Day 316 Look Mom!

 

11/12/2025

"Wherever we go, we meet people who are in need of something.

If the Spirit could give us that open eye of love which sees both visible 

and invisible needs, everything we saw would give rise to prayer."

O. Hallesby  

Yesterday was my semi-annual dental appointment, and I am happy to report that I was given a clean bill of health! "Look, Mom - no cavities!" For several visits now I have been given the same report, and I am ecstatic. My son thinks I'm a fanatic about my teeth, because I floss with old-fashioned dental floss several times a day, floss with the water pic at least twice a day, and I brush my teeth with a Phillips Sonicare Toothbrush twice a day, unless I have a mid-day appointment or another reason to brush my teeth. It's late coming, but my good habits are paying off for this seasoned ole lady. And here I thought I had single-handedly financed the entire new dental office that they just opened. For some reason while I was rejoicing at home, I remembered the old Norman Rockwell drawings, so I investigated it, and remembered that Crest Toothpaste came up with that slogan back in 1958 or thereabouts. Old memories often come back to me at the opportune moments. This of course reveals my age that polite, southern ladies don't talk about.

That reminds me of the Little House on the Prairie series when Laura would say, "If I had a remembrance book, I'd...," when she wanted to remember something special about the family or their experience on the prairie and in Walnut Grove. Somehow I think I gave my set of those story books away when I moved. I am finding out that my friend is correct. She told me to stop giving beloved things away, but I didn't feel that I had room to haul all my "memories," in the rental van. I am sadly missing many things, but I realize that they all have good homes. It's part of moving, and it's part of life. Sadly I've moved so many times over the years that I have had to give up many treasures, but I have managed to start over more than a few times, and God always supplied what I needed and many things I wanted. I am grateful for His care.

I am a journal keeper, and now I am both a journal keeper and a blogger. I have memories, good ones and not so good ones, but I have lots of adventures that my friends continue to insist that I write down in my book. The book I haven't started yet. Well, that's not accurate, as I have written chapters and laid them aside, just to begin again. It's hard to know where to start. That's why blogging comes more easily to me. I can look back over my day to see what God is saying to me, and how it coincides with my day and the devotionals I've read. It's a process, and it would be nice to have some assistance, but I haven't found any takers yet. So I continue on, muddling through.

Recently in Bible study we've spoken a lot about the proper way to share our faith with others. I am always asking God for open doors to minister to people while I'm out and about, and I've been able encourage some people just by being polite, asking how their day has been going, and listening. I don't necessarily have to pull out my Bible and start preaching. I think the best way to witness to others is in our day to day walk, the way we live our lives - "walk the walk, not just talk the talk" - because actions speak louder than words, as the old cliche goes. Yesterday while at the dentist, I knew I'd have a wait, so I took my Bible along to catch up on my reading, as I have been jumping around lately rather than a straight read through. It's been hard for me, because I am disciplined and used to reading it chapter by chapter. God had different plans for me this year. Anyway, when the dentist hygienist came in we started chatting about my Bible, and my reading in a room with other people. She said she couldn't read with people around, too many distractions. I became used to that over the years when I had to shut out the noise of my children's little skirmishes. I'd tell them I was shutting down to read, so to settle the matter for themselves. Of course they did, and they behaved well for my quiet times. We chatted quite a bit about my son living with me, his disability, and she shared about her mom living with her son, and that he had some mental health problems, and her mom was having problems dealing with it. I shared that my son has some similar problems, and I began to share my life and testimony with her. We spent most of the time talking about Jesus and looking at Dr. Harley's baby's photos. Fortunately, I had kept my teeth so clean that there was very little cleaning needed. All my obsessive compulsive behavior is paying off. So it was a nice afternoon, and the hygienist actually hugged me good-bye.

In these crazy days, people are troubled, overwhelmed, anxious, and many other feelings. I think the best way to be the hands and feet of Jesus is to simply be present, and He is faithful to bring someone in our path who needs a friend, even if it is only someone acknowledging their presence with a smile. I used to love to walk down the streets in Santa Fe Plaza, and as I passed the folks walking along, mostly their eyes were looking forward, ignoring people as they passed by, or looking down at the sidewalk. My favorite thing was to speak to them as they passed by. Sometimes it worked, sometimes they looked the other way, but I'd keep trying. It's a little different here, but I do speak to as many people as I can. It may not seem like much, but we never know whose path we will cross. The Bible says to be instant in season and out, and to "study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15). In this day of total confusion and mass hysteria, there will be those who ask why we believe what we believe, and they will want to know about Jesus and His origins. We must know what we believe and why, and be ready to defend our faith. People are hungry, and they are seeking answers, especially the younger generation. I want to be ready to give life to someone who is desperately seeking the truth.