A Bedroom Facelift

As many of you know, our house is for sale, and we believe that it will sell in God’s timing.  While we are waiting for the house to sell, we are still living in our house and using it like we always have.  I, like all decorators, like to improve my house when I can.  Anyone who has a passion for decorating will say that his or her house is never finished.  We are constantly tweaking and changing things.  

Recently Jeff and I decided to replace some of the carpeting in our house.  We have lived here a little over seven years, and carpet tends to start wearing out and looking bad in that amount of time.  We replaced the carpet on the stairs going to the basement, the upstairs guest bedroom, and the master bedroom.  I would have loved to put hardwood floor in the master bedroom, but since the house is for sale, we decided that would not be a wise investment.  While we were replacing the carpet in the master bedroom, I decided to paint the trim in that room.  The previous trim was a grayish blue color.  I never really liked the trim color as much as I thought I would, but I thought I should live with it for a while.  

When the carpet came up, I decided it was time to change the trim color.  The color I chose is called backdrop.  It is a Sherwin Williams paint color, and I really like it.  I first saw this paint color when I photographed a home last year for the 2015 winter/holiday issue of A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine.  If you have that issue, the house I am referring to is Louie and Georgia Leinberger’s home.  The title of the article is “Christmas in the Land of Lincoln.”  When I walked into Louie and Georgia’s home, I was immediately struck by the trim color.  I told Georgia that I have been looking for a good gray color to paint some trim in our house for years.  Georgia gave me the paint sample that she used, so this trim color will always be called Leinberger gray to me.  

After we painted and had the carpet installed we decided to rearrange the room.  We placed the bed in front of the windows.  I really did not think that I would like it, but I did.  It makes the room feel bigger and cozier at the same time.  I was concerned that the bed in front of the windows would detract from their beauty, but I was wrong.  So today, I am sharing some pictures of our newly tweaked master bedroom.  I really like how it turned out, and since the bedroom has been tweaked, there seems to be a deeper since of peace in the room, and I am even sleeping better than I have in a long time.  

One thing that God wants us to do with our lives is to continue to improve them.  He has given all of us particular interests and hobbies that help to improve our lives and fill our hearts with joy.  Decorating is one of the interests that fills my heart with joy.  It may seem strange that we are continuing to invest in and improve our house while it is for sale, but I feel this is God’s way of keeping me occupied and satisfied while we wait.  I know that our house will sell in God’s perfecting timing.  That may be next month, next year, or it may be five years down the road.

The old me would have driven myself crazy with questions and would have become very discouraged by this point, but God has helped me see that we all have to be patient and wait for things to come our way.  If we received everything we wanted in an instant, we would not appreciate the gifts that we receive, and we would not learn the lessons that we are meant to learn during the time of waiting.  Being patient, allowing God to be in control, having faith, and surrendering to His will will bring all of us peace and PEACE MATTERS.  

~Dan~

What Are You Going to Do with What You Have Been Given?

Every human on the earth has been given a gift from God.  Some of us are aware of our gifts, but many of us are not.  People see gifts as an ability to do something extraordinary or an extreme talent, but that is not always the case.  We think that people who can play an instrument, sing, give inspiring speeches, draw, or paint have been blessed with a gift and that the rest of the population has been left out.  Humans see gifts as something that can only be seen by the eye or heard by the ear.  

However, God views gifts in a very different way.  Many of the gifts that He has given people cannot be seen or heard.  The gift of talking to people, the gift of love, compassion, empathy, generosity, prayer, and influence are some of the most important gifts that people can be given.  Our job is to discover these gifts and use them to serve our fellow man.  We should use these gifts to help people who are less fortunate than we are.  In doing so, we are doing a great service to God, and we are honoring Him and the gifts that He has given to us.  Many of us feel like we have nothing to offer the world or God.  We feel like all we can do is live our lives and try our best to be the best person we can be.  While that is a very important goal and something that we should all aspire to, we should also realize that we have been given a gift that we can use to help others.  

We have all been placed on this earth for a purpose.  God has a grand plan, and the plan has been in motion for centuries.  We were placed in this moment of time for a reason.  We were not just haphazardly placed here without any thought.  God placed us here to fulfill His purpose and to make the world a better place.  We are supposed to help other people.  Life on earth can often be difficult, and we need help in navigating it.  While God should be and is our ultimate guide, He has placed people in our lives to guide us along the way too.  We all have people who we depend on and turn to when things get difficult.  We often do not realize that God has placed those people in our lives for a reason.  While we can acknowledge that those people exist in our lives, we often find it difficult to realize that we have been placed in people’s lives to help them too.  It is not that God is too busy or not interested in helping people, but He wants to use us to help others. 

 Many people can accept help from other people, but they have trouble having faith that God can help them.  When they do accept help from the people in their lives, they are accepting help from God.  Hopefully, in time they will realize that, and their relationships with God will be strengthened.  So, as you have probably figured out by now, we have all been given many jobs to do on this earth.  We need to discover what our purpose is and what gifts we have been given and use those to help others.  When we help others, we make God proud.  We not only make someone else’s life better, but we make our own lives better too.  

I cannot express enough how much God wants us to help others and how much He wants us to discover the gifts that He has given us.  Sometimes we may use these gifts and be completely unaware of it.  Not knowing what our gift is does not keep us from using it and blessing other people with it.  Many times the gift we have is something that we always known we possessed; we just never thought of it as a gift.  God can and will reveal our gift to us when we ask Him to.  

The most important thing to remember is that we have all been given gifts to use as armor to help others and ourselves.  We have a purpose, and we are important to God and countless others.  When we realize that, it will bring us peace, and PEACE MATTERS.  

~Dan~ 

A Kentucky Homespun Christmas: A Look Back

Jeff and I are back from the A Kentucky Homespun Christmas Folk Art and Antique show in Cave City, Kentucky, and the show was a huge success.  I really enjoyed every minute of it.  My parents traveled with us, and it was so nice to be with them and for them to see a side of me that they rarely get to see.  The show could not have been more perfect.  Stacee Droit and Wilma Gilbert did a wonderful job organizing everything.  Whatever we needed was there for us, and if we needed something extra all we had to do was ask.  Setting up our booth went very smoothly.  My mom, dad, and Jeff were an enormous help.  We started setting up at 8:00 a.m. and we were finished by 12:00 p.m., which was record time! 

There was a large crowd on Friday night, and it was so nice to see so many familiar faces.  I met people who I knew through Facebook, and many of the homeowners of homes that I have photographed for the magazine A Primitive Place & Country Journal were there as well.  It seemed that everywhere I turned, there was someone I knew.  On the second day of the show there was another good crowd, and it was nice to connect with even more primitive lovers.  

Overall the show was an enormous success.  Did I sell everything? No.  Did I make a bunch of money? No. However, I accomplished my goal, and I did the show and had a booth full of completely handmade items.  It was an enormous success because had someone told me two years ago or even a year ago that I would ever make anything again or ever be able to participate in a show like this, I would have thought he was crazy.  I would have said there was no way that that would be possible, but here I am.  That is the thing about God that we all need to remember.  He can restore what we thought was lost.  He can make a way where there seems to be no way, and He can give us the strength to endure the struggles of this life so that we can appreciate when the sun begins to shine on our faces once again a little bit more than we did before.  It is the valleys of life that make us appreciate the good times.  It is the dark days that make us appreciate the light.  It is the hopelessness that makes us realize how important hope is, and it is the lack of peace that makes us know just how much PEACE MATTERS.  

~Dan~

A Kentucky Homespun Christmas: Packed and Ready

We are all packed and ready to make our way to Cave City, Kentucky tomorrow to participate in  A Kentucky Homespun Christmas Folk Art & Antiques show at the convention center.  I am so excited about being able to be a part of this show.  I am nervous and have been constantly trying not to forget something.  I know it will be a wonderful show, and I hope that if you live close by that you will stop by our booth and introduce yourself.  

As I was preparing for the show yesterday God reminded me that when we are overwhelmed and stressed about the things that we need to get done, we should take a moment and look back on all we have already accomplished.  This certainly helped me yesterday.  Looking back and realizing how far we have truly come will bring us peace and Peace Matters.  

