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I'm a dreamer at heart and often I like to fly by the seat of my pants.

I suffer from depression and have for most of my life. I am no longer willing to stay silent about it. My hope is to share with others about this disease so they might understand it a bit better.

"I dare to believe!"

Friday, June 5, 2009

The Dandelion’s Dance

The Dandelion’s Dance

Have you ever noticed the dandelion? You know those little yellow flowers that grow in your yard and in the fields. It seems they are everywhere! When you were little perhaps you called them butter flowers, you would pick one and hold it under your chin and if your chin reflected the yellow color that meant you liked butter. Or perhaps you would wait and when the blossom grew older (in just a few days) you would wake up and that pretty bright yellow flower had turned into a fluffy little white “wish-nick”. At that point you would pick them, hold them up to your mouth and blow all the little fluffy flyers into the air as you made a wish on it.

However to someone who manicures their lawn on a regular basis sees these little gifts of nature a major pain in the rear end. They seem to invade all the sunny places popping up everywhere. You pull them up; you buy all sorts of pesticides to spread on your lawn doing you best to rid your lawn of these little troublesome plants. WHAT did I just call these WEEDS a plant??? Yes indeed I did. Did you know that dandelions have a purpose? You can actually eat every part of this plant. It is a good source of vitamins and nutrients and even has some medicinal purposes. (That however is a whole other story of its own).
But let’s take a look of the Dance of the Dandelion. Have you ever noticed that the dandelion will always face the sun? (As many plants and flowers do). As I was going on a morning walk recently, once again I heard God speaking to my heart. Look at those weeds, the ones that many feel are nothing but a nuisance. They have a lesson to teach. They always turn their face toward the sun. If you notice the ones that are still in the shade of a tree blocking the morning light, they are facing a bit to the west that is where they last saw their major source of life. However as the morning sun light in the east begin to peer through the branches they immediately begin to turn in that direction. 

We as children of God must always follow our source of life and strength. Turn our face (our thoughts, our heart, our whole being) toward the Son. As a dandelion will not grow in total shade neither can God’s children grow in darkness.

Where do we stand? Do we only want to follow the Son when it’s convenient for us? Are we embarrassed to take a stand and face in a different direction than the rest of the world? Are we willing to give up our own desires to follow Him in whatever direction He leads us in? Are we following the Son or are we dyeing in the darkness? Step out and Dance like the Dandelions.




copywrite 2009 all rights reserved
Alberta Lippmann

Saturday, May 9, 2009

A Fragrance or a Stench

A Fragrance or a Stench
When I got up this morning I was determined to go out for a walk. I’ve been struggling with my discipline to walk more frequently. Walking for me is a therapy; not only physical therapy but also mental and emotional, and today I began to realize it has become a spirit therapy so to speak. God often gets my attention when I'm outside walking and He begins to speak to my heart. My senses almost become overwhelmed if I allow them to and today was one of those days.
The aroma in the air was full and vibrant. Each step I took there was yet another fragrance. Honeysuckle and Jasmine vines growing wild, clinging to nearby fences and trees as if they were adornments placed there by hand with a beautiful mixture of perfume. There were hints of Ligustrum blooms beginning to burst open as well and the Magnolia blossoms already showing off on branches everywhere. The smell of freshly mowed grass lifted from the lawns and recently turned rich soil with its earthly scent along with the scent of the large oaks throughout the woods. Every step I took a new reminder of how nature reveals praise to its maker.
This all brought to mind our worship. The bible gives reference of our sacrifice (or worship) is like a sweet smelling fragrance to the nostrils of God. Can you imagine?
I just had a very tiny, minute experience of what God might inhale each time His people give worship and praise to Him.
Our praise and worship is a choice that we make. As if we are sending beautiful, sweet smelling fragrances to God.
Now let me take you in another direction. Think to yourself the most horrible stench you have ever smelled. The smell of something that turned your stomach to the point that perhaps you lost your last meal. My mind wandered again thinking to myself: “God is this what it smells like to you when your people ignore You? Is this the stench that reaches to you from those that curse your name? Is this the disgusting odor that we, your people lift to you when we do not worship or praise you?”
I don’t have a concrete answer to the questions above, but it just reminded me… Are we a Fragrance or are we a Stench?

