Have You Ever Had One Of Those Moments?

Have you ever had a "If those were MY kids…” moment? The other day a child was standing up about to fling himself head first into the concrete and mom says…” You need to think about sitting down before you fall.” I can feel my blood pressure beginning to rise, as I think about all the stupidity in that statement. You need to THINK about it? Really, a two year old is going to THINK this process through…..If I don’t sit down, I will fall and crack my head open and will be rushed to the ER and might die. I don’t care HOW smart you think little Johnny is….he’s not quite there yet MOM!
Sitting in a restaurant a few months back was rather tough for me also. My hearing is very good since my eye sight is not, and I can hear four or five conversations going on at a time without trying. I find it more of a curse than a blessing at times. Two ladies at the booth behind me were discussing, rather loudly actually, one of their teen.
Parent One says: “I want to be my daughter’s best friend, and buddy up with her friends. I think it’s cool to relive my teens again.”
Parent Two says: “That sounds so cool. I think they would love us more if we were more like them!”
As I sat across from my husband and my eyes begin to get bigger and bigger. He knows me well enough to know what’s going on. It took every bit of common sense, and Christian character I had not to stand up in my booth and scream. “YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR TEENS FRIEND, THEY HAVE PLENTY OF THEM! BE A PARENT WHEN THEY ARE CHILDREN AND TEENS AND WHEN THEY ARE GROWN, THEY WILL BE ONE OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS!”

Parents, please grow a backbone and be responsible parents. Your kids need to be able to respect you.

Our youngest is living with us while in college The rules have changed now that he is an adult, but some haven’t. If he choose to ignore these rules, he knows where the door is. We have had no problems as of yet with our guest ;)

The Rules For Living In Our Home Are:
1. No drinking
2. No smoking
3. No drugs
4. No sex outside of marriage.
5. Must be involved in a good local church.
6. Don’t care when you come home, but please let us know where you are out of courtesy (see rules 1-4 for what is not allowed)

I know you are wondering why I expect so much from my family, and the answer is I am just asking them to do what the Lord would ask them to do. Are these rules really followed and the answer is YES!

Was I the perfect parent? NO…, I haven’t met anyone that was perfect either, but a little sense and Biblical teaching goes a LONG way in helping.


"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children." Chuck Swindoll

What a Family Can and Can't Do

I am blessed with a large extended family. We come from a variety of backgrounds and interest. Some of our careers include; realtor, Colonel, nurse, teacher, student, bankers, business owners, welders, Iraqi War Vet, writers, Dr., bakers, aircraft mechanic, construction workers, Pastors, mathematicians, homemakers, graphic artists, ultrasound technician, retired military, lawyer, professor, musician, forest ranger, chefs, bosses, secretaries, and of course every family has a few "rebels without a cause".

I know it’s hard to believe, but we also have Republicans, Democrats, and Independents sitting at the same table at dinner sometimes! Yes, it has gotten a little loud - I won’t lie, but no food fights yet. ;) Agreeing to disagree is sometimes all one can do.

If I needed ANY ONE of these people, they would come to my rescue almost immediately with little or no questions asked. That’s a pretty cool arsenal to have at one’s disposal isn’t it? In fact, the Dr., nurse, writer, student, colonel, teacher, welder, banker, aircraft mechanic, and musician were all with us the day that Daddy passed away a couple of months ago.
Although they are all talented and loving and would give anything for us, none of them can give what only Christ could give us during that time. Grace for the journey and peace that passes all understanding.
They also cannot answer the ultimate question one day when Christ asks…”Do you know Me?” We are all on our own at that time. None of my family can answer for me. I doesn’t matter who did what to whom or didn’t do, or who gave the most money, or helped the most people, or say the nicest things, or even helped with “world peace” and “global warming”! (yes, there is implied sarcasm here)

God has been good to me and even if he hadn’t I still owe Him my full loyalty for dying on a cross 2,000 years ago for my sins, being put in a grave for three days, and rising from the dead so that I can have eternal life with Him.

Romans 14:11 It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'"

Wrong Aisle At The Right Time

Each day brings new challenges when you are legally blind. Sometimes it’s nice just to be able to laugh at yourself. I was in a store the other day and asked a clerk where an item was located. She muttered “Aisle 20”. To YOU, that is all the help you need. What she didn’t know is that I could only see some of the numbers, so I found the first number and started counting up in my head to 20. Finally, I thought that I had found the aisle, but NO…it’s wine. I was definitely not looking for that. I guess at that point I rolled my eyes, or showed some type of exasperation because a sweet lady had been watching me struggle to find this item. (She could have also been security wondering why I was casing the place!) “Can I help you?” she asked. I told her what I was searching for; only to find out they didn’t carry it.
I thought, “Why in the world did I wasted all of this time for nothing?” As I walked down the aisle to leave, I heard my name. I knew the voice before I could actually see her; a friend from long ago. She seemed tired, and as we began to talk, it was clear that her life had been a rough one. She cried as she told about her children and we laughed as we remembered old times. We hugged and exchanged info and I continued walking.
I then realized that this wasn’t a “legally blind” moment, but a “God Moment”! He orchestrated my steps that day and put me in the “wrong” aisle! Our minds are finite, and we have a limited understanding of God's ways.

Proverbs 16:9
A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps