Monalea's Motto To Live By:

S Q U E E Z E

2009-10-28T14:09:00.003-07:00

When I was 8 years old I got to make an unexpected trip to Amarillo with my Mom and Dad. My Dad had cancer and was going for a treatment. On the trip up, there was laughing and visiting. On the trip home, there was much silence. Dad lay in the back seat and was sick. I too sat in the back seat and tried to care for him as well as any 8 year old could. Sometime during the trip he reached over and took my small hand in his and squeezed it 3 times and said, “Each squeeze represents a word.” And with each squeezed he said, “I love you!” I in turn squeezed back, “I love you.” But this time he answered my 3 squeezes with 4. I cut my eyes down at him with a questioning look on my face and he said, “That was ‘I love you too’.” So during the remainder of the trip we spoke deep and profound things without saying a word. The following year he lost his battle with cancer.

This past Sunday, my grandson Daniel sat beside me and took my hand and squeezed it 3 times, I in turn squeezed his 4 times. As we cut our eyes around at each other we knew that our silent words were speaking loudly for all to hear, “I love you!”

With God All Things Are Possible

2009-10-16T09:21:00.003-07:00

When Daryl and I met, he was working in the bus program at the Green Lawn church of Christ. As we dated through the remainder of the school year at Lubbock Christian we attended Green Lawn and worked in the bus program and puppet ministry. Several times over the next several months, Daryl mentioned becoming a youth minister.

Over the next 9 years of marriage, Daryl got into the habit of going to church on some Sunday mornings but skipping class. Things began to get stressful around the house, as I would load up the kids to take them to church Sundays and Wednesdays while Daryl would stay home.

Pressure began to build so that I had to begin to read my Bible and pray while he was at work. One Wednesday evening when he came in from work early he poked at me about my fear of ‘going to hell’ if I missed any Church services. I would often ponder, ‘where was the Christian man I had married?’

One afternoon after putting in a long hard day at work, Daryl came in and asked, “What would you say if we went to Sunset School of Preaching and I became a preacher?” There was a look of shock on my face as I said, “You do know you have to go to church 3 times a week don’t you?”

In 1992 we attended Sunset School of Preaching. Daryl is currently preaching at the Jal church of Christ. He has the heart of Andrew, gentle, compassionate and very loving.

IPeter 3:1-2 “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the Word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”

CAMP

2009-07-28T17:25:00.010-07:00

Our cabin at camp held 17 little girls, ages 9-11 and 5 counselors. We got settled in and noticed our bathroom of 3 showers stalls and 3 bathroom stalls began to flood. I drug in the commercial mop and bucket on wheels and began to soak up the water. Our bathroom flooded all week and I could be found at 6 am, 3 pm, and 1 am mopping up water. I became one with the mop bucket. What did I get in return for mopping up water at these unnatural hours of the night and day??? I got my very first muscle. Since I've been home I have been flexing it for everyone.

The food at camp was ... 'camp food.' Mainly carbs with a little meat scattered randomly about a few campers plates. On Thursday an armadillo wandered into camp and my mouth actually began to water. I looked around and saw several other counselors wiping drool from their mouths also.

Thursday night was cabin skit night. Our little girl's skit was an Ugly Beauty Contest. They donned scary makeup, hair styles, and clothing and paraded around stage to be judged by the chosen counselors. That afternoon we asked the little girls to choose what counselors they thought were cute that could be chosen as judges, they replied, "All of the counselors are old." We laughed, because the counselors ranged from 19 - 50.

On Wednesday evening I asked my campers if they were going to participate in the Sadie Hawkins's chase and supper. All raised their hands excitedly as I looked confused from one face to another. Here stood the same little girls excited about chasing boys, when previously they had snarled their lips at the mere mention of the opposite sex. I quickly blurted out, "When you catch the boys you cannot beat them up." As their hands began to drop to their sides I heard a whisper go through the cabin, "O man."

Each morning we cleaned our cabin and when we were in Bible classes the chosen inspectors would come and judge the cleanest boy and girl cabin. We finally won on Wednesday because of extra credit posters we placed around the room stating, 'Flash Flood Warning,' Life Jackets Must Be Worn in This Area,' Weather Advisory: 99% chance of Flooding.' We got to go first at all the meal times and carry the 'sacred stuffed monkey'. It wasn't until after lunch that we learned that the 'sacred stuffed monkey' could be stolen by other cabins. When our monkey was stolen 3 little girls jumped on the perpetrators and began to kick, hit and bite, managing to draw blood from a boy, as the other little girls stood around crying because their 'monkey' had been stolen. Needless to say, we got our 'monkey' back and no one else tried to steal it while we were in possession of it.

On Thursday morning I let my little girls sleep in an extra hour, unbeknown to the 2 directors and most of the other staff. We also chose not to clean our cabin that morning. When the inspectors came to check the cabin, one of the counselors hid under a blanket on the top bunk and as the the inspectors entered the room, she threw the covers off and shouted, "BAM!" That day we had extra KP duty and I was actually threatened with a Kangaroo Court and the possibility of being drug through the mud.

There are still good times to be had at camp :)

"For we KNOW that in all things God works for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

SPRING FORWARD - FALL BACK

2008-11-10T15:38:00.002-07:00

Setting my clocks back every fall is my favorite holiday. Actually I’m probably the only one that really celebrates this favorite day of the year. I usually set my clock back Saturday morning and then spend the day looking at all the clocks that I have positioned about the house basking in the knowledge that I will actually have an extra hour. I think I enjoy this day more than Christmas, Thanksgiving and my birthday; maybe because it has become my own personal celebration.

The next few months I try to adjust to the sun setting earlier (actually it isn’t setting earlier; my clocks are just 1 hour early). I usually put on my PJ’s about 5:30 since it is dark and I pad around in comfort for longer periods of time enjoying this moment in time before it is officially bedtime.

Today it was cloudy so as the afternoon began to wear I went about the house closing all the blinds knowing that in a short time I could get comfy in my PJ’s and possibly snuggle up with a cup of hot cocoa. I happened to look at the clock and noticed it was just 2:30pm and that there were still several more hours of daylight left. I had been trick into thinking it was later; Rats!

SHADOW

2008-10-12T21:26:00.007-07:00

A little Chihuahua showed up at our house last May covered in ticks and very ill. Her tongue and gums were white from so much blood loss. We wrapped her in a towel and brought her in the house and placed her in the tub and started with the tick shampoo, dip, baking soda and anything else we could think of to put on her. We estimated 300+ ticks covered her neck, head, ears and body.

We succeeded in removing 1/3 of the ticks and knew that tomorrow we would have to start all over if she made it through the night. I cooked her some liver and warmed her some milk and fed her as she lay weak and listless in the crate.

The next morning she was alive and we proceeded to cover her with 7-dust. This time we were successful in removing almost all the ticks and were happy to see that the remaining were dead or dying.

After 2 weeks of a liver and warm milk diet, her gums and tongue began to turn pink. We scheduled a visit to the vet where they diagnosed her with Tick Fever.

Because she is forever under my feet or behind me we named her Shadow. She has gained her health and a family that loves her. She is still skittish after months of love and special attention. By our actions, I hope with time she will learn to trust us.

I see that is so many ways I am like Shadow....God took me all covered in sin and hurting and washed everything away. Yet, I struggle to put my full trust and love in Him.

Psalms 147:3 "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds"

Grandbabies.....A Gift From God! Ain't We Got Fun

2008-10-11T15:20:00.009-07:00

Nona, Asher, Daniel

Aric 6lbs 1/2oz, 19in 9/30/08

Papa, Nona and Aric

Papa & Aric

Aric

Am I Up To The Challange? I Think So!

2008-02-20T20:57:00.002-07:00

Monica, the smartest mommy in the blog world has tagged me.

FIVE UNIMPORTANT QUIRKS OR HABITS OF MONALEA

1. I love the smell of SKUNK.

2. I’m trying to break the habit of nagging my adult children. Alas, I’m afraid my head will explode from holding it in.

3. I love to watch “Monk” and find myself saying, “It’s a gift and a curse.”

4. Once I jumped out of a moving car. They did it on TV with little or not problems; I too thought I was immune to pain, bruising and bleeding. WRONG!

5. I once wrote my daughter a check for not throwing up in my car on the way home. Desperate people do desperate things.

I tag Connor, The Matt James Gang and Trey

Embrace the Possibilities

2008-01-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

She was full of life, with a twinkle in her eye and an impish smile tugging at her lips. She was average size for a child and she loved life and thought everything was quite possibly perfect.

Each day was filled with adventure, bare feet and shirts buttoned in disarray. Since she had learned to dress herself her clothing had made their own fashion statement, yet she seemed more than pleased with her selection each morning.

She could be found at every opportunity following behind her Daddy chattering. He would turn his head occasionally nodding attentively. Many times she would stop and look up at her Daddy with eyes full of worship; was there anything he couldn’t do?

The morning brought a day of bright sunshine and cool breezes. As she wondered outside to find what the day was to bring, there was Daddy working on the brush mower. She watched quietly as he labored over the mower to get it running. When he started the big machine the sharp teeth jumped into action. She stood and watched with amazement and awe. The teeth seemed to move in a fluid motion that seemed to mesmerize her as she reached up her little finger to touch the magic.

The monster roared into life as it sliced the little finger off and tore the second finger loose. Life seemed to stand still as she heard her Daddy scream with deep intensity, yet the sound of his fear and the rushing of her Mommy from the house didn’t seem to fit the deep impact of pain and agony that seem to rush deep within her.

As Momma rushed to her she gathered her up and wrapped her little hand in the black apron that hung around her waist. The apron soon became blood soaked as they raced toward the emergency room.

The room smelled of antiseptic and rubbing alcohol as they gently laid the little girl on the table. Momma stood near by holding the little hand that was whole as the nurses and doctors quickly went to work on the other little hand with its severed fingers. As quickly as the sharp pain from the injection ripped through her hand it subsided as swiftly bringing instant relief from the torrent pain. Momma was there one moment, and then Daddy was taking her hand as the nurses led Momma away.

A shot of pain medicine, hand wrapped in bandages and the family headed home to try and find some manner of solace. Medicine was to be administered every 4 hours that would bring some comfort and deep sleep for the little girl. The doctor had warned about depression and pain because of the trauma suffered.

Instructions were given to keep her quiet and still. But minutes later when Momma turned around there she was turning summersaults on the couch. Momma’s heart skipped a beat as she rushed over to calm the child and coax her into lying still. “Sleep; there would be deep sleep after the pain medicine was given” Momma contemplated.

Night came and the little girl slept peacefully between Momma and Daddy. Exhausted sleep finally came to them too. Sometime deep in the night both parents were startled awake to “I want milk and graham crackies.”

Years have passed and this child has grown into a loving, God-fearing woman. Time and time again she has risen above the odds that life has thrown at her. Instead of letting the missing finger set the tempo for her life, she has scaled new heights and embraced each ordeal with renewed strength.

Philippians 3:13-14 “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

For Momma

2008-01-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

She was sent, not to take the place of the little girl whose tragic death had struck the family, but to help ease the pain that the family felt since the death. Jo came to the family in the usual way babies were born into all families. She was tiny, soft and pink. When you touched her hand, her little fingers grasped yours and held on tight. The family gathered round in wonder and watch the tiny miracle that helped to heal their hearts.

As Jo grew up on the farm with her Mama and Papa she was happy, content and basked in the love and affection the other family members gave. Eleven years plus separated her from her brothers and sisters in age. Most were grown and married, raising their own families.

She looked on her older brothers and sisters with love, adoration and great respect. They loved, protected and cherished her. She spent her days following behind Mama as she gathered the eggs, churned the butter, and other numerous farm tasks; chattering with each step.

Mama made her the most beautiful dresses from flour sacks. She would don her new dress, parade around the house and eventually end up on the top of the quilt box where she sang and danced for hours.

When Papa came in from the fields he would pitch in to help Mama finish her chores so they could enjoy the evening together. Jo never witnessed an unkind word spoken between Mama and Papa and grew up assuming everyone spoke with soft gentle speech.

The family cradled and protected Jo, but life has a way of reaching in when least expected, to make you hurt and break your heart. When Jo was 12 Mama died unexpectedly, filling Jo’s heart with hurt, pain and the awareness that her happy little world would never be the same. Nothing eased the pain, only time seemed to lessen it.

When Jo was 20 she married Ross. He was impulsive, humorous, and his eyes held a special twinkle. They laughed together, shared together and loved together. Two little girls were born to them, two year apart, Melinda and Monalea. Six years later a son, Trey was a welcome addition to their family.

Ross was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. Three years were spent in treatments, surgeries, specialist and promises. These years were spent in fear, hope and then more fear; yet life marched on unaware of the pain. Once again Jo felt the hurt, pain and emptiness brought on by loss, but this time she was responsible for 3 small children; three small children that continually reached out for comfort, stability and with questions. That same year Jo lost a much treasured sister, Katy and her dear sweet Papa.

Three years past and Jo held the small broken family together with courage, strength and love for God. Time once again lessened the pain and loneliness of loss.

In time Jo fell in love with Lawrence. And along with Lawrence came 3 beautiful girls Cindy, Stephanie, Melinda and precious boy, Bruce. Jo found herself the mother of 7, ages ranging from 4 to 14.

There were mouths to feed, laundry to wash, chores to be done, budgets to be kept and love to give. Quickly Jo learned that God made a heart so that the love inside never ran out. In truth, the more love you gave, the more love your heart produced.

Time has a way of trudging on. Where did the child go that danced on the quilt box? Where did the girl go that laughed and took great pleasure in school chums? Where did the young mother go full of hopes and dreams? And who was the stranger that now gazed back at her in the mirror?

Mom and Dad’s home is quite now, all the children are grown and have families of their own. If you listen closely you can hear laughter in the hall, children’s voices in the yard and the sound of games being played at the big dining table.

As I search the memories on my heart I see that Mom provided us with a home filled with:

Stability
Love
Courage
Strength
Laugher
Wisdom
Persistence
Determination
Fairness
Inspiration
A Constant
And the most important – The love for God!

Proverbs 31:28 "Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her"

Stan Simmons

2008-01-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce my cousin Stan to you. He is one of my favorite people, uplifting and encouraging. When I read the story of Joseph in the Old Testament I see a lot of similarities between the two men. Genesis chapters 30 - 50

Funny, as a kid growing up he was a lot older than me. Now that I’m older, we are about the same age. As a kid I admired his cool horse Gipsy, his good looking friends who hung out at his house, awesome Archie comic books and I loved his Mom and Dad, Uncle Bob and Aunt Freda. No one could cook like Aunt Freda and she always kept Hershey syrup for my milk. That alone made her #1 in my book.

Life has punched Stan in the guts many times, but he still keeps his positive outlook, his charm and wit. In 2006 Stan wrote his first book “By Path of Night.” When I started reading the book I couldn’t lay it down. The end of each chapter left you hanging so that you just had to read the next.

“By Path of Night” is full of mystery, drama, love, violence, evil and warmth. Several friends who read it commented on how clean it was for a book write in this day and time. Amazon gives “By Path of Night” a 5 star rating; I give “By Path of Night” a 10 star rating.

"I Believe In Santa Clause"

2007-12-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

As we prepared to crawl in bed the butterflies in my stomach seemed to flutter quicker and with more determination. It was Christmas Eve and we had opened the gifts from Momma and Daddy, had a little party of assorted homemade candies, snacks and green punch. It was now time to go to bed and try to sleep amid the ears staining to hear the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As the house quieted down for the night the stillness seemed to stir restlessness more than induce sleep. Melinda was in her bed across the room and I lay listening to her breathing. “Melinda, are you sleeping?” I whispered just incase Santa was near. “No, I can’t sleep. What time do you think it is?” came her reply. “It has to be almost morning” I assured her, “We have been laying here for hours.” As Melinda crept out of bed she tiptoed into Momma and Daddy’s room to see if we could get up.

