tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38371947819528778652024-03-12T19:03:12.805-07:00Steve & Mary Kendrick Freedom EntrepreneursSteveOfTheMountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162681931207945454noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3837194781952877865.post-75654502338721615892014-01-26T18:10:00.000-08:002014-01-26T18:18:03.787-08:00Blessings... and Treasures in Jars of Clay<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A thought
occurred to me a few days ago. It was one of those thoughts with staying power,
the kind that keep returning in different ways and at different times. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">When
God makes His face shine on me, I want to shine back in Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Why is it so
incredible that the God of all time and space would desire to shine His face on
us After all, He gave us His beloved Son Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The thought
comes from Scripture; here’s the wonderful blessing from the Bible that you may
have heard before, Numbers 24-26: <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“The
LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be
gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The thought
led me to the Blue Letter Bible, blueletterbible.org, on the Internet. That’s
where I learned a great way to enjoy God’s Word. Put the word, shine, into the
search bar and then follow the thread through all the scripture it returns!
Read the Bible, tracing that thin thread throughout the Bible - see the lives,
hear the voices, and touch the minds of those serving God as the story woven
through the wonderful tapestry of scripture unfolds. When something’s on your
heart… search! Knock and the door will be opened to you!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I’ve gleaned
part of that particular journey in the following ideas. After all, the Lord’s
face, shining on me; what could be more amazing than the God of all, pure and
perfect love, shining on me? David, a man after God’s own heart knew this and
even though his transgressions are chronicled for all of us to see, proving him
to be a man, like us; he knew to return to God for his provision and to ask for
God’s forgiveness and blessing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Psalm 4, a
Psalm of David… eight beautiful verses, David crying out to God in his distress,
asking for His favor, and in verse 6, saying:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“Many
are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of your face shine on us,
O Lord.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And again in
Psalm 36, in verse 16, saying:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“Let
your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Again in
Psalms, 67, 80, and 119, others asking the same blessings. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">And then, our
Lord Jesus, in His sermon on the mount, just after the Beatitudes where He
beautifully teaches us important moral tenets of the faith… as Matthew 5:16
records:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“In
the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good
deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shine back!
Shine in a way that shows the love you have received and understood, the love
that you have learned and shared; is on display for all to see, in who you are
and in what you do. But that is all done for His glory, the glory of our Father
in Heaven.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Then Paul
teaches, encouraging us throughout Second Corinthians Chapter 4, and in verse
6:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“For
God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our
hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the
face of Christ.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Verses 4:7-11
continue: <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“But
we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is
from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but
not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that
the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are
always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be
revealed in our mortal body.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Treasure in
jars of clay, this light from the shining face of our Father in Heaven, bestows
a love so great that His Son, was given for us; that He loved us so much His
Son was sacrificed for our wrongs that we might have a way to our Father again.
It is a story of love, a story of reconciliation, a story of pursuing and
sharing that love. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">That this
treasure might live in jars of clay, that our faces might be able to shine back
to our Father in Heaven is a miracle. The light is that of our Lord and Savior
Jesus, and it means our relationship can be restored through this love - offered
and accepted. When God makes His face shine upon you, may you shine back in Jesus.
That’s what I want to do.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Given to us
in the Bible, a remarkable and miraculous revelation of God Himself to man, the
story of our creation and history unfolds; our foibles and our deceits, our
folly and our crimes – transgressions against His perfect love. And of course,
the chronicled lives of those who loved Him imperfectly, but for one. It is a
story whose tapestry weaves tightly through millennia and on throughout all
time to teach the Truth in a way that we might understand and know God. The
recorded story lays a red carpet for Jesus, and transcribes the life of our
Lord and Savior Jesus, for us to know and understand.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Can we, these
jars of clay, shine? Yes we can, the light of Jesus can shine brightly through
us. That light shining to the glory of God can change the world and make it
better than man can dream. It does that one life at a time, as each comes to
know the relationship Jesus has for us, to restore us to our Father.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">God Bless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
SteveOfTheMountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162681931207945454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3837194781952877865.post-7365526723409824812013-09-13T21:55:00.000-07:002013-09-13T21:58:12.930-07:00Wrought by Freedom<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">John,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Typing on a
machine with pictures for paper and words, I dreamed. The quiet, quick way
words could be wrought, moved and corrected, amazed me. Thoughts raced from the
capacity of my mind, to the pages not written anywhere, and the gorgeous,
limitless possibilities excited me – for I knew in an instant, a wonderful new
freedom existed. I knew what could be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The dream
carried me further, connected me through the machine, to the entire world.
