A Cup of Tea for the Heart

The electricity went out!  I so take it for granted that I forgot what a blessing it is.  I suddenly realized how little I could to without it.

I thought, well, I will just heat some water and enjoy a cup of tea.  The stove is electric.  Okay, I will get some of those pictures hung in the hall that have been waiting on me.  Hall is dark without lights.

Really grateful it is a warm, fall day as our heater requires electricity and so does our fireplace.

Can’t work on the computer – back to pen and paper.  Can’t read unless I sit by the window.  Can’t cook or clean.  (Oh! Too bad!!) Can’t watch TV or talk on the phone.  We may have to go out to lunch and sit and talk to each other face to face.  :) 

Hmmmmm.  Amazing how quickly challenges can become blessings!!

The electricity went out!  I so take it for grantedthat I forgot what a blessing it is.  I suddenly realized how little I could to without it.

I thought, well, I will just heat some water and enjoy a cup of tea.  The stove is electric.  Okay, I will get some of those pictures hung in the hall that have been waiting on me.  Hall is dark without lights.

Really grateful it is a warm, fall day as our heater requires electricity and so does our fireplace.

Can’t work on the computer – back to pen and paper.  Can’t read unless I sit by the window.  Can’t cook or clean.  (Oh! Too bad!!) Can’t watch TV or talk on the phone.  We may have to go out to lunch and sit and talk to each other face to face.  :) 

Hmmmmm.  Amazing how quickly challenges can become blessings!!

            “When I grow up life will be so easy, I will have all the money I need for anything I want to spend it on.  I know I will because my parents do.  I will have so much time to do just want I want to.  I know I will because no one ever tells my parents what to do.  They just tell me what to do.  Marriage will be easy because there will be two of us to do everything, and raising kids will be a breeze because every time you see a baby they are always laughing.  Of course the second one will be really easy because you have already learned how to raise the first one.”

            This was the story I heard Sunday from a young speaker at the church service we have each week at The Wellington Retirement Center.  Of course, it brought on quite a laugh from all of us….retirement age or not. 

            Isn’t it interesting how our perspective changes as our age does? I can remember thinking that when our children grew up I would never have to worry about them any more.  I have never prayed for my children in their lives as much as I have since they have been grown.  We never quit learning.

            Our speaker told us about a research study that has been done over a number of years about what truly makes people happy, and it was not the good job, or the new house or the big, beautiful car, but it was being loved by someone special, having a good marriage, having an opportunity to give to others and going to church.  True happiness comes from giving to others.  What a surprise! 

I think someone very special told us that a very, very long time ago.  Let me think…wasn’t his name God?

As I was looking out at the most beautiful snow scene this morning, it occurred to me what a phenomenal thing it is that of all of those zillions of snowflakes, no two are alike.            

 Of all of the millions of people that have, are, and perhaps will live on this earth, none of us will have the same fingerprint.  

I cannot fathom no beginning and no end.  I cannot understand how there could be a God so loving that he would find someone like me – so small and so full of faults – and be willing to offer His son to die on the cross for my salvation.  

I find all of this unbelievable.  I find my enormous amount of blessings to be totally unbelievable and yet it is all true.  Amazing! 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

I spent a weekend recently with aunts, uncles, and cousins I had not seen in twelve years.  It was wonderful.  These people care about me.  They are my roots.  They know who I am and where I came from.  They know the why of the me that is deep down inside.

Things are to be used  They have their time and place.  When their time and place are gone they no longer matter.  What really matters in the long run is people.  The people who share our lives.  The people who share our heritage.  The people who share our earth.

That’s what life is all about — caring for each other.

…and the livin’ is busy.  Romance jumpin’ and the schedules are high.  Oh…..your life is rich and the future’s good lookin’.  So hush busy babies, don’t you sigh.” 

Hmmmmm….maybe Rita and I should sing this more often.  This has been one busy, glorious, exciting, prayfully blessed year…and it is only a little past half over.

 Rita’s son is getting married in 10 days.  And, as is usual with life, if things could get in the way to make life a little more challenging, they have.  I know some think that all we do is work on books and all the multitude of things that go along with it…wrong!  Our lives were full even before we were lead into that exciting venture by the Lord. But we truly believe He knows the right time for everything.  Sometimes I question His faith in me and my abilities but that is when it is time to turn to Him and say, “Guide me, Lord, and I will follow.” 

 I have read a quote that says that: “If the Lord leads you to it, He will lead you through it.”  I like that because I truly believe that He will be with us every step of the way – through everything – IF we choose for Him to be the center of our lives.  That means everything to me.

 So….it’s summer time and the livin’ is busy…but it is good and it is blessed and we will rejoice in the Lord in all things. 

          “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

                                                         Psalm 118.24

           I just had lunch at Inspiration’s Tea Room in Edmond, OK.  It is a beautiful place with excellent food and a peaceful atmosphere – even though it is usually very busy.  I got to visit – briefly – with my daughter who is the kitchen manager and then with the owner, Tamara Rhoads, who shared some wonderful ideas.

         This was the first time I had a chance to share the A Cup of Tea for the Heart story with Tamara.  She was so excited and as she began to give me new ideas…we all got goosebumps…again!! 

          She told me how wonderful some of our new product ideas are and suggested yet another book title…something on the order of “He Heals My Brokenness.”  She said that she definitely would write for that one and she knew of many others who would want to share their healing stories as well 

         I told her about the “My New World” book and her comment was how very, very needed that book would be.  On her street alone there are four women who have moved here from another country. 

