241 Miles

241 miles in February!!  I couldn’t believe my eyes!  Team Dettra walked 241 miles and ended up near Massena, NY. We’ve walked a total of 475 miles and are 14% of the way across America.  It is so hard to believe!

Now, today is the last day of February and you know what that means!  I get to announce the organization we will be sending our donation.  This was a hard choice.  There were so many to chose from…… several ministries, churches, the Salvation Army, Museums…… but then I found the golden ticket!

The Animal Food Pantry of Massena, NY!  According to the Massena Chamber of Commerce, “the Animal Food Pantry is a non-profit, all volunteer group of Massena residents who are dedicated to helping senior citizens feed their beloved pets: especially in tough economic times. For many senior citizens, their pet has become their family and some seniors sacrifice their own needs to ensure that their pet does not go without. We hope that through the kindness and generosity of those who can help, we will be able to help those seniors who have done their part in this community in the past and who may need a little help now. ”

Awww, sounds so sweet.  Now if you would like to join me in sending a little something their way, here’s the address to send donations :

Animal Food Pantry

173 McKinley Ave.

Massena, NY 13662

And I have a shout out today….. A dear lady, Sara, contacted me.  She is a stay at home mom who has been inspired by the Walking Across America.  She explained to me that she never realized that she walked 5 miles a day taking care of her children and home.   Warms my heart!! Go, Sara, Go!!

May God bless your paths today…….

A Sad Heart

Even in laughter the heart is sad, and the end of joy is grief. Proverbs 14:13

My dear friend chuckles with a hint of sarcasm and a whole lot of pain.  There isn’t any joy in that laughter.  My heart breaks.

I try hard to match the pain with my perky chipper “Praise God” attitude.  Still no joy.  My heart crumbles.

I want to shake her and scream, “Look around you….. Don’t you see God?”  Instead, silence falls between us.  Awkwardness.  I hope she heard my heart’s cry.

Sometimes people need to be reminded that Jesus heals pain.  Jesus can take the sorrowful heart and bring joy.  If we allow Him to do so……

In Luke 7, there is a sweet story of sorrow tucked into God’s word.  A widow was about to bury her only son.  Jesus came upon this funeral procession.  This widow’s heart was shattered in a million pieces.  Her hope gone.  Her son gone.  Her life gone.  Jesus told her, “Do not weep.” (Luke 7:13)  He, then, raised her son from the dead.

Did she stop Him?  No.  She allowed Him to heal.  She didn’t scream and tell Jesus to back off, leave me alone, or any of the sort.  She simply allowed Him to heal….. to bring joy back into her heart.

Allow God to heal your sorrows…….. God bless…….

Signs of Spring

This morning, I pulled out my Bible to study.  The sweet sounds of the early birds made me pause.   I raised my window, pulled God’s word closer to my heart, closed my eyes, and took it all in…… breathing in Yahweh, listening to His love, feeling the warmth of grace as  the sunshine breaks through the blinds.

My Monday morning routine called for my attention.  Determined to keep the glorious morning close at heart, I opted to hang out the laundry.  The chorus of spring surrounded me.

Ah, it has been too long.

My grandmother’s wisdom echoed within me.

Look for spring…… the awakening is beginning.

The robin sings.  Grandma’s first sign of spring was always the robin.  There it was the song of the robin.  So mighty. So strong.  So welcoming.

Spring brings life.  Spring rallies us from our wintry slumber.

Grandma always said, “Listen for robins, look for bluets, and purple clover…… firs signs of spring.”

I quickly pinned the last piece of laundry to the line and walked the yard.  It had to be there.  I walked and searched…… longing to find the purple colors of spring.  I looked as if I had lost something……. oh, I had.  Lost the patience for spring……

And then, there they were…… bluets poking their tiny splatter of purple against the dead of winter.

And there….. purple clover standing tall waving the soft  flowers in the cool of the morning.

Spring closing in…… daffodils blooming.  Birds fluttering.  Warm sunshine.  Temperatures climbing.

Rejoice with Yahweh.  Breath it all in. Yahweh…… my breath of spring.

God bless…..

Why Do This?

16 pounds of small Pink Lady apples….

I stand over a bowl peeling.  The sweet aroma tickled my nose.  Will heaven smell this sweet?

My hands ached and stained brown from the acidity of the juice.  The sticky remains of the juice adorned itself along my arms and elbows.  Sweet juicy apples… fragrant and succulent.

I was asked “Why do this if you can’t even type the next day?”  Carpal tunnel braces are the newest fashion craze.

They’re family. I love each one.  I got the chance to pray for each person.  I peeled and I prayed.

Glancing down at my brace and at the brown stain remains, I realize in a day I will heal and my hands will return to normal; but, my love will remain the same.  Strong. Heartfelt. 

My stomach grumbled.  I pushed thoughts of sugar laced candies and greasy burgers to the pit from which they arose.  My mind groggy from lack of refined sugar and my addiction screamed panic into my thoughts.

Why do this?

Day two and the human flesh of my being questioned me.  Day two and I want to throw my commitment through the door.

Why do this thing called Lent?

I’m human and often  I tell myself, a failure.  Thirty-eight days lay before me.  I feel so overwhelmed. I want to give in.  I push through the day.  Praying every moment the sneaky thought of cheating reared.

The morning came….. Day 3’s dawn.  Three candles lit.  A Bible passage studied. A devotional read.  And strength beyond me was felt.

Why Do This?

His body pierced.  Bled.  Pain shot through Him.  His humanness never weakened His spirit.

My body feels hunger pains that pierce through my inner self and bleeds for emotional wounds to heal.  My weakness is laced with my humanness….and it weakens my spirit.

Why do this?

The Man God suffered because of sin. The Son of God died to save me.

My sin makes me suffer.  Food will never save me.  Cheating and living in the moment will never save me.  The daily portion of God will save me.  His word spoken by my mouth feeds my soul.

Why do this?

The Man God’s body healed.  His blood stained body returned in such beauty.  He left this world whole.  But His love remains.

Why? It isn’t a matter of giving up, fasting from things I think I need. It is a matter of reaching for and grasping onto God’s love.

May God bless you…….

 

Cheerful Morning

I woke praying this morning.  My cat purred away as my spaniel nudged my hand for his morning belly scratch.

Thank You, God.

I laid there listening to the early birds sing to the new morning.  My big boy labs barking and alarm clocks sounding throughout the house.  Shaking us all awake from our sleep.

Thank You, God.

My heart has grown grateful over the past few weeks.  I arose knowing that today, from the ashes, a new me has been freed.

Today, Ash Wednesday, I am anointed to seek a “right spirit” and to leave the distractions behind.  Those distractions clearly have prevented me to be truly free.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Thank You, God.

The lighting of one single candle within the 40 seems so dim.  Alone.  Afraid.  Like my heart.  As the days of Lent unfold,  I trust and thirst hard for God.  Lighting more and more candles….. strengthening the light to burn brighter.

Like my faith, my soul, my fragile heart….. Christ’s light burning brighter within me.

Thank You, God.