~Dan~

The Impassable Path

There are many times in life when we come to a wall in our path.  The wall seems impossible to get through.  We cannot pass through it, we cannot go over it or under it, and we cannot go around it.  We are quite literally stuck.  We are desperate to get past the wall, but we do not know how that is possible.  I have been in situations in my life when everything seemed hopeless.  I had to get out of a situation that I was in, but I had no idea how to accomplish that.  The hopelessness that sets in when we encounter a wall in our path is suffocating.  All we can think about it getting away, and when we look to the future, we see no way out.  It is a terrifying experience, and it often causes us to lose faith and think that God is no longer with us.  

I was thinking about impossible walls and was reminded of the story in the Bible about Moses.  He was leading the Israelites out of Egypt.  The Egyptians were pursuing them, and I am sure they were terrified.  They came to the Red Sea, and there was no way they could go further.  They could not go through the sea, they could not go over or under the sea, and they could not go around the sea.  Moses prayed to God and asked Him to make a way.  We all know what God did.  He miraculously parted the Red Sea and made a path for the Israelites to cross.  However, many of them were still scared to take that first step.  They had just seen this miraculous event take place and God had made a path for them, but they were still afraid.  They still did not trust that God would take care of them.  However, they finally did take that first step and followed God.  They may not have known it at the time, but they were walking toward freedom. When they all were safely across the sea, the Egyptians were still following them.  You see, they were taking the same path that God had provided for the Israelites, but not for long, because God allowed the sea to fall back in, and when it did, the enemy following them was destroyed.  

This is a story that many of us have heard in Sunday school numerous times.  It is a miraculous story that we know, but we do not think about how it could apply to our own lives.  When we come to a wall in our path, God will make a way where there seems to be none.  However, we have to have the courage and the faith to take the first step.  That is often the most difficult part.  God has made a way, but we have to follow Him.  We have to trust Him and know that He is leading us to freedom.  We have to trust that small, still voice that says, “Just follow me.  You are doing the right thing.”  It has often been said that taking the first step is the most difficult.  I believe that is true.  That first step can be so terrifying, but once we take it, the second one is a little easier.  Soon we will see that we are indeed doing the right thing and that God is leading us in the right direction.  

Once we begin walking the path that God has made for us, God will protect us from our enemies and tormentors. Once we get to the other side, we will have even more faith in God.  We will believe even more in His power and strength, and we will be stronger as well.  

So, if you are up against a wall and you have nowhere to turn, turn to God.  He will make a path for you, even when that seems impossible.  He will lead you to freedom and peace.  You just have to follow Him and have the courage and faith to take the first step.  Trust me, you will be so glad you did.  God will protect you along the way, and it will change your life.  I know it certainly changed mine.  When we walk in faith and follow in the direction that God is leading us, we will find peace, and PEACE MATTERS!     

~Dan~

A Kentucky Homespun Christmas: A Gift That Has Been Returned to Me

Many of you know that Jeff and I will be participating in the show called A Kentucky Homespun Christmas Folk Art and Antiques Show, which will take place in Cave City, Kentucky on November 13th and 14th.  I have been very busy getting everything ready for the show, and even though it has been stressful at times, I have truly enjoyed every minute of it.  Today I wanted to share with all of you some of the samplers that will be available at the show.  However, before I do, I wanted to give all of you some background on how I came to do the show this year.

I have written quite a bit about the struggles that I had in the recent past.  If you have not read the story of my struggle, you can click on the “My Story” tab above to read more.  When I was going through that difficult time in my life, I had to withdraw from almost everything I loved and had always held near and dear.  I had to abandon many of the goals and dreams that I had once had for my life.  When we are going through a dark time, there seems to be no time or hope for the dreams and goals that we once possessed.  

I did the Kentucky Homespun Christmas show in 2012.  I enjoyed it, but I went into it with the wrong attitude.  I had expectations for myself that were unrealistic.  I had never done a show like this before.  I had always wanted to, but I never felt like I had anything that people would want to buy.  Then I began stitching and thought that some people may be interested in buying some of my creations.  I spent the entire summer getting ready for the show, and I built it up in my mind and expected it to be a huge success.  I thought that I would sell everything I had made and that I would have peace in my life when these events unfolded.  

When the show did not turn out as I had expected, I was discouraged and allowed myself to feel like a failure.  I did sell samplers and everyone seemed happy with what I had made.  It was a wonderful show to be part of and everybody was so nice.  It was wonderful to get to connect with people I knew through my old blog and Facebook, Yesterday Once More.  However, this was during a time in my life when everything was getting ready to fall apart for me.  I did not realize that it was about to fall apart, but I think I sensed it in some way.  I refused to focus on the positive side of doing the show and only chose to focus on the negative side which was entirely fabricated in my mind. 

After the show, I felt like I had not done a very good job.  I know now that I did the best that I could do and considering that it was the first folk art show that I had ever done, things went really well.  During the late spring and early summer of 2013, my life began to spiral out of control, and I put down my stitching needle.  I truly thought it was for forever.  When the show was organized again, I was in no position to participate.  I could not even go to the show.  I was too depressed by my own problems even to attend.  

In 2014, when the show took place again, I was beginning to pull myself out of the hole that I had created for myself.  With the help of God, Jeff, family, and friends, I was beginning to see that there was still good left in the world.  Jeff and I decided at the last minute to go to the show.  I really do not think we would have gone had Stacee Droit, one of the show’s organizers, not sent me a text to remind me of the show.  I truly cannot thank Stacee enough for sending that text.  I am sure she had no idea what her contacting me would do for me.  This is a prime example of how God can use all of us to help someone else.  Many times, He uses us and we are not even aware of the good that we are doing.  When I walked into the convention center in Cave City, I felt a familiar sense of peace that always surrounds me when I am around early primitives.  It was the first time that I had been around the primitives I love in almost two years, and it was so good to be back home again.  

Going to that show signified the beginning of my true healing process.  I know it sounds strange to say such a thing, but it is very true.  After being at the show in 2014, things continued to get better, and by January of this year, I decided that I should give the show another try.  I texted Stacee and told her I was going to do the show again.  She was very happy about it, and so was I.  My goal was to start stitching in January and work all year.  I thought this would allow me plenty of time to get ready for the show and keep me from getting too overwhelmed.  

I remember the first time I stitched after I decided to do the show.  It was early in the morning, and I sat in the living room of the apartment that I had rented and retrieved all of my stitching items.  I put on a Christmas movie and started stitching.  I had a momentary fear that I would not remember how to stitch because it had been nearly two years.  However, I soon realized that stitching was like riding a bike.  I did remember how.  I cannot adequately tell you how each stitched strengthened my spirit that day.  With each x I made I could feel my spirit getting stronger and stronger.  I realize now that I was feeding my spirit, and I didn’t even know it.  I cried almost the entire time I made that first sampler.  They were not tears of sadness, but tears of joy.  I was so happy to be doing something that I loved again, and I was so happy to have the desire to do it.  

My plan to stitch all year did not go as planned, but I continued to get ready for the show.  There was a time where I thought that I would not be able to do the show, but in July, I kicked it into high gear fully committed to doing the show.  I am going into this show with different expectations.  It is not about selling my samplers.  It is about returning to something that I love and about being able to participate in something that I thought I would never be able to participate in again.  

I know that the show will be a success regardless of what I sell.  It will be a success because it signifies the growth that I have made this year in my walk with God and in my walk with myself.  It signifies that God can return something to us that we thought was lost forever.  I recently wrote a post about getting back on the right path and how, when we do, God returns gifts to us. Doing this show is God returning a gift to me that I thought I had lost forever.  It is a gift that I took for granted the first time, but one that I cherish now and will always be thankful for.  God wants to return the things that feed our spirits when we are ready to receive them.  I am so thankful that He has done this for me, and I know that He can and will do this for all of us.  Getting back on the right path in life, feeding our spirits, and getting a second chance at life brings us peace and PEACE MATTERS.

