A Candle in the Wind

Light a candle and watch it slowly burn.  Protect the flame with a lantern or your cupped hands and it burns on until there is nothing left.  As the wax melts, it fuels the flame that flickers on the wick.  When there is nothing left, the candle is gone and you are left with the memory of that glowing light.  Now, imagine either yourself or someone that you love deeply as that candle.  Life is the same way.  Each moment of  each minute of each hour of each day, we step out into the world and our flame flickers with everything we do.  We are physically protected by an endless list of man made things, but ultimately, we are shrouded in a Heavenly veil of protection until it is time for our flame to die out.  None of us knows when or how, only God knows that, down to the moment.

There was a movie made a few years ago about a time machine.  In the story, the time traveler loses his wife in a terrible accident.  With the knowledge that he possesses, he continually goes back to just before it happens and tries to change things so that his wife doesn't die.  It takes multiple efforts with the same end result for him to realize that he cannot change destiny.  He can only change the "how".

It's heartbreaking and overwhelmingly sad when it happens.  You want to curl up and cave in to the grief.  Shock and disbelief become a part of your existence for a while.  The knot in your throat tightens and you feel as if you can't stop the tears.  It's okay.  Let it happen.  It has to come out.

You continually ask yourself and others, and even God, WHY.  When someone is suffering from an illness, you have time to prepare yourself.  Yet when it happens, you still look back at it all and simply ask, why.  But, you knew because of what was happening, that it was coming.  It still doesn't make it any easier.

I think, no, I know, that the unexpected loss takes our breath away.  It grabs our heart and holds it so tightly that we feel as if we can't breathe.We've had no time to prepare for it.  It has just happened and when it does, the coping becomes unbearable.

It is okay to be sad.  It is okay to cry and it is okay to grieve and miss the one that is gone.  We all deal with it in different ways.  Some of us can't seem to stop crying.  Others get mad.  Some even jump into action and start doing anything and everything that we can to keep ourselves busy and our minds occupied.  We are just not ready to accept the loss yet.

Today, the loss is not mine, but I am so very close to those that are experiencing it and my heart breaks for all of them.

So, for the rest of you, you never know.  You just never know.  Hug and kiss your children, your husband or wife, your parents, brothers, sisters, friends.  Hold on for that extra moment every opportunity that you have, because you never know when that last hug or that last cuddle will be the last time that you get to hold that person in your arms.  If you are at odds with someone that was once a part of your life, make peace with  them, because you never know when it might be too late.  Live from your heart, not your hurt.  Take time this day and everyday to tell the people in your life that you love them.  Don't take a moment for granted, because it could be the last chance you have to let them know just how special they are to you.

Live, love and take the time to bless someone else's life with the knowledge that you care.  Don't let the sun rise or set without telling the one that you love what they mean to you.

A candle in the wind, the flame flickers and in that brief moment, it's gone.

I think maybe we all need to take a few moments out of our day now and make some phone calls, hug our loved ones.  Tell them you love them, tell them you care.  You will make their day that much more special and should it be the last thing, you will know in your heart that you made it the right thing.

You are my blessing, and I send you on to live your day with love and know that you are in my heart now and always,
K

The Chronicles of "Gosh Darn It"

PINE STRAW IS EVIL!  GUTTER GUARDS DON'T ACTUALLY GUARD THE GUTTER EITHER!

Now you know where I'm going with this very necessary rant.  I have just spent the last 2 hours outside with my husband attempting to get the uncountable pieces of pine straw from our year old gutters, courtesy repeated hail storms and the resulting damage that followed last spring.

My poor husband, like so many of us, has bad knees, unpredictable back and a not-so-wonderful feeling about being on our roof.  In previous years, prior to the numerous spring storms last year, he climbed the ladder to the roof, used the blower to whisk the debris off and then would flood the old gutters with water from the hose and was done in a matter of 30 to 45 minutes or so.

Light bulb time.  The insurance company was replacing our roof and one side of the house with gutters, so we decided to go ahead and do them all the way around and add gutter guards.  Our thought was that this would eliminate the need for the additional time on our precarious perch and simplify things for him, bad back, knees and all.

They don't work.  They don't do what the tell you they are going to do and pine straw now, not only collects in the edges of the gutters, but it slips through the gnarly little slots in the gutter guard and once again, clogs the gutters.  So, now we have a bigger mess than we did before!

From here down, is my chronicle of the morning.  I trust many of you will find humor in it.  I tried so hard not to laugh at our comedy of errors and had to continuously look away from my husband so he couldn't see the smirk on my face.  SHAME ON ME!

