03.09.10
Posted in Blessings, Inspirational, Joy, Love, Special Needs, Thankfulness at 10:36 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
This past weekend I was blessed with spending my Sunday afternoon at a local Special Needs home. One of my special needs angels, Kelly, from Sunday School moved to this home a few months ago. The smile on her face when Ty, Samantha and I walked in was priceless. She is so happy there and introduced us to all of her friends. Here is this home filled with young adults who, to the rest of the world, cannot participate in normal life due to their disabilities but yet this house was filled with so much happiness and love that it should be a corner stone for all of our homes.
We had so much fun meeting Kelly’s friends and walked away with many new friends of our own … truly special angels. Jennifer stole our hearts. She is in a wheelchair, has slightly slurred speech with her eyes not being able to focus straight ahead but she is so smart! The kindness and love within her well let’s just say that I wish the world was filled with Jennifers! Brandon is incredible. He is, I believe, 17 and has Down Syndrome and loves the Cubs. He kept tapping Ty on the knee saying, “right guy?” smiling and laughing so much it was contagious. Then there was Michelle, Kelly’s roommate, who is down-right hysterical. She also has Down Syndrome so her heart flows of love and happiness but also with a twist of sarcastic humor. She had us in stitches not to mention she kept staring at Ty because “she likes the boys” so they say. Then there is Robert who is probably the biggest Elvis fan I’ve ever met! His room is filled with full size Elvis cut-outs, posters, pillows, blankets, CDs, etc. and a wall full of medals from the Special Olympics. He also has Down Syndrome and I was honored when he was telling me he has a few girlfriends special to him and now I am one of them too. These are the special gifts in life, you know?
Towards the end of our visit Jennifer showed Samantha her room and I stayed out in the main area visiting with Brandon and Kelly. They then came back and Samantha said, “Mommy, do you want to see Jennifer’s room?” I said, “Absolutely!” I followed Jennifer as she rolled herself thru the turns in the hallway as if it was nothing to maneuver that wheelchair. She began showing me some things on her bookshelf. I noticed one of the girls had followed us into her room. I had seen her lying on the couch but staying to herself the whole time that we were there. She then began to slowly come towards me a little at a time until she was standing right in front of me. Jennifer then told me that she was deaf and blind. The girl reached out her hand to me. I took her hand in mine and my heart shouted loudly, “hug her!!!” So I hugged her with a big hug holding her for a minute. When I stepped back, she placed her hand directly on my heart. I saw a peace come over her face and love was felt in the room at a dimension that I cannot describe in words. Tears formed in my eyes when I realized what had just happened … without me saying a single word, she felt who God made me to be thru my heart. It’s what drew her near me and what allowed her to perfectly place her hand directly on my heart without being able to see and without someone having to guide her to where it was. Another simple truth – this my friends is exactly how we need to live. We need to live so that others can feel us thru the heart of who we are without a single word or a single touch.
Sunday forever changed the kids and my lives because that day we were all touched by an angel, actually by many! Our hearts will never be the same and I am so very thankful! May you live so that your heart can be felt because it has “Something to Say”. (If you haven’t ever heard the song “Something to Say” by Matthew West I recommend listening to it or looking up the lyrics. That song just dropped in my heart earlier today and when I just listened to the lyrics I about fell off my chair because it sums up this entire blog :) God is awesome!
With Much Love,
Sandi Rauwolf
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02.24.10
Posted in Blessings, Challenges and Strengths, Faith, Heart Tugs at 10:22 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
Chris and I were watching Bruce Almighty over the weekend and there was a part that went right to my heart … Be the Miracle. Click here to watch the clip. It’s only 35 seconds long so please take a few seconds to watch it before reading on.
Our society tends to look for miracles like a parting of the sea (or a parting of the soup like in Bruce Almighty LOL) when the reality is that we are surrounded by miracles every day but are we looking for them? Are we striving to be the miracle by not letting life bring us down – continuing to fight the fight no matter what we face? The world has a way of trying to distract, frustrate, or discourage us so we miss what is right under our noses. It’s like what happened to me last week on a trip home from Philly.
I had a 5:20 pm flight back to Chicago on Thursday. I’ve made the trip back and forth between the two cities enough times that I had the timing down pat, or so I thought! I head out and was smoothly moving along interstate 95 when suddenly I hit traffic. I wait patiently while traffic inches along and “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas plays on the radio. I look at the clock and hope the traffic will soon clear which it did. After about 10 more minutes I hit another patch of heavy traffic, this time I felt a little bit of worry trying to creep up. “No! All will be fine,” I thought. The traffic then cleared, “thank you!” Well about 10 minutes later I hit another patch of heavy traffic. The odd part is there is no reason why the traffic is heavy – no accidents or construction slowing things down. I guess another example of Murphy’s law trying to play out in my life.
