The Chosen Lady

“Greet one another with a holy kiss.” Romans 16:16. Recently my granddaughter was sick with a lingering virus and could not attend her daycare for her scheduled days. After being out of her routine for a week, she was reluctant to enter her classroom, preferring to cling to me. I admit I was tired of her toddler company as I usually have her two days a week and it had spiked to five. Full disclosure, the week we had spent together had drained my patience reserves. For three of the five sick days, she had a fever but refused to swallow medicine to bring it down. Instead, she decided that…

According to a recent New York Times article, 87% of people use gift wrap for wrapping a present. Another 11% use gift bags to save “time, money, and effort.” They are lazy and we all know it. The remaining two percent are total sociopaths and you shouldn’t invite them to a Christmas party. Ok, I made that entire article up and if you believed me you might want to consider a digital literacy class. For the record, I used gift bags this year. My teenage daughter called me a cheater. I call myself someone who enjoys sleep more than wrapping. No matter your preference for gift wrapping – remember that…

I have the sweetest collection of love notes from my daughters tucked away in my bible. They were all written when the girls were young and wore blinders to my numerous faults. The notes are really adorable, with drawings of me in various states of basic artistry. Big circle head, and a tiny triangle body. My name is written in big chunky letters with statements of undying love and my state of perfection. Best mom ever! One of my favorite notes came from daughter # 3 who created an entire series of award notes for Mother’s Day, which she cut into shapes to look like blue ribbons you would win…

When I had the pleasure of turning fifty, I participated in a clinical trial through a partnership between Dana- Farber Cancer Institute and California healthcare company Grail. Grail has pioneered a simple blood test for multi-cancer early detection called Galleri.  Grail’s end goal is a routine blood test to detect early-phase cancer. I was absolutely fascinated by the idea that donating just a tiny amount of my blood could help save lives in the future. During the clinical trial of 6,600 volunteers, 92 people were diagnosed with early-stage cancer. Early-stage cancer has far higher cure rates. It is a heartwarming feeling to know I was blessed to be a (tiny!)…

Funny thing about God. He doesn’t ask our permission for what circumstances He will use to mold us to become more like Him. Take me for example. I am an introvert, however, God has blessed me to be the mother of a soccer team’s worth of children. I prefer the quiet, but my daily routine is usually an endless barrage of quirky questions like this one. “Hey mom, do cats burp?” Ummm…. I admit to searching the web for that answer. ( They do, but it’s not a good sign in case you were wondering.) I need to recharge my batteries frequently in order to serve my family with a…

Years ago I was invited to swap my usual crisp November weather for a Thanksgiving visit to the balmy climes of the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Joining my father, brother, and sister-in-law for an al fresco holiday buffet was a welcome turnaround from the more polar provisions of New England. The restaurant is nestled within The Hammock Shops Village of Pawleys Island. Since 1889, these locally handcrafted hammocks, or “lazy beds” as Marvin Grant fondly calls them have been as much a staple to the area as the Spanish moss-covered oak trees they are placed beneath. Marvin Grant, a transplant from New York, is known as the “Hammock Man” and…

I have been struggling to write this post.  Not because I can’t find the words, but because I am getting used to saying them. If you haven’t read my previous blog post, it gives background information to this one. To summarize, a woman who has been bleeding for twelve years is desperate for relief. She has spent all her money on doctors, but they have only made it worse, so she finds her way to Jesus in a crowd. She believes if she can just touch Jesus she would be healed. She is healed the second she touches Jesus.  Mark 5:25 -32 I always have had a special affinity for…

