Elder Care Law Firm

Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.
Psalm 116:7

 

A few months ago, following my days of being an Express Girl and having two temporary job assignments, I once again spent time looking at the various venues of employment opportunities. It wasn’t too many days later that I found a permanent part-time position, which began the Monday following Easter.   

As an office assistant in an Elder Care Law Firm, outside of the generic skills and trades that I have accumulated through the years, I brought nothing to the table from my repertoire concerning law.  But I have come to believe from my own personal experience in life that God wastes nothing, and I was immediately encouraged and reminded that God takes very good care of me.  Here are two wonderful ‘Wow!’ examples that repeat themselves over and over in my daily routine in the office of Robert Clofine, Elder Care Law Firm.

Back during tax season, while working a month and a half as an assistant to a tax accountant, my primary duty, as easy and simple as it is, was to scan.  Hundreds of various forms of documentation were scanned every day and saved to the clients’ files.  Again, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put papers into a scanner and properly save them, but I had never done this before.  One of the tasks that I do often to assist the attorneys and paralegals is to scan documents and save them to the clients’ files.  With great pleasure, I was able to answer the affirmative when asked if I had ever worked with a scanner before.   YAY God!!

The second ‘Wow!’ is that at least one time per week, I make a trip downtown to the York County Court House and the Administrative Center … to the very building where I worked for 2 weeks as a temporary receptionist for the IT department.  There is no concern about parking, no concern about where to go in the building, no concern about anything!  God had already taken care of me by preparing the way before I got there.  Each week as I walk up the steps to that stately old building constructed in marble and stone, my heart is always warmed as I confidently take care of the business at hand, thanking God for His preparation for this season of my life. 

As a side note, God has blessed my daily routine with a special co-worker.  What a time we have together as we share music, scriptures, diet tips, prayer concerns, and our love for Jesus.  I am blessed that she is the one who spends the most time training and teaching me … prodding and nudging me with confidence into tackling more and more projects so I can prepare documents and do other tasks on my own.  She has a sense of humor that is unique, a real heartfelt compassion for the bereaved, along with an extra helping of patience, due to the path that life has taken her down.  I thank God for Gala, for her leadership, her friendship, and her walk with Jesus.

Our clients have given me a different perspective on life.  They were all once newly married kids, busy in life having babies, raising their families and earning a living.   As quickly as the years have marched by for them, so did the circumstances of their lives.  Their children grew up, graduated from high school, college, and began adult lives of their own. All the while, however, the now grandma and grandpa still earn a living and do what’s necessary to love their ever-growing family and to put away for retirement.  Then all of a sudden, they realize that many things have changed.  It hurts to walk up and down the stairs.  Knees and back are stiff from just simply getting up out of a chair.  There are too many wrinkles everywhere, sneezing can be quite the experience, and doctor reports are often not good.  Now this is pretty typical in a positive situation.  Many of our clients have suffered from dysfunctional relationships that have torn their families apart and there are battles within the ranks that cause heartache and distress.   Diseases and mental debilitation wreck havoc on many, literally stealing their very life from them.  Many are confused and uncertain, scared and worried.  Medicaid, Medicare, assisted living facilities, nursing home, spend down, gifting, hospice, probate, and many, many more words make up the vocabulary in our office.  For whatever reason belongs to each individual client, life is no longer the same.  They have many questions … but this elder care law firm has the answers.  

I find myself praying for our clients.  My position of employment in the law firm does not give me the opportunity to talk to them about their situation and then to hold their hands and ask for Jesus to calm their fears and to give them peace.  But I do pray for them on my own.  I not only pray for our clients, but I pray for those in my own life who have arrived at their own stages of life where nothing is the same any longer.  Unlike Rob Clofine, who is an expert in his field of elder care law, I am not an expert on life.  But again, I know that God wastes nothing.  If my experiences in life can somehow help someone else see that there is hope, I want to be there for them.  I know I do not have all the answers, but I do know Someone Who does.  In fact, He IS the Answer!!  Here are the words to a song that I used to sing with two of my best friends way back when we were teenagers … Jesus Is Still the Answer.  Click here to listen to Jesus Is Still the Answer  by the Collingsworth Family.