I had about an hour until my flight so felt the nerves really trying to rise up in my stomach. I rented from a different car rental place than normal and made the mistake of assuming the return would be onsite at the airport, bad assumption! I managed to drive around the airport a few times wasting time that I certainly didn’t have to spare. I didn’t see it anywhere! I knew I had to find a place to pull over on this constant moving path of rental car return lanes to grab the paperwork from my laptop in the trunk. I pull over, park on the road, jump out quickly to grab the paperwork and slid back into the front seat. I grab the receipt which is barely legible due to a printer cartridge they had yet to change. I call the number shown and hear a recording saying that the number is no longer being used. “B-E-A…Utiful,” I think! I find the address, punch it into my GPS which manages to take me on some wild jaunt away from the place I need to be. Okay this is really trying to get my goat as the saying goes but I say, “Nope! If I’m suppose to be on this plane then I will be!” I say a quiet prayer in my head, “God if you want me on this flight, please send your angels to help me along because without them I’m pretty much going in circles like a dog chasing his tail. Amen.”
Well, I felt in my heart to dig more into the paperwork and see a note with directions to the drop-off facility which is off-site from the airport .. good to know! I find my way back to interstate 95 so I can use the directions on the printed form. Well, I FINALLY find it, pull into the lot and don’t see anyone around. I turn off the car and go to open the car door and suddenly as if out of nowhere there is a gentleman ready to check my car back in – thank you for angel #1! I then thought, “Oh I hope there is a bus here so I don’t have to wait.” Just as the thought crosses my mind, I look up to see the bus driver literally in a jog heading towards me with a big smile on his face. He says, “Don’t worry honey I will get you there on time.” I got chills because this man had no way of knowing I was close to missing my flight – thank you for angel #2! I load onto the bus and there are about 7 gentlemen sitting staring at me. Based on the looks on their faces it is obvious they should have been well on their way and not waiting for another passenger … me!
I now have about 40 minutes until flight time and I keep telling myself, “If I’m meant to be on this flight then I will be.” We begin approaching different airlines and Southwest is next – yay! Well just as we begin to pull out and head towards Southwest it was like one of those huge magnets you see in junk yards to pick-up cars was placed in front of us because cars from every direction came from no where to box us in. He says “what in the world!” I thought, “Yep, welcome to my life,” as I smiled shaking my head. I again told myself, “If I’m meant to be on this flight then I will be.” About that time he managed to pull off the impossible. I still do not know how he was able to reposition that bus and get out of a situation that was packed tighter than a can of sardines but I was thankful! He helps me get my luggage. I hand him a tip saying, “thank you!” as I run to get my baggage checked in. I walk up and a kiosk had just opened, “Yes!” I thought. As I punched in my confirmation number on the touch screen a bell went off. The lady behind the counter was smiling and says, “Looks like we have a winner.” She then said, “It is less than 30 minutes to flight time so we cannot guarantee your luggage will get on the flight.” I asked what the chances were and she said, “Let’s just hope for the best,” as she smiled. I thought, “That is exactly right!” I said, “thank you” as I turned to run towards the security check-in at which time she said, “Miss, do you have your boarding pass?” I stopped dead in my tracks, “Uhhh, I didn’t pick it up out of the tray!” I looked at her and she pointed to the tray. I hurriedly grabbed it and said, “Thank you so much, you are a life saver!” She just smiled at me with a kind unspoken look that said “I’m happy I could help.” Thank you for angel #3!
Okay it is now 23 minutes until my flight. I have not gone thru security yet and it will take me at least 10 minutes to walk to the gate. Security always takes me awhile because I have two shoulder replacements and a right-hip replacement which sets off every light and alarm drawing attention as if I just hit 777 on a slot machine. I am jogging as best as I can with 3-inch heeled boots (not to mention a hip replacement which clearly is synonymous for NO RUNNING and not just because most people who have them are 80 – I know doc – sorry!). I turn the corner to the security area and there in front of me is a maze of people filling the security lanes. I thought, “There is no way this is happening.” It will take 30 minutes just to get thru the line not to mention the security process. My heart reminded me, “If I am meant to be on this flight then I will be.” I just finish that thought and look up to see a long arm of a tall-friendly African American gentleman pointing me to a specific lane off to my left. I followed it and it was a side lane that took me right up to the security lane. Wow, that was awesome – thank you for angel #4!
I get thru security and quickly glance at my ticket. I saw “A” so started heading (or shall I say running) to gate A. My heart then said, “Look at your ticket again.” So I did and gasped, “Gate E!” which happens to be on the complete opposite side of gate A. I am running back to the area where I came from and really wishing I had wings or something because the gate seemed to be a mile away. About that time I heard my name being announced over the intercom so I started going faster. There was one guy behind me running for the same flight. We were the last two to board the plane. The plane was full but I saw two ladies sitting right behind the emergency exit row with a seat open in the middle. I asked them if I could please sit there. The lady said, “No problem, actually why don’t I just scootch over because her and I are traveling together anyway.” I smiled and said, “Thank you so much!” I got settled into my seat and let out a big sigh of relief – I made it, whew!
