Shabby Reflections

A Simple Reminder

2010-05-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

Day after day she sits looking out her parlor window as a prisoner behind the rusty, strong bars of her cell. Children, who pass by skipping and singing rhymes they picked up from their friends on their long dusty walks through the streets, suddenly stop as if by curiosity to look upon the figure, almost lifeless, molded into the frame of the window. As towns people and visitors walk down her street they can not help but notice her house.

The house sinks into the ground pulling all of its surroundings to the underworld with it. The countenance of the house is dispirited and dreary. The house accomplishes its goal everyday: to make people feel the pain and agony the years had brought it. On the inside of the house there is a fireplace that has been neglected for so long that just the look of it sends frigid vibes through your body and chokes all feelings of warmth. The spiders, on the other hand, find the accommodations quite fitting and to show their appreciation take to decorating her walls with their art.

The house, in order to keep its prisoner from ever breaking free of her chains, shuts her off from the outside world. The house has a way of making people feel the way it does, this includes the victim. She is like the inside of her house, no warmth fills the lonely corners of her heart.

She is isolated from all other human life forms. No one knows for sure why she sits there day after day. Maybe it's because sitting there watching people pass by and children play reminds her of the days when she too was young and care free. Or maybe she is a prisoner ever being watched by her overseer, her house. only one thing is certain about her sitting there: she is a story for most children at the dinner table, a reminder to some to be thankful for the love of their family and companions, a reminder to all to be content.

~Sarah

Sarah Snapped

2009-08-17T08:00:00.001-07:00

Poems

2009-07-11T09:56:00.001-07:00

As the girl stood in the field
She leaned over a beautiful rose
She watched as the wind blew every petal away
She felt as if she were holding her life in her hands
The mistakes she thought could never be forgiven forgave
The last petal blew away but not unnoticed
She hoped her life had brought the happiness to everyone around her
The way this flower had brought happiness to her
As she looked down there was nothing left of the flower
All she had left were memories of the flower in her heart
She hoped that when she was gone from this world she too would leave
Sweet and fond memories in the hearts and minds of everyone
The way the flower had left her.

My Poems

2009-07-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

We went to the library today and I checked out a book of poems by Edgar Allan Poe. After I read them I was inspired to write some of my own. I wrote a total of seven but I want to just put one out right now. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think.

The Poverty Princess

The ground upon which she toils is so dry
That when it is hit with water
One would think that there is a small fire
Because of the dust it produces
Her garden looks as if it is a burial ground
For decaying vegetables and rotting weeds
Her house looks as if not even pigs would feel welcomed
But that the perfect guest must be the most gruesome of bugs on the planet

Her clothes look in such a way that one could not help but doubt that the poor would even
Accept them as a donation
She is the very definition of poverty and filthiness
And every day these facts are made known to her
By the glances of her passers
And rather than imagine a different way of living
She excepts her state of being
She is thankful that she even has land and that she has clothes to wear
And that if ever one day she comes out of her state of life at present
She can comfort those who still are there because she knows how the glances pierce
The heart
In her own eyes her life is the very definition of happiness and content
She feels as if she were living as a princess treasuring every moment
Without uttering a complaint because her maker is still giving her breath.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

II Corinthians 1:3&4

-Sarah Hadding

Quotes

2009-06-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

I am reading the book Trial and Triumph by Richard Hunnula...it is about the early church and the people who started it. Here are some really good quotes...

"I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order that I may understand." -Anselm

"Brothers, know how immeasurably God deserves to be loved. The Lord, who is so great, first loved us who are so little and so wretched! What then, I ask you, could be the limit of our love?"
"He who is filled with the love of God is easily moved by everything in scripture."

-Bernard

This is probably my favorite so far...

The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled, as to console;

Not so much to be understood, as to understand;

Not so much to be loved, but to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

It is in dying that we awaken to eternal life.

The Least of These

2009-06-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34 & 35

A new commandment? The command to love has been in place since Old Testament times. So what changed? Why is this a "new" command? One of the biggest differences is that the command has changed from loving our neighbor as ourselves, to loving each other as Christ loves us.

What does it mean to love as Christ? It means to love in a way that will sacrifice everything, even life, for the welfare of another. Christ left all the glory of heaven to live in all the discomfort of earth. So that he could die. We don't even have to do that. But we should look for ways to love others that will cost us something.

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothed you? And when did we see sick or in prison and visit you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

We are commanded to love and then I believe he tells us in this passage who we are to love. We are to love those who are considered lower than us. We are to love the poor, the sick, the criminals, the homeless. Instead, most of the time we just pass them by without thought, without meeting their needs. It's not that we usually ignore them on purpose. It's worse because we don't even see them.

My prayer is that God will give me eyes to see everything that I miss. To make the things that seem small in my world bigger. That I would care but not just a passing I feel bad kind of way, but that I would help.

