mundy madness

Men of God

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Good morning Wonderers:

God calls us to love one another as we love ourselves.

Memories are sometimes funny, distorted or maybe even correct in their entirety. I don’t know why they come up accept to teach us lessons, to ask for a clearer perception, to ask for forgiveness or acceptance or maybe just to share. It’s Monday and I know I haven’t written to this page in a while so if you don’t mind I am going to designate this memory to Mundy Madness in honor of two men that taught me a lesson on how God wants us to love one another.

Children can be so cruel. One day you are best friends the next day you are enemies and then back to being friends again. On this one day of cruelty, a group of frienemies taunted and teased the weakest of the group. A sickly child that could not defend themselves. What they did to this child is not important in this story. This story is about the children’s fathers.

What’s a father to do? This day the father went to the other children’s father and tried to start a conversation about what happened. Maybe his approach was wrong. Maybe his approach was right but at the wrong time. Either way he went to this man. A man that he had befriended. They worked on their cars together. They spoke to each other and shared an occasional beer and laughed in front of their front doors. Not best friends but neighbors with concerns for their children, their neighborhood, their community. But this day would be different than any other day. This day would present a different side of their relationship. The side of conflict.

When the father stepped up to the other father it has been a day of celebration for his family and everyone had dressed up and was ready to go out for the evening when the youngest child was assaulted. Now I will state the attackers thought it was in fun for them but it was hurtful for the victim. Anyway the father was probably outside of his normal demeanor because he was under the influence of intoxicating spirits and stepped to his friend. The other father who had been working on his car tried to hear him out and when he tried to keep distance between the two of them, the intoxicated father fell back with his greasy handprint on his jacket. All of this happened right in front of all their children and the bully children thought they had victory because their father was not the one who fell.

But this is what I want you the reader to know. It is not the altercation that I am writing about. I am writing about what happened next and the new respect I gained for both of these men.

The father that fell back was helped up from the other father. He did not try to further embarrass himself or the other father in front of their children. He tried to set an example to the young boys in the crowd for this is not what men do. He did not blame the other father by calling the police because literally you never have the right to put your hands on another person under any circumstance. These two men worked it out amongst themselves for themselves, their children and their community. I don’t know if the other children out there saw what I saw or if they ever knew their father apologized and offered to have the fallen father’s jacket cleaned. I do not know if they just thought their father knocked down the other father on purpose and that it was not accidental. So I can only tell you what I saw.

I saw the God in these men. I saw Kings trying to protect their families with godly principles by holding each other up and to a higher standard. If the other children did not know it, you should be so proud of your father, on whichever side you were standing. Both men stood up to the test of the emery and won that day.

Victory belongs to all of us because our father carried the character of the Father God. They were not perfect men but they were godly men and they taught us that day what God meant by loving your neighbor as you love yourself.

Thank you for perusing and may God guide your heart with love and light.

X Marks The Spot

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Wonderers:

Cloud formations constantly change.  You look at the sky and you see one thing.  You look back and the image has softened or disappeared.  You only have an instant to see, meditate, reflect and share a provoking image but with technology we can now capture an imagine and hold it to analyze our thoughts into words and put all the pieces together and have proof of our experience.  Not that we need proof but sometimes we can not explain the supernatural in words.  We wait on evidence of an unspoken promise.  Confirmation.

Praying for help is the only resource available and I have faith that my supplications and prayer requests are being heard.  I sometimes question if I really am experiencing the supernatural and I did not want to be the person that reveals and connects they see God in everything but guess what….he is in everything so try to convict me if you must but here it goes.

I’m trying to be both parents in my household and I’m praying to be the structure that my husband was to our children.  I’m the unorthodox parent, the fun and flaky disciplinarian.  But my young men need the structure and I cried out to God in desperation for help.  It came to me to do one of my husband’s tricks which I threatened for several days when it came to me I had to actually do it to get the point across.  So you can follow my thoughts process, my husband would talk of sprinkling water on the children if he could not get them out of bed.  Just hearing the water run was enough to get them stirring.  I tried it but they knew I wouldn’t go through with it.  Instead of yelling and getting upset I had to get their attention.  I started to trickle the water on the pillow and the boy sat up and he said, “there’s an “x” on the pillow.  I looked and said, “x marks the spot.”  We had a long talk about expectations and what kind of person I needed him to be so I could be the person God needed me to be.   We left the conversation at that and I took him to school.  You have heard me speak of the road we travel to school everyday and I feel God is with me most on this path and this day was no different.  When we arrived at the entrance of school, he got out and when I looked up this is what I saw.


