Stories from the Heart...
It is such a pleasure to know that you have taken time out of your busy schedule to spend time with me. I have been writing for over 50 years, and I am happy for the opportunity to share some of my work with you.
Some stories have appeared in our local newspaper, "The Graham Star" , and some are just stories I have written. I truly believe the Lord has blessed me with the talent to share Him with others through my writing.
May the Lord Bless You,
Latresa
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“I want to be a sunflower; so that even in the darkest days I will stand tall and find sunlight.”
_ Unknown
Spiced Sunflower Seeds
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp thyme, dried
½ tsp paprika, smoked
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp Olive oil, extra virgin
1 cup Sunflower seeds, raw
Add seeds, oil, and spices to a large frying pan set to low heat.
Cook stirring constantly, or until seeds are toasted and fragrant. Remove from heat and allow seeds to cool to room temperature before serving.
Sunflower Wreath
12” to 14” Grapevine Wreath
3 or 5 Sunflowers
Leaves and Berry Sprays
Floral Wire and Wire Cutters
Ribbon of choice
Use wire cutters to trim sunflowers leaving 6” or so to place the stem in wreath.
In lower left side of wreath, assemble the sunflowers together in cluster. Stick the stems into the wreath and then use the wire to secure the flowers into place.
Sunflowers
It is a beautiful flower rising up from the earth in its brilliant hues of yellow and deep brown announcing the arrival of Autumn. A native to America, the flower has a rich history among our Native Americans. They gathered sunflower seeds and used them for food, medicine and ceremonies.
The seeds were harvested from the flowerheads and encased in a shell as we see them today. The white meat inside has a tender nutty flavor.
The seeds were gathered to prepare bread and cakes by crushing and grinding them to collect the oil, they also used the meal for baking. They would add the seed meal to beans, corn and squash to add fat to their otherwise lean diet.
Sunflower butter could be made from the seeds. The seeds were roasted then pounded and ground into a fine meal. Then they will thicken and form a ball, then a thick paste. Finally, the seeds would become a smooth creamy butter that would resemble peanut butter.
They also roasted the hulls and placed them in boiling water to make a tea. Seeds were also eaten as a snack raw or toasted and added to foods as we do today.
The sunflower could be used to create the beautiful dyes with the vibrant yellow pigments. These colors could create colorful pottery and body painting. The body paint was used by some tribes as part of their ceremonies such as weddings and funerals.
Sunflowers were used for medicinal purposes as well. Any ailment from wart removal to sun stroke or snake bite. Taken orally, the oil from the sunflower can help heal mouth sores and relieve constipation. The oil was also used to treat foot fungus and soothe a sore throat. They infused the sunflower leaves into a tea used to treat the kidneys.
Sunflowers may still be used to help lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. They contain Vitamin E and other sources of nutrition. The antioxidants found in the seeds help protect cell membranes, brain cells and may lower the risks of some chronic diseases.
There is also a spiritual meaning behind the beautiful sunflower. Have you ever noticed how a sunflower always faces the sun? The sun gives the energy they need to grow and thrive. In the same way, we must fix our eyes on Jesus, God’s son, to draw strength for what we face each day. We should always have our face toward the sun. At night, the sunflower returns its “face” to the east and waits for the sun to appear the next day. In the same way, we should all have our eyes set on the east and be ready for the Son of God to return.
When the sunflower is harvested, it produces seeds. These are promises of another generation of sunflowers. We should always be sowing seeds of salvation so that we can see another generation of believers. Of course, every seed planted will not produce a flower, and every seed of salvation planted will not produce a Christian, God will always rise up some of the blossoms in the beauty of His Amazing Love.
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Think Pink!
Think Pink
Have you ever wondered how the pink ribbon became the symbol of breast cancer? Why October is recognized as Pinktober and is known as the month of Breast Cancer Awareness?
It’s the time of year for pumpkins, bonfires, apple cider, corn mazes, haunted houses, and hayrides. In the middle of celebrating falling leaves and free candy, it is also time for the ladies to display pink ribbons, sweaters, and accessories. The pink ribbon has become the symbol of breast cancer universally. It raises awareness of breast cancer and the importance of early detection, bringing women together in solidarity.
The first inspiration for ribbons occurred in 1976 when the wife of an American hostage in Iran tied yellow ribbons around the trees in her front yard as a symbol of hope that her husband would be released and return home. During the Gulf War, yellow ribbons were worn to show support for soldiers in the field. Soon after, ribbons became known as a symbol for a cause or charity.
