Ebenezer Scrooge...you say bah humbug...I say blessed stone!

(subtitled this dude got type cast) or (My Ebenezer MOMENT)

1 Samuel 7: 12  Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us."

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens  is one of my favorite holiday stories and movies.  The book  was published in 1843 and the American version of the movie  came about in 1938.  And here we are in 2013 and we are still talking about it, buying it and sharing it.  To watch or read it is a tradition in many homes.  It just isn’t the holidays if I don’t see at least one version of A Christmas Carol and of course A wonderful Life.

But back to A Christmas Carol and good old Ebenezer Scrooge. I don’t care the spin that is put on it – It could be the Mickey Mouse version, the Twilight Zone version, Jim Carey (remake) or the original  black and white I love it and I’m always excited at the end when he sees the errors of his ways and takes on the true meaning of the holiday (Yes even on my 100^th viewing tissue and a deep sigh are usually involved)   If you’ve never seen it (good googaly where have you been) The movie is about an old man who because of life events has become a mean dude who has a lot of material goods but a cold heart and a cold office too.  He gives little of his heart or materials to others or for that matter even himself (FYI love yourself)    He is visited by an old ghost of a friend who warns him.  Man you going down a lonely path (Senetra interpretation).  He is then blessed with being able to witness his past, his now, and his future).  He learns a lesson about who he was, is and who he can be all in one night. (I’m slightly jealous of his revelation because I’m four score into this party and still don’t have a clear picture( but I am enjoying the ride- and NO THANK YOU ON THE GHOSTLY VISITS)

Anyway believe it or not this is not about Christmas or the reflection of the past the present and the future.  This is about the name Ebenezer!

Ebenezer was quite a popular name in the 1800s but did you know it’s also a biblical name!  Who knew that’s what I said any way when I heard a minister make a comment about calling a monument an Ebenezer – A stone of help.

*The word "Ebenezer" comes from Hebrew and is actually two words pronounced together: Even Haazer. Written in Hebrew it looks like this: 

 

I am excited amazed humbled and blessed to say that on Friday April 26, 2013, somewhere out on this beautiful planet a person read my blog and I was met with meeting a monument/a stone on this God journey of blogging, reaching 1500 hits.  Basically what that means is that someone (possibly my family or me) have accessed the blog 1500 times!  I know it isn’t just my mom LOL, but I clearly remember when God told me to blog and I thought, I don’t know how to do that.  Heck I still don’t people often ask how can I follow your blog (I’m working on it, but right now...)my answer is I don’t know.  To see that people have viewed it in China, Russia, London, and Venezula is amazing, not because I’m  great, but because God has taken me places I’ve never been. 

So this blog, this writing this moment is my Ebenezer – God my stone of help moment- My ode, my grammatically incorrect love card to you who have read it and to God who promotes it and to us who are connected because of this.

I love you.  I thank you.  I pray for you.  I delight in you.  May God’s blessings always be upon you.  You are my blessings you make up my Ebenezer moment. 

God you are my stone of help!  More priceless than the hope diamond.  You make us we this Priceless. 

Hey what are your Ebenezer moments?  I would love to celebrate with you.

 

* Source: http://www.revneal.org/Writings/whatsan.htm  

And it Begins: NoSir…I ain’t answering that!! (Who's calling ME?!...

And it Begins: NoSir…I ain’t answering that!! (Who's calling ME?!...: No Sir…I ain’t answering that!!   (Who's calling ME?!) Deuteronomy 4:36    He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct...

No Sir…I ain’t answering that!! (Who's calling ME?!)

Deuteronomy 4:36    He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it.

 

There was a time oh just a few decades ago when you had to muffle your voice or simply hope for the best when you answered the phone, because you never knew who was going to be on the other line when you answered.   

One of my Aunt’s always sounded like you woke her from a sound sleep when you called her until she figured out who you were then she was all the way live.  Jabbering and going on. 

We’ve all done it sometimes you didn’t have it in you to tell the telemarketer no so you just pretended like you weren’t the lady or the man of the house and you advised that poor hardworking telemarketer (I use to be one it’s not the most loving field to go into) that the owner of the house had moved to Cambodia on safari and would not be returning, hoping that they would take you off their list, but bless their hearts they always called back the next day. 

Then like technology magic our phone system evolved first away with the rotary, then to the cordless and then loe and behold caller ID!!

Caller ID the enemy of telemarketers and bill collectors.  We’ve evolved so much in this arena that I don’t even have to look at the phone, some phones speak the caller’s name or you can just glance up at the TV, where the caller id displays  and lazily decide if you should even make a motion for the phone!

