tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59930866430482496502024-02-07T20:39:42.541-08:00Homemade HarmonyWhatever happens in the world affects our lives at home. We have to be prepared to play the mediator for our children. Giving them the safe environment to flourish in and to make good sound judgments. This is a journal that touches on these issues that we encounter in life. Enjoy, respond and encourage if you want.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-15156226915784306932017-11-27T10:04:00.001-08:002017-11-27T10:04:09.508-08:00World of WantDon't you find it ironic that we celebrate Thanksgiving by appreciating all that we are Thankful for? Only to turn around the next few weeks trying to fulfill our hearts desires and wants with whatever Santa will bring us and everyone else. I am so guilty of living from a state of contentment to a state of restlessness time and time again. And I have no excuse cause I know that the Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not want. It is pretty much a commandment yet we do not treat it like one. We are taught not to lean on our own understanding, but on His because our thoughts and ways are not His. His thoughts and ways are higher. He has a better way for us to get from point A to point B. We just need to follow His roadmap. Take time to listen to what God has for you and I can guarantee that contentment will be your happy place. It is God's desire for us to never have to want. For He meets all our needs and wants. All we have to do is believe, ask and receive.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-42072955743176365692016-04-30T07:43:00.001-07:002016-04-30T08:30:37.768-07:00For Christians and Whoever wants to Know the Truth<div class="_2yud clearfix">
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<a class="_2yug" href="https://www.facebook.com/darladaltonrobbins" target="_blank">Darla Dalton Robbins</a><span class="_4_mg">·</span><a class="uiLinkSubtle" href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/darla-dalton-robbins/for-christians-and-whoever-wants-to-know-the-truth/10156890312910525">Saturday, April 30, 2016</a><span class="_5q4y"></span></div>
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Awhile back Pastor Craig preached a message about Christians holding other Christians accountable for what is in the Bible. Non Christians should not be held accountable for those same standards. As a Christian you choose to live according to the Word of God so what is written there means more to you than someone who hasn’t chosen to live that way. </div>
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I was raised in a family where most of my relatives and my friend’s dads were ministers, so the Bible has always been present in my life. I know we are taught not to judge, but to love and pray for those who do not choose to be Christians. And that is what I have done all of my life. I often have non-Christians challenge me on my beliefs and I only defend what the Bible says about what actions are called sins.</div>
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Let me be clear before anyone wants to cast stones. I do not claim to be a perfect Christian, one who never makes mistakes. I do sin, but I do know who my Savior is and I know that He forgives me of my sins, just as He does for anyone. </div>
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There have been times in my life when I am so close in my walk with the Lord. Then there have been other times that I feel there is some distance between us. I do know though that even when I walked away He was never very far behind me. He promised never to leave me, nor forsake me. Even in my darkest hours and loneliest times God was right there waiting for me to reach out to Him. </div>
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For the past few months, I have done pretty well considering that my mom just passed away in March. My father and sister just passing away a couple of years before and my mom ill since; there are a lot of things that have fallen into my lap to be responsible for. Well yesterday I had a very low day, like going thru a valley. Yet when I woke up this morning I felt inspired.</div>
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I woke up with a message on my heart. I believe that I have a battle cry God has placed on my heart to share with others. </div>
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Here is the lesson some may have heard before and some not. If a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used as a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to or be aware of threats that occur gradually. This is how satan works to destroy society and Christians. He slowly puts situations out there that might ruffle the feathers of some Christians about homosexuality and such. If Christians respond because it goes against our beliefs we are labeled as haters and persecuted for standing up for what we are taught from the Bible. </div>
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Daily, Christians are being put up to the test if they would take a bullet, metaphorically, for Christ or not and many are failing. He laid down His life for us, why don’t we love Him enough to do the same for Him? Not one person on this earth can offer us eternal life, only God. So I choose God over everyone else. </div>
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Mark 8:38
If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."</div>
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Take the wool off of your eyes and do not fall for the tricks of the devil. He is evil and sly. No we can not always change the world, but we can start with our corner of it. People say if we boycott places because they have done something to offend our beliefs it won’t make a difference. I say yes it does! Money speaks volumes to a business and if enough people stop spending their money at a business it will fail. Just standing up for what you believe speaks volumes and actions can speak louder than words. God knows our hearts and anything we do to show our love to God and defend His Word is what truly matters. </div>
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If I take a stranger into my home and he has lice I am going to help him get rid of that lice because I do not want to get lice. I can tell you that he doesn’t like to have lice either and he will be happy for me to help him get rid of it.</div>
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Same is the non-Christian that comes into the House of the Lord. They come in looking for relief from what is afflicting them. We as Christians are going to accept them and thru Christ help them get rid of their sin. </div>
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A lot of Churches nowadays take in the sinner, but are afraid of offending them so they let them keep their lice, so the lice spreads and infects the Church. This is wrong. </div>
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John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. </div>
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Do not fall victim to he that is of this world. </div>
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Matthew 13:15
For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. </div>
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This world was created by God and we were all put here with the intent to one day leave here and go be with Him in Heaven. First we have to want that. God gave us the choice to live according to the Word and choose Him and His Son to be our tour guide in this life here on earth. So when we choose to be a Christian we take on the commitment to have faith in the direction God leads us. Even if we stumble and get lost we need to take the initiative to get back on track with Him. He encourages us to help others find their way to Him so they also can be a part of His greater plan for their lives too. So we need to be praying for fellow Christians as they try to stay on track and for non-Christians to find their way to God. </div>
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We need to defend the Word of God. That comes first. Even if it offends someone. When you do not stand up for what you believe then no one knows what you believe. </div>
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I want the world to know that:</div>
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<b><span class="_5yi-">I believe that Christ is the Son of God. I believe in the Word of God. I will always choose God before Man. I believe that God created the world and He has prepared a place called Heaven for those that believe in Him and they will not perish, but will have eternal life!</span></b></div>
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Do not let the father of lies, satan keep you from the joy and peace that God can give you here on earth and in Heaven for eternity!</div>
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Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-22602925617956571732014-06-03T14:57:00.000-07:002014-06-03T14:57:28.139-07:00Reunite!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span data-dobid="hdw">re·u·nite</span></div>
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<span> to come together or cause to come together again after a period of separation or disunity.</span></div>
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<span>This will be our 5th year to come back and reunite on Van Buren to cruise VB a few times again. </span></div>
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<span>This also marks my 25th year of graduating from High School. I can't believe this group has already been around for 5 years. It just goes to prove time flies when you're having fun! If you are a newbie to my blog and want to know more about this group I am talking about you are welcome to check it out at </span></div>