Melinda came in and I could tell by the way she threw the covers back and crawled into bed that it wasn’t time to get up. “It’s only 12:15” she said with disgust, “and Santa hasn't come yet.” As I snuggled down deeper in the covers I watched the different shadows on the wall made by the bathroom light.

“Monalea, Monalea I think Santa’s come. I really think I heard him." As I peeked my head out I tried to make sense of her words. I had been asleep, actually asleep on one of the most important nights of the years. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, “Quick go ask Momma if Santa has come.” As Melinda once again crept from the warm bed and made her way into Momma’s room I strained to hear the exchange of words. “It’s only 3:45 and Momma says we can’t get up yet” Melinda said in a fretful voice as she climbed back into bed. She didn’t seem to notice the chill in the air. And then with excitement in her voice she exclaimed, “Do you know what that means?” “It means Santa Clause has come.”

Santa had come; and the living room was now full of toys? My heart skipped a beat. As I lay imagining all the magic alive in that room my mind raced. This was the longest night of my life.

When I awoke next Melinda was standing beside my bed shaking me. “Quick, it’s 5:30 and Momma says we can get up and see what Santa Clause brought.” I threw back the covers, slipped off the bed and she and I raced to the living room where lights twinkled and Christmas magic made things come to life.

As I sank down beside my stocking filled with treasures and nestled my new baby doll close I sat blinking at all the wonder. “Look, I told you I heard Santa Clause” Melinda said as she pointed at the muddy boot print left on the carpet. “Daddy has pointed toe boots and Santa Clause has rounded toe boots.” She was right, as I examined the muddy boot print and Daddies boots left by the front door, they were different. Santa Clause had been here!

Recovering

2007-11-20T09:21:00.001-07:00

I'm alive and breathing! Spent Friday through this Sunday back in the hospital, just a few complications. I'm better and I hope to be up and posting soon. Thanks you all for your precious much needed prayers.

Monalea

Psalms 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Gone For A While

2007-11-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

I will be having surgery Wednesday, November 7th in Lubbock Texas. I'm going to be having some repair work done. I'll be away from the blog world for about 2 weeks, maybe less. I solicit your prayers.

Monalea

Ten Things I Love About Fall

2007-10-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

10. Mowing and yard work cease

9. The air feels crisp

8. Leaves turning beautiful shades of orange, red, brown and gold

7. Snuggling under a quilt and drinking hot cocoa

6. Gaining one extra hour of sleep

5. The hint of winter in the air

4. The sun has a special golden hue upon rising and setting

3. The attentive ant hurrying to and fro

2. The smell of fall in the air

1. Stepping on fallen leaves and listening to them crunch

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

The Makings of A Good Mother?

2007-10-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

At a very early age, like any little girl I loved baby dolls. Every Christmas morning, with stars in my eyes I would gently cradle my new baby that Santa had brought, and rock it so lovingly. My baby would be dressed in frills; hair styled beautifully and had that ‘New Christmas Baby’ smell. There was nothing as wonderful as a baby.

I would rock, feed and change my baby constantly. And I loved it unconditionally. My baby and I would play church, never missing a service. I would teach my baby to sit quietly, sing and pray. My baby and I did everything together.

My babies never had names, but that didn’t see to matter I loved them all. As soon as possible when my new baby arrived I would give it a bath; whether she needed it or not and even if she was cloth. I would wash her hair, being very careful not to get soap in her eyes. It was funny but all of my babies had the same hair style, stick-um-up straight, and they were beautiful.

Once I decided my baby needed a hair cut. I carefully placed her on my lap. I began cutting her hair so carefully. When I finished she looked like she had had a round of chemo. I loved my baby all the more.

After I was married I had 4 children. I was amazed that I could wash their hair and it would actually style or if I gave them that Chemo look, their hair really would grew back. If the early years were any indication of what kind of mother I would be, then you would have to know that I loved my babies wonderfully, unconditionally and beautifully.

Psalms 34:11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

The "THINGS" You Do For Love!

2007-10-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

I’ve always been a stay at home mom and now that the kids are gone a stay at home wife. I have enjoyed every minute of it and lavished in the luxuries; even though the luxuries included many hazards some being the little people that lived with me. Being shunned by our American society for choosing this option often toyed with my self-worth; but keeping my focus of the prize helped me to retain my goals.

Finding the time and energy to keep the fires of love stroked in our marriage was often a challenge. So I began do little things to get Daryl’s attention.

Daryl worked long hard hours as an A/C Journeyman and would often come home and retire to the bath where he would sleep for hours. Once I snuck into the bathroom and poured yellow cake coloring in his water. When he awoke some time later he called to me, “Monalea!” I took several deep breathes to try and stifle the smile on my face as I entered the bathroom. “Yes dear,” I responded with a half smirk on my face. “Monalea what did you do.” Amid peals of laughter I confessed. Dropping his head, he just shook it from side to side.

One morning as I prepared his lunch I left the cheese wrapper on his cheese. I knew he wouldn’t notice until he took a bite because he always ate his lunch in his work truck traveling from site to site. That afternoon I received a call from him. “Monalea, you forgot to take the wrapper off the cheese.” “No I didn’t” I replied. “You mean you left it on there on purpose?” Daryl asked surprised. “Why would you do that?” “Daryl I don’t want you to ever forget me.” “Believe me, I won’t” He said. Another time I left the rind on his bologna sandwich.

Late one night after getting the kids to bed, I slipped into the utility room and discarded all of my clothing and donned a trench coat. I slipped out the side door, went around to the front of the house and rang the door bell. As Daryl cautiously opened the front door I threw my coat open and yelled, “Surprise!” He grabbed my arm and yanked me through the front door “Are you crazy? Get in here!” I smiled…..He wouldn’t forget me!

Daryl came home a ‘little’ cranky one afternoon. He was changing his clothes and picked up a pair of shorts to change into. “Monalea, I asked you to sew the button on these shorts weeks ago and here they lay still without a button.” I gritted my teeth and smiled a crooked smile. I threaded the needle with pink thread and sewed on the button then proceeded to sew the fly closed on a pair of his underwear. I folded the underwear neatly and placed them back in the drawer, forgotten. A week passed and he went to the movies to see Hunt For Red October with a friend. After the 3 hour movie ended Daryl went to the men’s room. Much to his surprise he couldn’t get his fly opened. He tugged, pulled and finally a loud ‘rip’ was heard by everyone in the bathroom.

Proverbs 5:18 "May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth."

Vinegar Diaries

2007-10-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary,

My cousin said taking 2 tablespoons of vinegar 3 times a day would be good for me. Today I measured out 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a small glass. Hum, 2 TBS doesn’t look like much. I notice a nice brown color. I can do this. I pick up the glass, put it to my lips. Down goes the liquid and there goes my breath. I’m gasping for breath, my eyes are crossed………………..I LIVE!

Dear Diary,

Day 2 I have a new plan. I slowly measure out my 2 (now very large) TBS of vinegar. This time I will add water and dilute it. I am strong, brave and full of courage. I can do this. The pep talk doesn’t last long. I’m choking and gasping for breath once more.

Dear Diary,

Day 3 Today’s plan is to pour the vile drink and gulp it down. Today’s plan is to take more than one dose. I am strong, brave and full of courage. I can do this. I heat water, I pour the 2 TBS of vinegar into a coffee mug, I add a TB of honey, and I add the now heated hot water. I set down to enjoy my hot mug on vinegar honey water. Blaaaaaaaaaa! Enjoy was a bad word.

I plan to go back to the original plan. Down 2 TBS of vinegar. No pep talk this time. I pour the vinegar into the small glass, I chug it down. This time my head only spins twice.

Diary, I’m not sure what the results are going to be from this……………but my husband snuggled up to me today and said, “Ya know, I wouldn’t mind having a big juice pickle.” Little does he know………...

FIRE, BOTTLE ROCKETS & CONFUSION

2007-10-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

In the dark of the night lay a collection of limbs, trunks and logs piled together from various trees for a vast bonfire. When Daryl, the kids and I pulled up the fire was already going. Mike and Kara had invited us over to burn off the heaped up tree limbs. Over to one side lay a small fire where we could gather around, visit and enjoy the warmth.

We stood some distance from the large fire because of the intense heat it gave off. We discussed hell and how this fire didn’t come close to radiating the heat that hell would radiate. We were all in agreement that we didn’t want to go.

At one point Mike went to his truck and began to remove trash to put on our small fire, the kids joined in the search. Someone found a plastic coke bottle filled with water and tossed it into the fire. We all stood around with great anticipation waiting for the bottle to melt and the water to spill out. To our amazement, the water in the bottle began to boil and the plastic bottle remained in tacked. I took a stick and tried to turn the bottle in an upright position but instead it fell, lid down into the fire. We continued to watch the water boil in wonder.

Before anyone could react the lid melted on the bottle and the boiling water sent the bottle rocketing out of the fire at great speed. It whizzed pass Mike and slammed Daryl in the side of the face, knocking him around, scratching his glasses, cheek, ear and leaving a good size bump accompanied with a bruise on the side of his face. Daryl was dazed, confused and admitted to seeing stars. It would take the remainder of the evening to convince Daryl that my intentions were honorable.

Romans 7:15-20, 24-25, 8:1 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

'OLE JACK'

2007-09-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

When I was small a cousin decided to give my Dad an old hound dog, Ole Jack. He was big, ugly, a good for nothing, with a terrible self-esteem and Mom detested him, yet ‘Ole Jack” adored her.

When our cousin brought Ole Jack to our house, Ole Jack was dressed in a pair of shorts and t-shirt. Ole Jack's had a suitcase filled with a change of clothes, an ole bone, hair brush, razor, tooth brush, and a doggie magazine. From a 6 year olds point of view he was one really hip dog.

Ole Jack needed more than the normal attention given to a family pet. He needed constant love and attention. If you spoke kind to him or gave him a little attention he would jump all over you, cover you with smelly kisses and would try to sit in your lap. Sometime in life he had gotten the impression he was a lapdog.

Ole Jack came with all the usual qualities of a hound dog with bad manners. He barked at everything, was the local flea hotel in our small town and spent most of the time with his tail tucked between his legs.

Our neighbors had a large cocker spaniel type dog that was constantly bullying Melinda and me. This dog added Ole Jack to his hit list too. When this dog showed up, Melinda and I would run in the house and Ole Jack would tuck tail and slink away.

One day the bully dog showed up and started his usual bully tactics; this time Ole Jack fought back. With Melinda and me screaming and crying, Ole Jack latched onto this dog’s throat and refused to let go. Dad finally pulled the two apart, got bit in the process and had to have stitches.

Ole Jack was a hero! No longer did the bully dog come to our house and terrorize Melinda and me. Ole Jack seemed to slink less, seemed to stand taller, and seemed to find a little dignity. But Ole Jack would continue to be a lapdog in his own mind.

Matthew 25:43-45 “I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.' "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?' "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.'

A Cord of Three Strands.....

2007-09-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

Over the next 9 years of marriage, Daryl had gotten in the habit of going to church on Sunday morning only and usually missing class. Things began to get stressful around the house, as I would load up the kids to take them to church Sundays and Wednesdays and Daryl would stay home.

Pressure began to build so that I had to begin to read my Bible and work on my prayer list while he was at work. One Wednesday evening when he came in from work early he poked at me about my fear of ‘going to hell’ if I missed any Church services. I would often ponder, ‘where was the Christian I had married?’

One afternoon after putting in a long hard day at work, Daryl came in and asked, “What would you say if we went to Sunset School of Preaching and I became a preacher?” I’m sure I had a look of shock on my face as I said, “You do know you will have to go to church 3 times a week don’t you?”

In 1992 we attended Sunset School of Preaching. Daryl is currently preaching at the Jal Church of Christ. He has the heart of Andrew gentle, compassionate and very loving.

IPeter 3:1-2 “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the Word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”

OUTSIDE THE BOX

2007-09-13T13:41:00.000-07:00

From the start of my life I have always thought outside of the box. Sometimes I get amazing results from this ability, but at other times it has gotten me into quite a bit of trouble.

As a small child we lived in the little town of Mobeetie Texas, located in the Texas panhandle. It was a time when people didn’t lock their doors unless they were going to be gone for a week or two.

On one sultry day while playing outside, I ran into the house to retrieve the jar of cold water kept in the refrigerator by Momma. As I tugged the door of the refrigerator open I was met by a cold blast of air. It was a wonderful respite to the hot summer day. As I downed my glass of water I began to worry about our mamma kitty, Sugar. I had seen her lying under the lilac bush and she had looked miserable; after all she was wearing a fur coat. I wondered how she was holding up in the heat.

Lying on the couch with legs draped over the end while the swamp cooler blew across my body seemed the only answer to the heat. I laid there and pondered the problem of Sugar and the heat. Momma would never allow Sugar to come in and lay on the couch with me. I felt a little twinge of guilt as I enjoyed the cool.

And then thoughts began to arise from deep within the recesses of my mind…..I knew the answer to Sugar’s blistering hot day. I jumped off the couch, flung open the front door and headed to the lilac bush where Sugar was sleeping. I grabbed her up much to her surprise and ran in the house and deposited her in the refrigerator. I again took up my position on the couch, this time swinging my legs to and fro with a self-satisfied feeling all about me.

After a while Momma announced, “Come on girls, we’re headed out to pick apricots.” We loaded in the car with Melinda and I doing our usual giggling thing as we fought over who would set where.

We arrived home several hours later and were met at the door of our house by some friends who had come in from out of town to visit. As I ran to play with Melinda, Momma called out, “Monalea, could you come here please?” I pivoted on my toe and ran back into the living room. “Yes Momma,” I said with wide eyed innocence. “Monalea, when Sonny came in today he opened the refrigerator looking for something to eat and out jumped the cat right into his arms. Do you know why the cat was in there?” “Oh yes Momma,” I said with a hit of brilliance in my voice, “Sugar was so hot, so I put her in there to cool her off.” I would spend the next several years wondering how she had known to ask me about the cat and not Melinda.

Matthew 18:3 “And He said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

THE GREAT ESCAPE - Part 2

2007-09-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

Pine Springs Camp http://www.pinespringscamp.com/ was beautiful! The smell of mountains was everywhere, humming birds and bluebirds were a familiar sight and I sat and listened to a wolf howl on our first night there, Wow!

There were 57 women who attended the retreat. We sang together, nothing is as beautiful as women’s voices praising God together. We played silly games, decorated folders, snacked, participated in a ‘talent show,’ visited and ate wonderful food cooked by Ronnie and her husband Tim who run the camp.

‘Where Do I Fit In?’ was the topic for the weekend and Acts 17:28 'For in HIM we live and move and have our being' was our scripture.
We had a fantastic time growing together in God. We are looking forward to next years retreat at Pine Springs http://www.pinespringscamp.com/ the first weekend after the Labor Day Weekend

Acts 17:28 "For in HIM we live and move and have our being."

THE GREAT ESCAPE!

2007-09-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm headed to the mountains at Pine Springs Christian Camp near Cloudcroft New Mexico for a ladies retreat! We are going to relax, enjoy time with God and fellowship with ladies. I have heard we are also having an excellent speaker. I can't wait to hear her. Have a great weekend!

Monalea

I Kings 19:11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a Gentle Whisper.

2007-09-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

Dyslexia is something that not only runs in our family I believe it ‘lopes.” We have learned to embrace dyslexia and accept it as part of our family. Instead of seeing it as a learning problem, we see it as a blessing; it is a way of looking and learning outside the box.

