Clay Balls

A man was exploring caves by the Seashore.
In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls.
It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake.
They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.
He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock . Inside was a beautiful, precious stone! Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure.
He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!
It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it.
We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person. There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.
May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.
I am so blessed by the gems of friendship I have.
Thank you for looking beyond my clay vessel.
APPRECIATE EVERY SINGLE THING YOU HAVE, ESPECIALLY YOUR FRIENDS!
LIFE IS TOO SHORT AND FRIENDS ARE TOO FEW!
Pass this on to another Clay Ball!!!

Do not ask the Lord to Guide your Footsteps if you are not willing to MOVE your Feet

Time Away

Been spending some time away this week. Be back home shortly.

Meet a great couple in the next condo.

Be sure & visit her Caring Bridge site.

I have a new granddaughter

Annabelle Lillian LeBlanc

born April 6th, 2009

6 lbs 15 oz.

19 inches long

Wordless Wednesday

Irish Blessings

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

These things, I warmly wish for you-

Someone to love,

Some work to do,

A bit of o’ sun

A bit o’ cheer

And a guardian angel

Always near.

May your troubles be less

And your blessing be more

And nothing but happiness

Come through your door

May your blessings outnumber

The Shamrocks that grow

And may trouble avoid you

Wherever you go.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

from The Patty's

My blog

This site is not closed. It is due to a lack of time to take care of the site updates and maintenance. I hope to have the site back up soon, just waiting for life to calm down. I'm running over with blessings to have such a full and busy wonderful life! Please drop back. I have lots of new info to post soon.

Valentine

An oldie but a goodie. I have seen this around for awhile but still love getting it.


............."For God so loVed the world,
.....That He GAve
...........His onLy
............BegottEn
.................SoN
....................................That whosoever
............Believeth In Him
....................Should Not perish,
.........................But have Everlasting life."
John 3:16

A Special Love Story

I would like to share with you an e-mail I receive around each Valentines Day. I am proud to say this is from my Associate Pastor. He is thought very highly of in our church. I know for a fact that man has a place in heaven waiting on him. He is about the smartest most humble man I know that knows the entire history of the bible. He goes in depth that is way beyond me. His SSClass has to meet in the gym because it is so large.

David Langerfeld
Feb 11, 2009

Although most of you have read this story many times, I share it every year during Valentine's Week in tribute to the greatest, most wonderful woman I know...

A Special Love Story

Her family had come to America from Sweden. She had a typical Scandinavian look... Long blond hair; blue eyes; long slender legs; soft, blemish-free skin. She was gorgeous - she was beautiful. In fact, a professional international photographer in her hometown thought she was so pretty that he used a photograph of her to advertise his business.
But that was not her real beauty.

She was raised by some wonderful Christian parents and had become a Christian at an early age. Integrity, honesty and sweetness were just a few of her characteristics. In fact, at her engagement party, her sister, who knew her better than anyone, said that she had never heard her tell a lie. All of her friends said the same thing about her: She was the sweetest girl they knew. She would never speak a harsh word about anyone. Everyone loved to be around her.

A young man she met in her freshman year started dating her and fell in love with her - both her exterior photographic beauty and the wonderful godly character of her inward beauty. She fell in love with him and they spent every free moment they could with each other over the next four years. They were committed to each other and they believed in waiting long before the "True Love Waits" Campaign ever existed.

One week after they graduated from college, they were married. They loved each other's company. They would walk together, exercise together, go on bike rides together, chaperone youth trips together - go to movies, watch TV, eat pizza, travel - all the things any normal couple would love to do together. They were so much in love.

She taught school for a year and then became a bookkeeper for a surgical supply company. One day, while she was working, for no apparent reason, she lost her balance and fell on the floor. She was later able to get up and went to see a doctor that night. He set her up to see a Neurologist.

The following day, it happened again. For no apparent reason, she lost her balance and fell. This time, though, she couldn't get up. She had lost all feeling in her legs. They wouldn't move. Her husband, had to come to the office and pick her up in his arms and carry her to the hospital. After six days in the hospital, the doctor gave this beautiful, active young lady the dreadful news. She had Multiple Sclerosis and she would continue to deteriorate.

This young couple, who had now been married only 18 months - who loved to go everywhere together and do everything together - would now face some new challenges. All their future plans would change, everyday life would change. They would change.

For the next 30 years, this young lady did deteriorate. She had to take steroids (not the kind athletes use, but anti-inflammatory steroids). Her bones became brittle, breaking easily. Her face became puffy and bloated and she could not even put on make-up. Her body was a mess. She went from a walker, to an electric scooter, to a wheelchair. She could no longer feed herself, write her name, or control her own bodily functions. She now had to have someone stay with her 24 hours a day.

If that couple had not had the kind of committed love that's based first on a personal relationship and a commitment to Jesus Christ and second, on a love that's based on a commitment to each other, the marriage never would have lasted. In fact, a large percentage of the marriages where a spouse has MS, the other spouse leaves them. The other spouse won't stay committed to the constant care and the continual physical, psychological and mental changes that continue to occur.

Please hear me carefully - those two people are not heroes. They are not super-saints or super-Christians. They will be the first to tell you that they are not super Christians. Those two people are normal, ordinary people, empowered by the Love of God and a love for each other, to do what the world considers beyond normal and extraordinary.

I know this for a fact - because that woman, that beautiful young lady who will never walk again, who can't even feed herself, is Lynda Langerfeld - my wife. She's not a hero. I'm not a hero. We're children of God, doing what the children of God are supposed to do. Doing what His children are called to do. Doing what God expects of every man and every woman who make a vow before God on their wedding day.

Quite often, Hollywood will portray a "hero" sacrificing his life for his "heroine" in a film. In the world's eyes, he's a hero. In God's eyes, he's an ordinary man making an extraordinary sacrifice that every Christian who's committed to his spouse ought to make. Sacrificial, Committed Love is the rule, not the exception. We're not super-saints, we're not heroes when we're being faithful and committed to our mates. We're doing what God has called every husband and wife to do since the beginning of time.

(c) 2002
David Langerfeld
dlangerfeld@HarrisburgBaptist.org
http://www.harrisburgonline.org/

Permission to distribute this article via email or individual copies is automatically granted on the condition it will be used for non-commercial purposes and will not be sold.

Update on my Uncle that was hurt on the job.

Lewis back at work after injury
By Dewayne Patterson
The Daily Sentinel
Published February 4, 2009
Larry Lewis, a deputy at the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, had never been out of work more than three days, other than vacation time, before December of last year.
That changed on a Sunday night in Section on Dec. 21, 2008. That night, while directing traffic on Alabama Highway 35 as members of the Section Fire Department battled a structure fire, Lewis was struck by a vehicle.
Lewis suffered two broken legs, a concussion, bruised sternum and several lacerations. Tuesday, Lewis, 54, was finally able to return to work, on restrictive duty, in the sheriff's office."I'm thrilled to death to be back," Lewis said. "I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world not to be hurt any worse."
Lewis spent two days in Huntsville Hospital before spending the next several weeks at home recuperating. He said he doesn't remember the accident."We're proud to have him back," said Chief Deputy Doyle York.
"He'll be on limited duties for awhile, and hopefully be back to 100 percent in the next few weeks.
"Lewis, who has been employed with the sheriff's office since 2003, said one of the main reasons he was able to return to work was the many thoughts and prayers he received, in addition to the numerous phone calls from people checking on him.

Before I was a Mom

Before I was a Mom, I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.


Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.



Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.



Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.



Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.



Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.



I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.



My kids in a church photo a few years ago. They are now 22, 11 & 7 years old.

I Believe...

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born
A Death Certificate shows that we died
Pictures show that we lived!

Have a seat . . . Relax . . . And read this slowly.

I Believe...

That just because two people argue,
It doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue,

It doesn't mean they do love each other.
I Believe...

That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I Believe....

That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every

once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I Believe...

That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I Believe...

That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life..
I Believe...

That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I Believe...

That you should always leave loved ones with loving words.

It may be the last time you see them..
I Believe...

That you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I Believe...

