We sometimes read The Beatitudes as Jesus’ Advice for someone else. We may think we will be blessed when the rest of the world starts living what He said and we benefit from it.
But our being blessed really begins when we choose to live Jesus’ Words.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is The Kingdom of Heaven.
How blessed we are when we are emptied enough of earth’s distractions, so we can be filled with the treasures of Heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
How blessed we are when we have loved enough to feel Love’s expansion to other places and we realize Love truly does go on forever.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
How blessed we are to notice and care for the meek, the ones no one else notices. How blessed we are to see like God, Who sees everyone. May we rejoice together as co-heirs of the earth The Lord has given us.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
How blessed we are to continue to desire all that is right in God’s Sight. How blessed we are to know He waits to fill us with His Righteousness. We need only to recognize our hunger and thirst is for Him. Nothing less will satisfy.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
How blessed we are to share The Mercy God has given us, even with those who are most unmerciful. May we forgive and be forgiven in mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
How blessed we are when we have been cleansed of all our sins. And the deep cleaning has purified us even to the depths of our heart. How blessed we are at that moment to see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Children of God.
How blessed we are when we desire peace so much that we make it a part of our life. May we always look to The Peace Jesus gives that will always be far beyond the peace the world cannot give.
May we bring that Peace to everyone around us. May we be the conduit through which Jesus says, “Peace be with you!” And may we hear Him say to us, “And also with you!”
Blessed are you when you are persecuted for My Sake.
How blessed we are when we are not offended by those who speak or act against us as we work for The Kingdom of God.
May we rejoice, not for their acts, but because of the opportunity to pray God’s Blessings upon them. May our prayer not be that they become like us. Rather may our prayer simply be that God create in all of us pure hearts.
Create in me (and all of us) a pure heart, O God,and renew a steadfast spirit within me (and all of us).
We have just completed the most amazing vacation. I will tell you about it.
First I will give you a little background.
Jay and I began our married life by going to Disney World. We then went back many times with our daughter and even just the two of us after she grew up.
We got older, but we never lost our ability to appreciate the magic. Then health problems set in for both of us. Travel was not possible. We tried to accept Disney was just a memory.
Our trips to Disney always included side trips to my South Carolina home places.
I grew up with frequent exposures to Carolina coastal waters. The waves of the ocean still call my name.
I love my Kentucky home, but again being sidelined from travel … no beach, no ocean, no jumping the waves. 😢
However, our Creative God always gives good gifts in interesting wrapping. And so it came to pass that our daughter, son in law and grandson went to Disney with side trips to the beach.
What could have been a giant dose of envy was turned into a wonderful vicarious experience. They videoed and FaceTimed with us for every precious moment.
We got to see our grandson experience the ocean for the first time. We saw the glee. We heard the squeals of delight. We heard the waves!
And then they went to Disney. They took us on every ride from standing in line (while we sat on our comfy couch) through the ups and downs, twists and turns, and music. They even took us along for the fireworks show!
Between our old memories and their new memories in progress, it was truly magical.
But beyond that manufactured magic was the real love that permeated every part of the trip. It was a true family vacation and we are so thankful they were willing to share it with us.
As they settle back into work and school, Grandma and Poppy are enjoying all the videos and pictures all over again. And I am once again being awed at how God continues to make dreams come true.
Seeing God transform what He placed inside my heart into physical form as a book! 😍
Today was a red letter day as we received the shipment of our latest book, Destination Heaven, Welcome HOME!
We hope to do with these as we have done with all our previous books. We purchase them to give away as God directs.
We do what we do, knowing what an honor it is to get to go with God while He works out His Perfect Will for all of us.
God allowed us to get this far. Now the next part is listening very closely to how He wants us to share what He has given us.
We would like to invite you to pray with us, first of all, in giving thanks for all that God has provided.
And then, pray about whether you or someone you know is the intended recipient of a book about Heaven.
It may be that God is prompting you to be the next link in His Delivery System. Think of someone you know who might be blessed with the Gift of a book.
And finally, if you feel so led, share this message with others.
Destination Heaven is also available for purchase through Amazon. It is both in print and ebook.
The audio book is free on my blog site at
carolynpriesterjones.org
As always, besides being thankful to God, I am also thankful to Jay, who does the lion’s share of all our projects.
Today that included getting very heavy boxes from the front porch to inside the house … and being our poster person to announce the latest Jones adventure.
P.S. Today we followed what has become a tradition with us. After the Amazon delivery guy hoofed all the boxes to the porch, we got him to wait while we opened the first box, and we gave him the first book.
We could tell this meant a lot to a tired, over worked young man. He never expected that something he was carrying was actually a gift for him.
