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TOP's Tuesday: An Anniversary & Easter This Week

3/31/2015

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For the first time since 1994,to my memory anyway, the anniversary of Heidi's kidnapping falls on Easter weekend. This year, April 3rd is the same as Good Friday. Some asked if we are having a candle light vigil or gathering to remember Heidi on the 21st anniversary of her disappearance. We appreciate your thoughtfulness but out of respect for this Holy Weekend, there won't be a formal gathering of remembrance for Heidi. 

Our family, like many of yours, will gather with our community for a Good Friday Service. If you find it in your heart to remember Heidi this Friday, we thank you. It's important to remember there is joy and light coming on Sunday, but a time of darkness is necessary before pure joy can be experienced.

Ideas and ways to remember Heidi, more than two decades since her abduction, while respecting the Holiness of the Easter and its redeeming grace, mercy, and love.  
Ways to remember Heidi 
this Friday, April 3, 2015...
on the 21st anniversary 
of her abduction...

*Say an extra prayer she is found

*Light a candle at home

*Light a candle at church

*Donate a lily or tulip at church in her name

*Wear your "Heidi" button on Friday

*Share Heidi's Missing Poster on your Social Media pages with a note 
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Thank you for following this blog. Thank you for remembering Heidi every day, since that tragic April day in 1994. Your prayers, friendship, and hope are a blessing to me and my entire family. If you'l like to tag me or share your remembrance on the "Where's Heidi?" Facebook page to encourage others, please do. May HOPE FOR HEIDI shine on a day filled with much darkness, Good Friday. 

HOPE is the theme in Jesus crucifixion and on the anniversary date when an eighteen-year-old girl lost her life. For we know that on Easter Sunday, HOPE is revealed as Jesus rose from the dead and moved to life in Heaven. I'm not saying Heidi's kidnapping and death are in any way similar to Jesus' death, my only intent is to encourage you. Jesus overcame the cross. Each of us have a cross to bear, that event or situation that breaks our heart. 

The good news, with Jesus in our life...we will survive and victory will prevail! The most important thing we can do is REMEMBER...how would the world and our faith be different if we forgot the pain and agony experienced by Jesus on the cross? How would my life be different if I forgot the eighteen years God blessed us with Heidi's presence before taking her home to be with him? Let's not focus on the what ifs but on the sacrificial offering of life and death on a cross...so we might have life...eternal!

Thank you for remembering Heidi as you prepare for this weekend's Easter Joy.

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Majestic...Yet More Than a Sunset

3/30/2015

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From the rising of the sun to its setting 
The name of the LORD is to be praised. 
Psalm 113:3 NIV
I am probably partial BUT I believe we have the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets. The colors and diversity of each layer of majestic beauty over Lake Ontario still causes me to pause and say, "Wow". More than forty years of reds, oranges, pinks, yellows, blues, and shades there of greeting me in the morning and guiding me home at night.

My in-laws used to live in Oswego, at one of the senior apartments and to view this miracle and splash of color from six stories up only added to the beauty. I can remember driving home and noticing the reds and pinks glowing from behind the trees. I would call my mother-in-law. She always knew it was me and would answer, "Hello Lis, yes it's a beautiful one tonight." I never figured out she knew it was me, maybe she answered that way during the sunset until I called. Either way, a love of Lake Ontario's sunsets was a blessing and joy we shared.
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When my husband and I were first married we had the luxury to rent my Gram's camp on the lake. the large picture window facing the lake in the living room and the wrap around windows in the kitchen offered a painted masterpiece each morning and night.  To open the windows and smell a summer morning rain as the sun rose, near perfection. Memories and pictures saved in the depths of my brain.

Today's photos were taken from my
parent's backyard earlier this month. Although they don't live on the lake shore, the beauty is still there. Sometimes it's the sneak peaks that wet the appetite for something better to come. I look forward to it warming up so we can plan our walks to catch some of this splendor first hand in slow motion, as we exercise both body and mind in the process.

What memory or person does the suns rising and setting remind you of? Will you share with us below?

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Do You Have a Story to Write?

3/26/2015

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Fabulous women, also known as my writers' group. They each had a story to write and they wrote it, and they continue to write.  Although we don't meet each month, each hold a special place in my heart to encourage, mentor, and inspire."
~ Lisa M Buske
Some inspiring women writing their story...

If you could write any story to 
inspire and encourage others...
What is the title?

