Hey Everybody! It’s nice to be writing a post again after a long break. Lately I’ve been thinking about Daddy and remembering past stories. He went home to be with Jesus 20 years ago today. I decided to stop my grieving, think about his love, his great sense of humor, and to Celebrate His Life! So today, I want to share a memory of Dad and hope to bring you a smile and some comfort in knowing our Heavenly Father too.

Absolute Trust…
Alabama summer is hot, sticky and full of gnats swarming in big groups. Heaven help when you happen to encounter those swarms! Those gnats can almost drive you nuts! On this particular day, Daddy had decided to cut down a dead tree. I was a little girl playing nearby in the yard and unfortunately encountered an irritating gnat swarm with one gnat landing in my eye and taking up residence there. Daddy came to the rescue quickly. He pulled the ever present pencil out of his shirt pocket and told me to be absolutely still and let him get the gnat out of my eye with the pencil lead end. I was terrified, in pain and struggling not to cry but, I obeyed because I didn’t want him to “poke my eye out” as we say here in Alabama. I won’t go into details because my Mother and Sister may read this and get sick (I’m a nurse and can handle gory details but I don’t want to make them sick). Anyway, Daddy successfully extracted that gnat and life moved on.

I know what some of you are thinking … “Lord have mercy! You can’t get away with that these days!” But here’s the thing…. Many years later, I got to thinking about how much I trusted my Daddy in spite of the fear of injury or punishment for not standing still and behaving!

Then the thought occurred to me that this particular incident laid a foundation for obeying and trusting my Heavenly Father absolutely, regardless of injury and/or punishment. In my life, all I need to do is just trust and obey my Heavenly Father. Just like the old hymn says, “Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, just to trust and obey.”

This past summer my sister asked me about having the health issues and disabilities that now make me so dependent on others and especially keep me home and somewhat isolated. My answer… Knowing that The Lord is always with me and I am never alone comforts me and allows me to face life with a positive attitude. It’s the Absolute Trust in my Heavenly Father that He may need to use the figurative lead end of the pencil to remove the gnat but I will stand still. Yes, I will “Trust and Obey.

Just sharing all of this today makes me smile. It comforts my heart to know that Daddy is in Heaven. Mama is still here. I am blessed beyond measure with wonderful family and friends. Daddy and Mama laid a foundation of trust in them and the Lord in many ways,… even a pencil lead 🙂. I am very thankful. God is so good!

Dear friends, I hope you know our Lord and trust Him completely with your life.

God bless you all!

Kim 💕

I actually started this post several weeks ago because, well, I needed to think on it. Today’s worship service helped me round up my thoughts and it reminded me that no matter what we experience, no matter how we hurt or grieve, God is with us. We sing the name Emmanuel, especially this time of year, but many folks don’t realize that Emmanuel means God with us.

The Christmas Season, is supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year” but for many who are grieving, lonely, sad, stressed, this is the hardest time of the year. A friend lost her husband to health issues not long ago and her grief process has been heartbreaking . She recently posted on social media about Endurance and Acceptance through this experience which spurred this post about my recent, and ongoing, loss, grief, endurance and acceptance.

Loss, Grief, Endurance and Acceptance …
But God is with us.

Grief is part of loosing a person, abilities or health…
But God knows when I hurt and He cares.

Grief is both physically and mentally exhausting …
But God helps me.

Grief is an individualized process…
But God sustains me.

And there are times of little hope that this life experience will improve…
But God is with me.

Sometimes I feel loss, and lost, and I grieve, and hurt…
But God comforts me.

I lost dear loved ones, health, and my ability to walk almost a year ago and now I’m learning to live with it…
But I Thank You God.

But God …

He is always with us, even when we don’t think so. He brings us to acceptance and endurance. He gives us the energy to focus on pursuing and serving Him. And God helps us to know that this phase of life, this loss will move to adjustment and hope.

And God helps me be able to persevere into the next phase of life, whether here on earth or in Glory with Him

And God comforts me to know that we, as believers in Him, will be reunited with loved ones. We will have new bodies. We will be with Him and our souls will be satisfied.