That’s the way God works. You are carrying His Awesome Gift inside you, and maybe you didn’t know it was for you! 😘💞
Every moment of life is precious. Children enjoy the moments, blissfully unaware the moments are slipping away. For a child, it is always today.
One of the gifts of age is being able to return to that child like state. With age comes the realization that there may not be a tomorrow … at least not the way we are used to experiencing tomorrows.
That realization should not prompt regret or dread, but a heightened valuing of every moment we have.
I am married to a man who is ageless. He does not conform to the limits of time.
Jay has always been the perennial Peter Pan. Most of the time, that makes him endearing and adventuresome. But sometimes he is also the object of my frustrated sigh of “when are you going to grow up?”
So when I get pensive over my upcoming birthday in November, he does not understand. While I opine that I am about to enter the last year of my seventies, he shrugs and says, “Age is just a number.”
While I am wanting to make plans for the next decade, Jay is focused on the wonders of today.
When he points out the sun, moon, and stars, I get the feeling he misses Never Never Land. And I realize Wendy would have never seen it without Peter.
I’ve always told Jay if he gets the urge to fly, he has to take me with him. You will know where to find us. Second star to the right and straight on ‘ til morning!
(Disclaimer about the attached picture. This is not Jay’s usual attire. But it speaks well to his Peter Pan nature.
Some years ago, a neighbor was not having much luck in selling things at her yard sale. She told Jay, “I might have more luck selling this thing if you were wearing it!”
So Jay being Jay said, “OK, bring it on.”
It sold almost immediately. And I am sure the buyer had some stories to share about the weird neighbor!)
This post is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Pearl Priester, who was promoted to Glory on October 12, 1997.
The Trip of A Lifetime
In the fall of 1997, my parents were in an automobile accident. My mother spent a couple of months in the hospital, never able to return to her earthly home.
My husband and I had planned to go on a cruise to celebrate our twentieth wedding anniversary. We decided to cancel it.
However, my mother was insistent that we go. In fact, she was so insistent that she told everyone from family to friends to her doctor that we “had to go on that cruise.”
And so we did. We left on October 12th. It was described by some of the seasoned cruise staff as the worst turbulence they had experienced in years of sailing.
As soon as we left port, the ship began to toss and turn and tilt from side to side. Everyone held on to anything they could find in an effort to regain stability.
Finally, we decided we might fare better if we went up on deck and tried to visually equilibrate with the horizon. It seemed to work. As we stared into the heavens, the sea seemed calm. In fact, it was no different, but our focus was different.
Now that God had our attention, He outdid Himself with artistry. He painted one of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever seen.
We spent some time on deck, just admiring His work before we went back inside to attempt supper. Jay took a picture of me with the sun going down behind me.
Later that evening, we received the call that my mother had passed into Glory earlier. I was stunned. At that time, my only comfort was that I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that I was where she wanted me to be. But I did not know why.
God Began to Give Clues to His Word!
Weeks later, God revealed the first clue. My nephew had been present at the hospital at the time of my mother’s death. He had been asked to step out of my mother’s room for the nurses to care for her. He had done so.
Before the nurses came in, my mother quietly left for Glory. He was concerned that had he remained, she might have remained.
I assured him that my mother, being the lady she was, would never have left while he was there. She would have considered it rude!
And besides, I wrote him, I believed God’s Glory came and filled her room. It was a private, intimate moment, just for God and my mother to share.
I stopped in mid-sentence and thought, “Wow Lord, wouldn’t it have been wonderful to see Your Glory!”
At that moment, I heard Him say in my spirit, “You did. Your Mother and I arranged it!”
Suddenly I thought of the sunset. I asked Jay when he had taken that picture. He replied that it was easy to remember, since it was just before we went inside for supper.
The sunset occurred at the very time of my mother’s death!
I now knew with absolute certainty that I had been sent to that place in time to have a front row seat to His Glory! But God had more to reveal.
Sometimes God Plants Seeds
Long Before We Know They Are There!
While I was reflecting on the wonder of the time of the sunset, God brought to mind a memory from the past.
As I was studying the pictures of the sunset … for just a moment, I moved back in time to high school.
In my English class, we received points for every poem we memorized. Mother loved poetry and eagerly helped me select poems to memorize.
As I remembered, it was as if I was transported back home with my mother. We were both searching through books of poetry.
I could hear her voice, spoken with enthusiasm. “Why don’t you memorize this one? I just love this one. It’s got such a good message. It would be a good one to remember always.”
