Merry Birthday! and Happy Christmas Parties!

This weekend has been wonderful with 3 different parties and loads of fun with family and friends! I thank the Lord for these happy times! Love you all and a wonderful Christmas blessing!!

Kaleb's 8th birthday.


Jacob having a serious talk with Santa.



Singing carols!




My sweetheart!



Their first time at the Adult Christmas Party...



Chad and Brenda just HAD to have one more picture taken of them!

A Prayer

Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me...let me find refuge and trust in the shelter of Your wings.

-Psalm 61

Love!

Now we know why he gains so much weight!

Careful What You Ask For

Pete: Jeremy, will you take care of me when I am old?

Jeremy: Dude! Get a wheelchair!

An Abundance of Stuff

Well, hopefully by this time next week we will be moving, again. This change means that there will be another 'new' mema and papa's house for the grandkids to get used to. More house to clean. More lawn to have mowed. More utilities to pay. More people living in our house and hopefully more people visiting and staying the night. (I know Janette probably doesn't read blogs...but she has her very own room!)

With all the 'mores' happening I feel a need to clear out the clutter before I move. Pete and I just pulled half our clothes out to give away. We have already delivered a TV and stereo to Goodwill, not to mention a few heavy boxes of just plain 'ol stuff. We still have more stuff to get rid of.

Now, please bear in mind that we moved only 17 months ago and went from a 2900 sf home to a 2200 sf home. We donated LOTS of stuff then! So how did we get so much more stuff in less than 2 years?!?! (I think stuff expands to fill whatever empty space it has around it...;)

But, seriously, I feel we are so over blessed with stuff that we can't take in how blessed we truly are. In pulling out all the stuff, I feel I have acted like the man in the Bible that has so much that he tears down his old storage and builds new ones just to hold his "blessing"...his stuff!

So I guess my random rambling about stuff should have some point. Maybe blessing others with the stuff I don't use? Not buying stuff I truly don't need? Clean out the stuff more often? Thanking God that I have stuff to donate? Sounds good...

But one decision I am going to make is to try to get more of what is truly the best stuff. Stuff like love, peace, discernment, stronger relationships, time with God, hugs, kisses, laughter. I am going to try to have this new house filled to the brim and overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit and the stuff that cannot be lost but can be given away over and over...grace, mercy, forgiveness...stuff that doesn't take up space, but is more valuable than anything I could buy. A house filled with the glory of my Lord and praises to Him.

"And this is my prayer: that (my) love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that (I) may be able to discern what is best, and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God." - Phil. 1:9-11

Yeah, an abundance of stuff like that.

I Am Yours

My blessing for you today is to know who you are in Him.
Be blessed!

Hitting a Brick Wall

You know how stress affects everything in your life? Your memory, your body, your attitude? I found out another thing it gets to...your sleep life. I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. I forgot which house we were in (we moved 15 months ago) and ran right into the wall next to the bed thinking the bathroom door was there. Let me just say I woke up really quick (as did Pete). As I was applying kleenex to my now bleeding nose, I thought about how this fit perfectly with the stress I am under right now. I feel as if I have been running into brick walls alot lately.

Think I need to start taking better care of myself. Sure don't want to get to feeling like I've been run over by a semi!

History Repeats Itself

Peter has been researching genealogy on both sides of the family. He came across a picture in some family photos on his fathers side that are making us scratch our heads in amazement! Double click to make photo larger.

How's the Weather at Your Place?

My daughter, Theresa, really outdid herself on hurricane Gustav with links to live updates and words greater than 3 syllables long...really a meteorology geek! (and I'm proud of her!) But the talent does run in the family...

Growing up, my grandpa gave me a weather stick that helped him predict the weather. Let me explain how it works: Take the stick outside. If the stick is in the sunlight, then the weather is sunny. If the stick is hot, then the temperature is hot. If the stick is wet and there are clouds, then it is raining.

