Thursday, May 27, 2010

The Beauty of Nature

I took some photos today of my garden. I was sitting outside most of the day enjoying the gorgeous sunshine and warm weather (actually, it got pretty hot - I think it hit 90 this afternoon!). One of the best things about not working is that at any time I can be outdoors and experience God's glorious creation. I am so very blessed to live in a rural area only 25 miles from the vibrant city of Washington, D.C. I have the best of both worlds: wide, open space surrounded by farms and woodland while at the same time being part of an urban area that offers the best of city living.

I live in the country on a quiet street with only a few homes. Even during the rush home from work, there are few vehicles that drive by, so noise pollution is practically non-existent. On the weekends, the sounds of lawn tractors and weed-whackers are occasionally heard, but during the week it is blissfully calm.

Sitting outside today was like being in heaven; it was so peaceful. At first I closed my eyes and just listened to nature's sounds: birds twittering, crickets chirping and the slight breeze blowing through the trees. Then I opened my eyes and surveyed God's handiwork. The flowers, both wild and the ones planted in my garden. The trees with their branches laden with leaves reaching toward the sun. Two squirrels scampering from limb to limb playfully chasing each other. The little chipmunk who lives in the hole near my azalea garden quickly running from hosta to hosta with his tail pointing straight up. The cardinals, sparrows, nuthatches and tufted titmouse which visit the birdfeeders I have filled with seed. The dazzling green and red hummingbird that comes to drink the nectar from my flowers. The crow flying overhead calling, "caw, caw." The rabbit hopping across the lawn. The bees buzzing from flower to flower. Thank you, God, that you would allow me to behold such beauty!

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Impatiens

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The bee balm is growing tall. Soon each stalk will be topped by a showy red

flower, and hundreds of bees will be buzzing hypnotically from flower to flower

gathering nectar. The hummingbirds also love the flowers of the bee balm plant.

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A sad end to a beautiful impatiens flower.

The Blue Jay is a frequent visitor to my garden.
Here it is resting on a tree branch.

Rose buds.

Chipping sparrow eating seed from one of my bird feeders.

Chipping sparrow at one of the bird feeders in my garden.

Taking a break!

Cute curious rabbit. The rabbits that live on my property

are very large -- the size of housecats.

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Male cardinals (they are the red ones) usually feed only on the ground.

This year, however, they have been eating seed from the actual bird

feeders. The feeders are meant for smaller birds, so it is quite comical

to watch the cardinal balancing himself on the small perch bending over to get

the seed from the small openings.

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Planter with impatiens on my front porch.

White-breasted Nuthatch visiting one of the bird feeders.

Look closely and you'll see one of my neighbors driving down the street in

his golf cart. When the weather is nice, he makes trip after trip around the block.

He always slows down to wave at me if I am outside sitting on my front porch.

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This is my "secret" place where I go to read. It is located under some pine

trees which sway gently in the breeze, giving off the intoxicating aroma of pine.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

No More Writer's Block

I am so excited! I have finally finished my resume!! I had an appointment with my career counselor, Jeff, this morning to review my resume, and he gave it his “blessing.” We then went to LinkedIn on the Internet and updated my profile with information from my resume. After that, we talked about the types of companies I would like to work for, and Jeff gave me a homework assignment: to come up with a list of organizations that I am interested in.

With the completion of my resume, I feel this huge weight lifted from of my shoulders. Putting my resume together has taken me several months. At first I was gung-ho to start working on it, but after I took a resume-writing workshop, I developed writer’s block. I believe it was caused by the pressure to produce a resume quickly in a format that was unfamiliar to me. At the resume-writing workshop, I learned that today most potential employers want to see an applicant’s accomplishments listed on their resume (functional resume) instead of just a job description-type format (chronological resume), which is what I was used to. Not having to actually apply for a job for almost 20 years (my last 3 jobs were obtained through “connections”), I hadn’t had to re-do my resume for a long time, though I had kept it updated during all those years. Problem is, though, I hadn’t reformatted my resume in all that time, so it was just one long listing of my jobs and what I did at each one.

Thankfully, I had kept a copy of each of my annual performance evaluations I received while working at the National Association of Home Builders, so I had these in my possession when I was laid off from NAHB. The good thing about these NAHB reviews was that all of my accomplishments from year-to-year were included; as a result, I didn’t have to expend too much brainpower to remember them.

So, I had at hand my accomplishments that I needed to write my resume, and I just had to rewrite the ones I chose to highlight in my resume so that they were understandable and clearly showed my achievements. In my resume workshop I was given a formula to use in writing my accomplishments:

.....................Challenge + Action = Result (CAR)

And this is where I got hung up.