Millions, billions, of pages of pamphlets, of newspapers and books, of letters
of study and proposal, of research and history, of medicine and agriculture, of
government and nations – literally, all that could be imagined at my fingers!
You and I, with our lives chronicled nearly day by day as we founded a nation
of liberty, it was all there! And not only for students and scholars locked
away in hallowed halls – but found in every building and home! I exclaim! I use
a mark so often as to devalue the purpose, I know it – but I can do no other
thing. I exclaim!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Though I raced from place to place, seizing
upon what our children built with the tools of freedom and </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">entrepreneurial effort, </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">I began to hear cries. The creeping unease bringing the tenseness to my body
and soul erupted into flashes of insight that all was not well. Freedom? I
began to hear louder cries. Honest men cannot even be recognized as such –
though they stand in front of giants of evil. Evil, whose only virtue derived
from offices created by yours and my and our patriot brother’s minds, pens and arms.
Words torn from oppression and valiantly proclaimed to a world enslaved; words
upon which a great nation rose, now rendered for the cheapest
speeches of liars. And the common man knew them to be so. One of the most common </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">cliches</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> admits “politicians are liars.” Too many words made too little sense
and right is now judged wrong by our highest courts. The cries grow louder to
my ears and sickens my heart. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Though I
understand all written words cannot be true, and all spoken, even less likely
so; those issues written in actions must be examined honestly. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Wars and not
simply rumors – but wars of distant madness, made clean for the perpetrators, still
bring all the age old horrors unleashed by the worst demons. Saved at the cost of
their destruction, but saved nonetheless as it is said –even by presidents! And
the ghastly machines of wars, soldiered by those understanding only the elite
propaganda; they make war even on the battlefield of the machine on which I typed.
No! I cried NO! These actions cannot be those distilled from true values of
honest and free peoples. If in ignorance they govern – can we have become so lazy
and complacent a people as to accept such failed honor as normal and good? In simplest
proof I offer this - that the mightiest dog cannot make every work of his
engine of life, the eradication of the single flea, and in so doing destroy its
entire pack.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">So I looked
again, through the courses and eddies of the river of information - for
something, some evidence extant. I could
not be so alone in time; we could not be so alone. For surely some quiet and small set
of patriots say no to the every word copied and archived and
read by the machines. Then to be spat upon a threshing floor of policing by even more
callous oppressors. Police of a once
free people, become an occupying army of violence directed by mindless
bureaucrats on behalf of onerous taxes and absurd regulations. Such that even
imagined conduction of body language, as if words not said, but somehow
otherwise received by an offended and pathetic individual - races to
occupy the time of the courts! And the same courts of law and their officers – made ignoble
by their decisions and actions, even as they applaud themselves as
nobility of the common good. Their
own trivial and incoherent rhetoric and deeds prove them otherwise. Honor
vacates such people. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Some few still say no to such travesty. Others said no
while congress introduced bills to strip citizens of their standing; subjecting
them to programs of such confinement and punishment that only kings and tyrants
of old could understand the whimsy and betrayal involved. Others said no
when defense of self and property against the feral and vibrant petty criminals
slams them beneath the press of over-vigilant nannies who eschew even the most
basic laws of nature, freedom and responsibility. Where is justice to be found in such courts? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The people, so taxed by the
leviathan of our government that fully half stand with their hand out to vile masters
called public servants. Indeed, they clamor for a dependent poverty so
stupefying that they cannot even conceive its purpose or cause or cure. The mob
now voting, promotes more curious and determined evil against the honest
citizen than did the French masses we witnessed in their chaos – they only
attacked their own aristocratic thieves and uncommitted fellows – but never
thought to end the birthright of their own nation!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The love of
money is indeed driving all effort of the halls of our buildings in government. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">John, your
failure proves out in this dream – that the central power cannot be allowed to
coalesce to this end, but must be flung farther and wider than even I imagined.
