My Barber - Guest Post

My Barber - Guest Post by ST Mann

At the appointed time on the appointed day, my brothers and I went down to the barber.

Wise.  Handsome. Tall.  Athletic.  Strong, yet with the gentle touch and dexterous hands of a surgeon. 

To cut the hair on the far side of my head, he didn’t spin the stool, and he didn’t walk around the chair either.  Rather, he snuggled my head over against his chest so he could reach over to the far side,  Working from above. 

I could hear his breathing.  I could feel his breathing. 

I could feel his heart.

When the whim struck, he blew away the loose hairs from my neck or face with a burst of his own breath.

Once finished, my barber would stand back, gaze proudly at his work, and then proclaim ‘not bad for an amateur!’

How the years went rushing by!  Looking back past all those years, I wish my dad still cut my hair.

             

The glory of children is their father….

Copyright: artisticco / 123RF Stock Photo

s.t.mann is a 50s vintage sojourner for Jesus, and has written dozens of inspirational short stories based on his own true adventures, as well as other works. He lives on a farm in the Canadian Rockies working on numerous projects including two anthologies; he compiles a monthly devotional read on six continents, and is author of the book ‘My Dance With Diane’. He is an ordained minister, founder  and operator of a prison ministry, a retired coach and one time university professor, with a BS from Duke, MS from George Washington, and has completed a variety of seminary level courses.                                                                                                        © 2014 - S.T.Mann,  This story is offered
under Creative Commons license; it is
permissible to use the story as long
as an attribution bio is included.

Happy Mother's Day to the Greatest Mom

Dearest Mom, I love you so much. You made me the best person I know I could be.

You had a rough life, I know, I saw. But, you stood up for yourself when it was right to do so and you showed me how I could too.

You raised five children. Mostly on your own. What a great accomplishment. Four girls and a boy. God couldn't have blessed you more. Well, He could have stopped at me, (the oldest) but then, things happen and life goes on. And the rest of the rug rats came along. HEEHEE

We all have our own brood now and have blessed you with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I've lost count how many great-grandchildren you have. I know I've contributed four to the count.

Here we are, all together in 2009. When I came to surprise Gordie. We had such a great time.

You are my heart and my love and my forever, mom.

With all our love,

Vicki
Carol
Allson
Mary
Gordie

We'll be with you forever. You're never gonna get rid of us! We love you, mom.

Copyright: piccolamarina / 123RF Stock Photo

God's Promise to Parents

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?" - Matthew 7:11

Though many family dynamics aren't perfect, the love a parent has for a child can be the most giving, sacrificial relationship that exists.

What would you do for your children?

What do you do for your child?

Mothers and fathers pour out time, energy and money to care for their children. They'd give their lives to protect their children. Ideal parents deal with each of their children on a personalized level, catering teaching and training to the style that most effectively helps each child.

Do you help your child dream?

Do you want the best for your child?

You also want your child to be happy, don't you?

As parents you want to love your children. You make yourselves available to comfort them, encourage them and simply have a good time with them.

The parental relationship is the basis of all earthly relationships.

Think about this: As much as you, a parent, loves your child, it's truly staggering to realize that God loves His children even more than the most perfect parents on earth.

God makes Himself available to love you, comfort you, and encourage you. He's glad to be your divine Father. Relish the closeness you can have with your heavenly Father.

Scripture from God to parents:

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you." Exodus 20:12

"Fathers do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged." Colossians 3:21

"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart: you shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Getting Ready for Vacation

I'm supposed to be excited. I'm leaving for fifteen days of glorious vacation. A trip to see my children and grandchildren. I drive through one of the nation's best national parks and then another visit with my mother and sisters before flying back home.

But, here I am. Sick. Flat on my back sick with some sort of bronchitis or pneumonia or some other bronchial infection. I'm hacking a lung. Haven't been able to talk for 5 days and coughing so hard it hurts. My body aches, my ears ache, my eyes even ache.

It's torture to even write this blog, but I do so to keep you informed about what's going on and I haven't written in a while and it was sort of bumming me out.

On the up side, even though I have no energy for anything, I' still positive and upbeat. I have no depressive thoughts or dark dreary images traipsing through my mind. I am down about being sick, but that's all it is. Just bummed about being sick and all the things I still need to do before I leave. I've had to rearrange my schedule to fit in a doctor's appointment, which I will go to today. Hopefully she will have some sort of miracle drug that will make me better quickly and before I have to leave next week.

I definitely don't want to be carrying this onto an airplane.

