I Could While Away The Hours.....

This is one of my favorite songs from "The Wizard of Oz".  You know it.  The Scarecrow sings of the great things he would do if "he only had a brain".  You can't help but singing it to yourself.  It's a happy, perky, positive kind of tune, full of hope and promise.  No matter how you are feeling at the time, it just brings a smile to your face when you sing or hum it.

I know the Scarecrow is only thinking about having a brain, but you know, those words go far deeper than that.  Just imagine if you changed "a brain" to "if I only had the time".  That kind of puts a whole new perspective on things.  Don't you think!

So, just for the sake of pretending, let's go with it.  "I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers, consulting with the rain.  And my head I'd be scratchin' and my thoughts were busy hatchin', if I only had the time.".  Yes, I know.  It doesn't rhyme, but there's a lot of truth in that alternate ending.  Just imagine the wonderful things we could see and do and enjoy, if we only had the time!  

I'd unravel every riddle for any individ'le, In trouble or in pain.   With the thoughts you'll be thinkin' you could be another Lincoln.........  But, this brings us to the next level of the song.

Here comes the fun part.  Remember, in the movie, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion also dream about the possibilities, one with a heart and the other with courage.  All three songs are sung to the same tune and essentially, these three characters are asking for fulfillment of that one very special thing that is missing from each of their lives - a brain, a heart and courage.  See, it's not just the time to make these things happen.  There's so much more at stake here.  Think about the most villainous of people that you know exist in the world and put them in the place of the Tin Man?  Do you think they would be changed if they had a feeling heart and not just a beating heart?  How would it change our world, how would it change their life?  Would they reach out and touch someone with that touch of someone that really cares or would it be the Midas touch and they would continue grabbing and monopolizing everything around them?  Interesting concept, isn't it?


Then, of course, we can't leave out the Cowardly Lion.  He lacks courage to stand up for what is right in his own life and the world around him.  Where do you fit into that picture?  Do you have the courage to stand up for what is right?


In essence, we have three totally fictitious and totally lovable characters that all want that one thing that will complete them and make them a better "person" (scarecrow, tin man or lion).  Have you ever thought about the words to those three songs as somewhat of a prayer?


A man made of straw, of tin and a scruffley lion are all asking for that one special gift so they can make the world a better place.

I know where all of those gifts come from.  Do you?  I think it's time to talk to the Guy upstairs and let Him help each of us figure out what wonderful thing we could do to make the world a better place if we only had............


Keep dreamin' and turn your dreams into prayers for hope and tomorrows and that ultimate wonderful place that is somewhere over the rainbow.


IN HIM!
I am faithfully His,
me!

Thought you might enjoy having the words to this delightful song!


If I Only Had A....
by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg


Enjoy!


Brain 

I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers 
Consultin' with the rain. 
And my head I'd be scratchin' while 
my thoughts were busy hatchin' 
If I only had a brain. 
I'd unravel every riddle for any individ'le, 
In trouble or in pain. 
With the thoughts you'll be thinkin' 
you could be another Lincoln 
If you only had a brain. 
Oh, I could tell you why The ocean's near the shore. 
I could think of things I never thunk before. 
And then I'd sit, and think some more. 
I would not be just a nothin' my head all full of stuffin' 
My heart all full of pain. 
I would dance and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry, 
If I only had a brain. 

______________________________ 

Heart 

When a man's an empty kettle he should be on his mettle, 
And yet I'm torn apart. 
Just because I'm presumin' that I could be kind-a-human, 
If I only had heart. 
I'd be tender - I'd be gentle and awful sentimental 
Regarding Love and Art. 
I'd be friends with the sparrows ... 
and the boys who shoots the arrows 
If I only had a heart. 
Picture me - a balcony. Above a voice sings low. 
Wherefore art thou, Romeo? I hear a beat.... 
How sweet. 
Just to register emotion, jealousy - devotion, 
And really feel the part. 
I could stay young and chipper 
and I'd lock it with a zipper, 
If I only had a heart. 

_____________________________ 

The Nerve 

Yeh, it's sad, believe me, Missy, 
When you're born to be a sissy 
Without the vim and verve. 
But I could show my prowess, be a lion not a mou-ess 
If I only had the nerve. 
I'm afraid there's no denyin' I'm just a dandelion, 
A fate I don't deserve. 
I'd be brave as a blizzard.... 
I'd be gentle as a lizard.... 
I'd be clever as a gizzard.... 
If the Wizard is a Wizard who will serve. 
Then I'm sure to get a brain, a heart, a home, the nerve! 

Well, Did You?

The place was Philadelphia.  The date was September 17, 1787.  The event, well, it was a convention.  Yes, they had those back then, too.  At the conclusion of this "convention" there was a pretty impressive document signed by 38 people.  Potentially, there could have been 41, but only 38 were present.  This document was the U. S. Constitution.  


Now, I know you've got to be familiar with at least part of it, the preamble.  It goes like this:


"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."


Have you ever REALLY thought about what those words mean?  Essentially, it is historical evidence of what our founding fathers meant by all of the Amendments and Articles that follow the Preamble, and what they hoped each one would achieve.


There are articles that break down each branch of the government by who they are, what they do and who they report to.  The amendments cover everything from the freedom of religion, press and expression to the most recent which discusses limiting congressional pay.  That one was signed and added to the Constitution in 1992.


All through the Constitution, there are multiple references to voting and voting rights.  So, if you are a registered voter, in the state of Georgia, today, July 20, 2010, you have the right to vote in the Primary Election.  It is your right!  If you are not registered, then go to your local Board of Elections and make sure you are registered in time to vote in the General Election in November.


Study your candidates!  Don't just vote for one of them because the have the right party affiliation.  Vote for the person that you can honestly say without any prolonged thought, that you feel from your heart, is the right person for the job.


The primary elections are party specific, but there are still a lot of people to choose from in most of the categories.  Again, you still want the person that you think is best for the job.  When the general election rolls around in November, then you can step away from total party affiliation and vote for the one that you just have the "gut" feeling about them and what they hope to achieve.


I'm not going to linger or give you any more history to digest, but I do have one request.


Read this next part out loud and think about what it means, and then go exercise your right to cast a ballot for the candidates of YOUR choice!


"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."


Good!  Now, GO VOTE!!!!!


Off to the polls!
Kaye

1 Corinthians 2:9-16 (English Standard Version)

^"9But, as it is written, ^(A) "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has^(B) prepared^(C) for those who love him"—
 ¹⁰these things^(D) God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even^(E) the depths of God.
 ¹¹For who knows a person’s thoughts^(F) except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
¹²Now^(G) we have received not^(H) the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
¹³And we impart this^(I) in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit,^(J)interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.^[a]
14The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are^(K) folly to him, and^(L) he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
¹⁵The^(M) spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.
^16(N) "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But^(O) we have the mind of Christ.

Tippy Toe Moments

The story goes something like this.  Boy saves girl and girl's shoe.  Girl falls for boy.  Boy falls for girl.  Girl finds out boy is a two-timing snake and girl threatens to use a machete and a pair of pliers on boy's sensitive areas.  Girl forgives boy, life goes on and after much turmoil and interference, boy and girl fall in love and end up together at the end of the movie, while boy's ex-fiance goes to Tahiti without him on their non-honeymoon.  Yada, yada, yada.  Thank you Hollywood!

Every movie has a memorable quote and so does this one, "I wanna dance.......with you."  Insert a loooonnnnngggggg pause between dance and with you and will have the tone right.  I have heard my daughter mimic this line dozens of times and always with the thought that it was just extraordinarily corny beyond all belief.   I, however, am a hopeless romantic and tend to believe that if if I was a young woman and a Matthew McConaughey type walked up to me in a lantern lit park in which I was totally surrounded by amorous couples, watching an incredibly romantic old black and white movie, that I would just absolutely melt.  But, then the writers are smart cookies!  They knew that from the gitgo.  The play us and they do it very, very well!

Yes, I agree with my daughter, it's terribly corny, but it is also so romantic.  In the right setting with the right "costar" those five words could easily get any young woman up on her tiptoes reaching to put her arms around the shoulders of her handsome leading man, you know, the one that just cast that romantic spell on her.  There she would stand with a sweet but stupid grin on her face, in anticipation of a gentle kiss and then being literally swept off her feet and dancing in the arms of a man that she wanted to love and he in return.   I think we all probably have A MOMENT like that one, somewhere in our memories.  Maybe some of us are still experiencing them from time to time.  When those tippy toe moments happen, you want to go running through a field of wild flowers in slow motion, a lacy wide-brimmed hat in one hand with ribbons trailing behind, and the other hand reaching out to the one that is getting ready to accept you into his embrace.  Oh dear, kind of also reminds me of that scene in The Muppet Movie when Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog are doing exactly that.  Oh, and don't forget the scene in the row boat with the perfectly filtered sunlight making sparkles on the pond's surface.  Oy, I'm a hopeless romantic, no matter how you look at it.