 

VERSE 1

Some men try so hard to prove
That God’s not really real
While others say they know for sure
His love you can not feel
But I know He’s real within my soul
For one day He cleansed and made me whole
And Jesus is still the answer
For that longing deep in your soul 

CHORUS

Jesus is still the answer
And though time and ages roll
Jesus is still the answer
He’s the answer for your soul
And though some may say
He doesn’t fit with their philosophy
I know Jesus is still the answer
He’s always been and always will be

VERSE 2

Some men pretend that things of this world
Have brought them peace of mind
But with the dawn of each new day
New thrills they try to find
Not until they meet the Prince of Peace
Can they ever hope to find relief
For Jesus is still the answer
For a world that’s seeking for peace

 

When your world is full of questions, and your heart is full of fear and discouragement, won’t you join me in going to the One Who truly IS the Answer?!

Until next time,
Debbie

For my friends who subscribe to Morsels of Mercy and automatically get a copy sent to your email, check out the blog on my website to see additional photos of my family         https://morselsofmercy.wordpress.com

**  Blog photo of sea gull taken at Belmar Beach, New Jersey on September 3, 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

The Quiet Morning

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46:10

 

Sigh … It’s Friday.  Earlier this morning as I knelt in my room to pray, I was immediately drawn to how unusually quiet it was…

There is still traffic in a hurry on the road in front of our house, but it seems like there just might be a little less of it at this hour of the day.  

The all-too familiar sound of rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, has finally given way to clear, quiet blue skies today. 

The sun is shining brightly through both of the bedroom windows, desiring its warmth to take some of the early morning chill out of the air. 

Being bundled up in my long robe takes away any silly thought of running the furnace, and we certainly do not need the air conditioner … so the usual sounds of comfort are hushed this morning. 

The television that has been watched more than normal this week has been turned off  ~  So grateful for the convenience of a DVR during weekends such as Sept 11^th. 

Mimi and Anticipation are hand-in-hand anxious for next weekend when Cole is expected to come and stay for a few days … but all the tractors, cars, trains, and trucks are still and in their proper places for now. 

A very brief good morning from Cole was already enjoyed as he and his Momma were meeting other friends for a fun day at their county fair.   So my cell phone lies quietly by.

The phone ringing along with the drama of my place of employment is someone else’s responsibility today.

In the stillness of my prayer time, I remembered someone’s status on Facebook from the other day that said something like … What would you have tomorrow if you were able to keep everything you thanked God for today?  Diverting from my normal list of people, too many to name, and asking God to help this situation and that, I began to simply name names.  In the continued quietness, I thanked Him for family, dear friends, those who are very ill, those who have lost loved ones, those who are hurting because life is just difficult.  I thanked Him for things, places, events, and most importantly, I thanked Him for Jesus.

There’s just something special about the quiet this morning.  I know Where it has come from.  Just yesterday, I prayed and asked God to meet me when I woke up.  I no longer  want to wake up and immediately think about the stress, the drama, and the concerns of life before I first feel His presence and His love for me.   My God is so faithful.   

Click Be Still and Know by David & Charlene Adams

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46:10

 As I sit here next to my place of prayer, scrunched down into the generational shared Big Bird Chair, except for the occasional vehicle on the road and the clicking of the keys on my computer, it is still very quiet.  As much as I would love to move up to the comfies of my bed and covers and spend the day reading, the stillness has motivated me to get busy.  There is an exercise video recorded on that wonderful invention of a DVR that is calling my name. There are people who are having yard sales and need to sell items they no longer want, and there are items of theirs that I would like to have.   I need to mow the lawn and do some light housekeeping chores. 

Won’t you join me in the midst of the busy days ahead?   If you ask Him to, Jesus will also be there waiting on you when you awake.  Spend some time alone with Him and be still.  Once we get up from our little quiet spot and on purpose enter the world of busyness, we can do so and KNOW that God is with us and takes great delight in us!  And when everything around us gets noisy, full of life and activity, He has promised to quiet us with His love.  He says He will rejoice OVER YOU with singing.  Wow!  God sings over us!  I wonder what song He will sing today …

The LORD your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:11

 

Have a wonderful busy, but Quiet day … listening intently to hear the beautiful voice of God singing …over you!