There are many people here in Oklahoma that predict the weather as their profession that have really high tech gadgets available to them to help 'enhance' their predictions. But this is a TRUE quote from one of our meteorologists, George Flickinger, on how he predicts rain in our area..."Do you know how I tell if it is raining in Claremore? There is rain on the camera there!"

So there you have it folks! My grandpa, who only had an 8th grade 'learnin', used practically the same technique our current meteorologists use...and he didn't spend a dime on the technology!

A Thought for Times Like These

www.CatScriptures.com


I have been unable to really blog lately...It seems that I have nothing of value to offer or be blogworthy enough to post. So in the middle of my writers slump I offer nuggets from others and a scripture that is much more blogworthy than anything I could say. I will make it more personal, though, in hopes that it will give each of you a blessing:

'I will not fear, for God is with me; I will not be dismayed, for He is my God. He will strengthen me and help me; He will uphold me with His righteous right hand.'

About Drums

Jeremy: I really like drums! I would like to have some sometime...

Nate: Everybody has drums in their ears.

Jeremy (with his finger in his ear): ....Oh yeah! .....but they're squishy...

Be Free!

Bruce Marchiano is now working on the book of John. This is from his email on his Journey Through the Gospel of John. Please let it encourage you:

John 8:31-32

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. "

The truth? Who can know it, except those who are indwelt with the Holy Spirit to reveal it. This simple truth was for those he was teaching back in the day of John; but, the same holds true for-us, today. He is a God that does not change and what He says, He does. In Isaiah 62:4 God sends a promise to His people.

"No longer will they call you Forsaken, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah.For. . . the Lord will take delight in you."

Hephzibah is a new name that we all can claim! Its meaning is 'my delight'. This promise was fulfilled by the salvation of Jesus. God gave us restoration of fellowship through Jesus. He considers us 'his delight' restored by the grace of His Son. How much more love could we accept, than that? Let this sink in a bit. I don't think we fully realize what a 'love' relationship we have been given through Christ! I know I don't. Do we realize how much we are loved and bring delight to our Father? It isn't found in what we do, what we accomplish or what we become. It is what it is. . . and nothing can be added to it.

Love. . . Unconditional Love.

We are not Forsaken because Jesus bridged that gap of loneliness. We are not Desolate because Jesus fills our 'land' with the fullness of Himself. We are His and when we get that love relationship right, our lives fall into the order of our place, His plan and His purposes.

When we know and really grab a hold of this truth, nothing else matters for we are free.The truth of His radical love sets us free.

We can't earn it, buy it, sell it or manufacture it. It has always been there and will always be. It is our decision whether to believe it and place our trust in its truth. If we trust His love, we will believe it and we are set free. In that freedom we can become all that He has planned because there will be no fear. If we trust it, we can trust Him to hold our heart no matter what earthly circumstance we run up against. If we believe He is for us, then we need not fear whatever Satan throws against us. We are free because we can run back to the One who is the caretaker of our heart. Those seeking a relationship with Christ only for the benefits will faint in the dry desert places. It is one thing to seek the Lord for what He can give you or do for you; but, it is quite another to seek the Lord for Who He is. Because if we seek Him for 'Who He is' that will tell us 'Who we are'. And at the end of the day, that is what matters most. We are free,

Defined by Christ-----True freedom.

How many of us with the best intentions try to keep the laws of God? How many of us struggle in the discipleship? We are tortured by the endless heavy weight of unfulfilled vows and promises; until we are so burdened we can barley lift our voices in prayer. This is human effort. We are just like the children of Israel, we try to keep His commandments without maintaining a life-giving relationship with the Lord. We err in our hearts! Read this verse and reflect on it for just awhile.

"He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me. And he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.John 14:21 "

Most people read this and think. . . 'if I keep his commandments, that will prove that I love Him'. But take a second look. He wasn't saying if you keep my commandments you prove you love me. He already knows whether we love him or not! Look at this verse with fresh freedom-eyes:

"If a man falls head over heels in love with me, he will be the one enabled to keep my commandments!"

