Invisible Mother.....

Invisible Mother.....It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.

The Invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being.

I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.

I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.

'In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder.

As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table. That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself.

I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.Great Job, MOM!This is beautiful and makes a ton of sense. To all the wonderful mothers out there!

Just wanted to remind everyone to pray for Emily as she goes for her surgery Friday! We love you Emily and will be praying for you and a speedy recovery.

Twila Paris

Twila Paris will be at Ridgecrest Baptist May 10 and 11. The concert is free. I'll attach a link. If it doesnt work try ridgecrestbaptist.org

http://www.ridgecrestbaptist.org/EventDetails.aspx?event_id=66

Prayer request...

My nephew, Derrick Phillips had emergency appendectomy last night up in Baldwin, KS where he is in college. My sister and brother-in-law are up there now with him. Not sure what hospital they took him to as Baldwin is a small community. Just send up your prayers for his speedy recovery.

I just hated the thought of him going through all that and no family around.

Prayer request

Our office clerical are going through some "not so fun stuff". One of our ladies was called on the carpet last week by management for various things and she gave her 2 weeks notice today. Well, seems like she wants to leave in a "Blaze of Glory" and has sent emails to the state office about certain people and making accusations about others.

I am not involved with any of this thank GOD! But she is targeting those who reprimanded her last week.

Please pray that the tension around here will leave soon. At least we know it will by May 8th her last day.

Just keep our office in your thoughts and prayers!

Penny....

This was shared with me today by a friend. I thought I would share!

You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story.
Gives you something to think about.Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home.
My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house.
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants.
Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd!
What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.
A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the pe nny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before!
What was the point of this?'Look at it.' He said.
'Read what it says.'
She read the words ' United States of America ''No, not that; read further.''One cent?' 'No, keep reading.''In God we Trust?'
'Yes!' 'And?''And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it!
God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by?
When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him.
For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold.
I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me.
Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!

Spicy Pot Roast:

3 lb. tip roast (I use chuck or arm or whatever is on sale)
1-2 Tb. fresh cracked pepper
2 cloves minced raw garlic (I use more)
3 Tb. balsamic vinegar
1\4 cup soy sauce
2 Tb. worchestire (spelled wrong?) sauce
2 tsp. dry mustard

Rub pepper and garlic onto thawed roast. Put roast into crock pot. Make several shallow slits in top of roast. In a small bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour over roast. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or 4-5 hours on high.