Time

I can't believe how time has flown by. Just hours ago I remember being a little girl with chubby legs and tube socks, scampering up the hallway steps of the house in which I now sit. I remember the sounds of canned laughter on the television as we were entertained by variety shows and comedies. Who would believe today that Donnie Osmond was "a little bit rock and roll"? I never was a fan of the Walton's as I have a small family, and to me they were just over the top. Despite this we still ended every night of giddiness with "Good night John boy". I of course, was "Mary Ellen". Now the TV asks the question, "It's 10 pm. Do you know where your children are?" Our variety shows are American Idol-dissing fun along with your every day, who can we stab in the back reality shows? There no longer is applause when someone ends the sitcom by doing the right thing. Instead we see the stabber left alone with their thoughts as someones torch is snuffed out.

I read an interesting article today by Sharon Osbourne. (yeah, I'm as shocked as you are) And it basically said that the pursuit of "celebrity" is destroying our children. I've long been noticing the new culture of diva. How respect is rarely given for one another, but certainly something everyone feels they have a right to for themselves.

Sharon states:
*" Today, though, young people regard fame as a birthright. They have a sense of entitlement the size of one of my houses."

*"I recently heard about the work of an American psychologist who discovered that in the Fifties only 12 per cent of youngsters agreed with the statement, 'I am an important person'. By the end of the Eighties, that figure had risen to 80 per cent. I think we can all guess what it is now."

But this was the clincher:
she continues,
*"And because the traditional family unit has more or less collapsed, these children probably haven't been brought up with any real values. We used to call them latch-key kids. How many people do you honestly know who sit down together and have a family dinner every night?"

And so Sharon Osbourne becomes my kindred. Maybe even yours.

I love that young people have been a part of our lives. And I pray that they continue to be so. Because I really do think they are the most precious part of who I remember about my childhood. The world before corruption came. Before people failed and disappointed me.

And I think there is still a chance for an amazing future for the next generations children; if we'll stop with the post it note life on our daytimers to accommodate each child's color coded schedule; juggling and teetering a life out of balance before it's begun. And I think there is still a chance for us too. You can't take time back; but you certainly can start modeling a life that's back on track. And asking forgiveness where you need to, and asking for it even if someone needs to hear it.

The family is the first thing the enemy has historically tried to take away. It used to be with swords. Now it is taken away with time. And often times we've not even put up a fight. It's time to take it back. And to change the pursuit of "I am an important person" into "I am a part of something important". And make that your claim to fame.

*Quotes from Sharon Osbourne - The Daily Mail

Out of Time in 2009

We received some fun family updates in the mail these last few weeks. You know the "Christmas Card Chronicle" that lets everyone know how amazing their families year was! We love reading them but we did have to jokingly think of what ours would sound like if we had to write one ourselves.

"Unemployed" "Dental Nightmares" "Feel like Square Pegs in Round Holes" "Disappointments" "Homeless" "Dangling End of the Ropes" "Kids adjustment situations" "Missing Loved Ones" "Missing Friends" "Empty Spaces" "Mourning"

So we decided not to send a Spuler Recap; since we couldn't really afford the Christmas Cards we'd have to send them in and really couldn't think of the upside. :)

But there is one.

Every blessed moment that in reality looks IMPOSSIBLE is just another moment to see God show up! And He has. Even in the midst of "Ramien Noodles ala Tuna"; we've never been hungry. When its cold outside; we've always been warm inside. We have a house that by all intensive purpose is a shack- but in reality is still a home! We have friends and family that have been a constant support to us. When financial emergencies arose; God provided something to sacrifice to pay for that emergency.

The Spuler family recap isn't sad at all. It's a year of faith;and a year of being met by The Faithful One. And some of you have never needed to know what that feels like. And I don't want to wish you that "promotion" but if it were to come to you; know its something that God trusts you with to use to reach a different heart of your world. It doesn't always feel pretty; but in the end there is beauty in some of the darkest places. Like in the cleft of a rock we sometimes see a rose? If well cut and shaped; we see a diamond in a stone. You just have to open your eyes.

The Bridal Veil

Recently I was challenged by my own thoughts and internal never ending questions of what kind of bride I am. I know in Bible School we used to always debate when Christ will come; Before the War, During the War, or After it. "The End Times". A big argument we used to hear was that God would never be mid-or post tribulation; "Why would He allow His bride to be beaten up before coming for her?"

