May 8, 2024

Yesterday I went to Dr. Pan, my eye doctor. I don’t look forward to my repeated shorts in the eye, but Dr. Pam is a retina specialist who puts you at ease and does excellent work. In fact, yesterday when he indicated he was finished, I asked in surprise, “Did you do it already? I didn’t feel a thing!” He chuckled and assured me that it was all done. You see, I have wet macular degeneration in both eyes, which means a shot in both eyes, a week apart, every month.

One of the stories in “Family Stories for God’s Glory” is about my eyes when I was diagnosed with glaucoma. At that time, I was a young mother with small children, and I couldn’t imagine how I would take care of them while blind. I had already decided that I must be going to lose my eyesight,

I’ve been working on seeing the glass half-full since, which is fifty-some years now. Even though I have wet macular in both eyes, I am not planning to go blind. In fact, I plan on being able to stretch out the injections from every month to many months, a year, or maybe not needing them at all. My glass may be filling up to the top!

Have a half-full glass kind of a day,

See you next time,

Charlotte

May 4, 2024

I spent a relaxing hour at Hilltop Reflections this morning. Hilltop is exactly what it sounds like. A unique feature of our retirement community is a plant/vegetable farm, immediately followed by a tall hill with spectacular panoramic views. Residents climbed to the top and looked down upon towering trees. Blue skies welcomed us, and the lush green grasses sprinkled with bright buttercup faces, made spots of yellow amidst the puff balls of dandelions gone to seed.

The purpose of our meeting was to be still in God’s presence. Be still and listen for His voice instead of our own pitiful prattle. Pitiful, because we are at a loss for words in the beautify of His handiwork. We sat in silence.—silence from human noise, but God spoke through nature. With my eyes closed, my ears picked up a bird song from my left where a small grove of trees stood. A rather monotonous monologue, same tune, same pauses, and same notes, over and over again. And again and again. Over and over persistently.

For many years I had been praying the same prayer over and over and over. The same one, patiently persistently, and sometimes petulantly. Occasionally I wondered if I should pray differently. But that never seemed right. So I prayed on, over and over and over–same request. I was reminded of the widow knocking at the neighbor’s door, begging for bread until her request was granted.

The little birdsong spoke to me this morning. Be patiently persistent. So I’m continuing to pray the same prayer, over and over, although I’ve only seen a few crumbs of the whole loaf I am asking for. But hope or faith or something like that, is arising. My prayer is the same, but the notes are lighter, brighter, more hopeful.

If you read the story, “Battling with Bravery” you will understand what I am asking for. You will recognize my persistent prayer and patience.

Do you have a prayer you’ve prayed for a long time?

Have hope; persist patiently.

Blessings, Charlotte

April 27, 2024

I lost a special friend today. She left her home here on earth for a perfect one in heaven. My friend has been transformed. For years, she struggled with health issues. For years her strength dwindled until she was mostly bedfast. For years her faithful husband lovingly cared for her needs. She was living out 11 Corinthians 4:16 ESV. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outward self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” Her physical body was wasting away, but inwardly she was becoming new. Little by little her physical being declined, but her spirit was being renewed. Transformation was taking place–until today. Transformation completed, she is fully In the presence of Jesus. She has a new body, glowing with health, no sickness, no pain, nothing but rejoicing with her Lord. How wonderful it is that when we leave this earth we will be in the Lord’s presence–forever!

The transformation for my friend was a painful, long, slow, journey. My brother’s transformation happened instantly. One day, all appeared well as he went about his normal duties. He ate lunch with his wife, took a nap, and worked in his woodshop. That afternoon, without any notice, he left his earthly home for his heavenly one. Transformation had taken place.

In both cases, God’s presence was there to bring the needed strength, comfort, and peace. The loved ones left behind may not always have realized how near God was in their most grief-stricken moments. Nevertheless, it was true. After all, God promised never to leave or abandon His children. And He didn’t. And He won’t–in all the days to come.

Be encouraged!

And join me next time,

Charlotte

She was less than two-years-old and did not understand all the expectations and pressure put upon her. She was supposed to be a flower girl at her cousin’s wedding. A scratchy tulle tutu irritated her tender skin. She was handed a little tin bucket full of peach rose petals. She was not allowed to play with them; instead, she was instructed to walk down a long aisle throwing them on the floor, one by one. Even before her second birthday, she learned not to throw pretty things on the floor. It seemed she was expected to do exactly what she shouldn’t do. The unreasonable expectations were too much! Halfway down the aisle, she’d had enough. Yanking the tin bucket from the guiding hand, she raised her tiny arm as high as she could and pounded that tin bucket on the concrete floor with a rousing crash. Rose petals flew everywhere. Then she flopped on her belly in the middle of the aisle and screamed at the top of her lungs!

