Tag: joy

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

Attitude of Gratitude

Charlotte BurkholderLeave a comment

November 22, 2024

What do you do with huge disappointments? When hopes are dashed and dreams turn out to be nightmares, then what do you do? When our grandson, Mitch, worked hard for four years to get his mechanical engineering degree, he no doubt, dreamed of walking across a stage, receiving his diploma, hearing the applause of family and friends, and flipping the tassel on his cap from the left to right. It didn’t happen that way for Mitch. Oh yes, he received his degree in mechanical engineering by Zoom. Covid made it impossible for him to experience graduation as it should have been.

Instead of walking across a stage, he reclined on a couch. Instead of wearing the graduation robe and cap with tassels, he wore a well-worn pair of sweats. Instead of all his friends and his grandparents (us) being able to give him hugs and affirmations, it was all done virtually. That seemed rather cold and distant. Virtual hugs just aren’t that warm.

So, what do you do with big disappointments? Mitch’s story in, “Family Stories for God’s Glory,” tells what he chose to do. Mitch is known for his attitude of gratitude. Throughout his life, before his college graduation, he exhibited that admirable quality. Therefore, instead of complaining on graduation day, Mitch responded, “It’s okay. The main thing is getting a good education.” Doesn’t that just warm your heart?

Find something to be grateful for today, even if it’s hard!

Charlotte

“Family Stories for God’s Glory” is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or by emailing chburkholder12@gmail.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

What makes you laugh?

Charlotte BurkholderLeave a comment

April 12, 2024

Some people just have the gift of making other people laugh. My grandson, Kyle, is one of those gifted people. He has a knack for saying and doing funny things. Even when he was a little three-year-old, he made people laugh. His story is in the book, “Family Stories for God’s Glory,” entitled, “The Gift of Laughter.” You won’t believe what he said!

I recently lost a friend who consistently said to me as our visits concluded, “Go have fun. Find something to laugh about.” And he worked hard at living his life that way too. He was ninety-eight years old with multiple health problems, but he could still laugh.

Back to Kyle. He is a young man now and still using his gift of laughter. One way he does it is to trick someone, mostly gullible people like me. We are still laughing about the time he cracked us all up in the unlikely setting of a funeral home. That story is in the book too.

Laughter is good for you! God totally agrees. He created us to enjoy laughter. Keep on using your gift, Kyle, and making the world a little brighter place. Proverbs 17:22

Join me next week for another featured story from “Family Stories for God’s Glory.”

Charlotte