Splashes of Joy for Hurting Women Thread

[baydoll]

Whenever I get in a down mood or I feel like life is beating me up, Barbara Johnson's books always makes me feel better. She's the wonderful Christian lady who wrote 'Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy' and other equally wonderful books. She's knows what it feels like to get beat up by various trials herself - having gone through two of her sons deaths (one in Vietnam, the other killed by a drunken driver) her husband's near fatal car accident (which doctors told them he would never recover from and would always be a vegetable but he surprised them all by making a full miraculous recovery) her other son's admission of being gay and went on to not speak to them for 8 years; her battle with severe depression (in which she almost committed suicide); her husband's battle with bone cancer (which he lost) the same time she was fighting her own battle with cancer (brain cancer) in which SHE lost back in 2007.

But through it all she manages to hold on to her Lord and to find (or create) joy and rejoice (just the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4). Her books have been a treasure to me and have helped me TREMENDOUSLY. Reading them makes me laugh when I don't feel like laughing. They keep me from going completely around the bend whenever my kids (or grand-kids) are driving me crazy. Or just need a 'lift' whenever I'm having one of those 'weeks'. So I thought it would be nice to share some of the 'jewels' from her books hopefully they'll be just the thing that will lift you up if you're having one of those days yourself and could use a little 'sparkle' and joy.

( And please do add your own 'sparkles' whatever they may be. )

~ A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons Kevin, five and Ryan, three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a morals lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.'

There was a pause, then Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus." ~

--------------------------------------------

~The doctor placed his stethoscope on an elderly and slightly deaf female patient's chest.

"Big breaths," he instructed.

"Yes, they used to be," the patient sadly replied. ~

----------------------------------------------------

~My doctor is my shepherd; I shall not weigh more.

He makes me to lie down in green sweatpants; he ordereth me to do sit-ups. He specify-eth my goal. He sendeth me down jogging trails of endless length for my heart's sake.

Yea, though I stroll by the door of the bake shop, I will not enter; my sweet rolls and crumbcakes I secretly buy elsewhere.

I eatest my cupcakes in the presence of no one. I feast on rich Twinkies and Ding Dongs. My cup's full of ice cream.

Surely big hips an thunder thighs will haunt me all the days of my life, and I will live in a body of cellulite forever. ~

-------------------------------------------

~Sometimes when we're feeling like we can't endure one more setback, a single word can give us the strength to go on. And that word is..... heaven. ~

( taken from Laughter from Heaven by Barbara Johnson. Thanks, Barbara! )