Coincidence, maybe.  I say it is God confirming he heard my cry and he let me and the boy both know he is with us and he will never leave us.  I went home and prayed for over a few more things that were blocking me from having a clean heart and stilling my joy .  The response:


Keep in mind I live 15 minutes from school so it is not the same sky.  What it is no matter how they got there is this.  God has dominion over the heavens and earth and he loves us enough to answer our prayers.  Be assured he is listening. 

And I think this could be the heart be my next painting.

Thank you for perusing and may God bless you and keep you today and always.

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Good morning Wonderers:

It’s Monday and you know what time it is.  Today though, my madness is a little bit different.

Last Friday evening my daughter called waking me out of sleep to tell me to gas up my car because a hurricane was on its way to Texas.  I got up and did just that. (Thanks baby for looking out for your mama!)   Saturday morning when I awoke my mind was telling me to gas up my husband’s car also.  We did not know how bad it was going to get and I might need both cars filled with gas.

I try to ride his car around once a week to keep it running in good condition until someone else takes over the car .   So I take it out and ride around the subdivision.  I look at the gas gauge and I can’t determine whether it needs gas or not.  We’ve had this car since 2007 and today I do not understand how to read the gauge.  I mean there is a white line up to the “F” but there is a red dot at the “E”.  My mind is questioning is it full or is it empty.  So I park the car and pull out the owner’s manual looking for clarification.  That didn’t help, it only confused me more.  At this point I’m thinking I had put gas in it the week prior but I can’t remember to be sure.  (Senior moment.)  So I just decide I’m gonna drive to the gas station anyway.  Either way no harm in taking the drive.  That’s when the miracle happened.

I start the car and only two bars show up at the top of the gauge at “F”.  The lower bars had disappeared.  As if the car was saying, “Denise the car is full dummy.”  I had never seen it do this before.  I was questioning whether it was a magnetic glitch in the gauge or maybe the light was blown.  I just keep looking at it and thinking the two bars were glowing brighter than usual but I still felt I needed to go to the gas station.  So off I went.  At the pump it took $1.99 and it was full.

I got back into the car and on the way home I just started crying.  I mean bawling.  I had been praying for discernment and to trust my intuition.  And right in front of me, here it is.  Evidence that God is listening to my prayers and I was questioning it.  I cried until I started laughing.  All this time and through all the things he brought me through I was still questioning what was real.  It gave me a total new perspective on my past, life with my family, my husband’s love and his passing and for my future.  It made me realize going forward I don’t have to question God anymore.  He is working for my good and he loves me.  My faith has been renewed.  If he can darken the control panel in a car, he can do anything!

Now you may think I’m losing it.  Some may say it was just a malfunction in the panel or maybe my husband.  It’s not the first time something strange happened in his car. (That’s another story for another day.)  What I know is:

God has dominion over every thing and he will use whatever he needs to get our attention and if we call out to him he will answer.   Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus or Lord. Roman 8:39

Wonderers, have a great day.  Use your magnetic personalities and draw God’s love into your lives.  Thank you for perusing and remember….

Walk in Joy!

a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/magnetic/”>Magnetic</a&gt;

Grandma Glider

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Grandmom’s glider could surely keep the family secrets.  How loyal it was to the family.  It never rusted and never stopped gliding.  We kids would sit out on the porch to eavesdrop on the grownup conversation.  You could hear them talking over the big fan that was blowing in the window and we would sit awaiting the juicy news.  Then someone would start gliding.  Gliding faster and faster.  You never noticed when it started to slow down.  We all have a different opinion.  It happened somewhere near the time when the rickety fan started its lullaby and the fragrances of honeysuckles and hydrangeas would fill the air.  Somehow the gossip never filtered through.  Childlike innocence was preserved for the glider never told the secrets.  It kept us safe and secure from the scarring of growing up too fast.  Until the grownup talks were silenced and we had the best summertime naps on grandmom’s porch.

