Reflections of My Life

By Martha Manning Godfrey

A Message to the Reader

As I endeavor to share with you, through Reflections of My Life, I am aware of God's love for all His people. It is my wish that, as you read the different selections, you will begin to develop a desire deep in your soul, to trust God as He gives you strength to work and accomplish the things in your life that might seem too different for you at the time.

Remember, God never gives us more than we can handle.

The Lord hath been mindful of us. He will bless us. (Psalm 115:12 RSV)

This is the third book published by Christian Faith Publishing following My Angel and Me and Our World (a children's book).

It is my desire that you will consider reading these three books, and I pray that you will be aware of God's love for you. This book, Reflections of My Life, can be utilized as a devotional book. Scripture is included to each entry which makes the material more meaningful.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889438458

Book preview

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Reflections of My Life

Martha Manning Godfrey

ISBN 979-8-88943-844-1 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88943-845-8 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Martha Manning Godfrey

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

I would like to dedicate this book, Reflections of My Life, to my mama, Patti Irene Lewis Richardson, who was born on November 5, l9l8. I feel blessed that I spent Easter Sunday with my mama in the hospital, and we reminisced about the many occasions in my life when she guided me through some rough times as I grew up facing life changes in my early years of development. A call came the next morning, April l3, 2004, to tell me she had died. She had been fighting cancer for many years. I accepted this news as a blessing from God because she had been suffering for a long time, but she never outwardly expressed any negative feelings to God.

It is evident that God gives people special gifts, such as the ability to be teachers, doctors, nurses, preachers, lawyers, and other professions. Sometimes, we take people like my mama for granted. She was an incredible woman created by God to be my mama.

I was the oldest of five children, and she instilled the importance of having faith in God and strong work ethics in each of her children. God gave her the nurturing ability and the emotion of stable sensitivity so she could take care of the needs of each of us. She spent some part of each day guiding us as we attempted new experiences in our lives, and she always stressed the fact that we should include God in our decisions.

Just thinking about the daily activities she and our family spent together creates cheerfulness in my heart. There never was a woman like my mama. As she disciplined one of us, she could be as gentle as an early morning breeze when she communicated and then stern when she needed to stress a point.

In my life, I am prone to file away many quotes in a box, which have been made by famous people. I found a quote by Thomas Edison: My mother was the making of me. In this time of turmoil, I feel blessed to have had a mama like God gave me.

Acknowledgments

Reflections of My Life

My Birth and My Purpose in Life

Being Who I Am

Values I Live By

God's Gifts to Me

My Innate Gifts

Childhood Memories

A Childhood Christmas

Love

A Scary Time in Childhood

My Dad's Coffee Cup and Saucer

My Mama's Apron

My Passion

A Memorable Teacher

Awareness of Things in Our World

Discovering Happiness

Compassion

God's Great Promise for Us

Friendships

A Turning Point in My Life

Overcoming a Disappointment

A Change in Curriculum

My Best Job, Ever

My Favorite Song

Making a Difference

The Contented Lady

My Letter to God

Evans High School 30-Year Reunion

Footprints

A Long-Awaited Desire—Accomplished

What Is Faith

Living Life as a Christian

My Pledge for the Years to Come

About the Author

Iwould like to dedicate this book, Reflections of My Life , to my mama, Patti Irene Lewis Richardson, who was born on November 5, l9l8. I feel blessed that I spent Easter Sunday with my mama in the hospital, and we reminisced about the many occasions in my life when she guided me through some rough times as I grew up facing life changes in my early years of development. A call came the next morning, April l3, 2004, to tell me she had died. She had been fighting cancer for many years. I accepted this news as a blessing from God because she had been suffering for a long time, but she never outwardly expressed any negative feelings to God.

It is evident that God gives people special gifts, such as the ability to be teachers, doctors, nurses, preachers, lawyers, and other professions. Sometimes, we take people like my mama for granted. She was an incredible woman created by God to be my mama.

I was the oldest of five children, and she instilled the importance of having faith in God and strong work ethics in each of her children. God gave her the nurturing ability and the emotion of stable sensitivity so she could take care of the needs of each of us. She spent some part of each day guiding us as we attempted new experiences in our lives, and she always stressed the fact that we should include God in our decisions.

Just thinking about the daily activities she and our family spent together creates cheerfulness in my heart. There never was a woman like my mama. As she disciplined one of us, she could be as gentle as an early morning breeze when she communicated and then stern when she needed to stress a point.

In my life, I am prone to file away many quotes in a box, which have been made by famous people. I found a quote by Thomas Edison: My mother was the making of me. In this time of turmoil, I feel blessed to have had a mama like God gave me.

Acknowledgments

To Bruce Wright, a friend, who is a computer expert, who helped me with the correspondence of information to the publishing company.

To Lee Miller, who is a retired professor at Winthrop University, many of the topics in the book were assignments while I was a student in her writing class.

To Jonnetta Erby and Trinity Gaines, two very close friends, who were always willing to come to my aid in many situations.

Reflections of My Life

Spending time reflecting upon the things that have happened in my life, during my past experiences, is very meaningful to me. Through these reflections, I am able to accept God's mercy toward me and become more aware of the many blessings He has bestowed upon me. I feel incredibly thankful that I am able to serve God more as I remember the ways I have dealt with the many things about the world around me, myself, my family, and my friends.

The Lord hath been mindful of us; He will bless us. (Psalm 115:12 RSV)

As I evaluate my life experiences that began when I was born in 1936, I am shocked to realize how many things our family did not have. In our home, we did not have an inside bathroom or electricity. I was born before my family had a television, a telephone, an air conditioner, a dishwasher, a washing machine, or a clothes dryer. Penicillin, polio medication, and contact lenses were not available. As I grew up, there were no credit cards, computers, or outer-space discoveries.

In the early days of life, grass was grown in our yard. Pot was something that Mama used to cook our food on the stove. Coke was a cold drink we bought at the country store. Rock music was mama's lullaby she sang to the baby in her rocking chair. In our world today, grass, pot, coke, and rock music have different definitions for some of our younger generation.

My most positive memory is this: