God Lives Under the Bed

This was sent to me by email and I loved it and the message so I wanted to pass it on. I hope it blesses you as much as it blessed me.
Gina Marie

GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED

I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed At least that's what I heard him say one night.

He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, 'Are you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed...'

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult.

He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?

Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.

He does not seem dissatisfied.

He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work.

He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.

And Saturdays-oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. 'That one's goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.

His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.

He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.

His life is simple.

He will never know the entanglements of wealth or power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.

He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others His heart is pure.

He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.

It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap . I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won't be surprised at all!

What are you Thankful for?

This being the week of Thanksgiving, I just thought I would talk about being Thankful. I have SOO MUCH to be thankful for. I have a house over my head (needs so much repair but its standing) :o). I have food to eat.


Thankful for my four miracle sons (even tho right now I'm gaining gray hair daily from them) HEY doesnt the bible say you get more and more PATIENCE thru TRIALS?... NO WONDER I have so much PATIENCE!!! All the TRIALS they put me thru. lol Thank you Lord for the Patience but... NO MORE PLEASE!!! lol



Thankful for my pets.. THO sadly I have lost TWO of them this past three weeks. One, Ashley, my pet cockatiel of 21 YEARS passed away. I had him longer than my kids, my house, EVEN my marriage!! He has been thru EVERYTHING with me. He was my buddy! Here is a picture of Ashley and my big male cat "Baby". It looks like they are talking about something... lol Also a picture of Adam and Ashley together.

The other pet I lost was my precious German Shepard Pup "Grace". She didn't die tho. We gave her away. She just got so strong and big for me. She was VERY smart and needed more training than I could give her. We rescued her and helped bring her thru Parvo and parasites and worked with her for 10 months. Now was time to find her a better home where she could play outside and get a lot more exercise. I miss her and Ashley so much. I still when I get up to go to another room or the bathroom still think Grace is going to get up to follow me but she doesn't because she isnt here. She is living with Nathans (my oldest) girlfriends family. They have a chihuaha and a dog park right up the street.
Here are some pics of Grace first when we got her all sick and skinny and then on her birthday 8 months later..

And here is Grace on the last day here laying by me while I sorted books. Looks like she was picking out a book and then I put a picture of her and Nathan on his bed.

Now we are down to 2 cats and a kitten that a youth that stayed with us left here when he left and Nathan's pet mouse. I had thought of getting another bird but cockatiels can live up to 25+ yrs.. that would put me at about or almost 70 YEARS old when the bird could pass on and I dont know if I will live that long!! lol I think I will stick with my cats. lol My oldest cat right now is about 14 (Myacis) and I dont know how much longer she has.

I'm also thankful for my disease and sicknesses. I have met a lot of precious people and children thru it and online and without it I wouldn't have met them or been able to help them.

I'm thankful for Camp Wonder!! It's an AWESOME camp for kids with skin diseases to go for a week and be "normal". It's full of activities for the kids like swimming, baseball, boating, camping, rockwall, date night, festival and LOTS more. My two youngest sons Adam and Noah go to this camp and I tell you!! The day they are leaving camp they are already counting the days til the next camp (a year away). Today they were saying "Mom, 7 months til camp!! I cant wait til camp mom!!" Camp Wonder can use all the donations and sponsors they can get to help sponsor a child to go to camp. It doesn't cost the campers ANYTHING because of all the cost of their medical care all thru the year. Their site is at http://www.csdf.org/ . If you can help sponsor a kid. IF You know any kids with a skin disease (EB, BCCNS, etc) contact CSDF and they will do what they can to help you.

Im also thankful for our soldiers who are fighting for freedom and a lot of them are away from their families. They are risking THEIR lives so that WE can have ours. I salute our military!!! THANK YOU for all you do!!! HUGSSSSSSSSSSS

Im thankful for the freedom to be able to serve the Lord and go to church!! We dont have to hide our bibles or be afraid for our lives (at least not at this point) to talk about the Lord.

And MOST OF ALL!!!! Im soooooooooo THANKFUL for the LORD!!! THANKFUL for ALL he has done for US!! Thankful for calvary and salvation!! Thankful for ONE LORD, ONE FAITH and ONE BAPTISM!!! The Lord Jesus is my BESTEST, MOST FAVORITE FRIEND!!! I couldn't make it thru all these trials without the Lord holding my hand and walking by my side!!!

