Sandy Snavely's Blog, page 3

What’s Brewing – Mother’s Day

Yes, I know it’s just a day. One day out of the whole year to focus on this one thing – motherhood. It doesn’t  change anything; not really. The flowers, the brunches, the cards signed by chubby fisted children who dot their I’s with smiley faces. Precious things that we can tuck away in those secret places where memories are kept. But we all know, don’t we, that they don’t make us better moms, or worse moms, or moms who just need to try harder to measure up to the verses written by Hallmark poets. But they do give us something to consider. Something to ponder. Something to wonder about.

Like, who would we be without them, because children change us. Our priorities. Our plans. Our  politics. Our passions. Our pleasures. They cause us to think about someone other than ourselves. They make us small. Very small. And they turn us into dreamers. When we look at those squirmy bundles of baby flesh, all wrinkly, and smelling like fresh powder, we can’t help but believe the world is about to be a  better place just because they’re in it. We see potential for good in their eyes, and we hear the  hope for our future bubbling up in their laughter.

And so everything we have becomes theirs for the taking. Our joy. Our peace. Our patience. Our sleep. Our hearts. Our faith.  All theirs. And wanting only one thing in return; to know that they have found the one thing that matters. Jesus. Because, when all is said and done and sorted through; He’s all we’ve got to give them. He’s all we’ve got to leave them.

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4

Happy Mother’s Day,

Love and joy, Sandy

 

What’s Brewing – Mother’s Day was first posted on May 9, 2015 at 8:50 pm.
©2013 "Life Over Latte". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at sandy.snavely@frontier.com

What’s Brewing – When They Cry for Me

My dear friends, this week’s post is perhaps one of the most lovely, heart wrenching, and hopeful posts you will ever read on my website. And none of the words are mine. Today, I have chosen to share an update from Bonnie, written just hours before surgery. If you’ve ever felt unsure about life, fearful of your future, humbled by your circumstances, or wondering if there is a God who sees, and hears, and cares, I encourage you to take every word of this post to heart. And remember –  He loves you!

“When they cry for me”

Surgery tomorrow May 6th 2015

A long time lunch appointment had been delayed many times, but this time, it was to be Friday. Before words were exchanged, all that separated us was the booth. She could not control the tears that flowed from her eyes. All I could do was hold the audible cry, and keep it in, as I too, could not control the tears. Her compassion, and depth of love was visible and wrapped me like a warm blanket on a cold day.

It was so so good to see each other face to face, and I knew she knew, what I had been going through all along. The booth could not separate us…. we got up, and embraced, with no words.

Or…….at the grocery store, after picking my daughter up from the airport yesterday, we picked up a few groceries for her dreaded colonoscopy. Right behind us in the check out lane, was a precious woman from our church. She saw me, and instantly …… her love poured out like a beautiful waterfall……. hugging me when both our eyes met.  She was buying ME a card to let me know she was praying, and how much she loved me.

I usually wear a wig when I go out…. sometimes I just get tired of it, or it is too hot. On Saturday was such a day. I had to run into the hardware store…. as I was doing my 1,000 projects before my surgery, and can’t lift my arms for a couple weeks….. or …. I should say…. Power Wash. I love to Power Wash….  my deck, all the flat work, and make things look “clean” after the long winter months. But I also needed to stain the deck, and fix a lawnmower tire.

“Larry” had tattoos all over his arm, piercings, and was a bit large, but wore his apron proudly, and I so happen to catch him in the aisle as I was looking for an “external spring pliers.” I could tell when he looked at me with my hat on, that he knew… maybe he had someone in his family….. and talked to me like a gentle giant, calling me “Sweetheart” and showed me where everything was that I needed. He was tender.

I am overwhelmed by people’s kindness. The cards, with deep heart felt words, and phone calls, ( I have recorded onto a recorder so I will never forget the way their love is expressed through words.)

Going to get my nails done, (I could not think of it before because of the chemo was too risky for infection) but here she was, ready for me, doing my nails and my toes! What a treat, and refused to take my check. Not only that, but she and her co worker, bought a huge beautiful hanging basket. I was so embarassed and humbled….. I have not been too good at being the recipient of such kindness. Thank you Wendy

Between my buddy Lin always daily checking in on me, delivering bread, tender prayers, my covenant group, my loving kids, and incredible husband, the daily txts, and reassuring voices, the weekly cards, I feel like the most blessed woman on earth.