Thank You God

Almost 1 year ago, the doctor said I had to quit walking, get a wheelchair, and make a lot of other changes in daily living skills. During this past year, we lost my Mother in law, a dear aunt, and several friends. I was sad and disheartened and it took quite a while before I realized that my sadness was stemming from a lot of loss… I lost my ability to walk, my independence and abilities. I lost my ability to help my family and friends. I even had to realize that I could lose my feet to this condition. I am normally a cheerful person so being sad was foreign to me and disheartening. Finally, my nursing background and life experiences dawned in my brain reminding me that loss requires going through the grief process. I was grieving and it would take time to work through this.

But, in God, I always have Hope. I have been learning to live on wheels and to thank the Lord for those wheels. And I am remembering to be content and thankful in all things like Paul says in the Bible. I am especially thankful for a husband who encourages me instead of fusses at me when I put those marks on the walls 😊. And most recently, I’m thankful that the doctor sees slight improvement in my foot after months of rest…Thank You Lord!

I share this to not bring you down. But I want to share, and celebrate, the Hope and the Goodness of God Who is with us! I hope to encourage us all that God is always with us and He will help us. He will lead us through the hard times and He will comfort us. We all experience loss and grief in different ways. It is ok to grieve and be sad over time. Then, we should use the life lessons to draw us closer to God and to help others along the way. I hope this little bit of sharing will encourage and help you to rely on the Lord to comfort, grow and guide you through the hard times that seem to be even harder when others are celebrating.

Jesus was called Emmanuel, God with us. And Jesus promised that He would never leave or forsake us. Let’s rely on Him. As James in the Bible says, Let’s “draw near to Him and He will draw near to us”. He cares and He is always with us.

Thank you so much for reading and following along with Hope and a Dash of Humor and I pray you have a Blessed Christmas celebrating Emmanuel, God with us.

God Bless You!

Kim 💕🎄

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”

Proverbs 31: 30 NASB 1995

She laid comfortably in the nursing home bed and said she didn’t know why they had put her there. We tried to reassure her that the nurses probably wanted her to rest before supper and she agreed. She seemed so frail but her faith in the Lord was strong as she told us how thankful she was for us; for all of her good family.

I’m so thankful to have first seen my mother in law sitting up in the wheelchair eating lunch that day. It made the bed setting not quite so hard to see. She has been in assisted living for several years and I never once saw her in bed. She was always up walking with her Rolator or sitting in a wheelchair. But this past month hit her hard with an illness and hospitalization, then going to the nursing home. But that going to the nursing home permanently… now that has been really hard.

As we chatted, she reached out to my husband and me to hold our hands. We chatted a little longer and tried to offer words of encouragement and entertainment. She let go for a little while then reached out again, he on one side of the bed, me on the other. We chatted a bit more and when I finally hushed, in a soft, weak voice she started to pray…

“Dear Heavenly Father, we come to You today thanking You …”

She prayed the most beautiful, sincere prayer of thanks I have ever heard her pray. With her arms stretched out, holding our hands, I felt as if she had blessed us like the Patriarchs of old bestowed their blessings.

I love this precious, Godly lady and will always remember and treasure her blessing. Much to my shame now, she and I butted heads after my husband and I married. We are both very strong willed … enough said 🙂. But the beauty of this relationship is in God’s faithfulness to help us grow much closer over the years. I prayed a lot and worked on my attitude because that is what He desires for us to do and quite frankly, that’s what He told me to do! He blessed me with a great love, appreciation and admiration for her and her lifetime of service for Him. And now, I will always remember and treasure her “Blessing.”

So now I say,

“Her children rise up, and call her blessed”

Proverbs 31: 28 ASV

I just really wanted to share about this Blessing and how God is faithful to heal, restore, and grow relationships, especially when we do our part. I offer this word of encouragement … Keep praying for that person and especially pray for yourself. I couldn’t always see how my strong will was a big part of the problem … not until He showed me that is 😉.

God is faithful. Bless His Holy Name!

Thank you for following along with Hope and a Dash of Humor! You Bless me Big 🙂! Now, May God Bless You!

Kim 💕🙂

“Does a lot of flour make a big biscuit?” was Daddy’s favorite affirmative reaction to our questions so long ago. It’s been 19 years ago today since he went to Heaven and I am thinking of him a lot. Despite the hurt in my heart, I still smile, and even laugh, at his humor and crazy sayings and I am grateful to the Lord for my Daddy, Perry Love. Even 19 years later, we remember his love of God, his family and Gospel music, his tractor, garden, and golf and the simplicity of a sausage biscuit and cup of coffee before an early morning golf game, then a Grapeco and “Gee-dunk” (aka, snack cake) afterwards.

