The Last Rose
by Nora Neal-Daggott
Time passes ever so quickly in retro-reflection. It will soon be four years since the world, as I knew it rocked and Ruben rolled out of my arms and my life.
Once again, I think he knew his time on earth was short. I remember him telling me. “Honey you are so wonderful and you took such good care of me while I was in the hospital. I want to do something really special for you on your birthday.” I looked into his eyes, still weak from eleven days in the hospital and his aborted flirtation with death and I said; “Sweetie, having you home is all the birthday gift I need.”
I was just elated to have him home, to hold him in my arms unencumbered by tubes and machines and an oxygen mask. I was floating on air, my man was home and God had given us a second chance!
Nevertheless, my birthday arrived and Ruben, true to his romantic style had something in mind. I was just stepping out of the bathroom when I heard the doorbell ring. I attempted to hurry so Ruben wouldn’t be disturbed. I descended the stairs quickly rounded the corner and sprinted the last few steps to the family room. He was resting on the couch. He looked up and smiled. His eyes shifted to the circular table across the room my eyes followed his; sitting in the middle of the table were two-dozen white, long stemmed roses. The sunlight reflecting off of the soft yellow walls framed them beautifully. Twenty-four perfect roses!
Immediately tears welled up in my eyes. I turned to hug him and thank him for being so thoughtful on the heels of being so sick. He hugged me back and said. “Honey I love you so much and I just want you to know that.”
I leaned forward and placed my nose near the bouquet. I allowed the fragrance to fill my spirit and I thanked God for a man who loved me dearly and for allowing us this moment.
A few days later, I took a picture of those roses and I tucked it away. However, today I don’t need to look for the picture; for those white roses and their beautiful scent pop into my head and my senses anytime I need to see them. I just close my eyes and there they are…twenty-four perfect roses.
Scripture: If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn’t love others, I would only be making a meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would I be? I Corinthians 13: 1-2 (NLT)
Prayer: Lord, God, as the years have passed I am even more grateful for the love you allowed me to share, feel and experience with Ruben. As I enter the fourth year of his home-going, I am stronger for the struggle yet softer in spirit. I have learned to appreciate every moment with people I love, to tell them I love them often and to embrace life and its challenges as them come. Thank you Father for the blessing of joy and a life worth loving.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Weigh-in
by Susan Lucas
Recently,as of July 19, a New York city law requires chain restaurants to list calories on their menus or risk fines. The restaurant industry is busy filing lawsuits to stop this action. What do you think?
Personally, as a consumer as well as a registered dietitian, I think it’s about time we demanded the truth. With all the confusing nutritional information out there I still believe the number of calories you need to consume a day is understandable and with the amount of calories in each item easily visible it becomes easier to make smart choices. If you consume more calories than you expend you will gain weight, it’s that simple. With about 60 percent of Americans overweight, we need to re-evaluate our choices.
More than 20 other states, cities, and counties are considering similiar moves. Restaurants are fighting to keep this information obscure. They want to hide the facts.
New York City Health Commissioner Frieden estimates that the number of obese people in New York City alone could be cut by 150,000 over the next 5 years which in turn could prevent more than 30,000 cases of diabetes (which happens to be the sixth largest cause if death in the U.S.)
I want to know what I’m eating when I eat out. If any of you are interested in getting a law passed for your area this website can help www.menulabeling.org. Let’s take charge of our own health beginning today!
Angels In The Flesh
by Genel Webb
I have found that sometimes a friend shows up to events in your life when you just need them to be in the same space as you, not because you called, but because there seemed to be a knowing that their presence would make a difference. Even though there may be many other people there — just knowing that they are there and that they want the best for you in that situation, strengthens you. Some call it moral support. I’ve come to describe it as God sent angels in the flesh.
I recently experienced a situation where I had to be the picture of confidence. I wanted everything to go right. I always tell myself that with prayer and preparation, everything will go fine. So I prayed and did everything that I thought needed to be done according to the plan, however something felt undone. Or was it just because I’m used to being busy and there didn’t seem to be anything else to be busy about. Anyway a friend dropped in to see how everything was going. She immediately commented that from her perspective, everything looked great, except one area. In addition, she came up with possible solutions and offered herself to make sure that it got done. It involved us purchasing some wood products, lifting the wood, hammering nails, and taking her van to pick up the material…all while she was caring for her grandchildren that day. She spent three to four hours with me addressing this issue. She would not accept monetary compensation. She asked me, “can you accept this as a friend?” Although we are friends, I just felt this went so much beyond. As I stood there kind of speechless, she then said, “l understand that you have a problem receiving, but please accept what I’m doing as a friend.” The “problem receiving” rang a bit true and is a another story.
After all our hard work, she attended the event in the middle of other commitments. I felt blessed and strengthened by her presence. I felt that of all the people that were there, she truly understood how important her presence was to me. I felt that she was an angel sent by the Lord and He had also allowed another layer of our friendship to develop. She had toiled with me, a couple of days before…before everything was ideal. There we had been hammering nails, sweating, eating crackers and drinking soda. Yet she walked into the event looking as professional as ever. I had the opportunity to greet her as she walked in the door but we did not have an opportunity to talk much more during the event. However, knowing that she was there as a person who was truly for me and desired the best for me, strengthened me. I know that all strength comes from the Lord, yet He often uses people. In this instance, I believe that He sent a type of angel in the flesh, in the form of a friend.
Psalm 91:11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways…