Random Thoughts

1. One lady at work quotes her ninth grade boy who says, "What the h_ll!" Apparently it's okay for him to say the word. She says cuss words some herself but not a lot. I say, "Why allow and encourage a child to use that language?" They will say enough of that kind of stuff without encouragement. 2. I talked to Jen last night. She is very involved in practicing a play to present in May. The play is similar to the the play "Into the Woods" which I really enjoyed seeing on TV several years ago. I think she is playing the wicked stepmother. 3. We got our dog Gizmo groomed yesterday. The groomer cut his little foot, although it wasn't too bad. This is the third time his foot has been cut. Last time it was bad enough for him to wear a bandage plus a cone around his neck. He seems to be okay today. Poor little guy. Going to the groomer just wears him out. 4. We grilled steak for lunch today--just round steak. It was pretty good. 5. I've been playing a lot of "Words with Friends" online--it's like Scrabble. It's a lot of fun. 6. I'm staying home from work tomorrow because the sprinkler guy is coming to turn on the sprinklers. We've watered our front yard grass (Gary has) by hand several times, so it will be good to have the automatic system on. 7.Gary had a stress fracture in his foot for a couple of weeks. He got a boot to stabilize it. It's mostly well, and he just has a twinge now and then. 8. I'm watching the Cooking Channel on TV. They are showing pickle spears that are wrapped in bacon and then deep fried. I think I would like that. 9. I voluntarily stepped down one notch at work. Instead of being a Senior Records Tech, I am now a Records Tech II. Not as much responsibility. More things were being added on to the job, and I just decided I didn't want to do them. I don't know yet how it will affect my pay. I checked with someone in the know, and she didn't think it would affect my pay at all, or at least not very much. 10. Jen ordered a bunch of things online (shoes, clothes, odds and ends) and had them sent here for us to mail. We sent them out a week ago Wednesday and she got them on Friday. She was happy. She's been trying to call and talk for a few minutes on Saturday nights--her Sunday mornings before church. It's been great to hear so often. I know many more things, you know, but this is all I feel like writing. Catch you later!

The Victory

I have experienced some hard grief in my life. When my mom died, when my sister died and when my dad died are the main times. Before those deaths I hadn't realized how painful, how encompassing, how life-changing grief was. Grief affected my stomach, my chest, my heart, my appetite, my eyes, my thoughts, my responses, my ability to carry out my responsibilities. It was overwhelming and miserable. In remembering back to those deaths, grief still takes me by surprise at times. Not so hard or so thoroughly--but still makes me very sad for a while.

I think about the day of another death--the death of Jesus Christ. We now know the big picture about Christ's death--and His burial and miraculous resurrection--about the meaning and the effectiveness and the promise for the future for all who believe. But at that time the people who surrounded Christ including His disciples, His friends and His followers didn't have much understanding. Some understood parts of the plan. After all, Christ had told Him he would die and then be raised up again. But it's like their eyes were blurry and they couldn't see clearly.

So, Christ died on Thursday or Friday late afternoon. All His followers were broken hearted and extremely disappointed. They were sick with grief. They didn't know how life was going to continue. Many had thought Christ was the King and the Messiah, and now he was dead. There would be no kingdom, no freedom from Roman rule, no more taking care of their need for food. The great provider and teacher and THE Messiah was gone. How would they continue? How could things go back to what they had been before Christ came?

On Sunday morning some of the women went to the tomb where Christ was buried--terrible grief. The stone was gone and so was the body of the Lord. Later some of the disciples came to see if He was really gone. He was and the angel announced, "He is not here. Come see the place where the Lord lay."

I'm sure the light was breaking through the darkess of death and of their minds. Could it be true? It was true. Not only had Christ come back to life, but He would later show Himself to many of His followers.

The words of Scripture say it all? "Oh, death, where is thy sting? Oh, grave, where is your victory?" Christ won the victory. He completed the plan of salvation by his death, burial and His glorious, miraculous resurrection! Praise God for our blessed hope in Christ! Let us live our lives as if that was true--IT IS!!

Have a wonderful Easter. Remember what Christ did for us!