sheep and no one can snatch them out of His hands. (See John 10:27-28) I claim that promise for Shane.

Parking Lot Encounter

I enjoy sitting in my van in the parking lot outside of my place of work during my lunch break - especially if the sun is shining. Well, it was shining when I went out there a few days ago, but by the time I got into my van, a huge cloud had darkened the sun. That's pretty common here in the Pacific Northwest. As I dug into my lunch, I noticed a small SUV pulling into the parking place facing me, and right away I thought to myself, "I hope it doesn't hit me." Now, why would I even think that?
The driver must not have thought she was in the spot straight, so she backed up, and then pulled in again and hit me! What...?!
So, by this time it was raining, and I got my umbrella and met the lady outside to inspect for any damage. She was apologizing profusely and saying how sorry she was. I took a look at my bumper and saw there was no damage, and told her there was no need to give me her insurance information that she was offering. Then she told me how she was distracted because she had recently had to put her beloved dog to sleep. She started to cry and so did I. I gave her a hug and comforted her, saying not to worry, no damage was done and that it was OK. I understood.
Then I said to her I'd pray that she'd feel alright soon. She thanked me and then went back into her car to wipe the tears and then on to the grocery store.
I went back into work, thinking about this experience and wondering why it happened, and why I'd had some premonition about it.
In about a half an hour, the woman came into the store where I work. (She knew where it was because I had my apron on while outside - with the name on it.) She was bringing me a beautiful pot of yellow begonias. She wanted to say again how sorry she was and to thank me for being so understanding and so sweet to her. Well, then, I was crying again! She explained that her dog was a beautiful Golden Retriever that she and her husband had taken in 15 years ago. She was suffering so much from missing him.
I asked her name and told her mine, and then asked if she ever came into the store, and she said "No, not so much. But, maybe now I will."
I work in a Christian bookstore.
I have to believe that this was some "Divine appointment" that God had given to me. I truly hope she will come into my store again, and that I had some part in helping her through her grieving process.
It also reminded me that one never knows what someone else is going through, and that their behavior reflects it. It's a good opportunity to pray for them and to show them some gentleness and encouragement. I am looking forward to my next "parking lot experience", wherever that may be.

Working "all things together for good".

The verse from Romans 8:28 has always been one of my favorites and I do believe I have reached the point of knowing for sure that God is working things out in my life according to his big picture. Can we know for sure?

Do I wonder what tomorrow will hold for me and my family? Yes, of course, but I am not anxious like I used to be. Another good verse to remember is "Do not worry or fret; it only causes harm." I make it personal by praying: "I will not worry or fret - it only causes me harm."

And what about that "timing"? A few years ago my watch stopped. I noted it stopped at 2:20. For several days I didn't go to buy a battery, but did miss having the watch. I was going to take trip to Minnesota - a wonderful annual event - and needed to get my watch running again.

So I took it to a local drug store and asked the sales person to find a battery for me and install it please. :-)

Just as he did that I noted the time on a big clock in the store - 2:20. I felt God was telling me something. I opened my Bible when I got home and found Psalm 31:15. "My times are in Your hands, deliver me from the hands of my enemies and those who pursue me."

So to me, that verse along with Romans 8:28 tells me God is working all things out for me and in His perfect timing. I will rest in those truths!