When Inspiration Strikes

Often times the inspiration to write hits me in the strangest of places. Sometimes it is a simple topic idea for my blog that I can jot down real quick and then think on later.  At other times it will be a whole entire post that will come to me out of nowhere, which seems to happen hours or even days after a topic comes to me. I can be sitting at home or even driving down the road when it hits.  Those times when I am driving and on a time crunch are the worst. I can't write and drive and I don't have time to pull over and write. It aggravates me when that happens, because I often forget that thought I had and it may take days to get it back, or it may never return.

 All that being said this past Friday night while sitting in a tent revival meeting I had an idea.  I didn't write it down, but it came back to me Sunday morning during our church service so I jotted down the topic.  I must have been thinking it over all day, because that night the words hit and I had to write. They hit during the singing part of our Sunday night service.  I got out a paper and started to write.  It didn't want to lose it.

This is what came to me:

 "I sit here every week and  listen to the young people  in our church sing about God, his goodness, and their faith. Recently the realization came to me that for the most part all they know is the good times. They have never sat by the bed side of a sick child not knowing if they will live or die. They have never been to the doctor only to be told their baby had no heartbeat. They have never had to bury a child or build a memorial for a baby that could not be buried.  They have never known the feeling of a marriage falling apart. They have never known the feeling of having a spouse that didn't support or love them.  They have not watched a love one age, forget them and pass away.  They have never felt that faith that is so strong slip away. They have never felt the joy in their soul fade. They have never questioned their beliefs or God.  I am glad that is the case for them and I hope they never do, but I know that they all will experience at least one or all of these things. I just pray that the faith they claim and cling to so strongly now will still be strong enough to get them through the difficult times in life."

This is one of my favorite songs on Faith,

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=Y7WDW7NX


In the end I know the lady singing was watching me, but the urge was so strong, I just had to write.  If it had been during preaching I would have let the idea fade, but I thought during the singing it was alright. Apparently I was mistaken and I was judged for it.  I guess us writers are really misunderstood.

"That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?" 

Our Big Apple Adventure

July 2016 was big for me, I joined the 40 something club and my hubby gave me a trip to NYC for my birthday.  I had always wanted to go just to see the Statue of Liberty so he made that dream come true.

This is that adventure story.......

Tuesday August 9, 2016 7:45 pm

We meet up with some of the other folks that would be riding the bus with us and headed off for one more stop to pick up more people. We drove all night long stopping once in Virginia for a quick bathroom break, again in Harrisburg Pennsylvania to change bus drivers and then right on the New Jersey state line for breakfast.

Wednesday August 10, 2016

We arrived at the Ellis Island Ferry about 8:40, went through security and then headed off for our tour of the Statue of Liberty. For me this was the highlight of the trip. Ever since I was a little girl about 5 or 6 years old I have always wanted to see Lady Liberty. I was so overcome when I saw her that I cried.  I was not able to go up into her crown, but I did climb to the top of the pedestal. It was an amazing and emotional journey for me. To be able to make one of my childhood dreams a reality was something I will never forget.

 After leaving Lady Liberty we took the ferry to Battery Park where I had my first hot dog off a street vendor. Since I couldn't get it the way I like, with chili, slaw, mustard and onions, I just got it plain. It was an ok dog.

We meet up with our group and headed to the 911 museum and memorial. I have to tell you that walking around that memorial and museum was heart wrenching.  I could remember every detail of that day and relived the fear and heartbreak that it brought to our family. I had the opportunity to record my story, where I was and how I felt that day,  to be played in a special section of the museum. I hope it is seen by many.

We went out and had NY style pizza for supper, took in a few sights as we walked with  the girls to the American Girl store. It was three stories high and cool as everything.  They each had money of their own to spend and both decided to buy a new AG doll for their collections.

Our home for the night was the Hotel Edison right in the thick of Times Square. It was originally built around the 1920's and still had that retro feel to it. We loved it!

Thursday August 11, 2016

After a quick breakfast at McDonalds we walked down to the Empire State Building. While in route we saw two celebrity news anchors, three heavily armed police officers and one fight between a man and a security guard. We were totally getting the NYC experience.  The Empire State Building was not crowded and we went all the way up to the 104th floor.  I have to be honest I was thinking about King Kong a lot of the time.  We meet a really nice couple from Brisbane, Australia. They were so friendly and told us all about where they were from. It was nice to pass the time with such friendly people. They were actually heading to North Carolina and I suggested they give Biltmore Estate a try. I hope if they did they enjoyed it. After leaving we walked up to the NYC Public Library and my oldest daughter got a temporary library card. I think it was her favorite souvenir.  The weather was very humid so we stopped at Barnes and Noble on 5th Avenue for a quick shopping trip and then headed up  to Trump Tower. We went up to the fourth floor and rested on the outside public garden.
Then we headed to Central Park and spent a couple of hours seeing the Bethesda fountain, the Turtle Pond, the Bow Bridge, Literary Mall and the Balto statue. I missed seeing Belvedere Castle and the Alice in Wonderland statue, but my Mama was give out from the high humidity.  We started the 2 mile walk back to the hotel, but my Mama decided to hail a cab.  It was another part of the NYC experience that we are glad we took part in.  After resting for a about an hour we went to supper at Bubba Gump's Shrimp. The spicy Mahi-Mahi was fantabulous!!! We did a little more shopping in Times Square, in the Disney store and M and M World. My oldest daughter and I went out after dark so we could see Times Square at night, it was like daylight and the pictures just don't do it justice.

Friday August 12, 2016

We said goodbye to the Big Apple today and headed back home.  It was a long 11 hour ride and I was so happy to see the North Carolina state line. Overall we had a wonderful trip. I have decided that I want to go back some day and see a Broadway show and my oldest is going with me, but my mama and my youngest say they are never going back again. Everyone says that my husband has spoiled me and I have to agree, but being spoiled it a great thing!

"That's my 'two-cents worth, what's yours?"