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5 Signs You Should Invest in a Memoir Coach                           Guest Blog By M. Shannon Hernandez

3/26/2015

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Writing a memoir can be very challenging. Besides all that goes with the writing process of getting your story down on paper, there are also challenges such as where to start your story, how to tell your story in an engaging way, and which writing techniques to use so you can express yourself effectively.

Partnering with an experienced memoirist will help you articulate, strategize, and make significant gains in your memoir writing goals. Working with a writing coach, specifically a memoir writing coach, can be a very rewarding experience!

Before you partner with someone to help you get your memoir planned and drafted, ask yourself a few questions:
1.    Do I have writing goals that I can’t seem to get accomplished?

2.    Do I have great ideas, yearning to be placed on paper, but become overwhelmed at the thought of moving forward or getting started?

3.    Do I need to develop a stronger voice, more consistent writing style, or a more structured schedule for my writing life?
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4.    Do I need to overcome my “writing past?”

5.    Could I benefit from the help of someone who has already written and published a memoir, who will provide honest, structured and thoughtful feedback such as intended audience and story format and pacing?
M. Shannon Hernandez is the founder of The Writing Whisperer, and her mission is to help heart-centered entrepreneurs and heart-centered authors find their brand voices, share their unique stories, gain more visibility, establish themselves as experts, and create authentic marketing messages, all through the use of smart content strategy and engaging copywriting. The Writing Whisperer was named one of the Top 100 Websites for Writers by The Write Life in both 2014 and 2015, and Shannon has been featured as a content strategy and copywriting expert on many prominent podcasts and websites. She is a leading voice in the world of authentic business writing and heart-centered education reform, and writes regularly for The Huffington Post. Shannon's memoir, Breaking the Silence, chronicles her exit out of public education, after 15 years, and provides readers an intimate view of her journey to business ownership, finding happiness, and reinvention.

Find Shannon online:
Breaking the Silence: http://myfinal40days.com/
The Writing Whisperer:  http://www.thewritingwhisperer.com/
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How can working with a memoir coach help you, specifically?
A memoir coach can help you in a number of ways. When I work with my clients, we often tackle many issues that arise--from scheduling writing time (and teaching family members how to respect that sacred writing time) to more book-specific tasks such as choosing a structure for your memoir.

 Here are just a few of the ways a memoir coach can help you:
•        Identify, analyze, and prioritize your memoir writing goals
•        Develop a writing schedule that works for you
•        Set and reach your individual memoir writing goals
•        Maintain focus on your memoir writing project
•        Understand the memoir writing process, providing useful tools for making it work for you
Breaking the Silence is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound.

Shannon's Podcast: Transforming Public Education: Creating REAL Reform Through Compassion, Love, and Gratitude:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transforming-public-education/id971779647

Other Stops on the Blog Tour

Monday, March 9 (today) @ The Muffin
Stop by for an interview and book giveaway!
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

Tuesday, March 10 @ Create Write Now
"Reinventing Your Life, One Journal Entry at a Time" 
http://www.createwritenow.com/journal-writing-blog

Wednesday, March 11 @ Writers on the Move
Hernandez shares the story of how she went from a school teacher to a business owner in 4 months flat.
http://www.writersonthemove.com

Thursday, March 12 @ Renee's Pages
Find out why you should read Breaking the Silence in this review by Renee Roberson.
http://www.reneespages.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, March 17 @ All Things Audry
Hernandez shares some of the feedback she's received since the publication of Breaking the Silence.
http://allthingsaudry.blogspot.com/

Thursday, March 19 @ Margo L. Dill, Children's and YA Author: Be Unique. Be Strong. Be Yourself.
Do you want the courage to live a truly audacious life? 
http://margodill.com

Friday, March 20 @ Choices
You can write a life-changing memoir. Hernandez, author of Breaking the Silence, reveals her tips in this guest post.
http://madelinesharples.com

Monday, March 23 @ Women's Writing Circle
M. Shannon Hernandez discusses how her life improved after 15 days of saying "no."
http://www.susanweidener.com

TODAY - Thursday, March 26 @ One Sister's Journey
M. Shannon Hernandez shares "5 Signs You Should Invest in a Memoir Writing Coach"
http://www.lisambuske.com/blog

Monday, March 30 @ Sioux's Page
Sioux Roslawski shares her review of Breaking the Silence: My Final Forty Days as a Public School Teacher.
http://siouxspage.blogspot.com

Tuesday, March 31 @ Kristine Meldrum Denholm
M. Shannon Hernandez offers five tips for writing about your passion.
http://www.kristinemeldrumdenholm.com

Thursday, April 2 @ Giving Voice to Your Story
Learn all about what it takes to create a memoir with movement.
http://www.givingavoicetothevoicelessbook.com

Friday, April 3 @ Lisa Hasleton's Reviews and Interviews
Get a glimpse of the woman behind the book in this interview with Lisa Haselton.
http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com

Thank you for welcoming M. Shannon Hernandez to the blog today!
Sometimes we all need a coach...

