08.27.08
Posted in Blessings, Inspirational, Relationship, Simplicity, Thankfulness at 10:18 am by Sandi Rauwolf
Since my last blog God seems to keep presenting the idea of “moments … God moments”. The funny thing is that we are surrounded by these moments all of the time but life tends to get in the way of us noticing them. The God moments are in the little things like the innocence of a child’s smile as they board the bus for their first day of school.
Today was Samantha’s first day of 1st grade. I remember back to when Ty was boarding the bus his first day years ago. He was a bundle of nerves, along with his mom! Both of our eyes filled with tears. As the bus approached, we both became seemingly more nervous. He stepped on the bus glancing back at me trying to be brave but obviously scared. The tears rolled down my face – the realization set in, my baby was growing up.
But today, Samantha was much different than her big brother (who is now an 8th grader). She confidently and very excitedly watched the bus turn the corner. The closer the bus got to us, the more excited she became! She knew every moment in kindergarten was preparing her for this moment today, and she was ready, more than ready! Nevertheless, there I stood tears filling my eyes being overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions … feeling so incredibly proud of her for the confidence she exhibited, being thankful for God blessing us with this little Angel as our daughter and the realization that my baby girl is going to 1st grade -feeling helpless knowing I have to trust that big yellow school bus to take care of her.
As she boarded, I stood outside through tear filled eyes peeking into the windows of the bus trying to find her. I noticed the other children around her with the same faces as Ty had years ago – nervous and scared …. but, then there right in the middle of it all was Samantha beaming, and I mean BEAMING. I couldn’t help but notice how the other children seemed to glance her way and suddenly their faces softened. It was as if they were unknowingly tapping into that feeling of euphoria she seemed to be illuminating. Looking into her beautiful blue eyes framed by her blonde spiral curls peeking out of her pony tail, she really did look like an Angel and not just to me but to those around her. I saw exactly what God was doing through her and it reminded me of how God works through those little moments to reach us. The exact moments sent to help us when we need something to soften our faces. The moments that are so easily missed unless someone shares the secret opening our eyes to a new perspective in life – one where we notice these “moments … God moments”.
A friend (thanks Mary Ann! :) sent me a story recently that is a perfect depiction of these moments. It causes us to step back, pause and realize how easily we all tend to underestimate the power of the simple things in life and how God touches us through them.
Twinkies and Root Beer
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.
The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.
Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?
“He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? God’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”
Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked,” Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?”
He replied, “I ate Twinkies in the park with God.” However, before his son responded, he added,” You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!
~author unknown~
May God open your eyes this week to that secret … the “moments … God moments” that surround us every single day allowing you to embrace them with a knowing and true understanding that God works through them to reach us. The smallest moments in life make the largest impact so I encourage you to seek those moments in your life and to let God work through you to bring Twinkies and root beer to someone who needs it.
Love and Blessings!
Sandi :)
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08.19.08
Posted in Blessings, Humble, Inspirational, Love, Special Needs at 12:14 am by Sandi Rauwolf
I was blessed with quite an incredible evening tonight! My family and I headed out to catch a local baseball game – the Joliet Jackhammers. I wasn’t sure what to expect because it was the first baseball game our family had ever attended together. And, Samantha (who will be 6 years old this Friday), walked into the ballpark, American Girl doll in tow and representing every sense of the meaning “girlie girl”. She is more interested in improving the guys’ baseball uniforms with some new fashion design than to sit and watch a baseball game. However, we really wanted to attend this special night … it was appreciation night for the volunteers of our church’s Kidz Connection Team.
You couldn’t have asked for a more perfect night! The sky was clear, the temperature perfect without even a slight breeze to give you a chill once the sun ducked down behind the stadium wall. We enjoyed the game, met some great people, had great conversation and enjoyed the time together as a family. About halfway through the game, Samantha was getting a little bored so jumped at the chance when I asked her if she had to use the ladies room. We worked our way down the row to the aisle while carefully trying not to step on toes and repeatedly saying “sorry” as we passed each person who would then have to stand to allow us to pass by – now I remember why I like the seats closer to the aisle! :)
Anyway, as we exit from the ladies room Samantha spots Jammer, the team mascot. She stood, eyes wide open and literally frozen in her tracks (you know the typical deer in the headlights stance). She did not know what to make of this 7 ft. creature named Jammer – who (to her) happens to look like a Sesame Street character on steroids. I personally think he is adorable! I bent down to comfort her and assure her that she does not need to be frightened, but she hid behind me and clung to my leg like a piece of gum on a shoe. She was not going anywhere without a lot of work!
