Teresa's Treasures

On November 21, 2016, my FB status read: "Day 33 with bronchitis. Three Dr's appointments, 2 cough meds, 1 steroid shot, 1 Z-Pak, 1 inhaler and 2 antihistamines. Please pray for me." Last night standing in my utility room doing laundry, breathing Purex laundry detergent, Downey UN-scented softener, Seventh Generation, Lavender scent detergent, that all-too-memorable tickling, drainage, and cough started again. I know the symptoms all too well, which means I know what is to come; and today it did. I am sick. Out of bed at 3:00 a.m. to cough, so Phil could stay asleep. To the recliner covered up with the electric throw like my momma had years ago. (God love her. How I miss her!)  Thermometer in mouth to see if flu instead. (No it isn't. Thank-you, Lord!) Two cups of Throat Coat. (Not bad for the first time trying it.) Leggings and sweatshirt on to add warmth to the gown, plus five-year-old houseshoes that I should have thrown away years ago. (I hate going barefoot. H...

Where was God in the late-night hours of October 1, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada? He was in the man who became a human shield to protect someone else in harm's way. He was in the man who opened the door to the freezer truck, who said to those fleeing, "It's safe, come in here." He was in the men who loaned their trucks to transport the injured to a nearby hospital. He was in the nurses and doctors who after working all day returned to work all night without complaining.  He was in the veterans who yelled out, "I'm a trained veteran, what can I do." He was in the person who compressed the leg of the complete stranger to keep him from bleeding out. He was in the medic who was off-duty but did CPR for eight minutes only to see the man die in his arms. He was in the hand of the man at Motel 6 who opened his door to those escaping Mandalay Bay with nowhere to go. He was in the one who grabbed an abandoned phone so if in case the owner call...

What can I say to you, a parent or a grandparent or a caregiver, to allay your fear of school shootings? 1) Know the plan of action at your child’s school. If you’re not satisfied with the plan, let it be known. Somehow, some way, determine if your child knows the plan; the age of the child obviously determines if you should even address the subject. If you choose to, pick the right time, place and approach. 2) Discuss your fear with other parents. The more you can vent the less you’ll feel burdened and alone. You need encouragement as much as your child needs encouragement from you. 3) Increase your faith. If you can’t trust God to protect your child, then why pray? “Say out loud, “God, I think I can handle this situation better than you can” and see if you feel any better. 4. Pray. God answers every prayer. Every one of them. He sees, he listens, and he cares. He may not answer with the answer you desire, but he answers every prayer. “God answers prayer the way I would answer prayer...

I made lots of mistakes as a young mom like disciplined in anger, made hasty decisions and had way too little fun. Phil left the decision to have children up to me. After six years of marriage, I said yes.  What do I know now that I wish I had known back then? 1. That two-year-olds act like a two-year-old should act. A very wise man at church, better known as Curd Thomas, once said, “God put the wiggle in a child, and we try to take it out.” He was right; I did. A two-year-old misbehaves in Bible class mainly because he is two years old. His actions do not reflect the parent's parenting skills; they simply reflect his age. 2. That discipline should not be carried out in anger and be proportionate to the offense. Spilling the Cheerios does not warrant punishment; deliberately spilling the Cheerios does. If he knowingly leaves coke cans in the yard, you take away his coke. If he intentionally abuses a privilege, you take away the privilege. There is a difference between inte...

In twelve days I'll be 61. These are the most life-changing lessons I've learned along the way.  1. You cannot feel a certain way unless you first think it. To feel sad, you must first think sad thoughts. To feel depressed, you must first think depressing thoughts. To feel happy, you must first think happy thoughts.  2. You cannot control how you feel but you can control the way you think. Paul tells us how in Philippians. 3. Feelings are neither right nor wrong. They are neutral. They occur as fast as flipping on a switch and the light coming on.  3. Three things I cannot change: the past, you, and the right answer. 4. You can only control your child to the point he will allow it. The child's compliance may be masking your own inability to parent the rebel. 5. Live in the present moment. Looking at the past brings regret and guilt. Looking at the future brings worry and anxiety. 100% of life is lived in the present moment. 6. Happiness is a res...

Facebook has been sharing memories with me, from years gone by, that frankly I wish I could tear out of my book called LIFE but can't. They were the most difficult days of my life, bar none. Everyone has had them at one time or another or, more than likely, will. Divorce. Cancer. Death of a loved one. Sickness. Injury. Jail. Accidents. Mistakes. Rebellion. Drugs. Miscarriages. Lack of money. Tragedy. Unemployment. Etc. At this time your world stops and your life that once started on the day you were born, from this time on starts here. It's at this time you want life to move on but you're stopped in your tracks. When you ask "why?" but have no answers. When you'd love to shout at God but feelings of guilt make you stop. For purposes of writing this article I'm calling them walls. Looking back thirty-two and seven years later, this is what I’ve learned from hitting a wall. Walls slow me down. I want to forge ahead but God says no, not yet. Only God know...

If you were to come to me and tell me you felt hopeless, this is what I'd say. 1) You're not. You cannot believe every thought that comes to your mind. Let it go. Hopelessness is a feeling, not a fact. 2) Because God IS love, God cannot NOT love you. You probably sang the same song I did as a child: "Jesus loves me this I know. For the Bible tells me so."  That Jesus loves you is a fact, not a feeling. 3) Nothing has EVER happened to you that hasn't first gone through God's sieve of approval. Whatever has caused you to feel hopeless, God was privy to before you and allowed it to happen. "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will provide a way out so that you can endure it." 1 Cor. 10:13 4) Have faith in God, not faith in faith. Trusting your fears and believing your doubts produces hopelessness. Trusting God to o...