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Wednesday's Reminder to HOPE and WAIT

3/25/2015

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Yesterday, after a doctor's appointment, I spent the afternoon in the courtroom. The motion and purpose of this hearing is to determine if Heidi's convicted kidnapper, serving a 25 to life sentence, should be granted a new trial and/or have his verdict reversed. This new part of the journey started in January, one week and month at a time. 

The defense has yet to rest, according to yesterday's announcement. The People started their portion yesterday and I am grateful to have the opportunity to attend. It's difficult to walk into the courtroom and the media out numbers Heidi's family and friends but this is to be expected. My aunt posted on her FB page yesterday about the emotional drain and missing our loved ones that filled the courtroom twenty years ago.  

There are so many empty seats. Have you ever attended a Veteran's Day presentation and they have the empty chair? This analogy always touches my heart, not to under appreciate our Veterans, but to see the hearing occur and less than a handful of people representing Heidi breaks my heart.

On the flip side, I love my job and I'm surrounded by people who love and care about Heidi, our family, and me. The joy and energy of our students motivates me. A couple in particular inspire me on a daily basis and just to see those smiles, encouragement.  

Someone asked if I want to be in court everyday? Another said, "The only thing keeping you from being in court, is you." Do I want to be there? Of course I do, it is the only way to hear everything being said, shared, and discussed but on the flip side, there are bills to be paid and responsibilities as a wife and mother. While I miss being in the courtroom, I'm thankful for my amazing and wonderful MACS family ~ they (you) make it easy to go to work. I think it's much healthier for me to not be in court and I know Heidi is represented by the People and the friends and family able to attend. 

The emotional drain of yesterday left me with a desire to stay in bed all day today BUT God's love and strength get me through. I learned something, whether I sit in the courtroom or not, is not a reflection of my love for my sister. My Gram always told  me, "Live for the living.", thankfully, I have a wonderful family and friends to live for. Blessings to count.

When it's difficult to HOPE and WAIT...what do you do?

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TOP's Tuesday: Day 1 of Week 3...The Hearing Continues

3/24/2015

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My realization...life will never be the same, even if the case is solved and marked closed. Heidi may be missing but she is not forgotten. This book might end, but my desire to help others has only just started...The day Heidi was kidnapped, the abductors took more than her physical body -- they took a part of my parents, our community, and me...I may never know where Heidi is, but I know this...God loves all the children."
~Lisa M Buske
Where's Heidi? One Sister's Journey ~
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Since this past July I haven't talked much about the motions and paperwork filed in the courts or the hearing. Today begins the third week for a hearing to determine if the man convicted of kidnapping my sister, Heidi Allen, should have his verdict overturned. Once a month, a week at a time since January, his lawyers have brought forth witnesses to defend their filing. The DA's Office listens, receives, and cross examines the battery of new players. Family, friends, and the community for both the convicted and the victim, rearrange schedules so they can listen and watch.

I don't know how long this hearing will take, if it will continue to be a week at a time each month, or if they will continue until finished this time. No one really knows. One thing is for sure, for the next week, Heidi's photograph and smile should be shared on local news and beyond. Even the ticker during the news reminds people of today's hearing, one station's read, " After a six week break, testimonies resume in the hearing for Gary Thibodeau". A hearing to determine if his conviction will be overturned. This is an emotional time for all involved and everyone deserves prayers.

No one knows how this week will unfold or how this hearing will end BUT there is one thing I know. The new information and witnesses have brought Heidi's kidnapping back to the forefront of people's attention and conversations. May this added attention provide the answers necessary to bring Heidi home. Each family handles situations differently. Family members within the family have different ways to cope and move forward in the midst. As you watch the news and follow the case via Twitter, Facebook, and local media, please remember...unless you are sitting in the courtroom, you only hear one side and/or snip-its of the multitude of information shared. 
There is a light orange shining through the trees this morning. A reminder of ‪#‎HopeHeidiAllen‬ as the hearing resumes. It's not a trial, only a hearing, yet a hearing that is increases emotions and its outcome will effect many.

