Snow showers in April bring us the month of May. Soon it will be the month of May - an exciting month of the year. A month of wonders. The amazing beauty and mystery of this world wraps itself into May. May is family month. There are the Mother's Day celebrations, graduations, and the May flowers help us celebrate and also honor the dead on loved ones graves. The beauty and drama of this world entwines the whole month of May.

The first Thursday in May is National Day of Prayer. The entire month of April has been "Pray USA," and people everywhere have become more aware of the power of intercessory prayer. A National Day of Prayer has been an American tradition since the Continental Congress first declared its need for Godly wisdom in 1775. Then in 1952, Congress passed a joint resolution establishing an official day of prayer. The law was amended in 1988, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday in May.

This year, one of the speakers in Washington DC will be Dr. John C. Maxwell. It was my privilege to attend a prayer seminar he presented recently in Houston, Texas. He is the author of the book "Partners in Prayer." His life was changed when a stranger came to him and stated, "John, I believe God has called me, a lay man, to disciple, encourage, and pray for pastors. And the reason I came here today is so that I could pray for you." With those words, John Maxwell saw his agenda replaced by God's agenda. This stranger who felt the need to pray for this pastor fulfilled a need in Maxwell that he didn't even know he had. The results were very evident fourteen years later in the 3,500 member church the pastor served. Many people who have become partners in prayer have strengthened their prayer life and reap the benefits of the power of prayer.

Warm Thoughts: If you pray for one another, you will be helped yourself. Yiddish proverb. For more of our nation's life is shaped by prayer than is formed by legislation. The single most important action contributing to whatever health and strength there is in our land is prayer. Eugene Peterson. May the month of May bring you many warm thoughts!

Warm Thoughts from Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Dr. Luetta G Werner

Published in the Marion Record, April 24th, 1997.

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I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.

Till next time,

Trina

Easter joy! May all of you who read this column have a joyous Easter season. The day of Easter 1993 may be history, but the joy of that first Easter and the joy of every Easter sunrise service and every Easter celebration since that first Easter will live on and on. In my last column I shared some warm thoughts about Bethlehem and the plight to the Holy Land. If it were not for Easter, the season of Christmas would not be a celebration. Easter is truly a celebration of life.

This past week, many people throughout the world celebrated the real reason for celebrating Easter. Many worshipped in their church, and some even traveled and made their pilgrimage to the Holy Land and walked the Via Dolorosa or the way of sorrows and traveled that road to Calvary. For many families, it was a time of loss and sorrow, but a time of growth as they share their grief. For many other families, it was a joyful time of being together and celebrating the season of Easter. Some schools experience spring break and holiday, and children especially appreciate this time of family togetherness.

A survey was once taken and 1,500 children were asked this question, "What do you think makes a happy family?" We are so often surprised by the wisdom of children. They don't list money, cars, fine homes, or televisions. The answer they gave most frequently was "doing things together." And so we listen to the children. "I just love the stories my mom and dad tell me when I am tucked into my bed." "Singing together and going to church together as a family." "Vacation time when we can go to the hills." Yes, a time of togetherness. Perhaps as you think about celebrating family, you will agree with the results of the survey and listen to what the children in our lives are telling us. It is the time to celebrate Easter and new life and time to celebrate the family.

A Warm Thought for the week: The greatest investment you can ever have is to spend time with your family. Have an Easter season filled with joy!

Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Dr. Luetta G Werner

Published in the Canistota Clipper April 15th, 1993.

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I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.

Till next time,

Trina

Happy Easter! After the long winter, the seeds of spring are beginning to appear. We are reminded once again that in our lives we will have times of winter, but spring will come as promised. Spring is a time when one gets the urge to travel with the birds and visit family and friends, renewing old friendships and making new friendships. This past weekend, it was my joy to travel back to my roots and visit family and see many of my old friends from years gone by. Celebrating a 40th wedding anniversary with family was one of the highlights of the journey. Traveling old familiar roads brought back many memories and can give one a bit of nostalgia. Memories, memories!

As I traveled down memory lane, I cannot help but be reminded of that journey to the Holy Land twenty years ago this Holy Week. It was a "touch of heaven" as the seat buckles clicked in place in the mighty jet engines of the Jumbo 747 Star of Bethlehem revved up. And the hearts of over 400 passengers on El Al charter flight 2001 from New York to Tel Aviv began to soar. We all were excited about our mission tour. The Pat Boone Family were our hosts and as the huge blue and white birds bent down the runway, all heads were bowed as Pat Boone led us all in prayer over the plane's intercom. As the star in Bethlehem dipped down, strains of "peace be unto you" a national song of welcome felt the cabin the plane rolled to a halt. We were there. And everywhere we went we were greeted with "shalom." The 400 people on that Pat Boone tour found a new dimension of love the moment they stepped on the grounds of the Holy Land mission in Bethlehem.

We came, we saw, and we were conquered by the love of the precious bent-winged angels and the orphan children in the mission complex. We saw the children we sponsored and gave our gifts of love which warmed their hearts. The voices of these happy orphans over our visit were like chirping birds on the playground on Mount David. They melted your heart and the wellsprings of the human spirit to overflowing joy.

During this Holy Week, as one reflects on this pilgrimage on the 20th anniversary, it is with a warm heart and a thankful one as one is reminded of the events of this week. The journey from Bethlehem to Calvary and then to the empty tomb and the garden is an experience that one can never forget when you return home. The songs sung at the historic and sacred sites still ringing in the ears of those who made the trip. The memory of being greeted everywhere with "shalom" is a prayer for peace in our hearts for the year 1993. Shalom, shalom.

A Warm Thought for the week: When the going gets tough, the peace of God keeps us a-going. Have a joy filled Easter season!

Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Dr. Luetta G Werner.

Published in the Canistota Clipper April 8th, 1993.

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I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.

Till next time,

Trina

As I flipped the calendar, I was shocked that it was April already and April Fool's Day. Some of the readers of this Warm Thoughts column will recall the fun we had as children and trying to fool someone on that day, even if we had to lie a bit. It did seem to be permissible for just a day. You tried to fool at least one person. It was just a fun game.

The next day, April 2nd, has become Reconciliation Day. There is an interesting story about this special day. It was a California woman who wrote Ann Landers back in 1989, expressing a need for a reconciliation day. She expressed the need as she became aware that the years are flying by. Her parents suddenly seemed old and time somehow became very precious. She recalled misunderstanding and unmended fences that separate us and a sense of barriers. She stated in her letter the following words, "Wouldn't it be terrific if a special day could be set aside to reach out and make amends? We could call it Reconciliation Day. Everyone would vow to write a letter or make a phone call and mend a strained or broken relationship. It could also be the day on which we could all agree to accept the olive branch extended to a former friend. This day could be the starting place. We could go from there to heal the wounds and our hearts and rejoice and a new beginning."

Ann Landers replied that it was a beautiful idea. She suggested that in the absence of a national holiday, it would be wonderful if every person would pick up the phone and call someone with whom he or she has had a falling out. She was sure that there would be some heartwarming results. She encouraged people to just do it and not wait for the telephone rates to change. The rest of the story is that the first reconciliation day was adjusted for April 2nd, 1989. On April 2nd 1992, the letter written by the California woman in 1989 was repeated in the Ann Landers column and Ann Landers stated that "from now on April 2nd will be Reconciliation Day." It may not be a national day of reconciliation, but it would be wonderful if everyone would have a reconciliation day. Your own reconciliation day is your choice. I personally think we all need an international day of reconciliation. And this is no April Fool's joke! Will appreciate your thoughts. You, the readers, have so much to share and I know you really care too.

Thought for the Day: Life is too short to hold grudges, to be able to forgive can be enormous healing. Forgiving love can last a lifetime.

Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Dr. Luetta G Werner

Published in the Marion Record, April 3rd, 2003.

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Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.

Till next time,

Trina

Happy Easter! Easter and Spring have arrived. As I write these warm thoughts, it is the week before Easter and there still are some mountains of snow surrounding the little home on the prairie. My grandson, Trevor, who lives in Nebraska and who is spending some special vacation days with his grandma in South Dakota, is overjoyed to make an Easter snowman. Is spring really here in South Dakota? The events following Palm Sunday bring many memories of my past trips to the Holy Land. Walking the Via Dolorosa on the way to Calvary is a memory that often comes to mind not only during Holy Week.

It was my special joy to make a pre-Easter pilgrimage and also a trip to the Holy Land at Christmastime. What memories. Climbing the hill of Calvary and worshiping in that Garden Tomb. Two of my friends entered the tomb in that garden with me and sang, "He is risen! He is risen, indeed!" The events that happened on Easter so many years ago, remain vivid in my mind having also walked that road of Emmaus the day before leaving the holy land to return to America. Thoughts from that beautiful hymn come to mind as I walked that road of Emmaus. "Abide with me this eventide. Thy walk with me, has made my heart within me burn as I commune with Thee. Thy earnest words have filled my soul and kept me near Thy side. O Savior, stay this night with me. Behold, tis eventide."