Do you know the feeling of expectations beyond your ability, the pressure that results, and the frustration that makes you want to scream? There is a release valve. It’s found in 1 Corinthians 10:13. God has promised to provide a way out. He is faithful to His promises–another example of God being present in all the moments of your life.

Look for Him there, next time life’s pressures get to be too much.

See you next time,

Charlotte

April 6, 2024

Family is a word that can trigger all kinds of emotions. For some it’s a wonderful feeling, for others, it brings out negative emotions. And for some, the family has left deep damage in their hearts. No family is without its flaws, and the range is from the highest high to the lowest low. The saddest family situation is when family members do not act like family. They don’t care, they reject, or abandon, This is the family that cuts the deepest wounds.

Whatever your earthly family is like, there is a perfect and wonderful family that you can belong to. God wants to be your loving Heavenly Father. He wants you to be his child. He eagerly awaits you to join His family where you will be loved and cared for beyond your imagination.

God has blessed me with a wonderful family! I didn’t say perfect; we’ve had our challenges. But we are more than grateful for our children, and spouses who are just like sons and daughters. Our twelve grandchildren and spouses of those who are married and those who are not, bring us such joy. And now, they are gifting us with sweet baby great-grands!

One of the stories in “Family Stories for God’s Glory,” is entitled, “Part of the Family.” We love Sierra, our grandson’s wife, like a daughter. The very first time we met, she opened her arms for a big hug and exclaimed, “MeMee!”–the name all of my grandchildren call me. But this was the first time I’d been called that by anyone other than my grandchildren. She was Grant’s girlfriend, not his wife at this point, but Sierra already considered herself part of the family. It warmed my heart when Sierra exuberantly called me, “MeMee.” It communicated acceptance, belonging, and love.–all those good sensations associated with healthy family relationships. I loved being Sierra’s “adopted MeMee.”

So, whatever your family is like–if it’s a blessing, a huge disappointment, or downright devastating, you can be assured of a better one in the future. God wants you to belong to His.

Think about it–until next time

Charlotte

March 26, 2024

Hello and Happy Spring,

Are the bright colors of Spring putting a happiness in your heart? Do you have a favorite flower? Mine is the daffodil. One of the stories in, “Family Stories for God’s Glory,” is about daffodils and why it became my favorite.

I like to look for a “Joy Window” every day. I jot them down and it’s fun to look back over them and remember what brought you joy that day. Sometimes you are surprised that you have forgotten what brought you joy. So what does this have to do with daffodils?

It happened on a day when I could find no Joy Window at all. I looked out of my big picture window at the lovely view, green grass, and beautiful flowers, but my sad stare caught nothing that made me smile. Even though the sun was shining brightly, my world looked solid gray.

I had planned to go to a flower show that day, but now I didn’t even want to go outside, much less to a place with crowds smiling, talking, and enjoying a good time. I forced myself to go. I sat in the back and pasted a fake smile on my face. The show featured all kinds of daffodils, but I remember only one thing the speaker said that day. “There are four hundred varieties of daffodils.”

On my way home, the Lord silently whispered, “If I can create four hundred varieties of daffodil. don’t you think I can take care of any problem of yours?”

There was only one right answer. I gave it. And a joy window peeked out of the dark clouds. That’s why daffodils are my favorite flower. What is your favorite flower? Maybe the Lord has something to tell you through it.

Until next time,

Charlotte

March 20, 2024

This past Saturday, I stepped out of my comfort zone and behind the speaker’s stand to present my book, “Family Stories for God’s Glory–Finding God in all of Life’s Moments.” The book’s purpose is to give God the glory for all His wondrous works in our personal lives. I believe the message came across; with His help, it was a success despite my feeble efforts.

These are true stories about our family, which consists of four married children and twelve grandchildren (six boys and six girls.) Don’t ask me how they managed that! Our family now numbers thirty-three, including the married grandchildren’s spouses and six great-grandchildren. Each member has an individual story, minus the greats–they had not yet been born when the book was written. The rest of the family members unknowingly furnished approximately 90% of the content. Included are stories of our childhood and early married life, Christmas stories, Empty Nest stories, Downsizing and Moving, and stories of our challenges and heartaches.

