What does God say about immigration?

3 Jul

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged July 3, 2021

July 2, 2021

I step away from the “normal” devotional I send you on a regular basis. And I humbly warn you as I’m about to share something personal, controversial and sensitive.

I appreciate, value and respect your opinion on whatever topic is rattling this country right now including illegal immigration. And because I do, let me tell you my story.

When I was 31-years old, a retinal disease robbed my sight completely. A friend visited me and said, “What are you waiting for? Get your application in for social security disability. After all, you have three little kids and you’re a naturalized citizen. You deserve it.”

It didn’t set well with me.

Deserve it? That didn’t set well with me. This is why.

In 1960, I was eight and my brother seven. Life was pitiful in Bolivia, and desperation was served at every meager meal in our tiny, dark kitchen.

So, my parents rolled up their sleeves and worked, sweated and struggled to meet all U.S. Immigration requirements to enter the country.

Four long years later, and with documents in hand, we arrived in Miami. Even before suitcases were unpacked, Father set his own laws. “This is the United States and the language is English. We will learn to speak it and learn it well.”

He also added there would be no excuses when opportunity came to work hard and live to our commitment to give, contribute rather than receive.

Years later, I still carried that mentality in my heart. And that’s precisely what erased any reason for my blindness to be an excuse. So, I studied, worked hard and what followed was an award-winning career as a Spanish interpreter. At the same time, I became a writer and inspirational speaker.

As a writer, I often tuck my opinions about illegal immigration in the privacy of my heart. But in a moment of boldness, I chose to impart this insight: If we enter the U.S. carrying deception, how can we expect to receive blessings for the journey?

The fear of God was considered.

Risking sounding boastful, I confess our family chose to enter legally because of fear. Fear of God’s warning about deception and fear of living void of God’s blessings because, “Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours” (Psalm 128:1-2).

And although prosperity followed hard work, our goal was to leave a legacy for our grandkids.

I cupped my grandson’s face in my hands and looked into his blue eyes. “You have to remember your great grandfather came to the U.S. riding in the airplane of integrity. You need to live up to that and carry that legacy.”

Speaking of legacy, I ask your forgiveness for the political incorrectness you’re about to read. But illegal immigration has nothing to do with legality. Rather, it has everything to do with the distorted legacy we’re leaving for generations to come.

Beginning a life under deception molds a mindset where welfare is a goal and hard work becomes an inconvenience.

Important Truths

We can’t allow these truths to vanish in the fog of confusion:

  • A sense of entitlement fosters laziness.
  • Excuse is the door to defeat.
  • Forced indoctrination of our children brings on social collapse.
  • Immorality paves the path to destruction.
  • Mocking God invites disaster.
  • Trust in government for provision keep deception alive.
  • Investing in courage and integrity pays dividends of success.
  • Trusting in God’s provision brings lasting rewards.

We deserve it. Yes, sadly we do. We deserve the consequences of a generation where laziness is accepted. Where wrong is rewarded, right is criticized, Godly views are silenced, and mediocrity applauded.

This writer believes immigration becomes illegal when those crossing the borders believe America is the land of entitlement. Wrong. America is still the land of the free.

That freedom was established by God through the founding fathers. And that liberty became the banner for early immigrants who learned English, worked hard, upheld god’s values, contributed and saluted the American flag.

They didn’t demand or complain. But rather, they sang gratitude to God for allowing them to live and prosper in the greatest nation on earth.

My family still celebrates the 4th of July with a banquet of gratitude served on the table of God’s Word. How about you?

Janet

______________________________________

Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.

