The Angel Bear

In September of 2006, I went into the hospital for abdominal surgery. I had been sick for about nine months before that with ulcers and all of the medications they tried did not heal them. So I had part of my stomach and small intestine removed to get rid of the ulcers.

About two days after the surgery, I was walking, very slowly, in the hallways pulling my IV pole. I passed by a pretty young lady about 16 years old who was also walking. As I passed by I jokingly said, "I'd have a race with you, but you would leave me in the dust." I noticed that she had a little stuffed "angel bear" hanging from her IV pole. I commented on how cute it was and she told me one of her friends from school had given it to her. She told me she was in the 11th grade in high school and was on the soccer team and in the band. She was also battling a type of colon cancer for which she had just had surgery to remove a tumor. She was a happy, positive, outgoing young person and she was a joy to talk with. After visiting in the hallway for a few minutes, she said she had to get back to her room because several of her friends from school were coming in to visit. As I watched her walk down the hall, I whispered a prayer for her healing.

Two days later, Carl and I went for a walk downstairs to the hospital cafeteria. When I came back to my room, there on my bedside table sat the little "angel bear". Next to it was a note written on a paper towel. It said "I wanted to give you my "angel bear". I won't be needing it now. I am going home and hope to be back in school next week. Good luck to you." As I looked at the bear closely, it didn't look like a new store bought bear. I wondered if possibly someone had passed it on to her and it came with its own story.

I hung the angel bear on my IV pole and it stayed there until I went home where he then sat on my nightstand. I felt like God wanted me to pass it on, and I was just waiting for Him to show me the right time and right person.

A few weeks later, I went to visit a young woman that I have known since she was a baby. Her name was Jennifer. She was 30 years old. She was full of spunk from the time she was born. She was an awesome mother who loved her children with a passion. After the birth of her third baby, Keaton, she just didn't bounce back to health. Her blood counts weren't normal. She was very tired. After much testing she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of colon cancer.

But, she was a fighter and she pushed through, doing all she could to see that her daughter Darcyne and son Daynin got settled into a new house and a good school. All along caring for baby Keaton as she grew weaker and weaker. I so admired Jenny and her determination and fighting spirit.

Chemotherapy weakened Jenny and she was admitted to the hospital. When I went to see her I saw how very sick she was and again witnessed her incredible inner strength. After visiting her, I knew that God wanted me to pass on the "angel bear" to Jenny. The next day I gave her the bear. And we cried and we prayed and we read from the bible. Oh how I came to love Jenny.

On Christmas Eve, Carl and I went with Pastor Steve to serve communion to Jenny in her bed. The "angel bear" was there. It was a Christmas Eve that will forever be etched in my memory. A short time later Jenny flew into the arms of Jesus. She left the "angel bear" here for she is in the company of ten thousand angels now.

This past Sunday, Jenny's grandmother brought a small bag to church and handed it to me. She said "I thought you might like to have this." When I opened the bag, there was "the angel bear"! Tears spilled onto the soft fur and the pink silk wings as I thought about how God was using this little "angel bear".

But isn't that how God's love is? Ongoing. From the beginning of time through eternity. One day I will be in the company of ten thousand angels visiting with Jenny and all those who I have loved that have gone before me. But until then, I will share His love with as many people as I can.

And so it is with little "angel bear." I don't know how many lives it has touched or how many it will touch, but God does. He knows where it started and He knows where it will go next. For now, it will sit on my nightstand, waiting for God to show me who He wants me to pass it on to. And the Father's love goes on and on and on.

Why Boys Need Parents

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love children. All children.

But truth be known, I am partial to little boys. I have 2 sons and a daughter and I
have learned over the years it is much easier to raise boys than girls. Girls come with much drama. They are best friends with someone one day and enemies the next. Girls can go from laughing hysterically to crying uncontrollably in a matter of minutes. Their perfectly good morning can be ruined when the curling iron fails to turn on. They are rather "high maintenance".

But, little boys are what they are. "What you see is what you get". Pure and simple. If they get mad about something they let everyone know, but usually get over it quickly. They get dirty and smell sweaty. They get scraped and bruised. They collect bugs and climb trees. They take risks. They enjoy life wholeheartedly! But they DO need their parents.

A friend sent me this e-mail and I liked it so much I wanted to share it. For those of you who have little boys now (Sara you will like this) and those of us who have raised our little boys, these pictures certainly tell the story of

WHY LITTLE BOYS NEED PARENTS

Hope these little guys brought a smile to your face. Enjoy your day wholeheartedly !!

The Master Craftsman

The piano is an integral part of our home. Carl is a piano teacher and the sound of our piano starts at about 7:30 in the morning and continues until about 8:00 at night, with a quiet time in the mid-day while the children are in school. (Thank goodness)

Our piano is a baby grand so the top is open and the students are able to see the soundboard and the long strings inside. Often times I overhear Carl teaching the children about the inner workings of the piano and how they are made.

Although our piano is not a Steinway, you may have heard the name before. The Steinway is known as one of the finest pianos in the world. I read a story about how the Steinway pianos are made and thought I'd share it.

It takes over a year to make one Steinway; each piano has always been made from scratch. The soundboard is stretched to its maximum tolerance and allowed to sit for an extended period until it remains in the curved design. This is done in an off-to-the-corner part of the plant. If the wood were alive, it would be crying out for mercy. After an extended time of stretching, the wood will never spring back to its original state. It is permanently changed. The piano is becoming a fine-tuned instrument.

After this process takes place, the next step requires another point of stress. It takes 11 tons of pressure on a piano to tune it. Each step in the process moves the piano closer to a finished product that will ultimately be played by the world's finest musicians. These musicians desire a particular sound that only a piano like this can make.

We are much like the Steinway piano. God sees in us a finely tuned instrument. But we must be stretched. In order to be stretched we must make journeys into the desert. We must endure tremendous pressure. It is often times very painful to be stretched. We sometimes feel as if we will break. But the Lord knows that it is necessary in order for us to become the beautiful instrument that He wants us to be.

Are you going through a desert right now? Do you feel as though you have tons of pressure on you and you may break? Are you going through the painful process of being stretched? If so, I pray that you might know that God is the master craftsman and He is at work in your life. He is preparing you to make beautiful music. Hang on to Him. And when He is finished you will be pleased with the instrument He has fashioned and will sing out a sweet song and forever be changed.