~Dan~

Laughter

It has been said that laughter is the best medicine.  In fact, I think it is a proven, scientific fact.  Even if it weren’t, I know that laughter is the best medicine.  I have seen it in action for years.  I believe that God wants us to laugh.  He wants us to feel all the emotions that we have been given, but I believe that laughter is one of the most important.  If you have ever thought that God did not have a sense of humor, take a look at some of the animals, people, and objects that he created and then tell me he doesn’t have a sense of humor.  One of the very first things that an adult tries to get a baby to do is smile or laugh.  In fact, it is one of the first things that we learn to do as a baby.  Think about when you see a baby laugh.  What happens?  It makes you laugh too, and it makes you feel good.  

I have been blessed to have several humorous people in my life.  Whenever I feel low, I can always count on them to make me laugh.  When we laugh, we do not feel as bad as we did.  When we laugh we have to smile, and that in itself is a good reason to laugh.  I like to think that I have a fairly good sense of humor, and I have been known to make people laugh, but one of the funniest people I have ever met is my grandma.  She laughs and smiles almost all of the time.  In turn, she makes the people around her laugh and smile.  Whenever I spend time with my grandma or we talk on the phone, you can bet that we will be laughing.  She never takes herself too seriously.  She has never been afraid to laugh at herself, and she has been able to find humor in almost any situation.  I think that my grandma has been very blessed to receive this gift, and it has sustained her throughout her life.  

Just from visiting with my grandma you would never know the struggles she has faced.  She lost a child while her husband was away fighting a war, her dad died when she was in her early twenties, she had a child with a chronic illness, she went through a divorce, she fought cancer two times, and she lost the love of her life.  Through it all, she smiled and was able to laugh.  She never lost her sense of humor.  I have often wondered what would have become of her had she not had a sense of humor.  I believe she would not have been able to face all the challenges that life had in store for her.  I don’t believe that she would have been the witness to the number of people that she has been.  She is 90 years old now, and she is still laughing and smiling.  I believe that God gives all of us gifts and that laughter is one of them.  He wants us to laugh and see humor in life.  I used to work with a woman who would often say, “You have to laugh to keep from crying.”  I believe that that is a very good attitude to have.  

This life can be hard. We all know that.  God has given us so much armor to protect us from the negative aspects of life, and laughter is one of them.  So, surround yourself with people who make you laugh and try to bring that laughter to others.  It will make them and you feel better and will prepare you for the trials that will come your way.  If you find yourself not able to laugh, just think of my grandma and people like her and just do it! When we laugh, we experience peace, and PEACE MATTERS.     

~Dan~

Being Pulled Back on the Path

When we are not on the path that God intends for our lives, we know it.  We may not be consciously aware of it, but we feel it in our hearts.  Not being on the path can be very frightening.  When we are off the path that God intends for our lives, we lose our hope, our faith, and our peace.  We struggle with the ordinary, daily aspects of our lives.  Everything seems like a struggle.  The hopelessness is suffocating, and all we can focus on is the moment that we are in.  We can no longer look to the future, for if we do all we can see is darkness and the next great struggle.  We find ourselves waiting for the next fire to erupt, and we spend all of our time trying to extinguish that fire, often in vain.  When we are off the path, we have to let go of the dreams and goals to which we once had clung. We realize that those dreams will never come true, and that makes the hopelessness even denser.  Then the day comes when God says, “Enough.”  He has watched us struggle and fight, and He knows that we need His help to get back on the right path.   

Getting back on the path is often a difficult and painful process.  We often have a lot of corrections that we need to make, but we realize that we have to follow Him, we have to obey Him, and we have to trust Him.  When we return to the path, peace and hope are not restored to us instantly.  Like I said before, we have to make amends for the mistakes we made while we were off the path, but if we continue to follow God and trust Him, the clouds will start to lift.  It may seem like this is a slow process, but each second, minute, day, or week that goes by makes the clouds lift even more, and when we look back on where we once were, we realize just how much progress we have made through God’s help.  

Very soon, everything starts to come into focus.  We awake each day with a renewed sense of peace.  Our hope has been restored, strained relationships have been renewed, our purpose has become clearer, and we have peace.  Then the most beautiful thing in the world begins to happen. The dreams and goal we once had and were forced to abandon begin to come back to us.  God hands them back to us like a gift.  The presentation of this wonderful gift gives us even more hope and peace, and it makes us want to follow Him even more.  Once we are back on the right path, everything seems lighter.  Now when we look to the future we can see light instead of darkness.  We can actually breathe again, things seem easier, and we know that all of our dreams can come true.  We actually have the hope and strength to make them come true, sometimes for the first time in our lives.  

You see, God wants to give us the desires of our hearts, and when we follow Him and trust Him He hands them to us, and we feel like a child on Christmas morning, and everything seems possible once again.  We have a renewed sense of peace, and PEACE MATTERS.   

~Dan~

Letting Go of Control

The whole world is seemingly obsessed with control, who has it, who wants it, who is going to get it, and who is going to lose it.  Every environment we come into contact with is operated on control.  People at our place of employment want to be in control, people at our place of worship want to be in control, and people in our families want to be in control.  We have spent the majority of our lives jockeying for position to see who is going to end up on top.  We fight for it, we lie for it, and we manipulate for it.  We try to control our lives and our bodies.  We want what we want when we want it, and we try to make sure that happens, often times in vain.   

Ironically, when it comes right down to it, the only thing that is really in control is the control itself.  Not being in control makes us mad, it makes us frustrated, it makes us bitter, and it makes a worry.  We carry the weight of trying to be in control around with us, and let me tell you, it is awfully heavy.  When we try to be in control of everything, we have difficulty maintaining relationships.  We find ourselves fighting with our parents, our siblings, our spouses, and our friends.  We become so obsessed with control that we no longer see the good in the world or in the people we love.  We want them to do what we want when we want them to do it, and if they do not we get mad and sometimes even cut them out of our lives.  

However, if we would just stop and think about it for a minute, having control over everything is not what we should want.  It is not what God wants for our lives either.  Imagine all the strife and worry that could be eliminated from our lives if we would just let go of control.  We all want peace in our lives, and one key to having peace is to stop trying to control everything.  We need to hand over the control to God.  He is in control anyway, whether we like it or not.  When we try to have absolute control, we tend to take matters into our own hands. We often mess everything up and get ourselves into situations that we do not want or need to be in.  Of course, when that happens, we look to God to get us out.  If we had just allowed Himto be in control, we would not have been in the situation in the first place.  

So, let go.  Let God guide your life.  If you find yourself wanting to control a situation, just step back and let God have it.  It is going to be what it is going to be, and no amount of control on your part can change that.  Now, I am not saying that we should just sit back and let whatever happens happen.  We have to be wise and know what we can control and what we cannot control.  We also have to make God part of our decision making process.  If we can give up on trying to control everything and everyone, much of the worry and stress in our lives will disappear.  It is a lot like the song by Carrie Underwood, “Jesus Take the Wheel”.  We have to let God take control.  That’s what He wants and His hands are far more capable than ours.  So the next time you feel the need to control a situation or other people, just say to God to “Take it” and let Him really take it.  Trust that He knows what is best and have faith that everything will work out the way it should and just enjoy the peace that comes from letting God be in control, because PEACE MATTERS.   

~Dan~

Darkness

Who of us did not spend much of our childhood being afraid of the dark?  In fact, who of us has not spent the majority of our adult life being afraid of the dark?  It is a common fear that most of us share.  Darkness is depressing, and it can seem to suffocate us when we are in it.  When we are in a completely dark space, we cannot see anything.  We are frozen and want to stand still to keep from running into something.  When we do move, we do so with trepidation with our arms in front of us checking for dangers that may be in our way.  But think about this, what does it take to get rid of the darkness?  Of course the answer is light, but it does not have to be the most powerful light known to man.  It can be just a little spark. You see, one tiny light can change the darkness and illuminate our path.  Imagine being in a completely dark closet.  The lights are out and you cannot see anything in front of you.  There is a door in the closet, and when you look at the door, you can see light coming in from the crack at the bottom.  Light will enter the darkness wherever it can.  That small light can guide you safely out of the closet.

We can apply this principle to our own lives.  We often find ourselves in darkness for one reason or the other.  The darkness depresses us and can suffocate us.  We can find ourselves so overcome by the darkness that we are afraid to move.  We become paralyzed in the darkness and can spend years there afraid to try and find our way out.  However, the day comes when we realize that hope, love, peace, and God can bring light back into our lives.  It can start with a tiny spark that will give us the confidence to start moving.  The closer we get to the light, the more confident we become and the bigger the light grows.  Soon, we have found our way out of the darkness, and we are again living in the light, no longer afraid to move forward.  