Please keep all in prayer ~ may this added attention to Heidi's kidnapping bring Heidi home and my parents get the answer to their initial question..Where's Heidi? Thank you all - NEVER GIVE UP HOPE!
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Never giving up hope for my beautiful and sweet sister...
She put others first and in God's strength, I put her first this week.


Will you take a  moment to leave an encouraging word 
for Heidi's family in a comment below? 


Between the hearing and Easter, it's an emotional time. 
Your words might be the pick-me-up Heidi's parents & family need...

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According to the Calendar...SPRING is HERE

3/22/2015

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Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the LORD will display his glory, the splendor of our God."
Isaiah 35:2 NLT
As I thought about what Spring means to people and how it applies to life, I had to chuckle as it snowed on the first and second day of this hope-filled season. The laughter wasn't because it is snowing when it should be raining.  Rather, it's because the transition of emotions between life's happenings and the expectations for each new season offer similar discrepancies and let downs. We see the date for "Spring" on the calendar and expect the snow to stop falling and melt overnight. This is NOT going to happen.

When life's struggles overwhelm us, we want to close our eyes at night and wake up with everything healed, accomplished, and over BUT this isn't going to happen either. While tragic events happen quickly, some of our issues have been building for years - so to expect either to go away in less than twenty-four hours is just as silly as winter weather stopping because the calendar says the new season has arrived.
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What would happen if we embraced the blah and issues and focused on the new beginning? 

How would our perspective change? 

Would it be easier to fight, hope, and live as we moved forward? 

Do we have false or unrealisitic expectations?

It's important to remember...Spring is a sign of hope, 
rebirth, and new beginnings.
These don't have over night 
yet they do happen...Don't give up!


What are you hoping for this Spring?

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When You Feel Like You Can't...You MUST Move Forward

3/21/2015

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Life presents each of us with different struggles, obstacles, trials, tribulations, tragedies, and mountains to move yet each have commonalities. Each thrust you into a new way of life and often, a new normal. One friend this week said, "The new normal stinks." Another friend shared a struggle she is having and said, "Some days I want to cry my eyes out." Both are normal and necessary stages and ways to think.

If we can't accept the path we are traveling, then it will take that much longer once we do...to move forward. Instead of waiting or resisting the obvious, one of the first and most difficult steps we must climb is accepting the new normal and the array of emotions that accompany it.  There are times when I find myself thinking, "How would my life be different if I hadn't spent a decade in the darkness of denial, loss, and discouragement?" BUT then I  realize, it was this journey through the valley that helped design and strengthen me into the woman I am today.

Don't misunderstand me, there are more days when I feel week and less than semi-strong but to look back I realize...I'm stronger. Twenty-one years ago I hid or put on a false mask of happiness. This time through the journey of hearings and breaking news, I'm trying (not always successfully) to remain positive, hopeful, optimistic, and transparent yet in life, there are times when this doesn't help you or help others. Even in bizarre cases like this, it's still possible to Move Forward and keep it real.

"There is no one 
holy like 
the LORD, 
Indeed, 
there is no one besides You, 
Nor is there 
any rock 
like our God."
1 Samuel 2:2
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One step at a time, with God leading the way (and sometimes just plain carrying us), we MUST move forward. If we can't do it for ourselves, they we do it for the one suffering, or for our parents, our children, our community, or just because it's the right thing to do. A different friend recently shared her frustrations about a current situation in her life and ended with, "...but if this is where God has me, and this is the problem He's placed before me, then with Him by my side...I'm strong enough to get through." A wonderful reminder to me and anyone going through a tough time at the moment.

On the days when you feel burdened or run down, I encourage you to dress as if you are attending a special event, put on a little bling, and move forward into the day God's placed before you. I can't tell you the number of times I've put on a sparkly shirt, special necklace, or shared a memory that ended up changing my perspective. When you don't feel like you can, this is the most important time to face your fears, doubts, anger, frustrations, and blahs. More often than not, you'll feel better by lunchtime.

What helps you MOVE FORWARD
when all you want to do is give up?

