A Father’s Legacy

I am the second oldest child in my family. You can see me on the right in my dad’s arm. My older sister, Sherry, was in his other arm. We were 11 months apart. Dad was pretty pleased to have us two girls. Little did he know that 14 years after this picture was taken, he would have 6 daughters and 7 sons each about 11 months apart. What a family! What a challenge! What kind of legacy did he leave his 13 children?

A good father has a personal relationship with his Heavenly Father.

Dad went to church every Sunday growing up. When he graduated from High School, he went into the Navy. Dad said he became an alcoholic on his first drink in the Navy, which turned into his first drunk. Sailors were given free beer and cigarettes. That fueled his love for alcohol. Then the God of his youth had to take a backseat to the bottle.

After the war, Dad married our mother and loved her deeply, but he loved to drink more. He didn’t understand why his wife was always “nagging” him about his drinking. He had no idea that all of his problems were surfacing because he was drinking too much. By this time, he had nine children. He still went to church with Mom but wondered why God was not answering any of his prayers.

His brother-in-law had joined AA and convinced Dad to come to a meeting with him. Dad quit drinking but didn’t really think he had a problem with alcohol. He told himself that one drink wouldn’t hurt him, but when he took that one drink, six months later, he was worse off than before he quit.

Then on the night of his birthday, he celebrated alone at a bar and ended up in jail for hitting a parked car. He broke his ribs and his pride. He knelt on the jail floor and cried out to God. “Please God, forgive me of my sins and help me to be the kind of husband and father you want me to be. Save me, God,” he prayed. And God saved him. He never took another drop of alcohol for the rest of his life.

We children knew our Dad loved God. We knew he was changed by what had happened to him. Life was still hard for him, but he was trusting in God to stay sober and to turn his life around. His faith became one part of our legacy. One by one, each of us has given his or her life to Jesus.

The best thing a Dad can do for his children is to love their Mother.

Dad was attracted to our mother’s beauty and charm. He heard her sing to a crowd and was impressed by her talent. He asked her to dance with him and was stricken by her ability to follow his lead so easily. She was attracted to him too and three months after their first date, they were married.

Then came the babies and the problems, but our parents stayed married. Dad and Mom went to AA and Al-Anon meetings together and this strengthened their marriage. They started the first AA and Al-Anon group in their home town and began helping other alcoholics and their families. More babies came and Dad kept us children from disrespecting our mother. He was a disciplinarian and we knew we should not talk back to our mom.

Dad got home at 5 o’clock each evening and dinner was usually ready. When he came into the house, Dad would grab Mom and dance her around the room. His love for her was always visible. We knew our dad loved our mom. They kept their marriage vows and we children never wondered if they would end up in divorce. The genuine love of our father for our mother is part of our legacy.

A good father will teach by example; forgiving because he has been forgiven, accepting others because he has been accepted, and loving because he has been loved. He wanted a better life for us.

Our dad expected us to work hard because he had to work hard. He wanted us to behave and to be kind to others. We were never allowed to pull pranks on our siblings. We were not allowed to use bad language, even though Dad often slipped up and used his navy language, because he wanted better for us. He didn’t want us to fall into the same mistakes he made.

If we messed up at home or at school, we were punished. We knew that Dad did not hold our failings against us because he had failed so many times himself. “There but for the grace of God go I, ” he would say. He would also remind us that “this too shall pass,” if we were struggling with something, because he had struggled so much to overcome his own problems. Dad had learned in AA to make amends to those he had hurt. He expected us to make amends too. Dad worked hard every day and he expected us to work hard. Dad helped all kinds of people in AA. He did not care what economic level or race you were, if you had the disease of Alcoholism, you were his brother and he would help you. He did not want us to judge a person by anything but his heart. Him living out the Golden Rule is part of his legacy to us.