Several years ago a funny (ok funny to me, not so much for my Aunt Emily who was probably in her late eighties  or early nineties)  She had the caller ID and was quite tickled by it.  People loved calling her because she was full of history and kindness and wisdom.  One day her phone rang and like any person with a reasonable amount of sense would do she checked the caller id first.  The name that came across was Adele Jenkins.  My Aunt looked at that phone for a long time and decided she wasn’t going to pick up this call!  You see Adele was my great Aunt and Aunt Emily’s sister who had died a few years prior to this phone call. 

I hollared when I heard this story.  My great Aunt Adele was beautiful but known for being mean and rather cut throat to folks.  Personally I adored her she use to make me sugar sandwiches!  I never heard many kind words about her from family, so if Adele was calling from the grave clearly my Aunt Emily felt the conversation wasn’t going to go to well. 

We later learned that Aunt Adele had gotten one of my cousins house phones in her name.It didn’t matter prior to caller ID because you couldn’t see the name of the biller on the phone.  And I bet  a lot of family members were ignoring or not returning calls to my cousin, because the caller ID was coming up with the name of my dearly (sugar butter sandwhich making) departed Aunt Adele.

This was so many years ago, but it still cracks me up!!!  It also made me think about how God speaks to us.  I believe I’ve written before I talk to God and he does talk back.  He speaks through images and sometimes words, He speaks to both my mind and my heart and my ears.  Even sometimes through my writing.  There are a lot of people who don’t believe He speaks at all and you know what that is there business and human right to believe that (I still got nothing but love for you).   But this is the part that makes me sad is that some poor folks think they aren’t worthy to even hear from God. 

He spoke to Moses, through a burning bush, because maybe that’s how Moses needed to hear God.   He spoke to David through Psalms.  Samuel heard voices.  Jesus communicated through prayer.  Everybody has their own way its personal and all yours.  Check your God caller ID verify how he’s trying to call your name.  Let me be real sometimes I don’t like what He says and I would have to believe that He doesn’t like what I say, but isn’t that the depth of communication anyway!  Isn't that love.

My prayer is that  one know you are worth talking to even in your darkest places.  Two enjoy a great conversation every day with God.

And it Begins: Suicide!!!! You will be missed.

And it Begins: Suicide!!!! You will be missed.:   Psalms 3:13 Look at me! Answer me, O LORD my God! Revive me, or else I will die! ******   I know an odd title for an inspirational b...

And it Begins: Excuse me could you repeat that aka You know I'm b...

And it Begins: Excuse me could you repeat that aka You know I'm b...: Excuse me could you repeat that! (Subtitled) You know I’m black right?! Proverbs 22:6 T...

And it Begins: Did you ever know that you're my hero...? Hey Buc...

And it Begins: Did you ever know that you're my hero...? Hey Buc...: Did you ever know that you’re my hero…?   (subtitled – Hey Buck I’m talking bout you) John 1:5   The light shines in the darkness, and ...

And it Begins: Psst...Has anyone seen my cell phone? (subtitled-N...

And it Begins: Psst...Has anyone seen my cell phone? (subtitled-N...: Psst..Has anyone seen my cell phone? (subtitled – No I’m not having a senior moment!) Psalm 19 :2 1 The heavens declare the...

And it Begins: He said he was sorry ... Let's Move on!!

And it Begins: He said he was sorry ... Let's Move on!!: He said he was sorry…Let’s move on!!  (F rom the mouth of the 75 year old 5 year old)   Colossians 3:12-14 ESV Put on then, as God'...

He said he was sorry ... Let's Move on!!

He said he was sorry…Let’s move on!!  (From the mouth of the 75 year old 5 year old) 

Colossians 3:12-14 ESV Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

 

I am so very in love and it is amazing thing because it is fresh and new ever changing and ever growing.  I met my love in December.  Although finger sucking was never something I would consider attractive.  I looked at my beautiful perfect 10 toe having finger sucking daughter and my heart melted.  Three days later after she melted my heart, she put my nerves on edge.  Actually she didn’t but the system did.  I was in awe that the hospital was letting me leave with this bundle of joy.  They didn’t ask about my mothering skills, nobody required finger prints or references.  Sure I had just given birth to her, but clearly there was going to be a lot more to this party then that. 

My love affair and her finger sucking continues.  Now the kid talks walks whistles (which she is ever so proud of by the way) and she is my comic relief.  I expect and look forward to getting calls from her teachers in the future talking about my class clown. 

The weird thing is this child who is the perfect image of her father and I is also quite wise.  I’ve heard people say that each generation gets smarter and weaker (I don’t know about the weak part (although I could clean a chicken and scale fish by the time I was six-I’m just saying – and these jokers can’t make a grill cheese sandwich), but she spits out wisdom on a regular basis.  One time we were at dinner with a friend and I stepped away and came back.  My friend was almost in tears because my then four year old daughter had told her “You just have to believe in yourself.” I said “Oh” and said she’s right about that and kept on eating. 

