Words to live by:

"Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. "

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Roams 12:17, 18,20,21

Okay, today is the day. I'm cranking up the stereo, diving into wrapping, and by gosh, I am gonna have fun while I do it!

This was the song I used to sing to my little people, long grown now. Guess what? I still feel this way about them, and the new generation of little people...I'm smitten!

"Look at that face just look at it!
Look at that fabulous face of yours,
I knew first look I took at it,
This was the face that the world adores,
Look at those eyes,
As wise and as deep as the sea,
Look at that nose,
It shows what a nose should be!
As for your smile, it's lyrical
Friendly and warm as a summer day,
Your face is just a miracle,
Where could I ever find words to say
The way that it makes me happy,
Whatever the time or place,
I will find in no book,
What I find when I look at that face!"

SOME DAY

Some day I will buy all Christmas presents by Thanksgiving.

Some day I will bake three hundred different types of Christmas cookies.

Some day all my closets will be neatly organized and I will know the location of every item in my house because I'll have all the items listed with descriptions and locations on a wonderful computer disc and also possess a hard copy, just in case.

Some day I really am gonna be skinny...really, I mean it this time.

Some day I will be a whole bunch smarter and I'll ???

Some day I'll...

Some day I'll....

Oh wow, I'm fifty-seven. Maybe I'd better get cracking.

And just how am I spending all my time? Well, there are these little people who I adore, we play office and school and I take Spanish and Algebra lessons from the thirteen year old and pray God will help me hang on to what is left of my brain long enough to keep up with her a little bit, and sometimes we go bowling and play badminton. And I listen to Pixie read me Junie B. Jones books, and we laugh and snort and giggle a lot.

And there are those little K people who love to paint and bake cookies and play games, especially hide and seek with Pepaw, and ask lots and lots and lots of questions...especially "Wheels," who now urgently needs to go bowling again so she can improve her score. There are Lego structures to build and pictures to draw and crafts to make and Bible stories to talk about and Webkinz for goodness sake.

And there is this big old guy who hangs around here loving me, and making me laugh and taking me places and smiling at me and hugging me...he is very distracting.

And of course there are my parents and my sisters and brother and their kids, and Charlie's mom and his sisters and brother and their kids and the farm, and the buildings on the farm falling down, and the firewood to cut and haul.

And my church, and my job, and all the books I'm reading, and laughing and loving, and praying, and living...that's it.

When will I just stop wasting my time and get organized???

God of mercy and love, watch over my family, where ever they may be. Keep them safe and warm, but most of all hold them in your heart and fill their lives with the blessings of your peace and joy. Amen.

Just a note about the next to the last post. Those thoughts were prompted by getting "button-holed" in the drive way by someone who felt the need to tell me where I would be spending eternity...in essence in a far, far place, and most certainly not with him in a good place.

"Wonder Woman," a.k.a "Bright Eyes" wants to be know as "Wheezer." Wow, should we even go there?

There are those who share our belief in Jesus as the Savior of the world who profess to know which among us will see God's face, and those others who will be lost and face eternal separation from God. I am not one of those.

I cannot step into God's place and call out names of those who must step to right or the left. I rest assured on God's grace, mercy, and love. I make no claim to such wisdom and run in the opposite direction of what appears to be "judgement."

Does God give us such discernment? If so, it was not given to me. For that I am eternally grateful. I am happy to leave those choices to a loving and merciful God.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM AN OLD MOM

Motherhood is a terminal illness. You die with their names on your lips and their joys and sorrows filling your heart.

Accept it now! It will make your life make more sense and make it easier to deal with the fact that you

(according to Jason Robards in the movie "Parenthood,")
"never cross the finish line, never spike the ball in the end zone."

Common now, we both know you are gonna lie there taking your last breaths worrying about how this dying thing is affecting them...

Hm mm..you are thinking that I am the one with this problem, yes, I can hear your thoughts. Okay, so maybe it is me.

Never mind.

There are days when my feet float above clouds, and there are days when I feel like I cannot see the sky. I try so hard to remember that God is always there, even when the sky seems dark and full of storm clouds.

Lord, give me courage to hold my candle high into the darkness, and to bravely light the way before me knowing that You are there ahead, guiding me along a path You have laid out for me, and that You will never leave me or forsake me.

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from you presence? ...For you created my inmost being..."Psalm 139

"Sweet pea" has a new nickname. I call her "Wheels" because she is always thinking, analyzing, studying, figuring things out in her mind.

"Wonder Woman" no longer wishes to be know as such. There is simply no better nickname for her than "Bright Eyes." No guesses necessary as to whom this refers, right? This change is subject to her approval, of course.

Have a wonderful Monday all my sweetlings; Boo, Pixie, Wheels, Bright Eyes, Princess and Spiderman (who may morph into Ironman at any moment.)