The smell of her Bible

This week I had to get my Bible rebound, so I have been reading Mom’s Bible.  I enjoy looking at all of her notes she has written in it and looking at all the verses she highlighted.  I have her Bible, but she is having a blast in Heaven serving Jesus!  The smell of Mom's scent on her Bible brings back memories of her.  I miss her!

Revelation (part II)

I was freaking out and fretting—the shop was my life. I didn’t want to teach. It was like a death when I stopped teaching—I’d moved on. It put a sour taste in my mouth. There was no turning back.

     My book is still in the future, and my passion, for now, is my shop. If I lost the shop, it would be like another death. I couldn’t think about it—it would bring me to tears.

     But now, when I should have been freaking out about the future of my shop and not having more money, I am at rest. 

     I took my revelation outside to my front porch with my iPod. What song did I listen to over and over? “Revelation” by Third Day. I hadn’t had a day like this since the last writer’s conference. I was refreshed and enjoyed these feelings.

Revelation (part I)

I have a revelation. The cookie shop is the Lord’s, but I did not relinquish it to Him until last week. 

     It had taken six years of waiting and asking the Lord for His wisdom, especially regarding advertising the shop.

     This revelation came in talking to a person who advertising with us. I depended on her advertisement to be my Savior and help my shop make it. The Lord showed me I must depend upon Him to keep my shop open. My back is against the wall. We didn’t have any more money to keep the shop open. It has to sustain itself.

****Photo of a child having fun decorating a cookie in the Kiddie Korral.

The "Death” of My Cookie Shop? (part II)

The Lord answered my prayers when I asked for His wisdom concerning the shop. One way this happened was through the sororities at UGA. One of my workers invited her friends on Facebook to like our shop. This small gesture led to me visiting the sororities during their chapter meetings. I’d introduce myself, tell them about my shop, and bring them cookie cakes and goodies. 

     As I was running out of contacts to help the shop, the Lord sent another person. I asked Him twice if He wanted me to do the work or if He would, and both times, He sent more people to contact. He has a sense of humor and constantly reminds me He is in control. It is incredible to see Him work.

     I set foot in the gym for the last time as a P.E. teacher in the spring of 2008. I’ve given up so much for my shop. Quitting teaching to run the cookie shop has also been like a death. It makes it harder to think about moving the shop.

     I am here with my Isaac to sacrifice. I will sacrifice the shop to help someone reading this book if necessary. I would love the Lord to bring the business needed for the shop to stay open. It will take a miracle, but I believe in a God who does miracles, and He does them well.

U What “Isaac” may you need to sacrifice? U

 

****Photo of our hand decorated bouquet of cookies.

The "Death” of My Cookie Shop? (part I)

Tonight, I prayed and said, “Lord, I’ll sacrifice my Isaac.” My Isaac is my cookie shop. Even though it wasn’t formed in my womb and is not a physical part of me, it feels like my child. 

     In the Bible, the Lord tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. When Abraham lifted the knife, an angel of the LORD told him to stop. The Lord then knew Abraham feared the Lord because he did not withhold his son.

     Years earlier, I remember sitting at my parent’s kitchen table with a piece of graph paper, laying out the shop’s design. I created a Kiddie Korral, a neat place where kids could decorate cookies. University of Georgia students painted an enormous farm mural in the Korral. We host birthday parties and field trips.

We put a lot of time and effort into creating a family-friendly shop. Our chef’s sister decorated the interior with vintage signs on the walls. 

     A lady said, “You should charge people to look around.”

     We offer a variety of treats including ice cream, gourmet cookies, and unique desserts. One of our popular items is Bessie’s Cow Patties, which I recommend to new customers. Customers can choose two gourmet cookies and their favorite ice cream to create an ice cream sandwich. We also have a special dessert made by our chef - a baked shortbread cookie bowl dipped in chocolate and topped with M&Ms or Oreos, which we then fill with ice cream. 

 

      Our specialty is our shortbread cookies. Kids can enjoy a delicious cookie on a stick, while their parents can order a bouquet of cookies, like a flower bouquet but made of hand-decorated cookies arranged in a pail or mug. 