耶稣爱你 ㆝父愛的信 我的孩子： 你或許不認識我，我卻認識你的㆒切。詩 139:1 你坐㆘，你起來，我都曉得，詩139:2 我也深知你㆒切所行的;詩139:3 就是你的頭髮也都被數過了。太10:29-31 你是照著我的的形像所造的，創1:27 你生活、動作、存留，都在乎我，徒17:28 你也是我所生的。徒17:28 甚㉃在你尚未成形以先，我已曉得你，耶1:4-5 在創立世界之前，我已揀選了你。弗1:4 你不是個錯誤，你所㈲的年㈰都㊢在我的冊㆖，詩139:15-16 我定準你的年歲和所住的疆界，徒17:26 你的受造，是極其奇妙可畏！詩139:14 我在你母腹㆗塑造你， 詩139:13 領你由母腹㆗出來。詩71:6 我被不認識我的㆟所誤傳，約8:41-44 我並非冷漠而憤怒的，乃是完全的愛。約壹4:16 我願在你身㆖揮霍我的愛， 只因為你是我的孩子，我是你的父親。約壹3:1 我能給予你的，遠超過㆞㆖的父親所能給予你的，太 7:11 因為我是完全的父。太5:48 你所領受各樣美善的恩賜，都是從我來的，雅 1:17 因為我是你的供應者，我必供應你需的㆒切。太6:31-33 我向你所懷的意念是要叫你末後㈲指望，耶29:11 因為我以永遠的愛愛你。耶31:3 我向你的意念其數比海沙更多，詩139:17-18 我因你歡欣喜樂，番 3:17 我決不停止施恩與你，耶32:40 因你是我的珍貴的產業。出19:5 我全心全意栽培你於此㆞，耶32:41 我要將偉大奧㊙的事指示你，耶 33:3 如果你㆒心㆒意尋找我，就必尋見。申4:29 以我為樂，我就把你心裡所求的賜給你，詩37:4 因為是我在你心裏動工，使你心裡能立志行事。Philippians 腓 2:13 我能為你成就㆒切，遠超過你所求所想的。Ephesians 弗 3:20 我是你最佳的鼓勵者，2 Thessalonians 帖後2:16-17 也是在㆒切患難㆗安慰你的父親。2 Corinthians 林後1:3-4 你傷心的時候，我靠近你，Psalm 詩34:18 如同牧㆟懷抱羊羔，我懷抱你在我胸前，Isaiah 賽 40:11 ㈲㆒㆝，我要擦去你㆒切的眼淚並帶走你在世㆖的㆒切苦楚。啟 21:3-4 我是你的父，我愛你如同我愛我的兒子―耶穌㆒樣，約17:23 因為在耶穌裡，就顯明我對你的愛，約 17:26 祂是神本體的真像，來 1:3 祂來是表明我要幫助你，不是敵對你，羅 8:31 並告訴你：我不追究你的過犯。林後5:18-19 耶穌受死，使你可與我和好，林後5:18-19 祂的死，是我愛你最極致的表達約壹4:10 我為你捨棄了我所愛的㆒切，使我或許能得著你的愛。羅8:31-32 你若接受了這份禮物我的兒子耶穌，你就接受了我。約壹2:23 無論任何事都不能叫我的愛與你隔絕。羅8:38-39 回家吧！讓我為你預備㆒個㆝㆖所見過最大的宴席，路15:7 我㆒直是父親，也永遠是父親，弗 3:14-15 問題是…，你願意成為我的孩子嗎？約1:12-13 我在等著你。路15:11-32 愛你的 爸爸，全能㆖帝 Used by permission of Father Heart Communication Copyright 2002 Father Heart Communications Translated by Israel Yang Edited by Ginny Lin, Chinese Christian Mission ㆗文聖經譯本採現㈹標點和合本及新譯本 www.FathersLoveLetter.com/Chinese

Hello dear readers! It’s been a while. Allow me to explain. My beloved child began an unexpected and ongoing difficult journey six weeks ago. This struggle includes a lot of loss and heartache and thrust me into the role of full-time caregiver of my active toddler granddaughter. This happened at a moment’s notice, with no time for mental or physical preparation. My child has spent countless hours in hopeful prayer and many more hours asking God, “Why?” The answers to his countless petitions seem to be a gentle but firm “No,” and it has begged the question of “Why? Why would God say no when it makes no sense to…

During the labor of one of my daughters, I gently swayed back and forth and sang, ” My Redeemer Lives” by Nicole C. Mullen. Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning?And who told the ocean, you can only come this far?And who showed the moon where to hide ’til evening?Whose words alone can catch a falling star? The same God who created the sun, the ocean, the moon, and the stars was the same God who created me and was blessing me with a healthy newborn daughter and I didn’t want to miss my chance to say thank you, singing these lyrics through my labor pains. The…