IT is about relationship, not law! WE are not living a free life with rules; we are not living free cumbered with regulations and surely our Father cannot be found through any method! We are free from this! He is found with finding His love. We are set free---by embracing it. Have you ever fallen in love on a human level? When you do, you think of the one you love constantly. You would do what ever is necessary to be with that person. If they needed something---no matter what you were doing---you would jump in your car and get it for them. You don't force yourself to talk to people about the one you love or hold back from extolling their praises to anyone who will listen. Because of that intense love, giving and doing is a joy. Nothing is done to prove you love this person----you do such things because you love them. When we fully realize how much we are loved by our Creator, we become free---free indeed! In that freedom we are given a greater manifestation of His love. With that, we are empowered to be disciples.
The goal of the high call of God is to know Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3:10

IN knowing Him, I am set free.

Free to be His delight; free to be Who He is

For in knowing Who He is, defines Who I can be.

FREE.

Old Enough

I went to Steak and Shake with Nate, Jeremy and Ethan.

Waitress: Welcome to Steak and Shake! Four of you? Three kids menus and one adult menu for your mom.

Nate: She's not my mom! She's my mema!

Waitress, looking my way: Oh my! You don't look old enough to be a grandmother!

Nate: Yes she does! She's 50!!

I am STARVING!

I bought a new bag of food for Luke. He is on a diet because...well because he is fat! When he runs his belly swings back and forth so much I am concerned that he will loose his balance and plow head long into something. I put the new bag in the bathroom cabinet but during the night he decided he had had enough of the diet thing and opened the cabinet, pulled out the bag, and opened it cat style. Gives a whole new meaning to eating disorder.

Something Smells

Sometimes life stinks. Let me say it again...SOMETIMES LIFE STINKS!

Guess that is why Jesus set up baptism as and example of washing away sin.

We as sheep stink.

I am glad for the continued washing of His blood.

Glad He made a promise to those that love Him that He can take the stink and make it smell better than we imagined.

Now I just have to work on the rejoicing in the middle of the stink.

'JUST' have to work...hmmm I think this is a full time job. A marathon of grace-filled showers.

Hannah, Princess Jedi

Warning: Heaven Can Be Addictive

The trip to Nashville was, in a word, AWESOME! I can't describe what I feel about being allowed to be a part of such a event. God has blessed beyond my expectations. (Hmmm, think He told me He would...gotta find that verse) I love each one of the people so much, especially because they put up with all the stuff that comes with knowing me. But then, that is part of being in the Kingdom, isn't it. I find it easier to listen and respond in love to others, than to open up myself and accept the love of my brothers and sisters. I thank you all, Shane, Wes, Wayne, Jan, Christopher, Rick, Linda, Brenda, Vicki, Randy, and of course Pete, (and Jason, Heather, Teresa, Eli, and Julia!) for making a little bit of Heaven here on Earth.

Heaven is addictive! I am ready to go.

What does that Mean??

We are off to Nashville! But trip is starting out weird...

Chickens in the Trees

Brenda started it! What's your favorite Sesame Street song?

New Look

I am not as proficient as my daughter at customizing blogs...but I did try. What do you think?

Excuse Me?

Hannah: Excuse me.

Hannah: I said 'Excuse me'.

Hannah: I SAID 'EXCUSE ME'!

Mema: What do you need, Hannah?

Hannah: Nothing. I burped.

She is quite the princess.

Be Encouraged

Kristi's grandmother sent this. In her words: "you will find it amazing and truly something to see!!! Trust me!!!" and it is.

Tests

Don't you just love it when you learn a great God lesson - only to have to take a test over it?

