A MOTHER’S LOVE...

The last few days have been a bit sad and troubling for me. I’ve been watching a mother’s love being poured out for her “baby” many times throughout the day, and sadly, I now know that the outcome isn’t going to be a happy one.

It all began while watching a plain-looking brown mama bird feeding her adult “baby” earlier in the week... I nick-named the baby Butterball for obvious reasons.  At the time I thought this was just a bird who DIDN’T want to grow up and leave mama ... OR Mama wasn’t ready to cut the apron strings with her precious feathered offspring.  Now I know that neither of my hunches were accurate. For you see, Butterball is one very, very sick bird and he’s not going to survive.

As I’ve realized the situation, I’ve been intrigued by the faithfulness of the mother.  She is constantly gathering birdseed from our feeder then taking the seeds to her baby.  The moment she comes near, Butterball starts chirping and mama drops the food into his beak.  She repeats this action over and over again. I’ve watched as she flies a short distance away, resting on the grass where she will start chirping. Perhaps trying to encourage and coax Butterball to come to her. When he doesn’t budge, the mother continues to bring him food and will sit on the grass near him. What a picture of love and devotion.

As we enter into this Mother’s Day weekend...  and as I’m seeing a mother’s L.O.V.E. being clearly displayed by my backyard-feathered-friends... I am realizing afresh how much love MY mother’s had for me over these yea-many years.  A love that was displayed by "ordinary" things day in and day out, year after year. I also think of the love I have for  both of my children. It is deeper and richer than I ever thought possible. 

On the close of this evening I can only say - THANK YOU Father ... for creating and showing me YOUR L.O.V.E. in so many special ways.  Yes, even through the love of a mama bird and her baby. 

“Two sparrows sell for a farthing, don’t they? Yet not a single sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. . .  Never be afraid, then—you are far more valuable than sparrows .                                                                                                                            Matthew 10:29-31

A PACK OF CAMELS

The guy ahead of me in line at the drug store REEEEEKED  of smoke.  So much so I almost thought I was having a nicotine rush for a second. Besides emitting the strong fragrance of a full pack of unfiltered Camel's... He was a rough-looking character ta-boot!  I stepped back a few paces behind his blue cloud and just let him move forward on his own.  

In front of him was a little white-haired old woman.  Bless her heart, she was all in a flustered-dither as the cashier rang up her items and was told the totaled amount.  Twenty-one dollars, and forty-seven cents.  As the little woman counted out her money, she found a twenty... as well as a one dollar bill... but was short on the change part of the purchase. With a quivering voice she told the cashier she would have to put the items back because she didn't have enough money.  It was sad to see her expression.  I could see that her mobility wasn't the greatest ...  and to think she would have to retrace her trip to the store?  ahhhh.....

I was just getting into my coin-purse to pull out the extra money she needed - when I head Mr. One-pack Camel in front of me say - "Not to worry, Ma'am, I've got it covered!" 

The little lady looked up and said in a strong voice - "No! You don't need to do that. I have the exact change at home. I'll just come back."

Mr. One-pack Camel then said - "What else do you need?  Go get what you need and I'll cover that as well!"   

Wow!!  Did I ever have to re-think my first opinion of this guy.  

LESSON LEARNED:  You can't judge a person by their cover. And sometimes a good heart is shrouded by a thick, blue cloud of smoke.  

FULL HEART...

My friends are priceless and after church today they made my day sweet as we ...  

♥ Cared for each other.

       ♥ Shared concerns from our hearts.

              ♥ Loved when our hearts are aching.

                     ♥ Were Real, even though

                      sometimes the “REAL” really HURTS.

              ♥ Laughed as only friends can do.

       ♥ Cried a few tears together.

♥ Wrapped arms around one-another in prayer.

My friends.  Oh, what a precious gift they are. 

Yes...  today was sweet as I experienced in real life the words found in Galatians 6:2. 

“Share each other’s troubles and problems,

and so obey our Lord’s command.”