If you enjoyed these moments of inspiration, consider supporting JC Empowerment Ministries. We keep going, keep inspiring and keep bringing Jesus light into the darkness only through your cheerful tax-deductible giving. It’s simple. Just hop over to this LINK. https://janetperezeckles.com/about/non-profit-tax-exempt-authorization-letter

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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The Engine Overhaul Part 1

30 Jun

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

In a recent post about camping, I mentioned our first small tent camper and the following story takes place around 1972, not long after we bought that camper.  It all started with what was supposed to be a family camping trip, with friends, for a fun weekend in the Everglades National Park, located at the southern tip of Florida.  On the first day, as we were heading south on I-95 from Titusville, FL we were all excited about the little four-day ‘mini-vacation’ we had planned.  We had both cars packed full of all the food and camping equipment we thought we would need, to ‘rough-it’ for the trip, along with our canoes and our tent camper.  

Photo by Bill Lites

As we approached the exit for Melbourne, FL (only 35 miles from home) our 1960 Chevrolet Biscayne sedan suddenly made a loud rattling sound from the engine, and the car began to slow down.  I immediately put the car in neutral, and coasted onto the emergency lane, where the car came to  a stop.  There was no indication on the dashboard instruments that there was anything wrong, but the car would not run.  My friend Dwayne pulled in behind me, and we tried to assess the situation.  The starter would turn the engine over, but it would not run.  We finally decided it was probably something to do with the timing and we needed to get my car off I-95.  

Photo: https://www.google.com/search

Luckily, I had an emergency tow-strap and Dwayne was able to tow my car and camper off I-95.  There just happened to be a campground next to I-95, where we could hold up long enough to make some new plans.  We decided to transfer the camper to Dwayne’s car, but he didn’t have a trailer hitch on his car.  It was a holiday weekend, and we had no idea where to go for a trailer hitch.  We borrowed a phone book (no cellphones) from the campground owner and finally found an auto parts store that was not too far from us.  By the time we found the store, bought a trailer hitch, and got it installed on Dwayne’s car, we were all tired, and realized it was too late to make it all the way to the Everglades Park (200 miles)  before they closed for the night.  So, we paid for and spent the night there at the friendly campground and were glad to be able to take a shower after all the day’s hectic activities.

Photo: : https://www.google.com/search

After the campground owner heard our story, he was kind enough to let me leave our car parked there until we got back from our trip.  We packed everything up and headed out early the next morning with four adults and five children in Dwayne’s car (no air conditioning), and with him pulling my camper and both canoes on top of his car.  We finally made it to the park and had a great, if short, ‘Everglades Adventure.’  You can read all about the camping trip in the three-part referenced blogs on this same website (Ref. Bill Lites blog titles “An Everglades Adventure Part 1, 2, & 3 dated 09/24/2014-10/08/2014”) if you care to.  Now, as Paul Harvey would say; for the rest of the story.  After we got home and got everything unloaded, Dwayne drove me back to the campground, in Melbourne, to get my car.  He towed me home and helped me get the car into my garage where I could work on it.

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 63 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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Letters from Mother 5

28 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

May 20, 1983

 Dear Ones:

Just a quicky, Dad’s home from fishing. I’ve put things away. His young friends wanted to work. He always fixes their bicycles when they break down. 

Photo credit Pixabay

 Dad had about four big buckets of carrots and lots of red, yellow, and white onions that we gleaned along the highway where the vegetable trucks go. They fall off the big trucks when they go around corners and people are allowed to pick them up and take them home. We distributed them among the neighbors.

Photo credit Pixabay

Your Bill called yesterday, and we had a good visit. He felt that he should stay close to his job at Edward’s Air Force Base for the weekend. He’s there to help prepare the Space-Shuttle for return to Florida.  It was nice talking to him.

I finally mailed the package. You should receive it by UPS, and I do hope everything will be in good shape. The longer I waited to mail it, the less excited I was about it. I hope you will enjoy it anyway. Please don’t feel obligated to keep any of the things for a lifetime. I have given them to you, and they are yours for as long or as little a time as you wish to keep them. 

Grandmother has been feeling poorly. She didn’t want us to know and didn’t want to go to the Dr. If you have a little time, send her a letter or card, please.

 I love your long letters these days. I’ll answer the latest one more carefully next week. As for now, I’ve been cleaning out drawers and getting stuff ready for the trip to my brother’s campground on Marrowstone Island. The fishing is good there, and the weather is cool. It’s good to spend some time with Smithy and Waunita.  