Dad and Mom left no inheritance of money to us children, but what they left is a legacy of faith and love toward God, love towards each other, and love towards each of us children. I feel very blessed to have grown up in a big family whose members still love each other even though we are now adults with families of our own. Thank you, God, for loving our Dad so that he could love us.

The biography of Don and Theresa Wenning, Sober by the Grace of God, written by their daughter, Mary T. Wilkinson, may be purchased on Amazon at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Mary-T-Wilkinson/e/B0103LFUHS?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_4&qid=1592015909&sr=1-4

Where Do You Put Your Hope?

We live in a world where everything is in turmoil; nature, government, and our individual lives. This year our family vacation to the ocean was the week right after Hurricane Harvey and just before Hurricane Irma. There was turmoil all around us, people being evacuated in states nearby and yet we were at peace. We knew that no matter what happened to our world, God is greater still. No matter what happened in our government, God is greater still. And no matter what happened to us as individuals, God is greater still. In Him alone we have hope.

Do you hope that you will have enough money when you retire to do what you want to do, and live how you want to live until the end of your life? Do you hope that science and the medical community will help you to stay healthy and not let a catastrophic illness end your life prematurely? Do you hope that you will find a perfect mate who will complete you and give you a happy life until one of you passes away?

IF YOU HOPE IN MONEY, SCIENCE, OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE DISAPPOINTED.

These things cannot bring you peace and security. Only God can keep our ship from sinking and our lives from being thrown overboard.

Hebrews 6:19-20 (NIV) says, “ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.”

I can trust Jesus to supply my needs. I can trust Him to heal me. I can trust Him to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; my friend and Savior.

THIS IS THE ONE IN WHOM I HAVE MY HOPE.

When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, it surprised everyone to see the devastation and the fact that the hurricane was so strong and stayed in one area longer than normal. It did not surprise God. He was there with those families who were afraid. He was there with those families who lost a loved one. He was there with those who lost all they had. And they saw Him in the hands and hearts of so many volunteers who came to give aid and comfort. God uses our hands and feet to give hope to whole communities.

When we heard that Hurricane Irma would hit Florida, people were ready to move. Floridians heeded the evacuation warnings and left the affected areas. More volunteers got ready to go and help as best they could. I prayed, along with Christians all over the United States, that Hurricane Irma would not do as Harvey had done; stay in one area and totally devastate it. We prayed that Hurricane Irma would weaken and move back out to sea, and God was listening. Irma hit land and went from the strength of a 4 down to a 1 and moved across Florida where it could get back out to sea.

Money could not have stopped these Hurricanes. Good Science could not predict with total accuracy or stop these Hurricanes. Good wishes could not stop these hurricanes. Powerful prayer to a powerful God, made all of the difference in life and death for the people in these states. Do not put your hope in things of this world, but put your hope in the one who created everything in our universe, including man.

If you put your hope in Him, you will never be disappointed.

 

Posted in: author, faith, hope, inspiration, Natural Disaster, Trusting, Jesus, Filed under: faith, hope, inspiration, Natural disasters, trust

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Looking Up!

Living in Indiana is not very conducive to “looking up to the mountains,” as this verse suggests, but it’s what’s beyond the hills that gets to me and draws me closer to my God. Looking at the sky and knowing God put it there to protect me from dangerous things outside my atmosphere, provide the sunshine and rain to grow my food and meet my physical needs, and inspire me to think about Heaven and what it might be like to sit and talk with Jesus there, fills me with a contentment beyond degree.

 

We recently housed two great young men from the Grundy Mountain Mission school, who live in a valley surrounded by mountains. One of them asked if he could get up early and watch the sunrise. He said he never gets to see a sunrise or a sunset with the mountains always in the way. Though I might complain about the ground always being flat where I live, he reminded me that we see some amazing sunrises and sunsets here.

 

So whether you live on flat ground like me, just hilly, or mountainous like the students at Grundy, Virginia, remember to look up to the sky and know that God is in all of these places waiting for us to show up and praise Him for it.