So what do you have to be thankful for? We live in a country that is so full of everything including blessings!! I want to post more but my eyes keep closing.. Maybe tomorrow btwn church (which Im thankful I can go with a rental car because of my van being broke down for 2 months). Think this week on all the things you are thankful for and REMEMBER to Thank the LORD for them all. ALSO I've learned to THANK HIM for the bad things also.

Blessings and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Gina Marie

Happy Vetrans Day!!

HAPPY VETRANS DAY!!

I want to salute our vetrans (serving now, retired and those who have gave their lives)!! I want to thank you for ALL you have done for our country. You have gave everything you have. You have put your lives on the line and many have GAVE their lives. So many of you like those who served during Vietnam came back to people spitting on you and critism. THAT was WRONG!!

I hear so many people talk about how this war is wrong and how we should pull out.. BUT I have seen and heard the GOOD we have done there THRU our military. YOU (our military) see the smiles on the childrens faces and the people there that thank you for giving them their freedom. You are helping keep OUR freedom!! I cry when I hear people talk bad about the war and how how we shouldn't be there and the negative about our military.. I give you HONOR and PRAY for you all!!!

Again.. THANK YOU TO OUR MILITARY FOR ALL YOU DO!!! Lord protect our military and bring them back safe to their families!!!

Here is a beautiful story someone sent that I want to put here. I hope it touches you like it did me. :o)

The Sack Lunches

A tribute to the virtues which have made our country great! The Sack Lunches I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq. '

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the ti me. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago .' His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.'

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars! Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.' Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a praye r for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check Made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in This country who no longer understand it.' All too often we just send jokes, either off color or clean and we forget to send the ones that mean so much. God Bless.

"...pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."James 5:14

Fall and God's Creations

Well here we are almost in the middle of November already. Fall is here. Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. :o) This is the most beautiful season to me. All God's beautiful colors come out in Fall. In Spring there are beautiful colors also but Fall seems to be my favorite season. I love the fall colors. I'm so thankful for so many things. God has done so much for me.
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One of my favorite things to do is take pictures. I love to do photography of all kinds of things but I really love taking pictures of what I call "God's Art Work". His Creations (flowers, birds, sky, clouds, anything He has created). And the color of it all.
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I created a slideshow of of some of the pictures I have taken of his beauty! MOST of these pictures were taken from my front yard. ALL the flowers EXCEPT the Hibiscus was taken of rosebushes and flowers from my front yard. Even the sparrow was on one of my rosebushes. The sunset was from my front yard. The lake is right in front of my house just across the one lane road. If you have any questions, just leave them on the comments. :o)http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g210/GinaMarieH/?action=view¤t=6d58e6fe.pbw
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I hope you enjoy the slideshow. I will add to it as I find my other CREATION pics. I have more on my memory cards and on the other computer. I have some GORGEOUS sunset pics I need to find!! I THINK the birds in the lake are pelicans or some kind of crane.
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I want to put a slideshow together also of our pets we've had. Not sure if that will be as pretty as God's creation but it will be cute. lol
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Still trying to get rid of my broken van and get the money to pay it off and still trying to buy another van so I can get to our doc appts that are so backed up and surgeries that are put off etc. AND get to CHURCH!! I MISS being in God's house!!
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BOY its hard to type when you have a 10+ cat in your lap sleeping and the keyboard is balanced on knee and armrest. lol
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Have a great rest of weekend.
Love ya more than eternity,
Gina Marie

This may seem minimal to some but to me and my boys, its hard... I found my cockatiel dead tonight. I have had him for 20+ yrs. :o( Longer than any of my kids and ANY of my pets and actually LONGER than my marraige. He was special to me. His name was Ashley (because he was gray like ashes.). I've cried so hard when I found him. Right now he is cradled in my sweat shirt with me til I can find a box to put him in. Boy our pets sure are like our kids.. even if they are birds.. Ashley liked to talk. He said lots of things like "Ashley's a pretty bird" "birdy birdy birdy birdy", Good Morning Ashley" and so forth..

I attached a piture of Ashley with our big male cat "Baby". Baby was on Ashley's cage and it looked like they were talking to each other.

Thanks,

Gina Marie