Monday, May 21, 2012

We Got This

A week ago today, very early in the morning, my husband who had gone into work prior to the start of his watch, began to text and call me.  He needed to let me know that there was a family in crisis - the family of one of our officers and things did not look good.  One of our day shift officers had gone in to wake up his wife and she was not responsive and not breathing.  Despite immediately beginning CPR and activating 9-1-1, the officer's wife was still not responsive.  An hour later, the officer was told that emergency and hospital personnel had not been able to revive his wife. She was gone.  A Daughter of the King had taken her last watch; responded to the last call and she was Home. 

I only had the privilege to meet this young lady one time but, in a week, I can tell you, she was doing what she could - in spite of years of chronic illness and pain, to live out the directive of Proverbs 31.  In spite of her fragile, pain-filled body, she and her husband had adopted not one, not two, but FOUR special needs children who now range in age from four to nine, two boys and two girls.  Stacey had another child from a previous marriage at a young age and he is now 18 and the very loving big brother to these little ones.

One of the first things I found truly amazing was that when our Officer returned home to his little ones, he shared with them that Mommy had gone home to heaven to be with Jesus and he prayed with his children.  Wow!! First and foremost, he set them to right thinkin' about where their mommy was.

I arrived at their home and in spite of what I know is incomparable sadness, there was a peace in the children and their daddy.  They know who their momma was and they know where she is now.  The Word of God tells us that "He who began a Good work in you . . . HE is ABLE to complete it!" Stacey began an amazing work in the life of her oldest son, in her marriage and in the lives of those four precious little ones that she and her husband CHOSE in SPITE of her chronic illness and physical pain.  Debilitating, disabling pain.  But her life and her home and her children are all a testimony to what was important to her.

So, this if for you Miss Stacey - anointed Daughter of the King.  You and I and other LEO spouses know that for each of our LEOs, shifts end.  Sometimes, the end of the shift comes in a way we didn't expect and that was the case last week.  The end of your shift, darling Stacey, came quietly and unexpectedly but I want you to know ma'am - we got this.  Your last call came and you responded.  Take rest in the arms of Jesus, sweetie. We, the other Daughters of the King will take it from here.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Not Even Embers

I love to garden.  Love the feeling that I somehow have even a small part in God's creation.  Fruit, veggies, plants, flowers.  Silk plants. (oh, wait, no part in those except the purchase).  Inasmuch as we live in the desert, my handsome hub tends to get a little overzealous with the watering and roses do NOT like overwatering.  We put in a new rose bush a few weeks ago with all kinds of promise and a week ago I went out and the stems and stalks were, well, rubbery.  Like asparagus when it has been over-steamed.   Yuck.  Multiple buds were just dying even before they opened. I tied up my precious plant and told the Hub "DO NOT WATER."  We're growing grass and other things and he can certainly water THAT stuff 'cuz the roses were plenty saturated.

So, all that being said  - three years ago, all that I thought my life would be, all the dreams that I had for myself, all that I thought God was directing me toward just, well, died.  Everything I thought was going to come to pass, any vision that I had for life was a pile of rubble.  Torched and hosed down without so much as an ember of the hope that had sustained me even through difficult days when our man-cubs and marriage were young and struggling.  This morning, as I am wont to do most days, I read the devotion from Proverbs 31 (www.proverbs31.org) and learned that I am in the company of some fairly awesome women whose dreams had died.  I was reminded that God promises to give us beauty for ashes or, in my case, for dreams that have been so torched and drowned that not even an ember remains.  (I think my dreams had  become more like charcoal - capable of being reignited but otherwise, just a lifeless lump).   More than any other day over the past many (1,069 to be exact), I had hope.  A real reminder that God has not forgotten that He gave me dreams and desires and hopes and even if I don't know what He has planned for the pile of rubble I am right now, He DOES indeed have a plan.  He STILL has a purpose.  He still moves mountains and He can and WILL take the mess that is my life and allow me to be used for HIS glory.

Back to the roses - the rubbery, overwatered, dyin' on the vine roses.  The bush is drying out and after reading this morning's encouragement, I went out to water the budding seed that hopefully will be grass and there it was.  One, beautiful, soft peachy-pink rose with the most heavenly smell ever!  Only one but it was enough.  God - the Almighty - knows how to grow roses and He CERTAINLY knows how to grow me.  I am a broken, battered, scarred woman. Just ashes but today, there was an ember.  A small warmth that I know can and will be stoked back into a flame that shines the love of Jesus.  Beauty for ashes where not even an ember could be found.
With His love, for His Glory - A2