Well one of her funny wise moments began innocently enough.  She was in the bath tub and she was complaining about her leg.  I asked what happened and she explained that one of the kids at her daycare had knocked her down and she hurt her knee.  WHAT WHAT Growled me!  wHO PUSHED YOU DOWN – WHY DIDN’T THE TEACHER TELL ME AND THIS DON’T MAKE NO SINCE (I was in straight momma black bear attack mode)

My oh so WISE EVER SO FUNNY CHIILD. 
CALMLY LOOKED AT ME AND SAID – MOM IT’S OK HE SAID HE WAS SORRY LETS MOVE ON!

What are you kidding me did my child just tell me to calm down, and did she just use the soothing voice that I use on her.  Although I have never told her to “let’s move on.” ( got to give her dap for that.)

I didn’t laugh – heck I was too shocked to laugh.  I said fine then what can I do for you.  She said she just needed an American Band-Aid (I’ve taught her that the ones that don’t have any characters on it are great because they are American Band-aides).  So I gave Miss. Thing her Band-Aid and let her put it on herself and I left the room.

Her wisdom in let’s move on has been applied to many aspects of my life now.  It’s the perfect innocent wise forgiveness of a kid.  They play they fight they love they forgive and they play again.

Psst...Has anyone seen my cell phone? (subtitled-NO I'm not having a senior moment)

Psst..Has anyone seen my cell phone?

(subtitled – No I’m not having a senior moment!)

Psalm 19^:21 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

 

Seriously has anyone seen my keys, my cell phone, my eye glasses, my house phone (oh yeah that’s in my purse!

At the age of 12 my life plan was simple.  Get married at around 20, become a  model and a lawyer and a writer (I got one sort of right!).  Have six kids five boys and one girl.  The girl would be the youngest.  Have a penthouse in New York City and a second home in the country (I was diverse even back then.)  This memory cracks me up, because I clearly remember sitting down with my friend Tiffany and telling her my plans. 

I can’t remember what her plans were but, if I had to bet one was to be a nurse, which I am quite proud to say (As well as those she serves) came through. 

But in the blink of an eye 29 years passed by.  The years that I thought moved so slow in retrospect now seem to be moving at the speed of sand through an hour glass (Day’s of our lives was on to something in that verse).  My life clearly wasn’t as hectic as a soap opera but I’ve had my share of roller coaster rides.  And in this speeding waterfall of sand, I’ve noticed that my mind has begun to move faster than my hands instead of their normal unified front!

What you talking 'bout Willis?! (I hope somebody reading this got that) Well let me give you a fine example of my lightning mind and my slow hands.  It was the end of the work day I was happy because I was exhausted.  I logged off like they tell you to do.  I looked at my cell phone, mentally noted oh we can’t forget that grabbed my purse and hopped on the elevator (I know Onesha I’m supposed to be taking the stairs.)  Because God loves fools and He knows gas is high, a simple thought  popped in my head as I sat in the parking lot “Text Tiffany.”(Yes I’m also proud to say the same Tiffany from so many years ago and I are still great friends)  I reached around before I pulled from my space dug in my deep purse and no phone.  That’s odd I clearly remember looking at the phone saying that I can’t forget that grabbing my purse and leaving.  Well back inside I went.  Back on the elevator (hey if I’m not going to walk down the steps – I’m sure enough not walking up the steps)  Back to my desk and there it was where I had last looked  right where I had told myself not to forget it, my cell phone. 

If you’ve read my blog before I’m sure you can recall the whole leaving the key in the ignition battery draining incident. (If not here yah go! http://hun-nee.blogspot.com/2013/03/whats-up-you-alright-pronounced-aaw-ite.html)

As I ease and dance and cry and creak and dye and  praise towards my birthday, I look back on how time speeds by in big moments and in small ones and that I’ve been moving so fast through it that not only am I losing my keys racing in the house to cook dinner or leaving my glasses in odd places, because I’m racing towards my contacts, so that I can race to get ready, or losing the notes to remind me of what to do.  Nope it’s not a senior moment, it’s a reminder to breathe deep, think and then act.

Here’s your cliché for the day – Stop and smell the roses.

Here’s the Senetra-ism, because the roses will grow, they will bloom, and they will die and you will have missed out on a beautiful thing all because you didn’t slow down.  So Senetra (I talk and write to myself, don’t judge me)slow down breathe deep, unify your mind with your actions.  Remember although it might not seem like it there were only 24 hours in a day when you were 12 too! 

P.S. LOL I never did remember what I was going to text Tiffany (Now that's a senior moment)