Bless those who pray!

Good Morning!

My sister-in-law is off the ventilator and out of ICU. But most importantly, she's glad to be alive! Thank each of you for your prayers!

It's amazing how our vision of ourselves can be so blurred. I always had the impression my parents saw me as the problem child, who wasn't all that smart. When I married Dave, he had one college degree, working on another, and I had my high school diploma.

When I quit my job as a receptionist, they hired two people to replace me and asked me to give them a month's notice when I resigned. Dave loving me was the first seed planted and leaving that job watered that seed, but it still hadn't grown beyond the surface.

My pregnancy with David was difficult and I had to spend most of my time in bed. Two good things came from that experience -- DAVID, and a much smaller Marsha...not many women can say they came out of pregnancy fifteen pounds smaller than before.

The next twelve years were consumed with David's health and my debilitating illness. They told me I would not die, but would live in pain the rest of my life. The goal was that one day I could function in my home. Much good came from these years, but that's a different story.

David was around twelve when his health improved and we thought my health was in remission. It was much later we realized I had been cured, but that, again, is another story.

So I was in my thirties, when a friend talked me into taking a college class. We took economics, simply because it fit in our schedule with work and family. On my first exam I made a B. I was THRILLED! Went straight to Dave and told him I'd made a B. He was busy, unimpressed and it broke my heart. Later, when I asked him why he wasn't proud of me, he replied, anyone who knew me would know I could make a B...why didn't I make a A?

Lesson (1) He knew the same Marsha my parents knew and I knew, but he saw a different person--apparently the one they hired two people to replace.

Many years of marriage, having a best friend with a wall full of degrees, and a boss who said she only hires the best people, leaving her free to do her job, has taught me I have strengths. I see myself as someone who's earned the respect of many people....since I work in academics, these people value me, not knowing if I have no degree or a dozen. They simply assume I have one to two.

Lesson (2) The wisdom gained from adversity, hard work, combined with inner strength equals confidence.

I recently read a book which said each person sees things from different angles. One person my believe reading that book may help them, another may think the book was written for financial gain, while another person may believe this book is nice and may help others, but not them. All three people are reading the same page, thinking different thoughts.

A friend of mine loves rainy days. She says it give her permission to do nothing without feeling guilty. I also have loved ones who hate rainy days...Same rain...different perspectives.

Lesson (3) Our opinion is just that...ours.

Linda has a nursing degree, and culinary degree, natural humor, and a loving heart. Yet, she sees herself as being without value. I see her as a gifted, loving human.

Lesson (4) I don't know...I prayed for a happy marriage and that one day I would feel loved. God answered those prayers beyond my wildest dreams. I am loved by many amazing people, and I smile just thinking Dave's name. I suppose lesson 4 has yet to be answered. Please help me and pray God will grant Linda peace and one day her blindness will disappear and she will see the wonderful person God created.

Love,
Marsha