What Was the Forbidden Fruit?

The sun shone brilliantly today against the azure, cloudless sky. It warmed my soul. It makes my heart glad and is music to my spirit.

    It is the first day in a long time that I have felt any real energy and motivation. What a challenge not to overdo it! I may have gone just a tad overboard but productivity has been a word commonly used to describe me in the past . . . always doing something; always creating something—until recently that is. I felt a welcome spark of the old me not the aging me.

     This morning I pondered the ‘forbidden fruit’ from the Genesis story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. I am not infrequently amazed at the bits of misinformation the world has accepted as gospel. Case in point—there is NO mention of an apple. Surprised? Many would be.

     All my life I have been told that Eve took the first bite of the apple leading Adam into temptation. There are a good many points of this story that we could debate but I will stick to the ‘fruit’ for this discussion.  As a result of this misinformation, we have what is commonly known as Adam’s apples.

     Now I am a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to apples. There are my favorites for different uses but for eating fresh I prefer a good Honeycrisp or a new variety I tried just this week called Kanzi. Yum! For me fruit is nature’s candy and I salivate at the mere thought of some delectable fruits.

    Anyway, I digress. It seems to me that the forbidden fruit had to be something that Eve found irresistible. As much as I like apples I can think of other fruits that I would be hard pressed to resist.

     Just imagine if you will that the forbidden fruit was perhaps a small, seedless, skinless watermelon . . . or a fresh pineapple with a scrumptious, tender outer covering . . . or a juicy, succulent plum or peach . . . or an enormous peeled grape. Or perhaps it was something exotic such as a star fruit or dragon fruit? Whatever it was it had to be a fruit that created a craving strong enough for her to succumb, despite Satan enticing her to eat it.

     As I pondered this, I also asked myself, “What is it that I desire enough to reject the gospel truths I know . . . or to be disobedient?”  My answer is nothing that I have been faced with for certain. It becomes more and more apparent day by day for me to recognize without hesitation that there is NOTHING this world has to offer that is worth relinquishing the blessings that come from living the gospel to my fullest capacity.

      While the sun warms our bones the Son warms my heart and soul. Seek those little rays of Sonshine in everything you do

The Healing Son . . .

    Some days the fiery darts of the Adversary come at us in all directions seemingly at once. This entire week that has been the case with me. Spinning my wheels, meetings, appointments and obligations coming out of nowhere constantly since early Monday morning.

     Who needs this anyway? It really doesn't matter if anyone needs it or not, those challenging times overcome us but do not despair. 

     For one thing, it helps me to appreciate the days, weeks and wishfully thinking months at a time when things remain calm and no one or no thing ruffles my feathers. Perhaps it felt worse because I was already overwhelmed with various circumstances. The Golden Years. Hah! The only ones who gets the gold are the doctors, hospitals and pharmacies it seems. 

    But alas. This too, shall pass. Like a kidney stone perhaps, but it will pass. And then it will be something else on this journey called mortality. Regardless of the challenges and interruptions to our days there are always, always, always blessings to be counted. Look for them and never allow the irritations of life to blind you to them. 

      Without gratitude and the humble realization that without God I am nothing, have nothing and am capable of nothing, less becomes more. Contentment is not elusive although a nice little nap seems like an unattainable goal at times.

      Let me be clear, I have many, many more blesses than adversities. We all do when we catch our breath and recognize them. It's good to be tired. It's good to be busy. It's good to have challenges and face problems head on. It is the Lord who helps and inspires us to seek solutions to all of the above.

      Today my daughter came to help me go through some things now that I am downsizing. She's the perfect organizer and clutter buster. One of things I went through after she left was a box of mementos. You know, the usual assortment of notes, cards, letters, a few old photos, etc. Near the bottom of the box was this small card. . .  

      I'm not certain that you can make it out but it is from my Mom. She passed away last July and I still reach for the phone to call her every day. I miss her more than I ever imagined I would. Allow me to decipher the first few lines . . .
    Monday,

   "Good morning Sun shine. You always bring the Sun out for me, even when it's a cloudy, dreary day."

     She penned a few more personal things on the back of the card . . . it touched my heart. It brought calm and peace to my ruffled soul after a harrowing week. When we think that we are failing and flailing, please remember that you have touched someone along the way. Though Mom is gone, her words on this particular day were precisely the balm I needed to calm the child and allow the storm to rage. Jesus did that for each of us. 

      The Son shines through the significant and insignificant irritations of life. He is truly the healing balm. I love these little Godwinks and tender mercies. They are always there but when we slow down and truly recognize them, it is more than a Little Ray of Sonshine. 

      

We had two beautiful sunny days this week; not consecutively mind you, but they were so very welcome. 

