While sifting through the comments on my blog awhile back, I came across one remark which had absolutely nothing to do with anything I’d written on my post. Truthfully, I’m not even sure she read the story. For some strange reason, I held off pushing the delete permanently button; allowing this person’s words to wash over my heart again and again. I marveled that a total stranger’s words, randomly shared on a blog she accidentally stumbled upon because she just “…had to share her story with someone”, could connect so deeply in my heart. I sensed God’s Fingerprints all over this!
A young, single mom, living on the California coast went on to explain how she’d taken her four-year-old daughter, Emmy, for a walk on the beach that day earlier. As they strolled along, kicking up loose sand with bare toes; Mom picked up a shell lying on the beach nearby. Reminded of her own childhood, she showed it to Emmy. Mom explained to her how God had hidden the sounds of the ocean’s crashing waves down inside of the shell. Delighted, Emmy reached for the shell and pressed it up against her ear. Just as quickly, Emmy dropped the beautiful shell, screaming and holding her ear, crying out, “Ouchy! Ouchy!”
Puzzled by her daughter’s reaction to what promised only to be a beautiful, Mother-Daughter moment on the beach, Mom picked up the shell again. Cautiously, she examined it, soon discovering a disgruntled sand crab, the size of a quarter, hiding down inside of it! Mom laughed until she cried while Emmy just continued to cry! What had begun as only the shell of a past experience for Mom, ended for little Emmy as a very crabby beginning to her day on the beach!
Every new day holds its own promises for each of us. Sometimes, without warning, those bright promises can turn into questions and speculations that number the grains of sand on the seashore. Life is a lot like this mother and daughter’s walk on the California beach that day. One moment you can be walking in the sands of time, content with the promise of the familiar and the beautiful up ahead of you; and the next you are crying out in pain, wincing from the unexpected…or the unwanted.
Though this mom couldn’t foresee what little Emmy never expected…the same is not true of us in our own life. You see, we walk with a God Who Sees our life before we encounter it; even those unexpected things hidden in the darkness.
“He [God] changes times and seasons, He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.” (Daniel 2)
We walk through the sands of Time with the God who promises His children this:
“I have created you and cared for you since you were born. I will be your God throughout all your lifetime…” “I will carry you along and be your Savior.” (Isaiah 46)
What better promises than these are there for the moments, days, weeks, and years up ahead of us? After all, we know Who holds our hands…Who Directs our hearts… and Who Lights our darkness. Now, let’s just choose to let Him do it… while we kick some sand, walking with Jesus along our own beaches, blanketed with the Sands of Time.
HEART TRAPPINGS:
Have you ever seen the Fingerprints of God in your own life? Where, in your own life, have you encountered people, stories, or circumstances so unusually placed, perfectly timed, or profoundly simple, they captured your attention long enough to change your heart’s thinking forever? What will be your response the next time you encounter the un-expected in the middle of your life’s beautiful? Whose Beach are you walking on? Whose Hand are you holding? Whose Light is lighting your way?
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, countless times I’ve walked the Sands of Time with You. Too often, I confess that when my hopes have been dashed, plans abruptly changed, the un-expected tramples me, or death snatches a loved one away; I am prone to behave more like little Emmy on the beach with her mom. I turn loose of Your Hand and run away from You, crying and wincing in pain. Help me realize I have turned loose of the only Hand that can Help me…the Only Eyes I can trust to Guide me…and the only Light I have in my darkness. Thank You for seeing my life even before I encounter it. Teach me to trust You more and to Seas the Moments I spend with You in the Sands of this Life!
My Granddaughter, 7yr. old Makayla, preparing to hike on some of the same paths I walked on as a little girl, while enjoying time at our rustic family cabin.
“Between every
two pines
is a doorway to
a new world.”