So, here's what I want to do. In the next four weeks I want to work and raise as much money as I can. (My goal is $300.) Then I want to take the money and go shopping, (the really fun part) for things that are needed by the Pregnancy Resource Center. You can help and be a part of my mission. Hire me to work for you. I'll do a great job and you can help me love the ones who sometimes get forgotten or ignored. Here are some things I can do:

House Cleaning:

baseboards

ceiling fans

washing doors and walls,

organizing closets, shelves, cabinets, etc.

Regular housecleaning chores like sweeping, mopping, dusting and vacuuming

Yard Work:

raking and bagging leaves

weeding

mowing (mower must be provided)

Child Care:

babysitting

Miscellaneous Things:

dog washing

car washing

Personal Assistant:

For three hours I will assist you with any task not already listed.

Your time...your choice.

I will not set a specific fee. Instead, you may decide what my work is worth and how much you are able to contribute to my goal. Thank you for being a part of this with me! I look forward to working for you!

My Day

2009-02-21T17:57:00.000-08:00

I had a very fun day I went to the Bluffs, Golden Corral, and the Naval Aviation Museum.
The coolest thing about my day is that I found my future husband! I am going to tell you a little about him...DO NOT scroll down this post and look at the picture at the bottom just read the post first.

So my future husband is a little older than me, he's a really good listener, he's tall, When we get married I will do all of the driving( and he won't even care!), he doesn't care where we go at ALL! He really is a great guy...the only problem is he doesn't talk...at ALL! And everybody calls him a dummy. :(

Here we are!

Isn't he handsome...NOT!

My Makeover

2009-02-02T14:56:00.000-08:00

I just have something that I want to make clear my stylist were five and two. That's all I have to say.
A close up

Me & my stylist

My fabulous shoes...

Love

2009-01-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

1 Corinthians 13:2-8a, 13

"And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way;it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

To be a Christian

2009-01-10T17:19:00.000-08:00

Here are a few definitions that really have me thinking about what it means to be a Christian.

Christian-believer in Jesus Christ as Savior: somebody who believes that Jesus Christ was sent to the world by God to save humanity, and who tries to follow his teachings and example

Faith-belief in and devotion to God; belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof;

Nonbeliever- somebody who has no religious faith or beliefs

Sin-to commit a offense or fault of any kind; wrongdoer

What really has been getting to me is the definition for Christian...one who tries to follow his teachings and examples. I do not normally find myself on a regular basis trying to be more like Christ. More often than not I am thinking of myself...what I want to do...what I like. Do you do that?
I really like Brandon Heath's song "Give Me Your Eyes"...it's more of a prayer really...to see with the eyes of Christ.

Godly Girls

2009-01-04T15:37:00.001-08:00

The Whole Crew

So, after I was feeling better I had a bunch of friends come over...we made pillows and laughed the whole time. I have prayed for so long and wished to have godly friends and I finally have them! And not only one but FIVE! God has blessed me so much by putting these godly young women in my life and I thank Him very much! I do not blame my Dad for leaving the house before every one got there...it was a lot of fun but really loud! I am still surprised that Claire slept through it all. :)
These girls are such an influence to me and I love them SO VERY MUCH! THEY'RE AWESOME! Here are some pictures to show you how much fun we really had!

Making pillows...

Sam and the girls

Strong tower of godly girls

We had a lot of fun!

A New Year

2008-12-31T07:31:00.000-08:00

They say what ever you do on New Years Day you will do all year...well I am desperately hoping this is not true at all! I am spending New Years Day being sick. :( I just had the most wonderful New Years Eve with friends. It was spent laughing the whole entire time right up to the countdown. I slept perfectly fine...but then I woke up. I am so very puny. I absolutely HATE being sick, in fact I despise it. So I am really hoping this saying is very, very wrong. I would rather not spend my entire year being sick!