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Kristi, an Ever Present Miracle

Kristi an Ever Present Miracle “Nana”! My heart and soul melts at the word. Kristi, our little miracle baby just turned 13 years old on April 2, 2009. Kristi was a throw away baby, unwanted by her birth mother, but God had and continues to have a purpose for her life. Kristi is a miracle to be alive. Born three months premature at 2lbs, she stayed in the hospital for the first four months of her life. She was hooked up to machines to keep her struggling little body alive 24/7. The only loving touch she received was from her attending nurses and Jammie her mama. Jammie and Anthony were still in high school when Kristi came into this world prematurely and God put a love in their hearts for this little one, the love that parents have for their children. Every day after school, Jammie would go the Shands PICU to comfort, love and cuddle this tiny little one. Eventually Anthony & Jammie were able to legally adopt Kristi in the eyes of the law however in all of our hearts Kristi was already a part of our family. Due to the actions of her birth mother, Kristi suffers many learning disabilities and the loss of sight in her right eye. Today Kristi is all of about 63 lbs (give or take) and around 4 ½ feet tall and healthy. Kristi our little miracle baby, 13 years old! It’s so hard to believe. Our lives have been touch by her in many ways. A gift from God! A throw away baby, that God blessed our lives with beyond measure. We would not change anything for one moment. We celebrate her life, the blessing she has brought into all of our lives and we thank God for the privilege of being trusted with her care. Happy Birthday my Kristi Bear! I love you!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Confessions of the Nana

On Saturday nights our three older grand-girls (Lexi is 3 ½ , Megan is 9 ½ , Kristi is almost 13) spent the night w/ us. They like to spend the night on Saturday because they get to go to church with us on Sunday morning. They love to go to church. We often have quite deep conversations with the girls about Jesus and heaven…they are often the ones who bring up the subjects. Our conversations can become quite interesting and it amazes me the depth of their understanding. The interesting thing is when the youngest doesn’t quite ‘get’ whatever it is we are talking about, and Megan who has an amazing understanding to explain it to her in a way that Lexi can understand. So I sit back and listen and learn from our grandchildren. This past Saturday night the 3 older girls spent the night. We had a nice evening of watching a movie and snuggling. It had been a very busy and tiring day for Scott and me. Actually it had been a very stressful and tiring week for us and Scott had been battling a cold all week. By the time Saturday came around we had a birthday party for my mom… well Saturday night I was exhausted. We all went to bed Saturday very tired, then woke up Sunday morning to rainy, cold nasty, dreary, yucky weather, and Scott was still not feeling well. We woke up a bit later than normal and knew we would not make it to Sunday school on time. So we decided we just were not going to go to church at all. When I told the grand-girls they were disappointed. I went on and fixed them breakfast, in the process of cleaning up the kitchen and I heard the girls talking about not going to church. Our youngest Lexi was VERY disappointed. The oldest Kristi had said… ‘Well it’s probably just because it’s raining out’ as she sat on the couch and hid herself under a blanket. Lexi began following me around asking over and over to explain WHY we were not going to church. I attempted to explain to her our ‘excuse’, that she just was not willing to accept. At some point she walked away and went to the window to look out and quickly came back to me saying “nana, it’s not raining anymore, well maybe a little tiny bit…. NOW can we go to church?” It hit me…God was sending me a message through Lexi and I was just not listening. So I finally said… ‘Ok, Lexi… we are going to church’. We had missed Sunday school and now had 20 minutes to get all three girls and ourselves ready for church and to get there before church started. We made it to church on time and even had a minute or two to spare. Sometimes we get in our own way. We are so overwhelmed w/ the circumstances around us and our own personal feelings that we fail to listen to what God is saying. God used our little 3 ½ yr old grand-girl to get a message through to me. To see the excitement in that little face and the faces of the other two when I told them we WERE going to church was my motivation. I was failing them as their Nana, as a spiritual role model. When I was younger and my boys were little I had this same responsibility with them. And I can tell you there were many times that I did not ‘feel’ like going to church, to get myself and them ready and go. But at times THEY were my inspiration to get my act together and pay attention to their spiritual needs. They encouraged me many times. They reminded me of my responsibilities not only to them but to myself and our family. They probably had no idea that is what was going on, but I can tell you without a doubt God used those little ones to encourage and inspire me back then. I had not remembered those times until this past weekend w/ our grand-girls. I don’t think I’ve ever thanked my boys for being such an inspiration to me when they were little or if they would’ve even understood at that time if I had told them. Thank you Daniel Thank you Anthony And thank you Lexi for reminding me of this once again.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Have You Been There?

Recently in our Sunday School class we were studying Luke 7:36 – 48

In our discussion of the subject there were many good points brought out.

The one thing that came to my mind is that many are so quick to judge.

This woman was evidently a prostitute and here she came into the house full

Of those who would not dare to be seen around here. She comes to Jesus with a jar of expensive perfume. She then begins to weep at the feet of Jesus, washing his feet in her tears and wiping them dry with her hair. She truly repented.