So I memorized Crossing the Bar by Alfred, Lord Tennyson … without knowing that God had planted seeds… and that many years from that moment, those seeds would sprout into a beautiful sunset on a turbulent ocean, within moments of my Mother’s ascension into Glory.
God allowed me to remember that poem with a new understanding.
Sunset and evening star,
and one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho’ from out our bourne (meaning stream or small brook)
of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.
The bar is that point in the water when the currents are stirred up the most by the force of the waters from the sea and the movement from closer the land colliding. We had indeed been present at the crossing of the bar!
Sunflowers — God’s Promise
Many years later, I was looking through old photographs and looked again at the picture of Mother’s Sunset. I had concentrated so much on the sun and the clouds, that I had not really noticed myself.
Then God brought my shirt into focus. It was one of Mother’s favorites. It was covered in sunflowers.
Sunflowers are amazing flowers that bloom in the fall. They have the unique ability to follow the sun from the time they are just buds.
They literally move through the day from east to west and back to the east before dawn each day.
When they are in full bloom, the stem freezes in the eastward position, signifying an eternal dawn!
God reminded me that I was not just a spectator of the sun. I was actually connected to the sun!
I decided to take a picture of the picture of me with the sunset in the background. I wanted to post it for my Facebook Friends.
I took the picture with my phone. I was completely awed when I saw the picture and realized that “somehow” there was a bright light coming from my heart. Light of the camera …. or Light of the Lord shown through the camera?
Just Look Over Your Shoulder!
One of my favorite songs is “You’ll Be in My Heart” by Phil Collins. After seeing the picture with the light coming from my heart, I was drawn to listen to the song again.
As I listened, I saw God smile and I heard Him speak for both Himself and my mother in the closing lyrics.
I’ll be with you.
I’ll be there for you always,
Always and always.
Just look over your shoulder …
Just look over your shoulder,
Just look over your shoulder …
I’ll be there always.
And so as I sign off, I’m looking at a picture of me in a shirt covered with sunflowers … and over my shoulder is the sun, which on first glance appears to be setting.
But, as with the real sun, setting one place means rising in another.
My Mother lives on in the same place God lives … in my heart!
We are happy to share that the third book in the Heaven trilogy is now available!
Destination Heaven, Welcome HOME is in print and ebook from Amazon.
The audio book is free on my blog site. It, along with my previous audio books, can be heard by simply selecting the book title at the top of the home page.
At the risk of sounding like a commercial, I will mention that I think books are a lovely gift for those who like to read. 😍
And for those who like to listen, just sharing the link will be a gift too. And it’s free! Our gift to you that you can share with others.
carolynpriesterjones.org
I have the easy part of our book projects. I just write. Jay does all the rest. And “all the rest” is a long list of things.
So today and every day, I am thankful to God and also to Jay, the man behind the books!
I wrote this several years ago. It is still happily true. It is a good post script to our anniversary reflections.
In this world of so many negatives, we often forget that true love stories really do happen … and sometimes you do get “happily ever after.”
Jay,
The night I met you, you asked me if I was happy. At that time, I didn’t know. Happiness seemed a transient feeling, like a butterfly that touched me for the briefest of moments and then flew away.
I wasn’t sure happiness would ever light on me and stay. More than that, I wasn’t sure I knew how to make anyone else happy.
But then a strange thing happened. Happiness blended into love. I’m not sure how or when it happened.
I do remember the empty feeling that nothing could fill when you left.
And I remember the giddy exhilaration that filled all the empty places when you returned.
I remember deciding that the feeling of being full was so much better than the feeling of being empty.
And so amid some fears that emptiness might coexist with full, I took the chance and married you.
On our honeymoon you talked me into riding Space Mountain at Disney World. It was a prophecy of the many years that followed.
It was thrilling. It was frightening. It was unpredictable. We climbed to the heights and dropped to the depths. And the dizzying curves threw us together. It was nothing like I expected.
In 49 years, you have totally redefined what I thought happiness and love were.
I wanted you to bring me flowers. You didn’t go to the florist. You went to the seed store. You planted me a flower garden. You tended it and watered it. You weeded it. I was happy.
I wanted to go out to a fine restaurant. We did, but it wasn’t enough. You cooked meals for me with all my favorites. And you served it. We ate together. I was happy.
I wanted to watch a romantic movie. You said, “Let me show you something better.” And you showed me the wide expanse of the sky.
You showed me clouds, sunrises and sunsets. You showed me fields of golden grain. You showed me flowers, trees and animals. And we beheld God’s Creation together. I was happy and at peace.
I was nearsighted. I said I couldn’t see what you saw. And you said that was ok. You said I could look through your eyes. You told me I was seeing better than an eye chart. You told me I could see the sun and it was 96 million miles away!
