Heart Hope by Olga

The Triple Bypass first day finish line was in Avon. My volunteer position was to secure the Rec Center parking lot, so that only patrons going to swim or workout could park there. I thought it was going to be a lazy afternoon, but I was mistaken. Children, cars, bikers were a constant stream as I moved the cones to allow cars entrance, answered questions and gave directions to people visiting the area. My experience showed me many facets of the people I was assisting. Some were caught up in the excitement of the afternoon's experience. Others were frustrated by their lack of preparation for their pick up positions. Still others simply wanted a good parking spot in order to please their participant. Everyone was hoping to gain entrance to the lot which was just steps away from the finish line. They expected to be let in by hoping, pleading, telling a good story or by showing the magic card. You see each of the participants was given a card for their crew allowing them ...

At first glance it seem a bit silly, but as I watched the firefighters in full uniform running to the trailer, grabbing the ladder and racing with it to place it against the firehouse it became clear that they were practicing maneuvers. I imagine that in a large metropolitan area they get plenty of opportunities every day to carry out missions by the number of calls they receive, but in our small community they have to simulate the situations, so they will be fully prepared when the calls come in for something out of the ordinary. In life we must practice before we get into certain situations too. It is important that we think through and plan out how we are going to act and react when trouble comes our way.  Troubles can come in many forms and fashions, but today I want to focus on the temptations we face. This was brought home recently when a young girl was in a situation that made her uncomfortable. She is not married and has made a commitment not to have sex ...

The young dad in front of me at Subway was taking the orders from his daughters and relaying them to the sandwich makers. It seemed like a close knit family and his three daughters were beautiful enough for me to compliment him on his brood. The younger girls wanted the smaller "kids meal" sandwich, but the 12 year old had out grown that portion and wanted a 6 inch sub. As she observed the sandwiches being made she saw the two kids sandwiches and a foot long sandwich, so she asked her dad if he had ordered hers. The dad motioned to his daughter to be quiet. It was then that it became apparent that he was going to get a foot long and split it with her and didn't want to have to be charged for 2 separate sandwiches. The simple hand gesture requesting her not to ask any questions said a great deal. To his daughter it said the he was doing something wrong, so don't bring it up. I feel that if he had been honest and said, "We are going to share the footlo...

Do you remember the movie a few years back called The Perfect Storm? It was about a fishing boat that was caught in the middle of three storms, including a hurricane. It was deadly and devastating to the characters and their families. Well, sometimes it might seem that we have a perfect storm going on in our life. When there are multiple situations that are enormous and are all hitting at the same time it can be overwhelming. When the events seem insurmountable in our eyes we have to   remember that if God is big enough to move the mountains, He is certainly big enough to take care of the storms swirling around us.    At one point I seemed to be in the middle of several storms. As I told a co-worker a little about how my life seemed to be spinning out of control as the storms converged; she encouraged me with the words, “I can’t wait to see the rainbow when it is over.” I had been so busy focusing on the storm and how God would have to perform a miracl...