Food for Thought

I went 'Bible diving' this morning. (It's like 'dumpster diving' for treasure ;) I usually am rewarded with verses that start with "Woe to you!" But my prayer (in desperation!) was to be led to a place where God could talk to me, let me know some of His thoughts about dealing with the situations and circumstances of family and friends. I must admit He did lead me and I discovered a treasure that most of the Memorialites will role their eyes at and say 'duh!" Terry has been preaching the concept for years but God suddenly allowed me to see it in a different light.

In Isaiah 30:19-21 "How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it.""

I had always studied that verse with my footnotes explaining that the 'teachers' were the prophets...but I now read it as the teachers being 'the bread of adversity and the water of affliction'. How much I have learned from the bread and the water! How much bread and water the Lord has given my children! And the voice says "This is the way; walk in it." And when we do, we discover we are not fleeing in fear (earlier in the chapter) nor are we trying to make deals with the world we live in or trying to be the one in control (also earlier) but we are simply following that voice through the situations and the circumstances... believing He has (and IS) the answer.

Later in chapter 32:15-20 the women are addressed when that affliction and adversity comes: "the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever...though the hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely, how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free."

Through His Spirit living within us, we endure the flattening hail storms, knowing His justice, righteousness, peace and quiet confidence is growing within us. And we in turn sow what he has taught us in the bread and water everywhere we go...sort of a 'free range' growing of justice, righteousness, peace and quiet confidence in Him.

O Lord, let my soul attitude be a blessing of justice, righteousness, peace and quiet confidence to my family and friends! But then let it be thrown to a world that has eaten so much bread and drank so much water that it is ready to die for lack of peace. May you be glorified in our 'free range' sowing of your love.

Remembering

Please join me in remembering the people that have gone before us, and especially their families that are left behind. Pray that the peace of God reigns not only in ourselves, but in our leaders and other nations. Let His Kingdom shine from us and may the King come quickly.

I am so PROUD!

Ethan did so good!!! Look out American Idol!

Any Questions?

Ok, I have been informed that yesterdays post was WAY to many questions (and more on the theological side).

So today I am asking for YOUR questions. Anything every bug you and you wonder why it had to be that way?

For example: When you put a pair of socks into the washer and there is only one of them that comes out of the dryer, where did the missing sock go?

If you have answers feel free to comment too.

Questions

Do you ever have times in your lives that you have more questions than answers? That you feel that whatever intelligence you have is just not enough? That whatever strength you have is not strong enough for the tasks at hand? That your wisdom is so lacking in the areas bombarding you and the relationships that are wilting before your eyes that you cry constantly on the inside? Oh, you have faith...but it seems at times so rote and such a routine that you begin to wonder if even that is really there?

Do you ever cry while watching all the disasters that are happening EVERYWHERE and feel that your prayers are like whispers in the gale winds? Do you ever look at loved ones that are aging and wonder what happened to the time or how you will survive watching them slow and gradually stop being the persons you always had known? Have you ever considered the stresses the young ones endure that were not even thought of when you were their age? Do you ever just wish that God would put you in "time out" just so you could catch your breath for awhile?

Have you ever felt sadness that was so deep for another persons pain and wonder if our creator feels that way about us? Have you ever felt a happiness so encompassing that you thought you would explode into song or laughter? Have you ever held a newborn and were amazed at their freshness and total dependence? Have you ever thought about the idea of a God that promised us that freshness every single day of our lives? And that your total dependence on Him is a complement to his Godhood?

Have you ever thought about a God that would take on all the questions you have and never condemn or make light of them? Have you ever considered that Jesus endured all the questions posed to Him and that He possibly wondered at the wisdom God allowed him to have at just the right time? Or that He ever wondered if He had the strength to complete the tasks He had to finish? Was His "It is finished" a scream of total abandonment, or a whisper of total faith? Do you ever think about what He was willing to do because you were born the way you were born? That you really are no surprise to Him at all? That your faith can be smaller than a grain of sand and continue to sustain you through anything the world throws your way?