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<span><a href="http://vanburencruisers.com/" target="_blank">vanburencruisers.com</a> </span></div>
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<span> I was telling a fellow earlier today about our event and how it showed the younger folk how we communicated back in the day before computers and cell phones. I said we had to actually put gas in our cars and go find our friends. They were usually out on VB on Friday and Saturday nights. He noted that gas prices nowadays probably make it too expensive for people to cruise like back then. I thought about it, but then replied I wasn't sure that gas was more than cell phone bills.hehe </span></div>
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<span>This year the car show will be closer to VB just because I like to mix it up a bit now and then. We will probably have it downtown again in the future. There was rumor or concern that the city wasn't going to let me have it downtown. Nope just thought we would try something different this year. It will be at the Central Christian Church behind McDonalds.. Catch me out at the cruise at Galaxy Mattress on VB & Owen K. Friday the 13th. You can register for the car show, buy a shirt, buy a ticket to win a gas card or just say Hi!</span></div>
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<span>I will see everyone on VB.</span></div>
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Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-43299778026650752092013-01-31T07:19:00.000-08:002013-01-31T07:19:17.035-08:00'Til Death Do Us Part<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Last month I found this book called "The Respect Dare" by Nina Roesner. I know that God is always throwing us bread crumbs to go in the right direction. This is one of those bread crumbs. I am learning so much. I am leading this in a Bible Study at my church to a group of ladies. I just had to share with you so maybe you could be inspired to learn about God's perfect plan for wedded bliss also.</span></h4>
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Modern society would not look highly on what God intended for His perfect plan for marriage, whether it was for the Church and Christ or husband and wife.</h4>
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Ephesians 5:22-33</h3>
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<span class="text Eph-5-22" id="en-NIV-29327"><sup class="versenum">22 </sup>Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.</span> <span class="text Eph-5-23" id="en-NIV-29328"><sup class="versenum">23 </sup>For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.</span> <span class="text Eph-5-24" id="en-NIV-29329"><sup class="versenum">24 </sup>Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.</span><br />
<span class="text Eph-5-25" id="en-NIV-29330"><sup class="versenum">25 </sup>Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her </span><br /> <span class="text Eph-5-26" id="en-NIV-29331"><sup class="versenum">26 </sup>to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,</span> <span class="text Eph-5-27" id="en-NIV-29332"><sup class="versenum">27 </sup>and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.</span> <span class="text Eph-5-28" id="en-NIV-29333"><sup class="versenum">28 </sup>In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.</span> <span class="text Eph-5-29" id="en-NIV-29334"><sup class="versenum">29 </sup>After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—</span> <span class="text Eph-5-30" id="en-NIV-29335"><sup class="versenum">30 </sup>for we are members of his body.</span> <span class="text Eph-5-31" id="en-NIV-29336"><sup class="versenum">31 </sup>“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”</span> <span class="text Eph-5-32" id="en-NIV-29337"><sup class="versenum">32 </sup>This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.</span> <span class="text Eph-5-33" id="en-NIV-29338"><sup class="versenum">33 </sup>However, each one of you also must <u><b>love</b><b> his wife</b></u> as he loves himself, and the wife must<b> <u>respect her husband.</u></b></span><br />
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<span class="text Eph-5-25" id="en-NIV-29330"> The definition of<b> respect</b> is </span><span class="ssens">to consider worthy of high regard<strong>; esteem. </strong>God does not give us the choice to only respect if our husbands deserve the respect. We are to respect him regardless. We should not be focused on how someone else behaves, but how we behave. Our actions will affect someone else and how they treat us. When we build our relationship with God, He fills in the void where we may have felt unloved or unappreciated. Put your focus on God and off of your husband and respecting your husband will be a lot easier. </span><br />
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<span class="ssens">Here are some wedding vows I found online.. </span><span class="ssens"> </span><br />
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I, _____, take you, ______, to be my wedded husband. With deepest joy
I come into my new life with you. As you have pledged to me your life
and love, so I too happily give you my life, and in confidence submit
myself to your headship as to the Lord. As is the church in her
relationship to Christ, so I will be to you. _____, I will live first
unto our God and then unto you, loving you, obeying you, caring for you
and ever seeking to please you. God has prepared me for you and so I
will ever strengthen, help, comfort, and encourage you. Therefore,
throughout life, no matter what may be ahead of us, I pledge to you my
life as an obedient and faithful wife.<br />
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Feminists would have a heyday with that. I can hear them now.."What do you mean <b>submit</b> or <b>obey</b>?" These are things that should naturally come to us as they would being a mother to our children. As Christians we are taught to serve one another. This shows that we care for each other and want the best for each other. If someone is sick we help take care of them. If someone is having a hard time we are there for them. So the one that we are the closest to, our spouse we should want to do the most for because we have chosen them to be our mate for life.<br />
My husband and I have had a rocky marriage. Partly because when we were married we were on the same page. We were both Christians and our values and beliefs were the same. Years into our marriage he lost his faith and since then there have been a lot of struggles. I know that if I did not have God in my life I would probably not stay in my marriage. I would be too weak to stay. Alan says hurtful things at times. I take them to heart and I get down on myself. I know that if he were serving the Lord, his heart would be different and he would treat me better. I am willing to overlook a lot because his relationship is between him and God and I know that one day he will find his faith in God once again. I have to believe that. That is what my prayer is and in God's time; He makes all things beautiful. (Ecc. 3:11) My focus on God and not on Alan also helps me treat Alan better. This helps with our relationship. If he says hurtful things, I am learning to not strike back and fuel the fire, but put it out. Applying this to our lives is really making a difference. God is so amazing!<br />
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I have left my husband a couple of times. I packed up our four children and moved to my hometown. Both times God restored me, made me stronger and put a stronger love and desire in my heart for Alan. When we took our vows 17 years ago we said "til death do us part". That is a vow not to be taken lightly. We must put forth the effort to make our marriages survive. There are a lot of obstacles in life. The devil likes to throw us a lot of curve balls. I didn't count on the one that I waited until I was 24 years old to marry and be all the things that I desired for my husband; to become someone different. I felt betrayed. I have told him this many times and it turns into a fight. I have since learned that only God can change him back and it is not my place to meddle. I must keep my vows to obey God and He commands that I respect my husband. So if I am holding up my end then I know that God will hold up His. I can only improve on who I am and how I treat others.<br />
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I encourage everyone to take the "Respect Dare". It is a lesson we can all learn from. The world only offers us deceit and confusion. As the song writer put it in eloquent verse "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." All good things are possible when we focus on His direction for our lives. Follow His breadcrumbs. His plan is solid proof. Not necessarily easy, but definitely worth it!! Joy comes in the morning! I wish happiness for us all and through God that is possible.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-72576724036655927892012-08-22T03:58:00.000-07:002012-08-22T04:22:20.808-07:00God Bless Her Little Heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What was supposed to be a just a routine well child check up turned into a wake up call. My 6 year old, Julia has been a very healthy child all of her 6 years of life and very active. She chooses to even eat healthy on her own.<br />
Our regular pediatrician was not available on this particular visit due to her own health issues. The substitute pediatrician was listening to Julia's heart and turned and looked at me and said she heard a click noise she thought and would be ordering a echo-cardiogram for Julia. I think time kind of stood still as I heard her say that. I was shocked. It definitely was not something I was expecting to hear about this perfectly healthy child. <br />
