Tag: travel

December 7th

Published on by marycatherinethomas2 Comments

“A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)

I finished my quiet time just a few minutes ago. As I opened my little devotional I saw the date, December 7th. Pearl Harbor Day. A day of remembrance.

My mind quickly went back to stories I partially listened to when my Dad and uncles would mention the war. Japan did not rate high in their conversations. As a child, a fear of that country filled my mind.

As I thought of the significance of this day, I found myself praying. I thanked the Lord for the sacrifice of so many young men on both sides.

My mind next went to Japan. A beloved country of mine. A place I called home for three years. A place that still calls out to me to return.

As a young girl my dream was to grow up, marry, and move to the south side of town. Or if adventurous, move to the Pittsburgh area, but no farther.

When it was time, as a young married couple, to pick our next duty station, Dale came home with three choices available to him. Rota, Spain, Reykjavik, Iceland, or Yokosuka, Japan. At that time, the south side of Oil City still looked like the most appealing to me.

I remember thinking the choices over. Spain was okay. Iceland just sounded cold, but it was then that I learned that Iceland was green and Greenland was cold. Japan brought a chill down my back. Dale went back to work with no decision made by me. He returned home to announce that the detailer came back with Yokosuka, Japan.

Man makes his plans, God directs his steps.

I ended my short prayer today like this, “Lord, thank You for sending me to Japan. A former enemy’s place. It was there that I truly met You for the first time. I knew of You before, but there, I met You truly face to face. ”

My mind, since the Amen, has been one of gratitude that I stepped into a foreign country feeling alone and afraid and three years later, I left with a piece of my heart staying there. The rest of my heart full of the goodness and salvation of my Lord.

Going at the Speed of Life

Published on by marycatherinethomas6 Comments

“A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” John 10:10 (MSG)

Last week Dale and I went over to Gatlinburg, TN. We both needed a get away time and it proved to be just what we needed. We didn’t do a lot of the touristy things, except for browsing in the shops, which is always relaxing to me.

One day we drove to an area called Cades Cove. We spent most of the day driving through the area. The Smoky Mountains are gorgeous in this area. I started to take pictures, in which I usually fail majorly. I had the idea to take a close up photo of the area right outside my window.

This was supposed to be a great picture of part of a fence and as you can see, it’s just a blur.

I was about to delete this when I hesitated. It was like I heard, “Isn’t this like your life? You quickly drive by and miss the details.” Ouch! True, but ouch!

I kept the photo and I started to think about the picture and my life and the way I view it.

Today I was looking through old pictures. Most of ours are in boxes and in no particular order. But, as I looked at the pictures, some faded from time, some blurry (I wonder who took those?) and all of them jogging memories of places and people and seasons of my life.

I surprised myself at knowing when (not the date) they were taken. I remembered birthday parties at our favorite Italian restaurant when the kids were small. There were plenty of pictures of tents and camping. Some pictures Dale would have a sweatshirt on and then I would see the same sweatshirt on me. Throughout, the pictures of our daughters, babies, prom pictures, smiling, goofing off and glaring at the camera. There were a great deal of all emotions from them.

I have had a great life. We have lived several places, and in a different country. I have had experiences I never dreamed of growing up in Oil City, PA. Life has been good. Life has gone by quickly.

I have thought about going at the speed of life. Looking at memories, I see that for most of it, even though I was right there, it’s a blur.

This one is clear. The mountains fade into a mist. Behind that mist are more mountains. They remain in place even though they are not visible. The same is true of the memories of life. They are a constant in my memory. They are not always visible, but they remain hidden by a mist of life.

I will keep taking pictures. Some will turn out and some will be blurry. But, I have a feeling that now, instead of harshly critiquing my skill and deleting, I will remember that I tend to speed by my life and miss out on details.

Doldrums

Published on by marycatherinethomas3 Comments

Doldrums: a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or slump (Merriam-Webster)

On July 5th, 1977, we headed to the base in Yokosuka Japan and rented a day sailor sailboat for the afternoon. There were three of us on this adventure, Dale, myself and a friend of ours.

We checked out the boat and headed out. The day was sunny as were our moods. There was a breeze and the little boat danced upon the waves. We were having a wonderful experience. We talked, laughed and just enjoyed watching the slight white caps on the bay.

We sailed that way for a good hour. We knew we had plenty of time before we had to return our rental. The sun was lovely, the temperature was perfect. The wind was continual and water splashed gently onto the sides as we glided along.

About an hour after leaving shore the wind died down. Then the wind stopped. It was quiet except the lapping of the waves on the side of the sailboat. We bounced on the waves knowing the wind would pick back up. We thought we would be heading back soon and enjoying our adventure again.

These little sailboats did not come with a motor. They had oars. We sat for a while, waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Conversation ebbed. Time passed. We were dead in the water. The gentle rocking of the boat caused us to drift a bit.

Eventually the oars were picked up. In our glee of being on the bay with a great wind we paid no attention to how far we sailed. The trip back to shore was going to be long, especially rowing.

The guys were determined and rowed toward shore. The trip back to shore was quiet. The joy of the beginning of our trip was replaced by resolve. The afternoon sun was turning into dusk as we came to the dock. The wind had completely disappeared that afternoon.

You need wind in your sails to move. When the wind dies you are left with no motivation.

The same is true in life. There are times where the laughter stops and the quiet begins. The energy level subsides. The noise turns to a deafening silence. We can become adrift.

This sounds ominous unless we have an anchor. An anchor will keep us from drifting far away from where we are supposed to be. My Anchor is Christ. When I face the doldrums, I turn to Him. He knows me inside and out. He knows when my sails are flat and lifeless. He understands that part of me. He holds me close until He knows I am ready to lift from my position and then gently, ever so gently, He will ruffle my sail giving me a tailwind.

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” Psalm 34:18-19 (NLT)

Women at the V.A.

Published on by marycatherinethomas4 Comments

Today I went with Dale for a couple appointments he had at the V.A.. It’s always an interesting time when we go.

Usually, I watch the veterans. Mostly men, older, although many young men are also there. I heard a few conversations between these men. One was talking about his Ranger training and as I turned to see who was talking, an older man limping down the hallway was doing the talking. To hear the stories and see the men is something that touches my heart deeply.

Today, though, my focus went to the wives. They accompanied their husbands. One who was waiting was deeply engrossed in a book. One led her husband up to the window and gently pushing him toward the window made a fairly loud comment to sign in there with a hand motion. She turned around and mouthed the words “He can’t hear a thing!” to others waiting for their turn in the audiology department. Others pointed directions, walked beside their spouse, gently holding onto hands and guiding their backs.

Yesterday was Memorial Day, a day to remember those who gave all in battle. The heroes that wrote checks to this country with their lives.

As I sat watching and thinking, it occurred to me what military spouses have given. In our youth we waited through deployments. We learned how to maintain vehicles, fix lawn mowers, fix wobbly doors. We were the ones to kill spiders, bugs, and chase off snakes. We were Mommy and Daddy. We kept moving through exhaustion and wrote letters at night that didn’t mention that part of life. We had to think of morale. Our deployed husbands didn’t need to hear of half a problem solved, they needed to know that things were under control. They needed to know the kids were well, the bills were paid, the car was running, the lawn was mowed. There was no e-mail. No video calls. No photos instantly sent.

The women at the V.A. today were in that group. We did without. We made do. We prayed for wisdom, we prayed for safety, we prayed for sanity. And today as I watched these incredible women, it occurred to me that we are still doing that. Supporting our men, watching them, waiting for them, being there. The toughest job in the military? The military spouse.