Twas the Day Before the Election

T'was the Day Before the Election 

It was the day before election,
And all thru’ town,
Tempers were flaring
Emotions ran up and down.
I was drinking coffee with my cat in my lap,
Had shut off the T.V,

Tired of the scrap
When all of a sudden,
There arose such a noise,
I peered out my window,
Saw Obama and his boys
They had come for my wallet,
They had wanted my pay
To hand out to others
Who had not worked a day !!
He snatched up my money,
And quick as a wink,
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink.
He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart.
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart !!!
On Fannie, on Freddie,
On Biden and Ayers !!

On ACORN, on Pelosi
He screamed at the pairs !!
They took off for his cause,
And as they flew out of sight
I heard Obama laugh at a nation
Who wouldn’t stand up and fight.
So I leave you to think on this final note,
If you don’t won’t Socialism or Communism,
GET OUT AND VOTE !!!!!!

Letting Go

"I took a test this morning and it was negative"

My mom's words rang in my ears.
She hadn't been feeling well for a couple of days, but we had all been praying that God would protect the baby. We were confident that the baby would make it. This had happened before, so we were sure everything would be fine.
 As those words were spoken, a despairing mood fell over everyone. Stunned expressions graced all of our faces for a few minutes. The reality hit and one by one tears began to fill our eyes.

Mom didn't want to deal with it that day. We were preparing to leave for a trip to the Barnard's later that afternoon. She said to tell no one, and if anyone texted or called to see how she was doing we were to tell them 'the same'. With that, everyone dispersed and went off to do chores and packing. (to read mom's side of this story go to: On Pregnancy Loss)

  I stumbled to my room as the tears were blinding my vision.
"Why? God, what is the purpose of this? What are you doing?" I asked. I felt like a bad girl for asking God why. I knew you weren't supposed to ask that no matter what, but I did anyway. I was broken. Angry. I felt like my trust and faith in God had been shattered. I had trusted in Him to keep the baby safe. He had given us this baby. It had a purpose. Why was He taking it away? I sobbed my eyes out for quite awhile. My heart had broken in to pieces and melted into tears. The more I cried the angrier I became. My anger towards God grew to be so great I couldn't talk to Him anymore.

I dried up in time to do my chores, but while I was straightening books on the bookshelf a song on our iTunes began playing. It was a mother's prayer to her baby. A song we had hoped to sing at the baby's dedication. The well of tears flooded once again. I'm self-conscious about crying in front of others so I went back up to my room.
 The ache in my heart wouldn't go away. I felt like I needed to talk to someone outside the family, but who could I call? I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. I finally decided to call our pseudo older brother, Joshua Covert. He would be on his lunch break in fifteen minutes so I figured I would call him then.
To my relief the fifteen minutes sped by. I dialed his number and waited for him to answer. I told myself that I was not going to cry while on the phone.
 Josh answered his phone and the conversation began. I told him what had happened. I ended up crying, to my embarrassment, but what he told me set it in a new perspective for me.
He said, "Haley, I'm envious of you."
Shocked, I asked why.
He replied with, "You have a bunch of siblings. I don't. I have none. I don't even have the hope of having siblings awaiting me in Heaven. You do."
I mulled over that and then realized he was right. He was so right!
He also said, "God is trustworthy. He really is. You know this. There is a reason for all of this. I'm not sure what, but God knows. There is a bigger picture that we can't see just now."

To say the least, he greatly helped me out and reassured me that trusting in God, though hard as it is, is the best thing to do. He prayed for me, a little bit more was said, and then we parted ways.
Though I was still harboring anger towards God in my heart, I felt as though I could continue on with my life for the time being.

I shoved the whole thing aside while we were at the Barnard's. I didn't want it to spoil the trip. However, God didn't, and wouldn't let me forget.
On the way home from the Barnard's I had three hours to think about it. After fighting for so long I finally let the barriers break. The wall of anger, defeat, bitterness, and hurt came crashing down. I let it fall in a heap before the Master and King. I surrendered it all over to Him. The weight of it all was a relief to get rid of.
I was free! It was so refreshing.

I learned that I had been mistaken in praying my will instead of His will. It's still a constant battle, and I think it always will be, but I'm making it a habit to pray that way.
Also living by faith is a day by day process. By willingly trusting in the Lord to guide me every day I am setting myself up for an adventurous and challenging life, but why shouldn't I?

Letting go is not easy, but is there something God wants you to let go of?