The fact is that romance and tippy toe moments are only a small part of loving someone.  There is so much more to a lifetime of happiness than just those tippy toe moments that we experience when we are falling in love.  One thing that so many people don't realize when they do get married, is that marriage is a commitment in every way, shape and form.  It is a job and you have to work at it constantly.  They didn't come up with those vows for no reason.  When the going gets tough, sometimes the parties go separate ways and haggle over kids, pets, bedspreads and electronics.  It's not a pretty sight.  I get so frustrated when "fresh" couples throw in the towel.  Did they think it was always going to be fun and romantic?  


Don't get me wrong, there are marriages that need to end because of mistrust and doubt, abuse in every form imaginable, and stepping beyond the realms of fidelity.  I know of a few of those right now.  It is so sad.


I, however, am not in one of those marriages.  I am proud to say that I have been with the same wonderful man for over 35 years.  Let it never be said that they were all perfect, because they weren't.  We struggled many, many times, but the point is, that we fought for what we had and we are still here, with each other, two grown children, retirement on the horizon and things that we still want to do - together!  We discovered the special tippy toe moments all through our marriage, and they weren't always about us.  Sometimes, they were in watching our children grow, succeed and challenge life.  Sometimes, they were for our own conquests in jobs or accomplishments.  


There are very few marriages that are blessed with perfection.  Most are riddled with financial woes, job issues, arguments over who's right when it comes to the kids, friends, lack of motivation and dozens and dozens of other reasons.  Some people look at any challenge as a means to an end, and do just that, they end the marriage.

So, whether you're engaged, newly married, an older couple or one that is looking to start over with new faces, remember this.


A wedding lasts but a few short hours, the marriage is something that you build day by day by day, year by year, lifetime by lifetime.  It takes work, it takes compromise, it takes patience and understanding, it takes an unconditional love and it takes commitment.  Because, there are money woes, illness, good times and bad ones, problems with the kids, issues with the in-laws, friendships that interfere, and more.  The list of good and bad is endless.


In my little corner of the world, it is less than perfect, but we make the best of every day.  After a long day, we're all at home, dinner is cooking, and then I have the satisfaction of knowing that it was enjoyed by my family.  My treat is being able to comfortably sit back and smile at my little world.  Everyone functions in it and is part of the team that makes it all come together.  At the moment, my husband and son are cleaning up the kitchen!  The food is put away, the dishes are clean and all is good with the world - at least within the confines of my brick ranch.  As I take a moment to relax and breathe a little, I sit back, smile and remember the good stuff and occasionally the not so good stuff.  These times become my own private tippy toe memories.  I consider myself very, very blessed that I am married to this phenomenal man, that I have two incredible children that amaze me every day, a wonderful son-in-law, and a happy, blessed life.


I look at my parents, and I admire them so much.  They have been together for over 58 years, and I marvel at how much closer they seem to get as they get older.  The saying that love grows is so true.  I watch my mom and dad together now, and they cherish every moment that they have, which has to be hard some days, because of my dad's health.  But, the look in their eyes is one to cherish.  It is of memories, caring, love, patience, devotion and a bond that is just unspoken and absolutely priceless.  It's beautiful.  Those are their tippy toe moments and memories that will last a lifetime.


At my house, I don't ever have to worry about my husband coming up to me and saying "I wanna dance, with you" because he doesn't dance at all and this little moment probably won't ever happen, but that's okay.  I don't love him any less because he is not a Fred Astaire.  To put it simply, I love this man more and more every day and I am so thankful for our  life, good times and bad.  I look forward to making even more memories and growing old together.  It's been a good day, and tomorrow, there is another one for us to capture and make memorable.  


Now it's time for you to do the same.  So, get out that there and make your own Tippy Toe moment!  Tell that one special person in your life and let them know that "I wanna dance...with you"!


Be blessed and make sure you count them every day!

Love y'all
Kaye


just a few more thoughts.....read and enjoy!

1 Corinthians 13

Love

¹If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,^[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
¹⁰but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
¹²Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

SOOOOOO Fluffy!

 I just went to see Despicable Me.  Okay, okay, I know it was made for kids, but I haven't laughed that hard in such a long time.  It's a wonderful movie and the only thing that is actually human in it are the voices behind the characters.  The whole thing is absolutely wonderful from start to finish and the littlest of the girls, Agnes, is just about as cute as they get!  She loves unicorns and absolutely has a fit when she gets a unicorn as big as she is and announces to the world "it's so fluffy, I'm gonna die".  You have to go see it.  Don't worry, there are plenty of other "grown-ups" there without their kids.  Because every once in awhile, we have to be a kid again, too.