Well I reasoned with it of course and decided well this was a newer doctor and she was just extra curious, so we would go along with it, but I was sure everything was fine. We went to have the test run and no alarms sounded from the staff, so we left and I even forgot about waiting for the call for the results, so once again I was shocked when they called me with the results the following Friday. They told me that Julia had atrial septic defect, which is a hole in the heart that had not closed on its own, so since it was rather large we would need to have it repaired. Otherwise Julia would be at risk later in life for heart complications, that could be fatal. I was definitely more concerned now. We met with the cardiologist and was given a choice to have it repaired non-invasive up through an artery in the leg or by open heart surgery. My husband and I kind of smirked well of course we would choose the less major way to go, that was a no brainer. <br />
We scheduled the surgery, got Julia all ready to go to have the procedure done and she is actually kind of excited about the experience. We were on track to be ready to go back to school after her short recovery time. We had explained to her after this minor procedure things would be good and back to normal for her. Then only a short time after they took her back to surgery, the surgeon comes out and tells us that he is unable to repair the hole this way that we will need to schedule to have open heart surgery to patch the hole. The size of the hole was much larger, more like the wall dividing the the two upper chambers wasn't there. Needless to say I was heart broken. I did not want my baby girl who had been so healthy to have to have this major heart surgery. I knew she had to, but I didn't understand why God had not let us take the easier path. <br />
The big surgery day has come and gone and Julia is recovering wonderfully. The surgeons and the nurses told us how amazed they are at how well the surgery and her recovery is going. I know that most of the universe was calling out to God, my Father to have mercy on my child and let her have a successful surgery and recovery. That is what I know I can trust. We do not always know the way that God will answer our prayers, but we can have the faith that He is always in the process of answering them the way that He knows is the best. I am so blessed and grateful that I have a praise story to share. Even through the sorrow I went through, it has made my joy that much more wonderful. Through Julia's experience all of the hundreds or more that had passed my burden on about her on their prayer chains and social outreaches so many got to see how through their prayers God worked amazing results. <br />
A nurse had told me after the surgery that she was amazed how Julia had not had any symptoms because the hole was so large. I know that my Heavenly Father was keeping a hand on my baby girl and that He will continue to be there for her and me and the rest of our family. <br />
You definitely can not take one day for granted. We are not all given those second chances, one more tries or one more days, to have with our loved ones. I thank God, that He allowed the right Dr. to hear the murmur that found the hole and blessed us with great surgeons to give Julia a second lease on life. May God bless each and everyone of you with as much joy that I have. I can say that I am amazed too by God's amazing grace, but I am not surprised, because I know that my God is an Awesome God and He will never fail me.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-56364526979253164582012-06-04T07:56:00.000-07:002012-06-04T07:56:02.933-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Mother of The Year 2034</b></div>
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This year I was a snoopy mom. I read my daughter's text messages.
When I find her old notebooks, I read poems she has written in them. Why
do I do this? Because my daughter does not open up to me about how she
feels unless she is angry about something and then she automatically
accuses me of not caring about her. I will not be voted "Mother of the
Year" this year. I don't care if she gets mad at me for being
snoopy. See she has had a friend take his life and another friend try to
take hers. At 13 you are sensitive to everything 10 times more than
when you are 28. I worry about things like suicide becoming a trend. I
will do whatever I can to help her through her teen years, especially
these tender ones.<br />
We don't always agree on clothes or music,
but we often find common ground on movies and tv shows. She seems to
get upset if I like the music she likes. I think she is happier when she
finds the kind that annoys me. We both need help through these teen
years.<br />
Sometimes she wants to be treated older and other times
she resents when you act like she is older. Knowing when to treat her
the age she wants when she wants is the puzzle. Maybe if I had more
time to devote to her. A lot of the time she is okay with being a sister
to three others, but then there are times she doesn't like that
either. I pray that God will instill in her the confidence and
motivation she needs to find happiness.<br />
When she is the mother
of a teenager someday, then she will be able to look back and
understand what I went through. I hope then she can appreciate how much I
loved her and wanted to protect her at whatever the cost. She will see
for most of the time that she thought that I was unfair and didn't care
was when I cared the most. She will see when I said no and she resented
me for it, that her safety meant more than her happiness at the time.
The sacrifices made to help guide her right, while risking our
relationship. They were all made so she will live to have the
opportunity to be a mom someday down the road to her own teenager.<br />
She will then understand the value of a loving parent and will say my
mother is the "Mother of the Year"! It might take to the year 2034, but
it will be worth the wait if my parenting pays off.<br />
Good luck to
all the mothers of the world especially through times of crisis you go
through with your children. I pray God gives you and me strength and
wisdom to carry us through them.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-6209280997537915052012-06-04T07:53:00.000-07:002012-06-04T07:53:39.091-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>United We Stand!! Divided We Fall!!</b></div>
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What a loaded statement. What do you think it means? You would think
it would be obvious that it means if we all get along everything will
work out. We are taught daily against this theory. We are taught to
look out for number one. Be all that you can be. Be accepting. And then
the popular word "diversity". That term means a condition of being
composed of differing elements..opinions. I can see how "division" could
be a factor here. How can a nation stand together if it is so
diversified with different opinions, beliefs, etc.?<br />
We are
supposedly in charge of putting people in charge to run our country. A
president, congressman, leaders. This should be sacrificing roles for
these individuals. I have no quarrel with paying them a salary for their
work, but I do not believe that they should be paid above the salary of
a military person who puts forth more sacrifice than them to protect
and serve our country. We do not have much to choose from in this up
and coming election because who would want to lead a country that does
not stand together? Scary how the Bible starts playing out in my mind
here. It speaks of dark times when people feel there is not one to turn
to and then all of a sudden a leader comes forth and people are fooled
by him to lead them. We all want a hero to come in and save the day, but
I definitely do not want the Antichrist to be that hero.<br />
I am
begging and pleading all of America to not be blind and vote Obama back
in office. Do I really need to remind you of his selfish acts. He put
our country in 10 times more debt than we have ever been in. He and his
wife take off on elaborate vacations at our country's expense. They
should be ashamed of their actions and any one who sees how bad they
have behaved with their responsibilities and votes for him again should
be ashamed to call themselves Americans.<br />
There needs to be a
casting out of demons in the White House of all the obvious bad seeds
there are and the puppet masters that hide in the shadows, they are
like a stronghold on our government. We don't need crooked people in
those seats that are getting paid off for their vote. We need people
with strong moral fiber that actually have a backbone and truly have our
best interests in mind. Pray fervently for our nation that we can find
those leaders and put them in charge of our nation. Too many different
opinions, etc is going to be the ruin of our nation. We need to all
stand up and support whoever is really standing up for our conservative
heritage, the one that is for the people.<br />
If you got through our
borders to be an American than you better act like one pledge our flag,
speak our language and pay taxes like the rest of us, otherwise I
suggest you get out and stop muddying the waters. America it is time to
take back what is ours and stop giving it away!!! UNITED WE STAND,
DIVIDED WE FALL!!!<br />
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<br /></div>Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-64563917664804037772012-06-04T07:48:00.000-07:002012-06-04T07:48:36.178-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>No Happily Ever After</b></div>
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<b> </b></div>
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Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, a group of people made a
nation; one nation under God. They based their laws on principals and
standards set forth from the Bible. And for several decades this nation