That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I Believe...

That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I Believe...

That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when

it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I Believe...

That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I Believe...

That my best friend and I, can do anything, or nothing and have the best time.
I Believe...

That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when

you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
I Believe...

That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry,

But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I Believe...

That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've

had and what you've learned from them and less to do with

how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I Believe...

That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I Believe...

That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief. I Believe...

That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,

But we are responsible for who we become.
I Believe...

That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I Believe...

Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different. I Believe...

That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
I Believe...

That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
I Believe...

That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I Believe...

That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

'The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;

They just make the most of everything.

Thank you God for all the wonderful people who help us throughout the

journey of life...
May Angels guard you and guide you .

So wierd

As I was typing another post this came through my e-mail from a friend. She has not even seen my blog post.
This is how it starts out.....

No matter how much we complain in life we are truly blessed by GOD!
Remember all that the Lord has done for you! Have a blessed day!

Wow... is that not a God Stop Moment?

What a blessed life I have!

On my way dropping off the boys for school this morning I always listen to my favorite local radio station. Wizard 106 from Tupelo, MS. For the last couple of weeks they have been giving away tickets for the Brad Paisley concert in Southhaven. My daughter has been listening to every give away trying her best to win tickets.
They ask the question....You may know Ricardo Montalban from his Fantasy Island role but what was his character name in his Star Trek role? He also played in a couple of movies of Star Trek. I can't beleive I even remembered the name of the movie. I threw that in but that didn't get me anything extra.
Well get to the point already!
I won 2 tickets to the concert in SouthHaven along with his CD.
The answer was Khan & it was Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan movie.
I am no Treky but I did pretty good. I immediately called Alicia to see if she was listening for tickets. She said yes but time has passed & they are about to announce the winner. I told her to turn the radio back up! She said but they already did it. I repeated turn the radio back up! All of a sudden a lady came on that called & her answer was Darth Vader. WRONG. Then my sweet (cough cough) strong southern accent came on. I had the answer. I am still in shock I won. Well Alicia said have fun but I told her I wasn't going. I was giving the tickets to her. She was so excited. They are getting ready to leave as I type. Have fun.
Now if that had of been Rod Stewart or Toby Keith or Trace Adkins I would not have given those tickets to my own mommy.

Deputy recovering from injuries

The Daily Sentinel
By Dewayne Patterson

Published December 24, 2008

Chief Deputy Doyle York of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday an injured deputy should be home for Christmas.
Deputy Larry Lewis is recovering from injuries suffered after being struck by a vehicle Sunday night in Section.
According to Sheriff Dennis Miller, deputies from his office were directing traffic while the Section Fire Department answered a call nearby.
Miller said a female driver came off a side street onto Highway 35 before striking Lewis.
“We don’t know if she panicked,” said Miller. “We don’t really know what happened yet.”
York said state troopers are still investigating the incident. Though Miller is not releasing the driver’s name, he has said she had outstanding warrants on some misdemeanor charges in Marshall County, including driving with a suspended license.
Lewis, who has been employed with the sheriff’s office since 2003, suffered two broken legs, injuries to his head, chest and rib areas, leaving him badly bruised with several cuts as well.
He was transported to Huntsville Hospital Sunday night.
York said Lewis was expected to be released Tuesday from the hospital.
“We’re hoping he gets to come,” said York. “I talked to him today.
He’s in good spirits and ready to get home.”

Update on Larry Paul

Got an e-mail from one of my many cousins.

"Called Huntsville Hospital and talked to Brenda. She says Larry Paul has been discharged and they are going home. This was about 1:00 today."

You have to know my Uncle. He is tough.

M&M's tonight

For our M&M's (Music & Missions) class tonight at church we had a party before we break for Jesus' birthday. All the kindergarteners had a great time. Double chocolate chip cookie, chips, grapes & drink. We had a great time. Since I do the mission & craft part I had little coloring books made for them to take home & bracelets that said Happy Birthday Jesus on them. We ate, talked, laughed & Kathy the one who leads the Music part shared her Nativity barn with them that her father made for her many many many years ago with some figures she has. She read The Crippled Lamb to them. A touching story about a disabled lamb who finds he has a special purpose and place in this world.