Who are we to think ourselves any better than this woman? Who of us is without any sin? Does not our sin, no matter what it is send us straight to hell, if we do not repent, ask forgiveness, change our ways?

Have you ever felt like you were on the outside looking in? Have you ever felt like the one with a ‘mark’? Have your friends, peers, colleagues, family or even other Christians made you feel like you were not good enough? Have you ever made a mistake or fell into unfortunate circumstances only to have your so call ‘friends’ turn their back on you because you didn’t do things the way THEY felt you should?

I’ve been there before, only to have some that I trusted the most to turn their back on me because they did not agree with my choices. At some of the lowest times of my life, my support system was gone. I began to ask myself ‘who are these people to judge me? What makes these people any better than me?” At times I would even doubt the whole Christianity thing. But God spoke to my heart and helped me to understand that these people that are judging me will one day be judged themselves. I was to do what I know was the best for me, to serve my Lord Jesus with my head held high, because in the sight of my Lord, I was no lower than anyone else. These people that judged me were no higher than I was. I stuck to my guns. I did what I knew was right. I held my tongue for many years. In my actions I would come to prove those who judged me wrong.

So I as the question once again… Who are we to think we are any better than this woman at the feet of Jesus? Oh to have the courage and the heart to seek Him no matter what.

No matter what other’s thought. WHO are we to think ourselves any better than she?

Luke 7:36 – 48

36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

40Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said.

41"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[d] and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

48Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

Monday, February 23, 2009

Peter Piper

I sometimes get in these moods where I become FULL of questions, all sorts of questions, sometimes I get the answers rather simply, other times I have to search them out. Well this evening I was in one of those moods. Well I found the answer to one of my questions to have a very interesting answer and I thought it worthy of sharing.... So I was thinkin to myself this evening....... How many pecks of pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick? And I had NO earthly idea... sooo I asked my trusty little google and here is what I found Answer:

Peter Piper didn't pick any pecks of pickled peppers 'cause pickled peppers aren't pickled when they are picked.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. "if Peter Piper picked a PECK of pickled peppers..."

BUT... if Peter Piper could pack pickled peppers in a peck,

and Peter's peck was packed in a bushel to promote proper packing,

then Peter Piper would have to poney up 4 pecks to fill the bushel.

If Peter Piper ground said pickled peppers and produced a fine pickled powder,

then Peter Piper would have 537.6 cubic inches of piquant powder.

Unless poor Peter lived across the pond where Imperial takes precedence,

then Peter's peck would probably be 554.8 cubic inches of pickled pepper powder.

Let's pray this prickly problem is now properly planted.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Lessons From the Pecan Tree

Lessons from the Pecan Tree

Ahh, hasn’t the weather been beautiful lately (well for the most part).  It’s warming up!
Doesn’t if feel great?  Those rays of sunshine are beginning to stay with us a bit longer.
I love it!  I'm a sunshine sort of person, so the longer the daylight, the better I like it. (That’s another blog I will share at another time).  So back to the subject… if you spend anytime outside or traveling in you vehicle you will notice its looks like spring is popping up everywhere.  Redbud Trees and even some Dogwood trees are brightening up our landscapes with their beautiful blossoms.  You can even see some Azaleas beginning to bloom.  In fact we spread some wildflower seed last summer, and some of the little gals are pushing their way through the soil and showing their smiling little faces. All this is wonderful, and many will think:  “Yahoo, spring is here”.  But don’t be fooled my friends. Take a lesson from the wise Pecan Tree!

Years ago, Granddaddy (Wilbur Nobles) told me when we planted a Pecan tree: “now Bert, you keep an eye on this Pecan tree and it will always tell you when winter is over and spring is here, don’t be fooled by the other trees you see around”.  He continued: “you see, the Pecan tree will not open its leaves until the last freeze of winter is over”.
Well of course I was a bit leery of some of Granddaddy stories cuz he used to tell us some whoppers! (All of which were very entertaining… I have fond memories of Granddaddy)  Back to the story:  So I decided to put that Pecan to the test, as the years went by; one by one that Pecan tree NEVER let me down.  It’s been over 30 years since Granddaddy told me that story and to this day it stands true. 

Don’t be fooled by an imposter, rely on the real thing!!!

This story reminds me of the following scripture:

1 John 4:1-3
1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.

Enjoy the weather!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

They Call Me Gracie!

They Call Me Gracie!

