Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Monday, May 26, 2014
Precious Memories How They Linger
PRECIOUS MEMORIES
OCTOBER 2013:
I SPENT A MONTH AT MAMA AND DADDY'S. IT WAS RAINING WHEN I GOT THERE AND A BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW WAS HOVERING OVER THEIR HOME, CASTING A GLORIOUS HUE, ALMOST HEAVENLY. RAINBOWS ARE A SIGN IN THE BIBLE OF GOD'S PROMISE TO KEEP HIS WORD. THE BIBLE SAYS ...HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US NOR FORSAKE US. I KNEW GOD WAS SHOWING ME THAT HE WAS WITH MY MAMA AND DADDY, AND MY FAMILY NOW AND IN THE DAYS AHEAD. MAMA HAS ALZHEIMER'S, SO THEY SAY, CHRONIC LUNG PROBLEMS, AND ARTHRITIS IN HER BACK. A COUPLE YEARS AGO SHE HAD A STROKE BUT BOUNCED BACK. GOD HAS BEEN WITH MY MAMA WATCHING OVER HER SINCE SHE WAS A CHILD, AT A TIME WHEN DOCTORS MADE HOUSE CALLS, A DOCTOR TOLD MY GRANDMA THAT THEY COULD NOT SAVE HER...HAVING HAD WEAK LUNGS AND HAVING HAD PNEUMONIA A COUPLE TIMES ALREADY IN HER YOUNG LIFE...SHE WAS SLIPPING AWAY, WHEN A CHRISTIAN LADY WHO WAS THERE, SHOUTED 'NO' AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD ROSE UP IN HER AND SHE BEGAN TO PRAY. NEEDLESS TO SAY, MAMA SURVIVED. ANOTHER DOCTOR GAVE HER A SIMILAR PROGNOSIS WHEN SHE WAS A YOUNG WOMAN, TELLING HER SHE WOULD VERY LIKELY NOT REACH THE AGE OF 60YRS OLD. WELL, MAMA IS 81YRS OLD, AND HAS BEAT THE ODDS MANY TIMES IN HER LIFE.
I LAY MANY A NIGHT AT MY PARENTS HOUSE, WHEN IT WAS QUIET, BEFORE GOING TO BED, TEARS FLOWING QUIETLY DOWN MY CHEEKS AS I PRAYED FOR MY PARENTS THAT GOD WOULD WATCH OVER THEM AND BE WITH THEM, GIVE THEM STRENGTH AND HELP OUR WHOLE FAMILY BE PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE. IT WAS A TIME WHEN I HELD MY MAMA'S HAND, WHEN WE LAUGHED, WE CRIED, AND JUST ABOUT EVERY NIGHT, I WOULD TUCK MY MAMA INTO BED, KNEEL BY HER AND TALK, AND I WOULD LAY MY HAND ON HER HEAD AND CHEST AND PRAY. I WOULD GIVE HER A MASSAGE AND MAKE SURE SHE WAS COMFORTABLE. I WOULD KISS MY DADDY ON THE HEAD AND SAY GOODNIGHT. OH, HOW I LOVE AND CHERISH THEM.
THIS IS THEIR DECK AND WAS TAKEN WITH THAT WONDERFUL GOLDEN HUE FROM THE STORM AND RAINBOW. UNDER THIS IS A VIDEO OF THE VIEW TO THE SIDE OF ME WHERE THE STORM CELLAR IS. DADDY FEEDS THE BIRDS DAILY...AND THERE ARE CARDINAL, BLUE JAYS AT TIMES, AND A EUROPEAN DOVE. IT'S SO PEACEFUL HERE. DADDY PLAYS THE MANDOLIN ON THE DECK WHEN IT IS WARM (AND SOMETIMES SMOKES A CIGAR).
DADDY PLAYING HIS MANDOLIN ON THE DECK, ONE OF HIS FAVORITE PLACES TO BE. HIS OWN LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN WITH ALL HIS FLOWERS AND BIRDS.
LISTENING TO THE BIRDS ON THE DECK:
THOSE BIRDS LOVE MY DAD
AND I LOVE LISTENING TO THEM
WHEN I AM THERE DURING WARMER DAYS 
DADDY GIVES MAMA A FLOWER FROM HIS GARDEN
THEIR QUAINT LITTLE HOUSE ON THE CORNER AND DADDY'S BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS...HE IS ALWAYS WORKING IN HIS GARDEN...
.