Thank you to each of you who have given your love away so abundantly!

My surgery will take place at Porltand Adventist. Tomorrow. May 6th 2015. 1 pm 

I would covet your prayers for my surgeon, plastic surgeon, and anesthesia.I am asking God for negative nodes for cancer. I have His presence so strong, and I do have peace.

Peace is a gift. But for me that Peace only comes from knowing Jesus, and His word that comforts my soul.Many dark nights I have read the Bible with my flashlight, giving me comfort of these Eternal Words. “I will never leave you”

Many things happen we would not choose for ourselves. I am inspired by lives who have lived a life of pain, yet somehow they have surrendered their lives to trust God in the most difficult things. We can always ask “why” but will never be given an explanation this side of heaven. We don’t know why. I love the quote, “Be the sunshine in someones day, you may be the only light they see.”

I am reminded of Amy Carmichael, grew up in a wealthy home in the late 1800’s. The family lost their money and her father died. Amy came across an impoverished woman, begging in the street. Amy wanted to help her but was embarrassed. It bothered her that she lacked the courage to ignore people judging her for helping. It was later that night she surrendered her life to God , and embraced a life attitude of being a servant to whomever needed her help.

Amy ended up living a single life, and devoted herself to rescuing young girls in India who were sex slaves for the Hindu temple worship. The first girl she rescued was 5 years old. She escaped the temple in the middle of the night. My granddaughter Scarlett is 3 1/2.

Amy ended up building a sanctuary for 1,000 young girls. Its amazing how some things stay the same. Abuse, Violence. It is also amazing what one woman, who made up her mind not to be a victim, but to look life in the face, and chose to change it.

One night when it was dark, Any was walking around the Fellowship sanctuary, and fell into a dark pit that was used for garbage. It had been freshly dug out, and Amy had no idea it was there until she fell in the pit. It was deep. Amy broke her leg, and twisted her spine. She spent the next 20 years in bed, and wrote some of her finest work.

It is a mystery how some can face such challenges, and still praise God, and serve him. I want to be that kind of woman. I have to admit, that I would not be honest with the fear that this cancer will come back after chemo, and surgery. Tomorrow, any one of us could have a life altering diagnosis.

I remember when I was driving to Clackamah Town Center, with my wig on, thinking, it seemed only a few days ago, I was carefree, and had no health worries at all. I did not know that I was carrying this cancer in my body for the last 4 to 10 years. Life can change on a dime. I thought to myself, “I just want to forget about this for just an hour, and go shop carefree” Not to be.

I want to make the very best of a difficult challenge, and ask God to use the broken pieces to sooth another soul. That happens to me daily, with those who have lived with enormous pain in their lives.

God sees all, knows all. I am in Good Hands. I am in Gods Hands.

I am reminded again of a song that I wrote for a mom who lost her daughter. The song is ” Every Moment.”

Ps 139:7

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8  If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

9  If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10  Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

11  If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall [a]  on me,”

Even the night shall be light about me;

12  Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You

For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

14  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; [b]

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15  My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16  Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

17  How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

18  If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.

Blessings to you all,  Bonnie Knopf

What’s Brewing – When They Cry for Me was first posted on May 6, 2015 at 6:13 am.
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What’s Brewing – Making a Fuss

I’ve been thinking this morning of what it means to be made much of and how for the first part of my life – I liked it. I wanted it. I worked for it. Being the center of attention gave me a sense of worth. A place of belonging. An affirmation of being loved.

But time has passed. Life’s changed. I’ve changed. And my birthday is coming – that time of year when people make a fuss. Cake. Flowers. Presents. Party hats. Hilarious cards where wrinkly old people with wacky hair and outdated shoes, toast the day with a glass of Metamucil and a bran muffin.

The numbers are switching quickly. Sixty-eight will become sixty-nine, leaving me with just twelve short months to cling to what remains of this sixth decade of life.

Some will say it’s just a number. But, it’s a BIG NUMBER. It’s a number that has more numbers behind it than in front of it; a fact that has me far more thoughtful than depressed. Because numbers are a good thing when counted correctly. When they go up – it’s addition. When they go down – it’s subtraction. From that perspective – I’m not really growing old, I’m simply moving up. Up to maturity. Up to contentment. Up to that kind of unselfishness that chooses to spread the love around while I make much of others instead of expecting others to make much of me.