Smoky Mountain Strong

This past week my husband, daughter, and I went on a short four day vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains. We stayed at a lovely resort called the Sunrise Ridge Resort just out of Pigeon Forge. It was close to the Great Smoky Mountains, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. What a wonderful place to stop and reconnect with your family!

We were anxious to see the damage done by the fires from the past year.  Several times as we drove through this iconic area, we saw signs that said, “Smoky Mountain Strong.” We saw lots of black areas of burned trees in the Smoky Mountain park and on the road into Gatlinburg, but Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg seemed unaffected now over 7 months after the fires.

Some attractions were not open yet like the Gatlinburg Sky Lift. It sustained a great deal of damage during the fires. Everything at the top of the lift, and even the huge poles that held the cables, had to be replaced. They are set to reopen before summer.  Most other attractions are up and running.

It rained constantly for two of our 4 days of vacation. It was too wet to visit the park, so we went to some shows in Pigeon Forge. The two we saw were The Hatfields and McCoy Diner Theater and The Comedy Club. I would recommend them to anyone as both were family friendly.  We also visited my husband’s favorite place, The Smoky Mountain Knife Works.  He bought a few knives and even two skillets for me! Driving around in Pigeon Forge, you would have never known that a fire had been near that area, but once we got on the road to The Great Smoky Mountain Park we began to see the evidence that had been left behind.

Cabins built into the sides of the mountain were destroyed with only the stone fireplaces showing. Black trees, and areas cleared by the fire, were very near Gatlinburg proper. Some trails, used for a hundred years, were littered with charred trees, yet Cade’s Cove looked to be totally unharmed.

The spring had produced some budding in trees that were only black at their bases. Grasses and flowers sprang up through the park. All of the trees that were not affected brought forth the glory of God. The park was Smoky Mountain strong because our God is strong! The picture above is Laurel Falls. A three mile hike through both burned and beautiful landscape brought us to this falls. Once there, you cannot help but think of the God who crafted it all.

In spite of the destruction we witnessed, there was so much hope everywhere. Shops and restaurants opened their doors and welcomed everyone in like they had done for years. This area of Tennessee is not shutting down because of a careless act. They are rebuilding, renewing, and forging ahead. They are “Smoky Mountain Strong” and God is applauding their efforts of renewal! Make the Great Smoky Mountains a part of your vacation plans this summer. You won’t regret it.

Mary T. Wilkinson, a retired elementary teacher, lives with her husband, Paul, in Indiana. She writes inspirational fiction and non-fiction, but most days you will find her babysitting her young grandchildren.  Mary is a public speaker and does Author Visits in elementary schools. Please “Like” Mary on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Mary-T-Wilkinson-700254123347586/ and “Follow” her on Twitter at twitter.com/MaryTWilkinson. You can buy her books: Call Me Lizzy, Henry Listens Harder, and Sober by the Grace of God on Amazon.com and Lulu.com.

New Year – New Reason to Stay Sober

2017 is a new year and I published a new book. It is the biography of my parents- Don and Theresa Wenning. The title is Sober by the Grace of God- One Alcoholic’s Story, because it was by God’s grace that my father started to love God, his wife, and children more than the bottle. If you’ve made a resolution to drink less this year, or to stop drinking, this book will encourage you to keep that resolution.

My dad became an alcoholic in the Navy during WWII. When he came home, he married my mother and tried to live a normal life as a husband and father. But his life was a mess. He and Mom had 13 children, of which I was the second oldest. For the first decade of my life Dad couldn’t figure out why he had so many problems, why he kept getting fired from his jobs, and why his wife kept harping on him for his drinking. He came to the conclusion that he was going to have to get up every day and drink all day for the rest of his life. He decided he was worth more to his wife and children dead than alive. He attempted suicide, but God intervened and kept him from going through with it.