One Christmas as be begun to decorate the house for the holidays, Rachel grabbed up the small wooden train that spelled out ‘Noel’ and placed it on the special shelf where it sat each year. There was Christmas music playing in the background and everyone was filled with excitement as we placed our special ornaments on the tree.

As we finished up the decorating and began to pack away the boxes I looked up at the shelf where the 'Noel' train sat and saw that Rachel had placed the train so that is spelled out 'leoN'. I carefully took her and showed her how it was supposed to be placed so that is spelled out 'Noel'. She nodded and smiled her sweet precious smile in understanding.

The following year as we decorated for the holidays, Rachel again placed the 'Noel' train on the shelf. Several days passed before I saw 'leoN' spelled out with the train. Again I showed her the way it was to be placed so that it read 'Noel'. “I got it now, Momma” she said.

That year seemed to go by quickly and we turned around twice and we were decorating again. That evening as we were surveying the house with it Christmassy looks and smells Rachel grabbed my hand and pulled me over the shelf. “I did it, I did it” she stated excitedly. As I looked at our 'Noel' train it spelled out 'leoN'. “Ya know” I said, “I think it is time we start a new tradition. This 'Noel' train will no longer spell out 'Noel', but from this Christmas forward it shall say ‘leoN.'” We laughed together and Rachel’s eye twinkled.

Each Christmas thereafter the wooden ‘leoN’ train got its special place on the shelf. We even added other traditions to our family. One year the girls put Christmas lights on the outside of the house. The trees, bushes and eaves glimmered with lights. Last they climbed on the house and worked on the roof with the lights. As evening approached, the girls came in the house laughing, their faces and fingers were cold and they were out of breath. “Mom, hurry you have to see this.” They grabbed my hands and drugged me out the front door. The pushing, shoving and laughter was infectious.

We marched out the door, down the sidewalk and into the street. “Ok Mom, turn around and look.” The sun had long set and the night was chilly as I feasted my eyes around the yard. It was magical, and then my eyes went to the roof, something was written there. “Mom, don’t you get it?” “It spells leoN.” And sure enough, spelled out on the roof in Christmas lights was ‘leoN', bold and shining for the entire world to see. We knew that if a dyslexic pilot flew over our house, he would know immediately that the lights on our roof spelled out ‘Noel.”

Ephesians 4:11-15 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ;”

Diary of Christmas Lights

2007-09-04T00:59:00.000-07:00

1990 – While we lived in Houston I decided to tackle the job of putting Christmas lights on the house with the help of the kids. We had never put lights up before so this was to be a mementos occasion.

The night before the kids had trouble sleeping with the anticipation of putting up the lights. The next morning the kids ran to the garage, got out the ladder and extension cords while I retrieved the strings of lights from the house. We all met in the front yard with great excitement.

I moved the ladder to the front of the house and as I ascended the ladder with stapler in hand, the kids were on the ground plugging the lights end to end. As I began to staple the sting of lights to the house everything was going exceptionally well. When I finished stapling the last few feet of lights to the eaves of the house I stepped off the ladder to survey our job. The kids and I were pleased and Morgan ran to plug in the lights…..the string of lights were 3 feet short of reaching the outlet.

1991 – This year was going to be different. The kids and I had 1 year experience under our belts and we were ready to tackle the ‘Christmas lights on the house’ project.

Once again excitement began to mount as we pulled the ladder, extension cords and lights out of the garage. This time we plugged the lights into the outlet before we started putting up the lights. We were on our toes!

Things were going great except for an occasional shock I received when a staple would go into the wire instead of on the outside of the wire. The lights looked great!

1992 – This year Daryl decided to put in his two cents. He informed me that I had been doing it wrong for the past 2 years, duh! Once again the kids and I drug the ladder, extension cords and lights out of the garage. This time we had a bucket and a new staple gun in hand, the old stapler didn’t withstand the ‘shock’ of last Christmas.

The kids and I sat of the ground and began to remove each bulb from its socket and gently place them in the bucket, thanks to Daryl’s two cents. He had informed me that hanging lights from the eaves of the house with the access lights streaming down and hitting on the driveway was a sure fire way to break a few the bulbs.

Once again I climbed the ladder and the kids and I hung the string of lights minus the bulbs. When we finished we pulled the ladder around to the front of the house and this time when I ascended the ladder, I had a bucket full of bulbs in hand.

I would choose a different color bulb and carefully place it in the socket and screw it in. Things were going great, even if it did take us an extra 2 hours this year to put up the lights. As I reached for another bulb, my hand caught the bucket and it fell 7 feet to the driveway, glass splattered everywhere. I was afraid to look at the kids faces as I stood on the ladder with mouth gaping. As I slowly looked around I noticed a crowd of neighbors had gathered on the lawn. Several rushed forward to help clean up the mess, when someone piped up, “We love to watch you; you do such exciting things.”

1993 – This year we decided to forgo Christmas lights.

Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

"Messen with Sasquatch"

2007-08-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

When we lived in Houston, Daryl would sometimes come in from work exhausted, bathe and go straight to bed. The kids and I would spend the evening watching TV or playing. One evening after Daryl went to bed; I got the kids in bed and sat for a while relaxing. The more I relaxed the more my head began to hurt. I took some Tylenol but it didn’t seem to help. I decided to go to bed with the heating pad on my neck and head.

I dug the heating pad out of the closet and quietly went to my side of the bed and began to look for the outlet. I discovered one behind the headboard of our water bed. Gently I worked to get the heating pad plugged in, but my arms were just too short to reach it without moving the headboard.

I stood for several minutes feeling a little guilty about waking Daryl up but then decided my head really did need some relief. “Daryl, Daryl?” I whispered. “Daryl?” He lifted his sleepy head off the pillow and tried to focus. “I’m so sorry I had to wake you, but I need help moving the headboard so I can plug in the heating pad.” He looked a little confused but continued to get out of bed, staggering a bit.

First we removed the side rails, and then we both lifted the headboard. I plugged in the heating pad and we proceeded to put the headboard back. Things were going well as we replaced the side rails. Daryl’s side rail came off the bed and hit his foot. Now his eyes were wide open and the dazed confused look was gone and was replaced with rage and murder. I took a deep breath and held it.

He bent down, picked up the 6 foot rail, and lifted it above his head and screamed a long sorrowful sasquatch mourn............. ”Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.” I waited patiently for the rail to be launched in my general direction, but it never came. He once again replaced the rail, climbed back in bed and was fast asleep in minutes. I stood with my eyes wide and mouth agape for several minutes until I became aware I had survived another ‘Monalea’ moment and come out alive.

The next morning the 'rail incident' wasn't' mentioned.

I Corinthians 7:28 “But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.”

Paul knew what he was talking about!

"I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes" - Part 2

2007-08-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

"And Now For the Rest of the Story".........

The next morning the sun rose with a promise of a better day. The kids looked rested, Daryl was in the manly hunter’s mode and I hated wildlife. After breakfast we followed the creek bed, wadding and exploring each new bend. At one point we stopped to admire a small hole in the side of a cliff. I picked a rock and with strength and accuracy that amazed me I launched the rock at the hole and out flew an owl. “Monalea” Daryl said, “You woke him up.” “Big deal" I snarled, "some of his cohorts kept me up all night, why should he get to sleep?”

While hiking, we found a nice camping spot several miles away from our original campsite. It actually had a nice shade tree, several blades of grass and looked inviting; unlike the other place that screamed, ‘Death Valley, camp at your own risk.’ We hiked back, broke camp and moved to our new site. Once set up we enjoyed shade, birds and a more welcoming campsite.

That evening we stood around the campfire roasting hotdogs and laughing. As we ate and visited, a skunk boldly came into camp and began to rummage through our things. He acted like he owned the world and from our point of view he did. We stood back in horror and waited for him to call in his friends and family. He boldly marched to the table where we were sitting and began to rummage around under the table. Slowly we crept away from the table and stood outside the camp as he made himself at home. In a short while in marched his friends and family.

We each looked to the other for wisdom, guidance and bravery but no one stepped forward. With one wild look from our fearless leader we all seemed to develop ESP at once and began to grab up our camping gear throwing things in the back of the truck. The 3 tents were ripped from their spots and tossed in with wild abandonment along with our other gear. As we loaded in the vehicles, some still holding half eaten hotdogs, we praised God because we had escaped with our very lives.

Today, August 22 2007 my idea of rouging it is a late bellboy, I have traded in my tent for a hotel key and my definition of getting ‘back to nature’ is flowers delivered to me by a local florist.

Psalms 53:5 "There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread."

"I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes" Part 1

2007-08-21T06:35:00.000-07:00

Remembering back to all the great times that we had growing up camping, Daryl and I decided to take our 4 children ages 10, 14, 16 and 17 camping. We gathered the camping gear, planned the meals and headed for Caprock Canyon State Park outside of Quitaque Texas.

As we pulled into the state park I was disappointed to see desert scenery. I don’t know where I got the idea that Quitaque Texas was anything like the Colorado Mountains; I must have dreamed it.

We found a secluded spot with mesquite trees and began to set up our campsite. The tent Daryl and I shared was an army tent; it was 3 pieces of canvas. When erected the sides and the floor didn’t quite meet, which made me a little eerie. The place looked like a good haunt for spiders, snakes and lizards.

The girls and I decided to check out the bathroom facilities; we hiked ½ mile up the road to check out the outdoor toilet. Sometime in the past week it had burned to the ground. We should have taken this as a sign from God.

After supper we sat for a little while around the campfire. It was a hot evening so snuggling up to the campfire was out of the question. We turned in early, the girls went to their tent, Morgan to his and Daryl and myself to ours. As we crawled into our tent and snuggled under the sleeping bag, “I Don’t Like Spiders and Snakes and that ain’t what it takes to love me, you fool, you fool” played round and round in my head.

Sometime during the night there was a loud noise and scuffling outside our ‘tent.’ “Daryl, did you hear that?” I said as I nudged him. “Go check and see what it is.” As he crawled out of the tent and stood up with flashlight in hand, he was surprised to see me right behind him. He shined the light throughout the camp and there were raccoons on the table, in our cooler, rummaging through things and having the time of their lives. One raccoon had Rachel’s chocolate bar clutched tight in his little paws. He would snarl, look from side to side and eat his stolen goods. Daryl, with light in hand braced himself like a knight going into battle and grabbed for the chocolate. The raccoon had one end while Daryl had the other and they fought each other as if fighting for Coronado’s gold. I finally screamed, “Just let him have it.” “But its Rachel’s,” Daryl yelled back. “We’ll buy her another one,” I said in disbelief. As he released the chocolate bar the little thief scurried off into the darkness with his reward. We ran the remainder of the raccoons off and began to secure the campsite. To our amazement the kids slept though it all.

During the night the wind began to blow and we continued to hear scuffling, scurrying and arguing outside the tent. And the tune continued to play in my head…..”I don’t like spiders and snakes and that ain’t what it takes to love me, you fool, you fool!” I think I could now add raccoons to the list.

Psalms 3:5 "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me."

Tomorrow - "The Rest of the Story"

"CAMPING"

2007-08-20T09:08:00.001-07:00

When I was a teen Mom and Dad would load up the station wagon and all 7 of us kids and head to the Colorado Mountains for 2 weeks of roughing it. There was no piped in water, electricity or luxuries. We would bathe in the ice cold creek, cook on the campfire or camp stove and spend each glorious day playing, hiking and hanging out. There were no Game Boys, MP3 players, portable DVD players; just 6 brothers and sisters to spend the day with and from time to time our good friends and neighbors, the Smiths would come too.

Sometimes we would coax Mom and Dad to join in our fun and with rope in hand; we would play cowboys and Indians. Another time we decorated a fur tree with bits of odds and ends found on the forest floor and then celebrated Christmas in July giving each other special gifts that we also found.

We would sing around the camp fire, roast marshmallows, dine on stew and play silly games. The two weeks would pass in what felt like a matter of minutes and then we would pack up and head home.

Those were wonderful times that can never be recaptured. From time to time the family gets together and reminisces about our summer camping trips and each adds a different perspective that was missed when we were children.

Psalms 95:4 “In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.......

2007-08-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

I have shingles…...……

and I haven’t even been on a roof!

"Friends"

2007-08-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

When we lived in Acuff Texas, a farming community ten miles east of Lubbock from 92-99, we made lots of friends and were blessed with some great memories.

Mike and Kara live 9 miles down the road from us. Mike was a farmer and his wife Kara helped. There were always great times to be had when you were with Mike and Kara. We laughed together, cried together and grew a strong friendship together.

Mike and Kara always grew a large garden full of wonderful vegetables. We would fry up okra, zucchini, yellow squash, and green tomatoes. Summers were always filled with fun and adventure.

One fall day they were forecasting an early freeze. Kara called and invited us to come and pick vegetables before the cold blew in. The kids and I drove over excited about the possibilities of another adventure. When we arrived Mike and Kara where getting ready to go to the garden.

We looked out the window and watched the wind whip around the trees as the dirt began to fill the air. It was beginning to feel cool so we bundled up to pick veggies. Someone had the grand idea of decorating our faces with Vaseline, so that when the

dirt blew it would adorn our faces in different designs. Some painted their faces to look like war paint. Others coated their faces heavily in no particular design. While the rest painted their faces more artistically. When the last bit of Vaseline was applied we headed out the door to face the elements. The wind by this time had a bite to it.

With each blast of dirt our faces became even more caked and the designs on our faces became more distinct. As we gathered the green tomatoes dirt became lodged in our teeth, clothes and crevices of our skin. Occasionally we would stop, stand up straight, point at each other and laugh. As we made our way down each row in the now cold blistering dirt filled wind, the work wasn’t like work at all, but more like a game.

When the last vegetable were picked, we gathered up our much treasured produce and headed to the house, continuing to point and laugh at one another. Once inside we began to peel off the layers of dirt filled clothes and look at the designs left on our faces. We took turns washing the dirt off as best we could and headed to the kitchen where we began to prepare a supper of vegetables. I believe this was the best supper I had ever eaten, or maybe it was just the right seasoning of fun that made the food taste so good.

Proverbs 17:17a “A friend loves at all times.”

Proverbs 18:24b “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

THE EGG

2007-08-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

When we were going through Sunset School of Preaching 92-94 we were on a very limited income. We had to watch every dime and there was rarely extra for fun things.

From time to time Rebekah’s would beg for an egg, not for breakfast but to sit on. I would have to calculate when the next payday was and if we would have enough eggs to last until then before I would relent and let her take the egg.

She would cradle it in her hands with much love and care and head outside. Next she would carefully lay the egg down and begin to gather sticks, dried grass and leaves to build a nest with.

She would then take her precious egg and place it gently in the nest and position herself on the egg so as not to break it but to keep it warm as she waited for it to hatch. If you snuck a peek you would see her sitting on the egg patiently with hands tucked up under her arms positioned like a mother hen. She would sit in this position all day waiting for the egg to hatch.

Usually in late afternoon she would relent and come in for the evening. At that time I didn’t know how disappointed she was because it wouldn’t hatch. It was years later when she confided in me of her disappointment.

She now understands that no matter what, an egg from the refrigerator just isn’t going to hatch. But it took a lot of patience, diligence and longsuffering on her part to wait for the egg to hatch as a child. I now see that she still has these same qualities in her day to day life.

Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

"I Can't Do It"

2007-08-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

When Rachel was first learning to tie her shoes she would spend a considerable amount of time working on the laces. I would offer my help, which in turn she would reply, “I can do it myself.”