Thank you my burden-bearers.  You filled my heart to overflowing.  You showed me...  up-close and personal God’s love.   Yes, my "cup runneth over." And I am blessed. 

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?...

Finally we have rain and it’s been coming down in sheets all day long. Turning ordinary street gutters into rivers. Causing mudslides across the hillsides, and bringing out the “stupid-gene” in a handful of teenage boys outside my window.

I watched these guys for a bit and after awhile I was just waiting to hear that sickening *THUD* sound as a black car tried to do wheelies in the middle of the rain-slicked street while his buddies cheered him on from the sidewalk. The driver then continued to maneuver the wheels of his car along the curb – making a fabulous spray of rain water - trying to further dampen his pals.  They all seemed to be having a great time ... but as a mom ... I could just S.E.E. an accident waiting to happen.  (Mom’s are pretty astute that way!)

As I heard the car gunning its engine I looked up from my work and saw a tall, lanky kid spread over the back of the car like a starfish holding on for dear life. But as the thrill-seeking driver tried to execute another donut, the clinging starfish went F. L. Y. I. N. G. off the back of the car and bounced H.A.R.D. several times across the street. It was a NASTY fall and the kid had to have hurt more than his pride.

Sure enough ... he got up slowly and it was obvious, he was hurting. OUCH!  And all I could think was ... “Ya dumb kid! What were you thinking?” 

And I wondered... does God ever just shake His head as He watches me make my foolish mistakes?  It must be hard for Him to watch me learn ... the hard way.

I don’t know about you, but I’m so thankful that even when I fall He extends His hand to help me up. I’m thankful that He dusts me off.  He bandages my wounds, along with my shattered pride. And He loves me.  He simply loves me.

“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” ~ Psalm 147:3

“Do You Qualify?”

I had to smile at the delicate and kind way the cashier said, “Ma’am, do you qualify for the discount?”   It took me a moment to figure out exactly what she was trying to say... but I got it!  Translation:  “Hey Lady, you look old enough for today’s discount... but I’ve gotta ask, just to make sure!”

I smiled as I asked her:  “How old do I HAVE to be to qualify?”  She told me the magic age and I let out a big *WHOOP-WHOOP* as I realized that not only do I qualify ... I’m three years PAST discount age at this particular “establishment.” 

As I was driving home the words... “Do you qualify?”  kept rolling around in my head...  I’m thankful that God has never asked me what my qualifications are before allowing me to follow and serve Him.  I’m thankful that He’s never asked me if I'm qualified before putting someone in my path that needs encouragement or to reach out to during the course of my day. 

Nope! “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.”  For THIS ... (and my discount) I am thankful.

Yes, I QUALIFY!!!  And so do you.

Dandelion Digger...

 As a kid around my house on Sunday mornings, meant waking up early, having breakfast AND digging dandelions. Bucket in one hand... dandelion digger in the other... and off to work I would go. At first I was paid was just a penny for each dandelion in the bucket, but then I got wise and asked for a raise. I’m not sure it ever got up to 10¢ a weed  ... but perhaps it did because my faithful and persistent “digging” resulted in a yard nearly dandelion free. 

Nope! Dad did NOT like dandelions. N.o.t. o.n.e. l.i.t.t.l.e. b.i.t. And now, all these years later... you will still find me on a Sunday going back and forth in my yard in a grid-type fashion... bucket in one hand, and dandelion digger in the other. Not as faithfully as I did as a kid... obviously... as our yard has its fair share of golden beauties. But I too, get annoyed by these pesky weeds that always seem to find a nesting place in my yard and flowerbeds.  I guess in some ways the dandelion digger doesn’t fall too far from the tree... (so to speak!)

Today would have been my father’s 91^st  birthday... And this afternoon I saw this healthy beauty tucked safely between the patio bricks in our front walkway. A colorful reminder of my past.  A reminder of Sunday mornings.  A reminder of my father.     

Happy Birthday Dad.  This one’s for you!

BUSTED!!!

It happened again ... at Target... at the check-out lane.

