August has been an especially challenging month for me and my family. Multiple losses, loved ones suffering, the death of my beloved aunt — it has been very hard. My PTSD, which was largely healed thanks to a lot of good talk therapy and neurofeedback treatments, has suffered some setbacks as a result.
In addition to everything else, I am still working on the first draft of my memoir. Writing every single day, at least a few dozen words per day. At the beginning of this month, I reached the part in my memoir story where I had to write about the most painful thing that has ever happened in my life. As I wrote about it, I relived the horror of that experience all over again.
I have learned that when I am hurting, the first thing I need to do is pray. I have been praying a lot since I started writing my memoir.
One morning, while I was in the middle of writing about my life’s most traumatizing experience, I took a break and went out into the back yard with our two dogs. After doing some clean-up work in the yard, I walked down to the alley to throw trash into a dumpster. As I walked back up the alley along the edge of our yard, I saw something lying on the ground. Thinking it was a piece of trash, I bent down and picked it up, intending to toss it into the dumpster.
But it wasn’t trash. It was a very thin piece of tree bark that someone had cut into the shape of a heart. It has been painted red on one side, and these words are painted in white script, on top of the red paint:
Jesus Loves You.
This sweet work of art is smaller than the palm of my hand and probably doesn’t weigh much more than a single sheet of paper. We had several big thunderstorms in the days before I found it lying in our yard, storms with high winds, heavy rains, and hail. How did this delicate little Valentine survive all those storms? And how did it end up in our yard, on a day when I REALLY needed to focus on God’s love?
No, I don’t need a red heart with those words painted on it, to tell me that the God I believe in and serve, really does love me. But oh, what a wonderful feeling it gave me to find this precious message, on the day when I was writing about my worst trauma ever.
Yes — Jesus loves me! And He loves you, just as much! We are all going through hard times right now. But this isn’t the end of our story. 😀 ❤❤❤
I love those little gifts. That must have made your day! ❤
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Right! I bought a little standing frame to put it in. Now I have it on top of my barrister bookcase. Every time I look at it, I am blessed all over again.
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Awwww. . . ❤
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Awwwww
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❤❤❤❤❤
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God’s love is truly amazing!
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“Jesus, Lover of my soul ….” He breaks our hearts with His love, doesn’t He? In a good way. In a healing way. In a way we need, when we need it. ❤️
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Yes! Amen!
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A wonderful story, and wonderful “find.” Thank you for sharing, Linda.
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Thanks, David!
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I think the Lord may have given you a special reminder at the very moment you needed it. Gee, He’s really good at doing that, don’t ya’ know. He’s amazing! I’m glad you kept it.
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Thank you, Sue. ❤❤❤
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❤️ 😭 🙌🙏🏻
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Right! ❤❤❤❤❤
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God knows what you need and when you need it. You can’t buy that and those touches He gives every once in a while are so precious. Awfully glad and happy for you Linda, blessings!
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Thank you so much, Bruce. Blessings to you, too.
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What a lovely treasure to find, Linda! Definitely meant for you. It’s brave of you to tackle such a traumatic writing project, but it must be so very difficult. x
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Thank you, Leslie. I keep praying and asking God if I should continue writing my memoir. In my heart, I feel like this is what I need to do right now. I am gaining an amazing amount of insight and healing through the process, which has helped me tremendously in the process of forgiving the people who hurt me. And if my finished memoir wil help even just one person someday, then it’s worth the struggle, for that reason alone.
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Those are good reasons for carrying on writing your memoir, Linda. x
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I have an inkling it will help more than one. 😊♥️
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Awwwww. Thank you. ❤❤❤❤❤
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“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
James 5:16 KJV
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Thank you for this reminder, my friend. It’s true — the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much. In myself, I have no righteousness at all. But when God the Father looks at His children, He sees only the righteousness of Christ. How awesome is that!
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It’s what came to mind as I read your post. So thought I’d share it with you.
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If you knew the whole back story behind the deeply painful event that I was writing about that day, you would know how perfect this particular scripture verse is. 🙂
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Praise God!
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Love the post and love you toooo love of my life
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❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
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What a precious gift from God. Sometimes these little things can be just what we need when it’s hard to cope. I continue to pray that you get your memoir written some day and that the process will be cathartic for you.
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Thank you so much, Kathy, for your kind words and prayers. I feel greatly encouraged, just knowing that you are praying for me to finish my memoir. So far, although it isn’t easy to write my story, it is very cathartic.
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Now that’s God!!
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Right! We are having another thunderstorm right now. I usually get a little anxious during thunderstorms. But this time, I am thinking about how that sweet Valentine probably blew into our yard in a storm like this!
