GROWING UP IRISH

By: Donna Selma Lind

Growing up Irish in the 1960's on the South side of Chicago was always a big celebration on St. Patrick's day!

My Mother's Grandparents came from County Mayo and Galway Bay Ireland. McNeela's, Ryan's and Feeney's make up the family tree.

My Grandma Nora or as we called her "Nonnie", was very sentimental about St. Patrick's day. Nora was a beauty! A fiery ginger with hair the color of carrots, ivory skin sprinkled with freckles, ruby red lips and deep dark soulful eyes. In 1928 she was a runner up to Miss Chicago. In high heels she towered around six foot, when she walked in a room all eyes turned to her.

She didn't have an easy life. 
Her parents came from Ireland by ship to Ellis Island at the turn of the century. They lived in a sod house and worked as share cropper's on a farm in South Dakota. One day Great Grandpa and Grandma Ryan packed up their eleven kids and decided to move to Chicago. 

When Nora was in her twenties she married my Grandfather Jack McNeela. Jack was originally studying to be a Jesuit Priest when he decided to leave the priesthood to become a Police officer in Chicago.

Jack's family had also immigrated from Ireland. Grandpa Jack had raven black hair, steel blue eyes and a heart of gold.
Jack and Nora fell in love, married and had three daughters, Jackie, Noreen and Sharon, who is my Mom.

Jack became Chief of Police in a suburb of Chicago. One rainy cold night Chief Jack went out on a call to help someone in need. Jack ended up with Pneumonia died and left behind his wife Nora and their three little girls. 

My Mom was only 18 months old and her sister's were 3 1/2 and 9 years old.
Nora was a widow at thirty. 

In those days there was no government assistance to help so Nora worked two jobs to take care of her girls. She had to place them in Boarding School while she worked.

After a few years Nora met Louie. Louie was a big, boisterous fun loving man from Italy. They married and once again Nora found love and laughter, but it would be short lived.

Louie was diagnosed with cancer and after only a few years Nora was once again a Widow alone with three daughters. 


Twice widowed at 34 years old.

I cannot begin to understand the pain and devastation my Grandma Nonnie lived with.

So whenever St. Patrick's day came around it must have brought a flood of memories to my Grandma. 
Memories of her parents Nora Feeney and Timothy Ryan. Memories of her Husband's Jack and Louie. 

I would find her sitting in the living room crying, smoking a camel cigarette, drinking her Folgers coffee and listening to music.

I'd sit by her on the floor on the red shag carpeting leaning up against the mighty Magnavox Record player. Grandma Nonnie would play her  John Gary and Perry Como albums and we would sing together.  

"Oh Danny Boy" "Wild Irish Rose" "Galway Bay" "Irish Lullaby".
I memorized the words and would sit on a stack of suitcases with a hairbrush as my microphone and sing until her tears turned to laughter.
She would start off with a He-He then it would bubble out of her into a roaring river of laughter. Deep from within her belly till the tears turned into Joy.
Then we would dance around the house, until the darkness left her.

I sang those songs to her until the day she died.  It was "our thing." 
She would always ask me to sing those songs at her funeral, now I am sorry that I never did. 
A few days before she died a Hospice nurse led her to Jesus. I will forever be grateful for that nurse! 

So today as I celebrate my Irish heritage; I sing for The Matriarch of our Irish family. Grandma Nonnie, This song is for you!

A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN 

"Sure, a little bit of heaven fell
From out the sky one day
And it nestled on the ocean
In a spot so far away
And when the Angels found it
They dotted it with silver 
To make it's lakes so grand
And when they had it finished
Sure, they called it Ireland."

~ Ernest Ball/ J.Keirn Brennan 

AND UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, MAY GOD HOLD YOU IN HIS HAND.☘❤☘

HALLELUJAH!! PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!!

Donna Selma Lind ❤ 

THE PATH

By: Donna Selma Lind

 

"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11

 I dreamed I saw a beautiful winding stone pathway, in the midst of a lush Garden dotted with Olive Trees .

There in the pathway, stood Jesus.

I could only see his feet. They were wrapped in leather sandals.

The hem of his tunic hung above his ankles and the tassel's of his holy Tallit Prayer shawl swayed back and forth from the breeze that blew through the nearby Olive trees.

Jesus pointed at the stones in the pathway, and spoke these words;

"I've set a path before you.

Go. Go now and get the house ready.

Get everything in order. I am moving you up.

I have a work for you to do.

Not everyone is coming with.

Many are too busy, they don't care and they don't have time for me.