Thank you Lord for such sweet people you put in my life that love you & honor you.

Life is Good

Christmas Tradition's

What are your Christmas Tradition's at your home?

I thought I was really up to date on about all of them but since this past Monday I have been let in on a few. I had lunch at a friends house & on her tree was a spider. Yes a fake spider. What does that have to do with Christmas? Well my answer is "Everything".

Have you heard of any of these?

Christmas Spider

Christmas Pickle

Christmas Shelf Elf

Christmas Comb & Pocket Watch Chain

I found a couple of spider brooch pins to use. This time of year you can't really find spiders. I did go on eBay & found some. They arrive any day.

The Christmas Spider Legend
On Christmas Eve, a long time ago, a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year... Christmas day, the day on which the little Christ child came to bless the house. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner on the ceiling. They had fled to the farthest corner of the attic.
The Christmas tree was beautifully decorated. The poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the little Christ child's visit. Then the oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could wait until everyone went to bed and then get a closer look.
When the house was dark and silent, the spiders crept out of their hiding place. When they neared the Christmas tree, they were delighted with the beauty of it. The spiders crept all over the tree, up and down, over the branches and twigs and saw every one of the pretty things.
The spiders loved the Christmas tree. All night long they danced in the branches, leaving them covered with spider webs. In the morning, when the little Christ child came to bless the house, he was dismayed! He loved the little spiders for they were God's creatures, but he knew the mother, who had worked so hard to make everything perfect, would not be pleased when she saw what the spiders had done.
With love in his heart and a smile on his lips, the little Christ child reached out and gently touched the spider webs. The spider webs started to sparkle and shine! They had all turned into sparkling, shimmering silver and gold.
According to legend, ever since this happened, people have hung tinsel on their

Christmas trees. It has also become a custom to include a spider among the

decorations on the Christmas tree.

My moral of the story is that everything does not need to be perfect & to remember the little things make Christmas special & pretty.

The Christmas Spider
A warm silken web
A child to enfold,
Was spun by a spider
In a stable so cold
In thanks for the warmth
For her shivering Babe,
Between Mary and the spider
A promise was made:
"Good fortune will follow
All those who can see
A Spider on the eve
before Christmas
On their Christmas tree."


Christmas Pickle
John Lower was born in Bavaria in 1842. He left Germany with his family and emigrated to the United States. While fighting in the American Civil War, John Lower was captured and sent to a prison in Andersonville, Georgia. He soon fell to poor health given the poor conditions of the prison. Starving, he begged of a guard for just one pickle before resigning to his death. The guard, taking pity on him, found and gave John Lower a pickle. Lower family lore yields John's testimony that the pickle, by the grace of God, gave him the mental and physical strength to live on. After being reunited with his family he began the tradition of hiding a pickle on the Christmas tree. Hence, the first person who found the pickle on Christmas morning would be blessed with a year of good fortune... and a special gift, just as John Lower had experienced!
If a family could not afford an extra gift, the lucky finder of the pickle was rewarded by being the first to open a present.

In

Old

World

Germany,

the last decoration

placed on the Christmas tree

was always a pickle... carefully

hidden deep in the boughs. Legend

has it that the observant child who found

it on Christmas Day was blessed with a year

of good

fortune...

and a

special

gift!

Christmas Shelf Elf

This one could tend to freak some kids out but it is such a cute idea. My kids are a little old for it now but I would still love to find one.

The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition™ is an activity the entire family will enjoy. Based on the tradition Carol Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s, this cleverly rhymed children's book explains that Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. During the holiday season, the elf watches children by day and reports to Santa each night. When children awake, the elf has returned from the North Pole and can be found hiding in a different location. This activity allows The Elf on the Shelf to become a delightful hide-and-seek game.

& another version

Here is a fun new tradition you can start in your home. Elf on the Shelf is a little elf doll that reports directly to Santa Claus. Kids can tell the elf their Christmas wishes. They may also want to be on their very best behavior as the Elf on the Shelf has Santa's ear. Some children also like to name their elf.