Then on his birthday, August 13, 1964, he ended up in a jail cell with broken ribs and a contrite heart. It finally occurred to him that he was a sinner and heading to hell. He got on his knees and asked God to forgive him and to take over his life. That was the beginning of his sobriety and he stayed sober until he died at the age of 77. He’d been sober for 39 years and helped countless other alcoholics to reach sobriety.

Don and Theresa’s story is amazing and full of hope for anyone who is affected by alcohol’s grip on their life or the lives of their loved ones. A copy of this book can be purchased on Lulu.com or Amazon.com. Don’t let alcohol ruin another year for you and those you love. Let 2017 be the year that you “Let Go and Let God” be in control of your life; not alcohol.

Stretching My Wings

When I taught school, I used to have my class bring in Monarch caterpillars they would find on milkweed near their homes. Sometimes we would have 6 or 8 caterpillars brought in at the same time. We watched them feed on milkweed leaves and grow big and fat in a discarded fish tank with a screen lid on it.

How we enjoyed watching the caterpillars climb laboriously up the sides of the fish tank, attach themselves to the screen at the top and hang upside down until the seemingly miraculous moment when they would shed their skin and turn into a chrysalis. After about a week, they would break out of that chrysalis, with much struggle, and stretch their new wings out to dry. If anywhere along the way, we tried to help the caterpillars get to to the top or help the butterflies get out of their chrysalis, they would die. They had to go through the struggle. It made them stronger in the end.

As a writer, I felt many times like I was that caterpillar, struggling to get my words on paper and edit, edit, edit. Then patiently wait for the rejection letters that never gave me any helpful advice. And finally, after an excruciating time of waiting, I find out that someone thinks my book is worthy to be published! Amazing!

At last I am that butterfly who has emerged and has to stretch her wings. I am doing things to promote my book that are foreign to this elementary teacher. It is always hard for me to promote myself. I have had to become a public speaker, which turns out to be very fun and rewarding. I have sat long hours in Author Fairs with 20 other authors where all of us only sold a few books. I have had book signings at more coffee shops than I can remember and I don’t even like coffee.

Now I have been to two schools to do an all day Author Visit and it has been wonderful. It was not because I signed books, but because I was back in the classroom doing what I loved to do for so many years; teach. I try to teach at least two test standards that I know elementary students will encounter; poetry and figurative language. I use excerpts from my books and talk about becoming an author. It has been great!

Very soon I will be sitting at a booth at the Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio talking with moms about my book and how they might use it in their homeschooling. I am still stretching my wings and hopefully one of these days, I am going to fly.

(Mary is available for Elementary school visits for the 2016-2-17 school year. Email her at booksbymarywilkinson@gmail.com)

Share Your Story

Share Your Story

by Mary T. Wilkinson

Everybody has a story, but not everyone wants to share it. “Oh, I’m not an author,” you say. “Nothing I have done is worthy of being shared.” How wrong you are. Each person alive has lived with struggles, awakenings, and putting their faith into action. Why should you share your story? Here are a few reasons.

You have been through the same situations we will face in the future. Did you ever notice that certain problems are the same during all generations. You lived through yours. You overcame. You now have wisdom to face those problems in a different way. How did you overcome? That information will keep us from making the same  mistakes. If you don’t want to tell it to a wide audience, why not tell it to your loved ones who need to be steered in the right direction so they don’t have to suffer what you did. Share your story with your children. They will be the ones to benefit from it the most.

Your story can inspire us. It can tell those closest to you that life is worth the effort. Love is amazing, Forgiveness is healing, and God can be trusted with all of it. I have just finished writing the life story of my 95 yr. old mother-in-law, Anna. I titled it “A Really Good Life” because that is what she always says when you ask her how living 95 years has been.  Her book is inspiring to me. She had a good life, but it wasn’t always an easy life. To hear of how her faith was an integral part of everything she did, gives me hope that living out my faith will have the same results; a good life and a hope for eternity to come. Share your story with your close friends and relatives. It will be a treasure to them.