Just at that moment, I look up and there in front of us was wheelchair after wheelchair of special needs adults. My heart immediately swelled. Since the time I was a little girl, I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for special needs children and adults. Actually, this year I have been blessed with teaching the special needs class at church every Sunday and those kids are the highlight of my week!! I have Grant, Ryan, Tim and Kelly in my class, and they are my little angels. No matter what stress I am facing all I have to do is think of their smiling faces, and I am reminded of what is important in this life.
I walked over and spoke to the nurse to find out where they were from. She said they were from United Cerebral Palsy (http://www.ucp.org/ucp_local. cfm/74) right there in Joliet. I then walked over and started talking to each of them asking them how they were enjoying the game. Their faces just lit up! Imagine, a stranger walking over and caring about them! One guy’s grin was so big I swear it reached to his ears! He kept pointing to his bracelet. I told him it was an amazing bracelet, but he was persistent in continuing to point to it. I then noticed it was comprised of six small white blocks on a brown leather band. I slowly turned each block over, one at a time while watching his excitement, and it spelled his name … Norman. I said, “It is great to meet you, Norman!” He then started pointing to me, so I introduced myself and Samantha to him as well as the others. Norman was so happy to be communicating with a perfect stranger. Immediately, to his right was another gentleman who could utter a few muffled words, enough that I could understand he was saying “Hi Sandi and Samantha, how are you?”. And said with a grin just as big as Norman. His right eye wandered to the far right and his left eye wandered down towards the floor, but he ensured we knew that he was doing everything to try and make us feel special by looking at us. Each of them then took my hand and started kissing it as if to say, “Thank you – thank you for noticing us and taking a minute to let us know you care, helping us feel like we DO matter in this world and that someone loves us just as we are.” With each little Angel kiss on my hand, I was humbled even more. Here I was, with a grateful heart and feeling blessed by THEM for their innocence and pure love but yet they were thanking ME! I then felt sad for a moment because how many walk right by and won’t even look at them by reason of their deformities – because they are different, because they are not perfect? I felt blessed for the gift God had given me as a little girl because I had never seen special needs people for any of their physical differences but only for their sweet souls with a love filled heart.
I was struck by quite a realization right at that moment. It hit me with sudden certainty that the same feeling and perspective I have always had towards these sweet souls is EXACTLY how God must feel towards each of us. He looks past all of our imperfections and sees us for our sweet souls with a heart full of love. It was yet another reminder of how imperfect each of us is, in our own way, but yet God loves us anyway. He does not walk by us unnoticed. Instead He embraces us, He looks right past every flaw and He loves us unconditionally. He is patiently waiting for US to notice HIM with a love filled heart hoping this time will be the time we do not just walk on by.
Maybe something in your life is making you feel less than perfect today or not worthy of anyone’s love especially God’s, whether that feeling is caused from others treating you poorly, difficult challenges you are facing or mistakes you have made – please know that God’s love for you is unfailing. He is there and will help you through anything you are facing no matter how imperfect you may be feeling or how lost you may have been … all you need to do is “notice” Him.
May God bless you and bring you your own Angel kisses this week!
Sandi :)
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08.11.08
Posted in Challenges and Strengths, Encouragement, Inspirational, Personal Perspective, Self Reflection, Transformation at 9:35 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
It seems these days God continues to move me, and in big ways. With the book coming out, I find myself in moments of phantasm, drifting back to a time when a normal, healthy life was nothing more than a glimmer of hope mixed in with an undying faith of God’s plan for me … but yet, trusting completely in that plan no matter what the outcome. Those moments, today — now flood me with emotions that are hard to get on paper, but I’ll try.