MAMA SITTING ON THE FRONT OF THE PORCH, SHE WASN'T FEELING WELL, BUT SHE WAS A REAL TROOPER...ALLOWING ME TO TAKE SOME PICTURES BEFORE GOING INTO THE HOUSE TO REST
VANDER H. ATWELL
NONALU ATWELL (RAMEY)
WHILE VISITING I FELT GOD WANTED ME TO PAINT MY MAMA'S KITCHEN 'WHITE', AS WELL AS HER LAUNDRY/PANTRY AREA, AS THIS WAS SOMETHING SHE HAD WANTED FOR A LONG TIME. SHE WAS SO EXCITED AND SO BLESSED AND WAS TELLING EVERYONE, THAT SHE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. HER KITCHEN WENT FROM A PEA SOUP GREEN TO A WHITE WHICH COMPLIMENTED HER BLUE WILLOW AND HER COBALT BLUE. SHE ALWAYS DECORATED ON A DIME, BUT HER HOUSE LOOKED LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A COUNTRY MAGAZINE. I WILL NEVER FORGET THE LOOK AND THE PLEASURE ON HER FACE...AND HOW SHE LIT UP WHEN IT WAS ALL DONE. I LOVE MY MAMA'S SMILE AND THE GREATEST FEELING IN THE WORLD IS TO SEE HER HAPPY. I THINK I WAS MORE BLESSED THAN SHE WAS.
LOVE MY DADDY...
LOVE MY MAMA...
So, This is the song that has been on my heart....and one that my parents are very familiar with, an old song but fresh in my heart and my mind as memories come flooding back to me. I guess as we get older we often will come to a place where we come to the realization that ...Hey, I'm not so young any more and time is MORE precious than ever. I think of the times I 'didn't call', or my 'life' was so busy with raising my own family...that I forgot that there are those I cherish, love and hold dear to my heart but ...I just thought they would be with me forever and that I had lots of time. So the last few years...I've been making the trek home (to my parents)...squeezing out every minute, savoring every hug, just sitting in the room with them, painting a kitchen/ laundry room, mingling with the kin folk, going to hear my daddy play the Mandolin at various places, eating at the Senior Citizen's Home, holding my mama's hand, reading my daddy's wonderfully well written articles....loving those precious memories...
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT TOMORROW
The Home Coming 2012
DERON AND DADDY
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from it's sunshine
For its skies may turn to grey.
I don't worry o'er the future
For I know what Jesus said.
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.
Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.
Every step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb;
Every burden's getting lighter,
Every cloud is silver-lined.
VONDA AND MAMA
KELVIN AND VONDA
There the sun is always shiningThere no tear will dim the eye;
At the ending of the rainbow
Where the mountains touch the sky
Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.
KAREN AND VONDA
I don't know about tomorrow;It may bring me poverty.
But the one who feeds the sparrow,
Is the one who stands by me.
And the path that is my portion
May be through the flame or flood;
But His presence goes before me
And I'm covered with His blood.
Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand...
THE GATHERING (2012)
CELEBRATING OUR PARENTS 61ST ANNIVERSARY AS WELL CELEBRATING MY OTHER BROTHER'S (KELVIN-PICTURED ABOVE IN THIS VIDEO) 50TH BIRTHDAY. IT WAS A BITTERSWEET TIME AS WE HAD GATHERED AT DADDY'S REQUEST, THINKING IT MIGHT BE ONE OF THE LAST TIMES WE AS A FAMILY WOULD BE ABLE TO BE TOGETHER TO SEE MAMA WHO WAS RECOVERING FROM A STROKE, ALZHEIMER'S AND CHRONIC HEALTH ISSUES. . THIS GATHERING WAS PLANNED IN ADVANCE BY OUR DAD AND LITTLE DID WE KNOW THAT THE DAY THE AIRLINE TICKETS WERE BOUGHT , THAT VERY NIGHT MY SISTERS SON, BRYAN WOULD WALK INTO ETERNITY DUE TO A TRAGIC ACCIDENT. WE LOVED, WE LAUGHED AND WE CRIED...IT WAS MEANT TO BE. THAT WAS IN DECEMBER OF 2012. MAMA AT THIS WRITING IS STILL HANGING IN THERE, CONTINUES TO BE FRAGILE...DADDY IS DEVOTED TO HER. THOUGH HER MEMORY IS FADING SOME AT THE WRITING OF THIS...SHE TELLS ME ALL THE TIME HOW GOOD DADDY IS TO HER. HOW MUCH HE LOVES HER AND HOW MUCH SHE LOVES HIM. THEY WORRY ABOUT EACH OTHER. I SEE LOVE IN ACTION AND I TRULY BELIEVE THERE IS A LOVE THAT IS STRONGER AT THE END OF LIFE THAN AT THE BEGINNING. I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN WITH MY PARENTS AND I AM OVERWHELMED WITH GRATITUDE...