Stories can be for just one person. If you are married, why not tell your spouse how much you love them in writing this year? Tell them why you fell in love with them. Tell them what qualities you still admire in them today. Tell them what a good mom or dad they have been to your children. Tell them of your devotion and desire to have no one but them for the rest of your days together. First of all your spouse will probably be shocked. Then they will kiss you and hug you and maybe cry a little. Most will save that piece of paper or card in a safe place so they can look at it over and over. After all, your years with that person are part of your story and their story combined. Make somebody happy this Valentine’s weekend by sharing your story.

Myrtyrs – Guest Blog by Ranny Grady

Dear Readers,

I welcome to my blog site Mr. Ranny Grady, or as his readers know him, Doc Christian. Ranny is a fellow writer and blogger who has been a mentor to me. He is not only a writer of books but a publisher as well. His newest novel is titled The Theophany- Sonlight Restored to a Dark World.  See his website link below to order a copy for yourself.

When 9 Christian students from Umpqua Community College were murdered in their classroom this past fall, I had no words to write about this horrific act. Ranny had just the right words.  I think you will enjoy his condensed guest blog post. The entire post may be read at the link at the bottom. Thank you, Ranny, for speaking on this subject.

MARTYRS  by Ranny Grady

In the rural area of southern Oregon, located near the Umpqua River, lie, Umpqua Community College, and October first, its 740 fulltime and 2,437 part-time students were waking up to another beautiful Fall day. Its interim president, Dr. Rita Cavin, was probably in her office ready to meet the day’s events.

The students arriving for the class in the Science lab, were a diverse, eclectic group of people taking on the day. One might say, “Things were normal, possibly a bit mundane, as the school grind moved ahead another day.”

For one student, that formula didn’t apply. A mentally disturbed, recently discharged from the military as ‘unfit for duty’, Chris Harper Mercer, put his plan into action: he was angry, lonely, disaffected, and wanted the world to pay for his perceived lack of success. His mind had been twisted by Muslim association and terrorist propaganda, (this information was recovered when his apartment was searched, and his internet connection was found) and his hate for anything or anybody connected with the Bible and Christian religion. Evidently, he had become convinced his life would suddenly have value if he made a public statement, a lasting legacy the world couldn’t ignore and wouldn’t ever forget. He did!

He forced his way into the classroom in the Science lab, with a cache of weapons, and systematically murdered nine students and wounded many others before he was shot, wounded, and then took his own life.

The media reported this horrible carnage, but often failed to report why certain students were shot and others just wounded. It would be a while before the wounded victims would reveal, and the media would reluctantly report, when asked by the Satanist shooter, if they were a Christian, nine died when they answered in the affirmative.

What thoughts do you suppose ran through those student believers as they faced Satan’s man? “Holy God, I just came to school to get my degree. I’m never going to graduate, I’m never going to get married, have children, or become a doctor, nurse, lawyer, teacher, or live to see grandchildren. It’s not supposed to end this way! Christians are killed by terrorists…from places thousands of miles from Oregon. I’m too young to die for Jesus! Sweet Jesus, he shot Joe on my right, Jennie or my left, I’m next.” Who amongst us Pilgrims would have answered, knowing we were number nine?

At first glance, perhaps some Pilgrims consider the idea of martyrdom as some near-death- defying romantic act found in the pages of Church History, replete with torture on the rack and flayed skin, found on the shoulders of faithful warriors wearing togas and sandals. In the land of Muslims, black scarfs cover the faces of the Satan worshippers, as the heads of Christians are lopped off, then and now. Who could have spotted today’s martyrs? Young people wearing ‘”Skinny jeans, NFL jerseys, and any number of items from Under Armor or North Face are now targets of evil assassins marching on the orders from the Prince of the Air.

