“It’s a crazy thing. Fate has perfect wings…”
I’ve heard these lyrics for ANGELS WORKING OVERTIME, by Deana Carter, many times But for some reason, while driving along the Columbia River, they inspired some new, deep thinking. I’ve always had trouble reconciling predestination with free will. How can we be predestined for something and still be able to choose our path? It makes no sense. Deana Carter's words shed light for the first time on this internal debate. A few posts ago I wrote about angels (they must be in some way central to my life right now.) You can read the post here. But one point I made was that their action in our lives occurs in whispers of truth that we choose to hear or ignore. This idea matches the concept of predestination as Tim Staples writes in Predestined for Freedom, an article in The Catholic Answers Magazine. To quote Mr. Staples: “Man is truly free and God calls him to freely choose to serve or not to serve the Lord.” Because of God’s Grace we are each given the gift of redemption, meaning life with God here and now and after death. Our choice is whether to accept this gift. To imagine that God controls these choices is anti-Catholic. God does not decide wars, nor lottery wins. And certainly God does not decide Congress’ decisions. Rather, God offers, through Grace, the chance to at any point direct our life toward Him. So how does this relate to Deana Carter’s song and Angels? As I rode along, listening to the lyrics of this song I realized that Angels are part of that grace-filled gift. When we choose to listen, they help us choose that direction which takes us towards God rather than away; something that in a complex world is not always as obvious as we would like it to be. This is really obvious as we read the lyrics to Ms. Carter’s song. Which choice was right, which was wrong? Each one has redemption built into it, so that at any point in time we can hear the whisper of the angel and make a decision that leads us back to God. (By the way.... it's a great album. You can buy it by clicking on the link from the cover photo above:>) I hope today you feel an angel on your shoulder! And if, perhaps you do- or if you ever have- I would love to hear about it. And, to prove how much I love hearing from you I will be giving away a copy of my book, UNTANGLING THE KNOT, to one lucky commenter in October. Leave a comment for any of my blog posts and at the end of each month I will randomly select one visitor/commenter to receive a free download of my book.(Note: winner will be notified by a reply linked to their original comment…. Check back at the end of the month for directions on how to claim your prize!) NOTE: September is now over; thanks to everyone for your fun comments. I have chosen the winner of BETTING JESSICA from the names of those who commented during the month. Congratulations JENNY HANSEN. Please send me and email at dwilstedauthor (at) outlook (dot) com and let me know where I can send your digital copy:>)
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“We just had a marriage ceremony with 150 dogs.”
I am assuming, give the barking taking place all over the casino, that by dogs she was referring to the animals’ species, not the brides’ appearances. We were in Vegas celebrating our 15 year anniversary, and deciding whether to renew our vows at the Cosmo’s pop-up wedding chapel. It had the fun, funky vibe we were looking for. But somehow we couldn’t really work up the energy or motivation to pay $125 for a fake wedding vow renewal. Maybe if Elvis had been the minister. We were living in England on our first anniversary. So we used the occasion to stay on the grounds of a nearby National Trust property, Cliveden House. Our cottage was down on the banks of the Thames, and we had to drive up a dark, dirt road to get to dinner at the restaurant in the main house. Give my husband a secret door anywhere and he is happy. So, to be seated next to one during dinner was his idea of perfect romance. Mine, though, was having a private dessert served to us in the library. While waiting for what turned out to be a plate decorated with Happy Anniversary in chocolate, we scanned the books on the shelves. One that we picked up, a biography written by Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr., my husband gave me as a gift on our 2nd anniversary:>) At the end of the evening it was either the wine, the fact that I am legally blind without my contact lenses, or that we were in a 200 year old cottage, but I woke up in the night convinced there was a ghost in the room. Not all anniversaries are this memorable or relaxed. And, I think in many ways anniversaries are much like New Year’s Eve- the expectations can be a set up for failure. Yet, as I read more about the doggie weddings I imagined their owners dreaming up something even grander for future anniversaries. The good news is that the pups won’t feel this pressure. They will simply be surprised by a full day of treats and attention. It could be a great model for how I to handle my own anniversaries in the future. Have you celebrated an anniversary recently? What did you do to mark the occasion? I love hearing from my readers. And to prove it I will be giving away a copy of my book, UNTANGLING THE KNOT, to one lucky commenter in October. Leave a comment for any of my blog posts and at the end of each month I will randomly select one visitor/commenter to receive a free download of my book. (Note: winner will be notified by a reply linked to their original comment…. Check back at the end of the month for directions on how to claim your prize!) NOTE: September is now over; thanks to everyone for your fun comments. I have chosen the winner of BETTING JESSICA from the names of those who commented during the month. Congratulations JENNY HANSEN. Please send me and email at dwilstedauthor (at) outlook (dot) com and let me know where I can send your digital copy:>) |
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June 2020
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