He is meticulous.  There is no detail left out of anything he does.  It's been wretched hot here for weeks, as in other parts of the country, so the roof is not exactly some place you want to be on a 100 degree day.  I feel really sorry for the guys that do this for a living.

None the less, on this wonderfully muggy Saturday Georgia morning, we tackle the roof and the gutters.

Here's the plan.

1.  He is going to use the blower on the roof!

     Check - that part's done, nicely!

2.  He has put the attachment on the hose that is an extension rod with a spigot on the end, then stand on roof while extending this rod until it just reaches into the channel of the gutters, full force water ahead.  The thought behind this is that the pressure of the water will dislodge the clogged pine straw and scoot it up and out of the gutter!  Nah!  That was too good to be true.  But this is where it gets even better.  Our house sits on an extremely sloped lot.  One end is a one story and the other is a two story.  Got the picture.  Ten feet off the ground to more than twenty.  Not liking this at all.  My job, as assistant roof cleaner offer, is to stand on the high point of our lot with binoculars (his idea) and focus on the gutter track and direct him to where the clogs appear to be.  Well, that didn't work.  It's 400% humidity here today and I wear glasses.  Do you know what happens when you bring the binoculars up to your glasses on a steamy day!  That's right!  You get steam!  I can't see a darn thing.  Ditch the binoculars.  I didn't think it was a great idea anyway, but I didn't want to steal his thunder.

Now, it's time to for you to use your imagination!  Here goes.  He's on the roof.  Nope, Plan A not working.  My glasses are steamed up, I can't see.  Tried to dry them off, but my t shirt is soaked with hose water and perspiration.  Now, they are not only foggy, but smeared and foggy!  UGH!  Not a problem, I'll just go inside and rinse them off in the kitchen sink and dry them in there with a nice clean towel.  Making my way to the back door, hand on the door knob, twist only to get resistance.  IT'S LOCKED.   Um, honey, you closed the door and didn't unlock it.  Do you have your keys in your pocket?  Fidget, tug at door, stomp around muttering things under breath.  NO!!!!!  I am not going to repeat what he actually said under his breath, but I will translate it for you, something to the effect of "Gosh Darn It".  That's all I am going to say.  Fill in the blanks and use your imagination.  It was colorful.  Trust me!  Are you ready for the next part?

Adding insult to injury, I suggested he retrieve our secret key.  No dear, we haven't kept a key outside for nearly a year.  Remember!  Fill in more blanks at this point.  Frustrated expletives........................................

So here we both stand, wet, sweaty, angry, no phone, no key, and house is locked up tight!  Gee, I wanna help with this kind of stuff more often!  This so much fun!

Brainstorm here.  I remembered that I had opened the kitchen window the night before to knock down a spider's nest.  Could we actually be so lucky!  Perhaps!

Honey, um, why don't you just check the kitchen window for the heck of it.  No, they are all locked tight and some even screwed shut.  Great.  This is getting better by the moment.  However, I insisted, knowing what I had done the night before and he obliged me.  I just love it when I'm right.  But I didn't think this was the time to make a point, if you know what I mean.

So, from the other side of the house, here he comes with the extension ladder.  Look around, we still need to find something to pop the screen out with.  Look in the garage.   Duh, door's locked!  Oh yeah.  Prop ladder on house, climb ladder, move the boston fern, destroy screen with a sharp stick, and pray like everything that that window really is unlocked.

Can you say HALLELUJAH!   Miracles happen every day.

I'm a tad smaller than my hubby, I offered to climb up there and shimmy through the window, but, no, not having it.  Okay, dear, I just don't want you to hurt yourself, back, knees, you know.  I don't mind.  It's okay!  NO!  I WILL DO IT!  Here goes, 6 or 8 steps up the ladder.  Window is open wide.  Hurrah!  Fumble with the blinds and find the stupid pull cord.  Blinds up as far as they will go!  Check.

Okay, okay, more visualization needed right here.  I keep an over-the-sink shelf by the window.  That's where I put my green tomatoes and any other fruit that needs to ripen a bit.  At this very moment, it is covered from one end to the other with peaches, tomatoes, onions, garlic heads.  Don't forget the teapot and trinkety things.   He comes back down the ladder.  Will you please move the "..." from the shelf so I can crawl through the window?  Yes, dear, sure no problem.  Task accomplished!  Oh, and as a side note, honey be careful, the sink is full of dishes from breakfast, including a really sharp knife!  Please be super careful.  Don't need anything else to happen.  Not really in the mood for an ER trip today if it's all the same to you.  I got a nasty look.  I guess I will shut up now.