Warm Thoughts: Fair are the meadows, fair are the woodlands. The seasons come and the seasons go and many of the changes they bring, but in the warmth of a mother's heart, it is forever spring. May you have a joy filled Easter season!

Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Dr. Luetta G Werner

Published in the Marion Record, March 27th, 1997.

Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.

Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.

Till next time,

Trina

When you read this column, spring is on the calendar! Oh, the wonderland of spring. The birds begin to sing their springtime songs. Winter is past and sweet spring has come at last. The trees that once were lifeless will begin to turn green. Many schools throughout the country have had their spring break already and the next holiday to look forward to is Easter holiday. It is a time for special times with family and friends. Among the many Irish sayings, Irish Gerard Butler wrote some beautiful thoughts on family and friends which I would like to share with you.

Family and Friends. The two things we're most grateful for our family and our friends. The care they have provided, the love so strong and true, the thoughtfulness that spoken in words and actions too. Our grandmas and grandpas, our mothers and our dads, our brothers and our sisters are there through good and bad. They're special friends to share with - our smiles, our hopes, our fears. With counting all God's blessings, gifts of love that never end. We can count on friends as family and our family as true friends. Every day is the day to count our blessings that we have with family and friends.

More warm thoughts: Home is the resort of love, of joy, of peace and plenty. Where supporting and supported, polished friends and dearest relatives mingle in bliss. James Thompson. Time, like a snowflake, disappears while we're trying to decide what to do with it. Have a beautiful springtime day!

Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Dr. Luetta G. Werner

Published in the Marion Record, March 21st, 1996.

Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.

Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.

Till next time,

Trina

As I write these warm thoughts, we are celebrating Presidents Day. Many patriotic thoughts come to mind on this national holiday on which we celebrate the birthdays of our first president, George Washington, and of our 16th President Abraham Lincoln.

The Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC is a memorial to our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. The memorial is a tribute to greatness and is modeled after a Greek temple. It stands at the end of the National Mall, a large park in Washington DC. From its steps, one can see the Washington Monument and the United States Capitol. The Lincoln Memorial has 36 columns that represent the 36 states that were in the Union at the time of Lincoln's death. The names of the 48 states which comprise the union when the memorial was completed, are carved on the outside walls near the top. A special plaque honors Alaska and Hawaii, states which joined the Union after the memorial had been built. The Lincoln Memorial took seven years to complete. The statue of Abraham Lincoln is 19 feet tall and 19 feet wide, and it is made of 28 blocks of white Georgia marble.

Engraved on the walls are two of Lincoln's speeches. Our nation can never forget the famous words from the Gettysburg Address, "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." Lincoln's second inaugural address included these memorable words, "With malice toward none with charity for all, with firmness and the right as God gives us to see the right. Let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan." This year will mark the 75th year since the monument was completed. President Lincoln died on April 14th, 1865.

Warm Thoughts: It takes both the white and black keys of the piano to play the Star Spangled Banner. God bless America.

Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Luetta G Werner

Published in the Marion Record, February 27th, 1997.

Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.

Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.

Till next time,

Trina

Every year in February, we observe Presidents Day. Many churches throughout the land may observe a day of prayer, at which time they pray for the leaders of our country. Two of my friends were among the many who attended the President's breakfast in Washington DC. This annual day of prayer is a 45 year-old Washington tradition that draws people from around the world, including politicians, judges, diplomats, bureaucrats, foreign leaders, and military personnel. Praying for our nation and for our leaders is no new thought. Instead, it has been encouraged throughout the ages. C H. Spurgeon stated, "Whenever God determines to do a great work, he first sends his people to pray."

Many of our presidents who have served our country have been men of prayer. This reliance on spiritual assistance has especially characterized times of national transition and uncertainty. When our country was ravaged by the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln remarked, "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming convictions that had nowhere else to go." During President Garfield's term, a member of his cabinet believed a meeting needed to be called immediately to address a national crisis. President Garfield told the Cabinet member he will be late because he had another appointment. His Cabinet member was aghast, "Just who can be so important that your appointment with him can't be broken as we face this national crisis?" President Garfield responded, "Let me be quite frank, my engagement is with the Lord to meet with him in his house at 10 o'clock. I will be there." The President kept his appointment. The crisis passed and God was honored. John Wesley once said, "Nothing is accomplished except by prayer."

A prayer thought to ponder: More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Alfred Lord Tennyson. Pray for the leaders of our nation.

Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Luetta G. Werner

Published in the Marion Record February 20th, 1997

Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.

Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.

