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The Lilly Pond |
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April
16, 2002 |
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The Lilly Pond Ezine-Volume 2 Issue 11 Greetings and thanks for subscribing to TheLillyPond.com ezine! I'm Lillian Hinds and this ezine is dedicated to all mothers, daughters and the other important women in their families. Because we respect your privacy and value your subscription, we don't share your email address with anyone. If you'd like to be removed from our mailing list, please see instructions at the end of this ezine. ================================= Volume 2 Issue 11: In the Pond This Week ================================= 1. Note to My Readers: Pond Talk 2. "I Forget" by Betty Henderson 3. How Does Your Garden Grow 4. The Commercial 5. Share The Lilly Pond 6. Contact Me ================================= 1. Note to My Readers: Pond Talk ================================= Dear Lilly Ponder: In the weeks to come, there are two exciting occasions coming up at The Lilly Pond. It was in early May last year that we launched our first ezine from The Lilly Pond. So we are coming up on our first anniversary! And as the web site and our ezines are all dedicated to mothers and daughters, we are especially excited about Mother's Day, which will be here before you know it! During the past year we have been able to publish many of your wonderful stories about mothers, daughters, grandmothers and mothers-in-law. Some of them were funny and some brought tears to our eyes. We've tried to answer some of the many letters that you have written to me requesting help in your time of trouble. The past year also saw our nation brought to its knees after the 9/11 tragedy and a return to prayer and patriotism. While our nation has struggled to heal, find its balance and deal with the prospect of future terrorism, many of you have struggled with the day-to-day issues of living and dealing with problems in your families. We've done our best to address some of these challenges in several series including My Daughter Hates Me, Stranger in My Little Girl's Room and most recently, Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child. In addition to the collective things we have experienced many of you have suffered the loss of a loved one this year, some of you have had babies, some of you have gotten married and all of us have had a birthday. It has been an eventful year. To celebrate our First Anniversary, as well as Mother's Day, I have chosen some of your favorite articles, stories, poems and letters to use in the next few weeks. As my friend, Gay, says, "It will be The Lilly Pond's Greatest Hits!" Then on Mother's Day weekend, we'll have a very special new article about my grandmother, Lillian, whom I never met. We've talked a great deal lately about bad mothers and so it is time we turned some attention to a lady that has to be considered one of the very best mothers, but perhaps not in the way we might tend to think. This will be an article you won't want to miss. We are posting a schedule of my speaking engagements during the month of May. Most of these are banquets, brunches, etc. for Mother's Day. If you are interested in attending one, send me an email at lil@thelillypond.com and I will put you in touch with the woman in that city that can give you more information regarding location, tickets, etc. If you are interested in hosting a seminar in your area, email me at that same address for more info. Also, I am excited to tell you that my book, "Always Wear Clean Underwear" is available at a few book and gift shops in Texas and Colorado. We are in the process of trying to get it distributed nationally. But until we do, click the picture of the book on the Home Page of the web site for locations. You've probably seen the beautiful "flower" figures on the cover of the book. These are designs by Suzanne Shelton of Ta-Da! Studios. You can get one of her gorgeous "flower" design greeting cards at no cost. Check the "commercial" below and the web site for details. And you'll want to check the web site for information on a fun new contest we're starting up. You can win a free copy of the New Testament as an eBook that you can put on your computer. As always, I hope you find something here that you need or something that will touch your heart. With all my heart, Lillian Hinds ================================= 2. "I forget!" by Betty Henderson ================================= Hi Lillian, I've just started reading your pages and I dearly love them. Thanks, friend, for sharing your mom. Here's my story and you're welcome to use it and my name. If it will help anyone, you can't imagine how blessed I would feel. When I was nine I was adopted. Seven years in an orphanage led to the blessings in my life today, so I'll never regret a second spent there. I had such a wonderful childhood after I was adopted. It wasn't until then that I heard the words, "I love you" for the first time. My parents had been married for some time and were unable to have kids or so it seemed. Just about 2 months after they adopted me, Mom became pregnant. They had a son who became the apple of his big sis' eye. When I had been with Mom for about a year, we saw a woman Mom hadn't seen in awhile. The woman asked Mom, "Which one is adopted?" Mom looked at both my brother and me and smiled and said, "I FORGET!" I am so blessed by our Savior to have been placed with this beautiful man and woman. Well my friend, have a blessed day and know that you are in my heart and in my prayers. Thanks for putting out the web page and know that so many lives will be touched by your hard work. God bless you, Betty Henderson ================================= 3. "How Does Your Garden Grow?" by Lillian Hinds ================================= I have been especially blessed in my life since my husband already had a grown son and daughter when we married. And then his son married a young woman who has become a good friend to me over the years. One day we were visiting over the phone and she was relating something that had caused her frustration earlier in her day. Later she called me back and had thought of something else that she wanted to tell me that had frustrated her. "I