Do you ever consider wrinkles as beauty marks? Or a child as an opportunity to stay young at heart? Or that the life tapestry of God is not finished yet, but is being constantly worked on so that one day it will be finished? That one day we will get our 'time out', when the trumpet announces the revealing of Jesus, face to face, and more wonder-filled than we can ever imagine? That the young and old of our lives will become like Him and never, ever have to endure again all the pain and doubt that Satan has thrown in their faces? That relationships will be mended and bodies healed? And that until that time comes, we have the promise of our creator that we are totally and completely loved with all the scars and faults and weakness? And that He uses everyone of those scars, faults, and weaknesses to shine His glory on a world that is aching for a 'time out'?

Do you ever look at a sunset and have it take your breath away because it is so beautiful? Hmmm, wonder if it is God letting us know it is alright?

And he said, "Take up thy shoe and walk!"

After 5 weeks, Pete is back in a regular shoe and walking! He still has to rest quite often but we will take that! Now, maybe I will get coffee in bed again....
(My family tries to keep me well caffeinated, can you tell?)

In Love Again

Ok...for those of you holding your breath...I am back with Starbucks.

I tried a Latte yesterday after explaining to the barista that I would get sick if she put regular milk in my drink. I used the word 'sick' at least 6 times while she was making it. And *tah dah* it was perfect! I still don't trust ol' Bucky totally, and probably never will again, but that doesn't mean we can't get along.

And my family sighs a big sigh of relief...mainly because I get really grumpy without my caffeine fix...but that doesn't mean I am an addict. I just choose to be happy...with Starbucks.

The love affair is over!

The love affair is over. And it was a very painful ending.

Yesterday afternoon I was on my way to do some shopping, then up to visit Kaleb and Kristi in the hospital. Kaleb had told me he would like a 'Webkins' snake (for those of you who have question marks over their heads right now, a Webkin is just a Beany Baby that a kid can go online and 'make up' a whole life for the creature. Enough with the imagination in your own head, it has to be on the World Wide Web before it is official now!) Anyway, I called several different stores in town looking for a Tiger Snake (Kristi found the correct name for it and passed it on). Mardell's carries Webkins and when I asked for a snake I think the whole Adam and Eve thing in the garden was taking place in the poor clerks mind...she said 'I have tree frogs and kitties and puppies but NO snakes. We don't carry them.' I'm sure she added a mental 'Silly!' to her statement.

So I called five other places that were more uhhh...carnal. None had them. Finally I chose a store in Utica Square as a last resort. I figured if it came from Utica Square it had to be pricey...but it was for a grandson. Maybe the budget could handle it. They had the Tiger Snake! AND (cue heavenly music) IT WAS ON SALE! I asked them to save me one, although they insisted they had, like, 50 snakes...and rushed to capture the slippery thing before it got away.

I was so impressed with the stores' Webkins that I bought 4 more for other grandkids...and for those of you who are figuring in their heads how many grandkids get one...2 of them will get something else because they aren't allowed on the computer yet...yeah, I do try to keep things equal.

I was feeling great about the sale price and the amount of gifts I had just bought and went to Starbucks to get Kris a Skinny Vanilla Latte and me a Skinny Mocha Latte. Decided it was a celebration so I would get the largest cups (Venti's). I ordered Kristi's with no problem, then when it came to mine I requested Soy milk instead of regular milk. (As most of my friends and all of my family knows, I am EXTREMELY lactose intolerant.) The lady said she couldn't do that. I asked why and she said that she couldn't make a Skinny (sugar free) Mocha with Soy. I said, 'So, you make it with sugar free mocha and skim milk normally, right?' She answered yes. 'So could you just trade the skim milk out with soy milk?' I really had my nice voice on too. She sorta looked shocked and said, 'Oh! Yes, that can be done!'