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It's Not a Matter of Age...It's All About the Heart

3/20/2015

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This is one of my parents' favorite memories and photographs from the hours spent at the Heidi Allen Command Center, housed in the New Haven Volunteer Fireman's Hall. This sweet child arrived with her piggy bank, if memory serves me correctly. She signed in and explained what she had been saving for  but wanted to donate her entire piggy bank to help find Heidi. 

This isn't the only child who touched our hearts yet this is one captured with a photo. One child donated a penny, another donated his allowance for the week. Some drew pictures to cheer up my parents. There was hundreds, if not thousands, of people who crossed the threshold to help in some way to answer my parent's question...Where's Heidi? 

We appreciate all that so many did yet as I was looking for a picture the other day and saw this one in the file, I lifted a "thank you" to God for the many, many, many, angels He surrounded us with in 1994 and the decades to follow. Some of these angels were children younger than Heidi and I'm grateful.  Grateful, for the example their parents must have modeled because these children gave from the heart...to help.

How has a child influenced you or your life?
Will you share below?

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Take Time to Enjoy God's Beauty

3/19/2015

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“As Romans 11:36 states, 
all things are from God and to God. Beauty boomerangs from God into created beauty, 
then through the senses 
and soul of the image-bearer, and finally back to God with praise and glory.” 
~ Eyes Wide Open
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In life, we have choices EVERY day. There are mornings when the commute and drop off in front of our local high school bring out the grumbly rumbly bear within. I have friends who deal with twenty to thirty minute commutes for a few blocks but this isn't the norm for Mexico, New York...UNLESS it's between 7:25 a.m. - 7:40 a.m. During this time, this small town turns into a congested, slow moving, and stressful scenario as a multitude of parents drop their children off in front of the high school.

As my daughter and I approached yesterday morning, we both became quiet as we viewed this beautiful sunrise lighting the sky around the high school and creating a sight to behold. Once I turned around and dropped Mags off, I pulled ahead to take a few pics. My hope, to capture some of God's beauty and peace in the midst of morning drop off chaos. 

While the pictures don't do the magnificent sunrise justice, I think you understand the significance. I'm guilty of grumbling and not looking up as much as the next person. 

How would our days be different if we slowed down or stopped to look up and absorb the beauty God surrounds us with...in the midst of the darkness and chaos?

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YOU are a RAINBOW ~ Happy St. Patrick's Day!

3/17/2015

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I hope you have a wonderful and safe St. Patrick's Day! For my Irish side of the family, this is a fun day!


A read aloud of YOU are a Rainbow...

.Happy St. Patrick's Day 2015!

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"No Luck Needed: Everybody Wins" Find out How Below

3/15/2015

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Yesterday morning I enjoyed a delicious breakfast, time of fellowship, and an opportunity to share hope with some women in Oswego County. Wings of Grace Ministry hosts two events a year, one in the Spring and the other in the Fall. My author friend, Kolleen Lucariello, shared her story and about her book, The ABC's of Who God Says I Am, in a previous engagement.  This Spring was my turn and it was a blessed day, to say the least.

For months I've prayed for this event and the message God had for me to share. Instead of listening and following His direction, I kept praying. You see, I know He was speaking to my heart yet nothing I seemed to prepare or do seemed to fit. I couldn't seem to put it together. When forced to come up with a theme, I chose "No Luck Needed: Everybody Wins". I didn't feel this was the theme, yet I needed a title and verse for the event planners and I couldn't come up with anything better. Initially the anticipation of sharing at Wings of Grace event excited me but at the same time, I was so nervous.
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I couldn't figure out what my issue was. It is the first time I've shared my testimony since last July, so I determined this was my hold up.  Even with an all-nighter Friday, I still arrived feeling unprepared to share. BUT as I enjoyed some powerful worship and then a couple skits, performed by Ranch of Hope Ministries, I finally figured it out.
 
It was the I in the whole process that was the roadblock. I wasn't focused on God, in spite of my prayers. I wasn't seeking His face but instead, looking for an "easy" way to share my testimony. 
This was the problem...ME! God ordained the speaking engagement and it was HIS message to share through me. I wish I caught on to this prior to Saturday morning BUT I didn't. I guess I'm a slow study at times. Or maybe it's stubbornness. Regardless of what you call it, it was disobedience. 