I have packing lists to review. To do lists to review. To do lists to complete. I have a dog and a bird I need to prepare to go to boarding. And all the packing that that entails. I have to make sure they have enough food and treats and such for the fifteen days we are gone plus the extra days they'll be in boarding due to flights coming in extra late and not being able to pick them up right away.

I've had to get three week's worth of medication planned out for me. Taking it four times a day makes for some big med planners. I had to fill them all up and see which ones still need meds and how I'm going to convince a pharmacist that I only need one more week's worth to complete my vacation and I won't be back here during the middle of my vacation to get my prescription filled then, so could I get it filled early?

At least I have a neighbor coming to check on the house every day and bringing in our mail. And we have a friend coming to check on the pool as well.

But, all that aside, first things first. I need to get well. I've spent the last four days in bed and will probably spend some of today there as well, except when I have to keep my doctor appointments. I have to see my psychiatrist today as well, and I can't cancel that appointment. I already had to cancel my therapist appointment. I'm running out of days to reschedule before I leave for my vacation.

I need to be well for my vacation so I don't take my sickness with me and give it to my kids and grandkids. What a horrible present to leave with them. I want to be able to enjoy my visits and have fun playing with my grandbabies.

So, I'll accept all good wishes and prayers for a quick recovery and a safe trip. I need all that I can get. I'll try to post as much as I can about where I am during vacation and then get back to regularly scheduled posts.

Cheers,

Five Minute Friday - Imagine

It's time for the "Five Minute Friday" blogging post. The inspiration comes from Lisa Jo Baker. 

What you do is set your timer for five minutes and write whatever you want according to the prompt Lisa places on her blog every Friday. Then you go back, link your blog and give support to those who posted before you. And, we connect on Twitter with #FiveMinuteFriday.

Ready.

Set.

Go.

Imagine.

Imagine a world with no hate, bigotry, violence, crime. I do. I think about going to that world some day. Not now. I have too much living to do. But, some day. God's promise is a world of everlasting joy. I look forward to everlasting joy and peace. 

But not now.

I'm not finished yet with this world. I'm not finished yet trying to teach it things about me and Bipolar and Anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and I'm not finished learning about my children and my grandchildren.

No, not now.

I have so much living left to do. But, I can imagine what life will be like when I get to heaven. Such a wondrous place. Full of love and peace and harmony. The riches of the kingdom all for me. Just for believing in Christ and taking Him into my heart and becoming a child of Christ.

I'm still waiting.

Still living with my husband and our pets. Still enjoying the gifts God has given to me here.

Stop.

Mother's Day

"Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is...and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong.” 

- Donna Ball, author, from her book At Home on Ladybug Farm

I have the most wonderful mom in the world. Words cannot describe our bond. We are so in tune we know when to call each other. We know when the other needs to talk or is hurting. I love my mom with all my heart. 

Becoming a mom was the greatest joy I could ever imagine. I have three wonderful children. Two daughters and a son. We have endured so much together. Our life together has been far from perfect but what has never changed, ever in my whole life is the amount of love I have for them. How much I think about them every day.

I want my children to know that no matter how many mistakes I made in our lives, my love for them never dwindled or went away. I loved them when they were born, growing up, when we were together and when we were apart. I loved them more the next day than the previous. I will love them no matter what they do or who they become. I will love them always.

 My love is endless, boundless, and straight from my heart.

I want to apologize to my children for all the pain and suffering they went through due to my Bipolar Disorder. If I had a choice, I would choose not to have Bipolar. Since I don't have that choice I can only apologize and beg for your forgiveness. I will be sorry from now until the end of time and beyond. 

I believe in each of my children. And I thank God for the beautiful grandchildren they have given me. 

To all the mothers everywhere who are reading this message:

Never Waste An Opportunity to Say "I Love You"

There are 1,440 minutes in the day. That equals 86,400 seconds. How many seconds does it take to say "I love you"?

Maybe 3, 5?

Look at all the opportunities you have in your day to tell someone that you love them.

There are no "real" second chances. You can't re-wind time. There is no Dr. Who to help you travel between time and dimensions.

Jules Verne is not going to build you a time machine.

Think of all the people who cross your path every day. How many of them would benefit from hearing you say those three simple words? What kind of benefit would you get?

The best kind of benefit ever. The knowledge that you were able to tell someone you love them and mean it with all your heart.

You love your spouse.

You love your children.

You love your parents.

You love your siblings.

You love all members of your extended family.

You love your friends.

You love your neighbor.

You love your Christ family.

You love.

Show how much you love by taking a few seconds every day and telling those around you. You not only will make them happy, but you will be happy as well.

It's reciprocal.

To Love is to be Loved.

"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:"
-- 1 Thessalonians 3:12

--