Message of Hope
It still seems surreal. The weekend in Kentucky could not get here fast enough, and then it flew by! We tried to savor every moment, from the first hello hug to the last goodbye text message to everything in between!
Many “firsts” were logged on this trip. The first time setting eyes on Maria in person! The first hug and sitting next to her thinking we waited 23.5 years! Then the fun REALLY began! It was Maria’s very first time riding a horse, hiking to a waterfall, and kayaking!
While we had a lot of fun on this trip, some amazing things happened as well. We went back to the hotel Friday night after dinner and sat outside talking until almost one o’clock in the morning! While we were out there, this gentleman had just arrived pulling a trailer that housed his motorcycle. He was meeting another friend there to ride the mountainous roads together. What fun! My husband and Maria’s husband instantly made friends with him, and together they stood talking as if they all had known each other their entire lives.
It is always fun meeting new people and learning their stories. Why is it always a surprise when God uses ordinary people to deliver messages to us? This was the case on two separate occasions during our time in Kentucky. Mike, our new motorcycle friend, learned of Maria’s diagnosis during the conversation Friday night, and he shared a message of hope. He relayed that his mother was diagnosed with Leukemia but went on to live 30 years with it. Those were definitely words we needed to hear. Maria needed to hear them, especially, as she is staring Leukemia in the face right now. She has her good days and bad days, of course. On her bad days, overwhelming feelings sweep in to consume her, and I can only imagine it is a fight to get back to a good mental place. Mike’s message was right on time. God knew what Maria needed, right when Maria needed to hear it! And … God delivered it through a total stranger … one of his angels in human form! Thank you, God. Thank you!
Saturday morning as we prepared to greet the day and explore on horseback, we saw motorcycle Mike in the parking lot again. I was sitting in the Tahoe with my door propped open waiting on the others when Mike appeared in my door. With the most sincere blue eyes, he peered through into my soul as she said, “I just wanted to thank you …” I looked at Mike with wondering eyes as to what, exactly, he was thanking me for. Then he continued, “I wanted to thank you for what you’re doing for Maria. She told me, and I think it is amazing. You have such a big heart to give her such an incredible gift this weekend. Thank you for who you are and what you are doing in her life.” I was rendered speechless at that moment, because I was not sure what exactly Maria shared with him previously. Also, I am not one of those people that gives a homeless person money while snapping a picture to post on social media either, so I was not sure what to do with his words other than tuck them away in my heart. Tears began to sting my eyes as I realized he knew much more than I was letting on about that weekend, and he recognized me in that moment when I was not seeking any kind of recognition at all. What was done that weekend for Maria and her husband was a gift straight from my heart, and it was something I did not even hesitate doing. You see, right before I offered this weekend to them, my boss had just told me that he was giving me a bonus. Immediately, I decided to pay it forward, and his generous gift to me then became my gift to her. Just as my friend, Greg, has done for my daughters and I in the past with his generous and unexpected gifts, blessing our hearts, now it was my turn to take an opportunity I was given to bless someone else. Paying it forward … a random act of kindness … whatever you want to call it … It makes it all worthwhile when you see the person on the receiving end smile.
When We Last Spoke
I grew up watching Melissa Gilbert in Little House On The Prairie. It was one of my favorite television shows, and I enjoy the re-runs still today. She brings the characters to life, no matter what role she is playing. It felt like watching a family friend on the big screen in her latest movie When We Last Spoke.
Purposely, I do not watch the trailers or read anything on the movies I am getting ready to watch. Instead, I rely on the picture to “speak” to me, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. If I am not automatically drawn in by the picture, I flip right past it. However, this family picture drew me right in.
Look at the way the older lady at the bottom carries herself. By the look on her face, you know there is a story waiting to be told, and this movie did not disappoint. Aside from that and Melissa Gilbert staring in the movie, I was drawn in also by the smiling faces of the mischievous little girls. Also, let’s not forget the old classic car they are leaning against in the bottom picture!! I had no hesitations at all with pressing play for this movie!
The movie switches between the past and the present day, with lives of two sisters that faced heartbreak at such an early age. The entire family suffered, honestly, but the movie is primarily centered on the two girls, Juliet and Evangeline. When their father went off to war, their mother could not cope with the stresses of raising two young girls alone. Sadly, she chose to drop the girls off with their grandparents, Ruby and Walt, with the girls begging, crying, and following behind with tears streaming down their faces. That was heartbreaking enough, but the storyline continued with more the young sisters had to face. It seemed like one thing after the other, until their grandfather, Walt, broke down crying and asking God why … I think we have all been there a time or two in our lives, if we are honest. We can relate to feeling so overwhelmed with emotion with things happening in our lives, especially when we lose someone we love (whether they choose to walk out of our lives or they pass away). Although we are taught not to question God, it is human nature. It doesn’t mean we don’t love God or that we aren’t honoring Him. We just seek answers as to why we have to face so much turmoil in our lives when we follow Him. No one promises the path will be easy, but it doesn’t have to be so hard either! That is where a lot of people get stuck – you either hang on to bitterness and resentment turning away from God, or you allow Him to comfort your broken heart and pick up the shattered pieces as only He can. There is overcoming and forgiveness intertwined in this movie as well.