We should have kept that glider for the new generation to keep them safe from all the stimulation and over sensory practices they are experiencing.  Oh well, it would not have mattered anyway, they don’t go outside anymore.

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/fragrance/”>Fragrance</a&gt;

Earth Angel

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Good afternoon Wonderers:

Let me tell you about the smartest person I know. The earth angel. She is wise beyond her years with the purest of hearts. The day she was born was traumatic. It was predicted that she would not survive. But God had another plan. She was born by emergency cesarean section. Before she left the body she cried. The doctors all proclaimed how smart she was for she did not have to be stimulated to take the first breath. She was fragile but strong. Her head circumference was abnormally small. And God had a plan. Born on April 1st, she fooled them all.

Fast forward 6 years to one of the most exciting days or her life, kindergarten graduation. She is reading above first grade level, writing whole sentences and she did well in math also. She was the only child who didn’t take her diploma for granted. She stopped to make sure it had her name on it before she left the podium. She was proud of herself.   

I look back and think about why she is here. She is here to keep us all straight. She has a godly strength and wisdom that she shares generously. She often just comes up to me and hugs me just when the low vibrations appear. Without warning, without prompting, She tells me often that We are fighters not criers. No little one we are not and you are so much more. You are a gift from God and I pray that the world never changes your heart. 

I pray you have an angel in your midst Wonderers.  Life has so much joy when they are around.

Until next time, keep walking with Joy!

Into Every Life Rain Must Fall

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Good morning Wonderers!

I hope you’ve got your coffee and are ready to hear a little of my madness. It’s been a while so please be patient with me. 

This summer being the great mom that I am, I purchased season passes to Carowinds, our local amusement park.  Let’s not stop there I also purchased the drink plan and meal plan.  Such a good mommy!  Like the mom who sprinkles flour on her face when she makes rice crispy treats. 😜 Really though I have loved saying several times a week I might add, “Let’s go the Carowinds for dinner!”   Every time-they react like it’s the first time I said it this season.   Mental note moms:  Children are so easy. 

Now let me inform you I am not the amusement park type. I am not really the wanna be outside in the heat type either. My idea of “Ruffin it” is continental breakfast at Holiday Inn Express. 😳 And I don’t do rides. I do eat all the snacks under the rides while I wait although I’m not supposed too.  Heck, if the lines are long enough, the world may never know!  It will be our secret.

On to why you’re here.   I decided there was a ride I wanted to try.  It’s a ride that goes to air traffic control height and it looks like a carousel in the sky.  My mission for the summer Wonderers!  I thought, I’ll have to ease my way into it.  J who is 6, wants to ride the swings. She just made the height chart and is super excited.   I thought this to be the first step to my victory.  She carefully selected her seat and waited for the ride to begin.  I just grabbed the first seat I came too.   I noticed she kept looking at me and I wondered if she was scared.  Maybe I should have sat next to her.  At lift off I was feeling a little panicky and when it started to swing I gripped the chains and started mumbling to Jesus.   I could hear J laughing. I tried to open my eyes to see if she was laughing at me but the roof of an adjacent building was coming at me so I shut my eyes again. I was whimpering like a baby.   I was really feeling anxious so I started praying for the Lord to stop the ride.   As the ride started to lower I gave up all claims to ride the big carousel in the sky.   My dream had been dashed and to make matters worst when the ride stopped and I opened my eyes my swing ramjacked the swing in front of me.   Only mines did that. Everyone else’s stopped on point. Maybe that was the insult of being on the kiddie ride. When it was time to get off J turned to me and said, “that’s why I get on the inside swing!   How humiliating!  She did see me shivering in the air.

At the next ride I stayed on the ground and got me a funnel cake with powder sugar, vanilla ice cream and strawberries.   I deserved it!  Just when I sat down to eat it, it started to rain.  Okay Derrick, okay God y’all got jokes.   I looked inside my healthy backpack and “ Shazam!”  Pulled out a ziplock bag!

Girl Scouts prepared me well.   If you can’t fly high at least be able to cover ground. Oh! I gonna have to put that on a flag or something.


Have a great Monday Wonderers and thanks for perusing.

Riddle Me This?

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Wonderers:

What is your super power? If you could pick out your cape what would you choose.

