Circle of Love by Joyce Schafer

There are flowers everywhere! Having moved into our “new” old home in the summer, I had no idea what pleasant surprises awaited me this Spring. I had carefully dug up some of my tulips and lilies to take with me but this spring I was surprised to learn that the former owners loved these flowers as much as I do. They are popping up all over the place!

Last summer we had removed a jungle of old vines and discovered an unsafe cistern in our back yard. With all the grandkids running around, we knew this was not a good thing so the cistern was filled in with lots of dirt. Over the winter the dirt settled and we were left with a sunken hole in the center of the mound . We were planning on filling in the hole again and then I was going to make a flower bed so that the grandkids would stay out of it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered flowers popping up in a horseshoe shape around this hole. A couple of days later another row of the same Spring bulbs showed up in the center of my backyard- just perfect to be moved and to make a complete circle. This will be my “Circle of Love Flower Garden” to keep my little ones protected.

When I think of all the adversity (not to mention dirt) these bulbs went through to grow, I am reminded of a lot of Christians I have known over the years. They have suffered greatly but have kept their faith alive and have continued to grow and like my flowers they have become a “Circle of Love” in my life.

1 Peter 1:24-25 “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever…”

My Family Rocks by Susan Shull

I don’t mean in the musical sense, although I do have my own “playlist” of tunes passed down the Marrs family tree to my cousins and me. I am already teaching Alivia, Faith and Amy Flo these family favorites, including the famous “Once I Went a Swimmin” which my Aunt Mickey sings while playing the guitar and the harmonica that she wears in a holster-type gadget around her neck.

No, my family aren’t musical rockers, but they do rock babies and sing lullabies. My Grandma Marrs rocked me and my boys while singing “Go Tell Aunt Rhodie” over and over until sleep couldn’t be avoided and we went to sweet dreamland. My mom rocked my boys singing the same song and now she sits in the chair with our newest little granddaughter.

One of my favorite memories of Brock when the boys were little was afternoon naptime. I would pull the rocker up to the east window of our living room and sing him to sleep while looking out and enjoying Gayle and Jesse’s (our neighbors) ever-changing windbreak of trees. It was beautiful in every season. That was such a sweet peaceful time in the midst of crazy days.

Now that I am a Grammie, I want my little granddaughters to know the feeling of contentment and safety that I felt in the arms of my loved ones. The feeling of being totally loved with no need to worry about a thing. The feeling they will always be cared for.

Do you ever wish you could crawl into God’s lap, relax against his strong shoulders, and be told everything would be okay? I have wanted to do that lately. It seems every week I hear very sad stories of the struggles people are facing-with health, with relationships, with money. Unfortunately, I can’t do a thing to help with most of it and it gets to be too much.

As I had surgery to remove the skin cancer from my nose a few days ago, I had quite a bit of time to think. The struggles being faced by members of my earthly family and my Church family kept coming to mind and I wanted to climb in the rocker with God. That is when I was reminded just how very lucky Christians are. The God who created the universe desires a relationship with us. He cares what happens and wants us to bring our worries and concerns to him, so that is what I did.

I pray that instead of trying to carry the burdens of those around me, I will instead turn them over to my God who is big enough and who cares enough to provide comfort and peace to those who need it. The Psalms speak over and over of God being our shelter and I am going to claim that promise. I may not be able to literally crawl into my Heavenly Father’s lap, but I can be comforted every time I come to him in prayer.

Psalm 55:22a Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.

What If by Glenna Shryock

It 5:30 a.m. Friday, April 18, 2008. I’ve been up since rudely awakened by my shaking bed and trembling house and contents. EARTHQUAKE! I quickly got Matt and Leah out of their beds and under the doorway of Leah’s bedroom.

Randy has been working nights so he had a different experience of alarms going off at the refinery where he works. They initially thought that something had exploded and were headed for their bomb shelters. He was pretty excited when he called to quickly check in.

The internet news tells me it was centered at West Salem and registered a 5.4.

I tried to lay down afterward. My body was tight and stiff as a stretched drum and wouldn’t relax enough to let me go back to sleep. I thanked God my family was safe and my home seemed to be intact. My usual sense of mis-directed pride was congratulating myself that I so quickly reacted in the proper way in that I knew what was happening and what to do about it. But then I started thinking about the WHAT IF’s. WHAT IF if I hadn’t been at home with my kids? I wouldn’t have been here to protect them. WHAT IF the house would have twisted and turned and torn apart? Did I have them in an area where they would have been protected? I should have taken them outside. WHAT IF they would have been sleeping in the basement, as they sometimes do if friends are staying over? Would I have been able to get to them to get them out? I’m always shuddering at the site of Leah’s room, which is a cluttered obstacle course. WHAT IF some of the vases and books and picture frames would have vibrated off her bookshelf fell onto her head as she lay in her bed? WHAT IF the picture above Matt’s bed would have fell on him? Lord, I’ve been WHAT IF-ing most of my life as a mother. I sometimes drive my family crazy when voicing my WHAT-IF’s. Matt calls me "crazy-pyscho mom" in his attempt to dismiss my fears for their safety.

Lord, this morning has again reminded me that these children are in Your hands. I am powerless to protect them from all the world’s evil. They are best protected by You, not me. Thank You for the precious gift of my children, but help me to always remember they are in Your hands, the most wonderful place of all. Guide me, Lord, in their care and guide my thoughts to You and away from the WHAT-IF’s.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 "Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6: 25-34)

The WHAT-IF’s are worry and my worrying does nothing to protect them. Forgive me, Lord, for my lack of trust in You.