Tuesday, November 04, 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WELCOME HOME




















Good morning friends. Another beautiful bright and sunny day here in Maryland. The air is cool and brisk and perfect for just a sweater. I walked around my garden this morning and it was raining leaves all around me. There was that familiar smell of someone burning leaves somewhere in the distance. I could hear the crunch and crinkle of the leaves at my feet and my senses were waking up to the crisp clean smell of autumn air. The crab apples have fallen and the birds were all around me trying to gather them. Squirrels were out digging up the nuts they had stored for this time of year and I even saw a chipmunk filling his cheeks for of berries and seeds to take back to his little home.

Welcome Home turns two years old today. And what a thrill it is to see that over half a million followers come here to find comfort. Whether it is in my cooking or my stories or the fact that I am on a mission to save lives and spread kindness. I would like to hope that you are all on this journey with me and that we can work together to make this world a better place.

I have to say that my experience here on Facebook over the last two years has not always been easy. It has been challenging and full of set backs to say the least. However, every setback, whatever it was here at Welcome Home, turned into a blessing and created an opportunity of commitment and renewal. I have to remember that God is sovereign and there’s a peace that comes from my knowledge that God is in control and things will work out in their own time. When we believe that our lives have purpose and that every trial comes to make us stronger and wiser, we will be able to accept each “setback” as a “setup” for future blessings. And blessings here at Welcome Home over the last two years have far outweighed the setbacks.

My Mom used to say, "May all those tough times bring out the best in you baby girl. I pray that they make you stronger and make you even more diligent. She would say, "I hope that someday you will realize that your instincts and gut feelings have great value and you should trust every one of them. These are God's whispers that allow you to prepare when disappointment is approaching."

She would always tell me that blessings are everywhere.... even when we can't see them.... and God always has a bigger plan. She would remind me that my attitude will effect the outcome of my disappointment. Read that again.....it took me years to understand what she was saying. My attitude will greatly effect the outcome of my disappointment. Now I know that she meant those challenges are often gifts in disguise and a positive attitude will make things go much smoother.

Even when I was very young, I knew that my Mom was a wise woman and I would hang on her every word. As I look back and reflect on so many of the lessons she taught me about life, I can see their meaning more clearly now. She used to tell me that God had given me skills and talents that I am unaware of now, yet someday I will use those very skills and talents to be a positive influence on many people, and one day it will bring me great comfort in knowing that I have changed lives in some way. She used to say, "life is not as fulfilling if you don't use it to bring comfort and joy to others." How profound those words are to me now as her prophecy has come to pass.

So today I will not think of the setbacks. I will know that my Mom and my God have something else planned for me here at Welcome Home as they gather so many people from every corner of the earth to cross my path and bring them to a place of comfort. I will wait for the blessings to come. I will value today as a blessing to be enjoyed and I will see that each person that crosses my path is put here for a reason and that they are unique and important. I will see that each moment of my life has meaning.

~Marty
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