After sometime Rachel would yank off her shoe and with force throw it across the room and cry, “I can’t do it, I just can’t do it.” I would try to console her and help her but she would get mad at my offer, pick up the shoe, place it on her foot and start all over again. After several minutes she would again yank her shoe off and launch it across the room with great force and cry, “I can’t do it, I just can’t do it.”

It took me several days to learn to sit back and wait for her to come to me and ask for help. She would come to me with a contrite heart and big crocodile tears coursing down her little face. I would gather her in my arms and hold her and then I would help her put on her shoes and very gently show her how to tie them. She would give me a big hug, slide off my lap and run to play.

It seemed like forever before she finally learned to tie her shoes and we didn’t have to go through the “I can’t do it, I just can’t do it” routine. Actually it was probably only a few weeks.

We are so like this in our daily lives. We struggle, resist and oppose the problems that we face while our Father looks on with great love and patience waiting for us to come to Him with a contrite heart and ask for help. He was there from the very beginning listening to us say, “I can do it myself” and then hearing us cry, “I can’t do it, I just can’t do it.” Notice He never pushes His way in, but waits for us and then He gathers us in His arms, holds us close and gently shows us the way.

I Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

10 Things That Makes a Wife Snarl!

2007-08-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

10. A set of new tires for her birthday.”

9. When the husband compliments rarely and complains often.

8. When the husband says, “What have you done all day???”

7. When the husband says, “Why aren’t you more like Larry’s wife?”

6. When the husband says, “Have you put on weight?”

5. When he asks at every opportunity say, ‘While you’re up could you bring me…?’

4. Telling her how to drive.

3. Treating her like a child

2. Talking down to her.

1. Blaming her for his problems.

I Peter 3:7 "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers."

So, what would you make you snarl?

What do you think makes your wife snarl?

"My Power is Made Perfect in Weakness"

2007-08-06T05:48:00.001-07:00

Before cancer I was a ‘ball of fire’ and a ‘whirlwind’ rolled into one. I would have the kids schooled, the house in order, supper planned all before 10:00 in the morning. If a difficult task was sat before me, with the help of my children we would knock it out in record time and do a good job. The harder the task, the more ‘we’ enjoyed it. I called the difficult tasks ‘Character Building Times.” I’m not always sure my children felt about this like I did, but it was ok, it built character. My children used to say, “Mom, if they would put you on juvenile community service detail there would be no more crimes committed by juveniles and the community would look really good.”

Times have changed, I have changed. Cancer has extinguished the ‘ball of fire’ and stilled the ‘whirlwind.’ My heart desires to tackle a task big or small, but my body doesn’t comply.

II Corinthians 12: 8-9 “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

I, like Paul have desired a physical healing from the Lord. Down deep in my heart I want to know “That His grace is sufficient for me, and His power is made perfect in my weakness.” I want to be able to “boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” But I haven’t reached this place yet. I can’t even imagine the deeper relationship I will have with the Lord when I accept this.

'And God is Good!'

2007-08-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

After a summer filled with youth work camps, weddings, 8 ER visits (2 were me and the other 6 were my 2 daughters and 1 grandson), Vacation Bible School, 2 funerals of church members, a cancer doctor visit and 3 visits to the surgeon with one of those to remove a spot from my mastectomy incision, God has blessed us with a peaceful week at a friends home outside of Lubbock Texas.

Our friends are away at camp and they have allowed us to use their 2 story cabin home located on the edge of a canyon. This wonderful place includes a hot tub, 4 wheelers, a pond, an enormous fish aquarium, a big porch, a swing, a baby grand piano and most importantly peace and quiet all around.

We have spent the week riding four wheelers, soaking in the hot tub, watching clouds waltz across the sky, feeding the pond fish, mimicking Chopin with one hand and watching the salt water aquarium life.

Here are some things I have learned this week:

4. It is important to learn how to break before riding a four wheeler.

3. Bugs can land on your eyelashes while traveling at 32 miles an hour.

2. If you don’t lean into your turns on a four wheeler you tend to lose control.

And the most important….

1. I experienced “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

We have had a good week and will return home to real life on Saturday. It continues to amaze me how ‘good God is!’

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

"Be Thankful in All Circumstances"

2007-08-02T02:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday evening we came in from church and noticed a fishy odor in our hallway leading to our bedroom. Different ones sniffed the air in the kitchen, hallway, dining room and utility room looking for the culprit with no success. We lit candles to battle the smell.

The next day when Daryl came in we once again began to look for the fishy odor that was becoming stronger. We searched the utility room, moved things around in the hallway, and checked the onion, cantaloupe, potatoes and trashcan in the kitchen. We sprayed Fabreeze to battle the smell.

Friday we awoke to the possibility of moving to a new home. Ok, maybe it was a bit radical, but the fishy smell was growing at an alarming rate and we were losing the battle of the odor. Daryl even went so far as to check in the attic. We lit candles, sprayed Fabreeze and Lysol.

Friday evening I began to slowly check out everything in the utility room, dining room, hall and kitchen. Once again I poked and sniffed the onions, potatoes and cantaloupe. This time the cantaloupe poked back. As I lifted the bag of cantaloupe, I saw juices covering 4 feet of kitchen tile. The odor that wafted up from the floor was both nauseating and repulsive and I said, “Thank you God!”

“Thank you God for the running water to clean this mess up with; thank you God for the towels, mop, the good smelling cleaner; and thank you God that we found the stench.”

That night as I turned off the lights, set the air conditioner, let the dog out and got ready to go to bed I took a long deep smell….God is wonderful!

I Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

SURVIVED

2007-07-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for being so patient. The wedding was beautiful and Rachel is doing better. We spent a week in Portland Texas with a group of teens for a Teen Work Retreat. It went really well. We are also having VBS this Saturday. My hopes are to be back up to regular blogging next week. Thanks for being so patient!

Monalea

'WALKABOUT' UPDATE

2007-06-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

I will be off a little longer. My daughter will be getting married in 2 ½ weeks; we are trying to get everything finalized. She also spent 6 hours in the E.R. with low blood sugar problems last night. After numerous tests, the doctors are leaning toward tumors on her pancreas. We are still waiting on more test results due in Friday. We have started her on some alternative medicine this morning. She is staying down, eating meals every 3 hours and eating Jell-O, hard candy and popsicles in between meals. She is feeling some better today. Prayers are solicited!

Monalea

Walkabout

2007-06-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

'Walkabout'

1. A brief, informal leave from work, taken by an Aborigine to wander the bush, visit relatives, or return to native life.

I will be away from my blog until Tuesday the 19th. I have gone for a 'walkabout.'

Monalea

10 Things A Preacher's Wife Needs to Remember!

2007-06-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

10. Be yourself.

9. Keep you mouth closed. You have lots of information about others. Keep quite or take it to God. Don’t share it with others.

8. Read your Bible faithfully

7. Lift your husband up daily, even when you want to pinch his head off.

6. Pray without ceasing, especially for the ones who presecute you and your family.

5. Look for the good in everyone.

4. Reach out to the ‘unlovely’ in the Church and community.

3. See yourself and others through God’s eyes.

2. Help with teaching, showers, potluck cleanup, etc.

1. Remember 'who' you work for …….. GOD! Live like it.

Ephesians 6:7 "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men."

Actually these are good for all Christian women to follow. Would you like to add a few?

The Amazing Bruce - Part II

2007-06-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

Trey and Bruce’s friend was Shane McCloud, the preacher’s kid. The three of them got into many scrapes together, one which included a motorcycle that Shane owned. None of the three were old enough to ride the motorcycle on the streets, so they rode it in the alley.

One morning they decided to ride to Toot-n-Totem via the alley to get candy. Trey was driving, Shane was on the back and Bruce was walking. On the way home Bruce kept saying, “Hey guys, it’s my turn.” “Come on, it’s my turn.” Over and over Bruce kept repeating his plea while Trey and Shane drove up and down the alley passing by Bruce taunting him as he walked and they rode back to Shane’s house.

Finally Bruce had reached his limit. He grabbed a stick off the ground and as Trey and Shane passed by for the umpteenth time, Bruce jabbed the stick in the front spokes of the tire and sent Trey and Shane tumbling head over heels with bike and bodies everywhere. Shane jumped up off the ground screaming, Trey scanned Shane in horror looking from head to foot for any sign of blood. Finally Shane screamed with passion, “My Pushup got dirty.” Relief flooded Trey. Trey picked up the motorcycle and the three of them walked the rest of the way home.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Years later Bruce was getting ready to leave for a year stint in Portugal with the AIM program. The family gathered the last week to bid him farewell. Bruce pulled out his ten-speed and rode up and down the street, reliving his childhood. As he made one last pass down the street he decided to cut across the neighbor’s driveway and pop one last wheelie over the curb. As he ramped the curb, with the bike in midair, out popped the handlebars, leaving Bruce on an ‘out of control’ bike headed toward the sapling cypress tree at full speed. The bike lurched at record breaking speed from right to left with Bruce’s arms flaying and his feet trying to gain some sort of control. Finally Bruce’s leg wrapped around the sapling cypress tree and he and the bike came to a stop. Bruce’s eyes were as big as saucers. Bruce’s leg was scrapped from knee to shin. Bruce’s face broke out in a big grin, ‘Yep, he still had it.’

II Kings 9:20 The lookout reported, "He has reached them, but he isn't coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi--he drives like a madman."

Bruce, An Amazing Brother - Part I

2007-06-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

I have a little brother that is quite amazing. He has a fresh outlook on life, a great sense of humor, is a wonderful story teller, loves and worships the Lord in his daily life. I admire him in so many ways and look up to him and the way he follows God. He is fun to be around and has a good heart.

Bruce also has had several interesting encounters with bikes and I would like to share them. But before I do, Trey told me I had to make this ‘disclaimer:’ “These stories are based on actual events.” I believe Trey just wants you to believe they are based on true stories and not actual events. You be the judge.

When Bruce got his first bicycle he was quite the Evil Knievel. Instead of applying his breaks he would use the garage door, side or back of the station wagon or tree to come to a complete stop. We counted the dents in the car or garage to keep up with Bruce’s stops. We estimated the depth of each dent to keep record of his speed on impact.

A few weeks after getting his new bike, Bruce trudged into the house with a downcast face and something behind his back. “Momma, I had an accident;” like anyone was surprised. We all stopped what we were doing and gathered around. “Momma, I ran over Melinda’s car.” While making this statement he pulled her antenna out from behind her back. We all stared in disbelief. Considering Bruce’s crashing abilities, this was an amazing feat. We all sat around trying to estimate how he had accomplished this. Had he ramped the car thus ripping off the antenna as he made his exit off the hood? No, after acquiring great speed, while passing the vehicle he hooked his handlebars onto the antenna therefore ripping it off. The radio never sounded the same again.

Bruce and Trey were real ‘daredevils.’ There wasn’t much that they were afraid of. They would get on their bikes and race up and down the sidewalk in front of our house. From time to time they would face off, one on one end of the street, the other on the other end; then the game of ‘Chicken’ would commence. Trey would give the signal and then they were off, racing toward each other gaining great speed. Standing while peddling brought greater results and increased their speed as they raced toward each other with great anticipation. As the sun shone down, the breeze blew in their faces, and adrenaline surged, fear would began to mount as they closed the distance to the crash. Bruce flinched; veered to the right and rode the bike up the tree like a cat. There was a moment in time when the world actually stopped and everything became suspend in air then, Bruce and bike came crashing down. Arms, legs, tires, handlebars seemed to litter the yard. Then Bruce emerged victorious; not from the battle of ‘Chicken’ but from the confrontation of ‘Man, Bike and Tree’ and Man had won; or so it seemed as he limped home for bandages and antiseptic.

II Kings 9:20 The lookout reported, "He has reached them, but he isn't coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi--he drives like a madman."

Not True

2007-06-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

10 Things you have been told as a child or told a child that was not true.

10. If you play with fire you will wet the bed.

9. If you continue making that face it will freeze that way.

8. I’m not going to tell you again.

7. Do you want me to spank you?

6. In a minute.

5. If you do not eat all your food, you will not grow up to be big and strong.

4. Don’t cross your eyes or they will get stuck that way.

3. Eat your spinach so you will be strong like Popeye.

2. When you loose your tooth, if you don’t put your tongue in the space a gold one will grow to replace it.

1. If you eat your carrots you will never have to wear glasses. Have you ever see a rabbit wearing glasses?

Can you add any???

10 Things I'm Glad I Did With My Kids....

2007-06-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

10. Played games.

9. Taught them to work.

8. Went to the park.

7. Laughed when they spilled, broke or made a mess.

6. Baked cookies together.

5. Wrestled on the floor.

4. Went to places they liked.

3. Dug in the dirt.

2. Read the Bible to them.

1. Taught them about God.

*Do you have one to add?*

Deut. 6:9 "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads."

June Bugs

2007-06-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

When I was little I loved the June bug, he was my all time favorite bug. He was red with a hard shell and little feet that tickled as he would crawl around on my hand. And unlike the roly poly and the doodle bug, he was fairly durable. I would watch and wait with great anticipation every spring for his appearance.

I would gather several June Bugs into my hand and then transfer them into a paper cup or other container. They were amazing little creatures. They would spend hours crawling around the bottom of the container, crawling over each other or trying to climb up the steep sides only to fall back down into the bottom to start all over again.

After enjoying them myself I would always share them with my dear sweet sister, Melinda. I would walk up and say, “Melinda, look what I found.” As she would crane her neck to look into my hand, I would open it oh so slowly. Shrieks would escape from her lips that were delightful. She would somehow go from sitting on the floor to a dead run in a matter of seconds and screaming “Momma” at the top of her voice. Usually after several minutes had passed and several shrill shrieks had split the air Momma would eventually say, “Monalea, stop!”

Momma would sometime give me a lecture on ‘chasing with bug.’ I would listen intently stifling the smiles that would eventually escape in the form of twinklings in my eyes. Only if you looked closely could you see the mirth oozing from every pour of my body.

Sometimes after the scolding’s I would sit just near enough to Melinda with my wonderful bugs in hand and smile deviously at her. She would screw up her mouth and wrinkle her nose in my direction and say, “You’d better not!” That only made the temptation greater and then we would be off again her running, me chasing through the house. Life was good!

Chasing Melinda with bugs became a yearly sporting event like football or baseball. I never had to run to catch up with her, just her knowing I was somewhere back there was enough. I would sometimes take a detour, wait a few minutes and then begin the chase again with new screams and venomous threats escaping from her mouth. I wasn’t too frightened, she was 8 and I was 6.

Forty-two years have past since those long ago times of childhood antics. I still tease and harass my beautiful sister every chance I get, she will attest to this.

I Peter 4:8

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

The DARK

2007-06-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

When I was young I was afraid of the dark. When the sun would set I would start turning on lights. I had to sleep with a nightlight and several other lights. I was known to sleep with a different assortment of ‘weapons’.

At night my ears became acute to every little noise that during the day would go unnoticed. So when I would crawl into bed at night with my ‘weapons’ of choice, my nightlights and my acute hearing, I didn’t sleep too well. I was always waiting for the night when someone would break into our home.

I knew that 2 + 2 equaled 4, but I couldn’t get the math to work for the reality of the dark. The reality being 7 kids in a small house + no real valuables equal no break-in. I knew that one day soon the break-in would occur then everyone would be sorry that they hadn’t listened to me.

One evening as I was digging though the kitchen cabinets I found a can of honey that Grandma had given to us kids. The can looked like a paint bucket with the handle. I opened drawer and there was a small paint brush. Wow, was this great or what?

I took my treasures the honey can and the paint brush to the backyard and began to paint honey on both of the gate latches, the garage door handle and all the windows. I was a genius! I could sleep tonight knowing that I had protected my family for the villain. I could close my eyes; turn down the volume in my ears and experience sweet sleep.

