One evening, “A Charlie Brown’s Christmas” was the Christmas show on TV. This was one of my favorites since I was a little girl. In directing the school play, Charlie Brown gets frustrated when he picks the wrong Christmas tree for the play. He says that everything he does turns into disaster and guesses he really doesn’t know what Christmas is all about. He then shouts, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” The lights dim as Linus takes center stage. A spotlight shines on him as he begins a dialogue of the real meaning of Christmas – the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. After he finishes telling the story, he walks over to Charlie Brown and says, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” During this Christmas season, do you allow the commercialization become part of your life? Is Christ the focus of your giving and thoughts for the season? Do you feel like Charlie Brown in that everything you do turns into disaster? Despite the presents that are under the tree, I want Olivia to know the reason that we celebrate Christmas. It’s not about giving and receiving presents, but that we did receive the greatest gift God could ever give us, his son Jesus. Jesus can bring you out of any disaster you may be experiencing if you believe and trust in him. I must admit I like the warm feeling I get from giving a gift and seeing the joyous expression on the other person's face when they open it. How about you? May you and your loved ones have a blessed Christmas holiday and Happy New Year!
Until next time, be your best always,
What is Christmas all about? Do you get what you really want? Children have been waiting all year for it, and the time has arrived. It is Christmas. Kids get giddy with excitement in anticipation of opening presents and what is underneath the bright, shiny paper. They sit glued to the TV screen during commercials, anxious to see what the next new toy is, while parents may want to skip or fast forward through the retail ads. It seems like Christmas becomes more commercialized each year.
It is also the time of year that several television stations air various Christmas programs. Every evening, Olivia would ask, “What Christmas show is on tonight?” and then would run to the refrigerator that displayed the TV show title listing and peer at it with anticipation. Next, I would either hear a shriek of excitement or an “Oh” depending on if she had seen it before.
Darcy
Laughing My Head Off at 20,000 Feet
Until next time, be your best always,
When you prepare to run, one of the first things you do is stretch to warm your muscles. If not, your body isn’t prepared for what you are about to do. But what about the race of life? There are many things which come up for which we may not be prepared. You may be stressed out, suffering, and not know how to handle the situation. But, there is HOPE. Hope that you can overcome whatever you are facing and be victorious. As my pastor, Randy Gilmore, says, "Hope is confidence in present resources and ultimate good."
The word, Nike, is Greek for ‘victory’ or ‘overcoming’. In the race of life, I want to have my Nikes on. For those of you who have heard me speak and talk about my “shoe issues”, when I tried out for the girls’ basketball team in eighth grade (I couldn’t find shoes big enough to fit me in the women’s section, so I had to go the men’s shoe area to find a pair), guess what tennis shoes I picked out? A new white pair of Nike hightops with a red swoosh. Though I didn’t know if I would make the team, I had hope in wearing my Nike tennis shoes as I was prepared to do my best.
In the middle of life’s storms where you may feel stretched, stressed out, are suffering, or something else may be going on in your life, Hope lifts our spirits as we go though the storm. God has generously provided a way to carry you through it. Look for hope in your present resources. Having hope protects our minds, like a helmet. Hope provides us a way out of our struggle and shields us, like an umbrella. Hope lifts our spirits from the storms in life which may be dampened. Hope is having your Nikes on when facing your situation, as we are overcomers and victorious. There is power in hope! Be victorious and have your Nikes on.
One time when she was swimming back to the side of the pool and was less than a foot away, she panicked. Her arms went frantically up in the air, and she started to sink. Her smile faded to a frightened look, and the instructor quickly grabbed her as she was going under water. I overheard Catherine, her swimming teacher, asking Olivia why she didn’t reach out to grab the side of the pool, as it was in arm’s reach, instead of giving up and panicking. Olivia’s safety was within her grasp.
How many times do we panic or give up searching for the answer when it is within our reach or staring us in the face? Does the saying, “If it were a snake, it would have bitten me” ring a bell? Sometimes, we cause many waves and unneeded noise that we don’t see the answer that is right in front of us and within our reach. We make issues more complicated than they are or need to be.
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A couple weeks ago, my daughter was the flower girl in my younger cousin’s wedding in Dallas, Texas. Olivia had been excited about her role in the ceremony for months! My sister and her daughter were also flying down with us, as her daughter was a junior bridesmaid in the ceremony. How fun it was going to be for a weekend of celebration and great times! The wedding was beautiful, and everyone had a great time at the reception. The next day, all four of us boarded our flight for our return trip to Indiana. We had a change of planes in Detroit, and it was here that I was reminded of an important life lesson. Our change of planes at the Detroit airport was on a different terminal, so we needed to walk through an underground tunnel to the other side where our next terminal was located. The underground tunnel was about the length of a football field, with blue and green flowing lights on the side and ceiling as if we were underwater. With our carry-on luggage in tow, we were almost half way across the tunnel, when all of the sudden red lights from above started flashing on and off. To the regular person, this may seem pretty cool. But to those of us who have vertigo, I wanted to crawl in a hole. My sister could tell that the constant flashing of lights was making me sick, and I couldn’t go on. The constant flashing of the lights was triggering activity in my brain that was making me dizzy and sick. She extended her hand and told me to close my eyes. She guided me down the rest of the tunnel, while keeping our two daughters in line as well. I don’t know what I would have done had she not been there to help me. There may be times in our lives where we don’t know what to do and where we feel that we can’t go on. Just as walking at the beginning of the tunnel, our lives can seem peaceful and going along just fine. Then, all of the sudden, the bright, flashing red lights start. Something may come along that totally rocks our world. How are you going to handle it? Will you address it or hope it goes away on its own (which it usually doesn’t)? When you encounter such an event, I’d encourage you to reach out to others that can help you. This isn’t about being too proud to ask for help. This is about accepting the gracious gift of others wanting to offer their help. Had I not reached out and accepted my sister’s help, I may still be back in Detroit. J There is one person who has been there for me when I’ve needed help in every situation and who has never left my side. That person is Jesus Christ. He has reached out and extended his helping hand to me in so many situations, and I trust him as my Lord and Savior. He died on the cross for my sins and provided a way for me to join him in heaven. So, when the bright red lights start flashing in your life, now you will have some thoughts on what to do. As for me, it now may be a good excuse to ask for one of those cool, motorized airport escorts if I travel alone. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DarcyKeithBe your best always,
Darcy
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During my Uncle Jack’s funeral, the pastor said something which caused me to put down my tear-soaked tissue for a moment and think. Yes, there will be a void in my heart for both De and Uncle Jack. But, we celebrate their lives and how we are richly blessed by knowing them. And, we will get to see them one day in heaven because both had accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Richly blessed, rich? We don’t seem to hear that word a lot today. The pastor went on to say that there are three “F’s” to the greatest riches in the world. These are faith, family, and friends. When we have faith, we are children of the richest King in the world! That King makes us heirs to mansions in heaven. I am rich because I have family that cares for and loves me. If I didn’t have a family like this, who knows where I would be after receiving life-threatening injuries in my car crash? Would I have received the best medical care and treatment or just be admitted to any medical facility? I am rich because I have friends that care how my family is doing. They help celebrate successes and are there when I hit milestone birthdays. J When times are tough, I remind myself of the blessings in my life. And suddenly, I remember I’m rich, and life is grand again.
Though there are times when money may be tight, look around you. You have the keys to life’s greatest riches. Take a look to see what part the three “F’s” play in your life. Do you make time for your faith? Your family? Your friends? If not, what’s stopping you? As I see it, the three “F’s” don’t cost any money. But, they do “cost” time.
After all of the snow this past winter, most of us think that winter is too long. The days are cold and dark. Winter kills many outdoor plants and makes way for something new – spring. Like all creation, we, too, experience seasons in our lives. We go through our own personal winters that seem dead, gray, and colorless. The recession, job loss, home foreclosure, sickness, death of a loved one, rejection – these are all examples of personal winters. At times, winter seems like it will never end!
As much as some of us don’t like it, winter is a necessary season to experience. Winter always precedes spring, and every living thing must pass through winter to enter spring. In our lives, there may be a time where a door was closed on a chapter of our lives, and a new beginning takes place. For me, this was when I lost memory of my actuarial science major as a college senior in the car crash. No longer could I pursue my college degree of actuarial science. I had to start over in a new major, with no guarantee of graduation from my memory problems resulting from my brain injury. Doubt, lack of self-confidence, and lack of self-esteem entered my everyday life. But how I chose to address my new beginning made all the difference. I chose to persevere with fortitude and determination, and never give up.
A little over a week ago, we celebrated Easter. The cross is the Lord’s symbol that reminds us that Jesus experienced a personal winter, too. Like all winters, dying was part of it, and the Lord’s death on the cross gave us a new beginning and relationship with our Father. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, God declares our personal winters are only for a season. Your personal winter may be long and hard, but it will come to an end. This is the message of the season. Jesus chose to go through the winter that was laid before Him before dying on the cross. He never interpreted His future glory by the dismal winter of His cross. Neither should you.
Springtime has arrived! As flowers are blooming, trees are budding, and birds are singing, I am reminded that winters do not last forever. If you are experiencing a personal winter in your life, rest assured that spring is coming soon. And, now you can begin again.
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Turning twenty meant that I was no longer a teenager and was the start of, what I considered, my adulthood. Age thirty gave me more life experiences, and the start of my family. So, what’s the matter with turning forty? Absolutely nothing.
In biblical terms, the number 40 has significant meaning. Think of the 40 days and the 40 nights of rain floods. It took the Israelites 40 years to find the promised land, and Jesus spent 40 days in the desert before his crucifixion. Maybe it takes 40 years to grow into an awesome woman?
I look at the first 40 years as preparation for the next 40 or so years. There were many experiences that refined my character and thoughts which made me into the person I am today. However, there was also a time when I didn’t know if I’d make it to my next birthday. When a person has experienced such a time, it makes him/her really think about what is truly important. Life has such meaning and purpose to me, and I embrace it each day.
I never thought it would happen. Never.
Last Monday, I received an e-mail from retired Kentucky State Trooper, Tony Young, who now works for the Federal Highway Administration in Kentucky. I had met him the previous Saturday (December 13) when I spoke at a MADD Kentucky event. My message at the MADD candlelight vigil was about Hope, and I thanked the Kentucky State Police for saving my life.
Tony approached me after the event and asked me who the trooper was that investigated the crash. I couldn't remember, though had the crash report at home. I e-mailed him the name, and he contacted the trooper, Wade Farley (now retired), to let him know that I had spoken about the crash and about what I am doing now. As Tony put in his message to me, "he (Wade) very much remembered your crash, and he didn't think you would make it. " Tony went on to say that Wade said it would be great to talk with me, so that's what we did.
I called Wade last Tuesday, and we talked for about an hour. It was great to talk with him and understand his observations from the crash. It's so amazing the level of crash detail that he remembered from 17 years ago! One of the things that he mentioned was that he didn't think I made it because the paramedics couldn't find a pulse on me and had to remove some of my fingernail polish to see if I was breathing - I was hard to get to since my body was under one of the dead girls in the back seat. This is consistent with what I say in my speeches, except I didn't know the paramedics couldn't find my pulse!
I am so glad Tony connected me with Wade, and I am thankful to talk with the trooper who investigated my crash.
I wish for everyone a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Until then,
Darcy