Until next time,
Debbie

 

For my friends who subscribe to Morsels of Mercy and automatically get a copy sent to your email, check out the blog on my website to see additional photos of my family         https://morselsofmercy.wordpress.com

**  Blog photo of sea gull taken at Belmar Beach, New Jersey on September 3, 2011.

 

 

And Then The Floods Came …

I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures
of every kind.  Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember
the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures
of every kind on the earth.
Genesis 9:15 -16

 

Taking advantage of the final 3 day weekend of the summer, my hubby and I took off for the New Jersey shore early Saturday morning.  With the impending forecast of rain threatening our mini-vacation, we spent as much time on the sand and in the sea as possible.  Having just returned from our big family vacation with our kids and my mother only four short weeks ago, we anticipated a bit different time of relaxation.  Mingled with the usual noises of the beach and crashing surf was the distinct sound of an occasional snore coming from my husband’s resting body.  I sat comfortably in my sand chair, reading, sunning, laughing at the birds, and people watching.  The little ones were the most intriguing … so much so that Papaw initiated a spontaneous invitation for Cole to bring his parents up for the last day of this holiday weekend.  Prior plans, along with a wet and rainy weather outlook helped make their decision to stay in Baltimore.  Much to our surprise and delight, the sunshine remained bright and clear for most of the day on Monday for those of us who decided to take our chances.  After driving through and admiring the old Victorian and spiritually established beach town of Ocean Grove, New Jersey, we headed home.  It was there that we found the rain.

 

Weather forecasts are unpredictable.  I guess they are that way by nature, because weather itself is unpredictable.  To a certain extent, we can be warned about incoming weather, but there always needs to be room for error, change, and adjustment.   This time was no different.  We heard that it was going to rain … the remnant from Tropical Storm Lee was coming up from the gulf coast.  Little did we know that it was going to rain and not stop raining for nearly 60 hours straight, with very small pockets of eerie silence as the rains would momentarily calm down to a sprinkle.  But without fail, the torrential downpours would begin once again, adding to the puddles and gathering ponds and lakes of water everywhere.  Now one of the things so special about south central PA are the many creeks and small streams that literally finger their way through the country side and valleys.  Branching from the stately Susquehanna River that flows through the heart of this picturesque area, they quickly began to overflow their banks and flood everything in their paths. 

Pizza Hut in Hershey, PA

In our former life back in the ‘90s when we used to live out here, a large percentage of our time was spent in the Sweetest Place on Earth.  Our beloved Hershey is one of the worst flooded areas in our local vicinity.  The Swatara Creek flows through the west end of town, where its excessive waters have gathered in great depths in roadways and parking lots, destroying restaurants, businesses, homes, and the zoo.  All up and down the Susquehanna River, from Maryland to New York, widespread damage and destruction is taking place as crest levels are rising to their fullest.

We have been blessed by living where we do … our home is located on the side of a ‘big hill’, as our grandson Cole calls it.  It certainly is not monumental, but from the perspective of this 2 year old, he huffs and puffs and grunts a bit as he carries his kick ball “up the big hill, Mimi!”  He then turns around and kicks the ball and chases it as it naturally races down the hill to the back of the yard.  It is the perfect slant and incline for snow sledding in the winter and slippy slide in the summer!   It is this slope of fun that has protected our home from water damage caused by the heavy rains and flooding. 

In a few days, the rains will cease.  The waters will recede.  The damaged will be rebuilt.  The destroyed will be cleared away and replaced.  Somehow, people will find the hope, the desire, and the motivation to do what is necessary to carry on with life. 

Life does go on … and in its course through the years, it will once again send the heavy rains causing the flood waters to rise.   Much like the circumstances in our lives, the heavy rains come, heartache and sorrow flood our lives and causes damage and destruction.  In the midst of these storms, won’t you join me in asking Jesus Himself to shower on us?  Shower His love, His faithfulness, and His mercy.  click here to listen to the song  Heavy Rain by Adam’s Voice.

Until next time,
Debbie

 

For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 
and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood
came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the
coming of the Son of Man.  Two men will be in the field; one will be
taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding
with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day
your Lord will come.  But understand this: If the owner of the house had known
at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch
and would not have let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready,
because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Matthew 24:38-44

 

 

 For my friends who subscribe to Morsels of Mercy and automatically get a copy sent to your email, check out the blog on my website to see additional photos of my family         https://morselsofmercy.wordpress.com

**  Blog photo of sea gull taken at Belmar Beach, New Jersey on September 3, 2011.