What it Means to Cherish Family

I buy plane tickets to special family events for relatives who can't afford to join us on their own. When my husband and I renewed our marriage vows in a sacramental church wedding last year, we were glad to offer tickets to two relatives we wanted to be there—and this year to one who is joining us for the holidays. While this isn't always an easy expenditure for us, it reflects our shared values about family. We know these loved ones are living on sparse incomes, and even though it's a stretch for us to buy the tickets, it's one we are more than willing to do. It's well worth it to have family with us at these cherished times.

Joyce Mason
Member, Boomer Diva Nation

I've Got Time on my Hands

One day last week, I was at CVS on my lunch hour. I had plenty of time and I had several items in my cart. I walked up to the checkout counter and was waiting on the person in front of me. This lady came up behind me with a toddler and he was restless. She had two things and I told her to go ahead in front of me. She said, "Are you sure?" I said, "sure" I have more items than you, please go ahead. While she was paying, I noticed a fireman with two items in his hand. So I again said, "sir, go ahead in front of me." He said, "Are you sure? I said, yes, I have more time than you do." He said, "thank you. I'm diabetic and I really need to eat something quickly." I told him I was diabetic too and I understood. So he paid and thanked me as he walked out.

Then I checked out and went back to work. It really made me feel good to be able to let two people who needed to get out of the store quicker than I did go ahead of me. How many times do we let others who have less in their cart ahead of us? This is going to be my new motto.

Betty Lynch
Member, Boomer Diva Nation

Teaching Your Children about the D.A.R.K.

Last Friday there was a Christmas party at our church. I was in charge of decorations and the children to sing a few Christmas songs. Thankfully I don't do it by myself, others help, and the music I just passed on to our children's chorister.

It was good, a full house and many attended. As I packed up the last of the decorations (with help) I saw that those who where in charge of clean up still had much to do. I volunteered my kids and I to help out.

Next time you are at a party, dinner, etc. check with your host, see if they'd love some help cleaning up.

Name Witheld at Member's Request
Boomer Diva Nation

Having a God Moment

I was on a chat board with some authors and this one suggested that I announce that a percentage of my royalties go to charity. I said to him, "but it's not true." and he replied, "So what. No one will know." Well, I was, to say the least, utterly appalled!

But he got me thinking.

So I'm wondering....Should I donate a percentage and to whom? Well, you know how dense we all can be....I'm sitting, working on Cedar Woman, the TV is on behind me because I listen for story lines, and for the first time in YEARS that I can remember, an "Operations Smiles" commercial comes on. Could have blown me away! DUH. HELLO! My child was born with cleft lip and palate!

So, I called them, and we are arranging for me to be a donator and for them to send me their logo for my sites. How cool is that?

I am so pleased with this. It's like a "God Moment."

Debra Shiveley Welch
Member, Boomer Diva Nation

You Bless Him

Proverbs 31:20
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

There’s a man I see shuffling along in the local shopping strip almost every day. He walks with head bowed and usually has a bunch of books and a bible under his arm. He rarely looks up at anyone.

Many months ago I felt God leading me to pray for this man and so every time I drove past or walked past I did just that, asking God to bless him.

One day I saw him in a full suit on a very hot summer’s day, sitting on the pavement with his back to the fence of the house he was outside of, and he was reading. I got out of the car to see if he was ok and noticed for the first time his bible and struck up a conversation. I found out his name is Roger (I’d nicknamed him Mr Klump as that is how he walks) and that he went to a local church. He lived not far by but was happy where he was reading and writing and thanked me for my concern.

Over the months I’ve made sure I say hello to him and I see his face light up and he smiles, showing his blackened misshapen teeth. I feel sorry for him as I’m sure he is lonely and I’ve never seen anyone else with him or talking to him.
Sometimes I just pass him by as he’s hard of hearing and if he doesn’t hear me the second or third time I call out I feel a bit silly as I know others are walking in the street also and can hear me clearly.

Today I walked past him as he sat on a park bench in the new plaza strip between the shops and asked God to bless him. I continued to walk and began to feel convicted. I turned around but he’d not noticed me and so I continued to walk and pray for him. Again I asked God to bless him and then I got the response ‘you bless him’. I kept walking and began to feel guilty. I turned around and Roger still had his head down writing.

So I turned back and walked up to him as he got up to move away and felt I better hurry or I’ll miss my chance. But he was only moving to a seat in the sun to get more warmth and then sat back down again. He looked up as he heard my voice (I made sure I spoke louder than normal) and he smiled when he saw me and settled back in his seat.

We had a short conversation and I asked how he was, and how were things at church. And then it occurred to me Christmas is not far away and I wonder if he’s going to be alone this year?

I’m not really in the mood for more company this Christmas - we usually invite loners to join us each year but this will be the first year without our beloved daughter Miriam and I don’t know how the family is going to be on that day. Will I need to ask him to join us at a time when we will be in sorrow?

But I still asked him if he had someone to spend Christmas with and he didn’t hear properly so I asked again, louder this time, wondering what on earth I was doing.
He looked up at me and said he was planning to see his sisters. I said ‘that’s good’ and wished him well. Then he thanked me for asking and I told him he was welcome and said goodbye.

I walked away and then suddenly realised he’d thanked me for asking, for taking an interest. How many do that? Thank you for taking an interest in their lives? I couldn’t help wonder just how many people take an interest in Roger and continued to pray for him as I moved away towards my car again.

Do you have a Roger in your life and is he waiting for someone to take an interest?
Opening our arms and extending our hands to the needy should also mean turning our hearts and minds to these people, the lonely because they truly are needy - of company, of friendship and of love. Make sure you extend yourself this Christmas.


Kathie Thomas
Member, Boomer Diva Nation

Delayed but Not Denied

I thought I'd share something that helped me during a very tough time with my daughter's spinal fusion surgery and recovery. Anthony Robbins, personal power guru, said "God's delays are not God's denials." You can't know how many times I asked God "why", "why not", "when", or "how". I thought I'd share with any Diva who might be wondering why she hasn't received her blessing yet. It's not a question of why, why not, when or how, it's merely accepting, believing and having faith.

Olalah Njenga
Member, Boomer Diva Nation

Blessings Given--Blessings Received

I have this friend, J.B., whose grandmother is dying. He called me from the hospital recently and asked if I could please pick him up and take him home.

"Have you eaten?" I asked.

"No," he replied.

"Okay, let's stop at 'bag of nails,' get you some soup or a sandwich or something, and then I'll take you home."

We're seated. J.B. leaves for a minute to call his mother. My son Chris has gone across the street to the music store and I'm alone.

A mother walks in with two toddlers and they are seated right beside us. They're really good kids but hungry and just a little fussy. I had some French fries and asked their mom if I could share them. "I haven't added any salt! I never add salt!" She said, "Thank you. Please."

So kids are munching on my fries, adorable babies, and Mom and I begin to talk.

Bottom line...She's a news anchor for 10TV and wants to do a television interview with me and Chris..................OMIGOD!


Debra Shiveley Welch
Member, Boomer Diva Nation

Giving from the Heart

For the past several months, I have been giving some of my grandson's old clothes to his daycare provider. The owner told me she has been giving them to the single mom of a little boy who didn't have much. I could've donated them to the Goodwill or Rescue Mission but giving to the daycare makes me feel I am really making a difference in the life of someone my grandson is directly connected to.

Beverly Mahone
Boomer Diva Nation

When God Speaks--Are You Listening?

Recently I was praying to be a blessing to someone and for God to put someone in my path to do something for, like we have talked about.

I was on my way home from doing some errands and stopped in to the Dollar General store. I was browsing through the aisles and saw a lady, whom I recognized from a local TV show. She sings, prays, and teaches and is an angelic, unpretentious woman. She spoke to me and handed me a bookmark and told me that God would watch over me, or something similar. I accepted the bookmark and thanked her.

When I got to the register to pay, I was on the phone and not paying any attention to what was going on, except that she was in front of me and paying for her items. When I got off the phone, she was looking around on the floor. She said she had dropped her change and was short 2 pennies. I started looking around on the floor for her money and she went outside the store. I noticed that she had a buggy of items that had not been rung up yet. The cashier said that she had gone to her car to find money to pay for the other order...she was missing 2 cents on her first order, so I gave it to the cashier. That's when she told me that the lady had gone to her car to get more money.

Well, I could see her looking around in her car, and I felt compelled to pay for her other items when I paid for mine. I didn't notice how much she had, after all it was the Dollar Store, how much could it be? It didn't matter, I was going to be obedient, because I had prayed today to be a blessing to someone. I was a bit alarmed at the amount, but I know God will supply the money.

I wrote the check and carried the bags out to her. She could not believe that I had paid for her items. She hugged me and started to thank me over and over. I told her it was MY honor to do it.

I went back into the store to get my bags. She came back into the store,hugged me, and while she was hugging me she prayed a short prayer...something about filling my storehouses. It was precious! She told me that she had never heard of anything so sweet as what I did.

I didn't feel that it was me being sweet, just being obedient and seeing a need. I told her I was just paying it forward (because I had been the recipient at other times). She said her children and granchildren thanked me, too.

It was such a blessed experience! If God so chooses to bless me financially some day, I want to do lots of things like this. I want to be a blessing to someone EVERY day to demonstrate Christ's love through me in a tangible way.

Anyway, thank you for allowing me to share my joy.

Pam Archer
Member, Boomer Diva Nation

Lending a Helping Hand

Well someone I know was having problems with a page on a group they created and it kept getting all messed up code wise. So this person was getting extremely frustrated.

Being a administrator of the group, I just jumped in and re-coded the page for her. Now, normally I charge for this because that's how I make a humble living. But I hate seeing people get so upset about something that means alot to them so I just felt the need to do it.


Tracy Lewis
Member, Boomer Diva Nation

Sometimes All it Takes is Prayer

This morning I sent our publisher a prayer and offering to take anything off her plate to deal with her ill husband at this time. She is a wonderful woman and our prayers go out to her. Even if we have to fly out to Calgary, we will go and support her anyway we can.

We don't have the money to give her, but we will share our time and our heart.

Helen Georgaklis
Member, Boomer Diva Nation