Slowly he maneuvers himself from the ladder over the window ledge and through the window.  At this point, his legs are dangling out the window and I now have such a picture in my mind that I will never forget.  I will simply leave it to your imagination, but there was no airspace in that kitchen window with his dangling torso crammed into it and his legs dangling down the side of the house.  Grunt, groan, push, shove, and finally the  hips are through.  He is now balancing himself on the edge of the sink that is full of dishes and his legs are only protruding from the knees, out the window.  Honey, turn sideways just a little bit so you can pull your legs through and swing them around.  Remember the dishes in the sink.  Okay, sorry, just trying to help, here.  I'm  shutting up!

At last, nearly 30 minutes after this whole adventure began, he is through the window, feet on the floor, doors unlocked and back outside giving me dirty looks before I can count to three.  Gee. I think I will just go into the house and clean up the mess on the counters and floor.  Good idea!

Dear friends, these are the chronicles of my Saturday morning.  I hope you had a giggle or two.  Problem is, we are still not done with the gutters.  So, here we go again, Plan B being put in motion, but one last thing, Honey, please put the key in your pocket.  I love you!

The Chronicles of Gosh Darn It!

Later y'all!
K

Home

Home.  A statement, a command, a proper noun, a verb, a noun, an adjective, possibly.  It's all in how you say it and feel it.

"Home, James".  You just told your chauffeur to deliver you to yours, post haste.  "Home".  A proper noun used to identify the name of that which is yours.  "Home" as in we just bought a home, or that's the home place.  "Toto, we're not in Kansas any more".

Where is yours?  The old saying that "home is where your heart is" is oh so true.  You may not like the house or trailer or apartment that you live in, but if it is providing 4 safe walls around the ones that you love, warmth, comfort, protection from the elements, then love the structure or not, it's home.

Home is what we make it.  It can be just a place, or it can be a place that is so inviting that everyone has a comfort level there and loves to visit.  Homes are made a little sweeter with the smell of fresh baked cookies and bread in the oven, or pristine flower beds full of color and butterflies.  Home can also be chipped paint, broken handrails and a dripping roof.  It's condition doesn't change what it is.

Sometimes, it can be your home town, where you grew up, where you used to know everyone, where you can close your eyes and see yourself riding your bike or roller skating with your best friends from school.  But, you're grown up now, and that "home" is part of your memories, but in a way, it will always be home.

I feel at home in my kitchen, or when I'm arranging flowers.  My daughter feels at home with a brush in her hand and a blank canvas in front of her, whether it's 3' square or a whole wall on a stage.  My son feels at home with that imagination of his as he portrays yet another character for his enjoyment and ours too, or playing a game or on the computer.  My husband feels at home with a stack of wood, a hammer and some nails, and yes, the remote control for the tv.  I could list dozens and dozens of "home" scenarios from friends and family.  What are some of yours?

Home, as so many think of it, is a structure.  But it is so much more than that.  Home is your heart.  Home is the gift(s) that are within you that God put there for you to share.  Home is closing your eyes and knowing that you are in that one place with the One that is there for you all of the time.  He never leaves, even when we do.

Home is what is inside of you and what you choose to do with it!  It's memories, good and bad.  It's faith.  It's love.  It's yesterdays.  It's tomorrows.  It's promises.  It's a rainbow and a dove.  The structure may change, but Home, never does.  It stays with you from first breath to last.

I'm home right now and feeling pretty comfortable in mine right now.  There's a big smile on my face and just a wonderful feeling of peacefulness around me.  How about you?  Is it time to close your eyes, strap on those ruby slippers and tell yourself "there's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home".  In an instant, you'll be there.  So smile, be thankful for that two-legged "mobile home" that carries you around 24/7.  Tell the One that designed it for you "thanks" as well.  You know, if you ask Him to walk with you each and every day, His home is always in your heart and when that moment comes that you are whisked away from your earthly home, He has a new one just waiting for you in Heaven.  Don't be "home sick", be "home blessed" forever!

G'nite y'all!
Me

Maria? No, Try Friday!

Remember West Side Story?  There's a song called "Maria".  Something to the effect that the name "Maria" is the most beautiful sound in the world.  Uh, well, NO!  Let's try FRIDAY!  WOO HOO!  When you say it soft, it is not almost like praying, but IT IS a pretty wonderful word, and that is that.

When we were kids, Friday was the best school day ever.  It meant cartoons on Saturday morning, sleeping a little later, slumber parties, hanging out with the family and friends.  Sometimes, Friday also meant TESTS!  Oy, the tests that we were not always prepared for and saw absolutely no logic in taking, yeah, those.  Friday also meant "test on Monday so you have the whole weekend to study".  How many times did we procrastinate and start studying at 8:00 on Sunday night?  Guilty!  How about you?  But tonight is not about prophetic words and inspirational messages.  It's about celebrating!  It's Friday.  We made it this far and we have a lot to be thankful for.  What are you waiting for, tell HIM thanks!  This is a short one tonight!  Just wanted to do the Friday dance with all you wonderful people out there and give thanks to the One that made it all possible.