A gentleman was trying to force his suitcase in the compartment above our heads. No matter what he did, he can’t seem to get it to fit. He then takes the two coats of the ladies in my row out and said, “Do you mind holding these because they will not fit with the luggage?” She took them hesitantly. I turned to her and said, “I’m so sorry, here you did something nice for me and now they are putting more stuff back in your lap.” About that time the flight attendant smiled and took the coats to find a place in another bin so she wouldn’t be troubled for her kindness. The gentleman continued to try and get the suitcase to fit. My heart said, “Look up NOW!” I look up to see this big skateboard with big wheels fly out of the compartment above my head. I didn’t have time to react so just held my breath waiting for the thump. Suddenly there was this hand that came out of nowhere that caught it literally out of mid-air saving it from cracking me right in the head! I am on blood thinners so a crack to the head from a skateboard like that could have been really bad. Everyone around me was saying, “Nice catch!”, “How in the world did you just catch that?”, “No way that just happened, that’s impossible”. It was that same feeling you experience when watching Superman and he flies in just in the knick of time to save the day. “Wow!” I thought, thank you for angel #5!
They finally got the compartment closed, skateboard and all and the rest of our flight was uneventful. Once we landed in Chicago while I was standing in the aisle I felt my heart tug me to turn around to see the gentleman who caught the skateboard. I turned around and there stood a familiar gentleman standing there just smiling at me. I smiled back as my heart cried out saying, “thank you!” but the words wouldn’t come out (that is a first for me! LOL) but I knew my heart spoke right to this kind gentleman’s heart somehow. Well, I kept smiling and squinted my eyes just a little thinking, I know him from somewhere. He continued to smile a very proud smile like he was so glad he could help. I turned around as the line began moving forward while we exited the plane and I recalled where I had seen him before, my jaw dropped. He was in one of my dreams a few weeks back, a dream where I had a team of angels helping me. He was one of the angels and was sitting in the row behind me just like he was on the plane today. I have chills as I type this! See there are miracles around us everywhere but are we looking for them? Are we asking God for guidance and believing He will send it? Or are we getting frustrated in situations missing all that is right in front of us? If I would have focused on all the challenges that day I would have completely missed all the guidance and help that was sent. I am thankful I saw past what the world was sending me and stayed focused on what God was sending me – it made all the difference.
May you see the miracles around you and may you live your life to BE THE MIRACLE, it’s up to you – Life’s waiting so what’s it gonna be? Blessings!
Much love to you all!
Sandi Rauwolf
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01.24.10
Posted in Challenges and Strengths, Faith, Inspirational, Personal Perspective, Self Reflection at 8:40 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
Last night Chris took down the snowmen that were lining our sidewalk with light going to our front door. They are solar powered but have switches that allow you to turn them off. The weather has been snowy and wet so he placed them on a white towel on the table to dry over night. This morning I walked downstairs fairly early. It was still dark outside and there on the table were the four snowmen. Three didn’t have their lights on but one little snowman had light shining really bright. My eyes immediately focused on the one lit up, he was so beautiful. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.
He brought this beautiful, soft light to a dark room just being there on that table. He had a smile on his face and although he didn’t say a word, light radiated from every part of him. He brightened the room and made me smile. What a great thing to walk downstairs to this morning. I was sharing with Chris that I thought it was so neat how this one little snowman stayed lit up even though the others didn’t. He said it was lit up because its switch was broken. I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “Well there is a button on top you have to push to turn it off. That one you can keep pushing the button but it doesn’t turn off.” I thought that is a good word! Most people would think he’s broken but I think he is perfect! It’s our perspective that needs to be fixed, not him. He is exactly the way he is supposed to be; actually that little snowman is exactly how all of us are supposed to be.
People and things in life are going to push our buttons over and over again but if we continue to focus upward and keep going, our faith will grow and soon no one will be able to take away our joy no matter how many times our buttons are pushed.
I wanted to take a picture of these snowmen to post with my blog and something interesting happened. The three snowmen with their lights off were lying with their faces up and in a position that looked like they were standing. But, the one with the light, well no matter what I did to try and get him to face the same way as the others, he kept turning as if he was walking forward. Here’s the picture:
It amazes me how we can learn so much thru the simple things that surround us every day like these snowmen. A few things that came to my heart were:
1) We can make a difference by letting the light of who we were made to be shine without a single word. Be true to who you were made to be.
