NAMES

Finally something dawned.  Been thinking about the meaning of names and how important that can be.  Our minister of music has a daughter they named Selah.  I asked if he thought she would grow up loving it or hating having to always spell or explain it.  He said they have told her from the beginning that it is in Psalms in the Bible meaning to pause and consider the Glory of God.  He said she is already very comfortable with being able to speak about its message for all who care to ask.

Now that is a most purposeful name -it is always going to bring up the most important subject of all - God's glory. 

Our family likes keeping old family names going so we have a lot of last names as our childrens' first names.  My daughter is Mary Gentry (Gentry was my father's mother's maiden name and also means to the manner born or of good heritage).  Her daughters' names are Mckenzie, which means "the fair one" or "born of fire".  She didn't turn out to be a total red head like her Mom but she was a strawberry blond for most of her childhood years.  She is definitely fair of skin. Karissa means -with a "k" love and grace and with a "c" that everyone said it "should have been spelled" means beloved one.  They are both Greek in origin and both suit our Karissa just fine.

My own name took on its true meaning once I began my new life in Christ - Anna is Hebrew and means grace and so I am now full of grace thanks to the Dear Lord.  I was also named Louise after a great aunt.  That is of German origin and means a great warrior.  I am not much of a fighter though I don't mind an argument or two that can go on forever but I like to think that maybe it means I can and hopefully will stand up and fight for what I believe.  I pray for my persecuted sisters and brothers all over the world and just wonder could I even begin to stand firm and faithful at the point of a gun or a machete being swung in my face.  I pray so, hope so want to be able to and maybe since that's the name God knew would be chosen it was His way of making sure I will.

Hopefully you have a name you love and live up to and it positively affirms who you are each day.

AT THE END

I'm fascinated by people's dying words.  I just came across a quote of Leonardo DaVinci that said:
" I have offended mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have."  Can you imagine?  If he did not reach his idea of "quality" mine is sadly lacking in whatever it should be. 

I do not thing I'm very artistic or even creative for that matter because I have had to seek out an image - can't draw a straight line or cut one either - and am using techniques in every facet of my work that someone else thought of way before me.  Still I know my cards please the receivers and therefore I do place a high "quality" to them because of that.

I imagine DaVinci, like poor Van Gogh,  and many others may not have lived to see what their work became hundreds of years later.  Poor Van Gogh would not have even comprehended what four million dollars for one painting even meant.  I am not sure, but I do not think they had that much money in one place at that time to even know its value. 

Still I could weep to think that any artist or even person, for that matter,  would have to die thinking  they had offended mankind because they did not delivered something of higher quality.  Perhaps he was a perfectionist and that defeated him.  Still he was a visionary in so many areas.  Could he not see that?

We come back to my own possible last words.  My father's repeated phrase to us girls was "I have made you jack of all trades but master of none."  And so did he see himself in the same light.  I have to admit it does defeat me at times because it has certainly become a self-fulfilled prophecy in my life.

As I have been sharing in this new 75th year - I've still to get on the ball and make it happen.  I still have not done whatever I need to do to know I am "up to snuff."  But Dear God please do not let me offend anyone or even disappoint them at all.  Please oh please let me finally get my ducks in a row for this year and for many more to come.  I will keep on until I do.

If you haven't noticed the Energizer Bunny ads lately they are too cute and for me very inspiring.  I will just keep going for as long as my battery lasts.  Thank you Lord it is an energizer called the Holy Spirit and He's excellent at it and I know lasts forever.

Before I Die

I'm still not quite on track with writing this every Monday and really not on track with writing as I should be at all.  But not able to sleep tonight a thought of what to write about did come.

I have figured out what I want my last words or request or whatever to be right before I die.

I want everyone to pray that the Dear Lord will let me continue to pray for everyone who I pray for now and whom the Lord knows I would want to continue to pray for for all eternity or until the answers come.  They speculate that we may not do anything of our earthly  life as we know it but praying is a spiritual exercise too so hopefully that one can be a carry-over.  I can't imagine not being able to pray.

I am fascinated by how some people's epitaph's actually read on tombstones or in biographies.  I am very interested in how people die.  I see saints of the Lord versus people who only  loved the world and all that was in it experience  drastically different home-goings .

I just read where Dwight L. Moody, a great saint of the Lord, said, "Earth is receding, heaven is approaching.  God is calling me."  Who would delay leaving at that moment in time?

Winston Churchill asked that the famous and usual "Taps" be played as his funeral began then made sure to surprise everyone attending when the trumpeter played "Reveille" when it was over.  That is the military call to awake each morning.  Churchill obviously believed that death is not the end of our life, but actually the very beginning of the best part yet to come.

I'm planning on being ready willing and able, but I'm also planning on enjoying and living to the fullest every minute of every day and hopefully many many years to come.