Though in fairness, my failure was also this – that men grow fat and lazy in
prosperity derived from the successes of freedom and liberty, and thereby
quickly yield honor and virtue. Therefore, each man must completely earn their
right to participate in government, and it must be rightly, honestly, and
personally earned – and maintained with vigor, lest that same prosperity steal
it away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">I end with
simply this, that those who say no still claim a spark of the same that burned
in us. That spark engulfed a people yearning to be free – and it will again
retrieve that liberty from the simple minded governors and kings. And as one
dream ends another one begins – I’ll look to the future for the greatness to
return to a free people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Thomas<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
SteveOfTheMountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162681931207945454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3837194781952877865.post-1561681149842414402013-07-01T06:05:00.000-07:002013-07-01T09:53:53.291-07:00The Ark Testimony<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One fine sunny day, I chanced
upon two friends building something monumental. I did not understand, but
I stopped in momentary isolation, thoughtful. My stressful journey demanded all
of my time and my resources as cost; I did not understand what I saw. My wife
and I in turmoil tossed, in tired dreams sold to us by generations past, whose
guides though well intended, now were lost. I did not understand so I inquired
of those leading the effort, “sirs, tell me of your purpose and of the cheery
natured crew.” They replied, “together, more may be accomplished
– isn't that true? Together, with integrity, effort and leadership,
wonderful possibilities renew. Wonderful possibilities seen first in the
vision, with integrity sharing and persistent effort caring; leadership guides
the process, knowledge, and encourages - preparing. You are not alone with us
you see. See the Ark and consider its meaning.”<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Ark,
called by two friends teamed who learned to build a vessel to better lives
dreamed. In time as others believed, the great ship took shape – a vision
conceived. A righteous vessel for all with blessings designed, though some cannot see and many
decline. The hopeless offer ridicule and fortune-tellers of failure as judge’s
rule - and all joined the song of the denial chorus. The denial sometimes
angry, the anger sometimes hateful, hurt many who would have shared the
efforts, becoming strong. Who then would heal the hurt when the Ark proved its
promise and the nay-sayers proved wrong? Look at those shouting, “it cannot be
done!” Do they live their dreams or are dreamers shunned? Look then at the Ark
builders, who say, “join us - learn to lead.” Share the wonderful lives of the
freed, and ask of the team what they discover. Does the new information
transform the laborer into something more, someone better? The joy of the
builders shared in positive light made the association grow as the vision shone
bright. The vision they shared requires one admission price. Honestly look at
yourself and decide to climb your climb to your heights. The biased, first
hurdle claims more than a few, by turning away blind – guaranteeing futile
review. Will five more years of your current labor; open your dreams – even if
yes, how many years later? Or will it see you five years older, tread-milling,
with more distant dreams colder? Or can you honestly ask of the Ark-building
team, how many years have you labored, to reach for your dreams? Hear when they
say two, three or five and make note of achievements that can’t be denied! But
all can claim progress - if they applied, the lessons learned by those earlier
arrived. The lessons hard learned by the two, then the seven, and soon the
million, in time. Change forces change when fierce struggles grow; they need the
Ark builders and teamwork to know, how to build dreams to stand free, while
learning to serve as they are learning to lead. The Ark, you see, came in
opportunity disguised, hidden from the ninety-five but known to the five; a
vision of trust to build better lives.</span></div>
</div>
SteveOfTheMountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162681931207945454noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3837194781952877865.post-14139714688941488492013-06-13T19:49:00.000-07:002013-06-13T19:49:38.557-07:00Trust the Tools!In a previous life, as a field service engineer for a major oil-field service company, I ran high-tech down-hole logging and directional tools; first for a company called Teleco in Broussard, LA and then for Baker-Hughes-INTEQ. The easiest way to explain it seemed to tell people that we took computers, packed them into heavy steel pipes along with a lot of other complicated electronic equipment and then ran them several thousand feet into the ground at temperatures up to 200 degrees, then abused them with many thousands of pounds of stresses while drilling through rock to find oil. The sensors told us a lot about the kind of rock we were drilling in, the fluids in the rocks (like oil, gas, or water) and also the direction and orientation of the tools so that directional drillers could steer the hole to a desired location where they expected to find oil or gas. The tools also transmitted that information up the hole to computers that interpreted the results in real time.<br />
<br />