The next morning everyone was up doing chores and getting ready for school when I heard Mom yell, “Monalea!” I came around the corner and there stood Mom and my little brother Bruce. Bruce was holding out his hands with a look of disgust of his face. Pointing at Bruce’s hands Mom asked, “What is all over the gate that Bruce got all over his hands?” Wow, how did she know it was me out of 7 kids? Mom really did have superhuman powers.

I started to explain, “Well I found this honey can and a paint brush in the cabinet and I decided to paint the gates, outside windows and garage door.” “What would possess you to do that?” Mom asked. “It is very simple” I explained. “It is to keep burglars away.” “Honey will not stop someone from breaking in” Mom said as irritation began to build in her voice. I looked up at her and said, “Your telling me if you were breaking into a house and you got sticky all over you hands at every window you tried that you wouldn’t stop and reconsider?”

If Mom’s had gaskets, here’s where hers would have blown. She drew a bead on me with her eyes, pointed her finger and said, “You will come in from school today and wash the gates, garage door and every window before we get ants.” The look on her face and the tone of her voice caused a small tremor to course though me. In other circumstance I might have clicked my heels together and said “Hile Hitler,” but I wanted to live. So I decided a “Yes Ma’am,” would suffice. None of my family really appreciated my ability to ‘think outside the box.’

Proverbs 16:25

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

The Meeting

2007-06-02T06:42:00.000-07:00

I met Daryl at a skating rink while we were both in College at Lubbock Christian. He was playing roller hockey. He was tall, 6 foot 3, handsome with a charming smile and green eyes. My friend Brenda introduced us.

We spent the evening visiting about classes, teachers, likes and dislikes. I enjoyed watching him play roller hockey. Before the evening was over he had asked to meet me in the Sub the next morning and walk me to my first class.

I’m basically a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal, but this morning I wanted to make an impression. I spent extra time on my hair and makeup. I picked out a favorite dress and borrowed my roommate Jackie’s high heels. I surveyed myself in the mirror and with a smug smile thought “He can’t help but notice me.”

I walked across campus with my head held high and with confidence. I carried my books under my left arm and my purse over my shoulder. The closer I got to the meeting place the more nervous I became. Several times I had to still my racing heart.

When I entered the Sub it was crowded. I had to make my way through the throng of people. “What if he doesn’t show?” I questioned. “What if we miss each other?” And then I turned and he was beside me.

“Monalea” Daryl said. I was caught off guard. Where was my 6 foot 3 guy? It was the same guy I had met last night. The same charming smile and handsome face, but he was 5’11 this morning. I stammered, sputtered, choked and turned red. I had been so right, “He couldn’t help but notice me”, because now I towered above him.

I surveyed him up and down. There was something definitely different about him this morning……..he was missing his roller skates! With his skates on he had been a good 3 inches taller and now he was a good 3 inches shorter than me.

I finally found my head and said, “I have to go back to my dorm room for a minute.” “That’s fine,” Daryl said. “We can meet at 12:00 by the swing and then have lunch together.” “Will that be ok?” “Sure” I smiled regaining some of my composure.

Back in my room as I changed from the dress and high heels and donned my jeans, t-shirt and tennis shoes, I breathed a sigh of relief. From now on I would just be me. No more being something I wasn’t. If he liked me, it would be for me.

This September we will celebrate our 28th anniversary. We often look back at our years in college and laugh about all the little things that seemed so important at the time.

Proverbs 16:9 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."

"On The Road To California"

2007-06-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

One summer when I was 15 Mom and Dad loaded up the station wagon with all 7 of us kids ages 7-17, hitched up a camper and headed to California to visit relatives. We traveled 2 ½ long days, for 13-16 hour a days. Each night we would pull into a KOA, set up the camper, prepare supper for the 9 of us and then would crawl into our assigned places in the camper. It was a long trip, in an overcrowded camper but it was more fun than imaginable.

The last 100 miles of the day Dad would announce “Kids, start looking for a KOA sign,” little did we know that he had already mapped out the entire trip. When we stopped for the night we were all ready to stretch our legs, move about and be shut of each other. As Dad and I sat up the camper, Mom and several of the girls began to cook supper on a camp stove. Other campers had arrived before us and had their supper cooking. You could smell different mouthwatering aromas lingering in the air.

When supper was finally ready we sat down around the picnic table and began to eat. Different ones began swatting at the air, slapping at their faces. Gnat, gnats were everywhere. It was like one of the plagues from Egypt. Between gulping down the food and swatting at the gnats, everyone finished their supper in a hurry and headed into the camper. There would be no enjoying the evening air or tossing a ball back and forth. The only safe haven was a camper full of nine people. We lay in bed that night laughing and coming up with cleaver names for a gnat plagued KOA. There was an occasional, “Mom he’s touching me.” But get real; everyone was touching everyone else in these cramped quarters.

The next day, after traveling several hours, we stopped at a station to fill up, use the bathrooms and buy snacks. Bruce 7, the youngest was checking out the vending machines when Stephanie 9 walked up. “Hey Bruce, will this machines take pennies?” asked Stephanie. “Sure will” replied Bruce with confidence and a deep wisdom. Stephanie proceeded to deposit 35 pennies into the vending machine, but much to her horror the machine ate her hard earned money and didn’t give her anything in return.

On this trip we brought along a rubber gorilla. His place of honor was the dash or rearview mirror. Dad would drive and hold up the gorilla and make him do and say funny things. He also used him to tell wonderful stories. Occasionally we would pass the gorilla around and take turns telling stories. We had some good stories, but none could top Dads. We would also fill the long hours in the car singing John Denver and Carpenters songs. We brought Crayons and color books, but the Crayons melted in the Nevada heat and made coloring more creative. Ever 30 miles or so you would hear Trey say, “Dad, do you think there are any fish in that water?” The water could be described as a river, a lake, a creek, a pond or a puddle.

On our second day on the road we were traveling through hot Nevada and I looked out the back window and announced, “Dad is this thing supposed to be shooting sparks everywhere?” Dad pulled over and the trailer hitch had broken. Dad wired the hitch to make do, then we crippled into the next town where we found a welder that would be able to fix the trailer the next morning.

On our 3rd and last day on the road we stopped at a beautiful roadside park up in the mountains for lunch. There were Blue Jays, red birds and squirrels scampering about the tree tops. The smell of the pine was wonderful. The sun twinkling through the trees casts amusing shadows on the forest floor. Nothing could be more beautiful. Then a sanitation truck pulled up next to our table, ran hoses to the outhouse and began pumping out the toilets. Some pinched their noses; others gagged as we packed up quickly and left. After we got in the car and headed out everyone burst out laughing.

We made one more stop before arriving at our relative’s home, the Giant Redwood Forest. The trees were magnificent. We felt so small among the massive trees. All nine of us gathered around a gigantic tree, stretched our arms wide and finger tip to finger tip encircled the tree.

When we arrived at our destination we spent two fun filled weeks with Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. We went on a snipe hunt, swam in a bayou, ate fresh boysenberries, played Annie Over, watched a local softball game, walked to a corner Dairy Freeze for ice cream and had the time of our lives.

Psalms 68:6 "God sets the lonely in families..."

Once Upon A Time

2007-05-31T07:16:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a little girl. She had long blonde tresses, big dimples, a winning smile and flashing blue eyes. She was brave and strong and could do no wrong. She was beautiful and she my hero! Melinda was born 2 years before me. She was my older sister and I idolized her.

From a young age I could go to her with my problems. Most of the time she knew what was bothering me before I did. She always had good advice. She was my rock. She was so smart and made me laugh. More than anything I wanted to please her.

When I was but a few weeks old, Melinda removed the ice water from the refrigerator and carried it into Momma to remove the lid for a drink. Little did Melinda know that she had already loosened the lid? As she was leaning over to hand Momma the jug, she dumped the ice cold water on me.

She and I grew up playing Barbie’s, Church, babies, mud pies and more. There was never a time when we were bored. We rode bikes together, walked to school together and shared the chicken pox. We collected stay dogs, took in homeless cats and wayward turtles.

We would walk to the grocery store and buy Nehi Grape soda, orange Pushups or candy. If I happened to want something different and bought the one I wanted, it never looked or tasted as good as what she had picked out. I usually just waited to see what she bought and then would purchase the same.

I always believed her Christmas babies were more beautiful than mine (they were actually identical, hers had blonde hair mine had brown). Her Barbie was nicer than mine (they were identical too). She was everything I wanted to be.

Our Momma would dress us alike and everyone thought we were twins, yet I thought she was beautiful and I was just average. I wanted to be her so badly that in everyway I would dress and act like her.

When she started school and I had to stay home I felt lost. I watched the clock waiting for her to come home. And finally summer would come and we would play the days away.

Forty plus years has past since those carefree days of fun and adventure. I still watch her mannerisms, smile full of dimples and listen to her witty remarks and admire her. She is still my hero.

Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times......"

The Plug

2007-05-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

I thought it was important to teach the kids how to do their own laundry, clean the house and cook. Morgan had a natural knack for cooking. His omelets, burritos and casseroles were wonderful. And he was pretty good at cleaning and doing his laundry.

One Sunday after a meal of spaghetti it was Morgan’s turn to clean up the kitchen after lunch. The girls put up the food and loaded the dishwasher. Morgan’s job was to wash and dry the pots and pans, wipe off the table and counter tops and make sure everything was clean.

I could hear the girls putting up food, scraping the dishes and loading them in the dishwasher. There were sounds of splashing water, clanking dishes and an occasional sound that put fear in a mother’s heart. I had learned not to look in the kitchen, regardless of what noises I heard, until everyone was though with their job and gone. Then I would go in and check out their work.

As I surveyed the kitchen everything looked exceptionally good. I was so impressed with Morgan and the job he had done. He had wiped down everything, including the stove top. I couldn’t have done a better job myself.

And then I noticed he hadn’t drained the sink. It was still full of hot soapy dishwater. Well, I wouldn’t say anything this time; he had down such a wonderful job. I would just drain the sink myself. As I reached in to pull the plug I was shocked to find there was not a plug holding the hot soapy water in the sink at all, but a whole lot of spaghetti. Morgan had used spaghetti as a plug and washed all the pots and pans. Well I would have to give him one for being creative.

I cleaned the spaghetti out of the sink, let the water drain and rinsed out the sink. I never did say anything to Morgan; I just chalked it up to another good memory.

I Corinthians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

Top Ten Tuesday

2007-05-29T06:17:00.001-07:00

Ten Way To Get Your Husband's Attention

This Top Ten list is based on 'true happenings' in my precious husband's life.

10. Cut his hair really short so he won’t need a haircut for several months.

9. When making him a sandwich, leave the wrapper on the cheese or the rind on the bologna.

8. Always do things the way he asks. Occasionally do things just the opposite.

7. Take his truck mudding. Make sure you splash muddy water up under the hood.

6. When grilling use gasoline. It will make his Father’s Day more memorable.

5. Place a rubber cricket in his billfold, underwear, PDA, etc.

4. When he’s working under the car and asks for a wrench, make sure you drop it within inches of his head.

3. When backing out of the driveway, forget to close the car door and knock the door off.

2. Put yellow cake coloring in his bathwater while he’s sleeping.

1. Sew up the fly of his underwear.

Proverbs 5:18 "May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth."

The Smuggler

2007-05-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

Rebekah was notorious for loving animals. She had begged for a baby calf for several years. She had loved the ducks we had and spent many an afternoon sitting in the yard being a duck. Dogs were also on her list of animals to love. From her perspective, life revolved around animals. I think she looked at life though the eyes of an animal.

She was forever trying to sneak any and all animals into the house. She would hide them under her shirt, in a basket, a toy purse, wrapped in blankets or by what ever means she could find to smuggle them past me. I was forever stopping her as she entered the house, giving her a once over, announce where the baby kitten, puppy, etc. was hidden and tell her to turn around and take it outside. “Man, how do you always know?” she would ask. “I’m a mom,” I would say with confidence.

It was a cold blistery day as the children and I sat around the dining room table studying. Rebekah 8 was taking a break and asked to go and check on the 3 week old kittens in the shed. She spent as much time as allowed with them. I think they were beginning to think she was their mother.

At the table, Amber and I poured over the Algebra lesson. Rebekah walked in the room, threw her hands in the air and announced, “What?” I looked up at Rebekah and guilt was written all over her face. I began to scrutinize her from head to toe. Once again she shrugged her shoulders more emphatically and stated “What?” “Ok, where are the kittens?” I asked. “Open your coat and let me see.” “Mom” she stated innocently, “I don’t have any kittens in my coat.” I rose from the chair and looked her over from head to toe. I felt of her shirt, checked her pockets and examined her thoroughly. No kittens. “Ok,” I announced, “but I know there are kittens in there somewhere.” Once again she shrugged her shoulders and started walking to her bedroom.

“Hold it right there,” I said, a little more loudly than I had intended. She froze! “Come here.” Slowly she turned and started toward me with eyes as big as saucers. I bent down and felt of the bottom of her sweat pants. Two little kittens were held securely by the elastic at the bottom of her pants. “Rebekah!” “It’s ok, they can breath and they are comfortable, see?” she said, as she reached down each pant leg and retrieved a warm ball of fluffy kitten.

How could I be angry, it was such an ingenious plan? Trying to frown and give the ‘mother’ look I said, “Take them outside.” As she cuddled each kitten close to her and turned to walk away there was a sudden tug at my heart. “Rebekah, you can bring them in this time.” Smiling she turned and skipped to her room.

I Corinthians 2:9

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"

RICHARD

2007-05-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Richard was a small shorthaired dog that came to live at our house for a time. He had a good disposition and loved Morgan. He and Morgan were inseparable. They played outside together, got grounded together, bathed together and ate at the table together. Richard was pretty amazing. Richard was invisible to everyone but Morgan.

Richard loved to tag along with us to the park. We would unload the kid’s bikes and Morgan and Richard would be off, racing from one end of the park to the other. Richard didn’t seem to mind the other dogs or kids in the park. He was right at home anywhere and with everyone.

Occasionally Morgan was allowed to play in the front yard. He was pretty good to stay within the set boundaries. One afternoon I looked out to see Morgan past the boundaries. “Morgan, come in and go to your room. You know where the boundaries are and you are outside of them.” He parked his bike and without a word went to his room. I closed the garage door and came in to hear him crying in his bedroom. It was unusual for him to cry so I opened his door and asked, “Why are you crying?” He wiped the tears from his eyes and said, “When you closed the garage door, you left Richard outside.” That statement brought new tears to his eyes. “Well, let’s go get Richard.” A smile broke out on Morgan’s face. I pushed the button and as the garage door began to raise Morgan yelled, “Richard, come on.” He turned and he and Richard went back to their room. ‘Was I actually beginning to see Richard too’?

Richard rarely chose to ride in the car. Regardless of the speed we were traveling, Richard ran beside the car, never falling behind. He was one fast dog. He knew how to dodge the traffic and he had his own GPS. From time to time Morgan would point out the window and announce, “Wow did you see that?” “Richard is flying.” “Look Mom.” As I would look to where his finger was pointing I thought I spotted something.

One evening when we were working in the yard Morgan asked, “Mom have you noticed Richard hasn’t been here?” I thought for a moment and sure enough Richard hadn’t been a main player in our home for several days. “Yes Morgan, where is he?” “Well Mom, he has been very sick and is in the hospital. He will be coming home today. A helicopter will be bringing him. So watch the sky.” With that he turned and went back to play. As I worked in the yard I would turn occasionally and watch Morgan as he would be watching the sky. Several hours later he shouted, “Look, look it’s Richard. He’s home. I’ve missed him so much.” I think I missed him too.

