MsSallySays:

Awakening 2011

mssally — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:32:47 +0000

Today begins a season of fasting to usher in the new year 2011, a practice that many people observe, and some of those corporate fasts in churches globally. These are serious times, and it is sometimes hard to hear what God has to say, with all the chaos around us. Personally, I have made decrees and declarations for the year, based on what I’ve heard from the Lord. Already, at the end of 2010, I experienced rapid-fire restoration in family relationships that surprised me, as much as I had hoped for them. That’s what C S Lewis meant when he wrote, “Surprised by Joy”, when he met his wife and married for the first time at an advanced age for first love.

In the past week, dead birds have fallen from the sky for no known reason, snow storms in unusual places, flooding rain & mudslides in California, deadly flooding in Australia, earthquakes in various places. Then another hot spot of revival fire breaks out in southern Alabama and many are being healed.

The best of times and the worst of times, and God is not surprised by any of it. This season of fasting is when we can tap into His wave-length to participate in what He’s doing and saying to His people.

Retirement

mssally — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:55:04 +0000

I retired from NHRMC in September, 2008, after 17 years of employment as a psychiatric nurse, and 42 years of being a registered nurse. That’s a long time! I didn’t quit because I didn’t like what I was doing, but because there were other things I wanted to spend my time doing. The full-timeness of it had gotten to me, but I didn’t want to stop living and doing things I enjoyed. Many of us come to the conclusion that spending time with family out-shines any other pursuit, and it’s worth some sacrifices to do that. That’s what prompted me to make the change when I did. That was only the catalyst that got me moving, though.

Today, I was meditating on the word “retirement” and it got me thinking. I do that a lot. Words get my attention and open up a whole new exploration of their meanings. Often, I’ll also get a mental picture of the meaning and it increases my understanding of the word even more. So, today, it was “retirement”. Just looking at that word, you could think, “OK, “re-” means ” back”, or “again”, so what does “tire” mean? It could mean that I will change the tires on my car…naahhh…don’t think that’s it, but it could mean that. In our culture, we’ve come to know that word to mean that we stop working at a job or career at a certain “mature” age ( nice word for “old”). The word is actually derived from the French word “tirer” which means “to draw”, so the two together mean “to draw back”, and it can be applied in numerous ways. Essentially, it means to withdraw, retreat, put to rest, etc. (retire to bed, retreat from the battlefield, retire the account). But, of course, I got to thinking, again. Instead of retiring from something, how about retiring to something else? It’s another way to look at the season of retirement. It also opens up another whole can of worms. What am I going to retire TO? It makes me think that this season is more aptly called “transition” rather than retirement, because it really is more of a moving from one thing to another.

Since “trans-” means “to cross over”, that makes me think that there’s something in between the two, like in limbo, which means “an indeterminate state midway between two others.” It’s not a bad thing, just uncomfortable while you navigate the uncertainties.

One thing is for sure. Life is an adventure, no matter what stage you’re in. This has been a great year of harvest for me in so many ways, and I have my spiritual senses perked up to catch the winds of change that are blowing. I don’t want to miss a thing and have approached this season with anticipation and a desire to do things I haven’t done and go places I haven’t been. God is good in every way and living His way is full of adventure and is fail-safe. However long or short my life is, I want to live it to the fullest and fulfill all my assignments.

‘

Motherhood and letting go

mssally — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:32:33 +0000

As a child, I was so shy that the sound of my own voice scared me. I hardly ever spoke, and being around other people was painful. Going to school was a dreadful experience, and my mother practically had to carry me there. Eventually, however, I gradually came out of it and learned to be social. Still, my favorite times were playing alone with my dolls in the solitude of my room. All of my childhood, teen years, and into adulthood, I had many characteristics that I would not call normal, so I’ve had great compassion for those who view themselves that way. The very idea that I could have anything to say that would matter to someone else is a phenomenon to me. Yet, here I am, in the Autumn of life, and I have more views than you can imagine, and I want to tell you about them!

My first ambition as a child was to be a mother. From a child’s point of view, I don’t know how much I thought about being a wife, but I KNEW I wanted to be a mother. Actually, I knew at a very young age that I wanted to be a nurse, too. I don’t know what it was about nurses that appealed to me, but I wanted to be one who took care of the sick and hurting. When my brother and his friends played war in the backyard, I was the Army nurse who attended to the injured. Both of those roles are nurturers, so I had a strong desire to help. That one thing on its own can be a trap, and that’s a whole story of its own.

The point of all that is to say this. I’m a mother at heart. God gave me the desire to be a nurturer and that is a good thing. Everybody has a mother who gave birth to them, but not all mothers provide nurturing. Biological mothers who love and nourish their children play an important role in their lives as long as they live. However, it is also important to have other “mothers” in your life who can speak into your life in a way that bio mom can’t. It’s not a matter of mom being replaced, rather, it’s a way of adding to, or augmenting, what the bio mother does and gives to you. It’s a kind of multiplication for your benefit.

I found that, in the workplace, I regarded co-workers who were younger than my own children as adults, professional peers. We talked to each other as adults and had expectations of each other that were not childish. There were some who came to me with issues they needed to talk about that they wouldn’t go to their mothers about. Let’s face it. We want Mom’s approval, and sometimes, the things we have on our minds are not things we want to go there with Mom about.

As a mom, I’ve found that the hardest thing I’ve had to learn is how to let my children grow up and how to let go of them. There are nested sermons in that one, but, for now, what do you think? Where do mothers go to find out how to accomplish this very important part of letting their children grow into mature adults?