The storyline definitely gripped me as it focused on the girls mainly but also on those with a significant impact on their lives. It was interesting as it flipped from the past, with the young girls with what they went through, to the present day with the now grown Juliet and Evangeline, and how what they endured affected them then and now. “Family secrets” were mentioned, and often times when a secret is kept, it is to seemingly protect another member of the family. (No, there was not any thing involving sexual abuse in this Christian based movie. It was the secret the older sister kept from the younger one in the way the mother left. Secrets such as these are often kept so as to protect someone’s feelings and heart.)
Ruby, played by Melissa Gilbert, tickled me in the one scene where she is dancing with the girls. Oh how that warms my heart, as I have danced with my very own daughters just like this, and still do from time to time. It made me reflect back on precious memories of my girls at that age and the fun we had being silly together. Making memories! That is what we were doing, just like Ruby with Juliet and Evangeline.
There was confusion in the mix within the movie as well, but a whole lot of love, too. What struck me was the misconception with one situation in particular and also the part with the great-grandmother that tugged at my heartstrings and truly brought tears. Not wishing to ruin the movie for you, I will choose to leave you in suspense and wondering What is she talking about?!
This award-winning movie is now available for live streaming on Amazon, so watch it and feel the love surrounding this beautiful family. Click here for all viewing options!
Disclosure: Many thanks to Last Spoke Partners for providing this product/product information for review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
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When Your Friend Is Hurting
When you work with people for any length of time, you develop a friendship with them. Some “friendships” are really just niceties exchanged in the office environment, while others go much deeper than that. In my office, I have formed a rather unique friendship with a warrior. He is a warrior on so many different levels but two that stand out are 1) he is a warrior for Christ and 2) he is a prayer warrior. At any given time, he will break out into prayer. The usual “let’s bow our heads” goes out the window here with him. One minute you could be in deep conversation, and the very next he is staring straight ahead speaking with such conviction and authority. “Father, I ask it to be …” and he goes into bold specifics, and he follows it up with “Thank you for the hope of it.”
Today, as we sat in the morning meeting going through our client list for updates, the meeting came to a screeching halt as he asked specifically for prayer right that minute. He began to share with us a little of what he encountered Tuesday night when he came upon a motorcycle accident within minutes of it happening. I knew something was off with him yesterday but had no idea what was truly the reason behind how he carried himself and with what little words he spoke that day. Feeling stuck between wanting to offer an ear and not wanting to pry, I chose to play it safe and let him be. When people are ready to talk or feel a need to do so, they will, so I felt it better to leave things alone Wednesday. Today, he shared some of his heart. Immediately, we went right into praying over him. Our boss lead the prayer, and when it was my turn to speak I found myself overcome with emotion. When your friend is hurting, you are affected by it as well because of how deeply you care about them!
I have known for quite some time that we connected on a deeper level. We were more than just “office friends.” We have talked in detail about the Bible, God, religion in general, and our beliefs. It is mainly him sharing because I am not as knowledgeable with all of the stories in the Bible as he is, so I am like a little sponge soaking it all up when he shares.
The realization that hit me of my friend hurting swept over me, and immediately I teared up when I started to put my thoughts into a prayer for him. I have not been all that comfortable praying out loud for people, and so this is taking me out of my comfort zone for sure. But I offer my humble prayers, even if I don’t speak as eloquently as others do. I know God still hears me no matter what or how I pray. I was moved to tears for this man and wanted so badly to help his heart with the images that have been tormenting him since he arrived at the scene of the accident.
Would you please offer prayers for my friend, too? He leans on the fruit of the spirit in all things, and he mentioned this several times when we spoke briefly after the meeting. He is a true believer and a great witness for the Lord. While we cannot remove this night from his memory bank or erase the images he saw, we can trust our Father to help him through this. He has been thinking of the man that was on the motorcycle, but he has also been thinking of the driver of the vehicle that cut in front of the motorcycle, in what appeared to have caused the accident. We don’t know the individuals personally, and it is troubling to think that the man might have left this world not knowing Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. On the other hand, maybe he was saved and had a personal relationship with Jesus. We hope that is the case and that he did not suffer. With the driver of the vehicle, we pray for him as well because making a mistake such as this cost someone’s life. The driver has to carry that with them through the rest of their days, and that will be a tremendous burden to carry. Would you please pray for the driver as well? And last, but not least, the family of the motorcyclist needs our prayers as well. They have lost a very important part of their family, and they need comfort now and in the days ahead.
At the end of the meeting, he thanked us and called us “family.” Isn’t that really what we are supposed to be to each other, though? We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, after all.
My life has been changed by working alongside this man, and I thank God for placing me here.
