Could We Be Friends?

 

Could We Be Friends?

I never dreamed a friendship could begin, two young women with totally opposite personalities would became lifelong girlfriends.  

Dee has always been a no-nonsense, goal setting woman who embraces laughter and life with a bear hug.  She is wise beyond her years with a sensitive heart.  I have seen her notice a complete stranger in need, and stop to help them. My friend has the keen business savvy of Donald Trump (with good hair), and the creative talents of Martha Stewart— a domestic goddess with a warped twist. 

She has a style all her own; a possible visual might include Peppy Long-stockings dressed in Ralph Lauren, with the sense of humor and the quirkiness of Carol Burnett— ready to laugh at almost anything (especially herself).  That is my dear friend, Dee.

She is a very physical and thinks she hasn’t had a thorough work out unless she is sweating buckets.  My idea of a good workout is a color coordinated sweat suit, 1-inch gold flip-flops and pearls, fully loaded makeup, hairdo—the works.  (In case I run into someone I might know).

Besides, I never sweat, I mist. Taking a walk with us is truly comic relief.  Dee in practical shoes and clothing, charging ahead, getting the workout over in good time, with as much sweat as possible; while I leisurely stroll along, trying my best not to get all misty, gingerly stepping over rocks, puddles, and other debris. 

Although we have never lived in the same continent, we try to meet occasionally.  I love having a friend to talk to; someone in whom I can confide my deepest secrets (even if she is jogging circles around me so she can keep her heart rate up.)

But the greatest comfort about my friend, Dee, is the assurance that our friendship is secure. I know she loves me even with all the fluff and glitter, blonde hair and pearls. She allows me to the freedom to be myself, I never have to impress her; she is already on my side, and loves me.

I have often heard it said, “If you have five best friends in a lifetime you are fortunate.”  True friendship is a blessing. ©

The Bible says;

“No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish 

but have eternal life.” John 3:16

The longer I live, I realize that I would not have made it without my friendship with Jesus. I can talk to him, rely on him and trust him.

He is my shelter in the storms, and most of all I know he loves me and wants the best for me. 

Where would I be without him? Who is your best friend?

Thank you, dear friends for spending your time with me, have a wonderful week.

Hugs to all.

Lovingly, Karan

 

I’ll Choose You

I’ll Choose You

 

Look Out, Here We Come

 

 

I’ll Choose You!

Early one fall morning, I took a day trip to Calgary, Alberta, to get spring and summer fashions for my store. I took my two teenage daughters along for an afternoon of shopping.

Wearing a navy suit to make a good impression at my appointment, I also wore my favorite three-inch heels. It was crucial for me to look pulled together, so the sales representatives didn’t know I was a novice.

My girls dressed for comfort, while I stayed with the suit and heels for our shopping trip. I did not want the trouble of an extra set of clothes. The day was fun but exhausting, and by 5 pm, I wanted to be home. I had a headache, my feet ached, and I was hobbling. I was ready to go home, grab a hot bath and go to bed.

Making one last stop at the drugstore on the way out of the mall, the girls waited for me outside. After paying for my purchases, I hurried out to meet them. As I rushed for the exit, I ran into an extraordinarily clean glass wall with such an impact, people stopped in their tracks to see what all the commotion was.

After my perfect face-plant into the glass, I slid to the floor in an ungraceful heap. My shopping bags were in complete disarray, one three-inch heel fell off, one button flew somewhere unknown and my skirt was slightly higher than I felt comfortable with.

As I tried to collect my wits and composure, I noticed my daughters bent over in hilarity and pretending not to know me. 

Struggling to get up and putting on my biggest smile, I tried to act as if nothing had happened. With head held high, I limped out of the store trying to look as mature as possible, even though my feet were not the only body parts hurting at this time. 

Looking back on that day, I recall the sadness I felt when I realized my daughters had been embarrassed by their mom. And they didn’t choose to claim me as their own.  

I am so glad God chooses us even when we embarrass others and ourselves. He will never run away from us when we hurt or leave our side when we call on him. We are loved and claimed by God.

