Years ago in a town in North Central Wisconsin in the month of January two girls were born. That would be Me on the 28th and Melody on the 30th. Now honestly there is nothing amazing about that but let me add a few more details. Our mothers have the same first and last name (they married brothers). They had the same doctor in the same hospital. So while growing up we heard many times that we had been switched at birth. Our parents eventually built houses in the same neighborhood with our back yards connecting.

Yes I’ve known Mel all of my life. A friendship that I have always cherished. Even though we didn’t always live close there were always planned visits and letter writing and of course birthday cards. For about the last 15 years we have lived close enough to get together for our favorite French toast breakfast.

Mel is that loving, caring, feisty woman that you always want on your side. When I was diagnosed with MS she bought me a walker because she knew I would need one. She would call and check up on me encouraging me and letting me know how sad she felt for my struggle. But she was also struggling with a brain tumor. My heart was broken because I knew she was facing a difficult road.

It’s been almost a year now that Mel passed and has been experiencing the joy of heaven. But oh how I miss her! As I write this with tears running down my face I am so thankful for the lifetime of memories that Me and Mel shared.

This is one of my favorite writings because it is so true in my life.

I believe in the sun,
even when it is not shining.

I believe in love,
even when I do not feel it.

I believe in God,
even when He is silent.

How many times in my life have I asked God to say something to me as to what I should do. I’ve asked Him to even write it on the wall like He did in the Old Testament, Maybe even whisper clear direction.

While there has never been an audible direction to me, there have been times of clarity as I read my Bible and the words are just for me. The wise words of counsel from a family member or a dear friend.

I’m sure we have all felt that seemingly silence from God. That ” I wish He would just tell me what to do”. With tears streaming down my face I realize that “I am not in control but I am dearly loved by the One who is”. So in reality I want to control all things in my life, and when God isn’t doing it my way I find Him to be silent. When He really isn’t silent He’s working on my behalf I just don’t know exactly what it is. I must trust!

Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God.

During High School I had the opportunity to help in an early childhood class in our church. The lead teacher, Edna, was great with the children. She saw something in me and she encouraged me to pursue teaching. I realized how much I enjoyed the children and being a part of their learning. My education in college was Early Childhood.

I have enjoyed teaching many children’s classes and then eventually directing and teaching in a Preschool. All those little people eager to learn basic academics and being fascinated by the world around them. I loved finding new ways to teach everything from numbers and the alphabet to watching caterpillars become butterflies.

Not only did I enjoy teaching children but soon I was teaching womens classes in our church. Now I understand the teaching was on both ends of the age spectrum but I loved teaching women also. I have learned so much about the Bible and the truths that are in that book.

I believe we all are teachers because of the influence we have on people. Does our influence inspire others like Edna did for me? Do we see the potential in children and adults? Are we that encourager in someone’s life? It’s not an easy task.

Now that school has started, as well as many Bible studies, be that encourager, the positive influence. You don’t have to be standing in front of a class to do this, but you do have to be available for God to use you in someone’s life.

I so enjoy reading the Psalms in the Bible. Recently I went through all of them and highlighted the word refuge. A refuge is a shelter or protection from danger or distress; a place to flee to get away from people or places that are unsafe. Sometimes our refuge place is somewhere to go that is quiet, away from the anxiousness of this world.

As a little girl I would build a blanket tent. Maybe you had a tree house. As a teenager my refuge was to close the door to my bedroom. Being a young mom sometimes just getting in the car and going to the grocery store alone would work. We all need a place of refuge.

So I have a place of refuge but in that refuge place is where I meet with my Lord. I find as I am there that He is my refuge, my safe place, my stronghold, my rock, my fortress, my shield, my guard, my deliverer. And I have come to realize that it isn’t so much the place but who I am meeting.

I remember trying to make the picture perfect refuge place that I could meet with God. Then I realized that He is just saying to me “Will you just sit down with me?” He doesn’t need the scented candles, the comfy chair, the soft blanket, the cup of coffee. I can find my refuge, my safe place in Him, my personal relationship with Him.

