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January 22, 2014 by Karin 4 Comments

When You Can Suddenly See So Much More

You can’t help but stare.

It’s almost too much for the eyes to take in.

Coming from the green drenched hills of the east where sight doesn’t extend past the next turn.  Your eyes can’t help but blink and blink and try to take it all in.

Green quenched East

Green Gardens of Home

The open valley, the stark desert sprinkled with life – then suddenly the mammoth city and the rugged beauty of jagged mountains.

You think you might just be able to see forever. And, you wonder why you couldn’t see forever before.

Desert Tracks

She landed in this western city where endless bets are placed. Her little guy stared, mesmerized by a place he had never seen before.

This forever friend of mine and her little boy who struggles with grueling allergies and tormenting skin problems – just like my boys.

It’s no wonder God brought us to meet in our twenties. She introduced me to my warrior – she told me he would be the one for me. She was right.

It’s no wonder we met all those years ago and had our first babies one week apart.

It’s no wonder our boys have mirror allergies. I had been through this desperate search for help – 7 years ago. I knew a man, a doctor, who could help. It was no small miracle – no, it was a merciful miracle that brought healing to my baby boy now growing strong and healthy.

I told her about this doctor, and you know how friends are… the best ones. They believe you when it all seems… rather doubtful.

She and her little guy landed safely in this glitzy town in the middle of a desert. She wound her car down the highway and he stared across the miles of valley,

Mommy, why is it?

My eyes are the same size… but I can see so much more…

Lake in the Desert

Western Skies

And that’s just it. The heart of the matter. Our eyes are the same size, but suddenly… we can see so much more.

Why does it sometimes take so long? And, why can’t everyone see it?

It’s right there in front of us, but we can be so blind.

Maybe sometimes it takes a step. A step in faith.

What are the chances that a doctor in the middle of a brimming city – in the middle of a stark desert – can provide a healing touch? An answer to the suffering of a little boy.

But, he did. Just like he did years ago for my own son.

What are the chances we can open our same sized eyes and suddenly see differently – all the things we thought we already knew?

What are the chances we can open the eyes we have always had, and suddenly see so much more?

What are the chances a friend can whisper a Truth, and though it seems impossible – unimaginable – it is real?

What are the chances a step in faith can bring us to a place we can see forever?

Maybe sometimes it just takes one step…

I’d bet my life on it.

 

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Karin Madden

Filed Under: A Day in the Life, Faith, Friendship Tagged With: open eyes to see, stuff kids say, take a step

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

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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