I want my superpower to be joy. I want to fly around the world spreading joy to everyone I meet.  ZAP -Touch a heart here.  POW -fill a void there.  BOOM -always with the power of God’s love.

Wonderers I challenge you to pick out the superpower you would use to serve God by serving humanity.  If you have no idea what it would be I leave these words with you to get you started. 

Philippians 4:8-9 

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” 

Thank you for perusing and I would love to hear about your choice. 

Until we meet again!

Parable of a Wild Flower

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Hello Wonderers:

Following my meditation on Galatians Chapter 5. I want to tell you my story.

Have you ever wondered if you were a flower, what type of flower would you be? Personally I never thought about it but apparently I do carry the characteristic of a flower. I am Mirabilis Jalapa. To you and me just the old fashioned Four O’clocks.

Like the flower I was easy to raise. I remember how I came to this flower. My coworker gave me some seeds and told me, “Just scratch up the ground and throw them down but make sure they are where you want them.” I did just that and they grew into the most ample set of leaves with little flowers are over it. Like it was shy of showing its full potential but everyone could see it had a real possibility to be a showstopper. When I was born into the world, my mother rejected me because she wanted all boys. She was so adamant about it the nurses would not give me to her for fear that she would harm me. That was fear on her part. I don’t think she didn’t love me. I think she was afraid of raising a daughter. Maybe she knew there was a pattern of hurt that I was going to endure because she too endured it. Maybe it was anxiety that she could not do it justice because she was so damaged herself and from the beginning she just wanted to avoid it. Either way, my grandmother saw the value in me at birth and swooped me into her arms closing the bond that should have been between my mother and me. Being the middle child she didn’t really have time for me. Her oldest and youngest children had more urgent medical issues to deal with. I remember asking her about it and she said, “I didn’t need her, they did!” What she could not see was the fear and anxiety she transferred to me. Two negative traits I fought to suppress all my life. Winning mostly but losing just the same.

Four o’clocks can tolerate a wide range of conditions. They are easy to care for because they don’t need much attention. I was an anxious kid having to get my knuckles whacked every day in kindergarten because I would knock over my milk. In my elementary years I used to come home from school and sit in the corner and read books. I remember being home alone. I would just sit and wait until my grandmother would swing by and pick me up if my mother was going to be late. I did not know I could read until fourth grade. Being a shy kid I would not have ever read in class. After I discovered I could read, I became a bookworm. I never wanted to play outside. I was content just reading my books. Books had the ability to take you anywhere you wanted to go. Away from isolation, unhealthy relationships, even boredom and despair. The love of reading kept me out of other people’s way and gave me a purpose until I found love. Love brought to my life a garden. A family.

In the garden the four o’clock is a show stopper. It controls any location and thrives against all odds. It is controlling and will tower over any nearby plants. Sometimes it will cause such a shadow that the underlying plants can not get enough sun and nutrients. I can see now how I had control over my family. I took responsibility of everything and everybody. I gave all of myself so much so I had nothing left from my heart to give and I would become angry. Not at any one person but at the whole situation. At times I would be outside of myself and when difficulties occurred, I could lash out and cause discord. In Galatians 5:23 it says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. All of which are in us to freely give but when you live in fear you forget who you are. You are a child of God and if you become hateful and selfish God does not like it and you know it so you rest until a new day begins and you wait until four o’clock again.

This time in the garden, it is about remaining quiet and composed until the appointed hour to come alive and vibrant again bringing all the love and beauty to the gardener. I think back to how I would patiently wait all day for 4:00 p.m. for my day to begin. I would lay low, keeping the house quiet so my husband could sleep. I would go about my day taking care of errands but staying close to home giving little time to myself or others trying desperately to be available if he needed me. I kept my house immaculate and my children orderly and active outside of the house. Inside they also had to be reserved. My husband never demanded any of it. It was just easier to be complacent. So at the appointed hour I was ready to give all of myself to him for the little time we would get to spend together. I would praise him and give him all the credit for the things he was doing for our family. All in his own strength not God’s. He was the gardener in our garden. Galatians 5:19 speaks of idolatry. We are not to put anything or anyone before God. It was okay for me to be submissive to my husband but coupled with fear and a obsessive desire to constantly please made me a servant to him. I thought Serving him was my way of showing God’s love but when fear, anxiety and anger came into play it became burdensome and none of my actions were voluntarily given. The Spirit was in bondage.