Dear God,  Recognizing that you will never leave me gives me such perfect comfort and peace as only you can do. I am secure in your love Father, thank you for loving me so much. ©

Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.  Hebrews 13:5b (NIV) 

Thank you, dear friends, for spending your time with me.
 I love you all and am praying. 
 
HUGS,
Lovingly, Karan

What Are You Waiting For? 

 

 Somedays...

 

What Are You Waiting For? 

I have often put my life and dreams on hold using one word,

LATER.  I wonder if others do the same.  See if any of my excuses are ones you can relate too.

  • LATER: when the office is clean, I will have time to write.
  • LATER: when the house is clean, I will invite company for dinner.
  • LATER: when I lose weight, I will buy a swimsuit.
  • LATER: when my children are out of school, I will have more time to study the Bible.
  • LATER: when I catch up on all my TV series, I will have time to visit friends.
  • LATER: when I clean the garage, I will have a place to park the car.
  • LATER: when I get a treadmill, I will start exercising.

 

Recently, I had a realization, or a blonde epiphany, (is that legal?) 

  • I realized the office will never be clean enough.
  • I realized the house will never be perfect enough.
  • I realized no matter how much weight I lose or gain, I will never buy a swimsuit.
  • I realized when my children finish school, marry, and have children of their own we will never have time. We will be too busy attending ball games, recitals, soccer, having sleepovers, taking pictures and having fun.  Grandchildren automatically move to top priority.
  • I realized a TV-series is never done; there is always another new one to watch.
  • I realized landscaping and yard work is a weekly task, the weeds and grass just keep growing.
  • I realized if the garage is cleaned out we will have to rent a large storage unit.  Besides the car looks good outside and everyone knows where we live.
  • I realized I will never start exercising when I get a treadmill, bicycle, or the Wii.  If I haven’t started before now nothing else will help. 

I have wasted a lot of time waiting for the “LATER” to get done so I could move onto the important in life.  The Bible says now is the time to use what we have to serve and honor God.  I don’t want my life to get stuck with the later and never get to the serving of others.  I want to keep moving forward, onward and upward, running the race well. ©

Philippians 2:16 (NLT)

Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.

    1 Corinthians 9:16

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?

So run to win!      

 

What are your favorite “LATER” excuses?  I would love to hear from you and get your opinion on these thoughts.

 

Dear Friends, thank you for stopping by and spending your time with me today, I love each of you. 

Hugs to All, Lovingly Karan

 

“I Know What You’re Doing ~ Guess What I Heard?

I Know What You’re Doing

Sarah, the church gossip and self-appointed arbiter of the congregation’s morals, kept sticking her nose into other people’s business. Several members were unappreciative of her activities but feared her enough to maintain their silence.

She made a mistake, however, when she accused George, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his pickup truck parked in front of the town’s only bar one afternoon. She commented to George and others that everyone seeing it there would know what he was doing.

George, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just walked away. He didn’t explain, defend or deny; he said nothing. Later that evening, George quietly parked his pickup in front of Sarah’s house and left it there … all night. author unknown

 

 

 

 

Reflections: Guess What I Heard?

I have been reminded these last few years how words hurt. Someone makes an observation about another’s circumstances and shares it their friends. Never bothering to check the facts or find the truth.  I have always wondered why people feel the need to run others down, is it to build themselves up?

 

My mother used to say, “Gossip is like letting the cat out of the bag one claw at a time.” As a young girl, I thought she was being funny. But as the years went by I saw the damage left behind, by the words others carelessly shared.

 

I watched as people would treat my mother with so little respect as they assumed they knew all about her situation.  But they didn’t know at all, or how hard she worked to put a roof over our heads and food on the table.  Never giving up or expecting handouts. people made assumptions we were poor, although I can’t say that we ever thought we were.

 

We always had enough, when we outgrew our shoes and clothing; she made sure we had something new to replace the old. I often wondered how she worked her magic with the budget, but as I look back I realize she went without so that my sisters and I would have more opportunities and a few extras. How we loved and admired her.  

 

I don’t ever remember her speaking unkindly about others, probably because she had personally known the pain it caused.