2) Our eyes are drawn to that light instinctively and as a result we look past the bad that may be surrounding us. It’s up to us if we leave our eyes focused on the one that’s lit up or the three that aren’t. Remain focused on the good – be thankful for what you do have and quit looking at what you don’t have.
3) People and circumstances in life will push our buttons but it is up to us if we will allow it to dim or turn off the light within our hearts. We have a choice to focus on how much our buttons are being pushed or to focus on ensuring at the end of the day we were able to stay true to who we were made to be (i.e. be the bigger person – not getting angry, bitter, judgmental, or saying/doing something we regret, etc.). Don’t focus on the person or thing in life trying to bring you down, focus on being who you were made to be and let God work on them.
Inner reflection – where’s your focus? Is it on the snowman lit up or on the three that aren’t? If you are in a place where you feel overwhelmed or want to better your life, I encourage you to begin focusing your eyes and thoughts on what is good. If you continue to look for the bad things then that is all you see (that gets exhausting and overwhelming), but if you choose to focus your eyes and mind on what is good then soon that is all you see. You then realize the truth – it wasn’t your circumstances that had to change, it was your perspective.
With much love,
Sandi Rauwolf
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12.25.09
Posted in Blessings, Christmas, Encouragement, Inspirational, Joy, Love, Uncategorized at 2:57 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
This entire Christmas season it has been on my heart, if we all had the Spirit of the Season within us every day of the year we would truly live in a different world and what a wonderful world it would be! It’s not about the commercialism, the gifts, not event the traditions … it’s about the Spirit of our hearts, that heart tug. Chris just said to me, “I can’t believe Christmas is already over.” He then said exactly what has been on my heart this month. He said, “You know, as soon as Thanksgiving is over everyone’s attitude seems to change. They began to be a little nicer, think a little differently, they give unselfishly to others, they are happy and kind.” He then paused and said, “Once Christmas is over, things change and go back to the way they were.” Then I said, “Yes, wouldn’t it be great if every day people could have the heart they do at Christmas.” He said, “Yeah, like the end of that movie Scrooged. Once you have that feeling, you want it every day.” I smiled and said, “My thought exactly!!!”
Here’s the clip he’s talking about (Warning: clip is from You Tube so I did not create it thus could not edit – it includes adult language at the end of the clip, view at your own discretion):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Rq50NFgCc
My heart then talked to me a little louder and the realization settled in … it really is up to us. We can choose to do something about it. And “the something about it” isn’t about religion, it isn’t about skin color, and it certainly isn’t about social status. It’s about the condition of our hearts. See if we each decide to have our hearts changed and learn to live true unconditional love in all we do, we would live in a different world one that I have imagined living in since the time I was little. When we act in love thinking of others before ourselves, when we ensure our actions are kind, sincere, caring and considerate, when we give of our time to help others even in the little things we do … like going out of the way to open a door or help someone pick up something they dropped – we are making a difference. It brings a peace and joy that all the money in the world couldn’t buy. Give from your heart whether it is sharing a smile or being able to buy a meal for someone who can’t afford one – when we do those things from our heart, we are one person in this huge world making a difference.
I encourage you to keep the Spirit of Love going, every day. Go and do a random act of love for someone else after the holiday. Commit to doing something once a week or if that is too much start out once a month. Every day before my kids walk out the door, I give them a hug and kiss, tell them I love them and (both of them will tell you) I always say, “Do something kind for someone else.” I promise you the gift you receive for giving love from your heart to others is priceless. If you want some ideas of sharing kindness (or if you want to download a free note card – example, let’s say you decide to make a meal for someone unexpectedly, you can download the card, write a note and not only does it touch someone’s heart but the print on the back encourages them to keep the love going by doing something nice for another), go to www.inthespiritoflove.org. Please know that making a difference starts with “one”, will you join us?
Have a very blessed holiday season to you and your family!
With much Love,
Sandi Rauwolf
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12.13.09
Posted in Christmas, Heart Tugs, Inspirational, Judging Others, Love, Special Needs at 8:04 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
This weekend we were headed out of town for our annual trip to Indy to see Santa at the Zoo. The last two years I promised myself I would buy some warm boots so my focus wouldn’t be on the icicles forming on my toes but instead on the Spirit of the season. So before we headed out of town, we stopped at the store to buy some boots for me. As I was taking off a pair of boots and placing them in a box, I felt a tug on my heart guiding my eyes up and towards the beginning of the shoe aisle. I looked up and saw a mom walking down the aisle with her little girl’s feet on her feet. Her tiny arms were stretched up with her hands held tightly by her mom’s. Every step the mom took the little one was able to take a step with her. The girl’s hair was blonde and hung over her face as she looked down at her feet.