I feel I am to tell my story. I hope you will read Galatians Chapter 5 for yourself and see how it relates to your life.

The garden of four o’clocks has been turned under and the gardener has hung up his hoe. God is now maintaining the garden and there is new freedom in Christ. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and so not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1. This is the message I received. I will never again go back to living in fear. I will live by the Spirit. If I am going to be a flower I will be a pineapple. I will hold my head up high, wear a crown and be full of sweetness.

God wants us all to be filled with joy Wonderers.

Until next time, Thank you for perusing and have a good night rest. God Bless You!

Denise Mundy

On the Ledge (so to speak)

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Some days ago I woke up feeling like my normal self.  It was short lived but nice just the same.  I have been missing in action for quite some time.  Invisible to the world.  Being a caregiver took up so much of my time (no complaints) and the felt the care of I giving became insufficient for my husband went on to glory days.  Just like a plant I was continually watering and accidently drowned.  It felt as if my good intentions went to waste.

Shortly after I awoke I realized it was my husband’s birthday tomorrow and I needed to get flowers to put on his gravesite.  Plastic flowers because people will not let the real one stay in place.  Who robs a departed soul? People who have no soul I assume.  Then I began to cry, sob uncontrollably because he should not be there.  Not in the ground and definitely not in that location.  He should still be here with me and our family.  I made the wrong decision.  A decision I can not change.  A decision that was only mines to make.  A decision I did not have time to fully consider.  Ultimately a decision I had no control over.  God had all the control over the ultimate situation.  But I still felt that in some way I was to blame.

So today here I sit, on the ledge, writing about how I feel.  It is not my first letter.  I’ve written plenty to God, my husband and to myself  looking for both questions and answers.  I get answers but still I move in and out of acceptance like I change underwear.  Everyday is a new reality.  So how do I keep getting back to the first day over and over again?

Plain and simple.  Doubt.

It does not matter whether it is weakness, fear, feelings of defeat, loneliness, etc… The enemy will use your despair to defeat you where he can.

This is when I started to cry and moan and I prayed to the Holy Spirit to help me and comfort me.  Romans 8:26-27 says “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words we can not express.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

I know it is true because I quickly and quietly get back to the place of acceptance.  Over the last few months I have asked the Spirit to quiet my thoughts, help me find peace, and whatever else I consciously and unconsciously asked for and it was given to me.  God’s love and concern for me never wavers.  He is restoring me back to the path he placed me on some time ago.  He tells me I am redeemed.  I do not need to be on this ledge for he has a purpose for me.  A purpose far beyond my reach.  A plan that I have been seeking validating for.

Well Wonderers I am here to tell you God has already validated you.  His grace is more than sufficient.  Have faith in his promises.  Love life, love yourself and be grateful for your family and friends.  Speak with kind words and with positivity.  What you put out in the universe manifests itself.  God only wants what is best for you.

Until we meet again keeping looking for the wonders of life and thanks for perusing.

You and Me

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For my friend Pamela because you encourage me to get out of my own head.
Happy 1 month anniversary B! 
  

I’m starting to remember that day more clearly. I remember how intently you were staring at me as I turned the corner and you misjudged the table and dropped that glass. I didn’t want you to pick it up. I had joked about me becoming your mother and called you Bernard and told you to have a seat. I remember you made me a drink too. I remember wondering why we were drinking so early in the day. Crown Royal your favorite. I’m so glad I just drank it. I didn’t say I didn’t want it or even that it was too early in the day. I just drank it. I didn’t know we were celebrating your surrendering. That look of longing, that look of intense love. That look like the day we first met gave you courage to surrender it all for my sake. I’m glad I was happy at that moment making snacks for your game. You telling me my guacamole was restaurant quality made me smile. I’m glad you were happy that day. It was a happy day. You were running with the underdogs, the Falcons. What a good game. I watched you cheering them on while you were slowly accepting your departure. You waited for everyone to leave. Going to their homes, going to bed. Then you came to me not quite ready to go but not wanting to be alone. Thank you for choosing me that day in the beginning and again that day in the end.

For all the times I had to share you it always came down to you and me.