wasn't through fussing!" she exclaimed. We both laughed and finished our conversation. Later she apologized. "I know it sounds silly", she said, "but when I get angry it seems that I go all the way back to the beginning of the day and go over everything that has gone wrong." It was one of those moments when I felt that God had let His light shine into my heart and mind. Because she pinpointed exactly what I do. Only instead of doing it with a day, I do this with my entire life. Or with an entire relationship. When I am angry with a person or situation, I rehearse every time that person has made me angry. I start at the beginning and do the whole script. But the worst times are when I have become angry with God. Whenever things have gone wrong in my life, with my heart of sin I want to blame someone and God is such an easy target. After all, He is omnipotent. He could have kept this from happening to me. And on and on I whine and complain. In Hebrews 12:15 we read "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." I have let a root of bitterness grow up. And over the years, as I have rehashed and relived every bad thing that has happened in my life or in a relationship, I have encouraged a root of bitterness. And now there is a big plant. The Bible says that I have allowed it to grow up. My husband is the gardener in our family. He loves to plant, water, prune, fertilize and harvest in his gardens. It is inevitable that bad seeds come to our yard. I don't know that he can prevent them. The wind blows them or birds drop them. And it is a constant job for him to keep the weeds out and to provide a healthy place for his plants and flowers. He works on something outside every single day. He rarely misses. Because it only takes one day for a weed to get a stranglehold on a flowerbed and then he really has a chore to dig it out. And likewise, it's impossible to prevent bad things in this world of sin from coming our way. And sometimes it is difficult to prevent the bad thoughts that accompany them. But we can keep these thoughts from taking root and making a plant. We can keep them from growing up. Our verse tells us that these plants of bitterness "cause trouble and defile many." Why is that? Because when we are angry or bitter, we are pretty good about sharing that with anyone who will listen. I know I am. Then I have caused trouble. I have defiled many. I let Satan sneak a foot in the door and tell me that I have a right to be mad; I was the one who was wronged; I was the one that was hurt. And the truth is, maybe I have been wronged, maybe I truly was hurt. But that is no excuse for letting that seed take hold in my heart and mind and making a bitter plant. So what can I do? First I have to take my anger and my hurt to God. If we read in the Psalms we find that David had many emotions, both good and bad. And that he poured them all out to God. Don't be afraid to pour out your heart to God; He is our Heavenly Father and He wants us to bring everything to Him. Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." If you continue to struggle with a thought or string of thoughts, this may indicate some unresolved issues in your life. I realize that not everyone needs counseling. But if you notice that something keeps "popping up" over and over again, and you just can't seem to get past it, this may be a signal for you to go talk to someone and see if you can figure out what is wrong. John 8:32 "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free." My mentor in the field of psychology would quote this verse and remind us, "And this includes the truth about yourself." It can be difficult to let go of the past. Sometimes we actually want to nurse those wounds and coddle those thoughts. We want to keep them around us to remind ourselves of how right we are and how much we've been wronged. We don't want to face our part in a situation or relationship. I know I have done this so many times in my life. And all it accomplishes is trouble, for me and for those around me. And God must have known that this would be something that we struggle with. He reminds us in Philippians 3:13 "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead..." And In Isaiah 43:18 "And again ...forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." I am grateful to God for my daughter-in-law who brought this thought to my mind. She may not have even realized how God has used her in my life. And I am thankful that God is always ready to forgive me and love me and then let me start anew. I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." With all my heart, Lillian ================================= 4. The Commercial ================================= Ok, last week is over and the web site is ready to announce our Mother's Day special gift offer. With each purchase of my book "Always Wear Clean Underwear" you'll also get a free "flowers" greeting card. You can see the design on the web site. It's really beautiful and the design compliments the cover design on the book. This will make the perfect gift for your mother, daughter, grandmother, step-mother, mother-in-law and every other special woman in your life. Believe me, they haven't gotten something like this for Mother's Day before. Because this is the first Mother's Day that my book AND these wonderful greeting cards have been out! And as another gift from The Lilly Pond, we're going to offer FREE shipping by Priority Mail to U.S. and Canadian addresses between now and Mother's Day. Don't put it off. Go to the www.thelillypond.com and get your books on order now. With all my heart, Lillian ================================= 5. Share The Lilly Pond ================================= If you know someone who would enjoy having The Lilly Pond ezine, please feel free to forward this issue to them. If you received this ezine from a friend and you'd like to subscribe, you can go to www.TheLillyPond.com and subscribe for free or just click here to send an email to us with "SUBSCRIBE" in the Subject line. Thanks. ================================= 6. Contact Me ================================= Your comments are welcome. Click here to email me. Thanks for reading! With all my heart, Lillian ================================= |
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