From all Doc Christian can learn about this tragic event, one remarkable fact rises above all others. The college campus doesn’t have an Inter Varsity Christian college chapter (perhaps, in the aftermath of this evil carnage attack, the President might seriously entertain the idea of inviting Inter Varsity to establish a chapter at the college), yet, in one class, there were a minimum of nine Christian students. I’d have bet you could travel to any non- Christian college campus in America and you wouldn’t find nine students who would sacrifice their life by choosing to be martyrs for Christ.

From Peter, James and John, the extra Apostle, Paul, grafted in by Jesus as a missionary to the Gentiles, to famous names: Joan of Arc, Cromwell, and the many missionaries who lost their lives trying to convert Satan’s people, believers have died for Christ’s sake Martyrs, everyone, and they echo the words of Christ found in the Beatitude’s. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Righteousness means a “right relationship with Jesus’. Jesus said it empathically, “It will take his righteousness to get a Pilgrim to heaven.”

Scripture teaches Pilgrims it is our duty to our savior to choose to die for him each day as we demonstrate the biblical principles we choose to live by are more important to us than anything the world has to offer. Do we believe this?

What we all can take pride in is that when given a choice to affirm or deny the deity of Christ, nine young students in Oregon chose to die with the name of Jesus’ on their lips. Might we all die as well.

Doc Christian

http://www.ogradypublishingcompany.com

God Has Something for Us at Every Age

A Guest Blog by Donna Cronk

As a farm girl born and raised in Union County, I was an avid 4-H member and at age 16, while at the fair watching the dog show, I knew, in one of those rare lightning-bolt moments, exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up: A newspaper reporter!

I wanted to be just like the pretty young intern traipsing around the show ring in her sundress, notebook in hand, camera around neck.

And for the past 32 years, I’ve been that girl. Or at least that’s how I’ve thought of myself, even though my girlhood days are long gone. I love telling people’s stories, and for the past 26 years, I’ve told them (and still do) at the New Castle Courier-Times.

I always tell people I’m glad this worked out because I really don’t have any other talents or career dreams. Or at least I didn’t.

Seven years ago, at the cliché age of 50, the Empty Nest Syndrome hit me hard. Along with newspapering, I had devoted most of my adult life to raising my husband Brian’s and my two sons. I loved everything about being a mom: the baseball and soccer games, being a room mother or dugout mom, hearing all the details of what was going in in their lives. Then in one day: they both moved out! One was bound for an apartment and the other, back to sophomore year at college.

The house felt haunted by my missing their presence. I missed them so badly and couldn’t imagine what God could possibly have for me to do next that would be anywhere near as fulfilling as spending my time with these two sons.

It wasn’t long before Brian, who wasn’t feeling the least upset about any of this, told me that maybe when we retired we would return to my hometown of Liberty. For whatever reason, and I feel it was God’s instruction and direction, Brian’s comment snapped me out of my funk. I started thinking about what our life might be like if we did move back to my hometown – and about other things God might have in store for my life right then, and right now, where I was, and where I am.

I had always dreamed of having a bed and breakfast and a story came to me about having one in my hometown. From there, these various characters “showed up” in my mind, and I wrote about them. Pretty soon it was obvious that I was writing a real book.

The central theme for my novel’s main character, Samantha, is this: God has something for her in every season of life if she will just trust Him with her life.

And the truth of it is, in reality, not just in a novel, He has something for me, and for you, too.

The resulting book, Sweetland of Liberty Bed & Breakfast, has been and continues to be a delight in my life. Women tell me how much they enjoy the story, how they related to Samantha, how they tried the recipes in the back of the book, and enjoyed the scriptures I included for reference.

I have gotten to experience things and meet and visit with people I never would have otherwise. I’ve given speeches and a program on women’s bucket lists, to groups of a few in a woman’s home to banquets and teas for a couple of hundred. Each venue is different and I am having so much fun, I decided to write a second novel, which continues this story, and comes out next summer.