I know if you are like me, you have been in the darkness of this life before, and it is a frightening thing.  It does paralyze us, and we have trouble finding our way out.  God wants to bring light back into our lives.  All we really have to do is ask Him.  The light can come in many forms.  It can start as a tiny spark and grow from there.  You see, the tiniest bit of light will chase the darkness away.  Think about that for a minute.  It only takes a tiny spark to chase the darkness away.  I don’t know about you, but that makes me smile when I think about it.  So, the next time you are in darkness and everything in your life seems to be falling apart and you are paralyzed by fear, remember to look for that tiny spark that can chase the darkness away.  You may wonder what that tiny spark can be.  It can be anything that brings peace into your life.  Love, hope, peace, forgiveness, acceptance . . . any of these can be the spark.  

God does not want us to live in darkness.  He wants us to enjoy the warmth and the beauty of the light.  He wants to be that light.  After all, He said. “I am the light.”  Let Him be the light, and he will fill your life with all the hope, love, joy, and peace you could ever imagine.  Above all, always remember that light will always overcome darkness.  Darkness will never be able to stand up against the light, and light will always prevail.  If we remember this, it will bring us peace, and PEACE MATTERS. 

~Dan~

Feeding My Soul Through Stitching

There are many ways for us to achieve peace in our lives, and I have written about several of those ways in different posts.  God has given all of us certain interests and gifts, and when we participate in those interests, we find ourselves being at peace.  Working with our hands and creating something is one of the best ways to calm our nerves and feed our spirits.  There is something satisfying about creating things with our own two hands that gives us a feeling of satisfaction.  God has given us these interests to help us find more joy in our lives and feel like we are accomplishing something, even when we feel as if we are standing still.  

One activity that brings me a sense of peace and accomplishment is stitching.  For me, there is something about taking a blank piece of fabric and creating something beautiful with it.  I also love the repetitive motion that stitching provides, and it is sometimes amazing to me to see what a whole lot of Xs can create when placed in an appropriate pattern.  

So today I thought I would take a break from my normal posts and show you a few of the samplers that I have made over the years.  When I am stitching, I am only thinking about stitching, and the stresses of my daily life seem to fade away.  When I am finished, I have a sense of accomplishment and when I look at the sampler that I made, I feel happy and at peace.  God wants all of us to feed our spirits, and it is up to us to determine which actives will do that.  Once we discover what will feed our spirits and we do it, we will have more peace in our lives and PEACE MATTERS.  

~Dan~

Pattern by Jenny Hoffman

Pattern by Tina Woltman

One of my original patterns

Pattern by Tina Woltman

Pattern by Jenny Hoffman

Pattern by Tina Woltman

Pattern by Tina Woltman

One of my original patterns

These are some samplers that I am getting reading for A Kentucky Homespun Christmas Folk Art & Antique Show which will be held in Cave City, Kentucky on November 13th & 14th.

Pain

Pain is something that all of us have experienced, and we will experience it again.  There are many types of pain.  There is physical pain, emotional pain, and spiritual pain.  The pain we experience can rule our lives, or it can even define who we are if we let it.  The choice is up to us.  You see, I see pain not as something that happens to us, but rather something that happens for us.  I think we can all agree that life is about learning lessons and growing.  It is about us learning to be the best person we can possibly be.  We were not meant to stand still.  We were meant to grow and to move forward.  The pain we will experience in this life is one of the many things that we experience that helps us grow.  We have all been in so much pain at times that all we want it to do is stop.  We pray that the pain will go away, and when it does our faith is renewed, and we believe that God is wonderful and that He is always there for us.  When we pray and the pain does not go away, it is easy for us to believe that God is not there and we may even begin to lose faith.  

I have recently starting trying to look at pain in a different way.  I am trying my best to thank God for the pain. Believe me, I have failed many times.  I am an avid runner, and it is very important to me that I get to run.  I am a bit of a perfectionist too.  Actually, that is an understatement. I am an absolute perfectionist.  So, if I do not run the distance that I think I should, I feel like a failure.  I recently developed a pain in my left leg.  I am not sure what the cause of it is, but it is there nonetheless.  Running seems to aggravate it, and I have become frustrated.  I have tried everything.  I have taken time off from running, prayed for my leg, had other people pray for my leg, and pleaded with God to take the pain away.  Nothing seems to make a significant difference.  

Then I thought of Job in the Bible.  He experienced all sorts of terrible things, but he continued to thank God and praise Him anyway.  I decided that if Job could do it so could I.  So, I started thanking God for the pain in my leg.  My prayer was very simple, “Thank you for the pain in my leg and help me learn the lesson from this pain that you want me to learn.”  I would like to say that that took care of it and that the pain is gone, but it isn’t.  However, I look at the pain in a different way now.  I know that God is trying to teach me something.  Maybe He is trying to teach me to be more patient.  Maybe He is trying to teach me to have more faith.  Maybe He is trying to teach me that we all experience pain and that it is a fact of life.  I am not completely sure what He wants me to learn, but I am willing to learn it.  

I am able to run and the pain is still there, but it is not as bad as it was.  Now when I finish running, even though it is not as far as I would like to go, I am just thankful that I was able to run.  I am learning that it is not the distance of the run, but the fact that I can do it at all.  So, maybe pain is just a sign that we are growing.  I guess they are called growing pains for a reason.  I think we would all be better off to think of the pain we experience as a lesson and a way to grow closer to God and to have more faith in Him.  In the end, isn’t that all that really matters?  

We all experience pain and suffering, but it is not who we are.  We are far greater than the pain we experience, and God is always there to comfort us and help us learn for our pain. So, the next time you are in pain, think of Job and thank God in spite of the pain.  I believe it will help and you will begin to see the beauty and the gift in the pain.  This will lead to more peace in your life, and PEACE MATTERS.    

~Dan~

Life Lessons I Learned From my Grandma: On Her Own

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a very special relationship with my grandma.  She and I have had a close relationship all of my life.  We have spent a lot of time together laughing and talking about life.  My grandma turned 90 years old this week, and I believe that she has had an amazing life.  She has experienced many trials during her life, but she has faced them with a smile on her face, joy in her heart, and an unwavering faith in God.  I have learned so much from my grandma, and I believe you can too.  So, I have decided to commemorate her 90th birthday by sharing a few stories about my grandma’s life with you.  I hope these stories will show you how her faith has brought her through the difficult times that she has experienced.  I will be posting everyday this week and every post will be stories of how God has been with my grandma throughout her life.  I believe the stories will help you to see how God can work in all of our lives and how we can achieve peace through every experience we encounter with His help.  Having such a wonderful grandmother in my life has brought me immeasurable peace and PEACE MATTERS.  

On Her Own

On August 21, 1998, my grandpa, Norman Cutsinger, suffered a heart attack while mowing the lawn at the church that he and my grandma, Ruth Cutsinger, attended.  At first my grandpa seemed okay.  They took him to the local hospital and did some preliminary tests.  They decided to send him to a bigger hospital in St. Louis, Missouri for further evaluation and treatment. When he arrived in St. Louis the doctors decided to do a heart catheterization, which is a fairly routine procedure.  He said his good-byes to the family and went for the test.  Soon, the doctor came out and said that my grandpa had suffered another heart attack.  He was on life support and in a coma.  They said the likelihood of him waking up again was very slim.  My grandma had just recovered from colon cancer and now she was facing losing her husband.  They had been together for thirty-seven years after finally reconnecting in 1961.  My grandma sat with my grandpa for what turned out to be the last week of his life.  

Finally, on August 28th, the doctors told my grandma that there was no hope and that it was time to disconnect my grandpa from life support.  My grandma, being the strong person she is, accepted the doctors’ advice.  She sat with my grandpa for the last time as he drew his final breath.  I remember waiting for my grandma to come home after my grandpa had died.  I really didn’t know what to expect.  I had seen her go through a lot of trials in life but never something like this.  When she came through the door, there she was, with her sad, but familiar smile.  She once again had the strength of an army with her.  I know now her strength came from God and the angels that He had surrounding her that day.  She immediately began planning my grandpa’s funeral.  She knew what she had to do, and she was prepared to do it.  