To help me overcome this roadblock, I decided to list each accomplishment using the CAR formula. I started by making 3 columns: one each for each part of the formula; and then took each accomplishment and break it down into each of the three parts. This proved much more difficult than I thought, and writer’s block really set in.

For two months I struggled with writer’s block, and no matter how many hours I sat at my computer trying to finish my resume, I made little progress. It was only after meeting with my very good friend, Jo, who is head of HR at an IT company, and Jeff, my career counselor, about my resume that I began to was able to jump the writer’s block hurdle. Once I finally got going, I finished my resume in less than 3 weeks.

I can now start looking for a job. I know the perfect job is out there for me and I can’t wait to find it!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Introducing God Retreat

On May 22-23, I participated, along with over 100 others, in Covenant Life's (my church) Introducing God retreat in Hagerstown, Md., to experience how the Holy Spirit will work in the lives of unbelievers. During the retreat, many people who did not know Christ were born again, including Magie, who was in my group. What a marvelous testimony to the saving power and mercy of Jesus Christ!

CLC pastor Mark Mitchell preaching about the Holy Spirit.

The Godly men in my group: Bill, Tom, Daniel and Joe.

My group: Bill, Tom, Magie, Daniel, Me and Joe.

During the retreat, Maggie repented of her sins and acknowledged Jesus as her Savior, and God welcomed her into his Kingdom. Here she is with her husband, Tom, right after her conversion.

Welcome to the Kingdom, Magie. As Pastor Mark said, "The angels are having one huge party in heaven." (Luke 15:10)

Great friends in Christ: Sherri, Van and Joe. (The photo is blurry because I had my camera on the wrong setting.)

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Me and Daniel, a Godly 80-year-old man and pastor from South Africa.

Joe, the best Introducing God host ever! I have had the privilege to be his IG "admin helper" for the past two years.

This lovely lady (holding the mic) is giving her testimony of how she was born again at the IG retreat. The ladies on either side of her - including Shanna on the left, with whom I used to teach ESL - are believers who were in her group and helped her see her need for a Savior.

This lady from Peru is giving her testimony of how she came to Christ during the IG retreat. She spoke only Spanish (we have a Spanish-speaking group at Introducing God), and the young man next to her is translating what she is saying into English.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

My Testimony

At tonight’s session of Introducing God, I gave my testimony of how I came to Jesus Christ and was born again. For those who are interested, here it is:

My spiritual journey began many decades ago when I was a little girl. I was born into a long line of devout Catholics, and growing up I followed the Catholic religion. By all outward signs, I was a good and devoted Catholic girl.

I had the best parents, the best childhood and the best upbringing ever. However, I always knew that something was missing. And I knew that that “something” was God. Even as a little girl, I was longing to feel close to God. Yet, despite all of my religious training and wonderful childhood, God remained hidden from me.

Growing up, my greatest ambition was to know God and become a singing, missionary doctor in Africa. This desire combined all of my deepest longings: my passion for singing, serving God by helping sick people, and doing all this in the most exotic and intriguing of places.

By the time I was hitting my 20’s, I had begun to turn away from the Catholic church. I found it boring and became disillusioned by my inability to find anything meaningful in its teachings. Worse yet, it had not led me to that relationship with God that I was seeking. I stopped going to church, and I fell in love with the world.

During the next 20 years, I got married, got divorced , got married again , and had 3 children. In my desperation to “feel” something, I would periodically return to the Catholic church. However, once again, I felt empty, and God continued to elude me. I thought about trying another Christian denomination, but my Catholic upbringing wouldn’t permit it, and I’d be right back to where I started.

Shortly after I turned 40, I had – what I call – a mid-life crisis. (Yes, women have these, too!) I looked at my life and literally asked myself: Is this it? Is this all there is? My life had turned into a cliché. Even though I had a life that many people would envy – successful job, husband, great kids, beautiful home – I was totally discontented. I was so unhappy and filled with regrets. What happened to my dream of becoming a singing missionary doctor in Africa? I had not taken one step in that direction. I felt an acute need to escape my life. Even though I tried to hide my lack of contentment, it soon became obvious to those closest to me. During this time, I entered into an inappropriate emotional relationship with a male acquaintance. I was causing my husband, Dennis, a great deal of agony. Our marriage took a quick downward spiral. I told Dennis that I needed “space” and that I wanted to move to Africa. (I think I almost caused him to have a nervous breakdown!) My children became worried about what was happening to their family. They begged me, “Mommy, please go back to normal.” This dark time of my life lasted for almost 2 years, and it was by God’s extreme grace that I remained with my family.