–John Muir–
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Frenzy in the Forest
by Debbie Allen
As a young girl, I remember spending nearly every weekend up at our family’s rustic, cabin during the summer months. My brothers and I loved it! Life was so different up there. For many years it was our home away from home on the weekends. Up at the cabin, my parents were far more relaxed. Even the dirt that seemed to follow us everywhere we went, didn’t seem to bother them. It was almost as if my mom and dad expected us kids to get dirty. So, we did! We relished the idea of spitting watermelon seeds on the ground, wading in the muddy creek with our shoes still on, and playing for hours, taunting the campfire flames with our sticks; all without consequences. Though many decades have passed since that time, my heart remains a treasure trove of precious memories linked to both my childhood and those carefree, cabin days. In many ways, those cabin memories and the experiences connected to them, have helped to lay the groundwork for how I chose to live my life out all these years! Let me show you what I mean.
It was early morning at the cabin, over 60 years ago. While mom and dad were cleaning up after breakfast, I watched my brothers, Danny and Doug, removing a log panel on the frontside of the cabin. It was what we called, the secret door. It covered a hidden storage space. A few hundred cobwebs later, they retrieved the old wooden ‘Red Flyer’ wagon from within that deep, darkness. Towing the wagon behind us, all three of us raced up the hill to our favorite spot, planning to ride it back down the mountainside! That wagon was the closest thing to flying we ever experienced as kids…even when the ride came to a crashing halt at the bottom of the mountain. Though the flight always came with turbulence, it proved exhilarating too, in spite of all our crash site injuries.
Most of the time, we’d spend half-days flying down that mountainside, but not on this particular day. My dad’s cousins from Arizona, Weldon and Juanita, and their little girl, Elizabeth; were visiting for the day. That meant all the men and boys were going to be hiking the wagon trail and exploring the remnants of a miner’s camp, on one side of the cabin property, while 5-year-old Lizzy and I spent our time wandering in and out of the forest trees on the other side of the cabin. My mom and Juanita just planned to sip campfire coffee all day long at the picnic table, while catching-up with each other. It sounded like the perfect plan for all of us…until it wasn’t.
You see…Lizzy and I, and her baby doll, really did wander in and out of the forest trees for the rest of that morning. We were so busy laughing and talking, playing and gathering pinecones to make her dolly a forest bed to sleep in; I didn’t notice the cabin was no longer in my sights. Realizing nothing in our surroundings looked familiar to me anymore, my heart raced to the tune of my dad’s warnings to my brothers and I, whenever we played out in the forest.
“If you can’t see the cabin, then you know you’ve gone too far.”
Up until now, I’d always abided by that rule.
“We’d better be heading back to the cabin, now.” I suggested to Lizzie, not wanting to scare her. One of us shaking in our boots was enough.
Slipping her hand in mine, I picked a direction I thought was right and we started walking. But the trees grew thicker and thicker, and the pathway steeper. Every step I took led me to believe I was still going in the wrong direction.
Stopping to rest, I felt Lizzie’s eyes on me.
“It’s going to be ok, Lizzie.” I said with a forced smile.
My expression must’ve contradicted my words to her, because the next thing I watched Lizzie do was to pat her dolly’s back as if consoling her.
“Shh-h-h, its ok, baby.” she whispered, “We’re just a little lost.”
I swallowed hard at Lizzie’s words. Hearing her say the word ‘lost’ out loud somehow made the reality of our situation too painfully real. What if we never get back? I thought to myself.
“You’re right, Lizzie…we are lost.” I admitted. “And I’m not sure which way to go.”
I expected to see crocodile tears welling up in her blue eyes by now. Even I was trying hard to blink tears back. But the next thing I knew, Lizzie was wrapping one of my hands around hers, and the other around her dolly’s hand. She followed suit. Soon, we’d formed what I now know to be a prayer circle, right there in the midst of all our forest frenzy. Our heads bowed; I opened my mouth to pray but Lizzie had already said it all for both of us.
“Dear God…we’re just a little lost, so please send us a little help? Amen.”