While at the funeral, I sat once again, in amazement at my grandma.  She smiled and laughed and actually comforted other mourners.  She was a pillar of strength in the midst of the worst storm of her life.  You see my grandma had never been alone.  She was married at the age of 16, and she had never lived alone or even spent the night alone.  My grandparents owned two houses.  One house was on a lake and the other one was in the country on a busy highway.  Everyone knew that my grandma was afraid to stay by herself, and we did not know what she was going to do.  However, my grandma knew.  She was going to sell both houses and move to a small house in town.  Selling the lake house would be easy.  The houses on the lake sold quickly, and that is what happened.  The house on the highway was different.  People came to look at it, but no one seemed to be interested.  My grandma was becoming very frustrated and could not understand why the house was not selling.  She knew in her heart that she could not stay there.  Finally, one morning she surrendered it to God.  She told God that if He wanted her to stay in that house she would.  She let Him take control.  That is exactly what God was waiting for.  Three days later, her house sold.  

She immediately began looking for a house in town, which presented more frustrations.  All the houses in her price range needed too much work, and my grandma was not up to that.  My cousin, Tim, was building houses at the time, and he told her that he could build her a house that would fit her needs perfectly.  My grandma decided to take him up on his offer and began looking for a lot on which to build in town.  One day, she was driving around and God told her to drive down North Douglas Street.  My grandma argued with God and told Him that she did not want to go that way.  God insisted, and my grandma finally did as she was asked.  When she drove down the street, she found two lots for sale about which she had not known.  When she called her relator, she was told that a couple had tried to buy the lots for the full asking price; however, the owner would not sell the lots to them.  My grandma was undeterred.  She asked the relator to call the man and see if he would take less money for the lots.  The realtor did as she was asked and called my grandma back.  She said, “You are not going to believe this, but the owner said he would take $4,000.00 for the two lots.”  The asking price was $8,000.00.  The relator could not understand why he had had a change of heart, but my grandma knew why.  God intended those lots for her.  

Even after she bought the lots, people tried to tell her she was making a mistake.  They told her that it was not a good place to build, but my grandma again was undeterred.  She knew that God wanted her there, so she continued with her plans.  On May 1, 1999, my grandma moved into her new house.  

My grandpa had only been gone a few months, and my grandma had made a life change with what seemed to be little effort.  She had done so with the faith that God would take care of her just as He had done all her life.  She still lives in that house today and has always been at peace there, proving that when God leads us somewhere, even if other people think we are wrong, we will find peace.  

Peace is what God wants for all of us.  He wants us to trust Him and have faith that He has a plan.  He wants us to submit to His will and follow His lead.  He is often waiting for us to submit to Him.  Once we do, He can take over and work things out in His time.  Once we surrender to God, we will begin to experience peace.  If we allow God to be in control, then much of the worry and fear that we experience can be eliminated.  Faith is a scary thing, but we are always rewarded for having it, and that reward is peace.  Without peace in this life, we have nothing.  

So, the next time you are struggling and becoming impatient because you are waiting for something that has not yet happened, think of my grandma and hand it over to God.  Truly submit to His will.  Let Him be in control.  It will bring you a peace that goes far beyond your understanding, and PEACE MATTERS.   

~Dan~

This is one of my favorite pictures of my grandparents.  It was taken not long after they were married in a photo booth at a local carnival.  

Life Lessons I Learned From my Grandma: Colon Cancer

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a very special relationship with my grandma.  She and I have had a close relationship all of my life.  We have spent a lot of time together laughing and talking about life.  My grandma turned 90 years old this week, and I believe that she has had an amazing life.  She has experienced many trials during her life, but she has faced them with a smile on her face, joy in her heart, and an unwavering faith in God.  I have learned so much from my grandma, and I believe you can too.  So, I have decided to commemorate her 90th birthday by sharing a few stories about my grandma’s life with you.  I hope these stories will show you how her faith has brought her through the difficult times that she has experienced.  I will be posting everyday this week and every post will be stories of how God has been with my grandma throughout her life.  I believe the stories will help you to see how God can work in all of our lives and how we can achieve peace through every experience we encounter with His help.  Having such a wonderful grandmother in my life has brought me immeasurable peace and PEACE MATTERS.  

Thanks to Katie Couric and her late husband, a lot of attention has been brought to the diagnosis and treatment of colon cancer.  Colon cancer is the 3rd most diagnosed form of cancer and the 4th leading cause of cancer related deaths.  Early detection is crucial, and when detected early, colon cancer is 90% curable.  These facts and figures may seem unnecessary to the story that I am getting ready to relate to you, but they are important to the millions of people who will be diagnosed with colon cancer during their lifetime.   

The realness of colon cancer was brought into my life in October, 1997.  My grandma, Ruth Custsinger, had been plagued with pain in her side for most of the summer and early fall.  She was no stranger to pain, but this pain seemed different.  She was seventy-two years old, and she had been through cancer before.  She had spoken to her doctor about the pain, but he did not seem alarmed.  Colon cancer in its early form does not present pain.  However, my grandma knew something was wrong.  She insisted that her doctor schedule a colonoscopy for her.  He reluctantly did as she asked, and I believe it saved her life.  

You see my grandma did indeed have colon cancer.  I remember the day my mom told me. I thought to myself that my grandma had already been through so much.  We were all worried and scared.  All of us, that is, except my grandma.  She once again showed strength and faith.  I really think she was so relieved to find out that there was a reason for her pain.  She carried the pictures of her cancer in her purse and would show them to people.  It was as if she were proud, but I think it was her way of warning people of the dangers of colon cancer.  My grandma was scheduled for surgery, and the part of her colon containing the cancer was removed.  I went to visit her in the hospital after the surgery, and there she was lying in bed.  Her familiar smile and laugher filled the room.  She was completely at peace and didn’t seem worried at all.

I was going through a difficult time with my job.  I had just started a new teaching assignment and was away from home, and had a very difficult group of kids that year.  My grandma seemed more concern for me than herself.  After the surgery, she was told that the cancer was localized and small.  The doctors could not understand why she had been in pain, because the cancer was in its beginning stages.  Of course, my grandma knew differently.  God had allowed her to experience the pain so that she would have it checked out.  Had she not experienced the pain that every doctor told her she should not have felt, her story may have turned out quite differently.  My grandma was scheduled for chemotherapy, and she began it soon after the surgery.  As we all know, chemotherapy can be a very difficult treatment to go through, and my grandma had struggles to face with her treatment.  She endured those struggles with her characteristic strength and good humor.  

As I said before, I was dealing with my own issues, and my grandma was very aware of that.  She and I talked a lot on the phone while she was going through chemotherapy.  The treatment was keeping her from sleeping so she would call me.  She was so worried about me and praying that God would improve my situation.  I was worried about her and praying that God would heal her.  We were each going through our own struggles.  They were completely different, but they made us feel the same.  You see a trial is a trail.  It may look different, but the feelings are the same.  I find it amazing that in a time when I should have been comforting my grandma, she was comforting me.  I believe that God knew that she and I both needed something else to focus on while we were going through our own trials.  My grandma didn’t focus as much on her cancer because she was thinking of me, and I didn’t focus as much on my own struggle because I was thinking of her.  

God wants us to serve our fellowman.  We have each been given that job.  We are supposed to support each other, pray for each other, and build each other up.  When we do so, we not only bless the person we are helping, we bless ourselves as well.  God knew that my grandma and I needed each other.  The reason was not even remotely the same, but He knew that we needed to comfort each other.  I know that my grandma certainly comforted me during that time, and I hope that in some way I comforted her too.  I cannot express to you how important it is that we help each other.  

That is what God wants.  He has given all of us unique talents and gifts to better equip us to do His work.  Even when we are struggling ourselves, God wants us to reach out to others and help them.  I truly believe it is part of the healing process and that it is a win-win situation.  

We never know what a phone call, email, text, or card can do to lift someone’s spirit.  We all need to know that we are not alone and that someone identifies with our struggles.  Of course we always have God.  He will never leave us, and He will always comfort us, but He wants us to rely on the people He has placed in our lives too.  