     

♪There Is Sonshine in My Soul Today ♫

     
     One of my favorite hymns is There Is Sunshine In My Soul Today. I loved it the first time I heard it. It was common for me to hum or sing it as I went about my routines. After my mother had advanced dementia/Alzheimer's I sang it to her on the phone one day.  She immediately began to tear up. It touched her heart to the quick. When she was composed, she said, "I want that sung at my funeral." 
     My reply was, "That's still a long way off but I will make a note of it."
     Though her mind was barely functioning, it melody and lyrics spoke to her. It brought peace to her soul and calm to her body. Though she lived over 600 miles from me, every phone call after that I sang it to her. If anyone else was near she would insist I sing it for them. My singing voice isn't near what it used to be, but I did my best to croak it out for her. . . because it calmed her and brought peace and joy to her being.
      Well, she did cross that thin veil from mortality to immortality last July. I was with her at the time and it was an exquisite experience. The nursing home employee who with the two of us touched my shoulder and said that was it was beautiful. Then she said, "You gave her permission to go."
       I spoke to her all that afternoon as if I were her mother rather than her daughter; because that is where she was in her mind. The only name she responded to was her childhood nickname--the one her parents and siblings used exclusively. In that respect, I suppose I did give her permission to join them. It was a moment I shall always cherish.
      Whenever I think of or hear that melody and words, I recall how much she loved it. It became our solitary signal to each other. Though the words are simple their meaning is profound. Often after genuinely challenging days or in those little God wink moments I think of it. In part this hymn is how I stumbled upon the name for this blog.  
      Below is the link for the audio of it because it is my desire that it may offer solace and serenity to anyone who listens to it. If you do take the time to do that, please comment your opinion at the bottom of this post and remember that the Sonshine is always there, even above the clouds. 
      
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA3C149M6Jc

The Son Brings Smiles through Dementia

     Today is Monday, February 5, 2002 and Obama is President of the United States.
This is what my husband of 55+ years is convinced of—today anyway.

     He is in great physical shape for a man of eighty years and is convinced there is no issue with his memory. His denial is a trigger for episodes of his deep seated anger issues.

     After long and hard contemplation, I opted to go ahead and share this because it is my world, my challenges and how I handle them. Perhaps it will encourage another who is in the same or a similar situation. 

     Every day, he asks countless times, “What did we get in the mail today?” Our poor little dog gets put out constantly as I hear him telling her she has “to go” because she hasn’t been out all day, even after giving her a treat for doing her business. Frequently requests come for “something to eat because I haven’t eaten all day” after two meals and a snack. The list is endless. The nightmare of dementia is real.

     Oh, how I miss my best friend, lover, companion and soul mate. Some days my patience wears thin and I reprimand myself though most of the time I calmly reply to his requests as if it was the first time I heard them. You see, I need a caregiver myself, but alas, it is impossible.

     There is joy and humor in this journey and I recall them as often as I can because some days I need a smile that I can hide my true concerns. One such incident is when I had an appointment with my cardiologist. He was typically still in bed at noon. This is the note I wrote out for him.

     He was bewildered. I asked, “Do you understand the message?”

     He replied, “No! Who the heck is the Love Doctor?”

     I laughed. He scowled. I calmly explained my abbreviation as I made a mental note to write everything out fully. I still smile every time it comes to mind. I believe the Son smiles through the clouds, even of dementia, too.

Opportunities to Serve from Our Prayers . . .

     Never have I made New Year’s Resolutions. First off it is silly to me to wait for the calendar to allow me to set goals. At Christmas each year, I write down something I will give to Jesus for His birthday. These are never tangible gifts but rather goals that will help me become more like Him. It’s an opportunity to finely hone characteristics of the Savior. But, for 2020 I’ve chosen to step up my prayer life. This is my gift to Him. I have become more focused on my prayers for others, rarely asking for anything myself despite needing physical healing as much as anyone on my list. Not only am I focused on my prayers but I am earnestly and sincerely seeking God’s will for me and others.

     In this quest to become closer to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ I have included prayers asking for opportunities to pray for others; beyond the arena of close family and friends and even beyond distant family and casual acquaintances. Yes, even those I’ve met through social media or folks I barely know.

     The Lord is answering my prayer in many ways. Friday morning I woke up with a certain young woman on my mind. She is faithful in her commitment to living the gospel and sets a good example yet she is “unequally yoked” to a wonderful man who has not committed himself to the Lord. My first thought was to ask her if he ever attended church with her. Almost before finishing that thought, I felt an overpowering urgency to pray for him. Having met him only once, I liked him immediately. He’s good to my Sweet Girl (who I am not related to).

      As I finished the prayer that morning, I committed to continue praying about this. It was only last night that I messaged her with my experience. Very touched;  she was sblown away in her own words. With every fiber of my being, I believe that as she and I pray together for him, and as she continues to serve as a wonderful, loving example to him, that our prayers will not only be heard but answered as well.

      This has been the case with me when my own husband finally embraced the gospel fully in 1982. For nineteen years I prayed and gently nudged and led him and God did the rest. The Son was shining on him and me and there is no doubt that the Son will shine on my sweet friend and her husband too.

The Son Shines through the Clouds

Raindrops fell as I awoke this morning. Thanking the Lord for another day, I began to ponder about all this rain again. It has rained 17 days out of the first 24 days of February. When the sun appears, even briefly, we are all excited.

Isn't this how our journey manifests itself? The sun representing the light of Christ is what we seek, yet we fail almost daily. It's one step forward and two steps back; or three.

The important thing is not that we succeed every day or that we are hopeless failures. The point is that if we continue to seek out the Light, we will gradually move forward from the darkness without allowing it to overcome us.

As we all know, the rain is necessary in so many ways. We cannot live without water (the Living Water is another topic that I hope to address later). We also cannot live without the sun (The Light of Christ).

Do not become discouraged when the clouds and rain thwart our spirit. The Son will shine again just as it always does. We just prefer it on this side of the clouds.