They don't understand the price that was paid for them.

There is a cost for souls to be saved.

They're spending time and money on building their kingdoms -

 NOT MY KINGDOM.

My kingdom is not brick and mortar. 

My kingdom is souls for eternity.

My kingdom is Love, Joy, Peace and Eternal life in Heaven with my Father.

They have chosen a different path.

You have chosen the path that leads to my Throne.

Many will follow in your footsteps that will lead them to me."

***

Then Jesus turned and walked down the path.

Every time His foot hit the ground a Golden Crown appeared. 

One by one Gold Crowns filled with sparkling jewels 

appeared, until the entire pathway was illuminated with rainbow

 

prisms of light .

***

Suddenly I awoke from the dream to hear a Heavenly choir of Angels singing; 

"It all revolves around your throne. Who can know your Glory?

So high above, Yet slain for us, You alone are worthy.

And the praise is Yours, And the praise is yours!

You're the one we bow before.

Reigning over us. As we lift you up, You will reign forever more!

And the praise is Yours. And the praise is Yours! 

You're the one we bow before..."

~ "YOURS (GLORY & PRAISE)" by: ELEVATION WORSHIP~

***

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I don't usually share my dreams publicly, but I felt a strong impression from the Lord that I was to share this message with you.

I believe it is a warning from Heaven to prepare us for what is to come.

Is your house in order? I'm talking about you and your family, is your heart and relationship with Christ in order? 

Do you know without a shadow of a doubt where you will spend eternity? 

There is a difference between playing church and being the church.

Who are you building a Kingdom for?

The Lord has set a path before us. 

Will you go? 

Will you follow the path that leads to the Throne of Jesus?

***

"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." 
Psalm 16:11

***
HALLELUJAH!!

PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!!

Donna Selma Lind 💗

ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING

By: Donna Selma Lind 

Artist: Nancy Noel

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Phillipians 4:6

Last week we went to pick up some Apple bread, Jam and Pickles from one of our favorite Amish stores.

This is the same store that I was able to pray with a group of Amish ladies last  year for a woman's back to be healed.

That was miraculous in of itself because the Amish order does not allow them to pray with an outsider "Englisher" like me.
 God did something that day last year to break down walls and make a bridge of trust between these ladies and myself.

So when I stepped into that store last week one of the Amish ladies approached me and started telling me about her teenage daughter. She was worried  because her daughter was having strange spells where she would shake, cry and felt like she was going to die.

She told me the Doctors couldn't find anything physically wrong. I asked her several questions about what I thought might be happening and from her answers I thought it sounded like she  was having anxiety or panic attacks.
She said that is what the Doctors thought.

We spoke a little more, she had such desperation in her eyes. She was wringing her hands over and over.  I sensed she was wanting to ask me something.

I asked if she would like me to pray for her daughter.

Her wrinkled brow and frown turned upward to a gentle smile and in tears she blurted out, "OH, YES PLEASE. YES PLEASE!!"

I put my hands out and she grabbed ahold of me and I prayed.

I prayed for a Mama who was desperate enough to let an outsider offer a prayer to Heaven because she loved her child so much.
I prayed for a young teenage girl who is suffering from anxiety so bad that she feels like she is going to die.
I prayed that whatever had a stronghold on that young girl, that it would be broken off in Jesus name and she would be set free!

When I finished praying that Mama wrapped her arms around me and hugged the stuffing out of me! She smelled like fresh baked bread and cinnamon sugar and her skin was as soft as a baby's bottom!
She thanked me in between tears as we looked out the window and watched her daughter outside stacking wood in the wood pile.

As I walked to the car I prayed the Lord would give me a word of encouragement that I could speak to this young girl somehow.
I knew I had to be careful that no one would see me praying with her out there, and I didn't want to scare her.

What can I do Lord to let her know you are there with her and she is not alone?

I reached my hand in my purse to see what kind of a scripture card I might have that would be appropriate to give her. I pulled out a card that had a little lamb on the front and the verse inside said:

 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

I asked God to help me to help her and instantly He supplied the perfect verse!

I walked over to this precious child of God. I handed her the card and I told her Jesus loved her so much He wanted her to have this and whenever she was afraid or anxious she could say this verse outloud and God would help her.
I hugged her and though she didn't know it I prayed a Blessing over her.

As we drove home down the winding country roads past all the Amish Farms and houses, I prayed and asked that the Lord that He would give me more opportunities to minister and pray with these beautiful people.

 IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS! 

HALLELUJAH!  PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!

Donna Selma Lind 💗