So, the next time you are going through a struggle and you think you are alone and the only one having a difficult time, think of my grandma.  She could have turned inwardly and been only concerned about herself, but she reached out to others, and in the process helped herself.  God truly wants us to be at peace, and He has given us so many ways to achieve it.  Helping others is one enormous way of receiving and giving that peace.  So, go out and help someone.  It will bring you and the other person a lot of peace, and PEACE MATTERS.  

~Dan~

One last thing . . . if you are experiencing any kind of issues with your colon or experiencing any abdominal pain, see your doctor.  If your doctor does not seem concerned, see another doctor.  Insist on having a colonoscopy.  It could very possibly save your life.      

This picture of my grandma and me was taken on her 89th birthday.  

Life Lessons I Learned From my Grandma: Breast Cancer

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a very special relationship with my grandma.  She and I have had a close relationship all of my life.  We have spent a lot of time together laughing and talking about life.  My grandma turned 90 years old this week, and I believe that she has had an amazing life.  She has experienced many trials during her life, but she has faced them with a smile on her face, joy in her heart, and an unwavering faith in God.  I have learned so much from my grandma, and I believe you can too.  So, I have decided to commemorate her 90th birthday by sharing a few stories about my grandma’s life with you.  I hope these stories will show you how her faith has brought her through the difficult times that she has experienced.  I will be posting everyday this week and every post will be stories of how God has been with my grandma throughout her life.  I believe the stories will help you to see how God can work in all of our lives and how we can achieve peace through every experience we encounter with His help.  Having such a wonderful grandmother in my life has brought me immeasurable peace and PEACE MATTERS.  

Breast Cancer

In 1980, 640,000 women in America were diagnosed with breast cancer. Unfortunately my grandma, Ruth Cutsinger, was among them.  It all started on July 4, 1980.  My grandparents always had a big family reunion at their lake house to celebrate the day.  It was a big event, and my grandparents planned most of the summer for the special day.  My grandma was always very busy in the days leading up to the 4th.  On the morning of the 4th, she was getting ready to start her busy day when she found a lump in her breast.  She was fifty-four years old.  We all know enough about breast cancer to know how terrifying a discovery this must have been for her.  I am sure her mind began to race, and the fear of the unknown set in very quickly.  I can only imagine the thoughts that raced through her mind that morning.  “I can’t be sick”, “I am sure it is nothing”, or “What am I going to do now?” may have been some of the first thoughts she had.  

However, my grandma, being the strong woman she is, went on with her day.  She hosted the party that everyone was expecting, and she was happy, smiling, and laughing most of the day.  After most of the guests had left, my grandma took my mom, Darlene, in the bathroom and showed her the lump.  I can only imagine the fear my mom felt that evening as she realized that her mom might be sick.  I am sure she was gripped with the realization that she may have to give her mom up to this dreaded disease.  However, my mom, being the strong woman she is, rallied around my grandma, and they devised a plan.  My grandma immediately went to see Dr. Fox.  He did some preliminary tests and then scheduled her for a biopsy.  He told her if it turned out to be cancer, they would take care of it while she was under anesthesia.  

The day of the biopsy, my grandma went into the hospital not knowing what her fate was.  She would not know until she woke up.  She could wake to find that the lump was benign and that she was fine, or she could wake to discover that she did indeed have breast cancer.  When my grandma did wake up, her worst fears were realized.  She did in fact have breast cancer and Dr. Fox had performed a radical mastectomy.  He also removed several of her lymph nodes because they showed signs of cancer as well.  It would have been very easy for my grandma to become discouraged and lose faith, but she had been through tough times before, and God had always been with her, so she faced this trial with the same dignity with which she had faced all the others.  

She also faced it with humor.  This is something which my grandma does extremely well.  My mom tells the story of how she was at my grandma’s house helping her recover from her surgery.  My mom made the bed and left one of the pillows off so that my grandma could use it on the couch.  When my grandma walked by the bedroom, she dryly said, “It looks like that bed had a mastectomy.”  When my grandma went to be fitted with a prosthetic, she did so with a sense of humor.  My mom says that she and my grandma laughed uncontrollably that day.  My mom said she sat in amazement watching my grandma.  Here she was a relatively young woman who had just lost her breast and she was laughing and making jokes.  Her actions that day brought my mom a lot of comfort, and my grandma turned what could have been a traumatic day into a good memory that my mom has always remembered.  

God blessed my grandma in so many ways, but he blessed her with a sense of humor that has sustained her through some of her most difficult times.  He blessed her with the ability to smile through the pain and comfort others when she was the one who really needed to be comforted.  In so doing, she received more comfort than anyone else could have given her.  Her positive attitude was contagious, and no one could be sad or worried when they were around her.  God had given my grandma His hope and peace long before she had to endure this newest trial.  He had taught her through example that He was in control and that all she had to do was lay her worries at His feet.  

This is what God wants all of us to do.  He wants us to face each challenge with faith, hope, and peace.  He wants us to trust Him and let Him be in control.  He wants us to comfort others and be an example of what a person who possesses His peace acts like.  Nothing is too big for God and in turn, nothing is too big for us if we have God with us.  He promises that He will never leave us or forsake us, even in our final hour.  He will carry us through the trials in our lives and will give us the peace that will sustain us.  When we have God’s peace, we can truly face anything.  We can face every trial with the knowledge that He is in control and it will make those trials not seem so big and, we will be an example to other people.  Thankfully, my grandma made a full recovery from her breast cancer, and it did not return.  She is 90 years old now and is still living her life with a smile on her face, joy in her heart, and faith in her spirit.  She would face other trials, but her faith would not waiver.  

So, the next time you face a challenge that you think seems too big to overcome, think of my grandma.  Put a smile on your face, make a joke, and have faith that God is in control.  Believe that all things are possible through Him and let Him lead the way.  It will bring you peace even in your darkest hour, and PEACE MATTERS.   

~Dan~

Life Lessons I Learned From my Grandma: A Love Story

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a very special relationship with my grandma.  She and I have had a close relationship all of my life.  We have spent a lot of time together laughing and talking about life.  My grandma turned 90 years old this week, and I believe that she has had an amazing life.  She has experienced many trials during her life, but she has faced them with a smile on her face, joy in her heart, and an unwavering faith in God.  I have learned so much from my grandma, and I believe you can too.  So, I have decided to commemorate her 90th birthday by sharing a few stories about my grandma’s life with you.  I hope these stories will show you how her faith has brought her through the difficult times that she has experienced.  I will be posting everyday this week and every post will be stories of how God has been with my grandma throughout her life.  I believe the stories will help you to see how God can work in all of our lives and how we can achieve peace through every experience we encounter with His help.  Having such a wonderful grandmother in my life has brought me immeasurable peace and PEACE MATTERS.  

Norman Cutsinger

My grandma, Ruth Cutsinger, is 90 years old, and she has been in love with the same man all of her life.  Some of you may be thinking that seems pretty normal, but the man she has been in love with all these years is not my grandpa.  Kind of changes things, doesn’t it?  Just sit back and listen to her story.  

When my grandma was very young, she met a boy at church.  His name was Norman Cutsinger.  She loved him very much, and he loved her too.  They really thought they would get married one day, but you see, Norman’s family didn’t think my grandma was good enough for him.  My grandma came from a very poor family and Norman’s family looked down on them.  It didn’t stop him from loving my grandma, but it made things very difficult.  Norman loved his grandma very much, and she advised him to stay away from my grandma, and then his mother died during childbirth when he was 18.  These events greatly affected Norman, and he decided to move to Colorado to live with his aunt.  Not only did he move to Colorado, he married someone else.  This devastated my grandma.  She could not understand what happened.  She thought that Norman loved her like she loved him.  She was unaware of the pressure that he was getting from his family, so she thought she was the problem.  She thought she was not good enough to love.  

After Norman got married and moved away, my grandma followed suit and married my grandpa.  My grandpa was a good man, but his relationship with my grandma was never very good.  I think in some ways, he could never be Norman, so they were doomed from the start.  They tried to make a life together and stuck it out through the good times and bad.  They had three children, the oldest a boy, Paul Jerry, died before he was two.  Then my aunt Pauletta was born and finally my mom, Darlene.  When my grandma was pregnant with my mom, Norman moved back.  You see, his marriage had not been good either, and after trying to make things work for several years, he is his wife divorced, and he moved back home.  My grandma saw him one day, but at that time she was still married to my grandpa, and she was getting ready to have another baby.  