I finished putting the boots in the box and as they walked closer I felt my heart overflowing with so much love. The tug on my heart then said, “Look closer.” At that moment, my eyes met the eyes of this precious little angel. She had the most beautiful blue eyes you could ever imagine. I stayed knelt down and began talking with her, “Hi honey, what’s your name?” The little girl tried to form the words to say her name but couldn’t. Her mom then softly responded, “Her name is Jenna.” I said, “Well, it is great to meet you Jenna. You have a very special soul, you know that?” I could see her eyes light up and her mom said, “Yes, she sure does.” Jenna then began to point to her left shoe all excited. I could feel her heart communicating directly with mine. It felt like I was living her excitement right along with her. I said, “You are excited because you got some new shoes.” Her mom then said, “Well, she actually only had to get a new left one.” Although the girl couldn’t speak, our hearts were able to communicate perfectly. The love and excitement that filled my heart and the store from this little angel was amazing.
I asked Jenna, “How old are you honey?” Her mom then said, “She will be 18 this Saturday.” I said, “Wow! Eighteen that is great. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and a lot of fun!” I couldn’t stop smiling just feeling so much gentleness, kindness, and love from this little angel. Her mom said to me, “Thank you so much for talking to her that was really nice of you.” I hesitated for a minute and thought why wouldn’t I talk with her then at that very moment it was as if I could see her thru the eyes of how most people in the world saw her. This little angel had a disorder of some type that prevented her from growing like other children. She was the size of about a 1 ½ year old. She was going to turn 18 years old Saturday, not 18 months. She could not walk on her own. She had no teeth on the top and a few scattered teeth on the bottom, spaced out and growing in every direction. Her skin was tight like leather so the bottom of her eyelids were pulled down as if someone was intentionally trying to make a strange face by taking their fingers and pulling the bottom of their eyelids down. My heart swelled. I smiled at her and said, “No, thank YOU for talking with me. This little angel just made my day today. The world needs to be filled with more hearts like hers, it would change the world.” Her mom smiled really big and I could feel Jenna’s heart smile even bigger. I felt something inside of me change that day as if the love from that special little angel brought my heart to an even higher level of love. I didn’t do anything special, I just saw her for her heart and not for her circumstances.
I was then reminded how important it is that we see people for their hearts and not what’s happening on the outside. If we can see every person as the love that is within each and every heart (no matter how buried it may be) then soon the world will be filled with hearts like Jenna’s.
It reminds me of a story I once heard about a new teacher. She was given a list of her students and noticed they all had their IQ scores to the right of their names. She thought, “Wow! What an opportunity to teach such bright kids.” She met each one of them and saw them for nothing less than the IQ scores that she saw by their names each and every roll call. At the end of the first quarter the principal called a meeting with her. She was asked how she is obtaining such great academic achievements with these students. She told them it wasn’t her at all but thought it was brilliant to put such highly gifted kids in a class together. The principal looked at her puzzled. The teacher went on to share all of the things the students were doing, their progress and what she expected by the end of the year. She said, “Thank you for sharing their IQ scores with me. It was a great help having them noted next to each student’s name.” The principal looked at her and said, “Those aren’t their IQ scores but their locker numbers.” The teacher looked at him in amazement. He then began to share with her that she had been given a class full of children who had been struggling with grades and behavior issues. They had never taken interest in school and actually none of the other teachers were able to reach them because they had so many issues. She was shocked because she had never had a problem with any of the children. The principal said what she had achieved was remarkable.
The powerful lesson about this story is the only thing that had changed was someone’s perspective. The new teacher believed in them and saw the good in them. As a result, amazing things happened … each kid became who they were meant to be.
I want to encourage you to see each person for who they were meant to be by looking into their hearts and right past any outside appearance or circumstances. When we decide to change our perspective to see only the good within others, we then can experience the same gift of peace and joy as felt thru hearts of angels like Jenna. Who’s the Jenna in your life?
With much love!
Sandi Rauwolf
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12.05.09
Posted in Blessings, Christmas, Inspirational, Joy, Love, Thankfulness at 8:47 am by Sandi Rauwolf
While getting our Christmas stuff out and ready to put up this week, mixed amongst all of the stacks of things on the counter Samantha had placed a box of mini candy canes. As soon as I saw it, within my heart triggered a beautiful memory of being about her age so excitedly standing in line waiting to see Santa. I could not wait to get up there and tell him all the things I had seen in the JC Penney and Sears catalogues that year hoping he would put some under our tree. I remember my sister, brother and I would sit there for hours paging thru those huge catalogues making our wish lists. It was fun for us and gave mom some quiet time. Anyway, I took one of the mini candy canes and just as when I was little, I couldn’t open the wrapper – some things never change. :) I was determined to do this without any help and I struggled with that little bugger for a good couple minutes after which I finally conceded and got the scissors out of the drawer. Ahhh, success!