Instead of praying a prayer and taking time to listen for God's answer, I just continued preparing a message to share using St. Patrick's day and "luck" items as illustrations. I couldn't make this work and then I thought I had it figured out at 3:58 a.m. (Yes, Saturday morning) when I turned off my computer. One last prayer, God this is your event and may I deliver Your message. I need your wisdom, strength, and message. I can only do this in Your strength. Night.

Two hours later the alarm rattled me awake, and by 7:40 a.m., I was loading the car and on my way. I picked up my friend, Lisa, and we began our journey. Talking, laughing, sharing, and praying. 
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Lisa helped me set up and I told her about my concern with my message, and then the big reveal, they asked me to give the Salvation message. She was very excited and said "Finally!" Whereas, I was still in the "I can't do this and don't want to goof it up." stage.  She encouraged me and we prayed for God's words.

Some reading this might not know what a Salvation message is. I think in the simplest of terms, it's when you Admit you are a sinner, Believe Jesus died on the cross and rose again for your sins, and then Choose to trust Jesus to forgive you of your sins. While this seems simple in theory and to write it, the importance of its life changing power makes me nervous. I accepted the challenge and trusted the whole morning to God, why hadn't I done this sooner? Such a silly human am I because the message is as easy as A B C.
God answered prayers in a mighty way Saturday morning through the songs and skits during the worship portion of our morning. The songs were about trusting God and to not be afraid. My heart and mind heard this message loud and clear. Then the teens from Ranch of Hope took the stage and performed two powerful skits.

The first a light and humorous one about the power of sin and the second, about the bondage and struggles from sin and the great release and freedom found when we trust Jesus.

I finally heard God to not fear, to trust, and obey!
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While sitting in the back room and thinking of the lives this amazing group of teens can impact,  if they have the opportunity to share their ministry, I fought back tears. Then I realized their message isn't only for teens,. It's a message of freedom, healing, strength, love, redemption, and so much more. To learn more about Ranch of Hope Ministries, click here or on the photo of their skit. They are willing and interested in visiting churches to share God's message of love and hope. Check them out. 

Instead of opening with St. Patty's Day humor, I thanked these teens and their leaders for demonstrating God and His message without ever saying a word. Both skits used only music and movement, no words. I transitioned from praising and encouraging the teens and then God lead me through my message to the women. The morning was beautiful and a couple people raised their hands before I closed to share a message from God, one they received while I was speaking. 

While my delivery of the Salvation message was less than perfect, it was honest and a learning experience. I found myself missing my friend who helped me so much when I started to speak yet while she isn't in the area anymore, God never left me. This morning I awoke rested and thankful I obeyed and delivered God's message.  I'm still a little disappointed in my delivery of the Salvation message yet know if God was speaking to someone's heart, they heard it. I can only improve. 

Evidence God knows our hearts, fears, and disappointments...here are a couple messages I received today. I share these with their permission. If you attended yesterday's Wings of Grace event, feel free to leave a comment below. I'm sharing with the Ranch of Hope Ministry too, so your words may reach the Wings of Grace team and the Ranch of Hope too. Thanks for taking time to read, worship, and share. 
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""Lisa, I was in the audience today and heard you speak. Thank you for sharing from your heart. It really spoke to my heart and encouraged me. You have a special gift for speaking and reaching people. I hope to hear you again sometime!"
~ Sarah, Attendee ~
"Hello Lisa, Thank you for speaking at Wings of Grace yesterday! It was an awesome event and I hope that it brought you some healing too! I have sent you a friend request because I manage the Wings of Grace Ministry fb page. I think I need to be friends with you to add you to the group. Not sure, but we both share a love of Dunkin Donuts coffee!!! Thanks again for sharing your experience, strength and hope. It was an extreme act of COURAGE and you rocked it!" ~ Kim, Attendee ~

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How are you doing? How do you feel?

3/14/2015

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"Lovely...and you?"

"Good, thanks for asking."

Do you know how loved, beautiful, 
and special you are?
I hope so...

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"The Morning Moon"

3/12/2015

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One of my favorite things to do in the morning is to open the curtains and look outside. In the winter my goal is to check the weather so I know how much travel time to allow for the morning commute BUT the rest of the year...it's only to admire the God's painting in the sky. While the tree line prevents a full view of the sunrise, the light illuminates from behind. 


To look from the other side of the house, it's possible to see the morning moon. Another beautiful sight, one that has amazed me since childhood. I've asked the question, "How can we see the moon in the daylight?" many times. If it's been answered then I don't remember. Regardless, it's night time beauty in the midst of a colorful sunrise is just another example of the beauty nature offers.
Lord, our Lord, 
how majestic is your 
name in all the earth!
You have set your glory in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,  human beings that you care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned 
them with glory and honor.

