After A
While
by Veronica
A.
Shoffstall
After a
while you
learn
the subtle
difference
between
holding a
hand and
chaining a
soul
and you
learn
that love
doesn't mean
leaning
and company
doesn't
always mean
security.
And you
begin to
learn
that kisses
aren't
contracts
and presents
aren't
promises
and you
begin to
accept your
defeats
with your
head up and
your eyes
ahead
with the
grace of
woman, not
the grief of
a child
and you
learn
to build all
your roads
on today
because
tomorrow's
ground is
too
uncertain
for plans
and futures
have a way
of falling
down
in
mid-flight.
After a
while you
learn
that even
sunshine
burns
if you get
too much
so you plant
your own
garden
and decorate
your own
soul
instead of
waiting for
someone
to bring you
flowers.
And you
learn that
you really
can endure
you really
are strong
you really
do have
worth
and you
learn
and you
learn with
every
goodbye, you
learn...
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What are some ways you can "minister" to women? Well, the first and easiest way is to minister to her "life situation" or whatever's happening to her at the moment. Below are some ideas for you. But you don't really need to have a particular "occasion" to minister to another sister or to bless another woman. It's just a matter of picking up the phone, sometimes, and saying: "Hello, I love you, I'm remembering you in prayer and I'm here for you." That's it. A simple connection will do wonders for a sister who's feeling isolated or is going through a rough patch. You never know how much your little phone call and words of encouragement will mean to someone else. You may think you have nothing much to offer... but you do! You have yourself and you have the Lord. |
 Retreats
Time for women to be refreshed and
renewed
in their walk with the
LORD and in their homes
If you cannot go on a retreat... how about 'gifting' a retreat to someone!! You'd be amazed at the number of women who'd love to go to a retreat but do not have the funds to do so -- that, or no one's ever asked them to go and they're too afraid to launch out and go it alone!
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Showers
To honour a mother with a newborn child,
to show loving favour to a
bride in setting
up her new home, to fill someone's
heart with joy as
they're honoured for
a special accomplishment or occasion!
It's very, very simple to host a baby shower or bridal shower. Just make your home available, provide coffee & tea and a simple dessert... the party will be enjoyed because you were willing to make the place available!
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A Beautiful
Wedding 
Another page of
beautiful ideas
for the
planning
of a
beautiful
Wedding Day
Most weddings take months to plan and arrange. You can bless a family by helping with the planning, the meal cooking and house cleaning while they prepare for a wedding!!
Your willingness to be available to help will be a tremendous blessing to the bride and to the whole family!
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Birthday Celebrations
Make a card or a little gift... make a cake or some muffins. Make a bouquet of flowers, wrap them in tissue and tie them with a soft bow... take them to the home of the birthday friend... you'll be giving a gift that will not soon be forgotten! You remembered a birthday! Most women would dare not share just how sad they have been on different birthdays... for many reasons, but usually because people important to them didn't take the time to let them know they were special. Take time - make time to celebrate your friend, sister, mother, aunt... neighbour -- you'll bless and be blessed!
We have an "e-card" page you can use as well!
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More Ideas & Inspiration
for all occasions & ministries
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Don't "muddle"
through life... there is help and hope...
your tomorrows do not have to be
like your yesterdays.
You can make it.
You can implement changes
and carry through with them.
You
don't have to go it alone.
Seek the LORD and seek wisdom.
You will find Him and you will find peace and joy.
Your life will not always be the same as it is today;
There will be another chapter.
---pamela
Kegel
you will
never regret
doing this
pelvic
exercise.
BUT, You
*will*
regret it if
you don't
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A Mammogram Story
- by Georgia
Richardson -
(you probably have to have had a
mammogram to truly
appreciate the humour here. This is funnier when read out loud!)
I actually kept my
mammogram appointment. I was met with, "Hi! I'm Belinda!"
This perky clipboard carrier smiled from ear to ear, tilted
her head to one side and crooned, "All I need you to do is
step into this room right here,
strip to the waist, then slip on this gown. Everything
clear?"
I'm thinking, "Belinda--try decaf. This ain't rocket
science."
Belinda skipped away to prepare the chamber of horrors.
Call me crazy, but I suspect a man invented this machine.
It takes a perfectly healthy cup size of 36-B to a size
38-LONG in less than
60 seconds. Also, girls aren't made of sugar and spice and
everything nice....it's Spandex. We can be stretched, pulled
and twisted over a cold 4-inch piece of square glass and
still pop back into shape.