Also during this time, we got some new neighbors: Tom and Terry Preston. I got to know them and was amazed when I found out that they were members of Covenant Life Church. You see, I had taken an interest in the physical building when it was being constructed on Muncaster Mill Road. I was so curious as to what the building was, and once I found out it was a church, I was, for some reason, immensely attracted to it. I wanted to check it out, but my Catholic background would not permit it. However, my longing for God, which was always at the back of my mind, returned with a vengeance. At the time, I didn’t relate this to my discontentment, but I now realize that this was the very source of my restlessness.

One day, Terry told me about a course that Covenant Life offered called Alpha, which explained Christianity. Better yet, participants were able to discuss and ask questions about anything related to religion. When she asked if I wanted to attend with her (she was very tricky!), I immediately said, “YES.” “Oh my gosh,” I thought, “this is my opportunity see inside that huge church and, at the same time, maybe find some answers to what I have been searching for all these years.”

God was amazing to me during this time. Like Introducing God, after a wonderful meal there would be a talk, to which I would listen intently. Everything was new to me! Over and over again I would be astounded. “I didn’t know that!” “That’s what that means?” “Why hadn’t I learned that before?” It was like I was hearing about this stuff for the first time. I didn’t realize what role Jesus played in my salvation. Oh sure, I knew that Jesus had died on a cross, but I didn’t really understand “why.” I thought that since I was baptized as an infant and as long as I didn’t commit murder, I was going to heaven. I was shocked to find out that, indeed, this is not what the bible taught. And, that’s another thing, I had never even opened a bible before Alpha. This was an incredible book! I was now completely bewildered. How could I reconcile what I had been taught as a child with what I was learning now about the truth?

During my Alpha group discussion time, I asked every question I could think of. What about Limbo and Purgatory? How does the pope fit into all this? Don’t I have to be good to go to heaven? Even, what happens to pets when they die? My group host, Craig Barker, along with the other members of my group, were so patient with my questions and lovingly addressed each one. I was being drawn more and more to God, but I was stubbornly resisting his pull because of my prior religious teachings.

At the Alpha retreat, I felt God’s pull even stronger. I knew this was what I had been looking for my entire life. I now understood what it was I was searching for. The gospel – it made sense to me. Yes, I believed that the truth was to be found in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His totally unmerited favor on my life. I now had only to put my faith in Jesus, ask for forgiveness, and promise to live my life in obedience to God. During lunch that day at the Alpha retreat, my group asked me what was holding me back. It seemed like such a little thing, but it was huge to me. I wanted to go to Africa, and I didn’t want anyone to stand in my way, including God. Wow! It was so silly!! But my new Alpha friends helped me understand that God is an infinitely good God, that he has only good planned for my life, and that going to Africa could be part God’s plan. And if it wasn’t, then it is still for my good. I felt a stirring deep in my soul.

That afternoon during the time set aside for ministry at the Alpha retreat, I felt the Holy Spirit enter into my body as I gave my life over to the Lord. I let go of my past life and cried with joy for my new life. I thought I had been searching for God my entire life, but God actually had been calling me and drawing me to him.

It has been almost 12 years since that day. Twelve years of joy, peace and blessing. Twelve years of growing in my faith and getting to know God. My spiritual journey continues as I learn to love and obey God more every day. I look forward to the day when I see my savior Jesus face to face and a new journey begins.

Oh, by the way, I wanted to bring you up to date on my lifelong ambition of being a singing missionary doctor in Africa. Even though I do not sing professionally, I get to worship God in song every day. God has made me a missionary and given me as a mission field my own family and community. I never became a medical doctor, but I have the great privilege to care for my brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as unbelievers. And , as for Africa? Well, God has allowed me to travel there not just once, but twice. God has been so good to me!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Mother's Day

For Mother's Day, we went to my sister Susan's house in West Virginia for a late lunch.

My sister, Jackie, opening a Mother's Day gift.

My daughter, Kathleen, and niece, Madison.

Typical expressions for my relatives! (BTW, these nuts are my sister, Betty, and her husband, Rick.)

My girls, Kathleen and Christy.

Christy and her boyfriend, Brian.

My mom reading her Mother's Day card from me.

My mom with her gift from me. At first she thought it was was a turkey (this is why we call her Lucy!), but then she realized that it was a garden ornament.

Me with my Mother's Day card from my wonderful daughter, Kathleen.

Me showing off my Mother's Day card from Christy and Brian.