You found things I could see. You took pictures of things I couldn’t and zoomed in and we looked at the pictures together. I did see! I was so happy.
Less anyone reading this think that all those years of marriage were all hearts and flowers, they weren’t. But the times of unhappiness made the times of happiness shine even brighter.
The whole is truly more than the sum of the parts.
I know you likely won’t be writing poetry or reflecting on the past or the future. You truly live each day as it comes. And your love songs to me are written, not on paper, but in our life together.
Thank you, Jay. I am blessed and I can answer your original question now. I am very happy!
We have told our wedding story so many times there is a good chance you have already heard it. But if you have not or just want to laugh all over again (we do), read on.
We decided to have an outdoor wedding in a beautiful garden. We were so impressed with the beauty of the garden that we sort of overlooked how close it was to three major medical centers.
As the ceremony began, the birds sang sweetly in the trees and the harpist played a gentle lilting melody. Everyone emerged from their perfectly choreographed spots and went where they were supposed to go.
The minister began in appropriately solemn tones.
However, his voice was quickly drowned out by the sound of a helicopter overhead. The medical chopper headed to U.K. was apparently delayed in its landing and circled over the garden.
It was like the beginning of an episode of MASH. If someone had yelled, “Incoming!” half of our guests would have hit the ground!
The minister talked louder, adjusting his voice with each circle of the helicopter. He seemed relieved, as it was finally cleared to land at the med center.
However, his relief was soon overshadowed by another sound. An ambulance with sirens blasting made its way up Nicholasville Road.
Now realizing his vocal range was going to be required again, he rose to the occasion … or should I say, his vocal cords came to full thrust!
He was quoting The Love Verses of First Corinthians at the time. As the ambulance got closer and closer, he yelled louder and louder.
As soon as the ambulance cleared the Nicholasville Road light, they killed the siren, leaving our minister red faced and screaming into the silence, “Love is not easily angered!”
At this point, the guests were beginning to snicker.
He, once again, adjusted his voice, but for the remainder of the ceremony, looked on guard!
He continued with the ceremony, but was momentarily distracted by a new sound. There was a peculiar whining sound that began in the garden.
This was followed by the sound of off key harp notes. The gentle breeze had picked up and changed into a wind, that caused the harp strings to begin a tune of their own.
They were quickly captured by our harpist … but not before …
Our minister forgot that Jay had not said his part about accepting his ring.
As the minister forged ahead, the groomsmen tried to cue him, without success. Finally they were yelling, “Let Jay do the ring!”
This, of course, confused him because he knew Jay already had the ring! But after he realized Jay had not officially received it yet, he got back on track and the ceremony proceeded.
However, the next sound was what sounded like an 18 wheeler backing into the garden. No one was sure what it was, but at this point, we all just desperately wanted to get this thing done!
The minister nearing the end of the ceremony, launched into The Blessing, saying, “Love life, so that Love will life you!”
The groomsmen lost it. They cracked up in belly laughs, and our guests, even those who had tried to remain serious, laughed.
The minister tried to finish the “sending forth,” but paused too long, at one point, making the harpist believe he was done.
So she started to play the recessional and the minister returned to yelling … and she stopped playing … leaving him once again yelling his parting blessing into silence!
The sound of laughter was covered over by the return of the sound of the truck.
As our guests stood up, they felt the wind at their backs, as several large men, grabbed their chairs, folded them up and threw (yes, threw!) them into the back of the truck.
We rented those chairs, so our best speculation is they were being rushed to the next event!
We all moved on to the party room of our apartment for the reception. When Jay and I ceremonially departed, we didn’t go far.
We drove around the block, went up the back steps, and went to our apartment. We sat and watched our guests through the window … and realized we had done it! We were married!
And we wondered what life would be like in 40 or 50 years. And that, as they say … is the rest of the story!
The wedding was actually just a preview. There have been many chapters that were just as wacky in the past 49 years. Stay tuned for the book … and maybe the movie!😘
Thank you for letting us celebrate our Anniversary with you. We are blessed!
September 25th, 2026 Jay and I will celebrate 49 years of marriage. We are not planning a big party. But as mature (we won’t say old) people, we thought we would share what we have learned about marriage.
Some of you already know these things. Some of you, especially you young pups, may not know these truths yet.
It is a choice each day to be married to the person you are with today. Neither of you is the person you married. Don’t spend time trying to change each other back into the people of yesterday.
Realize when you get married, each of you will continue to grow and change. You will not do this at the same rate. This will result in mutual growing pains, sometimes called marital discord.
