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October 9, 2013 by Karin 2 Comments

We All Need It

31 Days of Good Deeds 31 Days of Good Deeds

(click here for the series)

~ Day 8 ~

Remember the first date?

Ours was on a Harley to a crab shack situated next to a glistening river.  It was a beautiful day in May.

It was the kind of date I knew would settle into my memory forever.

A few weeks later, we were engaged.  A few more months and one deployment went by, and we were married.  Still another few months, another deployment, and we celebrated with an official wedding.

I roll those memories around in my mind on the days that my elbows are lost in dishes, laundry, dirty diapers, and school work.

I smile at this lively six pack of ours and remember the travels we enjoyed… way back then.

These days of babies… growing to big kids… growing to pre-teens are a wild and blurry race.  These days are the ones that really grow us.  These days are the ones when love learns the grit of perseverance.  When love learns the true meaning of patience.  When love shows what it’s really made of.  When God shows us… what we are really made of.

And, sometimes, we are given rest.

we all need it

The rare and sacred time away to remember what that first date was really all about.

And, sometimes, someone older and wiser… someone who has been there, lived it, and loved it… appears. Someone who sees the strain, the drain, and the need for release.  This someone comes along, passes the baton of hope and encouragement, shares the joy of the moment ~ for just a moment, and let’s you know you are right where you supposed to be.

This story from my friend Laura is about the parents… the couples… who have been through it.  They remember these days, wish us well, offer a gift, and push us to keep going…

We were at Bunhuggers (a burger restaurant in Flagstaff) and began talking with another couple behind us in line. They were a bit older than us, but were coincidentally on their once a year weekend getaway, just like us. We talked about our kids and our love for the busy stage of life that we are in. After orders were placed we each sat down at different tables. At Bunhuggers, you pay when the food is called out and picked up. We didn’t hear our number called, so my husband went up to ask about it.  He was told that that nice couple we chatted with in line paid for our order. We went together to ask if there was some confusion. When they simultaneously began to smile, we realized that it was on purpose. We thanked them and were humbled by their kindness. They said that their kids were older and they knew how much they would have loved if someone had picked up their tab in our stage. They said, “just pay it forward sometime to someone who doesn’t look at all like they need it. Have a good night.” It was a heartwarming high note to end our trip on.

Remembering the days gone by with couples who have been there… gives us hope… and rest.

Just pay it forward to someone who doesn’t look at all like they need it… because we all need it.

1 Timothy 6:17-19

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

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Filed Under: A Day in the Life, Community, Good Deeds, Perseverance, The Good Stuff, Together Tagged With: pay it forward, we all need it

October 5, 2013 by Karin 2 Comments

Give Love, Get Love

31 days of Good Deeds 31 Days of Good Deeds

(Click here to see the series)

~ Day 5 ~

This.

Give love.  Get love.

Happy Weekend…

Matthew 22:39

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

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Filed Under: A Day in the Life, Compassion, Good Deeds, Together Tagged With: give love get love

October 4, 2013 by Karin Leave a Comment

How To Really Be Brave (one for the kids)

31 days of Good Deeds 31 Days of Good Deeds

~ Day 4 ~

I remember her face.  I even remember her name.

Katie.

I didn’t know anything about her, but I remember the way people treated her.

She appeared awkward and shy.  It was mostly the boys, but there were a few girls, too.  The ones who weren’t picking on her stood back and laughed.

I just watched.  I mean, what else could I do?

I was only in 7th grade.  It was a big school and we all know that junior high isn’t a confidence builder. It’s a tough age.  Those middle years.

Most of us just watched.

We watched while they poked and picked and laughed.  I knew Katie was in the slower classes, but I didn’t really know much about what that meant back in the early 1980’s.

I felt sorry for her.  I wished they would just leave her alone.

I see now.  Instead of leaving her alone… I wish someone would have not left her alone.  I wish someone would have stood next to her.  

I wish I would have been brave.  

I wish I had stood next to her.

This story is for kids like Katie.

I pray my kids will learn to stand.  Not watch.

stand together   Thank you, Joan, for sharing this beautiful story…

One summer day while doing some gardening in the front of my house, there were several children playing out in the street.  A little red hair, freckle-faced boy came along and wanted to join them.  Most of the kids started laughing at him and calling him names.  He started to cry, and I was going to go over and say something to the other kids, when I noticed one of the boys who was playing picked up the ball.  The red-headed boy sat on the curb and just cried.  The boy with the ball said something to the other boys and then walked over to the red-headed boy and sat down.  Since they were sitting on the curb right in front of my house, I could hear what they were saying.  This is what I heard…

The young boy with the ball put his arm around him and told the red-headed boy not to cry. But, the red-headed boy said, “They called me ugly and won’t play with me.”  The boy with the ball wiped the tears from the red-headed boy and said, “You’re not ugly. God doesn’t make anyone ugly.”  Then he hugged the red-headed boy and said, “I will always be your friend and we can play ball together.”  

I had tears in my eyes and went into my house and got each of them an ice pop.  I lived there for a long time, and watched those two boys grow up to be best friends.   Amazing.  That happened over 30 years ago and those boys, now men, are still friends with families of their own.

May we learn to defend the weak.

May we learn to stand.

God doesn’t make anyone ugly.

 

Psalm 82:3

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

 

(Day 1 is here)(Day 2 is here)(Day 3 is here)

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Filed Under: A Day in the Life, Community, Compassion, Friendship, Good Deeds, The Good Stuff, Together Tagged With: for the underdog, stand up

October 3, 2013 by Karin 2 Comments

For The Ones Left Behind

31 Days of Good Deeds 31 Days of Good Deeds

~ Day 3 ~

We hear these stories too often.  The ones about warriors lost.

The times I have looked upon sleeping children and slumbering babies, and prayed hard for their daddy to come home… unharmed… are more than I can recall. The times imagined into stomach sickening fear of the knock at the door have been more frequent than I want to remember.

The truth is… it is real.  For too many of us.  We have lost friends, spouses of friends, and neighbors of friends. Some of us have lost… everything.  We have lost too many close to our hearts, and always in our thoughts.

The truth is… there are many we pass every day for whom the dread and the imagined nightmare has become a reality.

left behind

A friend who lost her husband in Iraq eight years ago marks the milestones by keeping his memory alive for her children.  She is a warrior.

Many faces around us are struggling just to make it to the next moment.  Their families have sacrificed… everything.

This story is from the wife and mom of military men.  It reminds me to open my eyes and look around. Thank you, Beth, for sharing your husband’s story…

Beth and I returned home today from an FRG training course in Kansas City, Mo. We were standing in baggage claim at O’Hare airport waiting for our bags and we saw a female standing across the conveyor. She had a stroller with a child, a car seat, and two very large suitcases. You would think, looking at her, that she was just waiting for her husband to come help. We watched for a minute as she struggled with all her bags. Beth then looked at me and I said, “okay,” and walked over to offer my assistance. She accepted, handed off the bags, and we walked out. She asked if this was my home post or if I was traveling through. She then mentioned her husband was a Marine. She asked me what I did, so I told her as we walked out to the curb so she could wait for her ride. I set the bags down, she thanked me, and I told her, “not a problem.”
She looked me in the eye then, and told me her husband was recently killed in a training exercise. This was her first time traveling. I was stunned. I said, “I’m so sorry for your loss, Ma’am,” and walked back to baggage claim.
I believe that Beth and I were there to see her struggles and to be there to offer assistance. It was God’s will. My one regret is not asking her husband’s name, so I could say a prayer for him. So I will just have to say one for all the fallen.
~ SGT Stiff
A prayer for all the fallen… and the ones they leave behind.
A prayer that we, like Sgt. Stiff, open our eyes to see the struggles of those around us.
A prayer that our hearts and hands may help to carry each other’s burdens.
Galatians 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
(Day 1 is here)
(Day 2 is here)
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Filed Under: Community, Compassion, Good Deeds, Military, Together Tagged With: open eyes to see, the warriors left behind

February 14, 2013 by Karin Leave a Comment

When You Wonder If You Are Where You Should Be

I didn’t want to be there.

Not on that day, anyway.

The day after the Superbowl.  I live in a house of football fanatics.  It was a late night for warrior, mama and 5 of the six pack.

I tried to get out of it.  No luck.

So, there I was.

I was the parent of the day.  Not in the sense that I am awesome.  Not even close.  Parent of the day means running, making copies, cleaning bathrooms, supervising little ones, and being available for general mom duties while wonderful tutors instruct groups of home school kids.

The morning had been filled with standard duties and a broken heater.

Finally, a moment of peace.

I sat down and took one bite of a sandwich.  It would be hours before I would eat again.

Her small voice startled me.

Um, my teacher asked me to come get you.

She said she feels dizzy.

Have you ever had a moment in which clarity rang like a crystal bell?  For a moment, you know exactly what is happening, even if it does not appear clear to anyone else.  You see the train lights in the tunnel and the feeling of urgency grabs you and propels you into action.  You don’t even know why you sense this urgency, but it completely overtakes you.

Logically, I know dizziness can have all sorts of causes.

It wasn’t logic that brought me to toss my sandwich on the table and run down the hall.  It was the train lights and the sense of dread.

I bolted through her door where eight pairs of young eyes stared.

I’m just not feeling so well.

I’ve never felt this way before.

I pulled up a chair and planted myself next to this dear soul who teaches our little ones as if they are her own.

Rubbing her back and checking her pulse, I asked a few standard questions.

What did you eat?

Have you been sick?

Do you have pain anywhere else?

She shook her head no.

The moments following this rushed like the oncoming train.

It was here, in this place, on this day, that I sensed His presence greater than the lights roaring towards us.

where we should be

Her husband’s voice over the phone.

I don’t live far away.

I can take her to the hospital.

It was then that the urgency overwhelmed.  As if His voice echoed from the heavens.  I answered her husband’s concerns.

I’m going to call 911.

I believe she may be having a stroke.

Please come here and you can go with her.

Time sped.  Mothers of young children flocked.  The moments flowed as if choreographed by God’s own hands.

No sense of panic.  Calm voices prayed with our little ones as they watched a miracle unfold.

Her body grew weak, the ambulance arrived, and soon after so did her husband.

I kissed her head and promised her prayer… and they took her away.

It was nearing the end of the day.  The kind of day when you feel like you are floating… being propelled by the One great force.  An odd peace prevailed.

We gathered outside.  A bitter cold day.  A small group of moms.

Just moms.  A circle formed.  Then, words to the heavens.

We prayed.  And prayed.

It’s not often that prayer takes me to this place.  This place where I think if I open my eyes I’ll see His face.

There is no such thing as “just moms.”

A mighty force when we hold to each other and come to Him.  It blew my mind.

It was true.  She did have a stroke.

I’ve worked with hundreds of precious souls, blind-sided by strokes.

I’ve seen the results… the pain… the suffering… the fear and frustration.

I prayed for the bleeding to stop… before I knew it was a stroke.

You know what?

The bleeding stopped.  It stopped just in time.

She shared her faith with many in the hospital on that day.

We were all where we needed to be that day.

She recovered quickly.  One week later I hugged her neck in the same classroom.

She was new again.

Aren’t we all made new again every time we realize His presence?

Aren’t we always where we should be when we are moving in His will?

We are all a part of this story.  This eternal story.

The story… is so much bigger than just one story.

 

John 11:4

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death.  No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

 

 

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Filed Under: Community, Faith, Mercy, Together Tagged With: God's choreography, right place right time

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Meet Karin

Hi! My name is Karin Madden. Writer. Warrior wife. Mom of six pack. Homeschooler. German-blooded southerner. Welcome to the place where I explore what it means to grow stronger - spirit, soul, and body. I write to inspire and encourage - to remind you we are not alone. By being bold with grace and speaking truth in love, we can become who we are meant to be. I'm glad you are here.

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