This is all for now. Maybe I’ll write more in the morning. Let me know what condition things were in when the package arrived. The throw I mention isn’t there because Mrs. Stiffel’s daughter wanted it and got it just before I offered to buy it from the lady of the quilts at the Salton Sea. Dad’s doing the extra watering, and I’m doing up a load of laundry; I must get some breakfast food and milk soon.

Got this new pen in the mail. We entered a sweepstake with a chance at $50,000, but the pen was all we won.

It’s fascinating that you got to see guns being made in Williamsburg. Dad dabbled in that in Westcliffe. He never formed the barrel, but he worked the stock. (Do you remember seeing him do that?)   

Photo credit Pixabayc

Bet you loved the bookmaking at Williamsburg. Your description is interesting about the leather and all. We have an old book with a torn page that was repaired with needle and thread. 

Can you get a book like those made in Williamsburg? Bill said they would only make 10,000 at a time. How much do you think one might be if you were a collector?

Dave and Susan also enjoyed your journal. Touring with Bill must be great since he takes time to enjoy. We fly by places at the speed of a roller coaster.

Photo credit Pixabay

It sounds as if Bill’s sister Judy is a well-trained teacher of aerobic dancing. I’m glad they suggested an alternative place. (Slimnastics?) The big church out here got into tax trouble when they built a nativity scene. That’s Robert Schuler’s church in Glendale, the Glass Cathedral. 

Your Cutlass Oldsmobile sounds neat, and Bill seemed proud to have you driving it. When he asked if he could marry you, we gave him one condition he must always see that you had a car to drive.   

Grandmother Marie is hopeful of getting a new picture of each great-grandchild. 

Love, Mother, and Dad

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Random Memories of Germany-Heidelberg

27 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills

I was looking at the photograph over our bed recently, and it reminded me of when and where we purchased it.

When we arrived in Heidelberg (1980-1983 tour of duty), we stayed in temporary quarters until we could move into our “permanent” quarters. It was, essentially, a hotel, but maintained by the government. We were able to find and purchase a car relatively quickly, but Fred used it to go to and from work. That left me and the girls with riding the bus wherever we wanted to go.

That wasn’t too bad, fortunately. One day, I remember being by myself at the BX/Commissary complex, and found the “Thrift Shop.” It was a good place to look around and see if those leaving the area had put anything up for sale, that they didn’t need since they were returning to the States.

One thing I found that we really needed was a transformer.

Credit Google Search and Amazon.com

Germany uses 220v electricity, while the U.S. uses 110v. So we needed a piece of equipment called a transformer that allowed us to use our 110v powered equipment on the 220v system without ruining our stuff. This was a good piece of equipment and the price was right, so I purchased it. Unfortunately, it was extremely HEAVY!! It weighed about 30 pounds! Definitely too heavy for me to carry on the bus! I asked if I could leave it there until my husband could pick me up with the car, and they agreed.

As I was looking around the shop more, I found a large photograph, framed, of the Heidelberg castle, and fell in love with it, immediately! Again, the price was right, so I purchased it. And, again, I asked if they could “hold” it for me until my husband could get there with the car – and they agreed.

This photo has hung over our bed ever since – no matter what house we lived it. Unfortunately, the photo has faded to a sepia tone.

Apparently the photographer did not “seal” the photo. Now that wouldn’t have been too bad, but I really liked the picture in color. We have a friend here who has the equipment to make a copy of the photo and enlarge it to the same size – in color. And he did. So we have our original photo back in color, and we are pleased.

As a footnote, our daughter, Karen, and her husband, Brian, found and gave us a miniature of the Heidelberg Gate. It is lighted from inside, and wonder of wonders – the small bulb that came with it all those years ago, is still burning – and it’s running 24/7/365!! It sits on a shelf and I can see it every single day – and enjoy that part of Heidelberg every day. Lovely!