prospered and illuminated success because of it's strong moral high
ground. As time went on the people of this nation that claimed to be
Christians became complacent in their beliefs and somewhat lazy. Their
need to fight for what they believed in didn't seem right to them. They
didn't want to hurt any one's feelings or offend anyone. So all that once
was good and right slowly became a gray area, to where it was hard to
tell what was right or wrong. That light for Christ that once shown so
brightly became very dim across our nation. And the few that still
believed and wanted to save what had been lost were now being threatened
and persecuted for standing up for what had made the nation so great at
one time. Now this nation lies in corruption with not much moral fiber
left to stand on. So not all fairy tales have happy endings. And it
is even worse to be living in reality and watch the down fall of one
nation that once stood so great, crumbling all around you. From the
corrupt politicians to the money hungry fast food giants. The only
redeeming grace to this story is for each one of us to search our hearts
and be able to say I didn't go down without a fight! To God be the
Glory!!Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-6925086236930711232011-04-12T23:59:00.000-07:002011-04-13T00:14:38.324-07:00Friendships.... Are the Best MedicineDid you know that by having lots of friends and interacting with them can be good for your health? It may even lengthen your lifespan <a href="http://longevity.about.com/od/liveto100/ss/life-expectancy_2.htm">http://longevity.about.com/od/liveto100/ss/life-expectancy_2.htm</a><br />
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I know that by creating a group that engages people to get together and communicate has first of all kept me very busy, but also given me more purpose. I think we all long to fit in somewhere. We experienced that when we were surrounded by a group of friends back in school. As we grow older we part our ways and unite with our own families. Our lives keep us busy keeping up with this sport and that school function and so forth and so forth. Although we want all of these things for our children we seem to lose focus of our own individual needs. Allowing ourselves the luxury of catching up with old friends and meeting new ones puts a whole new perspective on our lives. It helps energize us to come back to our daily ritualistic lives with more of a spring in our step.<br />
I remember when I attended youth camp when I was younger. It seemed like for a whole week, time seemed to stand still. And when I would go home I was ready to change the world. The social events we have tied to VanBuren Cruisers only lasts for two days, but it stays with me all year. The friendships I have developed from the group have enriched my life. I interact with a lot of members from VB Cruisers on Facebook that I have never met face to face on almost a daily basis. We encourage, listen, laugh and even pray for each other.<br />
My degree is in Communications, which is marketing. I have never sought out a career in this field, but I think the job has found me. I enjoy all the aspects of finding ways to promote and bring awareness to things. Whether it be my social activities centered around this social group, me selling Avon, making people aware of a somewhat rare heart disorder I have or just expressing my views by blogging. I try to help others market whatever event, book or product they have going too. I hope I don't come across to others as a nag. I just think it is important to help others to pursue their goals so I will be the first to try to give a hand up if I can.<br />
Setting goals has become one of my constants. Getting organized falls in there somewhere, but I haven't quite got there yet. Like writing this blog was supposed to be done before 1am, but this is the time slot I had available. <br />
So back on track here, my best advice is to develop relationships whether it be via Facebook or Face to Face. Being sociable allows you to express yourself and drives you to have purpose. So now you have a reason for living longer. Case closed...hehe See you at the next cruise night June 18, 2011. <a href="http://www.vanburencruisers.com/">www.vanburencruisers.com</a>Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-72208961744685936792011-02-22T06:27:00.000-08:002011-02-22T06:27:16.151-08:00Are You Proud To Be An American?God Bless the U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood <br />
<br />
If tomorrow all the things were gone<br />
I'd worked for all my life,<br />
And I had to start again<br />
with just my children and my wife,<br />
I'd thank my lucky stars<br />
to be living here today,<br />
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom<br />
and they can't take that away. <br />
<br />
<br />
And I'm proud to be an American<br />
where at least I know I'm free,<br />
And I won't forget the men who died<br />
who gave that right to me,<br />
And I gladly stand up next to you<br />
and defend her still today,<br />
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land<br />
God Bless the U.S.A.<br />
From the lakes of Minnesota<br />
to the hills of Tennessee,<br />
Across the plains of Texas<br />
from sea to shining sea.<br />
From Detroit down to Houston<br />
and New York to L.A.,<br />
well There's pride in every American heart<br />
and it's time we stand and say:<br />
<br />
that I'm proud to be an American<br />
where at least I know I'm free,<br />
And I won't forget the men who died<br />
who gave that right to me,<br />
And I gladly stand up next to you<br />
and defend her still today,<br />
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land<br />
God Bless the U.S.A.<br />
<br />
And I'm proud to be an American<br />
where at least I know I'm free,<br />
And I won't forget the men who died<br />
who gave that right to me,<br />
And I gladly stand up next to you<br />
and defend her still today,<br />
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land<br />
God Bless the U.S.A<br />
<br />
I cannot listen to this song or read these lyrics without tears streaming down my cheeks. Who could? This song was not given to this person by chance. It is tangled up with emotions. PRIDE is when one feels the value in something and treasures it! Our country was founded and established by others blood and tears. It was a gift given to us by the hard work of others before us. We as a nation are going to have to stand up and show the pride we have for her. If the government in place is failing us then we need to take back the reigns and put the right leader in charge. Step out of our comfort zone cause otherwise there will not be one left to stand in. How can God bless our country if we are always shutting Him out? He has been kicked out our schools where we send our children. How stupid is that? We should want Him there more than anywhere. We want our children safe. Don't we?<br />
Sometimes the people that immigrate to our country see the value of our freedom more than we do, just because where they came from didn't have it. But then there are those that come to our country and and they want to bring their baggage. They only bring harm to our country. Instilling pride in our youth is a harder task today than it was a century ago. We look at our electronic advancement and say "Wow, look at our accomplishment", but in a lot of ways we take that and abuse it. Our freedoms should have value to us. We should respect them. Our freedom of speech should be used to express positive ways to improve on our lives. We should use our freedom of religion to allow God in all areas of our lives. People in today's society waste America's time fighting for things that are corrupt and unjust. They do not serve the people better as a sound and moral society. We should not go backwards and strive to act uncivilized.<br />
Some people might read this blog and say I am talking harsh and what right do I have to slam others? I only speak truth and sometimes the truth hurts. Sticks and stones do break bones and yes words can hurt you. We need to use that freedom of speech to help protect our freedoms. So stand up today and be proud to be an American and do what it takes to secure the value there is in being an American!! God bless you and the USA!!Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-13337140172092923702011-01-01T17:13:00.000-08:002011-01-01T17:13:58.670-08:00Homemade Harmony: Change Is Good<a href="http://homemadeharmony.blogspot.com/2010/12/change-is-good.html#links">Homemade Harmony: Change Is Good</a>Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-89031295262383093082010-12-19T08:24:00.000-08:002010-12-19T08:24:22.233-08:00Change Is GoodPeople usually freak out over change. We get into a routine and are comfortable. Changing things takes work and who wants to be bothered with that? Well "change" is exactly what I need to do. I have set idle for way too long and let things get out of control in my life. Life just doesn't improve on its own, you have to get out and make it better. Life really is a challenge and if it gets too easy that is actually where we find ourselves headed for disaster. Some people might disagree with that statement. But I really believe if we are not challenging ourselves all the time we tend to become content with just whatever foxhole we have landed in.<br />
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This month I have been pondering on the year ahead and what changes I need to make. I believe once you recognize your weaknesses you can work on making them your strengths. I must note that I am a reader and I strongly believe we can learn from others. Take from their experiences through their failures and successes and have them help you in your own life. I recently read the book "Eat, Pray, Love". I am not going to run off and leave my husband and family to find me, but I am willing to put more focus on these areas that will affect how we live and communicate as a family and in society. I am going to be working on three main areas in my life this next year. Mind, body and Spirit is my focus. Once I get these areas in check I believe my universe all around me will begin to make more sense.<br />