So, please, no surprise parties. No balloons. No streamers. No fuss. Just let me enjoy the quiet reflections of a life that has been written into history by the Author of Life. Let me remember my journey that I may know the righteous acts of my God (Micah 6:5). Let me number my days that I may apply my heart to wisdom (Psalm 90:12). Let me ponder these things and treasure them in my heart (Luke 2:19). And let me listen, closely and quietly, and see if I can hear the Lord rejoicing over me with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

And, of course, let me eat cake while I taste and see that God is good (Psalm 34:8).

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

His mercies never come to an end

They are new every morning

New every morning

Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord.

Great is Thy faithfulness.

What’s Brewing – Making a Fuss was first posted on April 21, 2015 at 8:19 am.
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What’s Brewing – Time

I’ve been feeling hard pressed for TIME lately. My schedule is packed to the brim. I wake up in the morning with all my ‘to do’s’ hovering over me, like spoiled bosses, waiting for me to rise up and do their bidding. Then, I re-read an email from a precious friend . . .

TIME – The word stands alone.. It can mean so many things.

April 10th, 2015, will be my last Chemo, Number 8, Lord willing. I started on Jan 2, 2015. Two weeks apart.

As I started this journey, a few weeks before Christmas with my diagnosis, my life as I understood it before,  changed in three words… “I have cancer”

A flurry of words, diagnosis, tests, biopsy’s, tears, insurance, HER, Estrogen, Progesterone, Lobular, Surgeon, Plastic Surgeon, Radiologist, Oncologist, Lab work, Surgery of Port, IV, Oncologist IV Nurses, Tears, Shaving off my hair, Wigs, How can this be happening, Questions, Digging deep in Gods word, Tears, and More digging deep…… and building a community of people I had never been in the circle with. My heart is deeply connected to those struggling with any disease that they have come up against. All ages, all sorts of disease.

We don’t sign up for this, but it somehow enlisted me, and TIME became even more precious. I use to think about what it would feel like to grow old, and the fear of the aging process, now I look at growing old as a Blessing and Privilege should the Lord allow me to walk on this earth that long. Meantime, I will appreciate today, and bundle you all close to my heart as your prayers and kindness has been the wind to my back.  

I face surgery on May 6th, just weeks away. The chemo is Phase 1, Surgery will be Phase 2. I leave you with this thought: 

“Jesus is NO security against the storm

He is the perfect security “In” the storm

Never an easy passage, but safe landing” 

Annie Flint”

TIME, is a sobering thing. It’s a gift given by Giver of Life. An open door of opportunities. A blank page. A game changer. A reason to begin again. A mercy waiting to grasped. A breath of fresh air. A word that matters.

I pray as you ponder the meaning of TIME with me today, that you will join me in praying for Bonnie’s continuing journey as we listen to a song she wrote in a TIME when she had no idea how much we would all need it today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJDqfVbJ6Xc

Thank you Bonnie, for sharing your story with us. Your love for God, your kindness, your mercy, your beautiful voice, and that smile that warms a thousand hearts, has blessed our hearts today.

Love and joy, Sandy

 

What’s Brewing – Time was first posted on April 12, 2015 at 7:59 am.
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What’s Brewing – All Things New

Yes! My website has been all made new! And it couldn’t have come at a more a appropriate time! The time when we celebrate new life, new hope, and new joy. The time when we shed our wintered, wearied, selves and dance in the sunbeams of spring.

I stood on our deck yesterday and watched the Hostas rise up from the wet dirt and stretch their bright green leaves out wide like a bunch of old men who just woke up from a very long nap (minus the yawning, the scratching, and the crazy hair). The Clematis’s are all budded and ready to cover our fence with color. Birds have moved in to fill our trees with songs. And even though the spring rains continue to interrupt my dreams of sitting by the pond with my laptop and  latte, while I finish the sequel to Ellie’s Window, nevertheless, I feel the power of new life pulsing within me.

But, it isn’t just because spring has sprung and winter has lost its battle to kill my love for sunshine. It’s because the Author of life has proven once again that He hasn’t yet finished His story. In you. Or in me.

Easter is here my friends. A great reminder that life springs from death. And every new leaf that breaks through the dried, moss covered twigs, unfolding all fresh, and green, and new, reminds us that because He lives – we live too.

So dance, and sing, and spread your joy! He is risen! He is risen indeed!

And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:5

Love and joy, Sandy

An Easter Greeting for you

 

What’s Brewing – All Things New was first posted on April 4, 2015 at 7:55 am.
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What’s Brewing – Trust Me More!