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Camping Can be Fun Part 2

23 Jun

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Our first family camping trip, with our new/used equipment, was to another one of the nearby Florida freshwater springs.  Now it was wonderful to be able to close up the tent to keep the insects out and have screened windows to let the breeze cool the inside.  The cots allowed us to sleep off the ground, and the awning helped keep the rain out of the tent.  We made many weekend family camping trips to several of the other Florida freshwater springs that year.  On vacation to the Blue Ridge Mountains that summer we were not ready for the colder weather.  We discovered that we needed something between us and the canvas cot to keep us warm.  And, in Florida, when it rains the water just soaked into the sand.  But in the mountains of North Carolina the water doesn’t soak in, and we woke up with two inches of water on the floor of our tent.  We never did discover where the water got into the tent.  That trip was when we decided we wanted a tent camper that would keep us warm and dry.

Photo: https://wildernesstoday.com/best-family-tent/

A friend a work sold us his small pop-up tent camper that was just what we were looking for.  This was an older basic house shaped camper with a 2-burner propane stove, but no electricity. We had to use Coleman lanterns for our lighting and we had a small two-burner Coleman stove in case we wanted to cook outside. The camper had a small freshwater tank, which required a hand-pump to get water into the sink.

Photo by Bill Lites

Everything had to fit within the camper footprint as the tent portion opened straight up to a peak running fore and aft.  The small stove, sink and countertop were on one side, with an office size “ice box” (remember, no electricity) under the counter.  On the other side was a small fold-down table with bench seats for four people.   DiVoran slept on the twin bed that ran across the front with storage under it, and I slept in the other twin bed that ran across the rear with more storage underneath.  A swing-away bunk bed was located over each twin bed, and was pinned into each of the fore and aft upright tent supports and that was where our children slept.  It was a very compact efficient and arrangement.  When folded down, everything was flush with the top sides of the camper, with a canvas cover over the top.  This did not allow for anything to be carried on top of the camper.

Photo by Bill Lites

We continued to enjoy camping at the Florida freshwater springs and spent several summer vacations with that camper in the Blue Ridge Mountains, at the same campground we enjoyed that first year in a tent.  We even managed a to get in a wonderful six-week ‘Across America’ (Florida to California and return) family camping trip one summer.  I was between jobs, and it was an opportunity to show our kids some of the wonders of our beautiful nation, and to visit friends and relatives along the way.

Photo by Bill Lites

Over the years we pretty much ran the wheels off that small camper.  We tried a 6-person Starcraft pop-up camper for a while, but we were looking for something with a little more room and comfort.  We finally sprang for a new Colman Fleetwood 8-person pull-out tent camper with all the bells and whistles.  We now had all the comforts of home (with the exception of toilet and shower).  Running water, lights, four-burner propane stove, refrigerator, electric heater, and air-conditioning.  We were ready for anything with this rig!  Our camping experiences took on a whole new prospective after that.  That camper gave us total year-around comfortable camping no matter where we decided to go.

Photo by Bill Lites

A few years later, after some major surgeries, the rigors of camper setup and teardown began to tell me it was time to leave the camping to the younger generation.  Our son and his family were ready to enjoy some quality camping experiences, so they inherited the Fleetwood.  It gave them several years of wonderful Florida camping, and then they also passed the camper to others to enjoy.  And that my friends, is the short version of our camping experiences.  It was great while it lasted, and I can recommend family camping, anywhere anytime, for quality relaxation and fun.  I had some of my most memorable camping times as a kid in the backyard of my home.  So, it doesn’t have to be fancy, just a weekend away with the family.  Try it.  I think you will like it.

—–The End—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 63 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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The Colonel’s Best Student

22 Jun

The Storyteller Almanac

Check out this episode in my ongoing podcast series, “The Storyteller Almanac” it is online for listening and downloading. This one speaks of a fairly well known American folk hero who created a business that’s probably a little better known than the creator himself. It’s presented in my favorite “… Paul Harvey / Rest Of The Story …” format. In other words, ya’ gotta listen to the end to figure out who are what we’re talking about.

