I was given the wonderful pleasure of reconnecting with one of my favorite teachers whom I hadn't seen in close to thirty years, Miss Kathy Kemp. (She said we get to call her Kathy now but we still found it hard to do :) ) She taught my classmates and me in second and seventh grade at Pensacola Christian. She made at indelible mark for good in my life. It was 1976 and I had American History with her. She made the 200 year anniversary of our country come alive to impressionable 7th graders. She had the choice of enduring the hour with us or putting her heart and soul into teaching in a way we will never forget. Thank you Miss Kemp.
We all enjoyed our time with her and catching up on all that she has experienced since leaving Pensacola. One fact that you may find interesting...There is this boy band.... The Jonas Brothers.... you know the group that is now almost bigger than the Beatles? She is their tutor. She has taught them for six years. I'm sure they are enjoying her as much as I did!

When Trials Come

It has been a very trying week for our family. Monday night I came close to losing someone dear to me. After calling the ambulance I asked the Lord to save her life. It is a feeling of terror which is hard to explain. As my daughter and I left to meet her at the ER, I prayed for peace for my friend and her husband and for my family.
My mind whirled with questions mixed with many what ifs.... At the end of each question and concern I came back to the same answer...
God was in control. No matter what the outcome. God created my friend and He loves my friend more than I ever could. He knows the number of hairs on her head and He knows the number of days she will live on this earth. Though I couldn't remember the reference, the Lord put this verse in my heart and mind that night.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

My friend is recovery and though I don't want to give out her name, we do covet your prayers as she starts a rehab program.

My Unfriendly Neighbor

I walked outside one day and looked over at my next door neighbor. They appeared to be doing yard work and moving at a snails' pace. I wanted to be the first to say Hi to them because most of the time people see me before I'm able to see them and I know I come across as unfriendly. I was so excited to be able to see them first and threw up my hand and said "Good morning". They did not respond right away and sometimes I speak too softly so again in a much louder voice I said "GOOD MORNING". Still no answer, now I was a little ticked about their rudeness. My daughter who was about 11 or 12 at the time, came out to see who I was talking to. I explained and said I would try once more to get their attention. She simply grinned and as she walked away from me she said "Mama, it's their garbage can".
Through the years I have learned to laugh at myself. Having a sense of humor is vital. It is also important to realize that things are not always as they appear. What I saw as a person was in fact a garbage can. We have our own preconceived ideas of whom a person is before we get to know them. We judge too quickly or just write them off. Mine was a garbage can that I thought was real but often "real" people are cast off as garbage and ignored. God taught me a great lesson that day. I also learned to get a little closer to the object I was speaking to to make sure it could speak back!

Hebrews 13:2-3
Don't forget to be kind to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Don't forget about those in jail. Suffer with them as though you were there yourself. Share the sorrow of those being mistreated, for you know what they are going through.

The Toy

I just placed in the garbage can a toy that my son has held onto for many years. It was a simple toy and beat up by time and wear but it held great significance to him. A friend whom he lost years past played with this toy with David. It took time for David to release this item but he no longer needs it to remember his friend. There are some things we need to hold on to in life and some things that we need to say goodbye to and move on. Not that we forget those memories but sometimes they bind us to the past.

Questions

OK more answers to questions coming to my email.
Why don't I wear glasses if I'm blind as a bat? I did wear them for several years as a child but Drs. finally realized that glasses did no good with the condition I have. I've been to many Drs. some came from other countries even, and my parents spent most of their savings probably, to find out there is nothing that can be done.
What was life like at a child? Well, thanks to very wise parents, my life was pretty normal. My parents actually put me in Pensacola Christian which was the toughest school in Pensacola, and I'm sure they spent many nights praying that I would make it there. I've never been able to see the chalkboard or for you young ones, the white board. God always provided dear friends to help me. In kindergarten, He brought a lifelong friend. Her name was Angela. She would tell me what the assignments were for the day , get me to my bus and help me around the halls until I had them memorized. Angela went on to achieve her PhD and we are still dear friends today although we live on opposite sides of the U.S.

Here is a link for those that wanted the Ocular Albinism link from the NOAH organization. http://www.albinism.org/publications/ocular.html
For those parents who have written and feel overwhelmed with your child's condition, I just want to say that there are many success stories from those of us who have OC. My parents learned early on to take each day as it comes and let your children try new things within reason. More on that later.
Pastor Traylor said in his sermon Sunday that the statement "God will never give you more than we can handle" is NOT a true statement. God sometimes DOES give us more than WE can handle, but when we rely on Him, He gives us the strength to handle it.

A friend came by to visit with us yesterday and we had a wonderful time catching up on life and such. After she left, I was closing the front door and there in the hall I saw a spider web! For those of you that know my OCD tendencies, you know I was embarrassed to find it and hoped she didn't see it but knew she probably did. It was past lunch time and I didn't want to bother with it then so I warmed up my "yummy" Lean Cuisine and started several other projects. Later I walked in the hall and saw it hadn't moved. The web was indeed still there, but STILL chose to find other things to do. I even mentioned it to my family, but still, it sat there. I then in my mind thought " Well they see it now, why can't THEY get it?".
So many times in my Christian walk, a flaw or sin comes into my life and I choose to ignore it or think it's not very big or blame other people. It's a little like looking in a mirror and seeing chocolate on the side of you mouth and doing nothing about it. Some sins can be seen and others are hidden, but we still know they are there. They tend to grow like the spider web also.
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror
24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. James 1:22-24
Did I get the spider web? Did I MENTION I was OCD. Yes, of course I removed it! It did eat at me until I did though.

I keep getting emails asking why I named my site "Life is Bright". Let me answer everyone at one time. I have a condition known as Ocular Albinism. I have had it since birth. It's a defect with the iris in the eye. There is no control in how much light is allowed to enter the eye. It would be like you having a spotlight shining in your eyes anytime you were awake. Hence, "Life is Bright". One of the downfalls of this is that everyone who walks toward me is a dark shadow. The light overpowers the person. I am also legally blind so yep you guessed it Blind and Blond makes for TONS of jokes from all of my FRIENDS.
In my early years I did not cope well with my condition. I prayed each day as a child and teen that God would help Drs. find a cure for this. When the teen years came, all of my friends were peeling into the school parking lot in their Mustangs and I had to come back my Jr. year to tell them the Drs. said I would probably never drive. I grew to resent my condition even though God blessed me with tons of great and understanding friends, I still felt like a freak.
Through the years the Lord has taught me many valuable lessons about being DIFFERENT. Though they have never found a cure and though I probably will never drive, I now understand that He created me for His purpose. He had crafted me and I have peace in that. Do I get frustrated? You bet, but doesn't everyone get frustrated with one thing or the other about themselves? When those times come I count my blessings and walk on.

"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. " Jeremiah 29:11