As quickly as Richard had come, one day he was gone. No longer could I hear Morgan visiting with him in his room. No longer were he and Morgan inseparable. As quietly as he entered our lives, one day he was no where to be found.

Psalms 139:7-12 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.”

The Dad

2007-05-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

From a 12 year olds perspective he was tall; surely he could touch the clouds. He had a kind face, smiling eyes, a gentle voice and he was in love with my Momma and wanted to marry her.

One evening Melinda and I dogged Momma as she got ready for her usual date. “Do you love him we asked?” “Well yes,” was her reply a little impatiently. We continued, “Have you kissed him?” Melinda and I sat on the bed waiting anxiously for the answer. “Well, what do you think? I’m going to marry him.” Melinda and I looked at each other and grinned, Momma gave us the ‘mom’ look.

“A new Dad, would he like me?” That one question seemed to continue to spin in my head. It seemed to dominate all the other questions that I wanted answered.

“A new Dad,” it almost caused my heart to stop. I wanted a new Dad so badly. Not really one that would take my Daddy’s place, but one that would fill the huge void that had been left in my life since my Daddy died.

Along with this wonderful new Dad came 3 new sisters and 1 new brother. It was like winning the bonus round, the all expense paid vacation and the gold ring all rolled into one. What more could a little girl want?

December 11, 1972 we all became a family and I got my new Daddy. He was gentle, kind, full of wisdom and had enough love to spread between 7 children ages 4-14.

This December we will celebrate 35 years together as a family. We have had our ups and downs as a family, but mostly ups. To get two great Dads in one lifetime can only be a blessing from God! To get extra brothers and sisters is the cherry on top!

My Dad Lawrence is wonderful. He always has a listening ear, gentle words full of wisdom and love that's unconditional. He filled the void in my life. My Dad had big shoes to fill; he step right into them and walked with grace and poise.

James 1:17

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

The Gifts

2007-05-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

As Christmas was drawing closer, Daryl didn’t have time to take the kids shopping for me. They were getting anxious because I didn’t have any gifts under the tree from them. Finally after much coxing I agreed to taking them shopping.

We devised a plan. The kids would push a shopping cart down every aisle, I would walk in the front, as they made their selections they would place the items in the basket and cover them with their coats. Going down every aisle insured them that I wasn’t aware when they chose something and placed it in the basket.

As we walked through automotive, sporting goods, electronics, pets, the garden center, shoes, clothing and more, the kids would stop occasionally, put their heads together and whisper. I wanted so badly to turn and spy, not to see their selection, but to witness their expressions and eavesdrop on their intense conversation.

When they would decide on a gift they would scramble to hide it under the coats and then quiz me to see if I had peeked. After assurance on my part we would again continue shopping. Because of the many times we stopped and they whispered between themselves, I was unaware of what was being purchased.

After making all of their selections, we headed to the checkout. I spoke to the checker and asked her to ring up the items, place them in bags while I stood with my back to her. When she had the total and everything bagged, I turned and wrote out the check. I was not too shocked by the amount, for the kids had kept me up to date on the amount of each item placed in the basket.

As we headed to the car the kids were full of whispers, giggles and smiles. That evening they spent extra time wrapping the gifts in the special way that only a 9, 8, and 4 year old could do.

When we opened presents that Christmas, the kids were full of excitement and anticipation, not so much for their gifts, but for what they had purchased for me. With each gift I opened there were whispers between the three that were more precious than the gifts themselves. Two of the gifts that they were most excited about were a pair of ‘gold high heels’ and a ‘pink bra’. They were so pleased with the elegant gifts that they had chosen. I was humbled that my children had thought so highly of me to pick out the ‘gold high heels’ and the ‘pink bra’.

Jeremiah 33:3

"Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Top 10 Tuesday

2007-05-22T05:48:00.000-07:00

My Personal Top 10 Favorite Scriptures

that help me get through tough times.

1. Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.”

2. Proverbs 103:12

“As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

3. Philippians 4:4-6

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

4. Hebrews 13:5-6

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

5. Isaiah 41:10

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

6. Habakkuk 3:17-19

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights.”

7. Philippians 4:8

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”

8. Philippians 3:13-14

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

9. John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

10. I Peter 5:7

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

Do you have a scripture that helps you through tough times?

"PETRIE"

2007-05-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

When the children were small we found a baby mockingbird beside our house. His mother was teaching him to fly and he had hurt his wing. We struggled with what to do with him; leave him to nature or step in and give him a hand. We stepped in.

We named him Petrie because he flew like Petrie in “Land Before Time,” not very good. We put him in a box and covered it with a screen. He would talk and visit during the day and go to bed every night at 6:00 pm. He was the perfect baby, never suffering from colic or tummy aches.

Many times a day we fed Petrie on moistened cat food. We would remove the screen and he would stand and stretch his neck as far out as possible. We would place the food on a baby spoon and he would gobble it down as if he were starving.

As time passed the soft downy feathers were replaced with new ones. He hopped around the box and seemed to grow stronger each day. From time to time when we removed the screen to feed Petrie he would perch on the side of the box to be fed.

One Saturday morning I told the kids it was time to set Petrie free. I thought he was strong enough to fly. The kids were sad, but excited to see how he had healed and then could possibly fly. We took him to the backyard in his box, removed the screen and stepped back to watch. Petrie flew to the top of the box; he sat and looked around at the big wide world. He flew to the low bar on the swing set; we all held our breath. He flew to the top bar of the swing set and to our amazement his mother came and flew beside him. They flew off together to a low branch of a tree, then to a higher branch and then they were gone. We watch in total amazement.

That momma bird had waited over 3 weeks for her baby. She had been watching the house all that time. How did she know he was there? Had she heard him singing? Each time the door opened, did she look to see who was coming and going and if it might be her baby? This mother bird was ‘faithful.’

I think about how faithful and how attuned God is to us, whether beside Him or when we have left His side. Always watching, always waiting for our return.

Hebrews 13:5-6

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

I'm Glad I Went to Nineveh

2007-05-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Tuesday evening Amber was induced. We waited, patiently and not too patiently. Here are a few things to do when you are waiting, waiting and waiting at the hospital.

Daniel coloring with Aunt Amber before active labor.

The wait continues, here are a few tips from 5 year old Daniel.

Stand on your head.

Hang out in the cafeteria and eat lots of cereal.

Pull a spongy pillow over your face and greet other visitors.

Take random pictures on people entering and exiting elevator.

And finally Baby Asher arrives May 16, 2007

Asher Thomas Palacios

6 pounds

19 3/4 inches

Momma and baby Asher are doing wonderfully.

Papa, Daniel and Baby Asher

Daniel waited forever for
Baby Moses aka Asher.

Asher will learn great and wonderful things from his cousin.

Amber was on a strict diet for 6 weeks. She requested pizza and ice cream following delivery.

"Prospective Is Everything"

2007-05-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

In many ways I’m like a potted plant. I like my pot and I’m comfortable with my surroundings, I grow and bloom to my full potential. But when I’m placed in a bigger pot, new surroundings and environment I start to wilt, loose some leaves and I look sickly for about 8 months. In the ninth month I began to put on tiny blooms, there are new leaves and new shoots, and I began to grow and thrive in my new surroundings.

In the spring of ’99 we had an interview with a Church in New Mexico. Daryl, the kids and I were very nervous. Meeting new people, uprooting our lives and moving was a big step. And how do you move teenagers with as little pain as possible? Morgan and Amber were 17, Rachel 15 and Rebekah 11.

I began to devise a plan. I called all the kids in and began to tell them the horrors of moving to New Mexico. I said, “The little town has no electricity, running water and only outdoor toilets. There are scorpions, rattle snake and tarantulas everywhere.” They all sat and listened in a shocked stupor. My plan was working.

Two weeks later, on a Saturday morning we loaded up the family and headed to New Mexico, a day before the preaching tryout to look the town over.

The forty-five mile road from Hobbs to Jal was 2 lane with speed limits posted at 55. We looked out the windows and watched as the mesquite, cacti, and other desert life past our view. The forty-five mile, 2 lane road stretched out before us. There was occasional chatter, but mostly anticipation to the horror that waited us.

As we pulled into the quaint little town of Jal the kids sat up and began to talk all at once. “Look the trees are all green and some have flowers.” “Look Mom, there’s brick houses.” “They have a nice school.” “Wow, a grocery story, library, video story…..” “Mom, this is wonderful.” I hadn’t realized I had been holding my breath. I let out a sigh and breathed deeply. The kids seemed both eager and excited as they continued to point out blessing upon blessing about the little town. The excitement was catching and everyone wanted to get out the van. Maybe the kids just wanted to touch the ground, to see if it were real. Maybe they were afraid they would wake up to the outdoor toilets, rattle snakes and scorpions.

Eight years has passed since we all loaded up and headed to New Mexico for the first time. Occasionally we look back and laugh about that trip so long ago. We came to realize that prospective has everything to do with how you handle life.

Philippians 4:8
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

TOP '10' TUESDAY

2007-05-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, May 1st Trey Morgan did a Top 10 list of, "Why It's Great To Be A Man." Today the rebuttal...

Why It's Great To Be A Woman

1. We can change our minds and it’s ok.

2. We can be wrong and still be right.

3.We use both sides of our brains simultaneously.

4. With ‘just’ the right maneuver (smile, wink, innocence, etc.) we can get out of trouble.

5. We know the difference between egg shell, ecru, and off white.

6. We can wipe a nose, break up a fight, dust the living room, balance the checkbook and cook a meal for a bereaved family all at the same time.

7. We can laugh when we are scared, cry when we are happy and scream when we are elated.

8. We are strong! Check out the women of the New Testament. They were there with Christ to the very end.

9. We can walk in a room and change the appearance.

10. If a woman ain’t happy……….ain’t nobody happy!

"Things I've Learned From Trey"

2007-05-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

Blues eyes, blond hair and fast as lightening about summed up Trey as a child. He was a towheaded Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and Dennis the Menace rolled into one. He loved to play, but there were never enough hours in the day. You could find him wearing a cowboy hat, carrying a football in one hand, a sword in the other and wearing a Super Man cape on his back. He was ready for action.

At a young age I learned a lot from him and would like to share it.

As a small child of 3, Trey had a lot of wisdom. He coined the saying
‘2-3-6.’ 2-3-6 is more than infinity. They are the numbers without end. He used to say, "Momma, I love you 2-3-6.” “Daddy, do you know how much I love you?” “2-3-6.” Nothing was bigger than 2-3-6 except God Himself.

I learned Agape love. You should love 2-3-6; without end. You should put your very heart and soul into it, not looking for what you can get out of it, but what you can put into it.

Our Dad had been dead about 2 weeks when one night Trey asked, “Momma, when is my Daddy coming home?” The once alive house came to a dead stop. Melinda and I held our breath waiting to hear what Momma had to say. She gathered Trey in her arms and said, “He won’t be coming home. He was very sick and God took him to heaven to live with Him.” Trey looked from Momma to Melinda to me and then back to Momma. He squared his shoulder, squinted his eyes and looking very mad announced, “Then I don’t love God anymore.”

I learned you can be 100% honest with God about all of your feelings and He will still love you 2-3-6.

Trey would play with his trucks for hours. If you would listen you could hear him singing, “I’ve got a cloudy, I’ve got a cloudy on my horse. In the wonder, in the wonder bring it back again.” He proudly informed Melinda and me one day, “That is my favorite song. Ya’ll sing too.” We tried, but didn’t quite do it justice.

I learned don’t separate your worship of God from your daily life. The two go hand in hand like Oreo’s and milk. He had taken 2 songs “Unclouded Day” and “Green Gravel, green gravel the grass is so green” and made one song. We are to take our worship of God and our daily life and blend them together, never separating the two.

One Christmas brought wonderful treasures to us kids. The tree held its usual wonder; with brightly wrapped gifts snuggle beneath its branches. The excitement in the air was contagious as we sat around opening each gift that seemed so magical. There were dolls for Melinda and me, a Farmer Says and Busy Box for Trey. Melinda’s and my eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement with each gift received. Trey attached himself to the first gift our Daddy opened, a package of work socks. He wasn’t interest in opening any other package nor the new toys. He just continued to wade through the wrapping paper clutching his new found prize, work socks.

I learned to look beyond all the glitter and sparkle and to focus on the simple things in life.

Digging in the dirt, going to work with Daddy and playing trucks were just a few of the things Trey enjoyed. One of his favorite games was riding horses. Melinda was his horse, Mary Legs. They would play for hours on the living room floor. Occasionally Mary Legs would dump Trey in the floor and his laughter could be heard echoing through the house, neither seemed to tire of the game.

I learned to look outside the box; whether looking at people or things one should always see the possibilities.

Today, you can still learn from Trey www.treymorgan.net

"The Day My Heart Broke"

2007-05-12T06:17:00.000-07:00

When I was a child life seem to float by, like a cloud on a peaceful day slowly making its way across the sky. I had no worries or cares, life was good. Mom and Dad were there, Melinda and I played for hours and God had given me the most perfect baby brother, Trey. I was safe and secure.

One evening Uncle Bob took Melinda and me out to ride in the country and look for varmints. Melinda and I were excited to get to spend special time with one of our favorite uncles.

The night was dark, the sky was full of stars and Melinda and I chattered to each other as Uncle Bob drove in silence, finally coming to a stop along a lonely dark road. We sat quietly, ears and eyes straining for some form of life in the darkness when Uncle Bob spoke, “Girls, I have to tell you some news…….” We both stopped and turned our faces up to look at Uncle Bob in the darkness. He continued, “Your Daddy has been sick a long time. The doctors have done everything they can do for him. He is really sick. He is going to die.” My ears heard, my heart choked, it began to crack, I sat stunned. I knew Melinda was struggling as I was, I could feel her body tense. I broke into tears, die? That same year Aunt Katy had died, Papa Simmons had died. What did die mean to a 9 year old? They went away, never to be seen again! When I grasp the reality of my Daddy, my precious Daddy going away forever my heart cracked more. Melinda and I sat crying. A little body can only cry for so long and then Uncle Bob began to comfort us. His talk was quiet, his words were soft and his heart spoke gentleness.

After a while he started the car and we began once again to travel down the dark, lonely road. The lights of the car shone on the road and at different points rabbits, badgers, skunks and coyotes could be seen crossing the road or skulking in the ditches. We quickly turned our attentions away from the pain and began to talk, giggle and look excitedly about us for more varmints.

A week passed and Uncle Hartley took Melinda and me to Pampa to pick up our new glasses. We were both so excited, everything looked so perfect through our eyes. As we arrived home we entered the house through the backdoor and there stood Granny Morgan. “Junior’s gone,” she announced. Melinda and I stopped and looked from one adult to the other. “When, where’s Jo?” questioned Uncle Hartley. They talked quietly between themselves as Melinda and I strained to understand. Uncle Hartley left through the door, Granny Morgan picked up the phone and started dialing. Melinda and I stood looking at each other, looking at the door, looking at Granny Morgan.

“We have had a death in the family. My son is dead. I’ll need you to stay on this line and help me make calls” she told the operator. As I stood outside the door and listened to each phone call I would strain my ears to hear with my heart as she made call after call, passing on the information to uncles, aunts, cousins, neighbors and friends, and the crack grew.

Saturday morning the sun shone bright as we dressed for the funeral. I didn’t want to go, Trey, 3 years of age didn’t have to go, why should I have to go? I was angry; everyone was making me go where I didn’t want to go. Wouldn’t anyone listen? Melinda and I were usually inseparable, where was she? Did she want to plead too, “Stop, please someone make this go away, make this a bad dream.” But there was no one there, no one to listen, no one to take me in their arms and make it ok, the crack in my heart grew wider.