        The Lord is touching so many lives in such a unique way through this series of books and they are not even out yet!  I constantly go back to one of my favorite scriptures:  Isaiah 40:31 “…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”   I know in my heart that even though the ideas are flying at us like the wings of eagles, that we will not grow weary because He is with us.  He is our strength.

I am sitting here looking at the new cup that Rita and I just had printed with our logo on it and remembering the fun we had this afternoon over iced tea and a detailed review of what I experienced at the ICRS (International Christian Retail Stores) convention in St. Louis last week.  (Of course, Rita was taking a “staycation” and lounging in the sun while I was walking and working!  )

            I had an opportunity to meet so many interesting people.  My brain was buzzing with ideas the whole time I was gone and all the way home.  It is so much fun to share hour after hour with massively creative people and just cling onto their ideas and look at their creations. 

One author I met had seen and fallen in love with an antique car that had been painted bright orange with red flames on the front.  She took inpiration from that car and ran with it, and now has a whole series of children’s books based on the car.  And — she had the car at the convention!  That was a real attention-getter for sure!

So many of the product wholesalers were people who had designed and created their own products and companies.  They were excited about our project and our logo and were so willing to share some great ideas for our new book series.  I could hardly wait to get home and share them with Rita!

There were long time authors such as Joyce Myers there, and new ones such a Laura Bower.  I simply could not read or walk fast enough to keep up with all that was happening. 

Some of the new Christian movies that are coming out look terrific and I wanted to stay and watch them all – but alas – I promised Robert to get back to the hotel in time for him to get to the St. Louis Cardinal’s game each night.

I think you will be seeing evidence and hearing about the things we learned this past week for a very long time.  Education is a wonderful thing!  And what an amazing blessing that the Lord provided the opportunity for me to attend this ‘by invitation only’ conference through some book review work I do!  Wow — watching as the Lord weaves together pieces from different seasons of life often leaves me awestruck….and gives me goosebumps! 

            As you may be aware, Rita and I began brainstorming about a book full of heartfelt advice and stories from Christian women for Christian women on March 17, 2010…93 days ago.  We felt so strongly that the Lord wanted us to do this project, and from the very beginning it has been as though He was just pulling us along — at a very fast pace!

            What a trip!!  We had so much to learn in addition to just putting a book together…that was the easy part.  We sent out emails and facebook notes and posts to a few friends and asked them to share the info with their friends, and the stories started pouring in.  By June 1^st almost 100 MARVELOUS stories had been submitted by 75+ contributors, ages 19 to 100.  The Lord was leading people to write.  Several of the writers even told us that they had not really meant to write but woke up one morning and felt compelled to tell their story and share the wise and helpful advice they’d learned along the way.

            Before long we saw that this was to be a big project as not only stories began to come in but also frequent requests for the book .  And we quickly realized that this was not going to be “a” book but a series of books titled “A Cup of Tea for the Heart.” 

            With much to learn about the rapidly changing publishing industry and the fast paced social media trends, we went to school…conferences, teleseminars, research materials, Q & A sessions with experts, and lots of trial and error.  Since that time we have put together a logo for the series, a Facebook account and we are on Twitter.  We are meeting so many new friends through all these avenues!   

            We interviewed and were interviewed by multiple agents and publishers and today turned into our “Chocolate” day…we received a formal contract from one of the top 10 publishers in the nation!  This contract is for our first book:  “Tough Times Don’t Last But Tough Women Do.”  We actually received the first version of this contract a week ago, but spent this week learning more from the publisher, and received this second version of the contract today!  Wooohoooo!!    We celebrated with a Molten Chocolate Cake from Chili’s.   Life is just too short to skip the chocolate and we are not going to miss out!!

            God is good and, Lord willing, we will continue to follow His lead.  We cherish your prayers for this journey and would love to read your stories!  We are so thankful to those sweet women who have already shared their stories and advice for the blessing of others, and we look forward to so many more!  Check out the ‘Share Your Advice’ tab to see how you can participate!

It is no doubt that one of my greatest challenges has been the lesson of patience and it is surely being tried this week.  

In many ways, Rita and I are so much alike that we often joke that we are just working out of one brain.  She will send me an email suggesting an idea and I get it about the time I have sent her one with the same idea.   We both think very fast – sometimes to the frustration of our husbands and children – and we both work very fast.  Soooooo when things get bogged down in the process, it is frustration city in our houses.  That pretty well describes this week.

When I was so seriously ill eleven years ago, I would get very frustrated at the slowness with which my body was responding to the treatments for recovery.  I was in isolation for six months and then in a very protected environment for about the same length of time.  I wanted out and I wanted my life back to normal.  I didn’t get that “wish” but I did learn at lot about the Lord and His plans. 

Reading through the Christmas ads that year I saw a clock with the exact words that I needed to read each and every day.   My precious hubby went down and got that clock for me and I still keep it very near for the reminder that it provides me.  It says: “God’s timing is always perfect.”  Need I say more????  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and when we follow His lead we are always on the right path.  (John 14:6)

Tomorrow is another glorious day and if the Lord is willing,  I will get to enjoy it here on earth.  I pledge to try to be patient and watch for His perfect timing.  I will also try to remember that the Lord made this day and that I am to rejoice and be glad in it.  (Psalm 118:24)  What a blessing!

Who knows, I may get this lesson yet!