The cashier scanned all my items and told me the total ... and I said ~ “That just can’t be right!”  She looked back through the charges and realized she had failed to scan a $40.00 item.

Photo from BING.  HONEST!!

Her response to me... “THANK YOU FOR BEING SO HONEST!”   

Honestly... it made me feel pretty good to be CAUGHT AGAIN... for simply being H.O.N.E.S.T.!  

 

A CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF A FENDER-KIND

Michael’s last words to me as I was opening the door this morning to go for my morning walk were..   

 

“Be careful!  Watch for cars!  ... and I love you!” 

I’m always careful and extra cautious when I walk without my sweetheart.  And I always smile when he offers these words of caution to me. I smile because his words let me know he’s concerned for my safety AND...  that he loves me.  

Oh, it was a lovely morning for a walk. It was warm. The sky was blue with a few clouds and being outside just felt good! 

A few minutes later ...  I paused at a 4-way stop making sure the way was clear.  I motioned to a couple

(image from BING)

of cars to go ahead, not wanting them to wait for me.  A large SUV was slowing to a stop on the other side of the street. All seemed safe ...  so I stepped off the curb and started to hustle across the intersection ... but for “SOME REASON” I looked towards where I thought the woman had stopped her SUV at the stop-sign... only to INSTANTLY realize that her shiny dark fender was now lined up perfectly with the right side of my body. I FROZE!!!!  She slammed on her brakes. The look of total surprise and shock filled her face.  I don’t know who was more stunned...  the driver? Or me? 

The REALITY WAS ... I was INCHES... INCHES away from the fender on her big old, heavy car. I was inches away from serious injury. 

She moved on ... and I made it safely to the other side of the street...  and OH how I wanted to just kneel down right there on the sidewalk and THANK JESUS!  But my adrenalin was pumping so fast that I offered my praises as I kept moving down the sidewalk.  But believe me when I say ... I WAS DEFINITELY THANKING GOD!!!!!  

An “ordinary” day?  And “ordinary” words? No, I don’t think so!  I’m coming to believe there’s no such thing as O.R.D.I.N.A.R.Y.  Only extraordinary when God’s involved.

 ^“For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your way.”    

Psalm 91:11

RIVER DEEP P.E.A.C.E.

I'm in need of some BIG-TIME PEACE today. And I'm (finally) realizing I can't "pretend" myself into peace... the kind that grows deep down in my soul kind of peace.  I cannot manufacture peace...  nor sit with my legs twisted up like a pretzel until they fall asleep and "ummmmmmm-ing" my anxious soul into a peaceful place of existence. ONLY GOD can give me the peace I so desperately need right now. 

His  peace is like a flowing river (Isaiah 48:18) and thankfully, it's not a stagnant pond. His peace can, and is constantly washing over me and through me... as long as I don't build a beaver-dam to stop His flow.

So the "remedy" for this kind of peace? It begins with one step. Stepping into the living, flowing water of HIS loving, grace-filled river of P.E.A.C.E! 

Excuse for me for awhile - will you... I'm going for a long swim.

DREAM LAND...

Dreams are a very curious thing.  From what little I’ve read about them, they (sometimes) help process events, emotions, feelings and experiences. With that being said, last night was a very busy night of “processing” an upcoming event that I’m dreading.

I was awakened from my sleep with an icy cold rush of F.E.A.R. It took me a moment to realize that thankfully, it was just a dream.  What WAS my dream?  It was this:

I was hiding in the corner of a very dark concrete building. Terrified of being found. But the one I was hiding from found me. I cowered like a little child in the corner with my hands covering my head and curled up in a fetal position. The “finder” stood over me and just screamed at me. Spewing out pent up, angry, hurtful words. It seemed like the barrage  lasted forever in dreamland but eventually I stood up and came face to face with this angry person and calmly said something... then walked out of the building. 

Yes, it was a very disturbing dream. I found myself trying to figure it out while trying to NOT let it feed my fears. Even as I sat down to have my morning devotions ... I was still deeply troubled.