Eleven years later, in 1960, my grandparents decided the best thing for them to do was end their 18-year marriage.  My grandma took my aunt and mom and moved into an apartment.  My grandma did not have any money, but there were people placed in her path to assist her.  Her mother kept telling my grandma that she needed to call Norman, but she was afraid and hesitated.  Her mother kept insisting and even said she would pay for the phone call.  So, one day, my grandma mustered all her courage and called Norman.  When he answered, she asked him if he remembered her.  He said yes, but he told her she was several years late.  My grandma immediately thought that she had made a mistake, and that she should not have called Norman; however, he told her that he was still single.  She told him they should get together sometime.  Norman said that maybe they should, but he was very non-committal.  

Several weeks went by and my grandma grew very impatient and was beginning to lose hope.  Then one day while she was cleaning the floors in the apartment and not looking her best, there was a knock on the door.  The date was April 1, 1961 and that knock would change all of our lives.  When she answered the door, there stood Norman.  Everything seemed to fit into place all at once.  He had come back into her life after all those years, and they still very much loved each other.  They picked up right where they had left off and were married on April 20, 1961.  

This drastically changed my grandma, aunt, and mom’s life.  They had a stable, loving home, they had plenty of money, and they had a man who loved them more than anything in the world.  The events of that day in April changed my life too.  Had Norman not come into my grandma’s life, my mom and dad would have never met, and I would have never been born.  I would have not known what it was like to have a grandpa, and what a grandpa he was.  No kid could have ever had a better one.  There were no steps in our family, just love.  My grandma was married to Norman until he died in 1998.  They had a wonderful life together, and he took care of her.  In fact, he is still taking care of her, and has made sure that she is comfortable and secure in her old age.  It is funny how life works out sometimes.  There are many times that we may find what we need when we are young, but we are not ready to receive it.  If we did receive it, we would not appreciate it.  Sometimes we have to experience how difficult things can be when we go the wrong direction in our lives to appreciate how right everything feels when we go the right direction.  

God teaches us these lessons everyday.  We have all wanted something immediately.  When we do not get it, we do not understand why.  It upsets us, challenges our faith, and makes us question God.  It may be something that we need, but God is not ready to give it to us.  It’s not that He wants to be unkind, but He wants us to be patient.  There is a lesson in the waiting, and God wants to teach us that.  There is also a lesson in the receiving of a gift after wanting it so long.  If we did not wait and work for something, we would not appreciate it as much. We would have missed some of the blessings and faith builders that were on the path to finally having what we had wanted all along.  God wants us to be patient.  He wants us to have faith in Him and truly believe that His timing is perfect.  He wants us to have the desires of our hearts, but he wants us to be in the position to receive them and appreciate them.  He wants us to see that He aligned our path perfectly to receive the gift.  

So, if you are waiting for or wanting something, and you cannot understand why God has not provided it yet, think of my grandma.  She wanted something for most of her life, but God was not ready for her to receive it.  When she was ready to receive it, she was older and wiser and could truly appreciate that gift.  She could see God’s hand in leading her to the gift.  It made her a stronger person, it taught her to be patient, and it strengthened her walk with God.  It also brought her unimaginable peace and gave her a firm foundation to face the trials in her life that were yet to come.  So, be patient with God.  Let Him lead the way.  Trust His timing and get ready to receive the peace that He wants all of us to have because PEACE MATTERS.  

~Dan ~

This picture of my Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Norman was taken after their wedding in 1961.  They were finally back together and they were both so happy.  

Life Lessons I Learned From my Grandma: The Loss of a Son

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a very special relationship with my grandma.  She and I have had a close relationship all of my life.  We have spent a lot of time together laughing and talking about life.  My grandma turns 90 years old today, and I believe that she has had an amazing life.  She has experienced many trials during her life, but she has faced them with a smile on her face, joy in her heart, and an unwavering faith in God.  I have learned so much from my grandma, and I believe you can too.  So, I have decided to commemorate her 90th birthday by sharing a few stories about my grandma’s life with you.  I hope these stories will show you how her faith has brought her through the difficult times that she has experienced.  I will be posting everyday this week and every post will be stories of how God has been with my grandma throughout her life.  I believe the stories will help you to see how God can work in all of our lives and how we can achieve peace through every experience we encounter with His help.  Having such a wonderful grandmother in my life has brought me immeasurable peace and PEACE MATTERS.  

Paul Jerry

My grandma, Ruth Cutsinger, married my grandpa, Paul Van Eckhout, on February 14, 1942 when she was only sixteen years old.  She married my grandpa right after WW II started.  It was a scary time in the history of our country, but it has often been said that that generation was the bravest of any that has ever lived, and I believe that is true. 

Not long after my grandparents were married, my grandma become pregnant.  She gave birth to the first of her three children on May 30th, 1943.  The baby born that day was a boy whom they named Paul Jerry Van Eckhout.  My grandma was overjoyed with the birth of her son.  He was a big boy from the start, and as the months went by he continued to grow.  My grandpa was stationed overseas, so my grandma and Paul Jerry spent a lot of time with my great-grandma.  During the winter of 1945, Paul Jerry became ill.  He didn’t seem to be getting better, and the doctor could not explain why.  The doctor seemed to think that Paul Jerry had a cold, but my grandma felt differently.  She worried about Paul Jerry, but he slowly seemed to be getting better and he was growing, so she trusted that everything would be okay.  

On February 27, 1945, Paul Jerry was sitting on the floor playing.  He was picking up clothespins and placing them in a Mason jar.  He stopped playing and reached for my great-grandma.  She picked him up, and he died in her arms.  I cannot even begin to imagine my grandma’s pain and grief.  Here she was a 19-year-old girl.  Her husband was away fighting in a war from which he may not return home, and her son had just died in front of her.  My grandma had to bury Paul Jerry by herself since my Grandpa was unable to come home for the funeral.  She did have her mother with her and I am sure that helped, but she had to feel so alone and devastated as she laid her little boy to rest.  They say that losing a child is one of the worst events that anyone can experience.  There seems to be no meaningful explanation when something like that happens.  

I am sure that my grandma questioned why God would take Paul Jerry away from her.  I am sure she felt alone and that her life was over.  I am sure she struggled with what God’s plan was for her life at that point.  She may have even been angry with God for forcing her to go through such a terrible trail, but she did go on.  She showed the strength that the rest of her generation had, and she kept going because she had been taught to do so.  She kept going because she had been taught to trust God and to have faith in His plan for her life.   The events of that day in 1945 have haunted my grandma all of her life.  She is 90 years old, and she has never gotten over losing Paul Jerry, but she has continued to live her life and, God has certainly blessed her for that.  She has continued to praise God and do His work in spite of the many trials she has had to face.  That is not to say that she has not questioned God and wondered why Paul Jerry had to die.  

She did make peace with it one Christmas Day, however.  It was in the early nineties, almost fifty years after Paul Jerry died, and she was praying.  My grandma, like all of us, gets a little sentimental on Christmas and she was thanking God for all the blessings in her life.  She began thinking about Paul Jerry and wondering why God had taken him from her.  God spoke to her and told my grandma that had Paul Jerry lived, he would have been the right age to have to fight in the Vietnam War.  She knew how terrible that would have been for her and she would have had to deal with the worry of her son not returning from a war.  I am sure my grandma still would have rather had Paul Jerry with her though, and then God reminded her about how many grandsons she had.  You see the next two children my grandma had were girls.  She never had another son, and she often wondered why, but God had blessed her with five grandsons.  God said to her that day, “I may have taken Paul Jerry from you, but I gave you five boys to help take his place.” 

I remember listening to my grandma tell this story that Christmas morning and how she was filled with joy at her revelation.  I couldn’t help but be reminded of Job in the Bible.  God allowed terrible things to happen to Job, but he praised God anyway and God blessed him with far more than he had ever lost.  My grandma continued to praise God when she lost Paul Jerry and God blessed her with far more than she had ever had.  That is what God wants all of us to do.  He wants us to trust Him and have faith that He knows what is best for us.  Even when we cannot understand why something so terrible could happen to us, he wants us to praise Him anyway and give Him thanks for everything that happens in our lives, the good and the bad, and He will bless us for it.  