As soon as the candy cane touched my lips, another wonderful memory overflowed my heart of those special moments I have been blessed with through the holidays. Growing up we didn’t have much compared to others but we had two parents who loved us unconditionally and who instilled within each of us – hearts overflowing with thankfulness for what we DID have. We were reminded to be thankful for even those yucky green beans in front of us (well we thought they were yucky at the time). My Dad would always remind us that there are many people in the world who don’t have a single morsel of food to eat or even a pair of shoes or a clean pair of socks to wear. We were always told that NO MATTER WHAT, we were loved and we were often reminded of that after we had made a mistake. So although the consequences were harsh, we were taught to learn from those mistakes and to know that we were still loved – unconditionally. It was important we understood that it was our decision/behavior that was bad and not who we were that was bad. (See if we associate that behavior with ourselves then our self esteem is down, we feel unworthy of anything because we can’t get rid of ourselves but we can get rid of the bad behavior.) So although the candy cane taste triggered wonderful memories, it isn’t the tangible things I remember but the love and joy I felt through those times – true unconditional love. What incredible treasures they are deep within my heart.
This year if you are facing a holiday where you don’t have funds to purchase gifts or to financially help others, please remember that love and joy are FREE and everything you do in life is building a memory for someone else – give freely of your heart, of your time … share love and joy with others, it’s the best gift you could ever give to someone.
With much love, peace and joy from my heart to each of yours – go out and make a difference in someone’s life today by being the beautiful person God made you to be and making a wonderful new memory within their heart and yours. What’s your “candy cane” memory? I want to encourage you to share one thru the “comments” link at the bottom of my blog. Your “candy cane” memory may inspire another … it’s the little things we do that make all the difference.
Love to you all!
Sandi Rauwolf
Author, Blessings Too Good
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11.23.09
Posted in Judging Others, Love at 5:41 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
Chris and I were having a cup of coffee last weekend and he began sharing with me a story about a sweet girl in his class at church on Saturday nights. She is about 8 years old and has downs syndrome with a heart bigger than Texas! My heart just softened at the thought of this precious little angel. I have always been drawn to the Special Needs children and adults. It’s as if they have the most precious hearts out of anyone. Well, anyway – he began to share that they did a class activity where the kids had to pair up with someone. I was really interested in hearing so sat there anxiously awaiting this great story that would warm my heart and then he said, “None of the kids would pair up with her. She stood there all alone.” Literally tears welled up in my eyes. There is this precious little angel who has a heart so pure and beautiful left to stand all alone. It made me so sad. The tears kept streaming down my face – I felt this sadness so deep within my heart as to what the world has become.
I then saw this vision of the land of the misfit toys and then it dropped in my heart, how many people in the world are looked over, shoved off to the side, left standing in line all alone … shipped to an island feeling isolated and unloved? Everyone seems to have their own definition of what’s acceptable in a “toy” – to one person an airplane painted red is beautiful but to another it is anything but good. When the reality is that only God knows what is best for that little 4 year old boy whose mom is in the hospital fighting cancer. See some times we are sent those little gifts so we keep holding on and fighting the fight – and other times we are sent challenges to teach us some lessons but only God knows what is best for each of us. This is why it is important for us to ask Him what role He wants us to have in that person’s life before we make a decision based on personal feelings or beliefs. At times He may tell us to walk away because He needs that person to seek Him and other times He may say give them love because that bad behavior is their final cry out to the world before they try to take their own life.
He’s taught me through my own mistakes and experiences that when we let God do His job in other’s lives and quit trying to help Him all the time that is when we can really see His power. So I encourage you to turn to Him first in all things – that means things you may just assume is your role like being a parent, your job, or how you treat that “misfit toy”. Ask Him, “How do You want me to deal with my child who is being difficult right now?” Or, “How do You want me to handle this situation at work?” Or, “What role do you want me to take in this person’s life who the rest of the world is rejecting?” Give Him COMPLETE control and watch and see how He can change your life and those around you. We don’t realize how much we bind our own blessings by seeking everything in the world before God. So seek Him first in all things – turn to Him. It’s easy, just talk to Him, He’s there waiting. You can even ask Him to help you believe. He will lead you to all Truth.
I want to encourage each of you to pray this … ask if you are to go to the land of the misfit toys to pick up a toy you may have shipped there or possibly to bring some love to one who really needs it. The most important thing is allow Him to lead your steps because only He knows what each of us needs at the exact time we need it so there could be a toy right now crying out and God wants you to be the one to make a difference in their life. Ask Him and see what He says. :)
Have a blessed day! Love to you all!
Sandi Rauwolf
Author, Blessings Too Good
Let your light shine bright so the world will see it.
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11.07.09
Posted in Love at 11:14 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
I keep feeling it being pressed upon my heart that it is time for a new face of love – time for us in today’s world to begin living the unconditional love that was encouraged by Moses, lived by David (the man after God’s own heart) and taught by Jesus.