The forest was so hushed in that moment you could’ve heard a butterfly land on a wildflower. But not for long. After Lizzie’s ‘amen’, that changed. Something belted out a squawk so obnoxious, it startled us both to our feet. I felt Lizzie trembling, so I covered her ears and pulled her closer. I just wanted whatever it was to go away…but it continued squawking even louder. And to that horrendous melody, the ‘squawker’ added chattering and screaming! Finally, still holding onto Lizzie, I spun completely around to find a giant, Blue Jay glowering down at me from one of the highest treetops on the mountainside! Though I was deathly, afraid of birds, I somehow found it in me to glare right back at him. It seemed as long as I did so, he remained quiet. In the silence of that ‘little-girl vs winged-beast’ stare down; I was able to capture the distant rumbles of a motorcycle growing closer. By the time its rumbles turned into roars, I knew the motorcycle passed us by, somewhere way up above our heads. While watching the Blue Jay fly off in the direction of the fading motorcycle sounds, something occurred to me. The road my dad drove me up here on must be up above us! All we had to do was climb up the mountainside to get to the road… and then follow the road back to where the cabin driveway intersected with it!
With tremendous effort, Lizzie and I and her dolly did hike up the mountainside to the road that day. I carried Lizzie a good portion of the way, so by the time we reached the cabin driveway it was a welcome sight. Though our young brows were drenched, our stomachs growling, and our lips parched, our hearts were filled with joy. Lizzie wriggled down out of my arms, and her feet hit the ground running at the sight of the cabin. I wasn’t too far behind her! If the big-word, hallelujah, would’ve been a part of my little-girl vocabulary back then; the sounds of me shouting it throughout the forest would’ve far surpassed even the Blue Jay’s squawking that day! In much the same way Lizzie prayed for us earlier in the middle of our forest frenzy; this little girl with wisdom far beyond her years, again spoke enough for both of us. For the entire length of the driveway, Lizzie bolted towards our mothers’ open arms, shouting at the top of her lungs, “I been found… I been found!”
My pounding heart could do nothing in that moment but fully agree with her; for I too… had been found. By a squawking Blue Jay, planted on a branch and meant to draw my eyes upward…a roaring motorcycle, whose timely arrival pointed out to me the road home…and my God, Whose Hand of Love and Faithfulness I’ve been able to trace throughout many similar experiences, my whole life long.
Dearest Father, Lord, and Savior…how deeply intimate and far reaching is Your Love. Yours is an endless Love that is beyond measurement. It transcends our human understanding…and yet, it’s simple enough for a little child to grasp. The little girl inside of me still cries out to you, “Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow…” for you are still Faithful to do so in every one of my life’s circumstances. “You are the hope of everyone on earth…” “You formed the mountains by Your Power…” “We stand in awe of Your Wonders.” “From where the sun rises to where the sun sets, You inspire shouts of joy!” (Psalm 25:5b,6a,8b). Lord, continue to show us the paths You choose for us and supply the strength and wisdom we need to walk on them in a manner that brings Your Name Glory!
“Peace on earth comes to stay… When we live Christmas every day” –Helen Steiner Rice–
“He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.” (Job 5:9)
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Treasure in the Darkness
by Debbie Allen
Fleeing for her life on a midnight drive from Virginia; Angela hadn’t time to ponder what life might look like for her as a single-mom trying to raise three kids on her own. All she knew that night, was that after catching a glimpse of her fresh, black-eye in the rear-view mirror, alongside the reflection of the three loves-of-her-life, asleep in the back seat of her car; it was enough to keep her driving for days on end. By the time that adrenaline surge inside of her heart subsided, Angela found herself and three little ones, standing before a total stranger; listening as he pointed them in the direction of a one-room cabin he had for rent in Pinecone Junction; a small town nestled high up in the Colorado mountains.
Angela and her children arrived in Pinecone Junction, with little more than the clothes on their back and determined looks on their faces. After handing Mr. Harvey, the kind, stranger, one month’s rent on-the-spot, her cash supply was nearly depleted. She knew she needed to make-do until she could find a job. But, for now…the thought of a little cabin they could call their own for a while was a welcome change from eating roadside, and sleeping in the car; like they’d done for the last two weeks.
“OK, boys…watch for a sign that says, Snowman Gulch.” “That’s our turn-off.
Almost to the edge of town, Tony, 8 years-old, piped-up. “Mom! I see it…it’s right there! Snow…man…Gulch!
