God's Gifts

My dear Friend :

Hi! I hope this letter finds you safe and secure and all you love and cherish safe, secure, happy and healthy.

I hope you noticed that we have gone from strangers to friends. That is a big assumption on my part but I hope you are not offended if I make it anyway.

One definition of the word friend is: a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter

Well going with that definition I feel that I definitely fall into the definition of a friend.

As you know from all my letters that I am here for you as best as I can be with you there and me here. You have my complete and total support.

I believe in you. You are a brave, courageous, strong and honorable person. God has Great Plans for your life! I wish, hope and pray that you have an abundance of blessings.

I trust you with my life. That is a heavy statement but the truth of that matter is that without you protection, my life and the lives of all of us would be in jeopardy.

I am here for you. If there is anyway I can help you while you do the most difficult job of your life, let me know. I am here for you as best as I can be.

So therefore, by that definition, I hope you would consider me your friend!

Being the always questioning intellectual that I am I had to go further with this definition.

It was halfway explained.

Again, I went back to the stranger thing. We have never met. You can now say by definition that I am your friend but to me you are, by definition still a stranger.

Then it hit me - BAM - (always happens with a BAM). The problem is fixed! I found the rest of the puzzle.

You see there is another and better definition of a friend. Jesus tells us what a true friend is:

John 15:13 (New International Version)

^13"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Now in that content, I was blown away. You, my brave and courageous soldier are a friend to all whom you fight to protect.

You are my friend!

You would put your life on the line for ME! Not just me but anyone of US - all of us!

Your life is at threat each and every day. Your would defend our freedom with your last breath.

Your bravery, dedication and commitment to all of us and your country - humble me!

Jesus said that I could ask for no greater love.................

You are the very best kind of friend that a person could have...........

Thank you, brave and courageous Soldier, for being my FRIEND!

Humbly yours,

PS. Same old crap at home. Not enough jobs, too much rain in my part of the woods, my child is making a disaster of his life and I don't know how to save him or fix it, the dogs are sweet but crazy. Overall, though life is good!

Hope, Prayer and Angels

Psalm 91:11 - For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways

Dear Soldier,

I hope this letter finds you safe and secure. I hope it also finds your loved ones, friends and fellow soldiers safe, happy, secure, and healthy.

I want you to know I enjoy writing these letters!

I could go on and on about our lives here but it seems so mundane and petty to even mention compared to what you confront day by day.

Here, it really is the same old crap everyday! Too many people are unemployed, the health care reform issue is too hot and heated, I am sadly realizing that my son is developing an addiction problem; the dogs are sweet but a pain in the ass, etc. etc. blah blah blah!

Some days I struggle with what to write. But irregardless, I want to write to you. Some days I imagine that you open the letter or card and say to yourself, "I don't know this person. They don't know me or what I am going through." If that has ever gone through your head then let me clear that for you. I write, why, well because you matter! Yes, you are a stranger, but you are important.

I was thinking the other day and it hit me – BAM - CRAP (it always does that) - that maybe I am too bold to think that you would appreciate my prayers for you!

I don’t know. We are strangers who have never met. You may not even have the same faith or belief that I do. I thought - does he really want to read my babbling?

I do hope that you are not offended by my prayers for you.

See, I can send you stuff. If you are in need of anything, just ask. My family will make sure that you get it. My church will help to get you what you need. My friends will help to get you what you need.

Buth those 'things' seems trivial when it come right down to it! Nice, but not necessary.

With all my heart, I feel that I need to send you something more. HOPE!

Hope for the today, hope for tomorrow and hope for your future. That is why I tell you and will continue to tell you that God has Great Plans for you! I don't know what those plans are, you don't know what those plans are but they are God's Great Plans.

Start your day with that thought and it will surely make a change. Hope is a good thing!

And above all else though, I want to pray for you. A LOT! TONS! And EVERY CHANCE I GET.

I want my prayers for you to be heard so much in Heaven that GOD will have no choice but to send his mightiest Angels to guard over you and keep you safe until you come home to your loved ones.

Like I said before, we are here and you are there.

You are in harm's way and we are not.

We are safe and you are not.

You keep us from evil.

So what I figure I can do for you is something as simple as pray for you. I can give you that promise. And I will do that as much as I can. You are so WORTH it. It is a free gift from me, a stranger who writes every so often.

Humbly,

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I will leave you with these scriptures. Put them in your pocket. Pray them when you are afraid or unsure:

Psalm 121:3 - He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber.

Psalm 121:7 - The Lord will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life;

Psalm 121:8 - The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore.

Psalm 27:1 - The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 4:8 - I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 91:9 - If you make the Most High your dwelling--even the Lord, who is my refuge--

Psalm 91:10 - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.

Politics

Hello brave and courageous Soldier!

I hope this letter finds you safe and secure and all you love safe and secure. Don't forget to call or write your mom!

I promised myself that if I wrote I would not burden you with politics but already I am going to break that promise. I usually zip my lips when it comes to political ramblings but I cannot keep silent because this affects all of us in the United States of America and especially YOUR generation.