You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,
    all that swim the paths of the seas.
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8 NIV
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3/10/15 @ 7:15 a.m.
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3/11/15 @ 7:15 a.m.
Do you slow down enough in the morning to notice the paintings in the sky? When you look up and see the brilliance of a sunrise or the miracle of a brightly shining moon during the day, what is the first thing you think of? Do you share the observation with those you are with or see later in the day? 
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
    for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
    for to you I entrust my life.
Psalm 143:8

What is your favorite time
of day to enjoy nature?

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Welcome A Guest Blogger...Myrna J. Smith

3/11/2015

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Good Wednesday to you all,

While I haven't read this book, the initial description of the book in one of my WOW emails caught my attention. Today's blog has information about Myrna's book, herself, and she even took time to guest blog with us today. Without reading the book I can't make a recommendation either way but after reading her guest post and more about her spiritual journey, it sounds different than my own yet each of us have a story to tell. This is Myrna's story and I'm glad to have her join us today and I hope you'll offer her some encouragement while she visits.

Lisa 
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"Myrna Smith opens her story one Sunday night when she returns home from a ski weekend with her three children. While she was on the slopes, her husband had moved out. That had been the plan. 

Yet her story, though it encompasses her divorce, is much larger. Ultimately, Smith sets out to love herself, to find an inner place where she can rest and grow."
"In this search-for-the-holy-grail memoir, Smith traces her travels toward enlightenment as a middle-aged American woman with a wry humor and heartfelt longing. On the journey she discovers spiritual fulfillment doesn’t come easily, or all at once. For her, it is quite elusive. 

The quest really started, she realizes, in her childhood on an Oregon farm where she and her older sister were once “converted” in their father’s pea patch by two young Bible summer school teachers barely out of their teens. The school was part of the tiny church their mother attended while their father stayed home, read Edgar Cayce books, and mused on reincarnation. 

Later, drawn by the mysticism of the Hindus, Smith’s journey leads to Bangalore where she touches the robes of Sai Baba, the Indian saint. Back home in New Jersey, she finds herself in a country farm- house getting prescriptions channeled through a medium for every- thing from her back woes and diarrhea to an obsession with money. 

She also writes of the demons that surface during a years-long love affair with her beloved Charlie and what A Course in Miracles stirred within her. 

Smith’s story is one of adventure and effort that, in the end, reveals three simple yet essential truths that are both the journey and the destination."
How Spiritual Texts Influenced My Writing
By Myrna J. Smith
"Because my memoir God and Other Men:  Religion, Romance and the Search for Self-Love is about my spiritual journey, religious and spiritual texts have had a big influence on me and on my book, mainly because they gave me concepts I had not considered before.

My divorce made me question all of my assumptions about life and set me on a long search for answers. The Bhagavad Gita, an important Indian religious text, gives four paths to God, that of karma (action), bhakti (devotion or worship), raja (meditation), or jnana (self-knowledge). Having attended a fundamentalist church until I was about twelve, my experience of church was that of devotion, devotion to Jesus. I knew fairly early that was not my path because I could see that the attitude of my church-going friends was so much different from mine. I had not fallen in love with Jesus as they apparently had.

My father was reading Hindu books at home, so I knew Christianity was not the only possibility, but the Gita showed that there are different styles of worship that might go across religions. Once I discovered I was primarily jnana, I gave up reading books of prayer and instruction for meditation and focused on self-knowledge.  The goal of the jnani is to realize that the atman, the individual “soul” is the same as Brahma, the universal soul—we could say “God”— but he/she does it through examination of the mind. 

A Course in Miracles, the text that I have adopted as my truth, gave me other words and concepts that I have incorporated into my writing. One of the big ideas of A Course in Miracles is that projection makes perception. What we see is entirely determined by our minds. The world, according to the Course, is an illusion, a common and individual projection. If we see with God’s eyes, we have vision, but if we see with eyes of the ego, we have perception, which is determined by our human minds. These are difficult concepts, ones that take hundreds of pages to clarify in the Course. Intellectually, I accept the truth of these statements, but I don’t always act as if I believe them. I try, however, to hold onto them in my writing. 

