Category: Seasons of Life

Love Has Many Faces

Charlotte BurkholderLeave a comment

November 30, 2025

Romantic love pours like rain on the wedding day; Tested love soaks in after many years of marriage. Someone made this comparison:

Romance is flying, but love is a safe landing.

Romance seeks perfection, but Love forgives faults.

Romance is fleeting, but love is long.

Romance anguishes as it waits for the phone to ring

to bring a voice that says sweet things,

Love is the anguish of waiting for a call that assures you

that someone you love is safe and happy.

Romance is suspense, anticipation, and surprise,

but Love is dependability.

Romance is dancing in the moonlight, gazing deep into desired

eyes,but Love is saying, “You’re tired,

honey, I’ll get up this time.”

Romance is delicious, but Love nourishes. – Anonymous

Our love for each other had grown through 25 years of married life as we raised our family. “Family Stories for God’s Glory” tells the story of our astonishing 25th wedding anniversary. A jaw-dropping surprise awaited us as we arrived home from church to find our lawn and house filled with smiling faces of family and friends. Some had driven many miles and sacrificed other desired events to celebrate with us. The love of our children had made it all happen.

Love has many faces. Romance, married love tested by the years, love for children, love of children, love of friends and extended family, And, I would be grossly negligent if I didn’t mention the greatest love of all–the amazing, unconditional love of God for each of us who are created in His image.

May your day be blessed with all kinds of love,

Charlotte

Link: godinlifesmoments.com
“Family Stories for God’s Glory,” is sold on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Blessings Bookstore, Harrisonburg, VA., and Rocktown Historical Museum in Dayton, VA. You may also order directly from: chburkholder12@gmail.com

Comments are welcome!

Death is so Final–Or is it?

Charlotte BurkholderLeave a comment

November 12, 2025

Early this morning, news arrived that death had come as an unexpected, unwelcome surprise to a family member. In my book, “Family Stories for God’s Glory,” the final chapter tells of losing my brother in exactly this same shocking way. No time to prepare, no time to say goodbye, no time to do all the last-minute things you would have wanted to do. It’s sudden, and those left behind are thrust into the challenge of living in a new season of life, one they would not have chosen.

In Biblical times, the disciples of Jesus, who had been His close friends, unexpectedly lost Him at the hands of cruel, unbelieving men. Their hopes and plans for the future had been dashed. They had expected Jesus to set up His glorious kingdom in their lifetime, and they would reign with Him. Their Roman enemies would be conquered, their fears and troubles would be over, and Jesus would be their protector, provider, and king, ruling over all. Instead, He died. He left them in confused bewilderment.

Later, they would rejoice to know that Jesus would not stay dead! He had a plan. He rose from the dead three days later, accomplishing eternal life for all who would believe in Him. Now, death leaves sorrowing loved ones behind, but the departed one also leaves behind the evils of this world and enters into the glorious presence of the One who died for them. Their joy will last forever.

Yes, grief is real, but sorrow with hope that you will see your loved one again.

Charlotte

Link: godinlifesmoments.com
“Family Stories for God’s Glory,” is sold on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Blessings Bookstore, Harrisonburg, VA., and Rocktown Historical Museum in Dayton, VA. You may also order directly from: chburkholder12@gmail.com

Mystery in the Mums

Charlotte BurkholderLeave a comment

Bright burgundy mums in a gigantic pot,
Gives joy and pleasure, quite a lot,
I think that I shall sit a bit,
A profound truth hides there in it—

Sunbathing in late summer sun.

Small, beneath the leafy green,
A spot of gold can now be seen.
A yellow mum is shining there,
It secretly has much to share–

Sunbathing in late summer sun.

The spot of gold seems out of place,
But not at all, just see its face,
It adds beauty to the pot,
You do see it, do you not?

Sunbathing in late summer sun.

Masses of people on this earth
Millions of them ‘round its girth,
Each one different, adding flair,
Each one special–blending there.

God, the Creator, made each one,
And blessed them with late summer sun.

——————————————–

Hello Friends, Here is a much-belated blog. It’s not my usual style, and it’s actually not about the stories in my book either. But I wanted to share what I saw in this unusual display of Autumn mums. I will get back to my “Book Blogging” next time. You can look for me twice a month as weekly became too, well, weekly, and came around too often! See you in a couple of weeks!