Only thru many mistakes, dark valleys, and difficult personal life experiences are the eyes of our hearts opened to the meaning of how to live in unconditional love. Yes, many of us act in love but living true unconditional love is different. Until we make some mistakes and begin facing the giants, we don’t always see what within our very own hearts has to be changed. As I’ve shared in some of my other blogs, learning to live in unconditional love is one of the hardest things I have ever had to learn but is exactly the place where each of our hearts will find rest.
God brings us to a place where although life may bring sorrow or hurt, we no longer confuse the actions of someone with their heart or where they are along their journey to unconditional love. We find that our perspective is one that instead of turning bitter, angry or upset – thru the tears and hurt we find ourselves praying for them and asking God to teach them what He has taught us. We have compassion, empathy and patience because we have learned the true meaning of “forgive them they know not what they do” … We get it.
I want to share a few things this journey has taught me in hopes of helping you along yours.
1. When someone is not being nice to you, be kind. You don’t know what is going on in their life at the moment so be kind and hold your tongue. Remember we are judged by what comes out of our mouth not what goes in!
2. If someone succeeds at something in life (especially if it is something you would love to do yourself) don’t get envious but sincerely be happy for them. View it as a place you know you will be some day instead of a measuring stick of failure.
3. When you do succeed (and you will!), do not boast in your accomplishments only boast in what God has done in your life – remember you could not have done it alone, He deserves all the credit.
4. Do not be a proud peacock – pride sends you down the wrong path so instead fill your heart with thankfulness.
5. I do not care how inconsiderate someone is to you, do not be rude EVER and if you slip up then apologize. Just because someone forgets your fries in drive-thru or you would “never” do what that person is doing, it does not give you the right to be rude or haughty – they are human just like you.
6. Love expecting nothing in return … this is a hard one! We need to be able to freely give love with no expectations. God will then overflow our hearts with every bit of love that we give out and then some!
7. Be slow to anger – even when someone is pushing your buttons (yes especially those who know exactly what buttons to push), control your temper. Remember just as it is impossible to put toothpaste back into the tube – our words cannot be taken back.
8. Forgive and forget … oh I know that last part gotcha but please do not keep reminding people (or yourself) of things that God has forgiven them for – do not keep a checklist of what someone has done so you can recall it at any time like you do your favorite TV program on DVR.
9. Act in love. No matter what we face in life, strive to see the good in everyone and everything. Let our actions always be out of love, not evil.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
May God bless you and be with you on your journey to a new face of love … unconditional Love.
Love to you all!
Sandi Rauwolf
Author, Blessings Too Good
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11.06.09
Posted in Love at 3:55 am by Sandi Rauwolf
I recently heard of a sermon done by a Pastor saying he was proud to be a Lutheran and that got me thinking – am I proud to be a Christian? I have to say from deep in my heart my soul is crying, “No!” and I want to share why. Over the last few months God has been showing me the masses of people who have turned away from God and are angry with Him. I have felt the heaviness of their hearts, the desperation of them wanting to know God but a distance and a hurt that seems almost irreversible. God would continue to wake me in the early morning hours to “fill the gap” for them. He would say pray, pray and pray some more for these hearts/souls. Why God? Why is this happening? He then began to show me why and the sadness that came over me was so deep.
He started bringing person after person into my path who had turned from God or was very angry with Him. I just loved on each of them and would gently ask why. Time after time it was because a Christian had done something very harmful and forever wounded their heart. They have been judged, they have had others turn on them because of gossip, they have been made to feel unworthy, they have been told that they aren’t good enough or will not amount to anything, they are struggling with sin (whether it is an addiction, being gay, whatever) so were kicked out of the church and told that God does not Love them, that their mistakes are too big for forgiveness – the list goes on and on … these are ALL LIES!!!
My heart wept deeply, very deeply.
But not as deeply as when He began to show me the very people surrounding me in my life with the same judgment, the same gossip, the same approach – their hearts being filled with everything but unconditional Love. If they hurt me so deeply and tried to make me stumble, then how much more pain and harm is it doing to people who do not know God yet or are just growing their faith? The sorrow that overcame my heart is hard to put into words.
Let me tell you “this” lesson, I did not want to learn or go through because there is so much pain (I had no idea until I lived it!) but it was an important one and I am more than blessed for having gone through it. I want to encourage you to do some inner reflecting and spend some time in prayer asking God, “Am I one of your children who gives Love a bad name?” The title of this blog dropped in my heart when I was flipping through the radio and an old song came on, “You give love a bad name”.