I opened up my devotional book and was bowled over as I looked at the title of the morning devo:  “FEAR FACTORS.”  Then was in added AWE as I read the selected morning scripture:  

 “This is what the Lord says to you: “Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the battle is not yours, but God’s ... STAND and WATCH – but do not fight the battle. There you will watch God save you... DO NOT FEAR OR WORRY.... face the army and TRUST that God is with you." 

2 Chronicles 20:15 . (Emphasis mine) 

Even though the devotional book was published in 2011 - I couldn’t help but marvel at it’s perfect timing for today. The words I read this morning gave me comfort. They brought me Assurance. Strength. and ... P.E.A.C.E.  

Bottom line... I don’t need to worry or be afraid.  God is already IN my "tomorrow’s"... Just as He was already IN my “today’s.”

MY SIDE WINS

Ok ... I’ll admit it ... I was bummed last night after the Denver Bronco’s lost, or

should I say got “crushed” by the Seahawks.  Years ago when I lived in Denver I attended many-a-Bronco-game and as a true Bronco fan, I had a sufficient Sunday wardrobe of ORANGE.n.BLUE. Though my interest in football has waned over the years I was still able to put on a bit of ORANGE.n.BLUE yesterday in support of the ORANGE CRUSH. But OH, how ugly the game was... right from the start.  And the finish was even worse. 

It was sad as the camera’s zeroed in on the guys sitting on the Bronco bench. Bewilderment and defeat were written all over their faces. Nothing they “tried” to do changed the winning momentum of the game. The Bronco’s seemed and were rendered powerless.

Sometimes I get that overwhelmed, powerless, defeated feeling, too. And I find myself sitting on the sidelines with my head in my hands. Problems and concerns seem to mount up and it’s so easy to give up and let discouragement win.

As I was thinking about this I realized that I NEVER need to feel defeated!  I AM on THE WINNING TEAM!  GOD’s team has ready WON and He’s picked me to be on HIS SIDE!  I have all the power backing me until the earthly clock ticks down to zero... and heaven’s clock begins to run clear into eternity.  HIS POWER!

I love the words in Ephesians 3:20 ~ “With GOD’S POWER working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.” 

God is for me.  God is for US! Each one of us.  We’re ON HIS WINNING SIDE!!!   And just knowing this WINNING TRUTH ... we can constantly have all the COURAGE we need to keep pressing forward.  Even when we’re tired, overwhelmed and discouraged by the stuff of this life... in the end ... by Gods grace ... WE WIN! 

STRANGE ATTENTION!

If you want to have a bit of extra attention at the check-out lane at Target... do what I did. Ask the checker to ring up an item TWICE, when you only have ONE of that particular item.  

WHAT?

Let me back up a bit ...  Last week I was doing my usual Target-shopping-DASH...  I checked off all the things on my list, found the shortest line at the ck-out, paid for my items and then buzzed out to the car. Upon putting the bags into the trunk I noticed one item must have slipped down the side of the cart  while I was shopping and was "hiding" under the kid seat, subsequently, I failed to pay for it. AH, PHOOEY!!!! I contemplated on going back in to pay ... but I was in a hurry .The lines were long so I decided to do pay for the item the next time I was in the store. SOOooooooooo... today I paid!

As I told the gal that I wanted to pay for two items and not one - The checker gal paused and said: "REALLY? ARE YOU SERIOUS?" The clerk from the other cash-register came over and said, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THIS JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN! IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE STILL A FEW HONEST PEOPLE OUT THERE."

I guess it's good to be an oddity every once in a while!

My Assault Weapons

While the rest of the country endures snow and the deep-freeze, Southern California’s having unseasonably warm weather and UN-fortunately, not a raincloud’s in sight. And with all this sun and warm weather the weeds along with overgrown flora and fauna have tried to take over and claim flower-bed VICTORY and I had HAD enough!  It was time! TIME for some serious hand to hand combat!