Link: godinlifesmoments.com
Book sold on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Blessings Bookstore, Harrisonburg, VA. 22802
You may also order directly from: chburkholder12@gmail.com.
Comments are welcome!

Blessings, Charlotte

The Purple Hippopotamus and Other Crazy Labels

Charlotte BurkholderLeave a comment

Do you have a label? Have you labeled yourself, or are you living out a label someone else has placed on you? I love to read “You Are Special,” by Max Lucado, to my grandchildren. Lucia knows who she is and is unaffected by labels, unlike all the other Wemmicks who are laboring under gray dots or pridefully wearing gold stars. Poor Punchinello is covered with gray dots and gathering more every day. He is miserable, but he doesn’t have to be.

Like two brothers who were, at the moment, not expressing brotherly love. Angry words were piercing little hearts. The older calls the younger a purple hippopotamus and makes him cry. But he is still a cute little boy without a smidgen of purple hippopotamus in him. If he had believed that, instead of his brother’s label, he could have skipped happily off to play. He would have known that calling him a purple hippopotamus did not make him one, any more than calling a garage a car makes it a car. False words hurt, but they do not define.

What other people say about you does not define you. What you may think about yourself does not necessarily define you. Your circumstances do not define you either. Kimberly has lyme disease, but she is not a Lyme victim. She is a productive child of God, a loving wife and mother, and much-loved dance instructor to a class of two-year-olds.

Know who you are created to be. Then you can live free, collecting neither dots nor stars, free to be who the Master designed you to be–His own. You will never need to conform to or be condemned by any other label.

Be joyful in that!

Charlotte

Link: godinlifesmoments.com
Book sold on Amazon, Barnes, and Noble, and Blessings Bookstore, Harrisonburg, VA. 22802

You may also order directly from: chburkholder12@gmail.com

Flexible or Brittle?

Charlotte BurkholderLeave a comment

June 24, 2025

It’s not easy to be stretched out of our comfort zones, but sometimes, we don’t have a choice. Circumstances or someone else will make a choice for us that is not necessarily what we want. Your job ends, and you need to move to a new location—your church, family, and friends are left behind. Maybe a health issue changes your whole lifestyle and robs you of activities you enjoyed.

Perhaps the change is as simple as an interruption in your day’s plans. Perhaps it’s as complicated as a change of attitude, perspective, or belief. But for every one of us, change is inevitable!

A rubber band that is never used but lies in a drawer until it becomes hard and brittle will break when stretched. New rubber bands are soft and flexible. They do not snap when stretched.

God is not as concerned about your comfort as He is about your character. He will use unpleasant changes to develop a trusting and peaceful mindset in the middle of it. “Family Stories for God’s Glory,” tells how our family faced the challenges of change.

How will you respond to your next unwelcome change?

Be flexible,
Charlotte
Link: godinlifesmoments.com
Book sold on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Blessings Bookstore, Harrisonburg, VA.
You may also order from: chburkholder12@gmail.com

Dancing with a Broken Heart

Charlotte BurkholderLeave a comment

June 10, 2025

Broken hearts don’t dance, do they? If you’ve ever had a broken heart, you know they don’t feel like dancing! I watched as the 98-year-old gentleman danced with his wife at our retirement home’s Sing-along. Watching this couple dancing, smiling, and having great fun at their age was amazing!

What others watching didn’t know–they both were dancing with broken hearts. Just days before, Carol needed to leave her husband of forty-three years in a unit for dementia patients. With eyes full of tears, she bravely accepted the inevitable and faced the challenge. My heart swelled with tenderness, and my eyes filled with tears as I watched her lead him down the aisle to our weekly Sing-along. They danced close together, her eyes held his; a smile lit up her face. Their joy came from within because their Lord lives there.

Broken hearts are all around us. Nurse Carly saw the broken heart of the grandpa who sat by the bed of his seriously ill baby granddaughter. Carly knew just what to do to comfort that broken heart. I hope you enjoy reading about it in “Family Stories for God’s Glory.”

The only way to dance with joy when circumstances are devastating is to know the tender Shepherd, who loves and cares for you.