Do you realize that I am this excited about a movie that was entirely computer generated!  Amazing what they can do.  Thanks to some computer generated kids and a lovable old villain, I think I can safely say that I am ready to tackle my weekend.  Full steam ahead!

Little Agnes has her "fluffy" unicorn, her kitten book and all of those cute little yellow minions.  Almost makes me wish that I had some of those little yellow guys running around my house.  Huggable, loveable, cute as a button.  No, I'm not writing this whole blog about those delightful characters, but sitting there thinking about the movie reminded me of some of the things that I grew up "hugging" the stuffing out of and loving them until they absolutely fell apart.

There was a cartoon when I was little called "Beanie and Cecil" and I loved it!  It was all about the adventures of a little boy and his sea serpent.  For Christmas that year, Santa brought me a Cecil stuffed animal that had a pull string and would talk.  I thought it was so cool.  Its body kind of looped around and if you were small enough, it would almost fit around your waist like an innertube.


Some of my toys made it into the next century, but with a lot of changes and upgrades.  I had one of the "original" Barbies with that black and white striped swimsuit and the real earring studs that you could take out and she had natural looking blonde hair pulled up into a tight pony tail.  The ones that they make now have that awful shiny plastic hair.  Just makes me shudder.  I had a Barbie house that was made of cardboard  and it folded out and made this huge house.  Now, they are snap together plastic with working elevators.  Sometimes I wish I still had some of those old toys.  In mint condition, they are worth a fortune, but not so much interested in how many thousands I could get for them in as much as I want to step back in time and be a little kid again.  Wouldn't that be so cool, if we could just close our eyes and pop back in time and play with our old toys whenever we wanted.

When I was growing up, I saw so much incredible technology and progress happen right in front of my eyes.  It's even more amazing for people of parent's ages and older.  We really take so much for granted now because technology is moving almost faster than we can keep up with it, let alone comprehend it.

Hot summers meant you left your windows open a crack and used a fan, or for that matter, we were just used to it.  We played outside from morning til night.  It was safe for us to take off on our bikes and ride all over town and play, just as long as we were home when we were supposed to be.  I remember one little town in particular, in northern Ohio.  It was a very little town!  Our neighborhood had slate sidewalks.  You don't see that anymore!  Great for roller skating, oh yes, and roller skates fit over your shoes and you had a key that you wore on a ribbon or a shoestring around your neck.  I remember one house that had a HUGE Colorado blue spruce in the front yard, and more than once, I climbed so high, it felt like I was on top of the world.

I remember sitting at the top of the steps to the basement and playing with my new "slinky" toy.  Simple things were so much fun.

I walked to and from school.  Sometimes, I would have enough change left that I would stop at the corner store and get an orange sherbert push-up!  Now, that's something they still make, but I don't think they taste quite as good as they did when I was a kid.

This town was small enough, that we were able to walk to church on Sunday mornings.  I remember snowfalls with drifts so high, that they covered the tops of the chain link fence in my grandparent's back yard.  On more than one occasion, their little Schnauzer, Roger, made a mad dash and escaped.

I also remember when my grandparents got one of the first color television sets.    I remember stretching out on the floor and watching Bonanza in full color!

Okay, flashback over for just a moment.  I'm back in 2010 sitting in my office typing on a computer that is not much bigger than a tool box.  I have a flat screen monitor that takes up very little space.  What's weird is that I remember when computers took up entire floors of buildings and had reel to reel tape feeds.

Here we go again.  Remember your first job and all of the things about it?  One of my first jobs was in a local department store working in the gift wrap center.  We didn't have ready made bows.  We made them ourselves.  At checkout time, we used a monstrous manual NCR cash register that was as big as a car!  Now look at them.  They are tiny, sometimes within a computer, electronic, portable and have amazing functions with memories.  Almost scary if you put too much thought into it.

Whoa, I'm tired.  Time travel is exhausting.  I could go on and on with my memories.  One special one leads to another.  They are endless and most of them bring huge smiles to my face.  You know, my kids have a lot to talk about and remember from their childhoods, but with as much technology that I have witnessed in my 57 years, I can't even begin to imagine what more my kids and my future grandkids will see.  What I see now as an absolute wonder is going to be one of their memories of something very common, old and out of date.