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I will take REFUGE, He is my shield and the strength of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18: 2

Growing up in the midwest means I enjoy all 4 seasons. Spring with it’s flowers, summer and it’s outside fun, fall has the changing colors and winter with snow and cold. Honestly, winter is not my favorite but as a kid I enjoyed the sledding, ice skating, snowmobiling, and playing king of the mountain on the snow banks.

As we know, in winter there is the extra clothing that we wear to keep warm. The coat, scarf, mittens, snow pants, extra socks, long underwear and of course the boots. One year, not by my choice mind you, I had a pair of red boots with the zipper up the front, black fur on the top and they came past my ankles. Not to be to strong in my feelings about those boots but I hated them, everything about them.

Now I can be stubborn and that stubbornness came out in full force with these boots because I would refuse to wear them. I would hide them in the house, Mom always found them. I would think of ways of hiding them on my walk to school but then I wouldn’t be able to go out for recess. So I was stuck with wearing my red boots all winter. Thankfully my feet grew enough so I only had to wear them for 1 winter.

My Dad found the whole thing with the red boots pretty funny so from then on his nickname for me was Boots.

Now as an adult I can still be pretty stubborn and often times I get that way with God. My parents bought those red boots to keep my feet warm in the winter but it was not my choice so I didn’t like it. How often God has something for me and I don’t like it because it wasn’t what I wanted. So I’m sure there are blessings that I have missed. How important it is to be aware of the gentle voice of God urging us on to do great things for Him even when we don’t want to.

We all have events in our lives that seem to change us. Change the way we see life. One of those events happened when I was 8 years old and in the 2nd grade. My Mom was pregnant with her 3rd child, an exciting time for our family. I was looking forward to being a big sister again. When Mom went to the hospital I waited at home with my Grandma and my brother Brian.

When we finally got the news that the baby was a girl, I was so happy. But there was something wrong, I could tell by the way my Grandma was acting. They said there was something wrong with the baby.

What they discovered after testing that my Mom had German measles while pregnant and the baby had many deformities that were visible, many were not. I cannot describe the sadness in our family.

My sisters name was Beth Ellen and when I met her for the first time I fell in love and my big sister instincts kicked in and I would protect her no matter what. So if anyone said anything about the way she looked I would give them a look or say something that would stop them immediately. I figured that’s what I was there for.

My sister lived for 9 months and I will always remember her crooked smile, her beautiful blonde hair and even the way she smelled. She changed my life by knowing how to love someone unconditionally. My daughter Bethany is named after her. I look forward to meeting her again. I think I’ll recognize her by her beautiful hair and we’ll have so much to catch up on.

A while ago I asked my Mom to tell me some stories about her childhood.
What it was like growing up on a dairy farm? What was school like for her?
Well, the answer to the question about school rather surprised me.
This is what she told me.

When she was in the 4th grade she and her family (5 siblings) came down with scarlet fever. Their home was under quarantine for weeks. Because of this, she missed a good chunk of the 4th grade. When the quarantine was lifted they all went back to school.

At the end of the school year, when everyone is promoted to the next grade, my Mom was not. She had to repeat the 4th grade. She was embarrassed. That’s when some of the kids started calling her dumb and stupid because she had “flunked” her grade. From that point on she disliked school and only attended through the 8th grade.

My Mom is a soft-spoken, gentle woman. She’s 90 now and her memory is fading but this event in the 4th grade is still very clear in her mind and brings a tear to her eye when she talks about it. Unfortunately, she has felt “dumb” (as she puts it) all of her life.

What if someone had spoken encouragement to that little 4th-grade girl?
What a difference that would have made in her life!

Oh, those words of encouragement and affirmation are so important in our lives, young and old. To have someone on the sideline of our life encouraging us with words of loving honesty. Our words do make a difference and most of the time they are remembered for a lifetime.

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24