I refused to listen to the words. I refused to listen to the songs. I refused to look at the casket that held my Daddy. “They should open it up, if he is really in there they should open it up.” I snuggled closer to Momma and held tight to her sleeve. Everyone was standing; we were standing, my mind kept screaming “NO” as my little body walked down the aisle toward the casket. My feet were heavy as if they were suddenly incased in cement. Was it really me walking down that aisle? It didn’t feel like me, I didn’t want it to be me, but I looked down at my left hand with the missing pinky finger and knew that it was me.

Uncle Hartley gently touched my shoulder and pulled me to him. His big arms were holding me and whispering words I couldn’t understand. I listened again, “Don’t look. You don’t have to look.” As I looked up, his meaning was clear, the casket was opened and my heart broke! I buried my face deep within him coat.

A few minutes later we were in the big white limo heading out toward the cemetery. I looked out the window, was the sun actually shining? Didn’t it know? It had to know! Why wasn’t the whole sky crying?

Momma spoke the first words I remember hearing since I listened to all the calls made by Granny Morgan three days ago, “Girls we’ve got to be strong. We have to remember all the funny things he used to do.” And then she began to tell stories of him fishing for gophers, getting stuck in a 6 foot snow drift, chasing ducks with a speed boat, sweeping popcorn under a rug, laying in a tire swing while using a broom to smooth concrete for the driveway….We came to a stop and the door opened. As we got out of the car Melinda and I reached for Momma’s hand.

Thirty-eight years has passed since that time so long ago. The old saying “Time heals all wounds” is true, but it still leaves scars. I now know that I will see my Daddy again, he is not gone forever as once thought. Daily, I hold fast to God’s words and promises through His Son.

John 10:10

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

"What Is It?"

2007-05-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

In the summer of 2000 while still very weak and fatigued from all the chemo treatments, I took Amber to work. We turned down a street and there sat a little dog in the middle of the road. We slowed, and then came to a stop. It was small, brown with nasty matted hair. It had the appearance of just rolling into town on a tumbleweed. We went around the dog and continued down the street.

That afternoon I picked Amber up from work and there sat that same nappy little dog on a different street. We came to a stop and I said “Amber, open your door and see what it does. Amber opened the door and the little dog jumped into the car and sat down between Amber and me. She was panting, drooling and smelled like something dead. We rolled down the windows to help with the smell and rode the rest of the way home giggling and gagging. When we arrived home Rebekah announced, “Oh, that stinks” and that brought more peals of laughter.

The girls kept saying, “Come on, and let’s bathe it.” I finally said, “How would you like to be picked up by strangers, manhandled and then given a bath? Just be patient!” The dog was badly matted, you couldn’t tell where its legs began and the matt ended. You couldn’t possibly work a brush through its hair, so I proceeded with the scissors to carefully snip away at the matts. The process was going very slowly. There were also bits of grass, twig and assorted weeds tangled in with the matting. I figured if you planted the dog, something was sure to grow.

Rachel walked in from work and said, “What is that?” which proceeded to bring forth more laughter.

It was time to bathe this smelly little ‘mass of mess’. I placed it in the tub half expecting it to make a mad dash to the door, but it just sat patiently waiting. I soaked the little dog with water and then shampoo; as I rinsed its hair, the tips were white. “What had my girls put in their shampoo?” I shampooed it a second time and as I began to rinse I was surprised to see the little brown dog was really white. My little ‘mass of mess’ turned out to be a beautiful white female poodle.

In January 2002 after completing all of my treatments , her little heart gave out. She had had to be so strong for me for so long. As I held her in my arms, the vet administered the IV and she quietly and peacefully went to sleep.

She was there with me through it all, never complaining. I always knew that she needed me, but I came to see that I had really needed her! She was my quiet in our storms!

Isaiah 65:24 “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”

BETH ANN

2007-05-10T07:07:00.000-07:00

Daryl had one sister growing up, Elizabeth Ann. She was 5 years older and beautiful in every aspect of the word. She was also Down syndrome and one of the most precious people I had ever met. Everyone called her Beth Ann.

She was gentle, kind and full of laughter. I can hardly remember her in any mood except happy. She loved life and everyone in it. Never was an unkind word found on her tongue. She didn’t know a stranger nor an enemy, everyone that had ever met her loved her instantly. She had a very charismatic personality.

She loved to sing alto. She didn’t know her numbers and couldn’t read, but if you gave her the name of any song in the songbook she could find it and sing it word for word, all 3 verses. When we would go to visit her, she would sit by me at church and say, “I sitten by you. We sing ‘halto’ (alto) together,” and we did!

Beth Ann also loved to sit on the porch swing. She would start swinging and in minutes get the swing up to light speed. While swinging, she would laugh loudly and talk with her friends, except there wasn’t anyone there except her. If you listened, it always sounded like there was a handful of children on the porch or swing with her.

Beth Ann also loved food, any food. After filling her plate she would start with one of the foods and eat it until it was all gone. She would never touch any of the other foods until that particular thing was gone. After each meal she would announce “You are a hod (hard) cooker” and then place a big kiss on your cheek.

She loved movies, records, The Partridge Family, makeup and songbooks. She would sneak around the house gathering up other’s movies, records, songbooks, makeup and stash them in her room.

She had a pretend daughter and husband. She also had a bad habit of pretending to smoke. I think she missed the information that ‘smoking kills.” She would discipline her daughter and kiss her husband. Her imagination never ran out. Once when my girls were little they asked, “Where do you get a little girl like Beth Ann? We want one when we grow up.” I informed them that God only gave little children like Beth Ann to special people and if you wanted someone special like Beth Ann you would have to ask God about it.

Beth Ann went to heaven in October 2005 after a lengthy illness. Heaven was a brighter place with her presences, earth a little dimmer. We all cried, but our tears were soon replaced with the fact that she was with God. She had fought the good fight and won.

I know she is in heaven right now singing ‘halto’ (alto) at the top of her voice, swinging barefoot while touching the treetops with the tips of her toes, laughing, laughing, laughing and enjoying every aspect of the Lord.

Matthew 18:3-6
And He said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes Me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

Mark 10:14
He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

And Now "The Rest Of The Story!"

2007-05-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

I look back and see the different ways each of my children and my husband reacted to the cancer. I would like to share their reactions and comments with you now.

Morgan 18 was in the AIM program in Lubbock Texas. He was a big 6'3" guy and would tell the AIM instructors, “I need to go home for a couple of days and see my Momma.” He would pack a bag, come home ever 6 or so weeks, stay for several days, lie on the bed, hold me and cry. When it was time for him to go back to school he seemed to be doing a little better.

Amber 18 still lived at home and was angry inside and out. She would rant, fly off the handle and treat me ugly. It finally dawned on me and I said, “Amber, if I die, you being ugly to me isn’t going to make your loss any easier.” She threw her arms around me and sobbed uncontrollably, "I can't loose another mother!"

Rachel 16 saw that her Momma was very ill and rationalized, ‘I’ll find someone to fill that void and it won’t hurt so much.’ She attached herself to the first boy to come by. For many months we knew she was lost to us and to God. In September between a staff infection and a blood infection she came back to God and us, wounded, hurting, but our precious daughter.

Rebekah 12 packed her bags and moved in with friends of the family and announced, “It’s ok if you die. They will love me and take care of me.” Several times a month she would return to wash her clothes, repack her bags and leave again. I was so ill and my thoughts were, ‘Whatever it takes for this little one of mine to endure.”

Daryl, my knight in shining armor worked to hold our world together. He was a tough warrior that kept the troops, while the enemy continued to breach the walls. So many times I was ready to give up, but he would be there strong, steady and sure.........."Daryl, you are my hero!"

7 Years Later

I asked my family, “What was the hardest thing about the cancer?” “Are you a better person today?” What did your learn from this?” Their responses:

Morgan 25, “I was terrified I would wake up and you would be gone; there would be no place on earth where you would be.” “I learned to stand up for myself and the relationship with my sisters and Dad grew stronger.”

Amber 26, “Mom, you just quit living and doing things.” “You weren’t the strong, steady person I had come to rely on.” “I had always heard about God, but I started to see God.” “Up until cancer I had gone on your’s and Dad’s faith, now because of cancer I have my own faith.” “Everything was about God; the statistic continued to be bad and I saw it had nothing to do with you or statistics, but God. Over and over God would beat the statistics; I saw His power.”

Rachel 23, "This is hard for me to talk about, but I couldn’t imagine losing you.” “I was so rebellious, so afraid; the cancer opened my eyes and helped me see the truth.” "I wish I had handled things differently, I wish I had been stronger, but looking back I see how strong I was and how strong I have become."

Rebekah 20, “You were always so tired. You would be here one day and gone the next.” “Life seemed to move in slow motion.” “I learned not to run from my problems, but face them. Don’t freak out, don’t look to the future, but live for today.”

Daryl, “Just you asking me this question makes me want to cry.” “I was most afraid of being alone; not hearing your voice; I would miss all the goofy things you do and how much I would get frustrated with you.” “God taught me to appreciate the little things.” “It brought the kids and me closer and taught us to rely on Him.”

Jeremiah 33:3
'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'

How to Raise Godly Children

2007-05-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

1. Let your children see you reading your Bible.

2. Let them see you living what you preach.

3. See ‘them’ through God’s eyes.

4. Pray for them daily; not just in times of crises. Pray for your future grandchildren.

5. See the world through their eyes.

6. You and they see your mistakes; admit your mistakes, ask for forgiveness. This is not a sign of weakness.

7. When they do wrong, hold them to God’s standards. Love them, hate their sin.

8. Let them see you showing your spouse love, gentleness and respect.

9. Give them the same respect you give others.

10. Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.

THE BIG 'C'

2007-05-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

In May of 2000 I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer. I was given 3 months with a 3% chance of survival. I asked Daryl, “Why am I going through the chemo, surgery and radiation if there is only a 3% chance?” His reply, “Because the kids and I need you.” Morgan and Amber were 18, Rachel was 16 and Rebekah was 12.

Every week we traveled 2½ hours to the cancer center in Lubbock for treatments. I received 3 different types of chemo, a shot of steroids and a shot of a chill out drug. The summer passed with building stress and dread. My hair loss at the beginning caused me deep distress.

We began to receive calls, cards and email from people all over the United States and other countries saying that prayers were being offered up for me. We could see God’s finger prints in every little aspect of our lives. Yet, my life still hung in the balance and stress was beginning to take its toll on the family.

In October I was scheduled for surgery. The surgery didn’t take place; the chemo had stopped working. The cancer doctor began to pour over his papers looking for the next ‘rabbit’ to pull out of the hat. Two new cancer drugs were introduced. After the first treatment there was a noticeable difference in my symptoms.

In November I was admitted to the hospital with chest pains. After extensive tests were run it was determined that the chemo had caused massive ulcers in the esophagus.
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January 2001 came and I underwent a left mastectomy. Two weeks later the lab results were in and the cancer doctor sat stunned. There were no signs of any live cancer cells in the tissue that had been removed and tested, only skeletal remains. I would continue to receive chemo for another 16 months. We all continued to hang on for dear life.

Summer came and I began 27 days of radiation on top of the chemo. Each treatment left me weak and more lethargic than the last. My mouth had sores; my chest wall was badly burned and blistered. Could my body withstand the possible cure?

August rolled around and I had completed my radiation, with only 9 more months of chemo left. It also saw me in the hospital with a staff infection. After a week, I came home with an I.V. attached to my hip and antibiotics to be administered daily.
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Four weeks later I was back in the hospital with another staff infection. Again I came home with an I.V. and different antibiotics to be taken daily. The infections delayed my weekly chemo. Birthdays, special holidays, normal childhood events passed with little notice.

October brought about a deadly blood infection. I spent 8 days in the hospital, 3 of those days barely hanging on by a thread. Daryl, the kids, family, friends and ones I didn’t know continue praying, praying, praying. For the third time I was release from the hospital with an I.V. and antibiotics. But this time the doctor said, “I wanted you to have 6 more months of chemo, but we’re through. I’m afraid we are going to fool around and you are going to die and it won’t be from the cancer.” It was like the sentence of death had been lifted. I felt free and ready to take on the world. I was naive; I still had a long recovery. Like Humpty Dumpty I had been pushed off a wall and it would take the ‘King’ to put this old egg back together.

Today 2007, I continue to have chemo related health problems. Physically I’m not the same person I was 7 years ago; spiritually I’m not that same person either. I see people, things and time through God's eyes. The Big 'C' changed my life forever! The Big 'C' was a life altering experience! The Big 'C' was a blessing!

There is so much more to this story than can be written on these pages. From time to time I will write in more detail about how we found laughter when there was no hope, tears when God answered prayers, extra tidbits of humor and insight and how each child reacted differently from the other.

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Like Paul Harvey I will post "the rest of the story" Wednesday after Top 10 Tuesday.

AMBER

2007-05-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

In the spring of ’97, Amber barely 16, began coming to church with a family she had met through school. She never missed a service, youth activity or church function. Freckles splashed across her nose with her long brown hair usually pulled up in a pony tail. She was quite likeable with the young and old. She had flashing brown eyes, a quick smile and a spirit that said, ‘Never give up.’ Her usual attire was worn and faded jeans, tee-shirts and tennis shoes. She was quick to learn and happy to help. In her eyes, if you looked deep enough was a longing for something.

Amber became close to the girls, Rachel 14 and Rebekah 11. I had sensed the longing in Amber's heart even before she was aware of it. Her desire for something different began to whisper to me, it seemed to reach out to me and touch me. As a human I wanted to distance myself from this yearning. As a child of God’s I wanted to go where He led. In my heart I longed to fill her longing of love, safety and acceptance, but my head kept screaming, “I don’t want to go to ‘Nineveh!’” I, like Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. But I also did not want to be swallowed by a big fish. I would go to Nineveh! A week or so later Rachel and Rebekah begged to have Amber spend the night. In my heart I knew that if she spent the night, she would be with us always. In ’98 we made it legal and adopted Amber.

There were tough times and there were blessed times. We all learned to grow close and accept the other’s shortcomings. There were times I thought ‘What have we done?’ And then God would ever so gently show us the blessings.

Amber is as much a child of ours as the other three. I believe the word ‘adopted’ is a matter of the mind and love is a matter of the heart. She has grown into a beautiful, God loving woman that any parent would be proud to call daughter. She and her husband are currently expecting their 1st baby; our 2nd grandbaby.

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

C H I C K E N

2007-05-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

When I was little, my sister Melinda and I would take in any form or shape of a dog. It didn’t seem to matter if they had been pre-owned or Hinze 57 nor what condition they were in, we loved them all. We never had to tie a rope around a dog’s neck and announce "Look what followed us home", they just seemed to know they were loved unconditionally and would follow us anywhere. I’m sure Mom would cringe every time she would open the front door and see a new dog in the yard. I think everyone in town knew they could drop strays in our front yard and we would take them in, no questions asked.

It wasn’t until years later that I figured out that Dad would load the strays in his pickup from time to time and dump them in the country when there were more of them than us. I remember hearing Mom joke with Dad “Look Ross,” she said, "that one beat you back to the house."
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One of the dogs that came our way was a small, shorthaired, tan mutt we called Chicken. We would play in the yard, on the tire swing or dig in the dirt making mud pies and Chicken would hang with us as if we were all best friends, but Mom or Dad would walk by and he would go slinking off, hiding behind the nearest bush, tree or whatever he deemed as safe.

At this time in our lives we had 4 other visiting dogs. When they were around, Chicken appeared brave, strong and courageous. He seemed to be the leader of the pack, a dog-about- town; one with all the answers; but we knew the truth about Chicken.

Late one evening, Chicken stood in the yard barking and carrying on as if we had been surrounded. After several minutes of this Dad rose from the couch, picked up his work boot, opened the front door and threw the boot in the general direction of Chicken. Chicken proceeded to howl and yelp uncontrollably. He sounded as if someone were killing him; funny thing, the boot missed him.

All settled down outside and we continued to set around the living room. Mom and Dad visiting, Melinda and I playing in the floor quietly and Trey, being the ‘ball of fire’ that he was, was bouncing around on the couch, floor and chair, all at the same time.

Once more Dad got up and went to the front door to look outside. Chicken had been sleeping peacefully on the porch, when he sprang off the porch at a dead run, yelping, and howling and making noises as if his life was over. We all burst out laughing.

The next day Chicken was gone. We were never sure if he left in complete humiliation, with tail tucked between his legs because he had lost face with the ‘pack’ or if Dad made one of his famous dog dumping trips.
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Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Top Ten Tuesday - On Thursday!

2007-05-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

Health Update:
Thank you so much for your prayers! I'm doing well. I have to exercise, rest, rest, rest, and go for another stress test in June. I have heart damage from Chemo, but that is another story for another blog day.

How 2 Raise 'Preacher's Kids'

1. When doing things with youth or other church groups, make sure you ignore your children and discipline them in public.

2. Preach on ‘loving your wife as Christ loved the church,’ then belittle your wife in front of the children.

3. Attend Bible studies, reach-outs, preacher’s luncheons, visitations, hospital visits....reach out to everyone. Your children will always be there……there’s time.

4. Make sure you set standards for your child that you yourself have no intention of following.

5. Preach on “Do unto others,” but don’t practice it with your children.

6. Your children must not make the same mistakes as other children do; hold them to a higher standard – people standards.

7. Make sure what the Church sees and what your children see you live, are two different things.

8. Continue to say, “How could you……you’re the preachers son/daughter.”

9. Your children must live up to the congregation's standards and make choices only the church approves of.

10. Choke on gnats while swallowing camels.

Next Tuesday - 10 Ways to Raise a Godly Child.

THE BATH

2007-04-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

When the kids were little I decided to go to the grocery story alone. Dad was home working on the car in the garage. Morgan was 9, Rachel was 7 and Rebekah was 3, what could possibly happen in just a few hours?

Rachel decided to bathe Sugar as a surprise for me. Sugar was a longhaired, medium sized, Hinze 57 dog, and twice the size of Rachel. Rachel removed Sugar’s collar and with as much might as a 7 year old could muster, she lifted Sugar and began to place her in the tub. Sugar turned and gave her a look as if to say, ‘I hope you know what you're are doing?’

Rachel turned the water on, it was too cold and as the water ran over Sugar’s paws, she jumped out of the tub, trailing water behind her. Rachel turned; picked Sugar up around the middle and once again lifted Sugar into the tub.

Sugar sat quietly while Rachel poured pitcher after pitcher of water on her head, back and tail. Once again, Sugar made a break for it, this time water sloshed from the tub as she skidded across the slippery, soaked tile and began to shake the water from her hair; covering the walls, fixtures, towels, and Rachel from head to toe.
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“Hum,” Rachel thought, “I know just what to do.” Turning the water off, she poured shampoo on Sugar, who still stood on the floor, and began to soap her up from head to tail. ‘This is working great!’ Rachel mused.

Once all the shampoo was worked into the hair, Rachel began to fill the pitcher with water and rinse Sugar, who still stood on the floor. She rinsed all of the shampoo from Sugar’s coat, then turning around reached for the Bounty paper towels. Instead of removing one towel at a time to soak up the water, she took the entire roll and began to soak up the flooded floor. To her disappointment the Bounty wasn’t working as it had been advertised.

I arrived home to find Daryl still in the garage and Rebekah and Morgan watching TV. As I rounded the corner I saw water standing in the hall, did we have a leak? I opened the bathroom door and there stood Sugar soaked, Rachel soaked, a flooded bathroom and a whole roll of paper towels lying in the water. At the look of shock on my face, Rachel burst into tears. “Oh Momma, you weren’t supposed to see all of this until I was finished.” “It was to be a surprise!" I assured her I was ‘very’ surprised. “Why” I asked "didn’t you put Sugar in the tub to bathe her?” “Well Momma, she just kept jumping out so I decided it would be easier to just bathe her on the floor.”

Rachel is now 23 and I asked her, “What do you remember most about the time you bathed Sugar?” She answered, "One, that you still brought me Skittles and gave them to me anyway and two, you can’t believe everything you hear." She was referring to the Bounty paper towels.

Psalms 103:12
"As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."

'Wait' For Me!

2007-04-27T06:32:00.000-07:00

We had the summer to look for a house in Houston. Morgan, Rachel, Rebekah and I planned to spend the summer looking. We would pour over the Houston Post, Green Sheet, and other area papers, driving from subdivision to subdivision looking for something available and in our price range. We were on a limited income, I was a stay at home mother and Daryl was the soul support of our family.

We spent most of the summer praying and looking for ‘the’ house for us. We would load up in the car, with newspapers in hand, bow our heads and pray asking God to showing us the way. It seemed we spent hours looking and praying; but nothing.

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August came and we had 2 weeks to find a house, pack and move. Trey, my brother was getting married the 12th of the month and I very much wanted to go. My baby brother Bruce also came for a visit that first week of August and we rode back with him to Amarillo for Trey’s wedding.

These questions continued to plague my mind….. 'How could I go to a wedding when I was supposed to find a house to move into?' 'Hadn’t I practiced Matthew 7:7 “Seek and ye shall find; knock and the door shall be opened unto you.” I had looked, I had knocked, but the door still wasn’t opened. I had to stretch my faith, this was a test!

The kids and I went to the wedding in Amarillo. We arrived back in Houston on Monday, by bus. We had to be packed and moved on Saturday. Tuesday morning the kids and I got up, scanned the papers, said our prayers and got in the car and were off to look for a home. Time had almost run out.

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After much looking and little success we stopped at a friend’s home for refreshment and encouragement. I told her of my plight; looking, praying, searching but nothing turned up. She pulled out her daily paper, The Houston Chronicle and looked and there was a “3 bedroom, 2 bath, double car garage” for rent, 425.00 a month. I called the number and agreed to meet with the owner in 30 minutes.

Thirty minutes later I pulled into the drive and visited with the lady from California. She had placed the ad in the paper, flown in from California that morning, met with the lawyers and signed the necessary papers to buy the house and needed to rent the house that day, she was returning to California the next morning.

The house was perfect! The rent was perfect! The size was perfect! It was the answer to all our prayers we had offered! It was from God! Only He could have worked out everything so perfectly. All that summer we had questioned, where, how, when. And the entire time His response had been, “Wait for Me; be strong take heart and wait for Me.” Psalm 27:14

Isaiah 40:31
“Those who ‘wait’ on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

"I KNOW NOTHING!"

2007-04-25T22:37:00.000-07:00

I loaded up Morgan my soccer player, Rachel and Rebekah and off we went to soccer practice. The traffic was heavy, normal for Houston and we were running late. At a red light I paused and was thankful for the ‘Right on Red’ law. I looked to my left and saw a fast moving Camaro making its way into the intersection. I could beat it! I pulled out making the Camaro change lanes and pull around me. Whew, I had made it. I looked once more in the rear-a-view mirror and there behind me was a state trooper with lights flashing, following me.

Rachel began to say, “I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home......” “Me too,” I told her. As I pulled my car to the side of the road the trooper got out of his car and came to my window. My heart was beating so loudly in my ears, I was afraid I wouldn't hear anything that he was saying. “Ma'am, is there an emergency? Is someone sick?” I took a deep breath and said, “Well, I wasn’t sick until I looked in my mirror and saw you with your lights flashing; now I don’t feel so well.” He proceeded to take all my information and give me a stern lecture on how dangerous that particular intersection was. For some reason that day I was let off with just a warning; I deserved more.

When the state trooper drove off, Morgan piped up, “Boy o boy, just wait till I get home and tell Dad what you did.” “Listen here boy” I said. “You tell on me and I’ll tell Dad everything you do, have done and are planning to do.” “Do you have that straight?” “Yes ma'am,” he said.

Later that evening I was making supper when Daryl/Dad arrived home. The girls were playing in the floor, Morgan was watching cartoons. Dad asked, “How was your day kids?” Morgan jumped straight out of the chair, waving his arms wildly he said, “I know nothing, absolutely nothing,” as he ran off to his room and shut the door. Daryl turned to me and said, “What was that all about?” I just shrugged my shoulders and went back to cooking. I would wait to tell him of our 'afternoon adventure' when all the kids were tucked into bed.

Proverbs 6:16-19
“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”

Late Top '10' Tuesday

2007-04-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

TOP 10 Things That A Mom ‘Never’ Wants To Hear

1. “Mom I blew up the bathroom,” while eating at a nice restaurant. You go to check it out and see water flowing down the hallway toward other diners.

2. “Mom, I think I’m going to throw up,” while driving home. I’ve actually been known to breakout the checkbook and write a check to the ailing child. Money Talks!

3. “Mom, I can see your underwear,” is announced when you stand to sing the last song at church.

4. “Mom, did you want that old hammy roast?” is announced while a stray dog eats tonight’s dinner.

5. “Mom, ya know that old coat you wear when it’s cold? I wrapped a dead cat in it.”

6. “Mom, don’t tell Dad that I dropped his toothbrush in the toilet.”

7. “Mom, what takes bleach out?”

8. “Mom, the cat is having kittens behind the bed.”

9. “Mom, that lady’s thighs are too fat,” while the lady stands nearby with a pasted on grin.

Number 10 is screamed at the top of the child’s lungs while holding the phone…...
10. “Mom, that lady you don’t like, is on the phone wanting to talk to you.”

All the above saying listed in blue, are based on true stories!

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The 'Nail'

2007-04-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

When I was a small child I loved nails; the ten penny nails. They were cool to the touch, strong and smooth, and the new ones seemed to have a special shine. We kept the nails in a drawer in the ‘little white house’ in front of our trailer house where we lived. The ‘little white house’ was small, quant and used for storage. At some point in my childhood the front room of the 'little white house' was used as an office for my Dad’s business.

From time to time I would wonder into the ‘little white house,’ take out a nail, hold it, feel the weight and strength and then return it to the drawer. One sunny afternoon I got the ‘bright’ idea to place 4 of those mesmerizing nails under each tire of my dad’s car. I was too young to consider the consequences.

I went to the ‘little white house,’ removed 4 specially selected nails and began to place each nail at just the right angle of each tire. I was very pleased with myself and the job I had accomplished. I walked around the car surveying a ‘job well done.’

The next morning I went out to play. Glancing over at the car, I noticed my nails were gone. I quickly ran to the ‘little white house,’ removed 4 more specially selected nails and placed them with just as much care as the day before, under each of the tires. I dusted off my hands and ran to play.

That afternoon my Dad approached me, “Monalea!” “Yes?” I answered with a smile. “Are you putting those nails under the tires of the car?” He asked. I could see from the downward turn of his usually smiling face that my ‘job well done’ was not a ‘job well done’ after all. Taking a deep breath, eyes down cast, I answered, “Yes sir.” The silence was deafening as I waited for his next words. It seemed forever before he replied….”Don’t do it ever again. It is costing me lots of money to fix my tires.” Then he ruffled the hair on top of my head, smiled and walked away. The realization of what those nails had accomplished hit me.

It wasn’t until years later that I fully understood what a different type of ‘nail’ had accomplished!

Acts 2:23 “This Man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the Cross.”

Prayer Makes Consequences More Bearable

2007-04-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

Bekah with her friend - Misa making fish faces

When my children were little I would say to them. . . . . ‘Don’t forget to pray.’ ‘Have you prayed about that?’ ‘Pray!’ ‘You know, God can help when you pray and ask Him.’ ‘Prayer is a powerful tool.’ ‘Pray!’ ‘Why don’t we pray together?’ ‘Would you like me to pray for you?’ ‘Pray!’ Prayer was a very important thing in theirs and my life. I didn’t realize how much until one afternoon. . . . . .

Rebekah was 5 (She is soon to turn 20) she had trouble with bad words coming out of her month, probably the ‘S’ word (check earlier blog). She had been warned of what would happen if she should cross the line again.

One morning she was playing in the floor, when out of her mouth popped one of ‘those’ words. “Rebekah,” I said. She jumped with a start. “Yes Mama?” she said with eyes downcast. “You know what I said would happen the next time you used that word. Come on, we are going to my room for a spanking.” She stood slowly, dropping her doll to the floor. Her little face turned up to mine, her blue eyes sparkled with unshed tears; I knew I had to be strong. She placed her little hand in mine as we made our way to the bedroom. “Momma!” she said with such excitement that I stopped and turned to see a huge smile and twinkling eyes. “Momma, could we pray first?” “We sure can” I said. “And then we will have to get that spanking.”

After she and I prayed together, true to my word I gave my little blonde-headed imp her spanking. I think that was one the hardest things I’d ever done. Prayer didn’t change the consequences, but it made the consequences more bearable.

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The 'S' Word

2007-04-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

As a child the ‘S’ word (shut-up) was never allowed. If you said the ‘S’ word you got your mouth washed out with soap. I think once was enough for me, but I’m pretty sure with ‘Trey’ it took several washing to get that word and others, washed out of his mouth.

I remember a time when there was a huge crisis in my life. My children were 2, 5, & 6, that in and of itself is crisis enough. Funny thing, now after 20 years I can’t seem to remember exactly what that crisis was. But it was something that brought me to the Father’s throne many times in a few short days. After much prayer and no answer from God I called to visit with my Mother, a woman full of Godly wisdom. I told her of my problems, my sleepless nights and my many prayers to God. She listened intently to my words and then replied, “Have you shut-up (yes, she used the ‘S’ word for the 1st time in my life) long enough to hear what God has to say to you?” I sat stunned, almost missing the point to her words because ‘my Mother has said the ‘S’ word.’ “Monalea,” she said so gently; “Have you read God’s Word and listened to what He has to say to you?” This time I heard her and I replied, “No Mom, I haven’t opened my Bible in a long time.” “Maybe that is your problem,” she said. “You have been doing all the talking and haven’t closed your mouth long enough to hear what He has to say.” I remember hanging up the phone and reaching for the Bible.

As hard as I try, I just can’t seem to remember any details of that crisis, nor the way God answered my prayers, but I will always remember how I shut my mouth and God did answered my prayer.

Just a thought . . . . . “When is the last time you listened to God?”

Through The Eye's Of A Child

2007-04-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl my Mother had to have several moles removed. On 'stitch removal day' my Mom, Dad, Sister and myself loaded in the car to drive to a town two miles away to see the doctor. Everyone went, you see it was 'way back when' and there wasn't much to do. No color TV, computers, hand held games; they had barely discovered electricity.

On the way home Mom and I decided to race to the only bathroom in our quaint little trailer house. When the car came to a stop, we both sprang into action. As we rounded the corner of the bathroom laughing, pushing, shoving to be first, both of the freshly healed wounds broke open to every one's horror. Mom lay on the couch bleeding, my much older sister Melinda began to cry as Dad made that long distant phone call to the doctor 2 miles away.

I being the bright innovate child of the family, grabbed a banana, removed the Chiquita sticker and placed it squarely on my mothers forehead as I waltzed out the front door. When I arrived at the next door neighbor's house I said, "May I please stay here? My house is going crazy. My Dad is nervous and calling the doctor, my sister is crying and my Mother is bleeding all over the furniture."

I've learned a lot since then . . . for instance, it takes more than a Chiquita banana sticker to bind up a wound. Psalms 147:3 says, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."