~MOM AND DAD~
LOVE YOU
MAY 21, 2015, 5PM, MY PRECIOUS MAMA WENT HOME TO GLORY.
I LOVE YOU, MAMA, I'LL SEE YOU 'TOMORROW'. xxoo
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Confessions of a Plant Killer :)
So, my sweet husband gave me a wonderful Valentine's gift and card! After about 35 years of marriage he finally is starting to 'get' it. He went to a well known florist shop and picked up a plant. It was a beautiful philodendron type plant. At first I felt a little disappointed, not because I didn't appreciate the gift, mind you, but I am a known plant killer. Give me anything that is living in a pot and 98-99% of the time it will probably not live past one year, if even that. I am surprised that I have not been locked up for 'plant abuse' by the 'are you taking care of your plant police,' or at the least had them confiscated! The sad truth is, no matter how hard I try, I usually kill my unsuspecting plants by either drowning them, or forgetting to water them altogether until one day I (or more likely my sweet husband) end up noticing the drooping/brown leaves and dry soil.
It was a thing of contention between us at times. He also mentioned to me that the sales lady who sold him the plant said to him upon the purchase: Oh, so you're wife is like me, she kills plants! What a marvelous admission and a wonderful freeing thing to know that I am not the only 'brown thumb' in a world full of 'green thumbed' people. I no longer have to hide my 'shame.' No longer will I need to sneak a dead or dying plant out of the house and into the garbage can. No longer will I have to make excuses why I didn't water or over watered a plant. No longer will I have to hang my head in shame when asked, what happened to that beautiful plant I gave you? This was indeed a beautiful Valentine's Day! I married the most thoughtful and loving man in the world (and just think of ALL the real flowers/plants he saved from a slow and agonizing death). My husband is indeed my hero and always will be. I do have one itty bitty concern though, how often do I need to dust my wonderful plant? Hmmm....perhaps it would be better to just enjoy the moment...we'll tackle 'dust' another day. :) love, KarenThank you honey for always loving me.
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY
FINDING PEACE
I know most of us need PEACE in these trying times and often fear comes knocking at the door. Today I made a video and it has been ministering to me the peace of the Lord. Sometimes we just need to stop and sit at His feet. This Scripture has always been a favorite of mine...when my soul was weary...when I thought I was going down...when I thought I would not be able to get up I ran to Jesus, the Prince of Peace. He is the Healer, the Deliverer, He will guide us into safe harbor...
PSALM 18
1 I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield[b] and the horn[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.[d]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
22 All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
23 I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
24 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
27 You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28 You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
29 With your help I can advance against a troop[e];
with my God I can scale a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.
36 You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
39 You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the Lord, but he did not answer.
42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
I trampled them[f] like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
44 foreigners cower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
45 They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.
46 The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
47 He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
48 who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.
50 He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
to David and to his descendants forever.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Make Us One
~ Unity in the Body of Christ ~
WHO IS THE ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN? OH, LORD LET IT NOT BE ME. WE SO NEED TO RE-VISIT THIS IN OUR LIVES. IN THE LAST DAYS THE BIBLE SAYS ...THEY WILL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE..
.
Ephesians 4:1-6
4 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
There is a book that made a great impact on me several years ago written by Francis Frangipane, called The Three Battlegrounds. This is from that book...
" One may ask, " How shall the Kingdom of God come and what sort of people shall possess it?" The Kingdom of God will be seen inn a love-motivated people who know the power of prayer. For when they see a need, instead of judging one another, they intercede until they are built up into all aspects in Him Who is their head."
He gives Rom. 8:34, Heb. 7:25 as references and mentions that the Scripture says..."Jesus, ever lives to make intercession for the saints" He did not 'call' us to judge each other but to pray for one another.'
An example he gave in his own personal life was at a time he belonged to a national Christian organization that had a 'true vision from God, yet also had several serious problems.' I will write the rest of this passage from his book in his own words...
"At that time I was pastoring a small church and I felt perhaps we should leave this group because of what was wrong. Together, the congregation and I began to seek the Lord, with periods of fasting, for forty days. At the end of that time I wrote a "list" of complaints and, holding them before God, I prayed (somewhat self-righteously), Lord, what should we do?"