They hadn’t driven more than a mile down that dirt road before Jack, 6 years-old, spoke-up, in his usual inquisitive tone. “Mommy, I see deers and bunches of flowers in the meadows but…I just can’t see any snowmens.” “Where are they?”
“Oh, Jack…” Angela answered, trying not to smile, “It’s summer here now. You know snowmen can only be seen in the winter after the snow falls!”
By the time she finished her sentence, the car was filled with laughter. Jack was laughing at himself. Tony was laughing at Jack…and Ellie, 3 years-old, was laughing, just because she could!
As they pulled up in front of the little cabin-in-the-woods; a tear rolled down Angela’s cheek. Her heart was full at the sounds of her children laughing together once again. One of many things that fear had erased from each of their lives back in Virginia. Helping Ellie up onto the porch, Angela’s heart raced with a mix of anticipation and apprehension. She’d not had the freedom to make such life-altering decisions for a long time. Taking a deep breath, she turned the key in the rustic lock and the boys pushed the creaky, pine plank door open.
“Oh wow…its perfect, Mom!” Tony assured her.
“And I can get up on this and look for the snowmen…when they come!” Jack insisted, while boosting himself up onto a little bench under a picture window overlooking the porch. He wasn’t thoroughly convinced yet that snowmen didn’t live all-year-round in a place named Snowman Gulch.
“This place will be what we make it, boys!” Angela replied, already feeling safer than she’d felt for a long time. Tony and Jack ran for the bunk beds on the opposite side, shouting as they went, “I get the top bunk…I get the bottom bunk!”
Angela scooped up little, Ellie, clinging tight to her leg with her thumb in her mouth.
“I guess that leaves us girls with that beautiful brass bed in the corner!”
Wriggling free from Mama’s arms, even Ellie ran for her bed screaming, “Mine…mine!” all the way there.
“Yes…” Angela thought, watching Ellie claw her way up onto the big, brass bed. The cabin was small, but it truly was a God-send!”
With her past waitress experience, Angela took on a job right away at the local diner. Though she didn’t make much, with tips, her salary covered the rent and bought a few sparse groceries to keep on hand. On the nights when the cupboards were bare-bone, her boss, Lilly, just seemed to know when to send home extras from the diner with her, to feed the kids. It was also Lilly, who loaned Angela a car to drive; when Angela was forced to sell her own car for enough cash to keep them afloat. She’d cut up all her credit cards when they left Virginia to lessen the possibility of her where-abouts being traced. It was also Angela’s way of trying to sever all ties with her husband, Ken. Both she and the kids had suffered enough under his hand over the years. And now that her Dad had recently passed away too, there was no going back to Virginia…ever. Keeping Tony, Jack, and Ellie safe was her first and only priority these days.
Though life in Pinecone Junction was good…Angela couldn’t deny that it had also been tough on them all. Lilly, who became a close friend, Mr. Harvey, her landlord, and many other neighbors stepped in over the last six months, to help her out when they could. Angela was grateful for all the clothing donated to her and the kids; especially with the cold weather arriving. But tonight, was Christmas Eve…and though her paycheck had covered the rent; there was next to nothing left over to buy gifts for the kids. Heartbroken at the thought of it, and exhausted from work, Angela plopped down in the big pine, rocking chair in front of a crackling fire. The kids were tucked into bed and fast asleep, excited for their first Christmas morning at the cabin. The sweet words Jack prayed at bedtime, still rang in her ears.
“And God…could you please just bring me a snowman for Christmas? They’ve been hiding from me all year.”
With a sigh and a smile, she propped her feet up on the warm hearth wrapping herself up in the Christmas quilt she found in the cabin attic. Despair, fear, and anxiety all pressing down on her heart at once, she began to sob. In between tears she caught sight of the three white, socks that Tony, Jack, and Ellie had laid on the hearth for Santa to fill, knowing their Christmas stockings were left back in Virginia.
“What precious children you have given to me. God” Angela sobbed. “Oh, dear Lord…I don’t deserve them. They’ve been through so much. I feel like such a failure in so many ways…God, please tell me what to do.”