After paying for the latte's I stood in the waiting area while they made it and overheard the person making the latte's ask why there was an '8' on the instructions...the lady that took my order replied 'It's not an 8 it is an 'S'' Good for her! The barrista (I think that is what they call the person who makes the coffee drinks although mine was a guy so maybe it is barrister. But they also call an extra large drink 'venti' so who knows?) shrugged and made the drinks and I proceeded on my way with 2 lattes and a Tiger Snake.

Stopped by and got Kaleb a frosty and fries and finally made it to the hospital with all the stuff.

To make a long story short, let's just say I got the 'Best Mema Ever' award from Kaleb and had a great time drinking my latte with Kristi and playing Webkins and Spiderman with Kaleb. After a couple of hours I had to get home to take care of Pete (who had foot surgery and is limited on the amount of walking he can do).

While I was fixing dinner for Pete, my stomach decided it really didn't want any...and promptly doubled me over with pain. Oh it was a very familiar pain. One I associate with chocolate shakes and ice cream and milk! 'Starbucks! Starbucks! What did I ever do to you but broaden your Lattes! and pay you lots of money?!?!' I had been poisoned with milk!

After about 3 1/2 hours of extreme discomfort, I mentioned my theory of the milk laced latte to Pete, whom I had waited on hand and foot (pun intended) for the last 3 weeks. He replied with a cocky grin, ' That's why I only drink Pure Coffee. No additives or fancy names.' It is true. He only orders plain coffee. But he made it sound like he was going 'green' and saving the polar ice caps by drinking the 'pure' stuff and that I was silly enough to fall for the selfish fancy stuff and cause global warming. I would have inflicted pain on him if I could have moved.

The whole incident had 'passed' by bedtime and I was able to sleep off the rest of the effects of lactose intolerance. But I am scarred for life. Just the thought of a latte makes my stomach react with violence. So, Starbucks, it is over. No more fancy lattes with mocha, vanilla or caramel. No more talls, grandes or ventis. No more 'without whip' iced anything. You have broken my heart and wounded my intestines. I will from now on go and save the polar ice caps and have only Pure Coffee with my cocky husband. *sniff*

Ya gotta do whatever it takes to survive

Told you guys that Kaleb was a genius! Or maybe I didn't...but he sure has creative ways to make the time pass. And it never hurts to have a crime fighter on your side.

Check out Kristi's blog for updates.

Stress Relief

Thanks to Vicki for this...enjoy!
Bubblewrap.

Team Kaleb

It's that time of year again.

The time of year that I remember why I bug my friends and family to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) for Team Kaleb. You see, Kaleb seems to be in the hospital more this time of year and it reminds me how important all the people and drugs are to his (not-so-little-anymore) body-just to keep the CF from doing more damage. I would like to ask you all now to take the time to click on the link to the CFF, find out more information on the Foundation, and if you feel moved to donate, please go to Kaleb's site and donate for Team Kaleb.

For updates on Kaleb while he is in the hospital, Kristi has her blog up and running.

Here are some of the pictures of my 'sweet' grandson, complete with no front teeth!

Family

I am exhausted and on top of the world! This weekend consisted of 3 parties...Friday with our worship team and techies, Sunday afternoon with my family (including my nephew, his wife and new baby), and Sunday evening with our small group. There was food galore! Laughter a plenty! and lots of grace and mercy with that many people in one place! Let's just say that God has blessed me more than I deserve or ever expected with the love of family...both church family and blood family. I am full in more than one way: stuffed with good food, stuffed with great fellowship, and overflowing with love for each and every one. Thank you to all...and blessed be our God, for without Him this would never have been possible. And thanks to Wes for bringing up our song/prayer on Friday that combines all my 'families': "Blessed be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above."

Celebrate Jesus!

Thank you Brenda for doing such a great job with the Kid Chorus!

The Lord's Prayer

Thank you, Jean!

Have You Seen Jesus, My Lord?

Have you ever stood at the ocean,
With the white foam at your feet?

Felt the endless, thundering motion?
Then I say you've seen Jesus, my Lord!


