Tampons (A True Story)

I am reminded that "God Works in Mysterious Ways"

Tampons to the rescue in Iraq !! Don't worry, it's a good story, and worth reading. It's even humorous in parts. It's from the mother of a Marine in Iraq .

My son told me how wonderful the care packages we had sent them from the ladies auxiliary were and wanted me to tell everyone thank you.

He said that one guy we'll call Marine X, got a female care package and everyone was giving him a hard time. My son said, 'Marine X got some really nice smelling lotion and everyone really likes it, so every time he goes to sleep they steal it from him.' I told my son I was really sorry about the mistake, and if he wanted I would send Marine X another package. He told me not to worry about Marine X because every time I send something to him, he shares it with Marine

He said when my husband and I sent the last care package, Marine X came over to his cot picked up the box, started fishing through it, and said, 'What'd we get this time?'

But my son said they had the most fun with Marine X's package. He said he wasn't sure who it was supposed to go to, but the panties were size 20, and he said one of the guys got on top of the Humvee and jumped off with the panties over his head and yelled, 'Look at me, I'm an Airborne Ranger!!!!'

One of the guys attached the panties to an antenna and it blew in the wind like a windsock. He said it entertained them for quite awhile. Then of course.......they had those tampons. When he brought this up, my imagination just went running, but he continued.

My son said they had to go on a mission and Marine X wanted the Chap-Stick and lotion for the trip. He grabbed a bunch of the items from his care package and got in the Humvee. As luck would have it he grabbed the tampons too, and my son said everyone was teasing him about 'not forgetting his feminine hygiene products.'

He said things went well for a while, then the convoy was ambushed and a Marine was shot. He said the wound was pretty clean, but it was deep. He said they were administering first aid but couldn't get the bleeding to slow down, and someone said, 'Hey! Use Marine X's tampons!' My son said they put the tampon in the wound. At this point my son profoundly told Me, 'Mom, did you know that tampons expand?'

('Well....yeah!')

They successfully slowed the bleeding until the guy got better medical attention. When they went to check on him later, the surgeon told them, 'You guys saved his life. If you hadn't stopped that bleeding he would have bled to death.' My Son said, 'Mom, the tampons sent by the Marine Moms by mistake saved a Marine's life.'

At this point, I asked him, 'Well, what did you do with the rest of the tampons?'

He said, 'Oh, we divided them up and we all have them in our flak jackets, and I kept two for our first aid kit.'

I am absolutely amazed by the ingenuity of our Marines. I can't believe that something that started out as a mistake then turned into a joke, ended up saving someone's life. My sister said she doesn't believe in mistakes. She believes God had a plan all along. She believes that 'female care package' was sent to Marine X to save our Marine.

Either way, our efforts have boosted the morale of many Marines, provided much needed items for our troops, AND saved the life of a Marine! God bless every one of you for your efforts and hard work, and God bless our Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force, and all our military service personnel.

GOD BLESS AMERICA AND KEEP IT SAFE!

Prayer Request: When you read this, please stop for a moment, and say a prayer for our troops around the world.

Prayer: 'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'

Tongue Tied

Being the youngest and newest Admissions Clerk at a Catholic Hospital, I was determined to prove my worthiness as both an efficient and compassionate co-worker. 

Unfortunately, one such opportunity proved to leave my peers in an alarmed state of surprise and disbelief, not to mention myself! 

I was admitting an exceptionally polite, yet timid teenage boy accompanied by his particularly well mannered father.  As I opened his admission pack to begin the registration process, he excitedly pulled out an old wristband from a previous admission, from his shirt pocket.

“Here,” he said enthusiastically.” I saved this from my last admission so you don’t have to go to the trouble of making me a new one.” Catching me unprepared, I hesitated just long enough for him to proceed with convincing me to use it.

“I’ve kept it clean, and was able to slip it off my wrist so I didn’t have to cut it off. I’ve also kept it inside of a book so it wouldn’t get bent.”

By this time, it was obvious to me that this eager to please young man, went through a lot of work to help me, so I replied with as much gratefulness as I possibly could.

 “Oh, thank you so very much. That was extremely thoughtful of you and if I could use it, I certainly would. Unfortunately, the date, along with your room number is different now, so I have to give you a new one.” 

Immediately hanging his blushing face toward the floor, he quietly apologized. “Oh, yeah, that makes sense. That was pretty stupid of me.”

I was speechless while my heart sank at his obvious dejection and embarrassment, so I went into overdrive in an attempt to make him feel as though he had in fact, done me a favor.

Reaching for his old wristband now sitting crumpled inside both of his closed hands, I fervently replied. “Actually, it will help me find your old chart.”  However, I got tongue-tied, replaced the ch in chart with the f in file, and blurted out the unthinkable!

Horror-struck, I immediately apologized, but with an uncontrolled giggle. “Um, I’m so sorry about that, I guess I really got tongue tied on that one.”  

Continuing to smile at what I obviously found to be somewhat amusing, I was Horror-struck yet once again when I looked around at my co-workers, the patient, and his father and realized that I was the only one smiling! 

