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Mon Apr 7 03:41:30 PDT 2014

ry
to the west, nothing but coastline and ocean as far as the eye could see =
to
the east.

It was easy to climb the many steps and easier as a child to skip down th=
e
stairs.  I tasted the salty ocean water, jumped waves, and ate snow cones
purchased from vendors.  My dear Aunt Vada sat on the beach and waved at =
me
while I played in the water.

Because of the many fond memories of the beach, those special summer
vacations and relatives, I decided to collect lighthouses in the early 19=
90=92
s.  By this time I was transplanted to northeastern Colorado where findin=
g
lighthouse items to purchase was rare.  There were not many to be found.

People began to hear that I was looking for lighthouses and they would
recommend catalogs or stores.  Lighthouses became trendy later on and now
there is a plethora of lighthouse figurines, candles, and coasters etc. o=
n
the market.  Through the years my family and friends have given me
lighthouse collectibles as gifts.  Recently I purchased lighthouses dishe=
s,
bowls, cups and saucers.

In fact, when you approach my house from the street, you see lighthouse
birdhouses hanging on the porch and lighthouse figurines on the windowsil=
ls
of the living room windows.  As you enter my home, there is a framed
lighthouse print on the wall with a hymn =93For the Beauty of the Earth.=94=
  On
the bookshelf rest lighthouse globes, music boxes and candle.

But the most fun place for lighthouses is the bathroom, decorated of cour=
se,
in ocean motif.  Seashell lace curtains adorn the window. A large basket =
of
seashells and seashell shaped soap dish are decorations, along with a
lighthouse soap dispenser.  A =93Footprints in the Sand=94 plaque hangs o=
n the
wall with a small wall hanging of a pier and life vest. Even the light
switch cover is a lighthouse with ocean water foaming and swirling at its
base.

Oddly out of place hangs a small ceramic commode with stick figures paint=
ed
upon it.  It=92s old, at least 35 years or older.  It has a comic saying =
upon
it, =93Who waits outside the door, one may never know, so tarry not my fr=
iend,
they too may have to go.=94

Yes, lighthouses hold many memories for me.  The memories are the reason =
I
began the collection.  As Jesus said, =93We are to let our light so shine
before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father whic=
h
is in heaven.=94

He=92s a father who loves the ocean, he loves the land, and he takes deli=
ght
when his children frolic on a beach.  He delights when an aunt waves at a
child who is playing in the sand and knows that aunt is creating memories
that will last a lifetime.

The old ceramic commode that hangs so oddly out of place in my bathroom
adorned my Aunt Vada=92s bathroom wall for at least 33 years or longer.  =
We
are not sure of the year it was purchased, except that it was bought on a
trip when she took my brother Roger and I to Warm Springs, Florida mid to
late 1960=92s.

The last time I saw my aunt, now age 86, she said I want to give you
something and she began looking around her walls.  I asked incredulously,
=93You want to give me something off your walls?=94  And she said, yes sh=
e did.

=93I know what I want,=94 I said.  =93I want the commode hanging in your =
bathroom.
The one you bought when Roger and I were children.=94  She took it off th=
e
wall and we carefully wrapped it for the flight home.

When I arrived home and unwrapped it, I saw that at some time it had been
broken on the back side and glued together.  The break was so old that th=
e
patchjob of glue was hardened like cement.

And somehow, it didn=92t matter.  Isn=92t that the way life is?  We have =
our
breaks and mends; we have years that pass, like sand washed upon a shore.
Our lives are told as a story in a book.  Some memories, like that of an
aunt waving to a child in the water, never fade.

There are lighthouses in this life whether it is friends or family, churc=
h
or community.

They continue to shine their beacon.  Let God=92s word guide you today an=
d
tomorrow and the next day and so on=85 His word truly is a light unto our=
 feet
and a light unto our path.  And so with Christ in us may we be to one
another and to future generations =93lighthouses=94 of faith.

LaRose Karr is a church secretary and a contributing writer to "God Allow=
s
U-Turns," volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4, published under the Promise Imprint by
Barbour Publishing.  Her work has also appeared in "The Upper Room"
devotional guide. Look for future devotions in the "Quiet Hour" this fall
and story in "God's Way" Christian inspirational book series, also releas=
ed
this fall.  Email: rosiebay at kci.net

------=_NextPart_000_0011_01C35D24.06045960
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Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
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<BODY>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><STRONG><SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: black"><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" =
size=3D3>LIGHTHOUSE STORY by=20
LaRose Karr</FONT></SPAN></STRONG></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D3><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman"><SPAN style=3D"COLOR: black">Jesus tells us in=20
<STRONG>Matthew 5:16</STRONG> Let<I> your light so shine before men, =
that they=20
may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in=20
heaven.</I></SPAN><SPAN style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><?xml:namespace prefix =
=3D o ns =3D=20
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" =
/><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"COLOR: =
black"><FONT=20
size=3D3><FONT face=3D"Times New =
Roman"> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style=3D"COLOR: =
black"><FONT=20
size=3D3><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">God=92s word tells us in =
<STRONG>Psalms=20
119:105</STRONG> Thy<I> word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my =

path.<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: black"><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">Having been born =
seventy-five=20
miles from the Atlantic Ocean in southeast Georgia, I identify my roots =
with=20
sand, ocean and lighthouses.  =
As a=20
child my father took us to Georgia each summer to visit relatives.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  Our summer vacations would not =
have been=20
complete without a trip to the beach. =20
<o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">Jekyll Island and =
St. Simon=92s=20
Islands located along the coastline of southeastern Georgia held many=20
adventures, among them a lighthouse. =20
Climbing to the top of the lighthouse gave us a glimpse of =
another=20
world.  From the top of =
the=20
lighthouse one could view the world with wooded scenery to the west, =
nothing but=20
coastline and ocean as far as the eye could see to the east.<SPAN =

