dar334

For those that know me personally, this will be old news for you, for those who know me only through this website I will bring you up to date with the short version of my last 8 years.  I’m not certain what caused the bottom of my world to fall out, but it did.  It started in 2010.  That was the year our daughter was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  She was a happily married housewife and the mother of our two oldest grandchildren.  Not only was our daughter diagnosed with an incurable and debilitating disease, our son’s marriage ended leaving our two youngest grandchildren to grow up in a broken home.  I would be remiss if I did not also mention that was the year Brooks and Dunn broke up.  I can now happily report that our daughter is doing very well and our son has remarried and started a new life.  Our grandchildren are coping well with the circumstances of their childhood and I’ve moved on from country music to Christian music.  Had I not decided to start my Christian journey when I did, I would not mentally be where I am today, I can guarantee that.  To top it all off, in 2016 my husband of 40 years was diagnosed with lung cancer.  He too is doing well at this time.

My pondering started this morning while listening to a podcast by Mike Fabarez on money, or more importantly the lack of it.  He referenced Matthew 5:3 where Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Mr. Fabarez then goes on to tell us that this does not mean poorness through laziness, idleness, or recklessness, but having less in your checkbook because you have given more.  He then reminded me of Matthew 6:19-21:  “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

As my mind was absorbing these things, I thought about those whose checkbooks have less in them because they gave to our cause.  Our walk to create a world free of MS.  Their giving stored up riches in heaven, not riches on earth.  We cannot take the things we store up on earth with us to heaven, we need to store up things in heaven too.

In closing, I’m happy to report that this year our team raised over $4,000 to help create a world free from MS, and over the last eight years we have raised over $50,000.  We could not have done that without the help of so many wonderful people who have opened their checkbooks, storing up riches in heaven.   They saw a need, and they gave.  God bless them.

-dar