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The first change is focusing on consumption of food. One bad habit has been connecting food with entertainment. That can have negative results. My mind thinks to be entertained or have fun that I need to go eat. If I get depressed or upset I need to eat. Junk food is more affordable. That is another myth I have taught myself. It really isn't a myth, but I just need to learn how to buy healthier foods on a budget. Garbage in garbage out. Feeding me and my family this junk results in bad health, no energy and low self esteem. I am responsible, not only for my well being, but the well being of five other individuals. It is about time I took responsibility for us. My goal is to get out of this terrible habit and find a new menu and redefine the way I spend money on food. Less going out to McDonalds and Taco Bell and more staying at home with nutritious and interesting meals. I have to make the right choices now, so my children will have a healthier approach in their eating habits and what they teach their children. My first weakness is bad eating habits. Making the change here will help my appearance, health and the way I feel about myself. Next year I will be writing about a new me. I am already getting excited!<br />
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My next focus is on my mind. I mentioned earlier about being an avid reader. Knowledge is very beneficial on our journey through life. We can learn a lot by studying what others have done. Their steps may become ours and it helps to have some foreknowledge along the way. Encouragement or rather instructions in life sure come in handy. There is confidence gained by learning what others have overcome and accomplished. It helps us to raise our goals and standards to a higher level. Challenge yourself to always want to know more and have a greater understanding of life. It is really sad that we can't all have the maturity and education offered at the same time. Imagine how much greater our world would be if this were the case. When teens are going to college to get the education to get them that wonderful career, their minds are more interested in what party is going on that weekend or what they will be doing over break. If we could all just make it to 40, make our mistakes and leap back 20 years and do it again with the maturity we have gained and know what to do with that education, to value it more, what a difference we could make. Since I can't do that I need to focus on what I can do from this day forward to make a difference for my children's future. Encourage and reinforce being the key elements here. Everyone does better when they are encouraged. I need to acknowledge their strengths and help them with weaknesses. Discipline and consistency go hand in hand. I need to reinforce what I set out to do by being steadfast. I don't need to make promises I can't keep. There is a lot of learning and teaching ahead of me this next year. I am going to have to become more patient and adhere to perseverance. My other weakness is finances. I am not good at managing money. A lot of waste on food and unnecessary items. I need to not be a glutton of food or useless items. Make the change (money) make a change (difference) in my life. <br />
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In some respects I would think the biggest challenge for me would be the food and spiritual would be easy. At this time of my life though, my spirit is crushed a lot. I do not run so much to God for everything as I did as a child. I find myself doubting and confused and feeling unworthy. I am responsible for my own relationship with God, but I tend to lay blame at others a lot when I lack in my commitment to Him. I am going to have to become a stronger individual to blaze ahead through the turmoil I have in my life. When I got married, my husband and I were on common ground. We were equally yoked and both believed the same religious beliefs. We wanted to share these same beliefs with a family that we would have some day. Further down the road, my husband changed the way he believed and it has made for a rocky road to travel on. He has disregarded his belief in God and doesn't attend church. I, myself have become lazy and fallen into the bad habit of not attending church. I know this is wrong and I am doing a disservice to my children. I have to change this behavior. I am writing this publicly for accountability and prayer request, not to be judged. I know that God has a plan for my life and He always has. He knows the plans He has for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future. I know that I have gotten sidetracked and lost my way at times, but because He loves me He always gets my attention and reigns me in. One day at a time. <br />
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The changes I want to make in my life for this next year, I hope will become my way of life from here on out. I am looking and longing for positive results. I am going to make it a point to journal this journey in my blog. If anyone else can learn through my experience all the better. I hope others can make their own changes to live and have a more productive life. I welcome all prayers and encouragement.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-51260698559423195212010-10-20T16:50:00.000-07:002010-10-20T16:50:53.769-07:00Looking For JonesI recently read a book titled "The Noticer" by Andy Andrews. One might say I was drawn to the book. I was looking for a good find at the book store and this one caught my attention. And after reading it I now understand how significant that experience was. It was more like the book chose me.<br />
The lead character in the story is named "Jones" not Mr. Jones, just "Jones". I believe that he made that clear to people to not be given great recognition for all the great things that he accomplished. He was not looking for fame or attention. He just had a great wealth of knowledge to share and he gave it freely. The author of the book is one of the many that Jones helped find their way in life. All the way from homeless to being very successful. We all have it in us to find success,whatever that success may be. It could be as high end as a great professional to being just a volunteer at a soup kitchen. Whatever we do with the life we are given we should charge forward with valour and gratefulness. When others see that in our approach it is contagious and makes for a very positive and fruitful society. Who said we had to live in a time of tribulation. Just as one says age is a state of mind, so the world in which we live can be as great as we personally make it for ourselves and those around us. Wouldn't it be great if this message of renewed positive living were to be contagious and everyone caught it. Wow, what a wonderful world we would live in. It is not about how much you have or even have to offer. It is in what you do with what you have and are willing to offer.<br />
When we speak of the good old days, what made them good? Was it that people were different, behaved different in the past therefore the ways of society were different? We as a nation should not be so willing to accept corruption. We should not just frown on it and sit back and sulk. We need to change it. Put a different perspective on the negative. Give it a positive turn.<br />
Many have looked for ways to speak out against the way our country is being governed. They have started what they call "Tea Party" rallies. I am for what they speak about. Looking at the way the media portrays them in a negative light would make me angry. It made me think about why they are calling themselves the "Tea Party". Tea party was a rebellious act against the government, saying that we didn't want to be taxed for the tea. So it is the rebellious approach that the media is able to capitalize on and discredit the group and what it stands for. So to put a positive approach on the situation maybe the party should be called "Revitalization" or "Renaissance". Each implying new birth or restoration. Our country once was held in the opinion of others as a great nation. Now it is showing ware because of corruption. What can we do as individuals to make a difference? I know this sounds like a political speech, but it really is a cry for mankind as a whole to wake up and be a productive part of society again.<br />
I do not have a paying job. I am a mother of four and I appreciate that role. I have tried working outside of the home, but it is not where I feel most productive. I want to be available for my family as needed. After reading this book I am challenged to go and find other ways that I might benefit society. I am going to keep my mind, eyes and ears open to the opportunities that come my way. I challenge all of us to find a way to spread more cheer and kindness on our paths. Let the day lead us to brighter tomorrows. It speaks in the book not to let the past keep us from enjoying our present. We need to focus not on negative things, but on the positive things in life. The things that may appear as a negative, we need to learn how to put a positive outcome on them. May we all feel a fire under us to get out and make a difference. Even before I could complete writing this blog to post, I was approached with a situation in which I could be of service to a community in saving an older building that holds a great deal of memories and stories for my hometown. I hope that those that will read my blog will follow what I do and be inspired to help with my passions as well as their own. <br />