Guest Post: A Privilege Forgotten

Originally posted by Cheryl at Treasures from a Shoebox

Guest Post:
This post was written by a recent home-school graduate who attends our church. This young man is a great conversationalist, fun to be around (his joy is contagious), encouraging, intelligent, articulate, and passionate about what he believes. I am pleased to introduce you to Wesley Myers.

The day seemed like any other. The cold temperatures outside were reminders that winter was still haunting our otherwise normal lives. School seemed to dominate the majority of my time, and day-to-day activities seemed as monotonous as breathing itself. The notion that my perception of mankind was about to change never even crossed my mind, and if it had been mentioned, it probably would have made me laugh. 

It came during lunch, when the radio was on. As was the tradition in our household, we listened to the political talk show host Rush Limbaugh on the radio while we ate. His appreciation for the truth and its lack of placement in our society, combined with his constant string of satirical comments, made an interesting daily subject of discussion. But while I sat there enjoying my peanut butter sandwich, the popular radio host moved to the matter of international happenings, most of which, at that time, was dominated by the current war in Iraq. And then the revelation began. 

He started speaking of the very first free election being held in Iraq. And as I listened, I was introduced to the idea of gratefulness for the very things that we have seemed to take for granted. Masses of people in Iraq were streaming to the cities to vote, crowding the booths for the opportunity to have their voice heard for the first time in their national history. Stories of people who gladly inconvenienced themselves for this rare chance flooded the news, further stunning my young, impressionable mind. Stories of people who would walk miles from their villages with incapable people on their backs to vote with them, or of elderly people who hobbled to the closest polling booth just to cast a single vote. A single vote that apparently meant everything to them. Then I wondered to myself, what was it that compelled these people so much to make a seemingly small difference? And why don’t we have the same reaction to this opportunity? That’s when I saw the error with my viewpoint. When you don’t have something, it becomes more valuable. 

There was a reason that the United States was started as a democracy. There was no freedom under the rule of Britain. America’s intention was to be liberated from the rule of oppressive government. The belief was held that if the people were the government, and the people chose the direction of the government, liberty was held intact. This belief and practice has been held for the entire life of this country, and has shaped who we are as a whole. Recently, however, we have started to develop a sense of complacency. Liberties that once were so important to us have been taken for granted. Just take a look at the voter turnout over the years – a downward trend has been going on for more than sixty years (1). 

Now compare that to a new democracy – Iraq. In only their first election ever, a third-world country lacking many of the conveniences we posses surpassed the world’s most powerful and free country in voting turnout percentage (2). Which leads us to the big question: why did this happen? Many answers can be formulated, but if we were to condense all the possible answers into one word, that word would be “gratefulness”.

We have taken too many things for granted. It is said that if we have money in our wallet, then we are richer than ninety percent of the world. If you have food, extra clothes, and a roof over your head, then you are more fortunate than seventy-five percent of the world. And here we are attending church together – something that three billion other people are unable to do. These are all things that we all too often take for granted. Freedom is a wonderful thing. But if we begin to ignore all it has done for us, then we begin to lose our sense of value for what really matters.

Freedom shows itself in many forms: freedom of religion; freedom to bear arms; freedom to own your own business; freedom of choice; and most of all, freedom of speech. Now imagine a life devoid of these freedoms. Life would be oppressed by the power hungry, and any grab for success would be met with control by those who have put themselves in power by no choice or say of the people. Life would be a monotonous existence, and, while we would hope for bright times in our children’s future, we would all know that the cycle of oppression would only continue.

So how can we avoid this all-too-possible future? The answer comes back to the reason why a third-world country had a higher voter turnout than our own – gratefulness. When you look at their past you may see a reason for their gratefulness: they are a people inundated with terrorists on every side, living in a country ravaged by war, all led by a man corrupted with power. So when they were given a chance to change the outlook for their country, it became a gift for all to have a piece. As with all countries, they may not have agreed with all that the candidates stood for, but they immediately looked past the differences to take advantage of the opportunity to change their country’s current path to destruction.

So the question remains: what is our excuse? Is it lack of time? Or money? Or maybe the polling booth is too far away? None of these excuses are valid in today’s advanced society that we have in our free country.

Even though this concept was never explained to me before, it immediately left a huge impact on my life and perception of everything around me. It became a lesson I will never forget. May we never forget the privileges bestowed upon us by the freedom of our country. Treasure them, and keep them responsibly, by taking advantage of them while we can. Because it is only when those privileges are gone that we realize how much they were originally worth, and how much was missed by ignoring them.  

Works Cited

1.      http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html

2.      http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/03/08/us-iraq-election-idUSLDE62505A20100308

Side note: Wesley is the 6th of 8 children of Mike and Becky Myers. You might remember Mike from the recent post Too Small For His Britches.

"Out of the Mouths of Babes..."

Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings...." Psalm 8:2a

This past Monday morning mom was complaining of feeling unusually queasy. She blamed it on the food she had eaten the day before. She had been on a juice fast when she ate. I argued and said Emily and Steph weren't sick even though they had cheated as well. I said, "Maybe your pregnant." She waved me off and said there's no way. But I had this gut feeling that she was.

Later that day she secretly told dad to pick her up a pregnancy test on his way home. I figured out what was going on. I'm that suspicious. :P So when dad got home she took the test without anyone 'knowing'. I went to the bathroom after she had taken it and found the test in the trash. It was a negative. My hopes were dashed. But I thought, maybe she hadn't waited long enough. So I waited a little bit, but no positive line showed. Disappointed I threw the test back in the trash, but something told me, just wait, it's all going to work out.
  I periodically kept checking on it through that evening, but I finally gave up and just laid the test on the back of the toilet. And forgot about it.
 Around nine 'o clock, Steph comes barreling into mom and dad's bedroom where they were talking.
"Mom! Did you see the pink line?" She asks mom
"No, there is no pink line." Mom counters
"Yes, mom, there is!"
"No, there's no way. It was negative when I took it."
"Come to the bathroom where the light is best and see for yourself."
She did so and lo and behold there was a faint pink line confirming that she was pregnant. Mom still did not believe it. All of us children knew though.

For months now, us children have been praying daily for a baby boy, Jeremiah James is what his name is. We have just felt that our family is not complete. Whenever all of us would gather together mom would say, "It feels like someone is missing". We would all say "It's Jeremiah James!"
We knew when mom took that test that she was indeed pregnant.
To confirm it though she took another test Wednesday morning and it was indeed a positive!!! The estimated date is sometime in May!
What was so unusual about finding out this time is normally mom and dad are the ones who tell us. But this time us kids had to tell mom that she was pregnant.

The Essence of Maturity

How do you mature?

I have been asked that question several times. The reason I've been asked that I don't know why. But apparently the people who asked it thought I would be able to answer.

The first time I was asked how does one become mature I snorted and waved them off. How should I know? Who did they think I was, some spiritual guru or something? (which by the way, I'm not at all! Just ask my family and friends) :P But then I got to thinking about it.

Seriously, how does one become mature? Spiritually and mentally.

The dictionary's definition is:

"completed, perfected, or elaborated in full by the mind: fully developed in body or mind, as a person"

But how does one put that into action? How does one achieve that level of maturity? What is the essence of maturity.

It took me awhile to really figure this out. Well I didn't really figure it out the Lord brought it to my heart.

We become mature through hardships, trials, and tests. Emotionally and mentally we get older. Not necessarily age wise, (that's inevitable for all of us) but we become wise. This is what grows us. The more we go through the more mature we become.

My sixteenth year was probably my hardest year. God took me through so much. I had a bunch of medical issues and I thought I was seriously going to die. But I wouldn't trade or erase that year for anything. I learned some valuable lessons. One of the main ones was to trust God.

   It really isn't easy to just trust God. We all want to have control over our life because if it's in our hands we think that we are safe. But we have it all backwards! If we just place our life in God's hands He will do amazing things with it.

My younger sister Corrie and I were talking the other day. She told me that she really liked it when we had tornadoes come our way because we had nothing to be afraid of. I wholeheartedly agreed with her. It's because I know that God has us in the palm of His hand. And that is the safest place to be. (And we've never been hit by a tornado.)

Anyway, I grew in certain areas that I couldn't have matured in if I hadn't gone through all those trials. It has paid off!

So when a hard time, test, or trial comes your way, don't freak. Give it to God and ask Him to guide you through it. He brought it in to your life in the first place.

Are you perhaps going through a hardship right now?

Guest Post: The Princess and the Kiss

My mom, Cheryl Long from Treasures from a Shoebox originally posted this. 

I had the pleasure of participating in this awesome rendition of this lovely little story. I played the part of the Princess. 

I hope you enjoy reading this! :)

"Play opens with rave reviews!

Young people from four different families joined together recently to perform a play based on the popular children's book The Princess and the Kiss, by Jennie Bishop.