Regardless of how much our world has changed and the fact that time really does seem to be moving faster as I get older, there are a things in each of our lives that are constants.  Our family for one.  If you are my age and blessed as I am to have both parents living, don't let a day go by that you don't give thanks for them and be sure to tell them regularly how very special they are to you.  Tell them thank you.  Tell them you love them.  If you parents and grandparents have passed, you know, you can still tell them.  Just whisper it with your eyes closed.  They will hear you and they will send the same back to you.  You'll know it, too.  It's that warm spot in your heart when you think about them and the special memories.

For many of us, we have children that are a constant, even though you can't really put a brick on their heads to slow down their growth.  No matter how big they get, they will always be your children, and don't let a day go by that you don't give thanks for them and be sure to tell them regularly how very special they are to you.  Tell them thank you.  Tell them you love them.

The third constant in many of our lives is our belief in a Deity.  God is there for us 24/7/365.  He doesn't move, He doesn't change his number, He never gives up on us.  WE ARE HIS KIDS!  He has watched us grow and make mistakes, big and little.  He has watched us grow, learn, live, love, rejoice, grieve, prosper, suffer, worship, share, succeed and fail.  Don't let a day go by that you don't give thanks to Him and tell him regularly how very special He is to you.  Tell Him thank you.  Tell Him you love Him.  But, you know what?  He already knows that!

I think I'm going to call it a day.  It's been a good one, too.  I got a refresher course in Geometry and was actually able to remember enough of it that I helped a young man with his homework!  Go figure!  Talk about going back in time!  You don't even want to know how long it's been and it wouldn't be nice of you to ask, so don't!

The point of all of this is simple.  Sometimes, we just need to make time slow down and let us catch up anad one of the best ways to do that is to use your time machine.  Take time to close your eyes and just remember.  If you see a cute, computer generated movie that makes you all "fluffy" inside, look at that as a special gift and let it take you back to a time when you can remember your own stuffed "unicorn" or whatever it was that made you feel safe, and warm and loved.  Play with those old toys in your time machine, and then dash back to 2010 and give thanks to the One that made it ALL possible!  Just be home in time for dinner!

"It's so fluffy!"  Sweet little Agnes, you have no idea just how precious you are, even if you are just a cartoon character.  You took me back to a time when life seemed simpler and you made me remember some wonderful things.  So, pardon me while I go scoop up my own "fluffy" unicorn and head off to bed.  I have sweet dreams and memories ahead and a play date with some great old toys and friends.  Tomorrow is yet another day to experience our crazy fast paced world and give thanks for that miraculous time machine in our minds.

Now, it's your turn.  YOU go remember something wonderful, grab your own "fluffy" unicorn and let it carry you away to your own sweet dreams and simpler times!

Good night y'all!
Kaye

What He Said - From Aesop to Matthew

Did you ever hear the term "wolf in sheep's clothing"?  It like many other frequently used quotes has an origin that goes back to over 500 years before the birth of Christ.  It is also referenced in the New Testament in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7, verse 15.  However, there is no difference at all in what the two translations mean.

Aesop's story evolved around a wolf that disguised himself as a sheep in order to be able to enjoy a fine meal of mutton.  The biblical reference warns us to "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves".  

We endeavor to teach our children this as they are growing up.  We try to teach them the difference between someone who is trustworthy and potentially a good friend versus someone who is an opportunist and guising himself in your presence to gain rich's and spoils at your expense.  The rough part is that even as adults, we have to learn this lesson over and over again.

We may become more skeptical and less trusting, but at some point, that big bad wolf is going to reach out and snatch our very soul from us.  Even if only for a brief moment, I guarantee you, it has happened to each and every one of us at some point in our lives.  It could be that bully on the playground with little ones, the jock that befriends the geek in high school only to make a mockery of him at a later time, the co-worker that chums up to you in order to determine your weak point and then takes advantage of it.  Any one of us has been the recipient of the cruel attack of that wolf, but we are also human, and at one point or another in our lives, sadly, I bet we've been the wolf, too.  This all goes back to something I said several blogs earlier - can't we just all get along?

Throughout our lives, we should all have a passion.  We are not just a body.  We have a soul and within our soul lives our passion.  Within each of us is the ability to make a difference in so many ways.  Exist to be passionate!  Make a difference in not just your own existence, but the very breath of life of each and every person around you.  This crazy world of ours is full of false prophets, of wolves in sheep's clothing.  Set out to be the sheep or a shepherd, not the wolf.  By your example, others will follow.

