From 5/16/20: I had posted this on FB and was reminded of it today in my news feed.
A few months ago one of my former students was volunteering at Titus 2. She said she had something to tell me. She is a very devoted disciple of Christ and a careful Bible student. She said God had told her that I was “looking for my ‘John’….” Not as in a pimp john, but as in a biblical biographer John, a writer John. I laughed. The LAST thing I would desire is to be written about. I have strictly been forbidden by the Lord to publish. I have asked a certain friend who speaks and writes not to use my name or reference me when she shares certain things we have been involved in together because I don’t want attribution. Nothing I do is worthy of legacy. Everything I have or do or pass along, if it has any value, is always and only, a gift from God. I am not unique or gifted or smarter than anyone. I have nothing in and of myself to offer anyone.
I would not write an autobiography or creative fiction or submit for publication writing about experiences in my life. The only title that anyone would ever possibly conclude about me from such an effort would be that……
“She was just all out crazy.” And, indeed, I am crazy for Christ!
Friday 5/15/20: My first image upon opening my computer was a lovely view of the cosmos that I discovered was the Rosette Nebula. I usually don’t look twice at those opening pictures on my computer but this captured my attention. As I looked at it I felt God clearly imprint in my mind…… “This is for you.” Huh? A rose…. For me? “Yes.” So I looked up information about the Rosette Nebula. There were several clear indicators that led me to know for certain that God was speaking to me through this image. It spoke to me of the great creative power of God’s mind and his will and the assurance of his presence with me. I cannot give you more details than that. As I sat there smiling to myself and enjoying that moment with the Lord, a song began to play in my head. I knew the tune and most of the words. I looked it up and I could hear Frank Sinatra’s voice singing in my mind, as I had many times growing up:
Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words: hold my hand
In other words: baby, kiss me
Fill my heart with song
And let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words: please, be true
In other words: I love you
Fill my heart with song
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words: please, be true
In other words, in other words: I love you
How about that for a sweet start to the day? I am loved by the Creator of the Universe and there is little corner in heaven where we shared a song this morning. There is no way I am creative enough to make this stuff up. God finds a way to enter into my day in some of the sweetest, most unexpected ways. The Lover of My Soul knows, loves, celebrates, admonishes, and serves me in ways that no one else ever could.
Addendum: 5/18/21
Information from NASA about the Rosette Nebula: Located about 5000 light years from Earth, a recent Chandra study of the red cluster, named NGC 2237, provides the first probe of the low-mass stars in this satellite cluster. The Rosette Nebula is birthing new stars. Previously only 36 young stars had been discovered in NGC 2237, but the Chandra work has increased this sample to about 160 stars. The presence of several X-ray emitting stars around the pillars and the detection of an outflow — commonly associated with very young stars — originating from a dark area of the optical image indicates that star formation is continuing in NGC 2237 (the outflow and some of the pillars are labeled in a close-up view on the NASA page). By combining these results with earlier studies, the scientists conclude that the central cluster formed first, followed by expansion of the nebula, which triggered the formation of the neighboring clusters, including NGC 2237.
Bill had given me this preserved rose, encased in enamel and gold last year at Mother’s Day. it sits in a bud vase that belonged to my maternal grandmother among pictures of Bill and me. It is even more precious to me now, a sweet memento of our life together, since Bill is in heaven with the Lord. This reminder from a year ago today about a rosette in the heavens and how God, the Lover of My Soul, spoke to me when I first observed a picture of it shortly after Bill’s gift to me. These are precious memories……