THE PRINCESS AND THE KISS

Narrator: Long ago in a wonderful castle on a mountain of splendor, a beautiful princess was born. Her parents were the king and queen of the mountain and all the green valley below.

The King and Queen adored the little Princess and wisely protected their young daughter. When Princess was finally grown, King and Queen called her to their side.

The King and Queen tell their daughter that on the day she was born, God gave her a special gift which her parents have guarded for her till now: Her very first kiss. They present her with the kiss (represented by a white rose atop a silver pillow), telling her it is hers to do with as she pleases, but her father admonishes her to wisely save her kiss for the one she will marry.

In appreciation for the gift, Princess sings the first verse of Thank You Mama and Papa (the same song she sang to me and her daddy at her covenant ceremony in July).

After the Page announces beautiful Princess is now of the age to receive suitors, he then stands at the corner of the stage, announcing each Prince's arrival.

The castle PROUDLY welcomes Prince Peacock!

Prince Peacock, sporting sunglasses, struts his stuff while curling a dumbbell. (The little girls on the front row laughed excitedly as the Prince made his grand entrance to the William Tell Overture).

Prince Peacock boasts about his strength and physical abilities (even demonstrating how fast he is by running around the audience while being timed). Princess realizes that though his muscles are impressive, there would be no room in his heart for her kiss.

Prince Peacock leaves a lasting impression! ☺

The castle AFFECTIONATELY welcomes Prince Romance! He saunters to the stage to the classical song The Swan, while tossing rose petals and pastel confetti toward the crowd. (The girls on the front row squealed!)

After presenting Princess with flowers and chocolates, Prince Romance boasts about all the beautiful places he's been to. He went here with Princess Mary, and here with Princess Jane. When Princess hears her friend's name mentioned she is alarmed, as her friend, Princess Francine had given her the impression that she was awaiting a marriage proposal from Prince Romance. Realizing he's been discovered, he exits quickly. Princess realizes that Prince Romance would soon lose interest in her kiss.

The castle GENEROUSLY welcomes Prince Treasure Chest.

Wearing a flashy shirt and cape and sporting a ring on each finger, Prince Treasure Chest arrives to a Brahms Sonata.

After presenting Princess with a beautiful garment and jewel that has been in his family for generations, he proposes to the young lady. She declines, believing that though he could buy her whatever her heart desires, her kiss would not be special to him.

Discouraged, Princess requests that all suitors be sent away as she wonders if she will die an old maid.

King and Queen admonish their daughter to use her single years profitably and to trust that the Lord will bring her one true prince in His time. She sings verse 2 of Thank You Mama and Papa.

All the while, there has been a lone figure in the distance, working the fields next to the castle and patiently watching the Princess from afar...

As Humble Farmer approaches the castle, the Page determines there is no need to announce his arrival.

King and Queen are pleasantly surprised when Humble Farmer asks permission to speak with their daughter. 

Humble Farmer explains that he has worked in her father's fields for years and has prayed and watched and waited for the one who would be his wife and found no one. But then he saw her one day and noted her beauty and purity. He confesses that he has little to offer, as he is not as strong as many, he has no means to travel the earth, and has little money. But there is one thing he can give to her. On the day he was born, he too was given the gift of his first kiss and he has saved this all his life for the one he would marry. As he proposes, Princess looks to her parents who nod their whole-hearted approval.

Princess sings the final verse of Thank You Mama and Papa, with Humble Farmer joining her on the chorus.

The cast files out onto the stage to Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Princess is wearing a veil and she and Humble Farmer carry their "kisses".

The cast: Prince Treasure Chest (Daniel Johnson); Prince Romance (Jonathon Boehlke); Prince Peacock (Stephen Boehlke); Handmaiden Beth (MacKenzie Long); Page (Isaac Long); Princess (Haley Long); Humble Farmer (David Johnson); Queen (Emily Long); King (Joshua Covert).

Costumes by Hannah Porter and Emily Long. Music and sound effects compiled by Stephanie Long. Play written and directed by Cheryl Long (based on the book The Princess and the Kiss by Jennie Bishop).

We hope you've enjoyed our rendition of this beautiful story!

Announcing a New Blog!!

Hello all!
Today my best friend Rachelle Myers and I just published our first post on our new blog:

Our Two Cents in a Pinch

Go check it out! We have a few ideas of what we want to accomplish through this blog.
 Feel free to suggest any ideas about what we could do in the suggestion page. We are open for suggestions!

Have a blessed week.
Chazak!
~Haley