Our shop was established in 2007, but we faced challenges during the economic downturn. Despite using all our resources to keep the business running, we now need to consider our next steps. We are seeking the Lord’s wisdom for our next steps.

     I didn’t want to move the shop, but it became clear that our 1,300-foot commercial space wasn’t generating enough walk-in business. 

     We are considering relocating to a smaller space where we can focus on fulfilling orders and still have a small area for walk-in customers. 

     Finding the right location will be challenging, costly, and time-consuming. However, we are optimistic about the potential increase in foot traffic once a Subway opens in the adjacent vacant shop next month. There are many unknowns.

**Photo of Bessie the Cow (our mascot) in the Kiddie Korral.   

While I’m Waiting

“While I’m Waiting” was written by John Waller and has been a favorite of mine for a while. But as I worked on my book, the words took on a new meaning. The song was used in the movie Fireproof. Go to the video and instead of watching it, close your eyes and listen to the words of the song!

 

Click here to listen to the song.

     I need to play this song a million times a day. I am good at following some words but needed to work on others. 

     I am impatient to see my book getting published—it is tough because I must obey what the Lord asked me to do without seeing the result. I sometimes doubted what He wanted me to do. I’ve not been content waiting on Him, resting, and being at peace. Lord, help me do that.

UWhat should be said or done if you are with someone on the anniversary of their loved one’s death, especially a child?  U

UWhat is the Lord asking you to wait for? U  

 "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7, KJV).  

Brennan’s Birthday

Jamie and my nieces came to my house for a week. My nieces had a gymnastics camp at the University of Georgia.

     I remembered Brennan—her son who had died shortly after birth—would have been five years old on June 17. I did not know what to do or say because Jamie would be at my house on his birthday. 

     I didn’t want her to think I didn’t know what that date meant, but I didn’t want to upset her. I called Jennifer, and she suggested I not say anything unless Jamie seemed upset. Paul said the same thing, so I let the day pass without mentioning it.

     Jamie went home, but I wanted to ask her what she would have liked me to do. Her answer can help others. I prayed before calling because I did not want to say anything wrong. 

     “I knew—.”

     My throat choked like a locomotor running out of stream.

     “I knew it was Brennan’s birthday, but I did not know if I should have said or done anything. Would you want me to say anything if I remembered his birthday again?” 

     “You can acknowledge it was his birthday, but I would not want to go into an in-depth conversation. Chris and I would talk about it being his birthday, but we wouldn’t do anything. I don’t expect you to call.” 

     Again, the words to the song “Say” rang true. 

     I spoke to Evelyn and her sister about this topic. They said I didn’t need to let the day go unnoticed.  

Get ‘er done (part II)

Dad’s scans came back fine which means the cancer was contained in his prostate.  Great news!  He has decided on the robotic surgery which will be April 1^st.  I went ahead and told the kids since Dad’s prognosis was good.  The phrase he has used the last couple of times I have talked to him was, “Get ‘er done.”  The four girls bought him a tee shirt with that saying on it to give to him along with some other goodies before his surgery.

I drove to the hospital in Atlanta where Dad was having his surgery.  Claudia, Jennifer, and Grady also came.  While sitting in the waiting room for Dad to get out of surgery, there were a lot of other people waiting for their loved one to get out of surgery also.  It was a big room, and it seemed very impersonal to sit and watch doctors come and go informing those waiting for their loved one’s prognosis.  A particular group of people were very loud and frequently laughed.  One lady was extremely loud.  I thought the lady should have had a little more respect for the other people in the waiting room.  Yes, her loved may have had a simple non-life-threatening surgery, but what about those around her?  Someone else’s surgery could have been life-threatening.

U  Are you being considerate of others as you are sitting in a waiting room?  U

Dad’s surgery went great.  The doctor took out Dad’s whole prostate.  He will have to come back for a follow-up visit and get his blood checked again.  When they check his blood, they use a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test.  The PSA test is the most effective test for early detection of prostate cancer.  The test measures how much PSA is in his bloodstream.  Dad’s PSA number came back .007, hardly detected at all.  He will have to continue to get his blood checked to make sure the cancer does not come back.  Dad said, “I didn’t get a get out of jail free card.”  I laughed!!