So, go do your Friday thing, curl up on the couch and enjoy the thunderstorm and watch reruns, dance a jig, eat some pizza, go to a movie!  Remember, your BEST FRIEND is right there with you the whole time!  So, what are you waiting on, pass the popcorn already!  What's Friday night without the good munchies.

Blessings y'all!
Me

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror Mirror on the wall.  What will I see today?  Ever have to muster up the courage to face yourself in the mirror in the morning?

We are our harshest critics.  You know that don't you?  We have been lured and cajoled into believing that perfection is manufactured, store bought, jars and bottles full of goo and glop.  We have been led to believe that in order to be beautiful, we have to have perfect eyebrows, sparkling white teeth, eyelashes as long as our arms, pristine eye makeup and absolutely no wrinkles.  Are you with me so far?

A natural tan, though be it, not healthy for our skin and our longevity, make us look sun kissed and fresh.  The store bought versions are even less healthy for our us, but we jump in those high priced sun coffins and toast ourselves to a nice shade of golden brown.  Heaven help us if we mess up the ritual and end up with tan lines!  Just not acceptable.

We have drawers full of popular shades of eye shadows, liners, mascara, false eyelashes, brow liners, lipsticks, foundation, coverup, purple eye concealer, blush, bronzers, brushes in every size and shape imaginable.  There are toothbrushes, flosses, more brands of toothpaste than any of us can count.   Don't forget the Water Pics, Sonic Brushes, multiple brands of whitener, sensitivity toothpastes, mouthwashes, paint on tooth whitening stain, caps, crowns, bridges, dentures, implants and every other kind of dental device known to man.

Of course, added into this mix, we have hair dye, hair bleach, shampoos that add volume, conditioners, natural herbal products that smell wonderful, dandruff controlling 2 in 1's, and of course, as a parent, we've all had to deal with it at least once - lice treatments.  Don't even like to think about that stuff.  Now, let's add blow dryers, hot air brushes and combs, crimping irons, flattening irons, curling irons, electric curlers.  Literally, the list is endless.  Have you figured out where I'm going with all of this?

I will clue you in.  We don't  look in a mirror and see ourselves as perfection.  We look in the mirror and see our physical faults and deficiencies.  We see the wrinkles, thinning hair, dark circles, straight hair when we want curls and waves, and curls and waves when we want straight.  Then of course, there is the dreaded FRIZZ!  Enough you say!  Okay, point is, we're all guilty.  We are guilty of doubting perfection and adding that extra little touch of mascara or the hair extensions, or the wig, etc.

There is no other person on the face of this earth that is like YOU!  When you were born, you came into this world with a pre-determined set of physical characteristics that were blended and molded to make you just exactly who you are.  Who did all of that?  Well your biological makeup comes from the combination of your parentage.  Do I really have to go into that?  Hope not.  But it all started with what God wanted you to look like before you were even a twinkle.  He knew the number of hairs on your head, the color of your eyes, the straightness or crookedness of your future teeth.  He knew how tall you were going to be, how fat or thin you would be without effort to make it otherwise, the size of your feet, your other endowments, and more specifically, He knows down to the minute, second and breath of when you will take your last and what the circumstances will be around it.

Our lack of sleep and allergies give us dark circles and the "purple" allergy eye.  Some of us have huge noses.  Others have little buttons in the middle of their faces.  It doesn't really matter.  What's there is what God had planned for us all along.  The imperfections that we are so quick to point out about ourselves and others are part of our unthinking and often insensitive human nature.  We are not perfect in that sense and never will be.  There is only One that is perfect in every way, and depending upon how you believe, you may call  Him something different.

So, here I stand, in front of my mirror with the 10X magnification on the opposite side (for those close make up days).  I see a swollen face, dark circles, the onset of wrinkles around my eyes, those icky dark brown age spots and I think to myself - yuck!  I look awful.  That is just my opinion, but I know of many others that would agree.  But that's not the point.  When God looks down on me, He looks beyond the outer shell that is aging (gee, isn't aging a process that is supposed to happen?).  He looks at my heart, my soul, my faith, my love and the beauty that lies within.  He knows I've made tons of mistakes and I've sinned.  I am not perfect.  I've asked for forgiveness abundantly and often.  I try to learn from my mistakes and ask for His help along the way.  But in spite of all of that, He looks at me with outstretched arms drawing me in for a hug. I AM HIS CHILD and He loves me unconditionally.  He holds my hand when I'm afraid, brings me peace when I need it, gives me the freedom to make my own decisions, but the understanding and grace to help me out when I've made the wrong ones.