In the early nineties, Charlotte Haley came up with the idea to use a ribbon to honor her mother, her sister, and her grandmother, who had all battled breast cancer. She created peach ribbons and distributed them in sets of five with a card that stated that the National Cancer Institute’s annual budget was $1.8 billion, with only 5% going to cancer prevention. The Editor of Self-Magazine, Alexandra Penney, was working on the October issue featuring Breast Cancer Awareness.
When Penney heard of Haley’s efforts to raise awareness, she offered her national support, but Haley refused. With Haley’s rejection, the color pink became the national color for Breast Cancer Awareness. For almost four decades, our Country has recognized October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
According to the American Association for Cancer Research, breast cancer is the most common type of non-skin cancer in women in the United States. It accounts for 30% of all new cancer cases and is second to lung cancer. About one woman in eight in the U.S. will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. Like most cancers, the risk of breast cancer increases with age. According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 310,720 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. It is estimated that 42,250 will die of the disease.
It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you live, breast cancer can touch your life. It is important to understand the warning signs and risks. Knowing your family history can save your life. If you have family members who have suffered from the disease, you and your doctor can create a plan to monitor your health and recognize signs.
Early detection is key to surviving this disease. It is also important to have a mammogram every year after the age of 40. This screening may detect early signs and symptoms and could save your life. It is also important for you to know what is normal for you, and if something doesn’t look right or feel right, see your healthcare provider.
Living a healthy lifestyle is also a good preventative. Maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol, and exercising regularly could help prevent breast and other types of cancer from invading your body.
October 18, 2024, has been designated as the day to wear pink clothing and accessories and pink ribbons to show support for breast cancer awareness and support. Stand with those who have been affected by this cancer and join in the fight to prevent it. Spread the word and tell others. Share early detection tips, and the importance of regular screenings. Honor friends and family members who are in the fight or those who have lost their fight to this dreaded disease.
It is so much more than wearing a pink ribbon. Understanding the goals behind the “Pinktober” campaign may save a life. It may be yours or the life of someone you love.
And the World Spins Madly On...
One thing I have learned as the mother of a (I can’t write the words) child that has gone to be with Jesus, there is always a yearning. There is always a place you are drawn to where you spent time with your loved one, and maybe even where you lay that precious one to rest. I feel Brody’s presence in my kitchen. We spent a lot of time talking in the kitchen. We also sat on the back porch and talked. I feel the need to go to the cemetery and sit at his grave and just feel close to him.
I was having a conversation with one of my daughters this week, and she expressed how hard it is to move on, how hard it is to go about with our daily jobs, our commitments, our vacations and routines when such a big part of us is gone. She talked about how people move on and forget. I know that people don’t actually forget. A lot of times people don’t want to upset you, or maybe they feel uncomfortable talking about your loved one. It is really hard to know what to do or say. I have been on that end of heart break as well. You want to say comforting things and erase the pain your friend or family member is suffering, and you feel so helpless. We all know that the only thing we can do is to be there for them and to pray for them.
But it is true…when the dust settles and everyone leaves and goes back to their homes, when you return to your job or daily life, you are expected to carry on. You have deadlines to meet, people to serve, teach, mentor, or whatever your life work is, and you have to go on. You do your best to step back into normal. You do the things. You put on the makeup. You smile. You laugh. You talk. You go home. Home, the place where you raised your child, the staircase where your child slid down the bannister and tried to slide down the stairs on a sled like Kevin in Home Alone. You look out the window that had to be replaced because of the bb gun hole in it, the back porch where he sat and smoked and you rolled your eyes and lectured him on the dangers of smoking, the bed where you checked on him at night and often opened the door after he was asleep just to look at him and offer up a prayer for his healing of addiction, the kitchen table where he sat across from you and smiled that goofy smile when you made him his favorites.
Everything is different now. Everything has changed. I’m just standing here, trying to hold my footing. Have you ever heard the song World Spins Madly on? It says I’m still standing still, and the world spins madly on. That’s how I feel. That’s what my daughter was feeling when she was trying to express her heartbreak. You want to be understood, yet you don’t understand it yourself. You don’t know what you want. You just want normal, and normal is something you will never have. You have to create a new normal. You have to allow your old self to feel the pain, the love, the loss, while at the same time, enjoy the newness of life in the ones that are still with you. You have to celebrate the birthdays, you have to express your feelings, your happiness and even your feelings of loss and grief. You have to have someone you can confide in. I talk to the Lord, and I talk to Brody.