Click HERE to Listen

My podcasts can be found on all major podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and more. You can also navigate to www.StorytellerAlmanac.com to listen directly.

Ands as always, by all means please subscribe / “follow” the podcast once you navigate to one of those podcasts platforms. That way, you won’t miss any future episodes. No charge. No obligation and no salesman will call ;).

I’ve been ‘clickin’ the shutter since I was about 16. I morphed into video production when I went to work for The Walt Disney Company many years ago. Currently, I still work for Disney. But my real passion and path is utilizing my photography and multimedia skill sets for the greater good. Translated, anything or anybody that deserves recognition, appreciation or documenting for future history, I’m all over it. Too many important things just slip away in a fast moving, fast paced world / society. ‘If ya’ wanna know where you’re going, ya’ gotta know where ya’ come from’ (Sir Lawrence Olivier – The Jazz Singer 1980). 

If you feel so inclined, I’d sure appreciate you subscribing to Storyteller Almanac on any of the major podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and more. Really helps me grow the po

To contact me for any reason, please click or copy & paste: 

MikeThomasImagery@gmail.com

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Letters From Mother 4

21 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

May 10, 1983

Dear Ones:

Well, one more trip to the Salton Sea, we got here at 9:15 this morning. We came a new route, partway past some fine homes and estates over toward the mountains. We saw the Mariposa in bloom and a few Lupines. I was kind of dull and tired. So, we didn’t talk much, and it seemed like a long trip.

After I got all settled in, I was so hungry I had to have a sandwich and convinced Dad to have half. I’ve got to see that he eats now and then (so he will feel better and be in a better mood). Dad was in a hurry to be fishing, not at home, while I was trying to do my weeks’ worth of housework from Sat morning to Tuesday morning.

When we got here, Ivan and Lowell went as quickly as they could to fish. I took a short nap, and it turned out to be from ten to twelve-thirty. Guess I was tired.

I’m still messing with the package I want to send you. Haven’t been home long enough to get it wrapped—that’s the hard part—for me anyway.

Thank you for asking us to come to Florida in the summer. I’d love to be there, but, that’s when we take most of our fishing trips. Getting there sounds like a lot just now, so we will perhaps see you this coming winter.

Too bad you couldn’t come to California with Bill on his business trip. We could have had a good and cool time while Dad was at sea. 

As for the recipe, we were considering Helen’s and remembered that she always used rutabagas. That one calls for some hamburger too, but you could use a soup bone or boiling meat. I always like it with some well-cooked beef and the beef broth in it. My mother used to throw in a handful of barley. The recipe calls for rice.

Scribe Tribe sounds like a good name for your writing group.  We surely had a lovely day at Empress Lily in Disney World Village, didn’t we? (Well, I got off track there) Just had a glass of lemonade and cookies with Lowell. 

Looks like our cat Patches will stay permanently with Lynn and Harold now

The painting is coming along. I’ll go tomorrow and probably will finish the trees. Bought another $20.00 in art supplies yesterday. Thank you for your thoughts on the cost and the pleasure of learning. Dad said he’s glad for me to do it and will be glad when I can sell some pictures. But I said don’t count on it. You know how long I’ve been waiting for you to sell a fish. 

Kathy has some other jobs coming up: one with the state to do with unemployment office work, one part-time, and one full-time, about an hour commute. The part-time will give her Kaiser medical coverage and unemployment. So now it is a matter of deciding which to do.

Love Mother,

P. S Dad took me to see the young fish in the sea and asked me to go fishing. (Some guys have been doing well with their wives along with fishing.) I’ll be glad when he feels happier inside. 

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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A Milestone

20 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Today, June 20, 2021, marks a major milestone in the life of Fred and Judy Wills – that’s us, by the way.

Today is our 60th wedding anniversary.

June 20, 1961

Outside of our family, when most people hear that number, it is a jaw-dropping experience.  Who in this day and time stays married to the same person for 60 years???  Well, WE do.