Standing in front of my mirror, yes, I see my physical imperfections, but as I look beyond them, I begin to see things in a whole different way.  I begin to see the beauty that I often overlook because when it comes right down to it, God made me the way I am, and who am I to doubt His reasons.

Go look in your mirror and see beyond the goo and glop.  Look for and accept the natural beauty that you have because of the One that made you the way you are.

Now, it's time for you to go be beautiful beyond the extra stuff that you put there this morning.  Look deeper into that mirror and into your heart.  You'll find it.  It's in there.

I am beautiful, shining and walking in His glory!  Have a wonderful day!
Me

Oh, How I Wish You Were Here....

See that beautiful site!  Yes, that's the one that they are bragging about on those taunting commercials and I just saw it for about the jillionith time this weekend.  "Oh, how I wish you were here..." followed by visions of happy people casually walking amongst the swaying palms and pristine beach scenes.  I really don't think they are playing fair.  If they want me to be there so much, I think they need to send me a ticket!  It would be a lovely excursion, especially now since the oil is dispersing somewhat and the beaches are becoming pretty again.  However, I can't be there, so raspberries to you, at least for now, anyway!   


It is ghastly today.  97 in the shade and those stupid heat indexes again.  But that's okay, because I'm perched in my fave new place, the recliner with remote in one hand, computer on my lap and cell phone on the side table.  Starting to feel a smidge more like a human being today and at this point, awfully glad, I'm inside and not out.  I think I'm beginning to understand the reasoning behind the 72 hours of rest after my ordeal Friday.  


In a tv weekend filled with stories of Chelsea's wedding, crazy weather, a robber that calls the restaurant and complains about how much money he didn't get, back to school commercials, and tales of yet another round of foreclosure sales this Tuesday, you might think that there is nothing to really be that excited about.  I tend to think that the "news" or lack there of is something that we have learned to digest with a grain of salt.  Unfortunately, the good stuff, the positive stories, don't always peak our interests and our brains tend to tune them out.  That's sad, really, really sad.  So, I took it upon myself to find a "good news" story that would leave my talking about it and thinking about it beyond the time it took me to find it.  I have challenged myself and you as my readers, to overcome the abundance of "bad" news with equal amounts of the good stuff.  I even found a website called Good News Now, www.gnn.com, check it out!  That is where I found something so wonderful, that I'm just sitting here saying "wow".


Some of the stories are not earth shattering, but some of them make you really think.  One in particular this weekend, is about a nine year old that stocked the shelves of a food pantry with the harvest from her garden.  It all started with a 40 pound cabbage and a young lady, now 12 years old, that now manages and harvests from 6 gardens that are part of a non profit organization that she started.  That's a good news story!  Amazing young lady, but her story doesn't stop with that 40 pound cabbage.  She wrote a children's book called "Katie's Cabbage", organizes other food drives and is even having a contest for other kids to become philanthropic gardeners.  The prize - a grant to start their own garden plot.  How cool is that!


Folks, this is the good stuff, and it doesn't get any better than this sweet little girl.  She is the spirit of giving, the hope of the future and a beautiful soul that we all need to look at and admire.  At age 12, she's already started soup kitchens, community gardens, written a book, published a website and challenged thousands and thousands of people to "grow for the greater good".  Isn't that what it's all about?  We need to all be "Katies".


I don't know about you, but I tolerate the local and national news.  I watch bare minimum, just enough to know what roads to avoid and whether or not I can expect cataclysmic weather events that may or may not affect my comings and goings for the next few days.


Our world is a mess, and shame on us, but we let it happen, and even joined the parade on a lot of it.  But amidst the really bad stuff, it's nice to know that somewhere out there, there is a little girl with a big dream about making the world a better place, feeding hungry children  and helping others to do the same.  Guess what, she is succeeding!  Way to go, Katie!


Mississippi Gulf Coast, I would love to come visit, but now is not the time.  Palm trees and sandy beaches, local seafood shacks on piers extending out into the Gulf of Mexico, yep, nice dream, and maybe someday, we will head down your way.  But right now, I wish I could be in Summerville, South Carolina talking to an amazing almost 12 year old young lady about her dreams for a garden for the greater good in all 50 states.  For her, it all started with a cabbage seedling.