So as you go through your daily life and things happen that you do not understand, no matter how small or big, I want you to remember my grandma and the millions of people like her.  I want all of us to remember that God is in control and that we should continue to praise Him no matter what trials may come our way.  If we can praise Him in all things, the love He has for us will sustain us and give us peace, and PEACE MATTERS.   

~Dan~

Delays

Who of us has not experienced delays in one form or another? They often seem to come at the worst moment when we are stretched for time.  Delays can come in many forms.  We can be stopped by a train, get behind a slow driver, there can be a long line at the grocery store, someone can be paying with change, or an elderly person can be having a difficult time writing a check.  When we get in these situations, we often become frustrated.  We can feel our blood pressure rising, and we can feel ourselves getting angry.  We have put such an emphasis on time, and our lives have become so busy that we often do not allow ourselves enough time to get to our desired location without experiencing stress.  

God does not want us to have stress in our lives.  I know that stress seems to be an unavoidable part of life, but how we deal with stress will help us manage it.  God wants us to have peace.  He wants us to have peace in every situation that we encounter.  He does not want us to become angry and wants us to deal with delays with a peaceful heart.  This sounds impossible, doesn’t it? 

But consider this.  There will be at least one time in your life, when a delay will keep you safe.  As we all know, life is very fragile.  Our lives can change in the blink of an eye.  None of us really knows how close we have come to being involved in a horrific accident had we arrived on the scene a second earlier.  The delays we experience may indeed be saving our lives.  When you think of it that way, it kind of puts a whole new spin on things doesn’t it?  

So the next time you are experiencing a delay in your day, whatever it may be, stay calm, breathe easy and do not get angry. Smile to yourself and think, “This delay may be saving my life.”  It will put everything in a different perspective, and it will bring you peace in an otherwise stressful situation.  It has been said that God works in mysterious ways, and delays are just one aspect of that mystery.  When we are at peace, we can focus more on the good in life.  We can go through our day with a cheerful heart and overcome the daily stresses that we encounter.  

So the next time someone delays you, think to yourself, “Thank you for delaying me today. You may have just saved my life.”  Being grateful for delays and understanding that they may very well be doing you a favor will bring even more peace to your life, and PEACE MATTERS.  

~Dan~

Peace

This world has been trying to find peace for centuries.  In fact, every human on this planet has spent most of his or her life searching for peace.  We have fought for it, we have protested for it, we have written about it, we have sung about it, and we have prayed for it.  It seems that we strive for peace, but we never quite get it.  I believe that peace has to start within each person.  Once a person achieves peace, it can spread to another person and another person and so on.  The problem with achieving peace is that there are many outside forces working against us.  There is so much negativity in our world that it is difficult to find peace.  We find ourselves being dragged down by the bad news in the world and in our lives.  However, true peace means that we can see or experience the bad and still be at peace.  I look at peace like a security blanket that we can wrap ourselves in.  

Another way to look at peace is to use the egg drop challenge from science class that many of us have done as an example.  For those of you who do not know what I am referring to, it is the assignment in which an egg is dropped from a high elevation with the goal of not breaking it. The egg is wrapped in all sorts of soft materials.  It is sometimes even given a parachute to ease its landing. Once the egg has been protected, it is dropped, and if it does not break, the experiment is considered a success.  The peace that we can get from God is very much like the soft material that we wrap the egg in.  God wants to wrap us in his peace and even though bad things may happen, his peace will insulate us and keep us from breaking.  It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?  

You may be wondering how you can achieve the type of peace where the bad and negative things of this world do not break you.  The first and most logical answer is to lean on God and to trust Him and let Him be in control.  So many times we think that we are in control and that we can achieve peace on our own.  We have to work at achieving peace.  We first have to surrender our problems to God.  That is what He wants, and that is why He is there.  We have to trust that He is with us and that He is in control.  We have to stop trying to control everything in our lives.  We have to stop fighting to get our way and find the peace that comes from giving the control to God.  We also have to thank God for all of our blessings.  A grateful heart is a peaceful heart.  If we begin to be grateful for all the things that bring us happiness, we will start to feel the peace that God wants for our lives.  

To achieve peace we have to trust God.  We have to stop trying to control everything and everybody, and we have to have a grateful heart and thank God for all the blessings that we have in our lives.  Sounds simple doesn’t it?  It is harder than it appears to be, but we can do it.  We will have to start small and we will have to train our brains to think in a different way, but it can be done.  All God really wants is for us to have hope and peace.  He wants us to trust Him and to let him be in control.  He wants us to thank Him for the good and the bad in our lives.  When we do this, the blanket of peace that He wants to give us will be ours and the security of that peace will make our lives so much better.  If we can achieve peace within ourselves, it will spread and it will keep spreading and soon maybe peace will dominate our lives instead of being a goal that we never achieve.  I know that I am going to try a little harder to have this type of peace in my life and I hope you will do the same because PEACE MATTERS.    

~Dan~

The Puzzle

I believe that life is like one great big puzzle.  When we are in our mother’s womb, all the pieces are neatly packed away and waiting to be put together.  Everything is taken care of for us and we have no worries.  When we are born, this is the time that the pieces are dumped out on the table.  We spend the first several years of our lives turning the pieces over and attempting to organize them.  Thankfully, this is the time that our parents are helping us.  They help us understand that life comes in pieces and they help us turn each piece over so that we can see that there is a purpose for each piece.  

As we continue to grow, each of us realizes that the pieces are meant to be put together and that each piece only fits in its proper place.  We start searching for how to place each piece together.  In the beginning it is more of a game, and we do it haphazardly.  As we mature the need to make each of the pieces fit together to make a whole begins to grow stronger.  We are no longer satisfied with just getting two pieces to fit together.  We want the entire puzzle to make an image that will tell us the direction of our lives.  We often want to jump ahead and finish the puzzle before it is time.  We become frustrated if the pieces do not fit together easily and quickly.  

Often we elicit the help of others to make the pieces fit.  Sometimes these people are well-intentioned, and they do help us make some of the pieces fit together.  Other times, however, these people are not helpful.  They encourage us to place the wrong pieces together in an attempt to force them to fit.  Sometimes these people attempt to take some of our pieces and try to make them fit into their own puzzle.  This causes us to lose some of our pieces, and we realize that with these people in our lives the puzzle will never be complete.  Often when people encounter such struggles, they give up, and the puzzle sits incomplete on the table for many years.  

Eventually, we realize that we need to resume working on the puzzle.  We begin again, sometimes having to start all over.  We find all of the missing pieces and slowly begin to place them back together.  As each piece comes together, we can start to see the direction that our life is supposed to take.  As the puzzle nears completion and the number of pieces left on the table begins to dwindle, we start having confidence that we are doing the right thing.  It is our job to keep working on our puzzle and not to get in a hurry.  Soon, working on our puzzle becomes something we look forward to doing every single day.  It may take years to get the puzzle to fit together, but we become okay with that and realize that we should celebrate each time we get a piece to fit in its proper place.  We realize that the puzzle is a lesson for us.  It teaches us to be patient, it teaches us to try to make each piece fit and when it doesn’t, it teaches us to keep working.  You see if two pieces do not fit together perfectly, the puzzle will not be right.  

We can apply this principle to our own lives.  We sometimes get in a hurry and want the secret of life to be revealed to us.  When it isn’t, we become discouraged and want to quit or force the pieces together.  God wants us to be patient and to lean on Him.  He will help us put the pieces together, and He will bring people into our lives to help us figure out the difficult pieces.  He does not want us to get ahead of ourselves.  If we completed the puzzle in one day, we would not appreciate the journey and we would not learn anything from it.  We also could never help someone with his or her puzzle if we did not learn anything from putting our own puzzle together.  

So, take your time.  Have patience and continue working on your puzzle even when you get frustrated. Look to the people who have been placed in your life to help you.  Listen to your heart and rely on God.  With that combination, your puzzle will begin to fit together and you will have peace, and PEACE MATTERS.    

~Dan~