Every year I ask God to give me a word that will help me to keep my thoughts focused on Him. And every year, usually around mid-December, He does. Except for this year. By early January I still had nothing. Nada. Zip. Perhaps that’s because, by the time summer rolled around last year, I had somehow managed to forget the word I so enthusiastically received when that Still Small Voice whispered into my spirit saying, “This year, Sandy, I want you to discover what it means to minister to Me; to bless Me.”

So, when my friend, Connie told me how God literally spoke a word to her in the middle of the night, I felt a wave of jealousy niggling through my ego, you know, the kind that grumbles on the inside saying, that’s because Abba likes her best. I know. Pathetic. What can I say; insecurity becomes me when I toss Biblical logic to the wind.

Then, when my heart was hungry to hear, it came. Trust Me More!

And that was it. Crisp. Clear. And simple. Trust Me MORE.

But, MORE than WHAT? More than Mother Nature? More than finding a thousand new ways to eat kale? More than having the Republicans run the White House?

MORE than WHEN? More than I did when I was in Africa? More than I did the day I gave my heart to Jesus? More than I do right now?

MORE than WHO? More than David when he stepped up to Goliath with nothing but a sling shot and five smooth stones? More than Moses when he stepped into the Red Sea? More than Peter when he stepped out of the boat?

Yes. MORE than these!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.   Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

What’s Brewing – Trust Me More! was first posted on February 14, 2015 at 8:13 am.
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What’s Brewing – This New Year

When it comes to new calendars – I’m a goofball. Every year I search for a calendar that will match my kitchen and express how I feel about playing with food. But, I think it’s more than that. Finding the perfect calendar is like peeking through the curtains and hoping to catch a glimpse of what’s ahead, even though I kind of know what’s ahead – three hundred and sixty-five more days of schlepping through life with lists of things to do, people to see, and countless fires to extinguish. Three hundred and sixty-five days of beds to make, meals to plan, and a sinister scale that heckles me without mercy. Nevertheless, I search for a new calendar.

Life is hard, my friends. It tugs at your soul, messes with your mind, and stomps all over your faith. And the calendar pages just keep turning. Then, I came across a quote from Mother Teresa, the tiny woman who spent her life caring for the poorest of the poor. “God, give me permission to use You without consulting You.” 

I have to say, that prayer scares me nearly half to death. Because I’ve done it. I’ve used God without consulting Him. And though my use of Him may well have brought about good, nevertheless, it was done without asking. Without seeking. Without knocking. I just saw the need and headed straight into it as if I were able to cure life without the Life Giver. Oh, He was still there. Still listening. Still helping. Still loving. Still caring. Still guarding. Still protecting. But – did I see Him? Or did I just see me trying to fill my empty cup with sand?

So, my new calendar is on the wall. Filled with blank squares all waiting to be filled in. But, this new year isn’t as much about new beginnings, as it is about new opportunities to consult the God who turns the pages. To partner with Him in His eternal plan. To ask, and knock, and seek Him when the sun comes up, and thank Him when the sun goes down. No more schlepping. Lots more praising the God whose mercies are new every morning and who leads us out of darkness into His incredible light.

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NLB

May this new year be blessed with night splitting light and mercy driven days to the praise of His glory.

Love and joy, Sandy

What’s Brewing – This New Year was first posted on January 7, 2015 at 5:47 am.
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What’s Brewing – A Little Christmas From Me to You

Dear Friends,

May your Christmas be filled with memories in the making! Thank you for following my blog and for entering into my life and depositing the treasures of your friendship into my heart. So, for you at this amazing time of year; a little Dean Martin, a look into the Snavely home with all its Christmas wrappings, and the dream of a White Christmas that will cover your world in a shimmering of blanket of fresh hope.

Love and joy, Sandy

http://www.sandysnavely.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/White-Christmas.mp4

 

What’s Brewing – A Little Christmas From Me to You was first posted on December 24, 2014 at 7:57 am.
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What’s Brewing – Home for Christmas

It was a great plan. Sizzling with thoughts of sun thawing out our wintered bones. Of sinking into the warm waters of the Hawaiian surf. Of pineapple, and shrimp, and the rich taste of Ahi; crusted on the outside; pink and luscious on the inside. And it was wonderful. But now it’s time to go home. Home for Christmas.