As far as the wolves out there are concerned, take off that musty rented costume.  There's a lot to be learned before you have the right to howl at the moon.  

In Galatians 6:14, Paul says "May it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."  I think what Paul is saying is this - by boasting only in the cross of Jesus and making IT your ONLY focus or passion, you will then be able to freely enjoy all of the good things that He has in mind for you and they will begin to will fall into place.  I am just as guilty as is the next person when it comes to this, and I openly admit it.  I am not proud of some of the things that I've said and done during my life.  But I do know this much, I don't want to be the wolf.  I want to be able to bask in glory, reap my rewards in Heaven and be a sheep with the greatest Shepherd of all.

Be a cross centered person in every facet of your life and it will help you to keep the wolf at bay.  

Remember, Jesus charges us all to "feed my sheep".

Restored and at peace,

Me

Answering A Call

In the fall of 1997, I applied for and was accepted as the Director of Children's ministries at our church.  It was a position that I poured my heart and soul intofor multiple hours every week.  I loved it, loved everything about it.  I loved reaching out to kids and bringing them into God's word.  I loved the kids and the ministry became an extension of me and me of it.  It was one of the most awesome periods from my life, but, also one of the most humbling life experiences ever.

A dear, dear friend of mine is a minister and will be ordained this December.  We had worked together for many years doing event decor, balloons and balloon drops for New Year's, etc..  But through our friendship, I began to realize that there was a part of me that was being nourished and nurtured and drawn closer and closer to my God.  Several years before, I had a dream in which God spoke to me, actually spoke to me.  I couldn't see His face, but the only image I remember was one of serenity and light.  He was calling me to service, calling me to ministry, and not realizing the magnitude of that dream and that spoken voice, I told Him no.  It wasn't until a few years later, that I realized just what He was calling me to do.  Ministry is different for each one of us, and it doesn't always involve attending seminary and having a degree.  I didn't know then that most people never actually get to hear God's voice, and just how blessed I was.

I've always been the type of person that if given a stage and an audience, I would entertain.  In my school days, I was in every production, took all of the required courses and had intended on being a star student at the Conservatory at the University of Cincinnati.  They even offered me a pretty substantial scholarship, which after months of thinking about it, I turned down.  We will talk about what I did from that point on in another blog because it is a story all to its own, but suffice it to say, my family wasn't happy with me for the decision that I made.  We won't discuss how many years it's been, either.  So, just don't go there.

I grew up in the Episcopal church, was involved on the Diocesan Youth Council, organized all types of activities for the other youth a not just my church, but all over southern Ohio as well.  I had a grandfather that was a Lay leader in a small country church in northern Ohio and growing up, I was always immersed in God's word in one way or another.  What I didn't know at the time, was that God was leading me in a direction of service that would become a strong calling in my later life.  Enough about that for now, but it was a beginning.

So far in this story, we have two elements for this formula, and we will soon complete it with the third element.  I write.  I've always enjoyed writing, and it was during the first few months as the Children's Director, that I again had a few of those middle of the night conversations with God, but this time, I didn't hear His voice.  He implanted thoughts, ideas, music and more in my mind.  For awhile, I didn't really know what to make of all of it, and then one day, it was quite literally like a light bulb went off over my head.  All I can say is "thank Heavens for computers and Microsoft Word", because without them, I would have had terminal writer's cramp.  The only catch to those Divine downloads was that they nearly always came in the wee hours of the morning.  Ignoring them at first, I would attempt to go back to sleep, but it was if He was tapping me on the shoulder and saying "get up, I need you to do this NOW".  You know, it's absolutely amazing how much you can accomplish between 3:00 am and sunrise and still be chipper and perky when you're done.  That's because I HAD HELP!

It wasn't long after starting this ministry at church, that I began to take some of those middle of the night downloads and put them to use.  One Wednesday night for our Kids Klub, my friend visited with a trunk full of puppets, some magic tricks and entertained my Wednesday night group.  I watched their little faces go from nonchalant and bored to total amazement and enchantment at what they were seeing.  Soon after, we started planning our own Puppetry and Drama ministry that was an off shoot from the Children's Ministry.  The only catch was that it was for kids of all ages from 5 to 105.  For the next nearly 7 years, this crazy group of God loving children, young and old, practiced and toured and entertained and blessed.  Known as "The Joyful Noise", we performed at Christian music festivals, schools and churches in the Florida panhandle and Alabama.  We had so much fun and God drew so many people closer to Him through the silliness of our skits, the illusions and the somewhat whimsical, but evangelical outreach of our puppets and their alter egos, the kids!  At one point, we had 42 people that participated in this wonderful ministry.  Have you ever taken 42 people of all ages to Florida in 4 vans, 2 cars and a 16 foot trailer tailing behind one of the vans.   Our first aid kit usually always got used BEFORE we ever got out of Georgia.  A 6 hour drive generally turned into 8 to 10 and no one ever had to go the bathroom at the same time!  I loved it, absolutely every minute of it.