Looking for Jones, is the title of this blog. It is what most of the people in the book aspired to do that had had the great pleasure of taking his advice. I am looking, not necessarily for Jones, but what he represents, the opportunity; the best that life can offer one when they give the best they have to give. The best is yet to come...read the book. I am starting the rest of this author's series next week. So you haven't heard the last from me...Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-24672326033754038062010-07-31T07:28:00.000-07:002010-07-31T07:28:20.283-07:00Midlife Crisis or Just a Reboot on Life? Some say when you do something out of the ordinary when you reach a certain age, that there is something wrong with you. Maybe when that something is rather extreme, it might be seem like a crisis. I know that as we get older we tend to look back more than forward in our lives. We want to cherish and hold onto what we left behind. There is a lot to be said that a lot of things are wasted on the youth. You don't realize the value of time and energy when you are young...you just enjoy it. Maybe that is what makes it such a carefree experience. If we focused on losing that as a youth we made not enjoy it as much at the time. Now I am just rambling..sorry.<br />
Since all of my kids are going to be in school all day this year; for the first time in 12 years I will have some time to myself <b>five</b> days of the week. With this new found freedom I saw that I was able to have a vehicle that was not so mommy-fied, but somewhat carefree.<br />
I have always loved convertibles and had one up until I was pregant with my second child. There is something about driving without a top on the car with all of nature open to your viewing. The beautiful blue skies and puffy white clouds in the day. And the open dark skies starfilled at night. The car I got is a black Mustang convertible. <br />
My husband commented to me that guys usually go for the black motorcycles to rebel and he guess womens version of that is a black sporty convertible. I am seriously going to get a nameplate that reads Rebel on the front. I turn 40 this year and I started coloring my hair blond as a way to rebel against old age and this is just another way to rebel..lol <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzd107NogB2tFRZdAfQJJ3aZq4G5w6c9uyhMLQciGS-7Bn_TWvZX52jc2bqT5gZGaqBstQR5rGsAgF4tn7s0ZgV9hdRj0MpJoaV4vV5hl7L0B4GDC-hUJMmZN9GFQLA4aH08B8aoNEA0/s1600/myconvertible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzd107NogB2tFRZdAfQJJ3aZq4G5w6c9uyhMLQciGS-7Bn_TWvZX52jc2bqT5gZGaqBstQR5rGsAgF4tn7s0ZgV9hdRj0MpJoaV4vV5hl7L0B4GDC-hUJMmZN9GFQLA4aH08B8aoNEA0/s320/myconvertible.jpg" /></a></div>The car group I started back in my hometown had great success because there are a lot of us out there that wanted to go back and live it up a little more. We didn't want to just roll over and die or say well that's that. We actually feel younger when given the opportunity to act it. No crime in that. Hanging out with friends and sporting a cool car gives you a boost in life. So my thoughts here are plain and simple ...don't give up living until you absolutely have to.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-14481422819441466662010-07-18T09:25:00.000-07:002010-07-18T15:07:25.811-07:00VanBuren Cruisers of Enid<div style="text-align: justify;">I started out to find "harmony at home" and I have actually been led to bringing<br />
"harmony" to a community. One definition I found for "harmony" is this...</div><pre><span class="hyper"> Concord or agreement in facts, opinions, manners,
<b>interests</b>, etc.; good correspondence; peace and
friendship; as, <b>good citizens live in harmony</b>.</span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">This group I started in January on Facebook called </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">"VanBuren Cruisers of Enid" has grown to nearly 2000</span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">members. We had a reunion in June over Father's Day </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">weekend. There were so many classic vehicles and not </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">so classic vehicles come to the event. It was most </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">impressive. People parked in the businesses up and</span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">down Van Buren. Some folks even set out in their yards</span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">just watching and cheering at others as they cruised by. </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">There were maybe a thousand or so cruisers over the </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">weekend.</span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"> It was a bonding time with friends of the past that</span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">reunited as well as the youth that participated with </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">their parents and grandparents. I would even venture </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">to say that there were great grandparents there too. </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">This is what we did when I was growing up in Enid. </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">Every weekend we would head out to Van Buren to go </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">cruising. </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">It was where you found your friends hanging out. There</span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">were kids from surrounding towns that would drive in to</span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">Enid to hang out too. By creating this group page I have </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">been able to find a lot of those friends from this link </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">that I had lost contact with. In doing so others have </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">found theirs too.</span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"> I think we get so busy in life moving forward that we </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">forget about the steps or paths we took to get there. </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">It is sometimes beneficial to retrace those tracks and</span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">find the value in them. Some of our traditions or ways </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">of life,the more "simpler" ways you might call them. </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">Before we had access to the internet or cell phones. We </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">had to actually go out of our homes to meet people face </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">to face. We had a lot of fun times hanging out and </span></pre><pre><span class="hyper">goofing off. </span></pre><pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">People that attended have posted nearly 300 pictures on </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">the group page of the cars there. They posted their fun </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">experiences and how we needed to do it again. And because </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">a lot of people didn't want to wait another year for a </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">chance to get together and cruise again, I set another </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">date in August.</span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">And cruising is just one aspect of this social </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">gathering. I sparked an interest in all the car </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">enthusiasts in the community. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">There were so many there that love car events. So I </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">scheduled a car show. Then I got a lot of emails and </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">people confronting me to have a drag race. I had one </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">person that came forward and said he would even put </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">together the drag race. </span></span><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">I have been given a crash course </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">on drag racing.</span></span><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper"> The drag race is still under review until </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">we can get approval from the City to have it. Apparently </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">if it is approved people from several towns are </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">interested in coming to participate in it.</span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">I have been approached by radio station owners to help </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">with my events, people suggesting bands for concerts. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">Members of car clubs and motorcycles clubs have wanted </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">to help me plan events. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">In some aspects I can imagine how people who won the </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">lottery feel. Except I don't have money to give </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">just opportunities. That must be it. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">Everyone sees what you are a part of and wants to </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">join in. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">That is what always made cruising so much fun, </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">was all the people, "the more the merrier" holds</span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">a lot of truth to it.</span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">The event was covered by the local paper on several </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">occasions. The local magazine did a story on it. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">I had several come forward willing to help with </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">any future events. A friend of mine from high </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">school, now lives in New York and happens to </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">work for a web design company. He made our group </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">a web page and they are even hosting it for me. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">How awesome is that? </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper"><a href="http://vanburencruisers.com/">vanburencruisers.com</a> </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">I have just been overwhelmed by the reaction </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">this event or group I created, has had on people. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">Wow is my response! What a thrill and honor to </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">have been responsible for something that sparked </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">or rekindled, should I say, the interest in a </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">community bonding from a favorite pastime.</span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">I am just amazed at how just a cruise down </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">memory lane has turned into almost a full time </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">job for me. I am now in the process of setting </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">up a non-profit organization for the group so we </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">can contribute funds raised back to the schools </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">in the community.</span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">This past year was my 20 year high school reunion. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">I was unable to attend it. I will turn 40 this year. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">Maybe this was just my way of stepping back in time. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">The tradition we had of cruising had lost its appeal </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">to the youth of today. The cops haven't been as </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">trusting. I hope that through our cruise nights </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">we are able to pass on and renew a treasured time </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">to our children and their children. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">So maybe they will get to enjoy it like we did. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper"> </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">Did I mention that when I am not organizing cruise </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">nights, car shows, concerts and drag races that I </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">am also a mother of four, ages 4,7, 10 and 12. I </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">stay home with them. I have a degree in Communications. </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">I love marketing. This job feels more like a hobby </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">so no complaints from me. Thanks Enid!! What a </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">homecoming!! </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">I'll see you out on the drag..probably in a </span></span></pre><pre><span class="hyper"><span class="hyper">minivan..lol!!</span></span></pre></pre>Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-91647639197413286432010-07-18T04:46:00.000-07:002010-07-18T04:57:08.792-07:00Distracted Let me start this by saying how I have to kind of laugh at myself when I went back and read my first post. I spoke about getting organized and cleaning and a healthier diet and so forth were my goals. Those are still my goals. I strive to meet those on a daily basis. There just always seems to be more to add to the agenda daily too.<br />
I started this blog at the first of the year. It was my mission then to accomplish something that I did on a regular basis. From one of my blogs I came up with an idea to start a group page on facebook and I mentioned that in one of my earlier blogs. I talked about the success in the numbers that had signed up in a short time to share in their memories of cruising.<br />
From that came the most incredible opportunity that has tied up a lot of my time and kept me from blogging on a regular basis, as well as my other organizational goals..lol. I guess you can say that I have been <b>distracted</b>. In this next post I will share with you the incredible journey I have been on since I created that group page.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-66415715201557715832010-06-07T14:31:00.000-07:002010-06-07T14:34:42.110-07:00Former EHS students invited to relive old days of cruising Van Buren Here is a link to the article in the paper about a reunion that was inspired by me blogging. It is amazing how many people love to go back and recapture their youth. <br />
<a href="http://enidnews.com/archive/x1910028680/Former-EHS-students-invited-to-relive-old-days-of-cruising-Van-Buren">Former EHS students invited to relive old days of cruising Van Buren</a>Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-21957896594992247712010-02-23T07:23:00.000-08:002010-02-23T07:26:31.267-08:00It's That Simple... "Love must be <b>SINCERE,</b><br />
<b> HATE </b>what is <b>EVIL,</b><br />
<b> CLING </b>to what is <b>GOOD</b>"<br />
Rom. 12:9<br />
<br />
That is what the minister preached about this past Sunday. While I was growing up that was just a given to me. I would often wander why we were even taught such things cause I just believed that is the way you are supposed to live. I thought everybody knew that. Of course, I was raised in a Christian home with a father that is a pentecostal minister. I have since learned the older you become the harder it is to live by that verse. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss..and what you don't know can't hurt you.<br />
I also didn't understand how we would ever feel persecuted as a Christian. After all we do live in a free country. Right? It isn't like this is China or a communist society. We have freedom of religion. That is written in our Constitution. Slowly, but surely though we are living in an age where children are being expelled from school for expressing their religious beliefs. And because that freedom applies to all religions sometimes our children are taught of other beliefs we don't necessarily agree with. It is harder to give your own religion validity when every other religion believes they are the right one. How confusing for a child.<br />
Consistency is the key to most of our achievements. It's definitely what you need for discipline and creating order. I made the mistake of putting a gap in the time I took my children to church and now I am paying the price for it. We as humans are creatures of habit. Unfortunately I made Sunday another Saturday for my kids. Now I have to change that bad habit. I want my children to have the sense of peace that I had growing up, knowing there is a loving God that takes our hand and guides us through life. We live in such an unstable time we need that reassurance that a higher power can help us make it through.<br />
My <u>love</u> for them should be so <u>sincere</u> that I want to teach them to <u>hate</u> what is <u>evil</u> and help them to <u>cling</u> to what is <u>good</u>. By the renewing of my mind and actions I can get us back on the right track again. Then life will seem more simple in such a complicated world.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-37860337881160306162010-02-09T06:01:00.000-08:002010-02-09T06:01:00.871-08:00Heart Impressions by Darla: What Is True Love?<a href="http://heartimpressionsbydarla.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-is-true-love.html#links">Heart Impressions by Darla: What Is True Love?</a>Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-61965541536531960042010-02-08T21:03:00.000-08:002010-02-08T21:03:48.459-08:00What is true love?<span style="color: #990000;"> I believe we all have our own version or meaning of what true love is. It all stems from what we are passionate about. Some find true love through security while others might say security is the trap that keeps us from seeking out to find true love. I wrote a poem many years ago that I believe helped me to define it in several variations. It pretty much is a quest that you dare to conquer. First I questioned what is was in order to define it. Then I expressed desperation to find it. And finally I am confident I know what it is and long to have it. My poem "What Is True Love" is posted on my poetry blog heartimpressionsbydarla.blogspot.com. I love sharing that poem with people because I think I captured the meaning accidentally by just putting words together to rhyme. It is so neat when answers just sneak up on us. It's when you go looking for them they seem so hard to find. Pretty much like finding true love.