And then I think of this past week. There is Haiti. And the Faithful there. Remember the Coptic Christians being slaughtered in Egypt, the lovely in Malaysia, Africa, North Korea; the list goes on. So I don't know what to do with all of that. They are His treasures too. His bride. Are they not in a form of tribulation?

And then I started to think about MY bridal gown and what kind of Bride I am. Christians so quickly beat up each other; we don't even need persecution from the outside to create a beaten up and battered excuse for someone clothed in white.

Maybe we need to start adjusting our bridal veil and discover for ourselves what kind of bride we are. Our veil should be placed in such a way that when we open our eyes, we should see His bride through spiritual eyes. Excited for what she can be. And in doing so adjust our own reality of what we should be so that no matter when He comes; we'll be a Bride that is ready. And until He comes we'll be a Bride that was totally worthy of His wait.

Pam's Fun Facts

I want to share with you things about myself that are just random fun facts.

1-I once had a check that was from Jack Lord of Hawaii 5-0's Bank Account, written out for $4.50 for dry cleaning.

2- I once had a Filofax from the chick from Crocodile Dundee (Jane K--- something) and inside it had her baby certification for CPR.

3-I once went to the double wide trailer of Pat Boone's parents, on Easter weekend during the height of Debby Boone's You Light Up My Life Fame, and her grandmother gave me an autographed picture of her.

4- While in LA I once went outside of the gate of Lionell Richie's home and the security guard took my address, and a week later I got a post card from Lionell.

5-God wakes me up in the middle of the night to pray for people I may never meet. I had a hard time praying for Donald Trump after I read one of his books because he seemed really mean.

6- Despite that, I continued to pray for him, and on the weekend of his last marriage to that model; I actually passed him and made eye contact with him on a street in Palm Beach. Can you lead someone to the Lord with a glance?

7-I got hit by a car when I was in kindergarten by a white haired man in a big white car- it totally wasn't his fault. My chin shook for hours in body fear, and my dad bought me Archie comics and Dawn Dolls to help speed my recovery.

8-I have been in the studio audience of The View, Martha Stewart, Bozo the Clown, DayBreak with Linda Vester (I even talked on that one), and the Tony Danza show.

9-I know the Person Behind the Burger King Mask.

10-The best looking Jonas Brother is not a Jonas. He's their bass player and he was in our youth group.

Pam's Fun Facts Part Two

1. I once saw Stonehenge in person but thought that it should be taller.

2. I saw the Queen of England on her 80'th birthday and got a picture of her magenta hat as she walked away in the crowd. People in England actually say "Hurrah!"

3. I learned that in most of London you can only buy English Tea made by Middle Eastern Companies.

4. I went to Israel and my hotel was located in the Biblical reference to "The Valley of The Shadow of Death". When I called my mom and told my mother where I was staying she said, "Change Hotels!"

5. I used to believe that I was born in Queens NY because my father used to refer to me as a Princess when I was a child. It wasn't until I applied for my passport in 1998 that I realized that I really was born in Brooklyn. (I was 32)

6. I totally believed that Guerilla Warfare involved the enemy putting bombs on gorillas, and then sending them to the enemies camp.

7. I became a Flight Attendant for my 40th Birthday. But I didn't like seeing other places without my families eyes to share them with.

8. Mario (the singer/actor) taught me how to use the iphone on a flight.

9. I love storms - and the sea. Two powerful forces but just a whisper compared to God.

10. I would write a book about my experiences but I usually get bored with the main character.

Random Thoughts from the Middle of the Night

1-One of the problems of having the status of relatively unplanned "Unemployed" not working, is that you can't afford to do what you dreamed you'd do with your life when you were not working...

2- We bought two shacks with our life savings on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. They don't have plumbing! But I do believe I'll find pirates treasure in the back yard some day, and then be able to do some of those things that I'd like to be doing now that I'm not working.

3-My mom went to heaven last tax day on April 15th. What a terrible deduction.

4- I would much love to be a snow bird when I am older. Spending most of my life in Florida, while having the seasons to visit when I needed a change in tree art.

5-I loved the dark children's movie "The Eye of the Amaryllis" as a girl. Because of that movie, I have collected Amaryllises in various forms thoughout my entire marriage- even though I barely find them attractive.