Me with my 3 wonderful kids: Kevin, Kathleen and Christy.

Mychildren: Kevin, Kathleen and Christy.

I had to force Kevin to give me this hug!

My sister, Susan, standing in her front door wishing me a happy Mother's Day.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Cold Sores

I had gone for over 15 years without getting a cold sore. Then, 2½ months ago in February (right smack dab in the middle of DC’s “Snowmageddon 2010”), I ended up with two cold sores at the same time – one in the center of my lower lip and a matching one on my upper lip. (I’m assuming they were cold sores because they looked like cold sores, though they didn’t hurt one bit!) They popped out a few hours after I had used my Chapstick, so I thought that I must have had some kind of reaction to this product even though this didn’t seem plausible because I had been using this tube for many months and no one else had touched it. After a couple weeks, the cold sores were completely gone and I forgot all about them.

Matching cold sores on my top and bottom lip.

Then, yesterday afternoon I ate an apple, and as I was finishing it, I felt a strange sensation on my lower lip. Oh, crap! I knew right away what that familiar tingle was. How could I be getting another cold sore! (This is more of a rhetorical question.) But, as the hours have passed, that’s exactly what it is, though once again it doesn’t hurt.

New cold sore on my bottom lip.

Hmmm… So, after a 15+ year hiatus, what is suddenly causing me to get cold sores?

Being one to document everything, I took a photo of my most recent cold sore. I blew the picture up to get a closer look at the sore, when I noticed – lo and behold – a black hair growing out of my chin (sorry, you don't get to see a picture of this!). Oh, don’t you love menopause! (Another rhetorical question.) I already have so many things going on with my chin: a mole right under my lower lip (its sister lives right next door), a super-enlarged pore, a zit on the tip of my chin, and now a black hair.
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Thank goodness for tweezers!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Psycho Dog

Last night, Dennis and I had a members meeting at church. While we were there, it apparently rained, as evidenced by the wet cars and roads. We didn't know how bad of a rainstorm it was, however, until we got home. You see, our dog, Dusty, is terrified of lightening and thunder, and the poor thing becomes a raging maniac during a storm.

When Dennis and I walked in the front door, our German Shepherd, Molly, was right there to meet us. Dusty was nowhere to be seen. We started calling for him, but he didn't appear. We knew then that he must be hiding because of the storm, so we started searching for him.

We noticed the gate to the upstairs had been knocked down, therefore we knew he was somewhere on the second floor. Once we got upstairs, we started calling Dusty's name and looked in all of the rooms, but Dusty was nowhere to be found. It was then that we heard a shuffling sound, which appeared to be coming from somewhere in the wall between our guestroom and the laundry room.

Dennis and I listened as the shuffling continued. We then looked at each other with bewilderment: Could that dopey dog have somehow gotten into the wall? He is not a small dog; part Keeshond, he stands about 24" tall and weighs about 30 pounds, so we couldn't believe that he could possibly be in the wall. The evidence, however, said otherwise!

We continued listening to the sounds coming from the wall (no barks or whimpering, just that shuffling), and determined that they were coming from behind the clothes dryer in the laundry room, where there was an opening in the wall for the dryer vent. We looked behind the dryer, and there was Dusty's head poking out of the wall. How he managed to get back there was a mystery to us, because he sure couldn't get back out! Dennis pulled the dryer away from the wall, and Dusty was then able to "pop" out of the wall, none the worse for the wear.

So, this morning I washed a load of clothes, stuck them in the dryer, and turned in on. The dryer sounded funny, and after a couple minutes, I noticed an odor coming from it that wasn't normal -- almost like a burning smell. I figured that Dusty must have done something to the dryer when he squeezed himself into the wall behind it. I looked and noticed that a section of the dryer exhaust hose leading to the dryer vent was completely flattened. To avoid the potential of a fire, the hose needs to be fixed.

I am unable to pull the dryer away from the wall to get behind it and fix the hose, so that takes care of doing any more laundry today! Well, I'm sure it will be waiting for me tomorrow. As for Dusty, Dennis and I will make sure that we close the laundry room door whenever rain is predicted.

Dusty also freaks out whenever his picture is being taken. As soon as he hears the camera start to focus, he immediately jumps up, turns away from the camera, and quickly leaves the room. I took these photos of Dusty this morning.

1. Dusty quietly laying on the floor of the dining room.

2. I get my camera and start to focus in on Dusty. He is immediately up and trying to go under the dining room table to hide.

3. I am able to grab him and semi-pull him out from under the table to get his picture. After I let him go, he ran out of the room.

This dog really needs psychiatric help!