As a field-service engineer, we were often faced with very difficult judgment calls on what to do regarding running the equipment back down the hole for more work. Should we pick up a new tool that is not yet proven? Should we rerun the previous one that may be on the verge of breaking? The best advice I ever received came from a mechanic that actually assembled the tools in our company shop. Carey told us to always trust the tools. If it was running well when it came out of the hole, then never doubt that it would run again when it went back down the hole. In his opinion, it was always riskier to try an unproven piece of equipment. So, if in doubt – bet on the tools.<br />
<br />
I applied that advice many times in my career and never once regretted my decision. In fact, several times I had superiors contradict my recommendation and run new tools when that decision caused problems that had not been anticipated. That’s the law of unintended consequences.<br />
<br />
How does this apply to the LIFE business? It’s simple, LIFE is a business built around providing people with great information. The tools are life changing information. Always bet on LIFE’s tools. When you have the best, you don’t need to worry or doubt. When people listen to a CD – they will receive information that will positively impact their life in a good way. When they read a book, they will continue a process of healthy transformation. When they watch a DVD, they will see more good, life-transforming information. The tools work. The tools work very well. Never doubt it.<br />
<br />
Always trust the tools. Have you shared some of LIFE’s life-changing information with your family or friends yet? With your co-workers? With those in your church? Listen to all the tools yourself. Make it part of your daily habit, get engaged with great information. LIFE teaches you to read, listen and associate with the community that’s going somewhere! Remember, always trust the tools!SteveOfTheMountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162681931207945454noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3837194781952877865.post-78073202237697460562013-06-01T10:38:00.000-07:002013-06-01T10:45:37.234-07:00Gathering roses...<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The tears force from my eyes though I fight to hold them
back. My Mom changes into dry diapers
and clothes, ashamed that she may have wet the seat of my car. I don’t care
about the seats of my car and I relax a bit as I realize that my Mom will
quickly forget these events. I realize that one day, she will forget me. But
not yet. Not yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Walking down the beautiful hall to her suite, that we
call her apartment, it occurred to me that she would pass away while a resident
of this hall. It is a very nice place, but it is still a last stop nursing
home; assisted living, whatever. It is, her last home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The love lived by my Mom knows no bounds. All that I
learned early in life about love I learned in our family; the family born
through her blood, sweat and tears. The family held together by her wisdom, her
work and her will; and the family that one day, must carry on without her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My tears run for what must come. We remember even as she
forgets. Our names that she barely recalls now, will one day claim space on a
stone marker like hers. Eileen Stenner Kendrick – a girl born to Ellen Jane
Robinson, mistakenly thought to be Nellie Black, of Belfast, Ireland, and
Camden, New Jersey and Franz Joseph Stenner of Koenigstein, Germany and Camden,
New Jersey. On a great day, May 7, 1923, Eileen entered this world and on a sad
day to come, she will leave us. She will join her Lord and Savior Jesus on that
day and we will rejoice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As dinner time rolled by and I just wanted to stay with
her, I turned on NCIS which has been her favorite TV show. Over the last 3
years we have watched 9 years of reruns on DVD over and over and over again.
And each time the next episode came on she would say, “I’ve never seen this one
before.” Alzheimers is like that. While at her apartment I found a note that
she left for the workers in the facility… it is written by her beautiful though
somewhat shaky hands, “Please, please, please don’t take any more clothes. I
just have enough to work in decently. Eileen. All were given to me by our loved
ones because they were needed.” She does not remember that she hid those
clothes, or boxed them up and sent them away with us, or had other friends take
them to prevent them from being stolen. She has forgotten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One day, it’s possible that I will forget just as my
mother has. But for now, dinner won’t wait and the tears collect, then fall. As
we walk back down the hall together, I lean down to her and quietly say, “I
love you mom.” She tells me she loves me more than I will ever know – and I can
be assured of that. For that moment, she was right there again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8-lZoFvntLqBgeKJAM1UPI5qj3644cOs5wEL8Vvr7pNJFlD3-rDQ3jSy8dx_vvyS0FtszoN5KNEYndbmlcRua6V9gLTuyIX9jsOBxnTMfzYGiqfFPlhHUNedlBwikt3uM1neBS78Lxzt/s1600/IMG_0873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8-lZoFvntLqBgeKJAM1UPI5qj3644cOs5wEL8Vvr7pNJFlD3-rDQ3jSy8dx_vvyS0FtszoN5KNEYndbmlcRua6V9gLTuyIX9jsOBxnTMfzYGiqfFPlhHUNedlBwikt3uM1neBS78Lxzt/s1600/IMG_0873.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I will spend as much time as I can with mom, and with my
mother- in -law. Love them where they are, while you can. Learn from the
experience of others, call your mom. You’ll be glad you did. God Bless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
SteveOfTheMountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03162681931207945454noreply@blogger.com6