6- I don't "get" what God was trying to do when he created Cactuses.

7- I have had various degrees of insomnia for over 25 years. I once heard Jay Leno say that he only slept 4 hours a night (which is about what I do) because "He just is too busy". I on the other hand can look at unfolded laundry and think that its a shame I can't fold them because" its the middle of the night, I should be sleeping". And thus I debate with myself between the Jay Leno argument of having "too much to do" and my "should be sleeping" argument to a point of falling asleep again. Clothes untouched.

8- I found a hand painted Mark Chagall Lithograph while garbage picking. Because, thats just what you do when you are treasure hunting.

9- I love garage sales. I love having a house full of someone elses memories and imagining what those memories entail...

10- I had "The Good Dishes" in boxes waiting for a special occassion that by one excuse or another, never seemed to come. 15 years later, I decided to live it up and not keep treasures hidden, only to find that the unopened boxes of dishes had been stolen during our last move. The moral? It's a dish. If its pretty- it should have your loved ones reflection in it. What could be more beautiful?

11- I like Diet Pepsi over Diet Coke.

12- I have a yorki poo named Snickers. He tickles my itch of my need to talk baby talk to something.

13- I sometimes get the urge to send in an audition tape to become a QVC on air host. "You can wear it to a bar mitvah, buy it for a child's birthday, or just sell it at your next yard sale!"

14-I totally understand Cathy Guiswite "CATHY" comics. In fact, she may be my mentor.

15-Some day I want to own a convertible.

16- I have significant hearing loss but didin't realize that for years I've been reading lips to compensate for it. Now that I'm getting older and my eyes are going bad- I'm my own version of Helen Keller.

17-I had a crush on Tony DeFranko of the DeFranko Family. "It's a Heartbeat, It's a Love Beat". His picture was my first kiss.

18- I used to want to be a choreographed Water Ski Skier at Great Adventure as a summer job. I just don't know how to water ski so that kind of made that dream go SPLAT!

19- I was once robbed by a stranger I let into the house. The moral? Never let someone use your phone when they start the conversation with "I am trying to find the police department"...

20- I once had an obsene caller for months that we later found had escaped from a mental hospital. He had been my pizza delivery person.

21-I haven't been able to understand, thus haven't been able to help my kids with their homework since they were in 6th grade.

22- I love to buy and sell on Ebay.

23-My favorite color is Tanzanite Blue. The dark purple blue.

24-If I could chase tornados I would. I also love to track hurricanes. And although I know alot of negatives may happen in a storm, I just can't get over the awe of the power of them. Imagining they may just be a mere whishhh from God's Robe...

25- Since this last one has taken over 15 minutes to come up with, maybe I should fold laundry. :)

10 Things that I Think,

It might take me a bit to get things started, but I do like to say things occassionally, and a few friends like to listen.. So with that said here is the beginning of my journey...

On January 2nd, 2009 I wrote on my facebook some things that I think, and with that said, I'd like to share those again to the Blog world. It might give you a better idea as to who I am on the inside...

Looking forward to getting to know you!

1. The Memory of a Song Can Be Powerful. So try to make your life a song worth hearing.

2. What you have doesn't amount to much if when it's stripped away you feel naked.

3. People who try to make dreams happen in people are people that are on others mental lists of "Most Important People In Their Life".

4. Living for Christ and knowing Him in this clunky superficial world is it's own eternal reward. Heaven is just bonus.

5. A 1990 Geo Prizm might as well be a car that you dream of. It gets you where you need to go alot faster than a bicycle. And it's something that millions of people around this world are without. So in itself its another man's treasure.

6. I'm not sure "Clean Water" is a Right as much as its a Blessing we take for granted.

7. A Puppy. They trip, and flop and bound enthusiastically at your every move; just ready to love. They generally remind you of what its like to have a Mother.

8. People with vision and love can even make a trailer park a suburb to dream of at Christmas. They are Benefactors of Hope.

9. Why do people hide behind "Do not Judge" when you are told to "Judge Fruit?" I'm no Diva. If my fruit stinks, you'd help prune me! That's called loving your family.

10. New Years is a chance for a really great big blank page of promise. Use Ink that is in your favorite font and is in your favorite color and give it your best. If your world is a journey, then there better be an audience. You aren't here alone.