MakingItThrough.com is for you.  May my experiences, strength, and hope inspire you.  If the thoughts here spur on a positive action in your life, then I have succeeded. 

Your thoughts are welcome.  Please leave comments and share your life's journey with me.  Don’t forget to bookmark this site so you can continue to come back and read about a wide variety of topics.  Check the category cloud to the right for any of specific interest to you. 

“I am only one; but still I am one.  I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.  I will not refuse to do the something I can do.”  ~Helen Keller

We don't know the twists and turns life is going to give us.  Life is precious and every moment is recorded at the time of your death in a dash.  The date of your birth is recorded as well as the date of your death.  Separating those two dates is a dash.  That is your life.  Living your dash to the fullest potential should be your goal.  What do you do every day that will effect how others view your dash?  A kind word, a meal, a gentle touch, a listening ear, a note, a pray for someone suffering - all ways we create a dash to remember. 
This video entitled, The Dash by Linda Ellis is a beautiful way to remember to live your dash in this life you have now.  Sit back, relax, and feel the music as you let the words encompass your spirit and reflect how you want others to remember your dash.

Thank you for spending time on my web site.  Hopefully, something read will help you make it through your life’s journey.  Did you know that with every page you view and click you make on the side bar items is of great benefit to me?  Thank you for helping to improve my web site through your visits and clicks.  Please bookmark makingitthrough.com and come back often.  Be sure to check out the category cloud on the right side bar for any specific areas which may interest you.  Leave a comment or two as it is greatly appreciated. 

Remember to be still and know (Psalms 46:10).  Also, you can do anything through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).  God Bless!

Kindergarteners learn at an early age how to make it through life.  At age five they are given all they need to know about how to live, what to do, and how to be.  This is from Robert Fulghum who for years would write a credo about his life.  For some years this document would be long and lengthy with many words that said little.  He began reducing his credo and it became know as “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten.”

Robert Fulghum credo is clear and concise.  Kindergarten is where we learn life’s rules.  If only we could follow them all our life… Share everything.

• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

From The Golden Rule to love and basic sanitation, here are the rules we can all live by.  Wouldn’t our world be a much better place if we all did just as we had learned in kindergarten?  Let’s try!

Any debilitating disease is difficult to bear but Fibromyalgia is especially difficult to deal with because of the many unknowns with this disorder.  The well developed and well researched web site entitled FibromyalgiaVoice.com discusses many aspects of this chronic fatigue syndrome and the pain that this disease brings to one’s body.  This particular post is all about Fibromyalgia – past and present.  By reading this post you will learn how common this disease is and the effect it has on the person afflicted and their families.  You can also learn about the effect of trauma on this disorder and what drug is presently used to manage pain and systems.

     Ever tried something and thought, “Why did I do that?”  If so, then you are self-analyzing your behavior and hopefully making better choices.  If not, then you may need to rethink some of your actions and honestly ask, “How’s that workin’ for ya?”  If you are looking at changing a behavior (like overeating), then you really need to look at what behavior or behaviors have gotten you into that dilemma and be willing to honestly ask the question mentioned above.  If you behavior has gotten you into trouble, then they need to be changed.  Be honest.  Concentrate on your actions and decide if what you are doing is working for ya or not.  If not, change your behavior so you can honestly say, “It works great!.”

     Thank you for spending time on my web site.  Hopefully, something read will help you make it through your life’s journey.  Did you know that with every page you view and click you make on the side bar items is of great benefit to me?  Thank you for helping to improve my web site through your visits and clicks.  Please bookmark makingitthrough.com and come back often.  Be sure to check out the category cloud on the right side bar for any specific areas which may interest you.  Leave a comment or two as it is greatly appreciated. 

     Remember to be still and know (Psalms 46:10).  Also, you can do anything through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).  God Bless!

       Making it through any day is made special with flowers.  A beautiful flower that has been around for twenty million years is the Magnolia.  The large Magnola flowers are tough which protects the petals from being eaten by crawling critters such as beetles.  This beautiful flower which actually comes from the Magnolia tree represents beauty and dignity.  It also represents a love of nature and nobility.  The Magnolia is a welcomed sight after a long winter and hales the arrival of spring.

Why all this information about the Magnolia?  Today, I was fortunate enough to receive an email from a friend that told a story about the Magnolia.  This beautiful flower and a wedding are the crux of the story.  Throw in a wedding day disaster, a gracious neighbor, sorrow for the loss of a loved one,  a wedding day miracle and you have a great inspirational story for sharing. 

A special thanks to Edna Ellison for sharing this story.  It can be found with many other warm and inspiring stories in A Month of Miracles.  This one in its entirety is found on page 103.  May you be inspired by the others as well.   Click on the link to read the story about Magnolia Miracles or read it on this page.  Either way, you will be blessed by the inspirational words that let us know that without a doubt, God has everything under control.

MAGNOLIAS..........
By Edna Ellison


I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away.

As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man, I felt laden with responsibilities as I watched my budget dwindle . .

So many details, so many bills, and so little time. My son Jack was away at college, but he said he would be there to walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of his dad who had died a few years before. He teased Patsy, saying he'd wanted to give her away since she was about three years old!

To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy-white blooms and slick green leaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church.

After the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the flowers - would be remembered for years.

The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiance Tim walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check. When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died.

I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding.

Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.'

I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall to put on his cuff links.

Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!' I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias, courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.

As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance. I approached a house...No dog in sight. I knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good . .No shotgun. When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!'

He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me. Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.'

'No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what's happening here.'

'What?' I asked.

'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday . . . He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He! looked away. 'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday - yesterday - my children left.'

I nodded.

'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody!' I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you.'

I stood with my mouth open.

He asked, 'Are you an angel? The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room...'

I assured him I was no angel.

He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?'

'No.'

'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!'

I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.'

But God found a way. Through dead flowers.

'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it, is what makes the difference.'

May the God of your understanding shower  blessings upon you.

This is so true, being needed is so uplifting to each of us.

A final thought, flowers are gifts which bring great joy to those you love.  It doesn’t have to be a dozen roses or even a flower shop bouquet.  Even dandelions given in love can create miracles.