In a previous post (please see my post, Showers of Love – Part 3, October 18, 2015), I told of a young man who was my physical therapist following my knee replacement.  I stated:  

As I was in physical therapy this week, the young man who is my therapist told me that he’d had an interesting weekend – he got engaged!  Congrats all around!!  As he was working on my knee, I informed him that my husband and I have been married for 54 years.  His question was, “what kind of advice do you have for someone just starting out?”

I only had to think for just a moment before giving my response: “Well, I don’t know where you are spiritually (he began nodding his head at this), but….put Christ in the middle.”

I can’t think of a better way to show love to either your marriage partner, or to those around you.  Just put Christ in the middle of any relationship, and it all works the way it’s supposed to work.  God certainly knew that when he created us.

Photo credit Pixabay

That is a rock-hard philosophy that Fred and I have lived by for all these years.  Did we have a perfect time?  No.  Did we ever have arguments or disagreements?  Yes.  Did we let that divide us?  Absolutely not!!  We still leaned on our love for each other and our love for the God who put us together, and have come out on this side of all that with our love and marriage intact.  God is so good!

We really enjoy going on cruises – especially Disney Cruise Line, but 2020 was such a messed up year, that we were unable to do so.  And this year hasn’t yet caught up.

However…we ARE going to spend three days at Disney for our anniversary.

We will stay at the Shades of Green resort,

Photo by Judy

Photo by Judy

Photo by Judy

and go to one park each day, except for Animal Kingdom.  And today we celebrate our 60 years together at EPCOT – our favorite of all the parks.

Perhaps next year will be open for cruises.

If so….Disney Cruise Line – here we come!

Photo by Judy

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Becoming a Real Father

19 Jun

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged June 19, 2021

June 18, 2021

“I am on a mission,” my 42-year-old son Jason wrote in a recent blog post.

A mission? I asked myself. I tried, really tried to raise him with his focus on God, with his commitment to integrity, and with the wisdom to embrace God-honoring goals.

Those were my silent prayers for him and his younger brothers. And, blushing a bit, I admit, those desires of mine were repeated perhaps way too many times.

Did all that do any good? Well…tears fill my eyes as I share this with you:

Jason wrote:

“In case you missed it, I joined a group of warriors. We’re 100% committed to becoming something better, something great.

We are accountable to each other. And we’re ALL-IN on the journey to overcome hardships. We’re committed to become hard(er) to be defeated regarding our Mind, Body, Business and Relationships.

And although I’m not surprised, my 13- year- old daughter has taken to doing my workouts with me every day. She is a black belt in karate (her passion). She hates missing a workout as she’s very competitive.

Today is our finisher. And as we start our run, she looks in my direction. “Daddy, I think I’d like to talk with you while we run.”

Done!

Air pods go in the pocket. “What would you like to talk about baby?”

“Well, me and my friend were talking and we were saying it’s no wonder why people don’t want to be Christian. It’s hard to not do certain things when everyone else is doing them. It’s hard when people make fun of you, or say you’re stupid for believing those things. Like, sometimes I pray, and I don’t feel like it does anything at all. Nothing changes. Why would anyone want to do that?”

“Wow. She’s exactly right. Those are great questions. I feel like that sometimes, too.

“Hey” I asked, “Was it super easy and painless to become a black belt in karate?”

“No.”

“Then why would anyone want to do it?”

I do it for you!

This is only one of many conversations and experiences through the years. There have been tears, mistakes and apologies. All on both ends. There have been times of hard work in our relationship. Our personalities were tested and often conformed.

And in that process, I’ve run through the gamut of frustration, feeling overwhelmed, even bits of depression. But I resolved to never go any further.

As a father, this has been a precarious 13-year investment. But no matter how challenging, failing or quitting have never been nor will ever be an option.

I turn to her. “Look at what I’m doing right now. My legs hurt. It’s hard to breathe. This sucks. Why would I do this?”