After a hardy breakfast I put on my “camo” yard gear, Mickey Mouse baseball cap and strapped on a Beth Moore ”So Long Insecurity” CD for added inspiration, reinforcement and support. I loaded my weapons of mass-weed-destruction into my red-radio-flyer wagon and made sure I armed myself with my machete and other assault weapons. Well ok... I guess you can’t technically call my bright orange ratchet clippers a machete, but the weeds and overgrown bushes don’t know the difference... and machete sounds so... so menacing. 

Quickly, and with great focus and determination I got to work. Progress of the attack was soon evident as the green barrel was beginning to fill with one severed weed and clipped branch at a time. And it felt good!  

I moved around the perimeter. Nothing unusual or out of the ordinary. I deftly continued... and then paused... *Sniff*... *sniff*... What’s that?  Soon, a foul order began to permeate the area. Hummm, this unexpected development called for my extension device (also known as a rake). I cautiously took a step back and parted the thick underbrush. There it was. Hidden. Curled up under a layer of dried leaves. The object of “foulness!”  In the background of my mind I could hear James Cagney saying... “YOU DIRTY RAT!”  Yes... (another) rat!! But not just ANY RAT, mind you... but a big, fat, DEAD one!  Ah yes, just the way I like them. DEAD! Without a moment of hesitation I catapulted this rodent to his final resting place and quickly closed the lid on the green trash can... and on the day.

A successful day on the battlefield was over.  As I put away my “weapons” I thought about how fast things had gotten out of control. I wondered WHEN and  HOW did this happen?  Quickly I realized ... Busyness happened. Holidays happened. LIFE happened. THAT’S HOW!  One thing led to another until weeks, perhaps MONTH’S had passed since I’ve pulled a few weeds along with a few back muscles while working in the yard.

I also realized that just like overgrown weeds and rotting rodents, sin can quietly come creeping into life as well and try to claim victory. Sometimes it doesn’t take much.  Life does get busy. The to-do list never seems to end. It’s easy to get overwhelmed... discouraged and weary.  And before you know it ... days, weeks or possibly months have slipped by since we’ve had that special time with Jesus. Perhaps it’s cutting short devotional time or speed-reading the Bible without thinking, remembering or applying what we’ve just read.  Maybe it’s saying an abbreviated prayer or two ... when we remember, that is.  Honestly, it doesn’t take much for that dirty, good-for-nothin’ rat, to come sneakin’ into different areas of our life basically unnoticed.

This morning I read...

"Remember, satan fights dirty. He jumps on anything that could keep you from centering your thoughts on Christ." -Beth Moore, Breaking Free

My prayer is to keep my focus on Jesus. NO MATTER WHAT!  I want to spend focused time with Him.  I need His help to recognize when life gets crazy, out of control, overwhelming and exhausting ... OR ... awareness of my need of Him when things are moving along swimmingly... either extreme and all points in-between,  I always, always, ALWAYS need time focused on and with Jesus. After all, He's the only One who knows what’s ahead in my day, my week, my month. He knows whats hiding in the corners of my world... And He WILL ALWAYS give me everything that I need. 

 And what I need... is HIM.

“[Debbie] You will not have to fight this battle.

Take up your positions; stand firm

and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, ...

 Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Go out to face them tomorrow,

and the LORD will be with you.'"   

2 Chronicles 20:17

A BOX OF CHOCOLATES

Believe it or not, I’m not a big fan of sweets, including chocolate. Even as a kid... coming home after a successful night of Trick-r-Treating I would nibble on just a few treats then stuff the full bag of candy under my bed. The bag would be forgotten until months later when my mom would have on one of her... “DEBBIE! Clean under your bed!” ...kind of moments. Well, lo and behold, there it was! The sack full of petrified candy just waiting to be tossed into the trash. 

 

All these years later I guess I’m still pretty much the same. An occasional nibble of something sweet satisfies me... and then I forget about it and eventually it finds a permanent home in the trash.  *That is unless my sweet-tooth husband get’s a hold of it... then there’s usually nothing to throw away, but I digress...  

So this past Christmas when we received a box of See’s Chocolates I did what I usually do. First, the box sat on the counter for a few days until I finally opened it. Eventually I selected a chocolate and either cut it in half or nibbled a bite to see what was inside. If I didn’t like it - back into the box it went! Yep! That’s how I “eat” a box of chocolates.

 Pick and choose.  

Recently, I realized that sometimes I do the same thing in my relationship with God. Savoring the “things” that seem sweet to me, or if it’s something I don’t particularly like or if it makes me uncomfortable... it might just go “back into the box.” 

Of course I have my favorite scriptures. Those are easy to hold on to. But there are also some texts that are difficult to digest. Words I want to avoid completely because they “hit” a nerve or go against m.y. human, selfish nature. Scriptures like: 

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” (Luke 6:27)  

 Or....  

“Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God's will in Christ Jesus that you do this.”  (I Thessalonians 5:18)  

And another tough one for me is...  

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray.”  (Philippians 4:6)  

Yes, they are words of wisdom, but they are not easy to do. At least they aren’t for me. 

Speaking of prayer... It’s easy to praise God when He answers in the way I’ve ask Him to... but what about His answers that are completely contrary to the way I’ve prayed? And what about the silence of God?  These are things that are difficult. And this is where TRUSTING HIM no matter what comes into play.  

But oh! how I want HIM to cooperate WITH ME and do things MY way. And therein lies the problem... M.E.!!! I’ve got it all mixed up. It’s not all about me... it’s all about God.

I need to grasp on to the truth that G.O.D.  LOVES M.E. and He simply wants me to trust Him, listen, cooperate and walk with Him every day of my life. How much sweeter, and easier life would be...  if only I would. 

Yes, God knows what He’s doing... His words... His guidance... His answers...  everything is so much better, so much sweeter His way. I have no need to pick and choose like I do with a box of chocolates ... because you know what? My Father truly DOES know best! And everything that comes from Him IS GOOD.  

So this year, with HIS HELP, and HIS GRACE I really want to...   

“LOVE the Lord MY GOD, LISTEN to His voice,                                    and HOLD FAST to Him. 

For the Lord IS MY LIFE.”                    Deuteronomy 30-20

LIFE-LOCK

So there we were out of town at a prayer conference, enjoying the inspiring speakers and overwhelmed in hearing once again of the magnitude of God’s lavish love. And then... *dum-da-dah-dum... we receive an email from Life-lock notifying us that someone had tried to open a new checking account in Michael’s name. OH SWELL! With that news... the serenity of the conference was momentarily broken and we wondered – What on earth are we suppose to do now?

It was Sunday and we knew the bank would be closed… but Michael called the 1-800 number anyway and thankfully, after a series of “prompts,” he was able to talk to a REAL person, which is almost a miracle in-itself! The man tried to be helpful, but there was only so much information he could give us. But he tried.

Yes, we were concerned, but at that moment there really wasn’t much we could do... other than pray. And we realized that praying wasn’t our last resort... in fact prayer truly was the MOST IMPORTANT thing we could do.

We thanked God that just a few weeks earlier we had signed up for Life-lock. We thanked God that Life-lock worked and that they were able to block this person from opening an account. We thanked God that we had been notified so quickly. Yep, Life-lock “had our back” – and boy, were we ever thankful!

All this got me to thinking ... God “has our back” as well. He’s constantly looking out for us... in EVERY aspect of our life. He notifies us and sends us warnings... sometimes He hurries us along or blocks us smack-dab in our tracks. Sometimes it’s clear, and other times it’s through silence. GOD. Our ultimate Life-lock Protector! And when I really “get that,” when I believe and TRUST HIM - I can truly be at peace.

Isaiah 26:3 says ~ “You (God) will KEEP in perfect peace him/her whose mind is steadfast (steady, unwavering, firm, never failing), because he/she trusts in you.”

The Hebrew word for KEEP means = “TO GUARD, PROTECT, KEEP, as in GUARDING A VINEYARD, A FORTRESS.”

So why do I get myself all worked up into a knot over some of the most trivial stuff? Why do I start stressing over things that I truly can’t do anything about? One word ... TRUST. I’ve forgotten in Whom I am trusting.

I don’t want to forget... God’s ALWAYS “got my back.” I can be at rest because HE is guarding me, protecting... not only me, but my family as well and we are SAFE in the mighty fortress of His love.

Thank you Life-lock and Thank you JESUS!

LEANING INTO THE WIND...

Hard to believe, but Siri says its 82 degrees outside right now ... "HOT!" ... and not only that - it's WINDY! And geepers, is it ever hard to walk in the wind! As I was doing my morning walk today, not only was I HOT and THIRSTY, but I was having to LEAN INto the wind just to keep moving forward... trying to keep my hat on AND keep my balance. It wasn't a pretty sight, let me assure you!

WIND. It stirs up dust and debris. It knocks over plants and trash cans. It can also fan a small ember and turn it into a large destructive fire, as we are experiencing 50 miles from here.

WIND! I'm not a fan!

While leaning into the wind on my walk home I realized that I was experiencing first hand the best grief advice ever given to me ... "Debbie, LEAN INTO YOUR PAIN."

PAIN HURTS. It can stir up all sorts of emotions. Junk can fly. Tears will fall. And the pain will be relentless, like an ever-blowing wind. Oh how we hate pain. We'll do anything to avoid it. We'll try to mask it. Numb it. Stuff it somewhere, ANYWHERE ... ANYTHING other than feel it.

I don't know about you, but I don't like wind and I certainly don't like pain. But as I experience first hand ... the only way to move past my pain was THROUGH IT. Leaning INTO my pain ... just as I had to lean into the wind.

LEAN IN to the wind my friend ... LEAN IN to your pain ... you'll make it. Truly, you will.

Stay A.L.E.R.T.!

A strange thing happened *last night as Michael and I were leaving the church after taking down the CHRISTmas decor (with the help of of others.)

Michael and I were putting things in our trunk when a dark Jeep-type car -with a mountain bike mounted on the back of his car- slowed and stopped right beside our car. Behind his car was an SUV that stopped behind his car. The Jeeps passenger side window went down and the guy asked if we had a room for him to sleep in. Instinctively we looked up and both moved in the direction of the Jeep ... and he asked again ...  


The woman in the SUV hollered out her window to us - "Do you know that guy?" ... ????

We walked back to the SUV and the husband and wife shared that they were following the Jeep because the guy had just followed their daughter's car home to their "dead-end" street... he got out of the Jeep and moved towards her car. (The daughter and parents did NOT know the guy.) Somehow the daughter alerted her parents, they hopped in their SUV and as the man got back into his Jeep - they followed him to get his license plate number.

Things were not adding up!!!

The Jeep stayed and we asked the SUV to stay as we went back to the Jeep. Michael told the Jeep-guy we didn't have a place for him to sleep, but we would put him up at the Motel 6 for one night. We told him the location and told him we would meet him there. He thanked us, made a U-turn and drove off.

In just a few minutes we drove over to Motel 6 and waited... for about 10 minutes... we waited. It will probably come as no surprise - he didn't show up.

I firmly believe this guy was up to no good. But we will never know.

Did we handle the situation correctly - maybe yes... maybe no... but we (now) realize that ones mind tries so hard to compute what's going on, especially when it's out of the blue - and out of the ordinary... Like they say - hindsight's 20/20.

Last night and today Michael and I are so very thankful... Thankful that no harm came to the young daughter... thankful that no harm came to us. Deeply, deeply thankful.

Bottom line - STAY ALERT! Even in your "safe" neighborhood ... Error on the side of safety. And always remember ... ...

^"He will command His heavenly messengers to guard you, to keep you safe in every way."   ~ Psalm 91:11 The Voice

*Original post made on Facebook: January 7, 2014