I was blessed to lay hands on people that were drawn to Jesus Christ through what we were doing.  I was even more blessed to see this group of kids that had been nurtured through this ministry, flock to the one person that was on their knees at the foot of the cross and crying out for salvation.  I was humbled and touched beyond all comprehension when these same kids gently laid their own hands on each person that sought their Savior through something that touched them in our performance.  I was blessed to be witness to not one, but countless miracles every single time we went out.  From the first show on, we closed every performance with an alter call and the puppets "singing" Shout to the Lord, and at the end of every show, I wept because I, myself, the leader of this little group was always overwhelmed at the beauty and the magnitude of what had just happened.  That has not ever changed.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, it says "to everything there is a season".  In 2004, I knew my "season" was coming to an end and God had other plans for me.  I left my position that August and walked away from it all.  It broke my heart, but, I knew it was time.

When you've been at the helm of a project for a long time, even though you know it's time to let it go, it's hard.  So, when I walked away, I walked away from every last bit of it.  I even looked at attending other churches, thought about applying for the same position at other churches.  It took me awhile to realize and accept that at least for right now, God had another direction for me to go, and that was getting my own kids through those awful teenage years and making my family stronger.

Well, time did its thing, and it flew by.  I really do think it goes faster as you get older.  My kids are grown, one is married to a wonderful young man that I am proud to call "son", and my son has accomplished milestones and graduated and is now in college.  Retirement looks promising in a few years, and I am looking forward to those days with my husband, my children and maybe someday grandchildren.  Things were good and looked to be good going forward.

Remember me telling you about those middle of the night "brainstorming downloads" between God and me?  Well in the fall of 2008, He let me know that it was time for a new chapter to begin and I was to be a part of it.  I got those wonderful puppets out of storage and started from scratch, well almost scratch.  Here we go again and with a whole new outlook, new faces, new ideas and new blessings.

It's true, you can't go back.  Things never really will be the way they used to be.  That's where that whole "season" thing comes to play.  I don't see our group ever really going on tour again, but who knows.  It is not our decision.  God knows what He's doing, and I will go where He leads me.  We've come through two full years of "newness" now.  Kids are doing what kids do really well.  They are growing up.  But something tells me that this new "season" hasn't quite run its course yet.  So, tonight, God and I are going to have a long talk about His plans and tomorrow is a new day.  I guess I will find out then, just what He has in mind for me and for my dear friends that have joined me in this ministry.

Dad, if you're calling, I'm answering.  I'll be waiting for Your call in the wee hours of the morning.  You won't get a busy signal or an answering machine, You will get my heart and my undivided attention.  Praise You and all glory to You!

Your child,
Kaye

To Every Thing There is a Season Ecclesiastes 3 To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

HOW RUDE!!! Karma Always Catches Up With You!

Just came home from a quick trip to the grocery store and I am fuming!

Some people are so rude and inconsiderate.  The last time I checked, the Earth revolved and rotated on an axis, not on the whims of certain people!

It was not bad enough that HE HAD 15 ITEMS IN THE 10 OR LESS LANE, but to add insult to injury, he had TWO SEPARATE ORDERS and paid for each of them with the EBT card.  I'm not against the use of Food Stamps and aid when it is deserved and truly needed, but prime black angus ground beef, and steaks and name brand everything.  Give me a break!  Then, this aggravating, disrespectful, world-revolves-around-me-attitude with legs, unloaded the rest of what was in his cart - the beer and cookout supplies AND left the empty cart sitting at the entrance to the lane, totally blocking anyone else from entering or even thinking about putting their groceries on the belt.

So, I gave him my stern mother look and gently pushed the cart until it barely nudged him.  Thought that might get his attention!  Oh, it did.  He pulled it forward a whole 5 inches, paid for his groceries, two different times and walked out of the store with the cart still in the middle of the checkout line!  HOW RUDE!!!