If you are reading this anywhere in Indiana, and need a speaker for your home ec club, church ladies group, women’s tea, mother-daughter banquet, Red Hatters Club or any other venue, I would be honored if you would consider giving me a call or emailing and we’ll talk about tailoring a program for your group.  I give an audience-participation program on women’s bucket lists that makes for a fun activity.

And if you would like to read my book, it’s available from me or on Amazon in both print and Kindle versions. I’d love to hear from you at newsgirl.1958@gmail.com or call, 317-224-7028. And I want to thank Mary for allowing me to be her guest blogger. I welcome readers to my author page on Facebook at Donna Cronk or to my blog at donnacronk.weebly.com.

A Better Plan

How does a small town girl, one of 13 children, grow up to do anything worth writing about? Well, let me tell you. It wasn’t my plan, and I didn’t do it alone.  It’s not that I didn’t have plans. I did. I wanted to be a singer like my mother. She had studied opera at Indiana University for three years before becoming a wife and mother.  The babies just kept coming and soon the opera part had been thrown out the window with the bath water. Still, she didn’t give up on singing. I think everyone in town had my mother, and her equally talented sister, Rita, to sing for their wedding or funeral. Besides that she taught all thirteen of us to sing and harmonize with her. We were one big musical family. So my first career plan was to be a singer, preferably on the Lawrence Welk show.

My second plan came about because my dad was a recovering alcoholic. My older sister, Sherry, and I had to babysit our siblings at least three nights a week so that Dad and Mom could go to AA and Al-Anon meetings to keep Dad sober and mom from going crazy.  Sherry and I would get the kids bathed and in their pajamas. Then I would tell them a whopper of a story I made up. After I had their attention, I’d finish with a big finale. Putting them to bed with a story was fun. I started thinking maybe I could be a writer. I really loved working with children and dreamed I would be a children’s book author.

My last plan was to get married and have a home and children of my own. That one wasn’t going so well either. Sherry got all of the dates in High School. I never really had a boyfriend.  My father wanted all six of us girls to eventually be married off and in homes of our own. He felt that being a wife and mother was God’s greatest calling for a woman, but since I was not dating, he told me I definitely needed a job when I graduated to support myself.

I talked to my dad about my dreams; being a famous singer or an author, but he said I would never make any money in those two careers.  I always wondered if I would have been dating someone at the time, if he might not have been ok with my aspirations. After all, I could sing and write and still be a wife and mother. I did pretty well in High School and my counselor told me I might want to consider being an elementary teacher.

I had one of those “Aha!” moments when she said that, even though I had no idea how I’d be able to pay for college. I went to Ball State and that was where I found Jesus. Dad hoped I would come home with a degree and a husband, which I did.  I taught 5^th and 6^th graders for 29 years. I read my students stories I had written to encourage them to write. I sang songs I’d made up to make them laugh or to help them learn a particular lesson.  I became a mom and wrote songs and stories for my children. In the summers I sent my stories out to publishers. In the winter of the year, I counted all of my rejection letters.

It seemed none of my plans were quite working out like I wanted, except for being a mom. That was the absolute best.  I wondered if I should keep writing stories and songs when they took so much time and effort. I didn’t realize it at the time, but God had plans for me too, but He had a timeline that was different from mine.

Several years ago, our church started a Praise Band and they wanted someone to sing who could do harmony. They chose me and I was thrilled. I am still thrilled every Sunday that I get to sing in the Praise Band.  Then just when I was wondering when to retire from teaching, a publisher called me out of the blue and wanted to publish my first novel, Call Me Lizzy.  If I could put that whole book down into one sentence, it would be this: Never quit believing that God answers prayer.

Maybe your plan is not going how you want it to go either.  Ask God to show you what His plan is, and be ready to wait for His perfect timing. In the meantime, use those talents any way you can.  Ecclesiastes 11:6 says, “So your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.” So sing, write, dance, draw, whatever inspires you and trust that God has the better plan. He’ll show it to you when the time is right and you are ready for it.