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And who knows what this storm might blow in your direction?! It warms my heart, Linda Lee, that you received such a glorious little love-gift, tucked into a tuft of grass. God’s creativity knows no end!
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I don’t believe in coincidence. God was blessing you in a way that would touch every part of your heart and soul.
It was placed there for you at just that moment. It’s so amazing that He knows just what we need, right when we need it!! God is awesome!
I have no doubt that when you look at that precious heart in the future, you’ll remember that just when you were writing the biggest tragedy you’ve ever gone through, He reached down from heaven and reminded you of His deepest love He has for you!!
It reminds me of a time after my mom died about 20 years ago when I was at the dermatologist getting a mole biopsied and I was scared. I really wished she was with me.
God gave me reassurance in the most amazing way. There is a song my mom and I loved titled “Precious and Few”. It was our song because we loved spending time together.
Anyway, while I was waiting that song played twice during a short period of time and I knew in my heart it was a gift from God and it brought me great comfort!
By the way, my biopsy was ok. 😊
Now, whenever I am going through an especially difficult time, I look through the eyes of Faith and see all the blessings the Lord is sharing with me!!
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Thank you, Shanon. I love the story about your mom’s special song playing twice, in a short period of time, when you were scared and missing her so much. I definitely believe that was a gift from our loving Father.
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Fabulous story – I believe He “ordered your steps” right into a message of love. Thanks for sharing, dear sister.
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Thank you for your kind words. ❤❤
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Lovely. ❤
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❤❤❤
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Wow!
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It’s the little surprises in life that often bring more blessing than some of the big things. So glad you found it.
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Thank you! I ordered your coloring book and it came in the mail a couple of days ago. I’m looking forward to trying my coloring skills soon. I have been very busy lately, catching up on laundry and other chores that I let go due to a long heat wave — which finally let up two days ago, yaaay!
We are blessed to have central air conditioning, which was installed just last year — a great answer to prayer. But when the temperatures are in the hundreds for days on end, with everyone in town running their air conditioning at full blast, the electricity couldn’t handle it and kept going off. So, we pretty much had to stop doing laundry.
2020 has been a crazy year! I hope you are well. God bless. ❤❤
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Thanks for letting me know. I hope you get a lot of enjoyment coloring.
Yes, I am well. We had a spell with temperatures in the 90s, but I don’t have AC.
It has been a crazy year, in more ways than one. I have had a chance to visit 4 old friends I haven’t seen for a long time–one I hadn’t seen in well over 60 years. So it has had some very good points in the midst to all of the chaos. God bless you Linda.
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Absolutely precious!
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I LOVE stuff like this! How wonderful ❤
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❤❤❤❤❤
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Beautiful. Such a great reminder. God cares even in the small things. I love this post.
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Thank you so much, Beverley. ❤❤❤
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God works in mysterious ways!
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Hi, Lauren! You’re right, He sure does. ❤
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Oh my word, Linda! I believe God sent you a heart token! (Love token)
One day I just started seeing hearts everywhere…most times when I needed a reminder that Jesus still loves me. I had never noticed them before. That’s why I called my blog Heart Tokens. I have never been a person to follow after signs, but I have to smile and thank Him each and every time I see them! It’s like He is sending a personal love letter…Since I have mentioned seeing these hearts, there have been several here on WP that have seen some! God loves us so so much! He is amazing! We cannot even fathom the level of love He loves us from!
I pray you are finding healing from your journey with sharing your story.
Much love my friend!
“Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.” Psalms 86:17
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❤❤❤❤❤
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Gods ways are amazing. He just reminded you how much He loves you. What a wonderful God we serve.
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Yes! ❤
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I think that was a beautiful thing for the Lord to do for you. The wind could have blown it anywhere to anyone but it came to YOU from HIM.
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Just reading your comment right now gave me happy tears. Because you are right!
If someone else had needed it more than me, I would rather they had gotten it, instead. But on that day, I was right in the middle of writing about the most painful trauma of my entire life, something that I had never written about before or even talked about, to anyone. For this precious little message to blow into our yard right then, on that particular day — wow wow wow. God is so loving and so AMAZING!
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A beautiful story! Thanks for sharing it. Blessings!
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Awww, thank you. I am still planning to write a part 2 to the story behind my gravatar picture — I believe you are the one who encouraged me to do that. I think that’s a great idea for a post. But lately, my mind has been a little preoccupied with other things. Like, who will be our next president. 😀
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Yes! That! God bless you Linda!
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Thank you. God bless you, too. ❤
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