I spouted off to the poor girl at the checkout.  She agreed, but let me know that it happens all of the time.  Had I not been with my husband, I probably would have pushed his cart out to him in the parking lot and announced that "hey, you forgot something!"  Thank Heavens, my husband is more restrained than I tend to be, and really doesn't like confrontations.  But the real reason that I didn't chase down this idiot in the parking lot was because it was raining cats and dogs.  I can take some solace in knowing (and witnessed as well) that he had to skip through the parking lot with his 10 bags of government subsidized food and his beer.  He dashed puddles and walls of water falling from the sky and arrived at his Mercedes, soaked to the skin!  HA HA.  Karma!  I'm so bad.

I know we shouldn't smirk at other's misfortunes, but couldn't help myself when I saw that wet, lump mass of rudeness have to get his nice leather interior wet from his soaked clothes.  Okay, all together now, let's give it one great big "awe, poor baby".

Yes, I giggled and I got great sadistic pleasure out of knowing that after he put away his $100.00 worth of groceries, that he had to go out and probably apply leather dressing to his seats so they didn't get ruined.

Okay, I've vented enough.  I got my grrr's out, and if you happen to be the poor, pitiful man that obviously had no proper upbringing, gee honey, I'm soooooo sorry.  Next time, put your cart up!

ARK!
Acts of Random Kindness - the simplest and smallest deeds often make the most difference!

Night, y'all!
Katydid

College Is Calling!

Milestones come in all shapes and sizes and in a multitude of situations.  Today was a major event in my son's life.  He started back to college as a regular college student and not a dual enrollment student.  The rules changed, the structure changed and the expectations changed.  He has grown up and is turning into an adult right before my eyes.  Can it be?  Can this really be happening?

He actually asked to drive.  I was in shock.  He hates driving.  So, an hour in advance, we loaded up and headed out to the campus (which fortunately, is only 15 minutes from our house).  He was at the wheel, doing fairly well, but nervous and finally got us there in one piece, however, we really have to practice more, especially on parking in a full parking lot.  It was a bittersweet experience from start to finish.  Another one of those, taking responsibility for myself situations on his part and mom just sitting there with foot pushed to the floorboard on the invisible brake pedal and the pretend steering wheel clutched tightly in my white knuckled hands.  At that point, I stopped hyperventilating.  We had arrived safely and he was out of the car and heading towards the classroom building.

"See you at 10", I shouted.  

"See you mom, love you" came back to me.

This was a day that I really didn't think would ever happen, and here it was unfolding right before my eyes.  I love that kid!

By now, I've done everything a mom can do, I've quietly and inconspicuously worked out all of the kinks and hurdles to try and make this a positive experience for him.  He announced that he wants to drive as much as he can, so he can get his license by the end of the summer.  Obviously, we have to get in A LOT OF PRACTICE there!  I think the trauma of the trip today was due to first day nerves about his college classes.  We will get there.  It will happen.  Everyone should take lessons in determination from this kid.  I'm sorry, young man, because that is what he is now.

I watched as he walked into the building and realized that I had a tear running down my cheek.  I have got to stop this!  I will be a dehydrated mess by the end of the quarter if I keep this up.

I kept my phone by my side all evening.  My husband asked a dozen times, "have you heard from him yet?"  

"No".  I am under the firm belief that sometimes no news is good news.  

I had already decided that I was leaving at 9:30 to pick him up, in case they got out early, but they beat me to the punch and before I even had my keys in hand, he called and announced "I'm done.  Come get me."

Now, I've told you before that this "young man" is not afraid to be himself.  We coached before going to the college about the right time and the wrong time to "be yourself" and that an adult college situation may not be the time for his comical character to make an appearance.  We gave all of the solid reasons for that statement and it was accepted with a "yes ma'am".  I was hopeful that I would arrive and see him mingling with other students.  Heavy sigh, there he was stretched out on the sidewalk with his head on his book bag, "star gazing".

Obviously, his personality had totally taken over and ignored and blocked out all of the efforts from the earlier conversation we had.  I flipped out in the car on the way home and did the whole "what were you thinking speech" and the importance of acting like a grown up in this situation, and then I remembered the speech in his honor at the banquet for the graduates from his school, and suddenly, I felt very humbled in the presence of this fearless, spectacular young man sitting in the car with me, and I dropped the whole subject.

College is calling.  Yes it is, and it calls on him to do his best and learn and excel.  It is not calling to ask him to change who he is.  After all, I know a lot of grown ups that are kids at heart, myself included.  He wouldn't be the incredible person that he is without that carefree, comical spirit.

Love you son, and I am so proud of you!

Mom