Life of Significance Part 7

My first heroes would have to be my grandparents. Even after all these years, both my paternal and maternal grandparents loom larger than life in my heart and I am pretty sure they have earned gigantic mansions in heaven. (Can you feel the smile on my face right now?)

Beyond my grandparents, there were two women in ministry that I admired in my adult life: Dr. Irene Harvey (Atlanta) and Dr. Juanita Smith (California). I had the blessed opportunity to develop a relationship with Dr. Harvey and to even thank her for the impact she had on my life. Dr. Harvey modeled for me what it meant to walk in ministry without losing my “womanhood”. I never got to spend personal time with Dr. Smith, although I did have the opportunity to sit under her teaching during a conference. And when I say sit under her ministry, I do mean literally “sit under” as I happily sat on the floor in the front of an overcrowded hotel meeting room while drops of her sweat fell on me. That one session in her presence was life-changing and impacted me forever.

Along with my grandparents, Dr. Harvey and Dr. Smith have gone on to be with the Lord. They are all greatly missed and have never been replaced. There are many people who I admire and glean from, but these are the ones who will forever be my heroes.

Question: Have you had heroes in your life? Have they changed over time or been replaced as you have grown older?

Live in the overflow!

Dr. D’

Life of Significance Part 6

If I could live any five years over again it would be the ages of 44 to 49. Those were my son’s first five years of life, and I would have been more intentional about developing his mind in his formative years. He is a wonderful young man, but I always feel as though I could have done a better job of stimulating his mind and preparing him for his school years. I would have also been more aggressive financially in preparing for his college education and my retirement.

Question: If you could live any five years over again, which would it be and why? What would you do differently?

Live in the overflow!

Dr. D’

Life of Significance Part 5

If asked who I am, I could say “I am Bill’s wife, Stephen’s mother, Catherine’s daughter, a sister, aunt, niece, friend, and woman.” Of course, that would describe both who I am to so many others and what I do, but the best way I could answer is to say that I am a woman who loves her God, loves her family, and loves her life. I’m not perfect, nor is my life devoid of challenges, but I can honestly sing with the Clark Sisters, “I like living this kind of life. I’m living the blessed life!”

Question: If you were asked the question, “Who are you?” what are some of the different ways you could answer and what would characterize the best answer?

Live in the overflow!

Dr. D’

Life of Significance Part 4

 

Early in life, I disappointed myself when I dropped out of high school. Even though I immediately earned my G.E.D., I felt that I missed out on the opportunity to continue my education at an age and stage of life when it would have been easier to finish college. What I learned from that experience is how important it is not to make hasty decisions, especially when those decisions are designed to spite others. Later in life, one of my greatest disappointments was the circumstances surrounding a family that left our church. It was very painful to have walked so closely with people with whom we had shared so much, only to have them be vicious and bitter in their departure. While the relationship is cordial and we have fully forgiven them, things are not the same and what I have learned is that people aren’t always completely forthright about their feelings nor are they always looking for resolution to problems. In such cases, all we can do is walk in love and be honest with ourselves.

 Question: What have been some of your disappointments? What have you learned from them?

Live in the overflow!

Dr. D’