I read, to the audience, a story from my husband, Marlin’s, childhood. This story shows how God was in his young life with a plan to give him an enjoyable retirement. When Marlin was twelve years old, he yearned for an electric train for Christmas. He spent hours admiring them in the Sears Catalog. What he got was a scroll saw (jig saw in those days) because his dad had noticed his interest and ability in woodworking. Although extremely disappointed, Marlin soon began making simple projects and enjoying a sense of accomplishment he could never have gained while watching a train run around and around a track. Today, Marlin is an award-winning skilled woodworker thoroughly enjoying retirement. God had it all planned for him and was right there when he opened the disappointing Christmas present. Neither Marlin nor his dad had any idea that God was making great plans for Marlin’s senior years! Isn’t God amazing!

See you next time!

Charlotte

March 11, 2024

Hello Friends,

Here I am, out of my comfort zone with “Family Stories for God’s Glory.” As of today, I am four days away from giving a book presentation in an auditorium of VMRC, the retirement community where I live. I’ll let you know how it goes!

I promised to tell you more about how this book was born. From early on, my favorite school subjects were Spelling, Literature, and Grammer–things that had to do with words. Math, not so much. I jokingly say that’s why I married Marlin, my now retired CPA. He does the numbers and I do the words.

My first article was published about thirty years ago. Most of my writing since has been in the devotional realm. One day, a good friend said, “Charlotte, you could write a book for your kids.” That was a new thought! But the words stuck and I began to think, Well, maybe I could.

Initially, I thought my book would tell stories our children may not have heard about our childhood, stories we may not have remembered to tell them. A writing friend once told me, “If you don’t write your stories down, when you die it’s like burning down a library.”

Well, I didn’t want to burn down my library so I began writing my stories, I realized how much God had been a part of each moment of our lives, whether we were aware of it or not. He was there for the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, and everything in between. This seemed so important to convey to our children and for them to believe and realize that God wants to be their Best Friend and be involved in every moment of their lives. It occurred to me that everyone should live in this wonderful truth. I want everyone to have a close relationship with their God so they can survive the terrible times and enjoy the good times in peace. Thus, “Stories for God’s Glory” developed into a book, not just for my family, but for all.

More next time, See you soon!

Charlotte

Post # 3 March 20,2024

The Book Presentation is now history. This past Saturday I left my comfort zone, stepped behind the speaker’s stand, and presented my book, “Family Stories For God’s Glory, -Finding God in All of Life’s Moments. I believe God got the glory through my feeble efforts, so I would say it was a success. I told the audience that I don’t like to say, “my book,” because it was God who gave me the ability, inspiration, and desire to write. Its purpose is to give God the glory.

I wrote true stories about our family, illustrating how God was with them every moment of their lives whether or not they were aware of it. I wanted to convey to them that God is their loving Father who wants to be involved in every area of their life, to be their Best Friend, Of course, God is with everyone all the time every day of their lives. But it takes an intentional response of allowing and inviting Him to be that loving Father and Best Friend to enjoy a relationship with Him.

A Blog by Charlotte H. Burkholder

I never thought I’d write a book! But I did and am excited to tell you how it came to be.

I’ve lived a lot of life, therefore I can speak from the past. In upcoming blogs, I will tell you about my present and future life, but for now let’s go waaaay back to when I was a kid. I always loved to read. My favorite subjects in school were reading, writing, and not arithmetic. I married a CPA, so my husband took care of the numbers.

Oh, I should tell you that my life’s goal in my earlier years was to get married and have a family. Well, that goal was wondrously fulfilled as I now have a fantastic family to write about. Our four married children, who gave us twelve grandchildren, who are now gifting us with great-grandchildren–six, so far and counting, unknowingly furnished most of the material for this book.

I have chosen to write a story about each member of my family. Initially, I thought of it as becoming a legacy for them–a place to record their histories as well as ours when we were children. But as I wrote, showing them how God was a part of their lives, I realized that I wanted everyone to know what I was hoping to convey to my children and grandchildren. They have a God who loves them and wants to be involved in every part of their lives. Entitled, “Family Stories for God’s Glory,” it carries the message of finding God in all of life’s moments, whether or not one recognizes His presence at the time. The good, the bad, the happy, the sad, from the highest mountain to the lowest valley, He is there.

Come along and learn more about how “Family Stories for God’s Glory” found its way to the publisher’s desk. See you soon.