God sent His Son to teach us to Love and clearly spell out for us that the TWO MOST IMPORTANT COMMANDMENTS are to LOVE GOD, AND LOVE OTHERS so we need to understand the importance of being able to live unconditional Love. It is not easy but the reward far outweighs the hurt from others. Someone once said to me, “If you continue to see the good and love everyone you are just going to end up hurt.” Well sadly there is a lot of truth in that statement but what keeps me going is at the end of each day I stand before God saying, “Father did I Love like you today?” And He says with a smile, “Yes, child you did even when they spit in your face.” He then overflows my heart with every bit of Love I gave out that day and then adds even more!
Please love one another and desire from deep within your hearts for God to teach you how to live unconditional Love even through the hardest of circumstances. You can do all things thru Him so just ask and He will show you.
With MUCH Love to you all!
Sandi Rauwolf
Author, Blessings Too Good
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10.13.09
Posted in Love at 2:10 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
God woke me up at 4:30 this morning to give me this blog. I had no idea how relevant it would be to a phone call I received a few hours later. He is amazing! :)
Anyway, here is what He woke me up about. He was pressing on my heart strongly how important it is that we operate in unconditional Love encouraging others, not judging them but showing them His Love. We currently live in a society filled with many people who think if they are a believer that suddenly they are a notch above others or that it is their God given right to judge others. Let’s leave the judging to Him remember He is the one that searches the hearts of His children. Let’s live it (i.e. show it) or the message of speaking it will continue to fall on deaf ears and cause others to stumble.
Please let’s renew our minds and hearts. When we show Love we become a magnet to others. Have you ever been around a person who is warm, happy, and loving? Don’t you find that you are drawn to that person because something within you seeks that same happiness for yourself? And when your world seems to be falling down around you isn’t that the person you turn to first?
How do we learn to act in Love? We need to ask for the Spirit of Love to be poured into our hearts. Then ask for God to teach you His Love. See when we learn to turn to Him first for everything that is when we start seeing movement in our lives. He is then able to teach us Himself or send someone who He has selected to teach us (this is very important – seek Wisdom from Him first. Don’t go out looking for it. It is critical that He guides you and brings the people to teach you otherwise it may be thru someone else’s perspective who does not yet know unconditional Love).
Learning unconditional Love is not easy actually it is the hardest thing I have faced (even next to all the health issues). The reason for that is because the world has poured in so much false and negativity to each of us that God has to weed out many things to purify our hearts. It hurts to have stuff ripped out of our hearts but it is critical. So yes people will be sent into your path to push every button you have to see if you are still standing strong in unconditional Love. Do you have someone in your life right now where you keep crying out, “Why God – why? Why do I keep getting people like this who are so difficult to work with or be around?” I say turn to God and ask Him what He is trying to teach you, yes teach YOU. Quit asking Him to change the other person and ask Him to change you. What part of your heart is He trying to change? Are you judging? Are you quick to anger? It’s not easy to Love when someone is spitting in your face but there is no greater strength than when He has brought you to a place that you can turn the other cheek. You no longer see that person as someone who is horrible or someone “you” would never be but suddenly you see them through an empathetic heart wanting them to know Love so they have happiness and not the bitterness that is causing them to act that way.
So the next time that religious spirit rises in you causing you to ask yourself is that person glorifying God ask this, “are they operating in Love?” When people live the love of Christ then every single breath, every step, every blink of an eye is being done in Him to glorify His name. You’ve all heard the saying, “Actions speak a million words” so please understand the best way to glorify Him is to start living it.
I also want to encourage you parents out there to teach your children how to love – IT IS SO IMPORTANT! Suicide is at an alarming rate and I am hoping I can encourage you to step forward and do something about it. Please ensure your kid isn’t the one always putting others down or thinking they are better than anyone else. LIFE IS NOT ABOUT A COMPETITION! Ask yourself, “Is what is coming out of their mouth encouraging or detrimental to someone?” And also take a good long look in the mirror – what are they learning from you? It MUST begin with a change in you so you can live it and teach it to your children. I want to share a story about a little girl who has a heart bigger than Texas. She doesn’t give into society about dressing a certain way but is a free spirit with a heart more beautiful than most in this world but because of this, the kids at school are not nice to her. She has only a couple of friends. This little girl emptied her piggy bank of everything to help for a cause at school because that is the kind of unselfish, wonderful heart she has and do you know that no one at school can see past the way she dresses or the fact that she may be a little “different’? And this precious little girl feels unworthy!!! This is happening today … It takes everything she has to get up and go to school each day because she doesn’t know what ridicule she will face. It saddens my heart so much. Let’s start making a difference so that the kind-hearted children (young and old) are no longer the rarity but the selfish, greedy, hardened heart children are the ones you have to look deep and wide to find.
I encourage you to join me in bringing this Love to the world today. It is time to start SHOWING Love – putting hands and feet to making a difference in this world. God bless you all!
Lots of Love!!!
Sandi Rauwolf
Author, Blessings Too Good
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