I thought you might enjoy her story.  It's wonderful, so here is a link to her website.  Enjoy reading.  It's nice to have a little of that "good news" to focus on when you've had all you can stand of the bad stuff.  Happy reading!


http://www.katieskrops.com/


Inspired and smiling,
Me

Mashed Taters and Strawberry Jello

I'm so over resting in the recliner and watching/listening to the television.  Housebound for 3 days with orders to totally chillax and let things just happen around me is not exactly what I am used to.  Little bit, well, no, a lot of oral surgery Friday, and now I am in chill out mode until Monday afternoon.  Thank Heavens for Vicodin, mashed potatoes and Jello!  Hoorah, my diet of choice for the next few days.  There's not a lot of imagination in the whole thing, but at this point in time, if it's mushy and doesn't require chewing and has some semblance of flavor, I'll take it.

I have dreaded this surgery for months.  I've scheduled it and cancelled more times than I want to talk about, but it's done now and I am so glad to have it over.  Four hours in the surgery chair, nitrous oxide and a gallon or two of novocaine, I now have about 50% less jawbone and more stitches than I care to count.  Parting words from the surgeon, I've never done this on someone without them being asleep before, but you did great!  Awesome, that's just exactly what I wanted to hear from someone that just spent over 3 hours with his hands in my mouth sawing, chiseling and tugging.  Great memories, let me tell you.  He informed me that he removed boulders from my mouth and it was too bad I didn't need bone grafts because there was plenty to go around.  Really!  I didn't need to know all of that.  None the less, it's done, and now I can look forward to the results in a couple months.

Recuperation is a blast.  Husband and son waiting on me hand and foot.  They are very glad that I can talk now, because they were getting weary of the bell that I was using to get their attention.  Apparently, I can't write fast enough to let them know what I needed and it seems that we were playing a game of charades for awhile.  Hello, no, mellow, no....Oh, you want more Jello!  Got it.  Today was exciting.  I actually tried some scrambled eggs.  They tasted soooooo good.

So, a little note about being in the chair with the weight of the world pushing down on my lower jaw, conversations about boulders in my mouth and bone grafts, I'm scared.  I'm anxious, nervous, wanting this whole ordeal to just be over.  The nitrous was long past making me relax a little, so I did the only other thing that I knew to do, I started having a conversation with God.  I asked Him to hold my hand, to make the noise go away, to just let it be over.  I was so focused on my conversation, that things were over and done with and I didn't realize it.  The greatest anti anxiety treatment out there - God!

I was pretty shaky and not looking my best.  I still don't and I understand that the bruising will all start in a couple of days.  Maybe I will get lucky and NOT look like I was hit by a freight train.  From here on out, everything else should be easy.

You know me by now and you know that I turn to prayer regularly.  It's a direct connection to the one Person that can help me through anything, and you don't ever have to worry about losing your signal!  Now, I'm sitting here, taking it easy and trying to put more distance in between my pain pills.  TV is just really obnoxious sometimes, and then I see a national news story about a young woman in a cell phone store that was able to walk away from an armed robbery by sharing God with the robber.  She witnessed to that desperate man and not only saved her own life, but probably his too.  When she finished, he thanked her and walked out of that store a changed soul.  He is in custody now, according to the report, but his life was changed forever because of the spiritual strength of one very passionately religious young woman who chose to share her God with the panicky, desperate young man.  She is alive because of it.

I'm alive too, very much so, physically and spiritually.  My ordeal Friday wasn't the least bit pleasant, it was painful in spite of the goofy gas and the novocaine, and in the aftermath, it still is.  But somewhere in the middle of my laughing gas stupor, I had an epiphany and I became lucid enough to call on my "Daddy" to hold my hand and help me get through it all, and He did.

Whether it's oral surgery, an armed robbery, a test in school, giving a speech, or just plain courage to face the world in any scenario, there is one Person that is there for us every moment of every day forever, and that is God.  He's helped me out more times than I can even remember, and He is there to help you too.  Just ask Him!

Yippee!  It's supper time, black cherry jello and spooned chocolate milk shake.  Yum!  Don't think I have to worry about steak any time soon.  So, Bon Appetit and God bless each and every one of you!

In His Glory!
me

Roasted Carrots

Stick a fork in me.  I think I'm done!  I'm about to say something that I know a lot of us are uttering and muttering these days.  WHEN WILL THIS HEAT WAVE END?  I know you've said it, the weather man has said it, my neighbors have said it and there are a few of you out there have added some extra words here and there when you've said it, and we just not going to go there.  So, yes, we all agree ITS HOT!

Went to north Georgia today to meet a client and "iron" out some details.  Parked in the shade thinking ahead for when we left later in the day.  Do you know what happens when you park in the shade facing east at 10:30 in the morning?  Yep, by 2pm, it's not in the shade anymore.  Those big beautiful oaks and maples looked so promising.  Note to self, check which direction the sun is coming from if you don't want to risk being a human cupcake.