I still smile at his ability to make folks laugh with his stories and his crazy sayings, his giggle and enjoyment of good comedy, in particular old British sitcoms on Saturday night PBS.

Am I the least bit proud that Perry Love is my Daddy? Can I miss him deeply but still smile and laugh at his quick wit and stories? Do I thank the Lord for his faith and humor?

Well …. “Does a lot of flour make a big biscuit?”

Well Yes! Yes, it does! 🥰🥰🥰

Well, I hate to admit this but I’ve kinda been held captive by a lie straight from the pit of hell. That’s not a phrase I often use but it’s the truth. With various health issues, I’ve been hearing a little voice telling me that my days are few and there’s not much more I can do this side of Glory. It shames me just seeing that in print! Let me be clear … I’ve not heard that voice out loud. I mean that phrase figuratively. I’ve not lost my mind or anything although my attention span begs to differ sometimes but, I digress.

I’ve not given up on life and I’m not depressed. I may be a little sad sometimes about the life changes. It’s hard to explain but in the midst of the mobility and health issues, all of the changes and the coping, I heard this little lie off in the distance, “Your days are short and there’s not much more you can do this side of glory”. I should have put a stop to it in Jesus’s Name. But it was insidious. Ever so often I would hear that whispered in the distance and I began to wonder if it were true. It was an insidious lie creeping into my thoughts mainly at my really low points, when I physically felt bad, and in my struggles.

Well! It may be true but it’s a distortion of the truth, a lie if you will, from the pit! It’s a distorted truth because in it, the evil one is really trying to bring me low, to cast a shadow over my life and ultimately my witness. Now that I realize it, I don’t like it! As the old saying goes, “That gets my dander up!” It really aggravates the stew out of me that I even attended to that lie! So, let me share what is true…

What is true is that yes, my days are numbered but only God knows that number.

What is true is that “My times are in His hands” Psalm 31:15.

What is true is that coping with life struggles is HARD! Some days I feel held hostage by my house. Most days, it’s a workout to finagle to get on my hard foot brace (but I thank the Lord for that brace because it helps!), shoes and clothes. I haven’t quite figured out how to, forgive my candor please, but get dressed without falling while balancing on one foot, safely that is😳. Go ahead and try it sometime 😉. Just this morning my hubby heard my groans and labored breathing and kindly asked if I was in a lot of pain today. I replied that “No. Actually, I’m just trying to put on my shoes. This is just my morning workout 😄.” I’m guessing some of you easily identify with this and to that I say, “Bless your heart!”

This morning I decided it was time to own up, confess if you will, that I’ve been tempted, almost believed, this insidious lie. Maybe by telling this, it might help some of you along the way to recognize the lies and not give in to them.

At breakfast, my hubby shared a great article by Ken Lass in a recent Alabama Baptist publication about worth in the least little bit that we do in the Kingdom of God. I almost cried realizing that I had paid some attention to a lie straight from the pit! I remembered that I really can still help somehow, no matter how small it may be.

Folks, here’s another truth … my time here on earth is not mine to know or even to predict but, it is mine to steward faithfully to the Glory of God and hopefully help advance His kingdom! Yes, I am stuck at home quite often but I can send a text or a note or a blog post of encouragement. I can lend a listening ear. I can pray for a need. I can adjust my attitude for my husband’s sake and peace in my home. I can find a way to show God’s love. I can find a way to share that there is Hope in Him.

Dear friends, I encourage you to join with me and Don’t Listen To The Lies from the evil one! Pray and put a stop to those lies in Jesus’s Name! God loves you! God still has a plan, a way, that He can use you! God is faithful and His Grace is Sufficient for our every need! His promises are printed in Scripture for us to grasp, to pray and to believe! We can always hope in Him!

Dear friends my prayer for you today is that you never give in to the lies. May you know the love of God, His strength, His comfort and His peace in your life!

Thank you so much for following along with Hope and a Dash of Humor! You bless my heart 🥰!

Kim💕🙂🙏