She ponders my question as she rollerblades next to me. She smiles as she expresses perhaps the most meaningful words ever spoken by a daughter to her father in the history of time.

“Because it’s worth it in the end,” she says, “Daddy, I’m so glad you’re my dad. I feel bad for kids who don’t have someone like you to teach them. Thank you for talking to me and teaching me in a way that I can understand and really makes me feel good. I love you.”

Tears hidden by my sweat.” Exactly right baby. And you know why I do it? For you.”

She wants to pose for a picture…

It’s always worth it.

Similar to my mission as her dad, our group works out. We record. It’s not always pretty, but it’s always worth it.

And it is because we uphold the uncompromising ideals to which my teammates and I have committed during our lifelong journey to become our best selves.

And in my journey as a team member and as her dad, I am not only willing, I am excited and eager to suffer with and for those who are worth it.

And maybe for the first time ever, I understand I am not only the pinnacle, I am the foundation.

Today God is asking all fathers to be the warriors. To go to battle for their kids. To be willing to suffer because it’s worth it. To persevere because it’s required. And to fight because it’s right.

But the warrior in every father isn’t found in physical strength, financial abundance, or even in brain power.

It’s found in a place where he chooses to reside, where he rests and where he stays. That place is in Christ. He Himself said:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:5-7).

When Jesus remains in a father’s heart, he becomes the ultimate warrior. No stress will defeat him. No fear can bring him down. No worry can weaken him. And no harm can reach his children.

Let’s pray.

Father thank you for your invitation to remain in You and become the strong fighter. I vow to use the weapons of courage faith and perseverance. In Jesus name.

In the challenges of fatherhood, what kind of warrior will you become?

Janet

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Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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50th Anniversary Trip-Last Day

17 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

April 14, 2021 Leaving Pigeon Forge

Our final morning in Pigeon Forge,Tennessee. The days had flown by and I wondered if I should have booked 7 nights instead of 5. Maybe it was good to leave with future adventures to anticipate rather than a “been there done that feeling.”

Our check-out time was 10 am and we had a lot of stuff to load into the car. We made it with minutes to spare and waved a fond good-bye to our unit.

As you may have noticed from previous posts, my husband loves Krispy Kreme doughnuts. For him, a trip to Pigeon Forge always includes a visit to the doughnut shop. Every day of our stay he would ask if that day was KK day. Every day I said not yet, until this day, our final day. After all, our route from the time-share to highway 441 to begin our journey home would take us past Krispy Kreme.

Photo Credit Pinterest

In past times we would always purchase a dozen glazed doughnuts, preferably hot from the fryer. Now we limit our order to one each or two each for special occasions. Fifty years of marriage definitely qualified as special.

Photo Credit Trip Advisor


Our daughter and I were salivating over the featured doughnut flavor, Oreo. We decided to split one. It was good but not nearly as tasty as it appeared.

After 5 days of doughnut deprivation my husband was too intent on wolfing them down for me to get a good picture. I had to settle for this one.

Hyped up with sugar and caffeine we began our return journey through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Newfound Gap is where the states of North Carolina and Tennessee meet. Several hiking trails including the famous Appalachian Trail can be accessed at the gap. I was impressed with this group of older hikers and wondered what sort of trail they were attempting.

When we began our anniversary trip we were thrilled to view an elk herd wading in the Oconoluftee river. We weren’t so lucky on this day, but we did take the time to enjoy a walk by the river. I was fascinated by the tree roots growing on top of the ground.

I think I may enjoy the spring colors of the mountains more than fall. There is something about the tender green of the leaves and the delicate blossoms that speaks life to me.

50 years of marriage. So many memories we have made together. Life hasn’t been perfect, but wouldn’t perfect be boring? We have always enjoyed road trips and the memories that stand out are the ones that began with a wrong turn or a particularly unpleasant situation that turned into a funny memory. We are looking forward to whatever time God has ordained for our future together. We are blessed.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2021 goal is continue touse my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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