Have you seen Jesus, my Lord?
He's here in plain view.
Take a look. Open your eyes.
He'll show it to you.

Easter Linebacker

Watch for the Easter Linebacker !

What CF Really Means

This year I turned 50. So I have been taking assessments of life stuff...I have more wrinkles than I want, more weight than I want, more migraines, more aches, less energy, less eyesight, and in the wisdom department I am not as far along as I had hoped. I spent yesterday cleaning my house and having a pity party and all of the above list seemed huge and overwhelming and doomed to get worse. I went to bed with tears in my heart for not having more faith and counting more of my blessings than my problems, but I felt OLD and not to mention useless.

This morning the alarm went off at 5:45. And my OLD self rolled out of bed and dragged itself into clothes, drinking coffee to get the brain working and headed out to take Kaleb and Hannah to school. Their mom is in California for the birth of their new cousin and I agreed to do taxi service while she was away. When I got there I was greeted with the loud noise of Kaleb's vest and his funny wavering voice saying "c-c-co-o-om-m-m-me in-n-n-n-n-n m-m-e-m-m-ma" as the vest literally beat on him to loosen the junk in his lungs so he could cough it up. He was taking the first of 2 morning breathing treatments at the same time. As his dad waved goodbye to me, Kaleb launched into the story line of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD that was showing on TV while he took his treatments. Typical 7 year old boy stuff!

After his second breathing treatment, he headed for the table to eat..."Cinnamon Toast Crunch...it's great Mema! You should try it!" He started taking the pile of pills that his dad had put beside his cereal bowl. One, two, three, four....he looked up at me and said "I sure have a lot of pills to take..." five, six...then he started on his cereal. "I'm an eating machine! I can eat more than Hannah!" "Can NOT!" "Can TOO!" My eyes roll back and I get another cup of coffee. Sibling rivalry at 6:30am is not pretty.

He finishes his breakfast and downs the remaining 3 or 4 pills. "I hate taking all these pills!" he said.

"I don't blame you," I said offhanded. "That's a lot to take."

And suddenly he had tears in his eyes. "I know. It's all my fault."

I realized he misunderstood my comment. "No, no honey, I was just saying that I thought it was a lot to take, I was agreeing that it was hard to do..."

"No! I have CF because of the bad things I have done! I got it when I was born!"

His heart was breaking. He was wishing he had not done wrong things so he wouldn't have CF. He was taking all the responsibility for his sins and then all the sins of mankind on top of it. I held him in my arms and prayed that God give my the right things to say and do.

"We all do bad things K. Their called sins. That is why God provided us with His son, Jesus. Jesus took all our sins on himself and then He died with them still on him so that they would die too. Then Jesus was so strong He came back to life to give us life in place of our sins. Now we get to live knowing that Jesus threw our sins so far away they can never come back. CF just happened. It was part of the genes you got...the littlest parts of Mommy and Daddy that were put together to make you had the CF already in it....like it had your hair color and eye color too. We didn't plan for you to have CF any more than we planned for you to have blue eyes...it just happened that way, but it wasn't your fault! You had nothing to do with getting CF."

"I didn't? ...Then what about the sins? They cause bad things to happen!"

"Yes, doing the wrong things can hurt you or hurt other people. That is called 'consequences'. It is what happens because of what you do...good or bad. If you do good things on purpose, most of the time good things happen. If you do bad things on purpose, well, you know. But that is exactly why Jesus took our bad things. Once they are done you can never change them, but you can apologize and ask forgiveness and Jesus takes them away. Far away. You believe Jesus, don't you? That's the only thing God required for Jesus to take your sins, you know."

"I know. ...I just forgot. ....But I still hate CF!"

"Me too. Maybe we could rename CF to mean Clean Freaks instead of Cystic Fibrosis?"

"I don't like the word Freak."

"How about Cool Fellow?"

Giggles...the 7 year old was back...