Why I Won't Read the Twilight Series

2008-12-26T15:08:00.000-08:00

Before anyone reads this post any further I just want to say that this is my position and reasons I will not see the movie or read the Twilight books. I have many very godly friends who read the series and went and saw the movie and I do not have a problem with that.
For Christmas one of my presents was a Brio magazine...after I opened it the first thing that caught my attention were the bold red letters that said " Should You Read the "Twilight" Series?" My dad did not want me to see the movie and I had no idea why. Until I read the article in the magazine called "Twilight's Blood Soaked Romance." The article also helped me realize that I only wanted to see Twilight because a lot of teens are hooked on it. And I wanted to see why so many girls are in love with a vampire in the book named Edward. The first thing I would like to say is that I personally think that love is a lot stronger than what most novels make it to be. A lot of times when I focus on relationships they can become idols, and as a girl I try to picture myself with a Mr. Perfect that I hear of or see.
Melanie M. Cogdill who wrote the article says "No guy can ever live up to the way Stephanie portrays Edward. He's the fantasy creation of a woman writer." I like to put myself in the girl character’s shoes when I read a book...and if I read Twilight I could put myself in Bella's place and end up falling in "love" with a pretend vampire which many girls are finding themselves doing . This book series communicates many messages that are contrary to the Christian faith, and I am not going to be filling my mind with that. A very good point in this article is God should drive our emotions not guys no matter who they are. I think that by reading the Twilight series I could let my emotions control how I feel about Edward romantically, and it could possibly effect how I view godly men in my every day life. Because this series is written by a woman she can make a dream guy such as Edward that could make me end up liking something that is not real. Guys are not perfect they have fallen just like us.
Another good point that I would like to bring out is that everything that is created by man…music, art, literature, etc., somehow communicates the belief of the one who made it. In the book Edward sneaks into Bella’s room every night and sleeps beside her! Then Bella lies to her dad about it which is disrespectful to her parents. Twilight portrays Bella’s parents to be very unaware of their daughter and what is going on in her life. If my parents teach me that lying is bad and that respecting them is a very important thing I should not turn around and read something that says that it’s okay. The book also makes it seem as if Edward is not such a bad guy because he does not suck human blood. There is a question in the article that still has me thinking "Can an evil thing or being ever be good?” If I were to read this would lying and other sins which God despises become less bad to me?
In the fourth book Twilight takes a turn from romance and love to horror and occult. Bella becomes a vampire and gives birth to a half human half vampire child, who tears its way out of her stomach. I know the curse said it would be painful but OUCH! In part of the book Bella's love for Edward blinds her to the value of her own soul. She is so in love with Edward that she assures him that she does not need heaven if he stays, she would rather live eternally with him. Could reading this book make me have similar attitudes towards boys in my everyday life? In the sense that I would be willing to dishonor my parents by doing something for a boy that I know is wrong. The vampires in this series think, that by doing "good" deeds (not sucking human blood) they can some how be saved. If I know that doing good deeds on earth are not what is going to allow me to go to heaven should I really read a book that says it will? The Bible says that no one will enter heaven or go before the throne of God except through Christ.
I find it easy to think that it is no big deal if I want to see the latest movie or read the books everyone else is reading. But if I am commanded to love God with my WHOLE mind should I really be filling my mind with things that go against what the Bible says? If I truly say that I am a Christian I should meditate on things that are heavenly. Reading Twilight is probably not the best thing for me to be filling my head with in order to do this.
This article really made me think. It also helped me realize that my Dad does certain things that I do not think are particularly necessary and that make him seem over protective but he really does know what is best for me. God gave me wonderful parents for a very good reason. So this is what the article says : "Yes, the "Twilight" story is only fiction. It's not the Bible, but Christian readers need to be on guard to discern if spiritual statements in books, films or music match the truth of God's Word. We need to think about what fills our minds. Does it reflect biblical truth? The "Twilight" series does not. Just because the culture loves these books does not mean you should. As Scripture tells us, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will" Romans 12:2." I guess what I’m saying is that it is a dangerous thing to allow myself to become so “into” something that I forget to evaluate whether it is good or not. Everything has an impact on my mind…reading different things can change my view of reality. It can change out I interact with the world around me. So I ask myself is what I am filling my head with really going to help me reflect God in today’s world? Am I going to be able to separate my feeling’s from those which are portrayed in fiction novels? Am I going to be able to be a shining light in today’s world if I am thinking about whether or not I fit in with this world? I bet in a couple of years when you mention "Twilight" people are going to either have to stop and remember what Twilight is or people who know every line to the movie and can tell you what happens in all four books are then going to tell you that those books and movies were so yesterday. The things of this world are only temporary, they are NOT going to last so if I focus on fitting in with today's world I am going to miss the opportunity of sharing with people about the greater and better life that is to come.

Christmas

2008-12-25T15:25:00.001-08:00

Christmas with my Mom's side of the family is a lot of fun but really tiring! I got a lot of great presents but I also got to enjoy seeing other peoples faces as they opened theirs. I think my favorite person to watch was Claire, who thanked you for the gift before she even opened it. We get so caught up in getting gifts and seeing who has more that we don't get to sit back and enjoy being together. We also forget why we even celebrate this holiday which is the fact the Christ came down to earth as an infant. Jesus the King of kings left his throne and came down to earth in order to save us, a wretched and sinful people. Does that not just AMAZE you?!? It truly is a beautiful time of celebrating the coming of our Savior. Even though I love celebrating Christmas it is very nice to be done with all the gifts and being busy...until next year. :) Just as a side note,this month for school we memorized Mathew 1:18-23. Reading these verses is a wonderful way to end Christmas Day.
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, and angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. "And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people form their sins." So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,: which is translated, "God with us."
Merry Christmas everyone!

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Get your own

2008-12-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

I finally have a blog! This is going to be my favorite Christmas present I think! Thanks Mom and Dad!!
There is a lot to set up and I would like your help. Please take part in the poll in the side bar on the right.

2008-12-25T05:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Shugee!

Love,

Daddy & Momma