If you don't know there is a lot of commotion about the proposed Health Care Reform Plan. I call myself neither conservative or liberal but fall somewhere in between. What I don't like to be considered is stupid and our politicians in Washington are pulling some sneaky tricks on us.

I just read an article written by Chuck Norris and what he comments on is troubling. Some of his commentary is below:

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Dirty secret No. 1 in Obamacare is about the government's coming into homes and usurping parental rights over child care and development.

It's outlined in sections 440 and 1904 of the House bill (Page 838), under the heading "home visitation programs for families with young children and families expecting children." The programs (provided via grants to states) would educate parents on child behavior and parenting skills.

The bill says that the government agents, "well-trained and competent staff," would "provide parents with knowledge of age-appropriate child development in cognitive, language, social, emotional, and motor domains ... modeling, consulting, and coaching on parenting practices," and "skills to interact with their child to enhance age-appropriate development."

Are you kidding me?! With whose parental principles and values? Their own? Certain experts'? From what field and theory of childhood development? As if there are one-size-fits-all parenting techniques! Do we really believe they would contextualize and personalize every form of parenting in their education, or would they merely universally indoctrinate with their own?

Are we to assume the state's mediators would understand every parent's social or religious core values on parenting? Or would they teach some secular-progressive and religiously neutered version of parental values and wisdom? And if they were to consult and coach those who expect babies, would they ever decide circumstances to be not beneficial for the children and encourage abortions?

One government rebuttal is that this program would be "voluntary." Is that right? Does that imply that this agency would just sit back passively until some parent needing parenting skills said, "I don't think I'll call my parents, priest or friends or read a plethora of books, but I'll go down to the local government offices"? To the contrary, the bill points to specific targeted groups and problems, on Page 840: The state "shall identify and prioritize serving communities that are in high need of such services, especially communities with a high proportion of low-income families."

Are we further to conclude by those words that low-income families know less about parenting? Are middle- and upper-class parents really better parents? Less neglectful of their children? Less needful of parental help and training? Is this "prioritized" training not a biased, discriminatory and even prejudicial stereotype and generalization that has no place in federal government, law or practice?

http://townhall.com/columnists/ChuckNorris/2009/08/11/dirty_secret_no_1_in_obamacare

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As my child is grown, I won't be having government representatives coming into my home advising me on how to 'parent' my child, but if this bill passes, it will affect you and your generation; my son's generation. You should know about the crap the government is trying to pull. If you are a parent of a child under 18, you should be outraged.

In addition, I read this article about the town meetings going on about the same heathcare reform plan. It is disturbing to see the heated arguments but it is necessary. What I am upset about is the trick of using a child in these town meetings. And worse yet, it was all staged and planned. Do they really think that we are THAT Stupid!

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Scroll down for updates…

As we always like to point out: There are no coincidences in Obama world.

Via the Boston Globe: Surprise!

A girl from Malden asked President Obama a question at Tuesday’s town hall meeting in New Hampshire about the signs outside “saying mean things” about his health care proposal.

Eleven-year-old Julia Hall asked: “How do kids know what is true, and why do people want a new system that can — that help more of us?”

The question opened the door for the president to respond to what he called an “underlying fear” among the public “that people somehow won’t get the care they need.”

The girl later told the Globe that picking the president’s brain was “incredible.”

“It was like a once in a lifetime experience,” she said.

Julia’s mother was an early Obama supporter in Massachusetts during the presidential election, so she had previously met First Lady Michelle Obama, the Obama daughters Sasha and Malia, and Vice President Joe Biden.

“This was my first time meeting Barack Obama, and he’s a very nice man,” Julia said. “I’m glad I voted for him.”

She said Obama won a mock presidential election at the Cheverus School in 2008. And on Tuesday, he approached her after the town meeting.

“He said ‘great question,’” Julia said. “I shook his hand and got his picture.”

Kathleen Manning Hall, Julia’s mother, was shocked when her daughter said she wanted to ask a question. They wrote it down beforehand, and Julia didn’t miss a beat when Obama called on her.

“It was surreal,” said Manning Hall, a coordinator of Massachusetts Women for Obama during the election.

Tons of readers point to this AR15.com post track

ing Hall’s political footprint, including this Facebook page and photo:

Manning Hall has donated thousands of dollars to Obama, as has her law firm.

But, you know, um, like Obama said: “I don’t want people saying I just have a bunch of plants in here.”

Oh, goodness. Of course not.

http://michellemalkin.com/

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How stupid do they think we are? Really!

Alright, I must stop my rantings.

Let me move to more important things. How are you? Is there anything that you need or that your fellow soldiers need? Of course you know that I pray for you continually. I think of you every time my son walks by me. Because of your bravery, we are safe from evil. Thank you for your committment to our freedom.

I want to leave you with a scripture from the bible:

"But I will deliver you in that day," says the Lor, and you shall be not be given into the hands of the men of whom you are afraid. For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in ME," says the Lord.

Jeremiah 39:17-18

Trust in God, he will get you through all. He will never forsake you or leave you. God Bless You.