 

I have watched her invite people into her home, feed, care and buy groceries for those who had nothing or no one to care for them. Mother was never judgmental and would accept people just the way they were. But most important, she was never afraid or shy to tell anyone about God’s love. She never gave up, she was a survivor, joyfully serving God and touching lives with kindness and comfort

 

In her later years she worked in real estate, and at times I would be fearful as she drove around the city, often going into dangerous areas. She always told us not to worry; no harm would come because God was taking care of her. And He truly did.   

 

Mother never cared about what others thought about her or what they said. She only cared about pleasing and honoring God and doing her best for Him.

 

Mother left me a wonderful legacy to remember, my heart needs to keep my eyes on the God who loves me, and not worry about hurtful words being shared.©

 

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Col. 4:5-6

Thank you, dear friends, for spending your time with me.
 I love you all and am praying. 
HUGS,
Lovingly, Karan
Have you experienced hurtful and unkind words, how did you get through it?

How does that relation go ~ Finding the Clues

How does that relation go? 

Many, many years ago when I was twenty-three, I was married to a widow who was pretty as could be.

This widow had a grown-up daughter who had hair of red, My father fell in love with her and soon they too were wed.

This made my dad my son-in-law and really changed my life, for now, my daughter was my mother because she was my father’s wife

And to complicate the matter, even though it brought me joy, I soon became the father of a bouncing baby boy.

My little baby then became a brother-in-law to dad, And so became my uncle, though it made me very sad.

For if he were my uncle, then that also made him brother, Of the widow’s grownup daughter, who was, of course, my step-mother?

Father’s wife then had a son who kept them on the run, And he became my grandchild, for he was my daughter’s son.

My wife is now my mother’s mother and it makes me blue, Because although she is my wife, she’s my grandmother too.

Now if my wife is my grandmother, then I’m her grandchild, And every time I think of it, it nearly drives me wild.

Cause now I have become the strangest ‘case you ever saw, As the husband of my grandmother, I am my own grandpa.

Written by Dwight Latham and Moe Jaffe

 

 

 

Reflections: Finding the Clues

I am a History Nerd! I love History, whether it’s my ancestors or the world’s history. Books, movies, research, Museum’s, I like to study and get the facts.  Usually, more facts lend to more questions, and then my obsessiveness kicks in.  I love research and like to think there’s a little Sherlock Holmes in my genes, as I continually search for the next big clue.

Fifteen years ago I started working on my Ancestral tree. I got so engrossed with the research that I couldn’t put it away.  I couldn’t sleep without getting up at night just to find the next hint of evidence to prove I was on the right track. Soon I realized that I was putting all my time and effort in the search.  I finally packed everything in a box and put in the Garage.  Out of sight and out of mind.

Fifteen years later, guess who found the box and pulled out the old dusty files for just a quick peek to confirm information I needed. As I pulled each file out, it was like seeing old friends again. It wasn’t long before I was back obsessing over new data and looking for the pieces of history I needed to complete the puzzle.

Yesterday, while I was reading my morning devotions in my “Daily Walk Bible” I pondered 3 Questions:

  • Where does your mind wander during the moments before you fall asleep?
  • What is the first thing that crosses your mind when you wake up in the morning?
  • Answer these questions honestly, and you will discover the greatest passion in your life!

 

These issues were a scary thought for me, you see like genealogy but I am obsessed with the news too.  As soon as I wake up, I lay in bed and read all the news each morning, and at night I do the same before I fall asleep. I like to think I’m just staying up on world events but in reality, I had come face-to-face with my own failings. The hard fact is the news, and my ancestors had become my idol. What a shocker, I guess God thought I needed to face the facts about my excesses.

The Bible says: Philippians 4:8

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

I have now placed all my genealogy away in a file cabinet and am trying to go cold turkey on the news. Lol, I’ll let you know how it is progressing.  It is not that these are bad, but for me, if they are first in my life then I need to put them in check. My desire is put God first and keep my eyes on Him.

Thank you, dear friends, for spending your time with me. Have a wonderful weekend.

Hugs to all, 

Lovingly, Karan