With the right side finished, Belinda flipped me (literally)
to the left and
said, "Hmmmm. Can you stand on your tippy toes and lean in a
tad so we can get everything?" "Fine", I
answered. I was freezing, bruised, and out of air, so why
not use the remaining circulation in my legs and neck and
finish me off?
My body was in a holding pattern that defied gravity (with
my other boob
wedged between those two 4" pieces of square glass) when we
heard, then felt a zap! Complete darkness and the power went
off! "What?" I yelled.
"Oh, maintenance is working. Bet they hit a snag."
Belinda headed for the door.
"Excuse me! You're not leaving me in this vise alone,
are you?" I shouted.
Belinda kept going and said, "Oh, you fussy puppy ...
the door's wide open
so you'll have the emergency hall lights.
I'll be righttttt backkkk."
Before I could shout "NOOOO!" she disappeared. And that's
exactly how
Bubba and Earl, maintenance men extraordinaire, found me,
half-naked
and part of me dangling from the Jaws of Life and the other
part smashed between glass! After exchanging polite, "Hi,
how's it going?" type greetings, Bubba (or possibly Earl)
asked, to my utter disbelief, if I knew the power was off.
Trying to disguise my hysteria, I replied with as much
calmness as possible. "Uh, yes, yes, I did. Thanks." "You
bet, take care" Bubba replied and waved good-bye as though
I'd been standing in the line at the grocery store.
Two hours later, Belinda breezes in wearing a sheepish grin
and making no
attempt to suppress her amusement, she said, "Oh I am soooo
sorry! The power came back on and I totally forgot about
you! And silly me, I went to lunch. Are we upset?"
And that,
Your Honor,
is exactly how
her head
ended up between the clamps........
Up to
now, I didn't know the author of this piece and so could not
rightly give credit due. It was neat to receive a note
from the author of this great piece.
"... It's been
published in several national magazines, and is in my book,
A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Throne. I'm sending
blessings to you and yours, Georgia"
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Author unknown:
Recently,
I was diagnosed with
A. A. A. D. D.
Age Activated
Attention Deficit
Disorder.
This is how it
manifests:
I decide to water my
garden.
As I turn on the
hose in the
driveway, I look
over at my car and
decide my car needs
washing. As I
start toward the
garage, I notice
that there is mail
on the porch table
that I brought up
from the mailbox
earlier.
I decide to go
through the mail
before I wash the
car. I lay my car
keys down on the
table, put the junk
mail in the garbage
can under the table,
and notice that the
can is full.
So, I decide to put
the bills back on
the table and take
out the garbage
first.
But then I think,
since I'm going to
be near the mailbox
when I take out the
garbage anyway, I
may as well pay the
bills first. I
take my checkbook
off the table, and
see that there is
only 1 check left.
My extra checks are
in my desk in the
study, so I go
inside the house to
my desk where I find
the can of Coke that
I had been drinking.
I'm going to look
for my checks, but
first I need to move
the Coke so that I
don't accidentally
knock it over. I see
that the Coke is
getting warm and
decide I should put
it in the
refrigerator to keep
it cold.
As I head toward the
kitchen with the
Coke, a vase of
flowers on the
counter catches my
eye--they need to be
watered. I set the
Coke down on the
counter, and I
discover my reading
glasses that I've
been searching for
all morning. I
decide I better put
them back on my
desk, but first I'm
going to water the
flowers.
I set the glasses
back down on the
counter, fill a
container with water
and suddenly I spot
the TV remote.
Someone left it on
the kitchen table.
I realize that
tonight when we go
to watch TV, I will
be looking for the
remote, but won't
remember it's on the
kitchen table, so I
decide to put it
back in the den
where it belongs,
but first I'll water
the flowers.
I pour some water in
the flowers, but
quite a bit of it
spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote
back down on the
table, get some
towels and wipe up
the spill.
Then, I head down
the hall trying to
remember what I was
planning to do.
At the end of the
day:
* The car
isn't washed,
* The bills
aren't paid,
* There is a
warm can of Coke
sitting on the
counter,
* The
flowers don't have
enough water,
* There is
still
* only 1
check in my
checkbook,
* I can't
find the remote,
* I can't
find my glasses,
* And I
don't remember what
I did with the car
keys.
Then, when I try to
figure out why
nothing got done
today, I'm really
baffled because I
know I was busy all
day long, and I'm
really tired.
I realize this is a
serious problem, and
I'll try to get some
help for it, but
first I'll check my
e-mail. Do me
a favor, will you?
Forward this message
to everyone you
know, because I
don't remember to
whom it has been
sent. Don't
laugh -- if this
isn't you yet, your
day is coming!!
GROWING OLDER IS
MANDATORY.
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