Immediately the Lord replied, " Have you seen these things?"
"Yes, Lord," I answered, "I have seen their sins."
To which He said, "So also have I, but I died for them, you go and do likewise."
(Francis Frangipane then goes on to say)
You see, we will always be serving in churches where things are wrong. Our response to what we see defines how Christlike we are actually becoming. If we see weakness in the body of Christ, our call is to be an example of virtue. When we discover fear, we must impart courage, and where there is worldliness, we must display holiness. Our call is to enter the place of intercession and stand there until the body of Christ is built up in that area."
Well, I tell you my friends, I have fallen short a few times more than I would like to admit, but I am pressing forward...because we need too...if we are going to become like Jesus, we need to really get a hold of this. God bless ♥
THEY WILL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE
~MAKE US ONE ~
Friday, September 21, 2012
MOVING ON
MOVING ON
Isaiah 43:18-21
18 “Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
20 The beast of the field will honor Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because I give waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My people, My chosen.
21 This people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My praise.
Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
20 The beast of the field will honor Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because I give waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My people, My chosen.
21 This people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My praise.
Well, it's been a little while since I posted. And I have decided the same scripture as before is still well suited for this blog. I think I have been evolving and moving on for a bit. :) Thought I would go to WordPress, but wasn't easy for me to figure out. A lot has happened since 9 months ago, some good, some 'not so ' good. This will be my blogging spot for now and my place to journal my thoughts and my life and my heart. My heart has ALWAYS been to follow after God and to reach out to my fellow man and share the love of the Lord. I was thinking about why I chose Heart2Heart (and it isn't original) is because people relate more when you can share from your heart, one on one. I want to be approachable. Jesus is approachable and loves me just the way I am, but He loves me too much to leave me this way. LOL Of, course, He never forces His will or ways on me. It is a matter of sitting and listening and obeying...and I sometimes struggle in all three of these areas. Life is very distracting to me at times.
I 'do' love to laugh but I cry easily also, and I am like everyone else...human. I would like to preserve some memories for family and friends and in truthfully, for me. I would like to be a LIGHT for Jesus in a dark world. So this is my journey and heart. I am a very random kind of personality, therefore my posts will not always follow a set theme...but through-out the tapestry that I weave...from my heart, I hope that the love of Jesus will show through.
Since I last posted, a few things happened.
1. I closed my main YT channel which I had had since 2006. I had been a Partner for a short while, then was click bombed by certain individuals (haters) and lost my ability to make money and my Partnership. lol, I made 100 dollars in about 1 yr. so it wasn't a big deal. I also was quite relieved as it was like a weight was lifted after the initial shock. The hardest thing to deal with was being attacked like that and the google people not really caring. Accused and convicted without a trial. But I am thankful it happened. The Other reason I closed it, is I got hurt and wounded by a situation and and was disappointed in myself more than anyone else. I felt like I needed to give it all up and hide for awhile...lay low, if you will and heal and refocus. I have two channels now one called http://www.youtube.com/user/Pureheart2heart and http://www.youtube.com/user/Pureheart2heart1. One is my vlogging and everyday life channel. The other is a mish mash of friends, family and various video's of friends...and my music edited video's. :)
2. I am now trying to learn the art of making and editing video's. They will not all be 'Christian,' but I do try and be selective and let the Lord shine through. I will share one here today. It is best edited video I have done so far. I want to love people and reach out...and my Christian friends love the Christian music...but so many can't relate. My husband and I have a dear friend, a stinker at times, lol, who heard me say one day, I wish I could do that...'make and edit film.' He then began to encourage me and help me, making instructional video's etc. What a treasure this man and his family have become for me and my family. My husband downloaded VegasPro11 onto my computer and between the two of them...I think they are wondering if they made a mistake at times...hahaha. I am NOT technical minded, though better than a 'few' of my friends and family my age. :)
Here is my last video...it was a dedication and thank you to another dear friend I met on Youtube...Molly. What an encourager and pure heart she is. I love her dearly. God bless you all (all 3 of you...hehehe) but nonetheless ...I appreciate all who happen to come by. :)
I am dedicating this song by Three Dog Night...to a dear and special friend, Molly. I loved this song as a teenager, and when my daddy would actually let me drive the car, I would ride around as teens will do, and play the radio ...hoping this song would come on. It really speaks of memories. Life goes by so fast and in the song it mentions a 'bouquet of memories'. We all have memory bouquets and my friend Molly is officially now a part of my bouquet of good memories, ♥
Friday, December 16, 2011
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