As lovely as this trip has been, my thoughts have turned all motherish; filled with pictures of Christmas Past and longing for new memories of Christmas Present. And so there is this sinking feeling that we might not make it home. Home for Christmas. Because sometimes flying Space A is about as unpredictable as a five year old high on sugar and Santa.

And I wonder. When the birth pangs began – did Mary long for home? Did she wrap her arms around her belly and cry for the warmth and wisdom of the woman who gave birth to her? But there she was amid a stable, a manger, midnight air breezing through the weather worn slats of wood, and a husband who had never helped a woman through the birth process before. Sometimes a girl just needs her mom. And a mom just needs to be needed by her daughter. The Jewish community was closely knit, in culture, in religion, and in relationships threaded together through countless generations. On this first Christmas night Mary and Joseph must have felt like an unraveled sweater with no way to weave back into the place that had forever been their home.

If the flights heading across the Pacific don’t cooperate with our wishes, we may not make it Home for Christmas. We may spend Christmas Eve here in the terminal with vending machine meals and the Hallmark movie channel reminding us of what we’re missing. Home; with all the trimmings of sparkling décor, cats sleeping on the top of our sofa, the dining room table all set for the feast, and the sound of our daughter’s gentle knocking on our front door. Our daughter needs us to be Home for Christmas as much as her mother needs at least one of her kids to come Home for Christmas.

And yet, there is something about that manger, that midnight sky, and the lowing of cattle and the gentle baa of sheep, that cause me to wonder what it’s like for Mary now, with two thousand Christmases wedged between December 25th, 2014, and the night it all began. The needs that seemed too heavy to bear have all been satisfied in the promises that seemed impossible to fulfill.

And so here I am – in a terminal filled with unfamiliar faces all hoping to make their way Home for Christmas. And the chances are very good that we will. But it’s comforting to consider how small these interruptions are in the big scheme of things. The needs of my mother’s heart run deeper than any one Christmas can conceive. Like roots struggling to make their way to the water, my longings for my children run deep in the promises fulfilled by the birth of Mary’s baby. They remain independent of what I can buy, or bake, or wrap in pretty paper. They wait in prayer and rejoice in hope. Hope that we’ll all make it Home, safe, and sound, and singing, Glory God in the Highest!

“Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever and ever, praising your greatness from generation to generation.”

What’s Brewing – Home for Christmas was first posted on December 20, 2014 at 1:16 pm.
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What’s Brewing – Waiting for Words

“The good news is, Zachariah, God has heard your prayers and your wife Elizabeth will have a child, and this child is going to be amazing; he will be the one who will announce the coming of the Son of God. The bad news is – because you didn’t believe my words, you will have no words. You will be silent until your child is born.” Luke 1: 13 – 20; SSV (Sandy Snavely Version).

I wonder, if like me, Zachariah was full of words. I wonder if when he and his fellow priests were in deep debate about the jots and tittles of life, Zach just had to have the last and final word. I wonder if he woke up talking and went to bed yammering in his sleep. I wonder if all Jerusalem knew that if, Zachariah was thinking it, he was saying it.

Then silence. No words. Only thoughts without sound. I feel like that this morning. A dear friend emailed me last night with the news that she has cancer. Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer to be precise. And I have no words. No tears. No emotion. Just silence – in every available format.

I feel as if God reached in, twisted the knob, and shut off the flow, so I could hear Him whisper to my grieving, fearful, and wordless heart, ” Sandy, be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10).

In the quiet, wordless world of Zachariah, there was nothing for him to do but listen. Then, nine months later, an infant’s first cry shattered the silence and Zachariah’s first words erupted in shouts of praise. And six months later a virgin named Mary listened to her infant child as He drew His first breath of mortal air. The silence between God and man was broken, while millions of angels filled the skies with greater shouts of praise. ”

“Glory to God in highest heaven,

and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2:14

For today, in this time of silence, there is that still small voice whispering peace to my soul. Wait, Sandy. Wait until you see My power displayed in My servant, Bonnie. Wait. Watch. Trust. Believe. Store up your words for shouts of praise. Wait. Wait. Wait.  And so, for now, we wait; in God approved silence. In that place where groaning rises up in prayer. What goes up must come down. To the praise of our Eternal God.

Love and joy, Sandy

What’s Brewing – Waiting for Words was first posted on December 14, 2014 at 10:30 am.
©2013 "Life Over Latte". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at sandy.snavely@frontier.com