"Nah..." (and he lifted up a CF coloring book that had the slogan 'Let's make CF mean Cure Found' on it,) "How about we just let it be Cure Found ...like finding Jesus."

"That's the best one!" I agreed.

And with that profound wisdom, he headed down the hall to get dressed and go to school and do all the stuff 7 year old boys do, never realizing that he had touched his old Mema in such a way as to break her heart with shame for ever having a pity party.

I am so sorry! ....Thank you, Jesus!

Weight Gain?

Things that make you go "Hmmmm..."

Is this normal?

A Dream Realized

I have always wanted to be able to take night shots. Thanks to a telephoto lens that my sweet hubby gave me for my birthday, I have now realized a dream I have had for a long time...capturing a piece of God's creation.

I Feel the Earth...Move...Under My Feet!

No, I am not going to sing a Carole King song...although that might be an idea for someone for the Memorial Christmas Party...

No...I have been diagnosed with Vestibular Neuronitis so I feel like I have been playing "Spin Like a Top" with my grandkids too long. The house litterally feels like it is spinning if I move. So those who like roller coaster rides feel free to come on over...oh, wait, I'm the only one that will notice the ride...nevermind. I am suppose to be getting better soon, until then guess I will just yell "wheeee!" everytime I get up.

"I feel the Earth...move..under my feet! I feel the sky tum-bl-in' down! A tum-bl-in' down!"

Held

Two months is too little. They let him go.

They had no sudden healing.

To think that providence would Take a child from his mother while she prays

Is appalling.

Who told us we'd be rescued?

What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?

We're asking why this happens To us who have died to live?

It's unfair.

This is what it means to be held.

How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life

And you survive.

This is what it is to be loved.

And to know that the promise was

When everything fell we'd be held.

This hand is bitterness.

We want to taste it, let the hatred know our sorrow.

The wise hands opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow.

This is what it means to be held.

How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life

And you survive.

This is what it is to be loved.

And to know that the promise was

When everything fell we'd be held.

If hope is born of suffering.

If this is only the beginning.

Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

This is what it means to be held.

How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life

And you survive.

This is what it is to be loved.

And to know that the promise was

When everything fell

we'd be held.

Natalie Grant

Better Hands

This is for Kaleb who just lost his best friend.
(Thank you, Brenda, for letting God use your posts.)

Using the Force Properly

Ever wonder if I have help in blogging? Yep...Luke uses the Force while I just sit here.

As A Man Thinketh

"We are today where our thoughts have brought us. And we will be tomorrow where our thoughts take us. - James Allen

Thoughts truly are a powerful thing. Our words and actions begin with a thought. Our feelings depend on our thoughts. Science is even finding our health is affected by how we think. Wars are started with thoughts. Great acts of kindness are started with thoughts. How many meetings does the corporate world have because someone had a thought? Inventions? Philosophies? Blogs?

As a man thinketh...(as my old King James version says)...so is he. We become more of what we dwell on in our minds: positive or negative. But better yet we are offered the mind of Christ! Oh what positive wisdom is at our disposal! To use for whatever good we can think of! And what will be the outcome? ...to Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine...with our minds...

Shane & Zorro vs Pete & Luke

Shane has really been a great asset to our church as a worship minister and personally as a friend. He has also had great influence over some people in our worship team, encouraging them to do solos and really improve on their musicality. But there is one area I wish he had not encouraged....

Photoshop Anyone?

I have been re-learning photoshop...I took a course quite awhile ago and at my age there is not much that was retained. So what do you think?

Beginning at the Beginning

Animal crackers, and cocoa to drink. That is the finest of suppers, I think;
when I'm grown up and can have what I please, I think I shall always insist upon these.

Christopher Morley, author & journalist


Just a thought to keep a child-like heart this year: Trust in God in all things. Say "I love you" often. Look for the good in others and quickly forgive any wrongs.

And don't forget the occasional animal crackers and cocoa.