It’s a butterfly moment … the moment when a beautiful butterfly can finally free itself from its cocoon, leaving the old and ugliness behind. All of that horrible ugliness is replaced with something exceptional … a feeling of being on top of the world, floating on air, expanding its wings and glancing down to see if indeed it’s all “real” because it feels too incredible – too good to be true. Then it discovers that not only is it floating, but things are even better than that. God has taken such an ugly beginning and magically transformed every moment of darkness into something incredibly beautiful, something beyond comprehension. And you sit here as living proof of His grace and endless possibilities. How is that possible? How could it be? How could something so ugly, so seemingly encased in darkness for that long emerge a symbol of grace and love representing nothing less than the true meaning of HOPE?
That moment, that incredible transformation, my friends, is proof of how God CAN and DOES take the ugliest, the darkest of situations and transforms them into something truly magnificent. My heart overflows with thankfulness for the opportunity to sit here sharing my thoughts with you while glancing forward at the endless possibility of helping others in their faith by reason of those darkest, most challenging times.
Tears fill my eyes with not only a “knowing” but a true understanding that every second is a gift and “getting” that in the darkest of times, we should not feel secluded but instead feel protected, like the butterfly in its cocoon – trusting His plan and knowing that God can, without a doubt, transform something horribly ugly and dark into a beautiful creation – a creation that is so incomprehensible that it could only be possible with Him.
May God bless you with a butterfly moment reminding you that no matter what you may be facing, trust His plan for you – be patient while he creates something truly magnificent in your life. Hugs!
Sandi :)
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08.03.08
Posted in Blessings, Challenges and Strengths, Thankfulness at 4:27 pm by Sandi Rauwolf
Hi everyone! Well, I have finally created a blog! :) I hope to post an entry weekly, sharing those little blessings we all have a tendency to overlook. I also would like to share inspirational stories that touch my heart in hopes of touching yours.
Things are incredibly busy these days in preparation for the book release (Blessings Too Good). I feel more than blessed for all that has been happening in my life. The excitement building is hard to contain! This entire experience feels surreal. To think I felt the tug on my heart to share my story and then one month later had it on paper is incredible. Now, I sit here typing a blog being hit by the realization that I, Sandi Rauwolf, will be a published author in a month! What??? I mean, who am I to have such an incredible opportunity??? I am not worthy and certainly far from perfect. But, here I sit pinching myself and feeling so blessed for this reality. This experience is teaching me a lot. I am realizing, we can ALL be messengers for God. And the cool part is, God can and WILL use us, just as we are – no matter how imperfect that may be!
I have never dreamt of being an author but my heart has always been tugged with the desire to help others. When I was very ill, I remember praying countless tear-filled prayers clinging to the hope that God could touch just ONE life through all I was facing. Here I sit and that realization comes crashing down … the moment God has been preparing me for, the moment I didn’t know I was so desperately seeking or what would bring me here, the moment, now that I’m here is clear that every tear, every smile, every hurt, every fear was bringing me right here – one step closer to the person God made me to be. It brings tears to my eyes and fills my heart beyond anything I ever thought possible.
There is something I wanted to share with you. On a recent trip to visit my dad, I felt the urge to scribble these thoughts down on paper:
Here In This Moment With You
Long ago when life seemed to be overwhelming,
You were there for me.
Through all of the tears,
through all of the pain,
You knew I would be,
one step closer to where You wanted me.
I didn’t know where life was taking me,
I didn’t know this was where I was supposed to be,
but you saw me through and knew exactly where you were bringing me.
Everything that once felt right,
now feels wrong to me.
Life is different now,
but I know it has to be.
Life never felt so right,
life never felt so good,
Now that I’ve arrived,
Here in this moment with You.
Looking back now,
I can clearly see,
everything was leading me,
Right here …
Here in this moment with You.
– Sandi Rauwolf
Now, it is clear where God has been leading me … right here in this moment with Him. What an incredible gift! Well, it goes without saying … I have felt more than guided in all of this and give all of the glory to God.
May this coming week fill your hearts with something that brings you one step closer to that same moment, your moment with Him. Hugs!!!
Sandi
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