Place the little elf around your home during the weeks before Christmas. During the holidays the elf watches children carefully during the day. At night when the kids are sleeping the elf magically returns to the North Pole to report to Santa Claus. In the morning the elf appears in a new place which offers a daily hide-and-seek ritual for kids. Kids will love trying to locate the elf's new location each morning.
Elf on the Shelf is based on a tradition Carol Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s. This cleverly rhymed children's book explains that Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. During the holiday season, the Elf on the shelf watches children by day and reports to Santa each night. When children awake, the Elf on the shelf has returned from the North Pole and can be found hiding in a different location. This activity allows The Elf on the Shelf to become a delightful hide-and-seek game.

Christmas Comb & Pocket Watch Chain

A friend of mine had these two things hanging from her tree. It reminds you of the sacrifices that you make in life. Such a great story. Get a tissue ready.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
Jim and Della are a husband and wife living in a rented room in New York. They are quite poor and recently Jim has had his salary cut back to only $20 a week from the $30 a week he used to make. After rent and groceries, the couple hardly have any money left.
Christmas is only a day away and, for a Christmas present, Della wants to buy Jim a gold watch chain for his gold watch. They do not have much to be proud or happy about, but Jim is very proud of that watch. And Della? Della is most proud of her beautiful long hair. But she really wants to buy that gold chain for Jim's watch. Too bad she only has $1.87. So, she decides to sell her hair to a woman who makes wigs and other hair articles. The woman pays Della $20 for her hair. The chain costs $21, so she now has enough money. She buys the chain to give to Jim. She goes home and prepares Jim's dinner and waits for him to come home, a little bit worried that Jim will be shocked when he sees her with all her beautiful hair cut off.
When Jim comes home, he does look shocked when he sees Della with short hair. He stares at her in a strange way and it scares her. She explains to Jim how she sold her hair to buy him a nice Christmas present. Jim tells her not to worry and that nothing can change his love for her. The reason he is shocked to see her without her long hair is that he also wanted to get a nice Christmas present for Della. He gives her the present wrapped in paper and Della unwraps it to see that Jim had bought her a set of beautiful combs for her hair.
She had seen them in a shop before, but they were so expensive. How was Jim able to afford them? Suddenly, she remembers Jim's present. She gives him the gold chain. The chain is beautiful, but when Della asks Jim to put it on his watch, Jim surprises her. He sold the watch to buy her those nice combs.
Were they both foolish to sell their favorite possessions? O. Henry tells us that, no, they were wise. They were wise because they had each sacrificed their most valuable possessions for the person they loved. They were like the three wise men — the Magi — who brought presents for Jesus Christ after he was born. Keep in mind, that this is why Christians still give presents on Christmas Day: to remember the gifts the Magi brought Christ on that very first Christmas.

MeMe

I found this at my neice's site of Denise's blog and thought it would be fun to do.
Bold the things you’ve done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (actually hiked up a mountain)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang/played a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Made a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Gotten a speeding ticket

If you decide to do this on your blog, let me know so I can come over and see what you've done.

From God

To: YOU

Date: TODAY

From: GOD

Sub ject : YOURSELF

Reference: LIFE

This is God.

Today I will be handling all of your problems for you.

I do NOT need your help. So, have a nice day.

I love you.

P.S. And, remember... If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it yourself!

Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box.

I will get to it in MY TIME.

All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.
Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it.

Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

Now, you have a nice day...God

Innocence of Children

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.

The winner was: A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife.. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'
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Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted. A little girl said, 'I know all about adoption, I was adopted..' 'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked another child. 'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy!'
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On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League base ball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was 'We're behind 14 to nothing,' he answered with a smile. 'Really,' I said. 'I have to say you don't look very discouraged.' 'Discouraged?’ the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face..... 'Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet.'
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Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen. On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. 'Guess what, Mom,' he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me.....'I've been chosen to clap and cheer.'
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An eye witness account from New York City , on a cold day in December, some years ago: A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My, but you’re in such deep thought staring in that window!' 'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,’ was the boy's reply.The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel. By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.' As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her. 'Are you God's wife?'