Something else, I always thought that it should be cooler in the mountains.  Logically, that makes sense, you are up higher, and it's cooler at higher elevations in the winter time, right.  So, makes perfect sense to me.  Down in the valley, trapped sweltering, fry an egg on the sidewalk heat, right?  Right.  Up high, mountain breeze, higher elevations - IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE COOLER!  I guess you figured out by now that there wasn't even a noticeable difference.  Pre cooled the car to a frigid 85 degrees and headed down the mountain watching the external temperature start off from 86, then 94, 95, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103!  Yes, in the middle of beautiful downtown Helen, Georgia at 3pm today, it was an unbelievable 103 degrees.  We thought about playing tourist on the way home, but once we got the car down to a comfy temperature inside, our eye was on Atlanta and the car was on auto pilot.  We were not stopping for any reason, unless of course we managed to find a drive through roadside veggie and boiled peanut stand where I could call out my order and drive around to the window and pick it up.  Hey, that's not a half bad idea.  That might have potential if this  heat keeps up much longer.  Come to think of it, I didn't see a whole lot of people out at any of those veggie stands and they could have put the peanuts in a bucket of ice water and they would have been ready to serve in about 10 minutes.  The only place we saw people braving the heat was on the streets of Helen making their way to the River Tubing park.  I've never seen so many hot pink and lime green inner tubes in my life.  There were so many people floating down that river, that you couldn't see the water.

Well, I guess I made my point about the heat, and you should now by know that there is usually some extra little message tied into to most of my stories.  So here goes.  It is really hot out today, but think about it like this, it could be a lot hotter for us someday.  We all have a story in the Book of Life.  From that history, so goes our eternity.  What is your story in the Great Book?  Don't know what I mean, well, open your Bible to that last book that was written by John and do a little reading.  Then rethink how you live your life and is it in such a way that everything you do is for the greater good and to HIS GLORY, not yours!  Remember, someday, we will all judged, not by the courts, not by our neighbors, not by the people that go to church with us.  "Boils" down to these two thoughts, lake of fire or entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.  I will let you "stew" on that for awhile.

Okay, I'm done,I'll chill out.  Besides which, I didn't want to cook and heat the house up so I thought I would just wrap everything in foil and toss it in the back of the truck to let it slow cook.  July in Georgia (and pretty much the rest of the country right now too) - well, let's just call it God's crock pot.  It's not everyday that you can roast your veggies while they are still deep in the ground!

Keep Cool and be blessed!
me

Extra Extra!

Life happens!  It doesn't always happen the way we want it to, or events when we want them to, but it happens.  We participate or we cease to exist.  We learn to accept and deal with disappointment and regret every day, but some of us never stop dreaming or reaching for those "just out of grasp " stars.  We learn as we go.  We dream, we do and some of us believe so much in our dream, that we just know that it will happen someday.

I am pleased as I can be to tell the world that my amazing son has reached for the stars and got just a little bit closer to them today.

At exactly 5:44 pm last night, the phone rang and this very pleasant voice asked to speak to my son by the name that everyone but family and old friends call him.  I had a feeling it was a call that he had been waiting on for such a long time, and I was right.  You see, we had submitted headshot and resume by email just a few nights before.  Since we didn't get the call for a Friday call, we just figured it wasn't meant to be this time and settled into watching and waiting for the next opportunity to start up that ladder.  Waiting led to that one wonderful phone call.  

To say that he was excited would be putting it mildly.  Ecstatic would be more accurate.  Three feet off the floor and a grin as big as Kansas would come closer to describing his reaction after he got off the phone.  We made the required call to the Hotline and got all of the information for the shoot and began the process of weeding out his wardrobe and packing a bag for him with the required 4 backup outfits.  

I'm not sure if he slept at all last night, but I hope he did because it is a 12 hour day, and a lot of hurry up and wait.  Being particularly insistent about being early for things, we left the house at 7:30 this morning for a 9:00 am call.  I wanted to make sure I had time to get lost and un-lost, (or to quote someone near and dear to me, temporarily displaced!).  We got there 45 minutes early, plenty of time to spare, only to find out, that had we recalled the Hotline, we would have discovered that the call time was changed to 10:00 am.  We've got a lot to learn about this stuff!  None the less, butterflies in his stomach, 4 outfits and a duffle bag included, he got signed in, and began his day of hurry up and wait.  Not a problem.  You could have told him he might be sitting there for a week, and he wouldn't have minded a bit.  As I left, I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see him beginning to be part of the whole group that was there, each one of them, reaching for that first star.  No!  I didn't cry, I just grinned and walked off the set and headed home.  Gonna be a long day!  