Hmmm grace, yet one more reason I live in the Grace Space: when I was in massage school I once was walking across a large room where the entire class sat on the floor in a circle. We did that a lot in ‘herbal gerbil’ school (that by the way is my pet name for massage school and most things related to it).  The fact is most of the classes were held sitting on the floor of one room or another.  This wasn’t all bad though, except after lunch, it was oh so tempting to lay your head down and snooze off to sleep.  Here I was with a group of herbal gerbil students of which most I was old enough to be their mother. This was a wonderful experience for me; however I do admit there were some sti-raaange people there.

Back to my thought; as I was walking across the circle and I tripped, probably over a speck on the floor or some imaginary painted line… there I was creating a new dance step that would make Fred Astaire proud.  And so I came to a graceful stop landing one hand and one foot on the ground with the other hand and foot in the air and somewhere in between, my back-side brought applause. Yes, such elegance, such grace, so it was that point I was dubbed by a dear young herbal gerbil with a new name “Gracie”.  From that point on, most of my class called me Gracie and many of the teachers did also.  It’s wonderful to be loved!

BTW for any of you younger readers, who do not know who Fred Astaire is, click the link below to get a peek and enjoy.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Froggie went a jumping!

I was reading my friend Becky’s blog the other day about frogs and it reminded me of the demise of one little green tree frog that began a lift time of little green tree frog terminations. Those of you who live in good ole Florida are probably familiar with our small green, cold, slimy feeling tree frogs. They love to climb up the outside of your house and sit under the ease of you roof and sing their non stop green tree frog song. By the way if you are new to Florida I suggest you search far and wide to experience the song of this wild little beast. After you have done that, you might want to remember this little story. Years ago, Jay (my first husband) and I were lying in bed. The sun was beginning to peek up over the trees and gently shine through our bedroom window. Ahh it was a beautiful moment. The windows were open and a slight breeze was ruffling the curtains. Another day set before us, the birds were chirping the bees were buzzing and the tree frogs were singing at the top of their little voices welcoming the new day! As I lay there enjoying the moment, the sound of God’s creatures creating such a beautiful melody, my dear husband also lay there singing his song of the new day. His mouth wide open and the sounds of his snoring echoed through the air. Ah yes, such wonders, such melodic notes filling the air, although I must admit I couldn’t sleep for all the noise. So I decided to close my eyes one more time and try to catch a few more Zzzzzzs. When all of a sudden Jay jumps up out of the bed, spitting and coughing running through the house clad only in his birthday suit with his hand cupped tightly. He threw open the carport door with such urgency there he stood in all his glory with his hand lifted high into the air and then SPLAT! There on the carport floor laid the lifeless body of one little green tree frog. From that moment on until his death bed Jay hunted those little green cold slimy feeling creatures and each one would meet his Creator sooner than expected. You see that little green tree frog jumped right into Jay’s mouth and learned a lesson a very important lesson hard way that I’m sure is echoed throughout the tree frog kingdom to this day, NEVER jump in the mouth of a sleeping human being; it is a very unwelcomed event. I suppose if there were a moral to this story for those of us of the human nature it would be “Look before you leap”, or accept the outcome of which you choose.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

I ask why?

I Ask Why?

Well here I am, thinking to myself; “self why on earth are you doing this?” and myself answers:  “well what the heck, why not?”  And so it begins but no telling how long it will last.  “Living in the Grace Space & Other Stuff”

I tend to write the way I talk, and I tend to talk the way my brain spits things out.  The typical mind of a woman, I may be on one subject and skip right to another and back again to the original thought (that is if I can remember what I was talking about) (which jogs my memory to share w/ you yet another idea of the Grace Space)… Ahhh but back to my original thought, but what was it?  Oh yeah, I tend to write the way I talk and I tend to talk the way my brain spits things out and there you have the perfect example of what you have to look forward to!

Grace by definition is: Grace

Noun

1. A state of sanctification by God.
2. Elegance and beauty of movement or expression.
3. A sense of propriety and consideration for others.
4. A disposition to kindness and compassion; benign good will: "the victor's grace in treating the vanquished".
5. (Greek mythology) one of three sisters who were the givers of beauty and charm; a favorite subject for sculptors.
6. A short prayer of thanks before a meal.
7. Free and unmerited favor or beneficence of God: "there but for the grace of God go I".

Verb

1. Make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; "Decorate the room for the party"; "beautify yourself for the special day".
2. Be beautiful to look at; "Flowers adorned the tables everywhere".


I find I live in a state of Grace, forgiven by my Heavenly Father through my confession of sins to Him, believing He is the one and only true God, that He sent His Son Jesus Christ who was born of the Virgin Mary, lived, was crucified, dead, buried and rose from the dead to be alive for evermore.

Grace, yup that’s where I live in a constant state of Grace.  I sure don’t deserve it but I'm sure thankful that I received it!  What a great gift.