Humbly,

Susan

PS. Sorry about the ranting.

Perfect Love

Hello Soldier!

I hope this letter finds you safe and secure and also all those you love and care for safe and secure.

As always my prayers are with you.

Today I write to give you advice and in that I will ramble some.

Again, like my prayers, you may not want but I cannot tell you how many times I wished that someone, anyone cared enough in my life to sit down with me and give me advice. I care therefore, I advise. (Yes I am a mother).

Speaking of motherhood, I woke up this morning with a bible scripture on my mind. Most of the night as I slept, I worried about my precious son and his poor choices. The scripture is as follows:

"Perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18)

I reflected on this scripture through my morning coffee and beyond and could not for the life of me figure out why it was stuck in my head.

See, in my humble opinion, perfect love can only come from God. Ok, I know that and I know God's love for me, so why was it stuck in my head. Where did it come from?

As I reflected, I realized that the closest form of perfect love for humans in the unconditional love a a mother for her child. My love for son is not perfect but it is perfect in that it will never waiver; it is longlasting and long suffering. He can doubt many things in his life but there is no room for doubt about my love for him. Isn't that close to perfect?

Pretty deep, isn't it? Too much for you to concern yourself with. You have enough worries making it safely through your day.

Ok, I am rambling but let me get back to the advice. Here it is:

Write or call your mother! She may be flawed and imperfect and made a thousand mistakes, but She loves you. She misses you. She needs to hear from you.

As always, praying for you!

Thank you brave and courageous soldier for keeping us from evil.

Humbly yours,

PS: Same old stuff in the states. I did finally have some ripe tomatoes in my garden. They are a thing of beauty.

August 10, 2009

Hello Again, Friend!

I hope this letter finds you safe and secure. I hope it also finds your loved ones, friends and all known to you safe, happy and secure.

I woke this morning thanking God for another day! Sunshine is a great phenonenon to wake up to. That was my first thought.

My second thoughts were that I would ask God to protect you from any evil or harm that you may face today. That thought brought to thought one of my favorite Psalms in the Bible. Psalm 91.

May I boldly ask if I can pray these verses for you today:

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge [2]—
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot

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I find comfort in this prayer for you, my brave friend, because of God's promise to cover you with his feathers and that our God would command his angels to guard you in all your ways. How awesome is that for protection!

As a child when I was fearful, I would think of God sending his angels to protect me and imagined them covering me with the feathers from their wings. Those imaginations as a child brought comfort from the evil that I would have to face. I wish for you that same comfort.

My friend, I am probably too bold to think that you would appreciate my prayers for you. We are strangers who have never met. You may not even have the same faith or belief that I do.

But I do hope that you are not offended by my prayers for you. You see, we are here and you are there. You are in harm's way and we are not.

We cannot protect you from the evil you may face every day. That is what you are doing for us at home. You are fighting for what is right and good with each breath you take in each minute of your day. You are keeping us from evil.

So what I figure I can do for you is something as simple as pray for you. I can give you that promise. And I will do that ferverently. It is a free gift from me. Would you please accept it?

You should also know about all the prayers sent your way, morning, noon and night, from the hundreds of thousands of grateful and caring people at home.

You see, you are not forgotten. No, you are remembered and revered and so many of us give thanks for your bravery, strength and honor.

So my dear brave friend,

Sleep well tonight knowing that God has his angels watching over you.

God Bless you! Stay safe!

Susan

PS. Same old crap at home! Too much political bull, too many out of jobs with no hope, too much about Michael Jackson (really - enough is enough), too much crime and I can go on and on, blah blah blah.

Sunday - August 9, 2009

My Brave and Courageous Friend,

I hope that this day finds you Safe and Secure. I hope that those that you love are Safe, Happy and Secure. How blessed they to have you in their lives! I believe that you are such a blessing to all you meet!

I know not where you are or what you do, but I know that I pray for your safe return continually.

We are strangers who may never meet, but you are so important to me.

Why, you ask, would a stranger care for you?

Because my brave soldier, you would gladly give your life to keep me safe. Your sacrifice is immeasurable and sometimes unbearable in thought. It humbles me to my very core. Thank you.

If not for your bravery and courage, how different our lives would be. The freedom we so easily take for granted would be no more. It would be stripped from our lives. Because of YOU, my soldier friend, WE ARE FREE.

As far as news from home, well, it is the same old crap! So few jobs, so many jobless. Since being laid off 6 months ago, I have hope of a job. Part time albiet, but it would be great to work again and wake up with a purpose. If you have time in your busy day, please say a prayer for my son. I believe he is doing drugs and it is so hard to see the one you love the most destroy their lives. He is so precious to me. I tell him every day that God has great plans for his life! Drugs do not fit into those plans.

Otherwise,Days go by so fast. I wake up, thank God for the day and before I know it, the day is over. But God is so Good. Those that I love are safe, secure and happy thanks to YOU.

My friend, I close this letter with these comforting words:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Deuteronomy 31:6

God Bless You. God Bless You and God Bless you some more.

Humbly Yours,