Deficient Forgiveness

"I will say it again, it is impossible for you to forgive."

No, no…not me, I didn’t say that. The Preacher on my car radio made that absurd claim.

In a huff about what I had just heard, I silently questioned the Lord. Who is this man? He sounds like a nutcase, when yet again; this unknown speaker had the audacity to repeat his claim a second time.

Now speaking to myself in a muffled whisper, I counteracted with, no way, am I going to continue listening to this distorted preaching.

I smugly jolted forward reaching for the off knob on my car radio, to send this false teacher into a deafened oblivion. However, just as I touched the knob, I heard the Lord speak to my heart. “Be still and listen.”

Taking a deep breath and exhaling a perplexed sigh, I released my grip from the knob, slowly reclined back into my car seat and whispered, okay Lord.

The radio preacher continued, “Please don’t dismiss what I'm going to tell you next, hear me out.

I’m asking you to honestly think about those people who’ve hurt you. I don’t mean just naming those who’ve hurt you and simply “saying” you’ve forgiven them. I mean, have you forgiven them to the point where you no longer cringe at even the mere thought of their offense?"

Well, no, I couldn’t really say “that,” I thought to myself.

He had now, captivated my complete curiosity. With one eyebrow raised, I looked at the radio, waiting for whatever it was he was going to say next.

He continued, “That’s because it is impossible to forgive others, in our own power.

Many of us are wandering around in the confusing aftermath of holding onto the pain others have inflicted upon us, despite our confessions of forgiveness; and it is this very struggle which holds us back in our Christian walks.”

Wow…okay; go on. At that point, I had begun to audibly converse with my car radio.

“If you want to receive that complete forgiveness that the Bible teaches us, you have to first admit that you are in fact incapable of truly forgiving those offenders and let someone forgive them, for you. Jesus.

Admit that you just can’t do it on your own. Ask Jesus to forgive those people for you, and then pray that prayer through, until it is accomplished. Not just once, or twice, but in every waking moment that it is brought to your mind, until it is done.”

So begins my story. A story I pray will be your story also, if you too, struggle with any unforgiveness in your life.

Although I knew with certainty, that God’s hand was upon me in my newfound endeavor to “pray through,” I went to the Word to substantiate this newly discovered instruction; and found it in Philippians 4:6 (NIV).

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Knowing that it was God’s will for me to forgive those who have trespassed against me, of which I wasn’t able to achieve on my own, in its fullness, I did exactly what that servant of God on the radio, suggested. I prayed that prayer with thanksgiving, from that moment forward. I prayed it at work, at home, and even took it right into the bathroom with me.

I never felt anxious or expecting. I just knew that God would in fact finish what I had started but was incapable of completing.

In faith, that prayer became a part of my everyday, every waking moment, part of my life, and when I was least expecting it….it happened.

Almost five months later, while I was sitting in my car, yet again, eating my lunch, I was absorbed in a message Charles Stanley was giving.

When it was over and time to return to work, I got out of my car and began the short jaunt back to my office building. Caressed in the enveloping but gentle warmth of that spring day, I was thanking God for such a wonderful message and such a faithful servant as Mr. Stanley.

Oh, yeah and please, Jesus, forgive my brothers, for me, because I just can’t really do it myself and I thank you.

At the very moment I finished my prayer, and this is the best I can describe it….a silent yet forceful wind tunnel, like a vacuum, attached to my shoulders but without actually touching me; and I could feel, yes, honestly feel, the ugly, haunting, and erosive residue of emotions that had scarred my memory cavity…sucked out of me.

I lost my breath, and not yet turning around, but stopping my walk, realized I couldn’t move a muscle. It wasn’t frightening at all, but soothingly peaceful and only lasted briefly.

When this “action” for lack of a better description was finished, I was free to move. Immediately, I turned around, looked up into the brilliant, aqua blue sky at the angle of which I felt this phenomenon had taken place, and heard God’s Holy voice saturate my inner being with, “It is done.”

As a torrent rip current, vigorously rushes back to the depths of the ocean that releases it, so too, were the suffocating misgivings I had sheltered for so long, forcefully whisked back to the sweltering pit of decay, belonging to Lucifer and his rebellious followers.

Supernaturally purged of debilitating memories that had stifled who God had created me to be, I was now free to walk in the true experience of God’s love.

Yes, I still remember those acts of indecency forced upon me, but no longer do I wrestle with the emotional turbulence associated with those memories. Instead, I have become victorious as an over comer through our Messiah’s love, and now see my offenders with His love and compassion; releasing me from years of oppressive bondage that hindered my walk with God.

I now thanked God that I was the victim instead of the perpetrator and was able to pray for both their salvation and their release from bondage to the enslavement to the wicked wiles of the devil. I now saw them as God’s children in need of deliverance, just like me.

Regretfully, I never did discover the name of that brother in Christ that God used to teach me about prayer and absolute forgiveness.

However, as I continue my walk in this earthbound journey toward my Heaven bound destination, I know that because God knows each strand of hair on that servants head, He also has given him the affirmation of his stewardship touching and changing the walks of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, just like me.