I have shared a lot with you about both of my kids.  They are both incredibly talented and blessed with amazing gifts that they have each had the opportunity to share with others.  My daughter was dancing before she was walking and was doing solos and duets when she was 2.  She was always a crowd pleaser because she was so tiny compared to the rest of the kids.  When she was not quite 7, she had visions of ice skating and decided to hang up those dance shoes and take to the ice.  18 months later, she won a national competition for her age group.  Trophies, gold medals, silver medals, bronze medals, all adorned her room as she grew up.  

When we began a puppet ministry at our church, she was hesitant to participate, but she did it for her mama, and became one of the best puppeteers I've ever seen.  That piece of stuffed cloth and yarn on her hand came to life and her personality resonated from it.   She could do it all.  There wasn't anything stopping her and now, she's a grownup (kind of) and dreaming new dreams and finding new talents and gifts to share with the world.

Remember a few weeks back and I told you about my son's incredible ability to memorize movies and characters down to every last detail.  For as long as I can remember, this "little" boy has wanted to be an entertainer, and being sensible Mom, I tried my best to discourage him, but to no avail.  Now, I'm glad that I failed at that endeavor, because today, he proved me wrong.  I love it when that happens.  No, I really do, because to me, that shows dedication. determination and a spirit of believing beyond anything that I think I could ever comprehend.  

It's not a Golden Globe, it's not even a speaking part.  Those don't come easy, but it's a start and to him, you might as well just have handed him an Oscar, because that's what he was seeing.  Whether it's today and next week as an extra in a made for tv movie, or a one liner in something that could happen next month, he is living his dream.  He is eating, sleeping, breathing, waiting and believing in all of those tomorrows that he has put on that shelf just waiting for him to show up and capture them in all of their glory.  He is doing it and that impresses the daylights out of me.

I want to share this thought with you before I close.  None of our kids are perfect, none of them, no matter what any of us wants to believe, they are not perfect and neither are we.  But each of our children start off as a blessing to not just our lives, but our world and our existence.  We teach them and mold them and set examples.  We yell, we put them in time out, we hug them, we fix boo-boos.  We cry when they break our hearts and we cry when they make us proud.  We cry when they grow up and start their own life and we cry when they reach for the stars and actually pluck one from the night sky.  I  love them, unconditionally, forever.  I hope you do yours, too.

So, if it's been awhile since you've opened those arms and scooped that ornery, rebellious teenager into them and hugged them like your very life depended upon it, do it!  Do it now!  Do it often!  Tell them how much you love them, good and bad.  Tell them that you know that they have made mistakes, and that's okay, because you STILL love them!  Tell them that you made plenty yourself, but you grew up in spite of those mistakes and that is why you are standing there at that very moment doing exactly what you are doing - loving your child.  They may pull back, they may yell at you, they may tell you to quit being stupid, they may tell you that they don't love you and accuse you of not loving them.  But hug them anyway and tell them over and over and over again that they are loved.

In Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life, he tells us in Chapter Two, the very first sentence, "You are not an accident.  Your birth was no mistake or mishap and your life is no fluke of nature.  Your parents may not have planed you, but God did." 

Remember, God never does anything by accident!  He has a reason and purpose for each and every one of us.  He wants us to learn and grow from our mistakes as well as our triumphs.  Remember that the next time your children have led you down the path of wanting to wring their precious necks.  We've all tested the waters, and that will never change.  But, WE ALL HAVE A PURPOSE.  We all have our moments to shine and we have all made bad choices and we have all had to deal with consequences.  So, remember that before you bring the wrath of the world upon your offspring.

Well, it's supper time here.  I would imagine that my son is either exhausted or exhilarated and he still has 5 hours to go on his first day of taking the first step of getting just a little closer to touching that first star.  Can't wait to scoop him up and give him a big hug.  My precious daughter has spent the afternoon sitting with a friend while she had some new artwork added, basically, a tatoo.  And now, she and her husband are getting ready to spread out a feast for their friends to share to celebrate a special birthday.  Wish she was a little closer so I hug her too.  Love them both, more than life itself.

Do me a favor.  Finish reading this installment of Life's Morsels and go hug your kid.  If they're not where you can reach out and touch them, call them, send them an email, a text, Skype, whatever.  Just tell them you love them and how very, very special they are to you.

Hugs, y'all!

Kaye

it wouldn't be me if I didn't leave you a couple of things to think about.....as always, this is In His Glory!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate."  (Psalms 127:3-5 ESV)

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.