style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">It was easy to =
climb the many=20
steps and easier as a child to skip down the stairs.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  I tasted the salty ocean =
water, jumped=20
waves, and ate snow cones purchased from vendors.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  My dear Aunt Vada sat on the =
beach and=20
waved at me while I played in the water. =20
<o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">Because of the =
many fond=20
memories of the beach, those special summer vacations and relatives, I =
decided=20
to collect lighthouses in the early 1990=92s.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  By this time I was =
transplanted to=20
northeastern Colorado where finding lighthouse items to purchase was =
rare.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  There were not many to be=20
found.<o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">People began to =
hear that I=20
was looking for lighthouses and they would recommend catalogs or =
stores.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  Lighthouses became trendy =
later on and=20
now there is a plethora of lighthouse figurines, candles, and coasters =
etc. on=20
the market.  Through the =
years my=20
family and friends have given me lighthouse collectibles as gifts.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  Recently I purchased =
lighthouses dishes,=20
bowls, cups and saucers.<SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">In fact, when you =
approach my=20
house from the street, you see lighthouse birdhouses hanging on the =
porch and=20
lighthouse figurines on the windowsills of the living room windows.<SPAN =

style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  As you enter my home, there is =
a framed=20
lighthouse print on the wall with a hymn =93For the Beauty of the =
Earth.=94<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  On the bookshelf rest =
lighthouse globes,=20
music boxes and candle. =20
<o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">But the most fun =
place for=20
lighthouses is the bathroom, decorated of course, in ocean motif.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  Seashell lace curtains adorn =
the window.=20
A large basket of seashells and seashell shaped soap dish are =
decorations, along=20
with a lighthouse soap dispenser.  A=20
=93Footprints in the Sand=94 plaque hangs on the wall with a small wall =
hanging of a=20
pier and life vest. Even the light switch cover is a lighthouse with =
ocean water=20
foaming and swirling at its base.<SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">Oddly out of place =
hangs a=20
small ceramic commode with stick figures painted upon it.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  It=92s old, at least 35 years =
or=20
older.  It has a comic =
saying upon=20
it, =93Who waits outside the door, one may never know, so tarry not my =
friend,=20
they too may have to go.=94<SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3>Yes, lighthouses hold many =
memories for=20
me.  The memories are the =
reason I=20
began the collection.  As =
Jesus=20
said, =93We are to let our light so shine before men, that they may =
see our=20
good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven.=94<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  =
<o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: black"><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">He=92s a father =
who loves the=20
ocean, he loves the land, and he takes delight when his children frolic =
on a=20
beach.  He delights when =
an aunt=20
waves at a child who is playing in the sand and knows that aunt is =
creating=20
memories that will last a lifetime.<SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">The old ceramic =
commode that=20
hangs so oddly out of place in my bathroom adorned my Aunt Vada=92s =
bathroom wall=20
for at least 33 years or longer.  =
We=20
are not sure of the year it was purchased, except that it was bought on =
a trip=20
when she took my brother Roger and I to Warm Springs, Florida mid to =
late=20
1960=92s.  <SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">The last time I =
saw my aunt,=20
now age 86, she said I want to give you something and she began looking =
around=20
her walls.  I asked =
incredulously,=20
=93You want to give me something off your walls?=94<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  And she said, yes she =
did.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  <SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">=93I know what I =
want,=94 I=20
said.  =93I want the =
commode hanging=20
in your bathroom.  The one =
you=20
bought when Roger and I were children.=94 =20
She took it off the wall and we carefully wrapped it for the =
flight=20
home.  <SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">When I arrived =
home and=20
unwrapped it, I saw that at some time it had been broken on the back =
side and=20
glued together.  The break =
was so=20
old that the patchjob of glue was hardened like cement.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  <SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">And somehow, it =
didn=92t=20
matter.  Isn=92t that the =
way life=20
is?  We have our breaks =
and mends;=20
we have years that pass, like sand washed upon a shore.<SPAN=20
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">  Our lives are told as a story =
in a=20
book.  Some memories, like =
that of=20
an aunt waving to a child in the water, never fade.<SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
size=3D3> <o:p></o:p>
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">There are =
lighthouses in this=20
life whether it is friends or family, church or community.=20

<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman"><SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><o:p></o:p> 
<FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman">They continue to =
shine their=20
beacon.  Let God=92s word =
guide you=20
today and tomorrow and the next day and so on=85 His word truly is a =
light unto=20
our feet and a light unto our path. =20
And so with Christ in us may we be to one another and to future=20
generations =93lighthouses=94 of faith.<SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: #333399"><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p>
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black">LaRose=20
Karr<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> =
<SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">is a church =
secretary=20
and a contributing writer to "God Allows =
U-Turns,"=20
volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4, published under the Promise Imprint by Barbour=20
Publishing.  Her work has =
also=20
appeared in "The Upper Room" devotional guide. =
Look for=20
future devotions in the "Quiet Hour" =
this fall=20
and story in "God's Way" Christian =
inspirational=20
book series, also released this=20
fall.  Email: <A=20
href=3D"mailto:rosiebay at kci.net">rosiebay at kci.net</A><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black">=20
<SPAN=20
style=3D"COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0011_01C35D24.06045960--