Heaven is more real to me today than most of the places I have traveled to in my life. God is closer to me than many of my blood relatives that I catch up with on Facebook or talk to on the phone occasionally. My mind is on more heavenly things. Things that mattered so much this time last year are not even on my radar now. Yes, the world is spinning on and on and on. I feel stuck in this one spot. The spot where Brody lived, and I could hold him and tell him I loved him. My mind goes back to conversations we had, and I think of the things I should have said to him. I think of the times I should have gone after him and brought him home. My mind gets full of would’ves and could’ves. But you know what? It’s too late for that now.
I have to try my hardest to keep going. I know Brody is experiencing the most beautiful sites, hearing the most beautiful music. I think he is playing the guitar for Jesus, and I know that he is happy. So, I will try to be happy. I will try to smile and be in the moment with my “grands” when they want to open their valentines early. It’s just a day. I will try to love more and spend more time with my parents and my husband. I will enjoy little blessings and try to pick up my foot each day and move forward. The world is spinning. It’s getting faster and faster it seems. I’m here. I need to take Jesus by the hand and let Him steady me as the world spins madly on…
“Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feel from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?” Psalm 56:12-13
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Faithful
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Years ago I typed the church bulletin, and each Sunday morning before everyone else at my house woke up I would go to the church and make copies, fold the bulletins and get them ready for the service that day. One morning when Brody was about 3, he was awake and wanted to go with me. I took him, and we made our copies. I folded them and headed to the back of the church to lay them in their place, and I heard Brody say, "This is where Papaw Vernon lives". I looked, and he was standing on the aisle where my grandparents sat faithfully each week. As Brody stood there and looked at their seat, I realized just what an impact my grandparents had made on my young son.
My Papaw Vernon was a man of few words. He was big and strong, gentle and loving, and faithful to the House of God. Papaw wasn't a preacher or a teacher. I don't think I ever heard him speak out in church, but he was faithful to God's House. He was faithful to my grandmother. He was faithful to his family. He was faithful to the Lord.
I think too many people feel they don't have a purpose in their home church because they don't preach or teach or sing or testify, but they have a purpose. Faithfulness is a purpose in serving the Lord; faithfulness in attendance, faithfulness in Bible study and prayer, and faithfulness in standing for what is right according to God's Word. We are all called to be faithful.
We read in Romans 12:3-5, "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly them he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office. So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and everyone members of one another."
Billy Graham's parents were faithful to take him to church. I have read that Billy's father would gather a group of Charlotte Businessmen together to pray for a man from Charlotte to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. Wow, was their prayer answered! It's simple really, what we do for the Lord, what we give to the Lord is eternal.
II Timothy 1:9 says, "Who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the World began..." Christians need each other. God uses us in different ways, but we serve the same Lord. No one else can do your purpose. Each of us has a part that makes up the whole. Our old timey prayer warriors are dying out. They are getting weak and old. Who will pray for our Country? Our leaders? Our children? Our encouragers are also getting old. Who will send notes of encouragement, get well wishes, text messages to lift up those who are in the ministry? those who are sick? those who are weary?
God has already provided believers with everything we need-now and in eternity. Our practical response to Him should be our faithfulness. Faith takes us to Grace. The Lord wants to bless us, and He wants us to be a blessing to others. He has already provided. His Grace gives us Freedom. We must love Him and be faithful no matter what our circumstance.
I am so glad Brody had godly men and women in his life to show him how to live. I am glad he grew up in a church where he learned the Love of God, the penalty of sin, and the sacrifice of a Savior. I am glad he accepted the Lord as his personal Savior.
My grandparents left this world years ago. A little over a month ago, Brody went to see his Papaw Vernon where he now lives. What a reunion! I can hear my papaw's boisterous laugh as he took Brody in his arms and they stood before their faithful Savior.
I don't know about you, but I want to be found faithful when it is my time to leave this world. I want others to miss my alto notes in the choir. I want them to look down the aisle of my row at Sweetgum and say that's where Latresa sat every Sunday. Most of all, I want my Savior to welcome me by saying, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, thou hast been found faithful over a few things: enter though into the joy of the Lord."