Giving thanks to the One who heals broken hearts,

Charlotte

Books sold: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or contact author: chburkholder12@gmail.com

Blog link: godinlifesmoments.com

AM I THE ONLY ONE LIKE THIS?

Charlotte BurkholderLeave a comment

November 16, 2024

Sometimes one feels less important simply because they are different. My sweet friend from England feels her accent is detrimental to her fitting in with all the rest.

One beautiful fall sunny day, a large pot of maroon mums caught my eye. I paused to admire their beauty. It must have been, at least, a hundred mums. But what really created the most attention was a miniature mum near the base of the other mums. It was bright yellow!! It didn’t look like the others, except that it was a mum. Maybe it thought it didn’t fit in. On the contrary, it added so much to the beauty of the bunch. It made the whole bouquet quite unique.

Comparing yourself with others is not a good thing. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10:12 CEV that it is not wise to compare yourself with others. Whether you compare yourself with someone you think is better than you, or you compare yourself and think you are better than others, both are a foolish and ignorant way to think.

Comparison robs you of the joy of living and enjoying who you are. What does it matter, if you are the shortest person in the room? Why would I envy the one who creates beautiful art, when the best I can do is draw a stick man or woman. What about introverts who admire outgoing people with bubbly personalities. I may be the only one of my friends who can’t do math in my head. Instead of feeling bad about that, I’ll focus on things I am good at. We are all human beings. We all have our differences. What a drab world this would be if we were all the same. Together we can make a colorful world.

Each human being is created in God’s image making them valuable beyond measure. Each one has unique characteristics and different personalities. Only God could make that happen! And He loves you just like He made you and will receive glory from your life as you give it back to Him.

Today, thank God for who you are and who He made you to be.

Charlotte

Season’s Reasons

Charlotte BurkholderLeave a comment

June 28, 2024

Life is full of seasons. In “Stories for God’s Glory,” I take the reader through different seasons. I start with the Childhood Season and end with the Golden Year Season. The Dating Season, the Marriage Season, the Parent Season, and the wonderful Grandparent Season are included. In addition, there is the Christmas Season, the Season of Challenges, and the Empty Nest Season.

Nature has four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Often our life-span is likened to these seasons. Spring is when your life begins, Summer is full of active living, in the Fall one slows down a bit, and Winter, of course, marks the end of the life cycle. Every season has its pros and cons. So enjoy to the fullest whatever season you are in. There are lots of reasons to give thanks for each season.

At age eighty-five I figure I have to be in the  Winter Season. I am so thankful for all the blessings God has poured out on me over all those years. And in this Winter Season, I find life enjoyable and am so grateful for basic good health. At my annual check-up recently my doctor asked me, “Are you going to live to one hundred and five?!” I told him I didn’t know but whenever was okay with me because I knew where I would go. Heaven is going to be a wonderful place!

What’s happy about the season you are in?

Enjoy,

Charlotte

My Journey to Book Publishing

Charlotte BurkholderLeave a comment

I never imagined I would author a book. But here is “Family Stories for God’s Glory,” with my name on the cover! Starting with childhood stories of myself and the young boy who would one day become my husband, it is a compilation of real-life stories featuring our children and grandchildren. Now, at eighty-five years of age, my last story is not my last story but hints of the best that is to come. Each story portrays the presence and power of God. I invite you to join me on my journey of how it all happened.

I began writing this book before I knew I was writing a book. I wrote about my experiences for my own therapy, sometimes to preserve precious memories, and sometimes just for the joy of writing.

“How long did it take to write it?” I’m often asked by interested friends.

“Oh, about fifty years,” I’ll tell them, and then explain that some stories I wrote long ago, but never dreamed they would eventually be part of a book. The majority of stories, however, were written in recent years.

This book is for all ages. From serious to hilarious, it brings hope to all situations. You will enjoy the story about our two-year-old grandson when he thought God had made a terrible mistake. Hopefully, you will know God better and realize how much he cares about the little, “insignificant” things of life as well as the major crises.

I plan to blog weekly about the contents of the book. Come along! I’d love to have you join me on the journey.

Blessings, Charlotte

My book is available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Additionally, I sell copies directly. Contact me at chburkholder12@gmail.com.

For more insight, visit my blogs at: godinlifesmoments.com