{"id":3385,"date":"2012-12-27T07:18:48","date_gmt":"2012-12-27T12:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=3385"},"modified":"2012-12-27T07:18:48","modified_gmt":"2012-12-27T12:18:48","slug":"permanent-markers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/12\/permanent-markers.html","title":{"rendered":"Permanent Markers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"I found an interesting tip for making your own personalized dinnerware. \u00a0You buy the cheap white china from the Dollar Store and write on it with a porcelain pin. \u00a0Then you bake them in the oven for 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a great idea for the crafty folk out there who are living on a budget but like stylized personal items. \u00a0However, on reading this, my mind went immediately to how often the small things we do make a permanent mark on the lives of others and ourselves. \u00a0A touch can lift the spirit of another person. \u00a0Stopping to care could guarantee that life is lived a bit better and longer.<\/p>\n

\"older\"<\/a>Yesterday afternoon, as I traveled home using the Atlanta airport, a woman who was probably in her 80\u2032s stood in the mass of people, turning in circles. \u00a0As I passed, she softly touched my sleeve. \u00a0\u201dCan you tell me where a McDonald\u2019s or Arby\u2019s might be?\u201d \u00a0 In an instant, I was in love with this tender soul who had reached out for help. \u00a0Her touch was gentle and kind. \u00a0Her eyes revealed her helpless state of mind.<\/p>\n

I pointed her to the restaurant and walked away, anxious to find my gate, even though I still had two hours before the plane left. \u00a0I felt the Holy Spirit say to me, \u201cGo with her. \u00a0Help her with her meal.\u201d \u00a0Ignoring the prompting of the Lord, I didn\u2019t turn back but headed in what I thought was the direction of my plane. \u00a0But I was headed the wrong way. \u00a0I turned back and found that my gate was next to the McDonald\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The older woman was at the McDonald\u2019s counter with another helpful customer who was assisting her with the order and helping to pay her bill. \u00a0I was sad that I had missed the opportunity to serve. \u00a0\u201dSomeone else got the blessing I intended for you,\u201d I heard the Spirit nudge my spirit.<\/p>\n

\n

I knew I couldn\u2019t break in the food line and that it would take a while for the women to get their food. \u00a0I thought I would walk a few more steps, survey my gate and then return to find the confused lady. \u00a0I resolved to sit with her while she ate her dinner and perhaps help her find her plane. \u00a0But when I returned, she was gone. \u00a0The other helpful customer was there; but the older lady could not be found.<\/p>\n

\"Talking\"<\/a>Of course, there are many times that we miss the mark. (That is the definition of sin, isn\u2019t it?) \u00a0As I sat and ate my McDonald\u2019s salad, I asked the Lord to make this incident a permanent mark on my life. \u00a0I prayed that I would learn from this misplaced blessing. \u00a0Without condemnation from the gentle Shepherd, I wanted to never forget a lost woman who only needed a few minutes of my time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I found an interesting tip for making your own personalized dinnerware. \u00a0You buy the cheap white china from the Dollar Store and write on it with a porcelain pin. \u00a0Then you bake them in the oven for 30 minutes. It\u2019s a great idea for the crafty folk out there who are living on a budget…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3,40,186,49,16,8,4,41],"tags":[690,21,688,696,636,7,18,699,715,701,694,689,6,700,637],"class_list":["post-3385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-church","tag-confusion","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-discipleship","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-simple-scriptural-truths","tag-spirituality","tag-walking-in-circles"],"yoast_head":"\nPermanent Markers - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Permanent Markers - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I found an interesting tip for making your own personalized dinnerware. \u00a0You buy the cheap white china from the Dollar Store and write on it with a porcelain pin. \u00a0Then you bake them in the oven for 30 minutes. It\u2019s a great idea for the crafty folk out there who are living on a budget…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/12\/permanent-markers.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-12-27T12:18:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com\/upload\/108297566009351257_mDSORnyU.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. Howard\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Permanent Markers - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"nofollow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Permanent Markers - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","og_description":"I found an interesting tip for making your own personalized dinnerware. \u00a0You buy the cheap white china from the Dollar Store and write on it with a porcelain pin. \u00a0Then you bake them in the oven for 30 minutes. It\u2019s a great idea for the crafty folk out there who are living on a budget…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/12\/permanent-markers.html","og_site_name":"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","article_published_time":"2012-12-27T12:18:48+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com\/upload\/108297566009351257_mDSORnyU.jpg"}],"author":"Linda G. Howard","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/12\/permanent-markers.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/12\/permanent-markers.html","name":"Permanent Markers - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/12\/permanent-markers.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/12\/permanent-markers.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com\/upload\/108297566009351257_mDSORnyU.jpg","datePublished":"2012-12-27T12:18:48+00:00","dateModified":"2012-12-27T12:18:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/#\/schema\/person\/a10d3530d8432a656d648135fe6da739"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/12\/permanent-markers.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/12\/permanent-markers.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/12\/permanent-markers.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com\/upload\/108297566009351257_mDSORnyU.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com\/upload\/108297566009351257_mDSORnyU.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/12\/permanent-markers.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Permanent Markers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/","name":"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Linda Howard","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/#\/schema\/person\/a10d3530d8432a656d648135fe6da739","name":"Linda G. Howard","description":"Linda G. Howard is the best-selling and award-winning author of four books, including MOTHERS ARE PEOPLE, TOO and THE SECRET LIFE OF A HOUSEWIFE. Currently, she serves as area director of The Special Gathering, a ministry within the mentally challenged community. Additionally, she is the co-publisher and editor of CONNECTING POINT, the ministry newsletter. Her husband is a retired aerospace technologist who worked for NASA. They have three children and four grandchildren.","sameAs":["http:\/\/specialgathering.wordpress.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/author\/lhoward"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/387"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3385"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3385\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3386,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3385\/revisions\/3386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}