Many of the ideas in A Course in Miracles have existed in Buddhism for twenty-five hundred years, and the idea that the world is maya, illusion, has existed in Hinduism for longer than that. As Buddhism spreads in the western world, as it is surely doing, the ideas will become more widely known.

One last spiritual book that influenced me is Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda. In one of my sessions with the mystic I studied with, she, or “the spirits,” told me that the true personality no longer had dreams about the future, but that the false personality still has these dreams.  (A Course in Miracles would use the terms ego and higher self, rather then true and false personalities.) Near the end of Yogananda’s autobiography one of the holy men is coming to the end of his life. He has one unfulfilled dream:  establishing a large, beautiful ashram, something he just could not bring into form in this incarnation.  Another, more evolved, teacher projected one for him. It appears in all of its glory with bright lights around the roofline. He marvels; then he and the reader realize that this can be the end of dreaming, his final one having been fulfilled. He is now on the cusp of totally awakening—enlightenment.

In my writing I want to bring forward the ideas that most of the world would see as patently untrue and perhaps even bizarre. In explaining these ideas in terms of my own life, I am hoping that readers will find them more acceptable.  And by writing them, I am hoping I can deepen my own belief in them."

Publisher: Cape House Books
Website/Blog: https://myrnasmith.wordpress.com
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1939129044/
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About Myrna J. Smith: 

"Myrna J. Smith, EdD, is a retired professor of English and comparative religions who continues to travel and explore the world’s spiritual traditions. God and Other Men is her first book."

If you have read this book, feel free to leave a comment below to share with my readers.
Have a great day everyone!

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TOP's Tuesday: What's Underneath?

3/10/2015

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In Upstate New York for the past weeks, the topic of choice is Winter. Whether it be the bitterly cold temperatures or the amount of snow, winter and its relentless attack on those who enjoy living in this beautiful part of the country. Today, the discussions have transitioned from ones of despair to that of hope and warmth. The sun is shining and snow is melting.

With this new and exciting change of events, new items of woe enter the conversation. An aspect of many inches of snow and ice is the inevitable melting to follow. Some roofs have been shoveled more than in past years and and others left to wait for this thaw. With each crash of ice and snow sliding off, the green grass and rebirth is buried a little deeper.

The snow's contour around the objects in our yard offers the illusion of life beneath the snow each time I glance out my window but the joy and truth is this...this isn't an illusion. Winter's white blanket is slowly melting and soon the green grass, flowers in arrays of color, and even my patio furniture will be revealed once again. 
Spring shows what God can do 
with a drab and dirty world."
~Virgil A. Kraft

What is hidden under the snow in your yard?

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Where Can This Ladder Take You?

3/9/2015

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Finish this statement...

"While walking through the woods I saw this ladder. 
I couldn't resist, 
so I climbed. 
When I reached the top..."

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Last Night of "Aida ~ The Musical" 

3/7/2015

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A show you don't want to miss...
Mexico High School
7 p.m.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

If you've already been to the show, 
leave a comment below 
to share 1 reason someone 
should come tonight!

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"Aida" Elton John & Tim Rice's Musical

3/6/2015

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I attended last night's opening performance and left in awe of the talent on the stage. A standing ovation on opening night. If you are looking for a cast and pit band that can deliver a powerful musical...head to Mexico TONIGHT & SATURDAY...7 p.m.
ONLY $10 PER TICKET
Doors open at 6:45 p.m.
A few pictures from the opening night performance are below.

Comments overheard after the performance:
"Wow, this was powerful. They did a great job."

"Amazing show, we're coming back to see it again."

TONIGHT'S PERFORMANCE CAN VIEWED LIVE ONLINE
BY CLICKING HERE - 7 P.M.

Proud to MACS...
See you tonight!

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It's High School Musical Weekend in CNY

3/4/2015

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Tickets
$10 each
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Mexico's Drama Club's
presentation of AIDA is available LIVE
through our UStream channel
for family & friends out of state 
or those unable to get out...
beginning at 7:00 p.m.
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To watch via Ustream LIVE from your computer at home:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/eye-on-the-tigers

To learn more about the musical, Aida:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aida_%28musical%29
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"Break a leg MACS"
You are going to fill the house!

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    Why do I write?

    Writing to glorify God and help others!  "Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders."  Psalm 119:27 (NIV)

    Lisa M Buske
    P.O. Box 261
    New Haven, NY 13121
    United States
    lbuskewriter@aol.com

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