Wait to see what God is creating. Pray for your spouse that he or she only change as God is directing. And recognize God is still shaping you as well. Be willing to change as God directs.
It is ok to have different opinions about things as long as you agree on the important basics.
Jay and I have gotten better over time in just accepting that there are some things we will never agree on. But it is important to disagree respectfully.
On one occasion we had a heated argument over something. We both said unkind things to the other. In the stewing phase, where we had retreated to our corners, I realized I had been rather nasty (well … ok very nasty … I have an arsenal of verbal arrows).
I went to Jay, told him I was sorry and asked his forgiveness. He answered, “That’s ok. Your position was worth defending.”
He never agreed with me. But he offered me something beyond concession. He offered me dignity and respect. And of course, I forgave him for his contributions to the argument.
What we agree on is more important than what we disagree on. Our biggest agreement is our commitment to God.
The longest lasting, most successful marriages we know are God centered. Both participants submit to God individually and together as a couple.
The secret to a long lasting marriage?
He (God) is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:17
God has been with us through our greatest joys, deepest sorrows, greatest challenges and most intense arguments.
Arguments? Unkind words exchanged. Slammed doors. Getting in the car and going for a long ride alone. Once, popped balloons. (Yes, I did it! After all, they were my balloons.🥺There is a story there!)
All growing pains. But never violence. And in 49 years, we have never spent a day or night apart because of anger. We don’t quit … because we want to be together. Arguments are like passing thunder storms.
Even when the thunder is so loud it shakes the house or the lightening so intense it blurs out everything else, we know it will pass. We still look for the rainbow. It reinforces what we promised each other.
And “I’m sorry. Please forgive me” are very important ways to begin repairing fences. Being willing to forgive and forget is also important.
Never lose the loving passion in your marriage. How you express love and affection can change over time. But never lose touch, literally. Recognize the physical connection you have shared from the beginning is still there.
Besides the physical touch, tell your spouse what you appreciate about them. Tell them you love them. It is easy to think your being present speaks for itself, but it is not enough. There is still a magic that fills the air when we hear we are loved.
Besides physical passion, find a cause to be passionate about together. Jay and I are very different in many ways. But we have been blessed in how God put those differences together and created things far beyond what we imagined.
We team taught nursing together for eight years. We had a You Tube channel after that and then we expanded into our current passion, which is writing and publishing Christian books.
One of the most wonderful joys of sharing a long time marriage is having a history together. With each year our archive expands and we can enjoy memories together.
It also comes in handy when one of us can’t remember a name or a detail from long ago and no one else but our spouse can fill in the blanks. Sometimes Jay remembers part and I remember part and we enjoy putting the memory puzzle together.
The gold of a long time marriage has been revealed in the crucible of extreme suffering. Both of us have had very serious medical problems that made it questionable whether we would survive to continue this long marriage.
When trials come, you know who to look for. Love tells you where your True North is. When I had serious neck surgery for spinal cord compression, the recovery was intense, painful and long. There were many days I could hardly speak except to call for God and Jay. Both of them were always there.
When Jay had a heart attack some years ago, he told the emergency responders in the ambulance to run an EKG strip and give it to me. He later told me it was his way of saying, “ My heart still beats for you.” Best Valentine I ever got.
Our story is a love story … and it is still being written by God. Stay tuned for the next chapters. We are enjoying every precious moment God gives us. It is a daily treasure!💞
Our latest book, Destination Heaven, Welcome HOME! is available in ebook on Kindle now! Print copies coming soon followed by the audio version.
This has been the most exciting book I have written yet. I had so many questions for God.
I have always been His “why child,” so He is used to my endless questions. He answered many of them and I am happy to share.
Some questions, He did not answer. He said I will just have to wait to find out. As has been said, “You just have to be there!”
Here is a sample of some topics covered. There are more besides these, but this will give you a peek into this adventure.
Where is Heaven?
Seeing Heaven from Earth
Our Resurrected Bodies
Have our Dearly Departed really departed? Can we talk to them?
Good Grief. Holding on and letting go.
What will we do in Heaven?
Reunions in Heaven
Will evil people be in Heaven?
Heaven’s Rules
Are you Perfect Enough for Heaven?
God’s Plan. When will you go to Heaven?
Time To Go
Passing The Torch
We do not do big publicity campaigns for our books. We believe if God wanted to use us to send His Message to just one person, it would be worth our efforts.
If that person is you, we are blessed to have connected. And if God prompts you to share with others about the availability of the books, that’s great too!
And, of course, you can give the books as Christmas gifts and let someone know that Christmas is just a small preview of Heaven!