</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"> In the times we live in I believe we become pretty self-centered because we have been pushed in that direction for so long. "Be all that you can be". "The world is your oyster." "You can have it all". I truly believe the Bible captured the true meaning where it says "Love one another as you love yourself" and "..Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I believe we can find true love when we are able to give our love unconditionally. Then we reap what we sew. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"> I wouldn't say that I believe in Karma, cause I wasn't raised that way. I do believe in faith though. And I put a lot of faith in good things come to those who wait and believe they will. I believe God gives us the desires of our hearts. To some this all may sound too much like fairy tales, but if you never believe in something it's like you never have anything to look forward to. It can be a risk and you might get your heart broken along the way, but I believe finding true love is worth it. Go now to heartimpressionsbydarla.blogspot.com and find the answer to what true love is. May you find that special love in your lifetime..and when you do don't let it slip away. </span>Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-48558580463746051122010-01-20T11:54:00.000-08:002010-01-20T11:54:49.895-08:00Cruisin....I grew up in a town where cruising was the social network of the day. Every weekend that is where you hooked up with your friends and met a whole lot of new ones. There were all these smaller farm towns that were all around this main city. Those teens would drive to Enid to cruise VanBuren, we called it VB. There were different stops you would risk hanging out at until the cops would shoo you along for loitering. If you had a cool car with a revved up motor you would have to show it off and peel out. I am sure there was the occasional fight or under age drinking, but for the most part it was good clean fun. Where you could blare your favorite song as you drove down the street..and honked at ones you knew or wanted to know as they passed ...you could have watergun fights...grab a cherry vanilla coke at Sonic...or just park behind McDonald's and hang out. Those were the days!<br />
I started a group page the other day on Facebook called, "VanBuren Cruisers of Enid" and in just four days there were already 200 people signed up as members or cruisers..lol. That tells me that Facebook is where a lot of those cruisers have gone. We all want the social interaction with each other. It is what encourages and inspires us. This group of people that we shared our youth with has this special connection or bond. By reaching out and sharing our memories of those times helps us to enjoy them all over again. Thank you Facebook for making a virtual time machine for us to reach back into our glory days and relive them.<br />
It is sad to think that our children do not have that same luxury of "safe" carefree independence that we had growing up. They need more outlets like that that are not tainted by the fear of gangs and abductors. I guess our children will have to cruise the virtual drag called Facebook..in safe quarters to have that social network. Somehow it doesn't have the same appeal that we had behind the wheel. If we get to have a reunion and catch up with our old friends on VanBuren you might want to bring your kids along just so they have a little taste of how it was when we were young.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-46795726045098311022010-01-19T11:52:00.000-08:002010-01-21T11:38:35.298-08:00Calling on God!!! Please be there...I received a very troubling call last night. My mother was at the other end and she was distraught. Through her tears she told me that my dad had been told he has ocular cancer.. He was given the choice to have his eye removed or have radiation therapy. He has decided to have his eye removed. <br />
His eye had been bothering him so he went to the eye doctor and they said he had a cataract that needed to be removed. Then at his next appointment they said that his retina had detached from the eye. So he was sent to see an eye specialist yesterday and they told him he had ocular cancer. This is so unreal. Who knows how long he has had this. <br />
At first I was troubled about the news, but the longer it has set with me I feel so confused and lost with this. If anyone know my dad they know that he is one of the most caring souls on this earth. For me to think that he would have to suffer really hurts me. My dad sounded optimistic on the phone because he has such great faith. That is one thing about him, he can lose his hair, his teeth, gallbladder and eye, but nothing can take away his faith. He was also being strong for my mom, cause she has had her bouts with cancer before. When she was 29 she had cervical cancer and then years later on different occasions she has been inflicted with Paget's disease a skin cancer and had to have skin grafts. Needless to say she has been through it and doesn't want my dad to have to go through what she did. <br />
I just hope that it is all going to be ok. I trust that God will not put us through more than we can bare. I ask that you all will pray for my dad. Pray he will get through this with minimal suffering. I love him so much and I can't stand that he has been given this lot to carry. My dad is a preacher and he is the most selfless human I know. God, please take care of my dad. Be gentle, he is so good. He would never hurt anyone. He so doesn't deserve this I just want to hear that they made a mistake and this is just a bad dream.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-31412144141487688062010-01-16T05:06:00.000-08:002010-01-16T05:06:53.962-08:00ReminiscingLast night I started a trip down memory lane on youtube. I was listening to my favs, like Tiffany and Debbie Gibson. I even remembered most of the lyrics to their songs, cause of course I still have their albums on cassette. Before I knew it, all of my kids came over to sit and watch with me all these older videos. This past year I took my older daughter to see Miley Cyrus, which was a big deal to her. She really put on a pretty entertaining concert. I noticed while we were watching Debbie Gibson's videos at her concerts that her and Miley shared a lot of similarities. She and Miley were about the same age and they wore some of the same style of outfits. Their stage performance was similar too. So pretty much what comes around goes around. Things change, like technology allows for more impressive concerts, but styles of clothes and music repeat themselves a lot. I would say that our family really appreciates music. My husband plays the guitar and he has played in a band. And I was always involved with Choir, whether it was at school or at church. We love sharing music with our children. Thanks to youtube, they generally find songs of our past that we have forgotten about. They are taken by "Axel F" and "Video Killed the Radio Star". It is funny to see their reactions when they think they have discovered something new and my husband and/or I recognize it. My son loves the Eagles and he got to see them in concert a few years back on their reunion tour. He will never forget that. I have to drag my husband to see Kenny Chesney with me every time he comes to town. He doesn't mind he really likes going too. I go with him to his David Allen Coe concerts. It is nice to have something we can all enjoy together. It is finding those gold nuggets in life that helps us keep common ground with our families. I added a video box to this page to share some of my favorite songs over the years. I hope you can enjoy listening to some of them too.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-25539984402249457782010-01-12T22:48:00.000-08:002010-01-12T22:48:06.729-08:00FREE.....The good things in life are even better when they are free. Generosity is the willingness to give. Helping one another out when we can is very admirable. I was at the store the other day looking at shoes, shoes on sale that is. I have four children and we generally pass clothes and shoes down when we can. Anyways I was looking for shoes for my four year old and didn't find any marked down in her size. I started to leave the aisle when another mother trying shoes on her daughter asked me what size my daughter wore. The lady had purchased a pair too big for her daughter at another store and was at this store purchasing some to replace those. I ended up with a new free pair of nice tennis shoes for my daughter. I offered to pay her for them, but she refused. I walked away and prayed that God would bless her in an area of her life where she may have a need. It is nice to know that human kindness still exists.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993086643048249650.post-15551471357387118412010-01-12T21:31:00.000-08:002010-01-12T21:31:17.774-08:00On Your Mark Get Set...Go!!My children just returned back to school after an extended holiday break due to the weather. I love them, but I was ready for them to go back to school. I rushed one off to middle school and the others off to grade school. You can almost hear the "Mission Impossible" theme song playing. I jumped right into gear and got busy on cleaning the house in detail, which even included getting dirty fingerprints off the walls and sweeping along every base board. I finally reached the end of the afternoon to retrieve them all back home again. I was feeling a sense of accomplishment and it felt good. I even got an "ooh ahh" from my 11yr old, which really goes along way. I still have all of my stacked up boxes to get to, but that is an accomplishment for another day. My plan is to get through at least one a day. Getting and keeping the house maintainable is the ultimate goal. And with that goal in sight I plan on conquering it. My family will be the winners cause they will have won the prize, a harmonious home.Darlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09806588066060488405noreply@blogger.com0