Darlene Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 (edited) About a month or so ago, I wrote the below message and sent it out to the membership via email. It was important to revisit and revise what MrsS's mission statement is, with particular focus on 2 fundamental facts this site will uphold: There will be no political discussions allowed...we were never that kind of site to begin with and to be quite frank, it's become more important than ever that we bond on the things we DO have in common and gracefully put aside the things that make us different and unique. There will be no membership bashing. The Moderators have my full and complete permission to delete any posts that glance in that direction. In an effort to make this original email available to everyone, and as a reminder, especially with the days we're being propelled into, I'm going to post this on the Sunporch and pin it at the top so that everyone will have free access to it. Good morning everyone, I hope y'all won't mind if I access the site's ability to send a rare communication to the membership as a whole. It is as surprising to me as it may be for many, that the Lord is calling me back to MrsSurvival for reasons I don't yet know. That's ok because the one thing He has taught me over the past 15+ years, is to trust Him no matter what. If it's ok with you, I'd like to take a few moments of your time to extend a heartfelt invitation to all of our members, whether it has been years or days since you last visited, to come back and visit us again. We are at the very beginning of making many changes that MrsS has desperately needed and it would mean a lot if you would consider joining us. As I write this, I'm very conscious of not wanting to make this email too long, because I dislike 'form' emails that are not (for all intents and purposes) from a specific person to me. I want to assure you though, that if it were possible, I would have this same conversation with each one of you individually, face to face. It would be important to me to share with the ones who felt hurt or betrayed, that I'm sorry. It would be important to me to share with the ones who didn't click with the site, I understand, but perhaps there really IS something we have to offer that might prove to be a blessing, if you're willing to visit again. And it would be important to me to share with the ones who got bored, ha! I get it, but hopefully and prayerfully those days are gone. For the record, and stated here very briefly, there have been boundaries set at the site recently, in regard to a few critically important things... There will be no political discussions allowed...we were never that kind of site to begin with and to be quite frank, it's become more important than ever that we bond on the things we DO have in common and gracefully put aside the things that make us different and unique. There will be no membership bashing. The Moderators have my full and complete permission to delete any posts that glance in that direction. There will be other guidelines put in place as the Mods and I figure things out on where we go from here and we will make sure to let everyone know in the hopes that it will help rebuild the trust that MrsSurvival once had. Finally, I'd like to share a post that I wrote the other day to the Moderators. I tend to use metaphors and analogies quite heavily so I'm hoping that y'all will understand a little of what I was trying to convey to them. I have been gone from MrsS for quite some time, and quite recently, the Lord has been calling me back. p.s. We have created an email address for MrsSurvival, in the event anyone ever needs to get ahold of us. We have a "contact us" link at the site, which is delivered to Admin's email, but as a safeguard (especially with the days that are rapidly approaching), if anyone needs to contact us directly, feel free to email us at mrssurvival@yahoo.com I woke up the other morning with MrsS on my heart and mind as soon as I rolled out of bed. It makes me a little nervous because I do not want to start out at 800mph with the website and then run out of gas, as this is uncharted territory for me. One of the things I've learned, however, through the journey the Lord has taken me here on the farm the past 15 years...from the early years when I worked and wore everyone out…my children, the people who helped us build the infrastructure, and finally myself...is to seek a balance, to seek His strength, His will, His direction, His words...Him, Him, Him. One of the things that is laying heavy on my heart...the visual I seem to have on my mind this morning that I would like to put into words metaphorically is… I have a visual in my mind and it's almost as if in the beginning, MrsS was a huge, perfect, shiny vase sitting on the ground on top of a hill. When the sunrises would crest over the hill and shine their rays on her vase, the colors that had been baked into this piece of pottery would respond and reflect the sun's rays back and she simply glowed. At some point in time, the skies darkened, the storms began, the mortars were fired, and she took hit after hit after hit. Winds swirled, the rains raged, and she sustained damage. Today, she has chips around the rim of her vase. In one area, she has a deep V chip that extends down into a crack from top to bottom. There are cracks running everywhere, and there are a few places in the body of her vase that are missing small pieces. They’re probably from the shots that were fired, that permeated the exterior of her vase, going in from one side and out of the other. Over the years, I got pulled away from that particular hill, and found myself placed on other hills, in other wars. There were, however, a few that valiantly stayed at the base of MrsS's vase. Perhaps they had long run out of ammo to defend her, but for some reason they were not able to leave her side. They were weary though, and sat down on the ground themselves and had no energy to even walk away. As crazy as it sounds, I've had a feeling for a while that the Lord was going to bring me back to this hill where MrsS's vase resides. I didn't know when or why or how...I just had this feeling, and I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that because I was not only weary from the years I spent at the top of the hill next to her vase, I was equally weary from the other hills, the other battles, the Lord had led me through. So, when I found myself at the base of MrsS's hill and looked up at what was left, what had once been such a beautiful, shiny, glowing vase, that had reflected the kaleidoscope of her colors for miles, now filled my heart with sadness. I could also see those that had never left and how weary they were, and I felt bad. I saw the condition MrsS currently is in, and I felt sad. I had no words, I just felt sad. But then, as I looked up at the vase on the hill, I suddenly saw a spark. It happened so quick that I questioned if I had really even seen it. But then the spark happened again, and I knew for sure that there was a spark. I didn't understand what it meant or why, but those initial few sparks began to turn into a teeny, tiny little flame. The flame was so small you almost couldn't see it, but it was a true and genuine flame. That flame is beginning to grow and as I observe this phenomenon happening, I'm seeing something that is absolutely stunning, and it is taking me by surprise. The light from that flame is starting to fill all those cracks, all those war wounds and all the gaping holes, with light. While the flame is still small, it's undeniable that its effect transcends the damage. The flame is not mine nor anyone here at MrsS. It is simply the light of the Lord through God's Son, Jesus Christ. God is not the author of destruction, but He IS able to work through it and use it, despite its obvious consequences. For some reason, His eye is still upon MrsS and He has a plan for her, which means to me, that He has a plan to touch some people’s lives in ways she never could before. MrsS may not look as perfect as she once did, but she still stands, and the light of His flame is drawing me in a deep place in my heart. So, I'm here, and I'm slowly making my way up the hill, greeting those that are sitting by her side. I want to hear and I want to listen, to what everyone experienced over those years. I want to assess the current state of her vase, but most of all, I want to gaze at the light that is hidden inside, that I can only now see through the cracks in her side. Edited April 9, 2022 by dogmom4 9 Quote Link to comment
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