Burying her face deeper into the quilt to muffle her sobs, she heard something in the background. Lifting her head to listen, Angela composed herself enough to tip-toe over and check on the kids. They hadn’t moved since she tucked them in.
“There it was again!” she thought, growing even more alarmed. “Something…or someone was definitely moving around on her front porch!”
“Oh God…please keep us safe.” She prayed, the panic she was all too familiar with, rising up inside of her.
“Maybe it was Ken…had he finally found them…and now he was coming to take back his children with force and…who knows what he would do to her!!!” she imagined silently, to the tune of her pounding heart.
Crouching down now on the opposite side of Ellie’s bed, she reached up and grabbed the phone off of the night stand; then made her way over to the hearth where she could see to call the sheriff. Half-way through punching his number into the phone, Angela stopped. She listened once more intently, then hung up.
“It’s too late now to call the Sheriff anyway.” She reasoned. If it was Ken, he would’ve already busted that old pine door down by now and been terrorizing them all.
“Something strange was going on.” She thought, noticing an aura of colored light reflecting through the picture window.
Grabbing the fireplace poker, like she’d seen so many times in the movies; she tip-toed over to the front door and just stood there…listening. The shuffling noise had stopped. When what seemed like an eternity had passed, Angela took a deep breath, raised the poker, and turned the door knob slowly. Glancing back at the kids once more, she flung the door wide open!
“I can’t believe my eyes.” Angela whispered in awe. “It’s a little Christmas tree, all lit up… it’s so beautiful.” She added, looking for signs of who might have delivered it.
Underneath that tree were three Christmas stockings filled to the brim with gifts and goodies for the kids. Even their names were embroidered on each stocking.
“I…I can’t believe this.” Angela said, holding back tears, and shivering in the cold. And if that wasn’t enough, what she saw over the top of the Christmas tree, out in the yard, nearly took her breath away!
“Snowmen…someone built Jack his snowmen!”
As she looked closer at the snowmen, her heart melted. Never had she seen anything quite like this before. Two snowmen…one, a daddy, and one of them a child…both making snow angels in the snow. “My Daddy and I made snow-angels together, every Christmas Eve when I was growing up!” she whispered.” “Thank you, God…only You could’ve known this and how very much I miss my Dad this Christmas.”
With more than a grateful heart, Angela transported the stockings and the little tree back into the cabin, placing them near the hearth.
“What a beautiful sight.” She marveled, plugging-in the tree again. It was decorated with envelope after envelope, tied to the branches with red, satin ribbon. Angela reached for the one at the top of the tree first. Her name was written on it. Opening it, three hundred-dollar bills fell out on her lap.
“This is the rent money, I handed to Mr. Harvey earlier tonight!”
The unsigned note inside of it read simply, “Merry Christmas!”
The little Christmas tree’s branches were loaded with handwritten notes of encouragement, coupons for free babysitting, gift cards to the General Store, as well as many other shops in Pinecone Junction. There were even homemade cookies hanging on some of the branches.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Angela recognized that this Christmas tree was decorated with love…the love of strangers who, over time, became friends; friends who became family; and of course, the Love of God disguised in them all.
Curling up next to Ellie that night, in her big brass bed, Angela wept silent, tears of great joy. She couldn’t stop thinking about her Dad, the snowmen making snow-angels, and the beautiful Christmas tree decorated with love. What had begun this Christmas Eve as a nightmare, had ended as a miracle. The miracle of Christmas was written across every gift she’d received tonight. And tomorrow, it would be written all over again in the expressions that Tony, Jack, and Ellie would be wearing when their sleep-filled eyes behold the beauty of the treasures that came to them in the darkness…much like the Love of Jesus came on that first Christmas night.
“As Angela looked closer at the snowmen, her heart melted. Never had she seen anything so beautiful. It was like looking at a frozen memory from her past…one of her as a little girl making snow-angels with her Daddy on Christmas Eve.”
” May you be inspired by Giving, changed by Love, filled with Peace, and touched by your own Christmas Miracles in this Season of Love and in the New Year to come! ”
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