Till next time,

Trina

When you read this Warm Thoughts column and look at the calendar, it tells us that Abraham Lincoln's birthday is February 12th. In the one room country school where I went as a child, the pictures of George Washington and Abe Lincoln hung on the wall along with the ten commandments. In those years, the government recognized two President holidays in February. These two presidents became examples of compassion and courage in my life. George Washington was our first president and known as the father of our country. Abraham Lincoln was president during the Civil War. Very recently, I read an incident about Abraham Lincoln that happened in the Civil War. It really touched my heart during this heart month, and I felt compelled to share these thoughts on caring and compassion with you.

Abraham Lincoln, during the Civil War, frequently visited the hospitals and addressed cheering words to the wounded warriors. On one occasion, he found a young fellow whose legs had been amputated and who was evidently sinking rapidly. "Is there anything I can do for you?" asked Lincoln. "You might write a letter to my mother," was the fate reply. The President wrote at the youth's dictation, "My dearest mother, I have been shot bad and am bearing up. I tried to do my duty. They tell me I cannot recover. God bless you. And Father, kiss Mary and John for me." At the end were these words as post script, "written by Abraham Lincoln." The boy saw those added words and looked with astonishment at the visitor and asked, "Are you our President?" "Yes," was the quiet answer. "And now that you know that, is there anything else I can do for you?" Feebly, the lad said, "I guess you might hold my hand and see me through." So, sitting down at the bedside, the tall, gaunt man with a heart as tender as a woman's, held the soldier's hand through the live long night till it grew cold and rigid. It does not surprise me that Lincoln was also a man of prayer. At the time in the Civil War when the fate of the US hung in the balance and everyone was pan stricken, Lincoln closed the door and prayed. Later, he described that moment to his friend by saying, "I told God that I had done all that I could, and that now the result was in his hands, that if this country was to be saved, it was because he so willed. The burden fell off my shoulders, my intense anxiety was relieved, and in its place came a great trustfulness." What an example for us to pray for our country and its leaders.

Warm Thoughts: "The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion to others." Albert Schweitzer. "Two of the best kept secrets in the 20th century are: everyone suffers and suffering can be used for growing and becoming." John Degrain. God bless America, and God bless you!

Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Luetta G Werner

Published in the Marion Record, February 12th, 1998.

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Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.

Till next time,

Trina

February - heart month - the month for Valentine's Day. The month we think "spring" even if all man winters still has his fling! Brrrr! It has been cold! One needs to keep warm with the extra comforter that would be at the foot of the bed in grandma's day. No cold chill could penetrate the warmth of that comforter as it radiated grandma's love and care. That quilt was grandma's legacy. Recently, my friend experienced all the excitement of being a grandma for the first time. My gift to her was a baby quilt, and a poem I wrote. Since many of my readers have expressed appreciation of poetry thoughts, I will share with you the poem I gave with the quilt.

Grandma's Blankie: "Grandma needs a purple blankie" I heard her grandchild say. It will warm her gentle heart. It will just make her day. When her grandchild comes to visit, she'll ask for grandmas toy. Grandma just gives her the blankie and both just jump for joy. A purple blankie's full of love and grandmas need one too, as it does warm, gentle hearts, even if it is not new. When old it gets much better, though it looks so very torn. Many grandchildren love that blankie - it's love and it has been worn.

Warm Thoughts: Love is a quilt and a quilt is love. I make them warm to keep my family from freezing. I make them beautiful to keep my heart from breaking. Prairie Woman, 1870. Keep warm with a grandma quilt!

Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea written by Luetta G Werner

Published in the Marion Record February 8th, 1996.

Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.

Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.

Till next time,

Trina

Many warm thoughts come to mind as one views snow covered mountains and valleys. Pleasant memories can be rekindled by the warmth of a glowing fire in the fireplace, as we read cards and letters from family and friends. A few weeks ago I received a letter from old friends who live in the heartland of America, who have endured many winters of snow and ice in their lives. These thoughts were included on their card.

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking in a snow covered field with the Lord. Across the sky flash scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the snow, one belonged to him and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the snow he noticed that many times along the path of his life, there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life. That really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd work with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed you the most, you would leave me." The Lord replied, "My precious precious child. I love you and will never leave you during your times of trial and suffering. When you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

Warm Thought: Christmas is neither a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous and Christ like mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. Calvin Coolidge. Have a Happy New Year!

Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Luetta G Werner

Published in the Marion Record, January 9th, 1997.

Download the Found Photo Freebie and cherish your memories of the past.

Enjoy flipping through the Vintage Photo Book on your coffee table.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode! Please follow along on this journey by going to visualbenedictions.com or following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast. And don’t forget to rate and review so more people can tune in! I’d greatly appreciate it.

Till next time,

Trina