Profound thought.

"There is more hunger for love and appreciation

in this world than for bread."

--Mother Teresa

This 'n that.

I was going to post about my week, but it was mostly filled with work and a few stops to see my nieces on the way home. I have a deadline at the end of the month with work and I'm leaving to see my mom a few days of the last week this month, so I have to cram up and get everything done before I go. Not always an easy feat, especially since there's little I can do about when clients bring their work in, even though I've told them my plans. It was a stressful week, no doubt. I hope this next one is better.

I did have a few good things happen though. I was totally surprised to have yet another letter from the little girl I'm sponsoring when I got home on Monday. On the heels of the fact that I'd gotten two the week before, I was surprised, but totally thrilled. I can tell that the letters are getting more personal as she talked about her parents and what they do for work and how she's concerned for them. It makes me a little sad that a 7 year old little girl worries about her parents' work, but I'm glad she feels she can share those things. Her mother sells soaps and her dad makes stamps. One of her last sentences was this, "I want you to please pray for my parents. They always say that people are not buying, but I want God to help them, okay?" When I was 7 years old, I was only worried about what my friend, Amy, and I were going to play or where I was going to ride my bike to the next day. Certainly nothing like this sweet little thing worries about. I need to send her a note back this next week. I have already been blessed far beyond what I imagined and my hat is off to Compassion International, their workers and their organization for making it possible for these children to be sponsored and to handle it so responsibly. If I ever felt like I was doing anything right, this is it.

The other good thing is that I finally got a phone that can text! :-) Kate, my 13 year old niece, told me earlier in the week that I needed to get text added to my phone so she could text me with any news that couldn't wait. (I know she could call me, but in today's world, that is so 'yesterday.') Needless to say, when a teenager expresses an interest in keeping in touch, you do it, so I upgraded my phone and feel a bit more up with the times! ha...Technology just amazes me. It is fun though, I must admit.

One other fun thing I did was create an account on Facebook. Some friends at church have it and were talking about how fun it is and what a great way it is to keep in touch, and next thing you now, there I am signing up too! :-) It is pretty fun, mostly to know what everyone else is up to at any given time and post quick notes to each other. One of our friends is going to Japan to train for his job for 4 months, so it all sorta started as a way to keep in touch with him, but it's fun in and of itself, so I'm sure we'll keep on even after he's back home. Some things we just never outgrow! :-)

Although the things above are what I originally intended to post about, I'm about to do a hard turn and say that even with all these good and fun things this past week, I have had a twinge of loneliness, sadness, emptiness or something today and haven't been able to put my finger on why, nor have I been able to shake it. Nothing has happened except that I had a rather disturbing dream about a friend last night, but that usually doesn't affect me the way I've felt today. I tried to figure it out on the way home from church this morning and it's been a nagging feeling all day long, but I haven't come up with any reason yet. I'm not normally one to have pity parties, but I just feel sort of blah. So I get to church tonight and our preacher's topic is, "The Joy of the Lord." Well hello....how much like GOD is that? I listened to that sermon knowing it was probably just what I needed to hear today, so I sat there with Bible, paper and pen, taking notes....ones that I need to go back over again. I sat there with a quiet heart and quiet spirit knowing that God knew what I needed to hear today. Isn't that amazing? And why was I surprised???

It will be interesting...

My friend, Rachel, arrived in Beijing yesterday and will be working there during the Olympics which start August 8 and go through August 24. I have no idea what she will experience of course, but I can absolutely guarantee you that she will have some interesting posts, great pictures or videos and some insightful thoughts to share. I can't wait to see what God has in store for her over there!

Hop on over and meet her via the link above.....she's great!

I'm proud of you, Rachel!

A sweet letter

I am happy to report that I have gotten two letters recently from the girl I am sponsoring through Compassion International. The first came last Saturday. I was thrilled to see the envelope but somewhat disheartened to open it and read a note that sounded nothing like and 7 year old would write. I told myself though that she must have given the volunteer the topic and told him what to write about and he went from there. That was the only way I could feel good about it because I really want to know about this child....in her words.

Then on Monday, I got home and had another note from her.....this one in response to a note I had e-mailed to Compassion International from work. They evidently go quicker that way to wherever they are sent for translation, so I will probably do that from time to time as well. The contents of the second sweet letter are below......

"Dear Dianne,
Thank you so much for making time to write to me even at work. When I had your letter, I had returned from school and my social worker called me to have and reply your nice letter. I am happy to hear from you Dianne.

Now is the season of mango fruit in Ghana and there is a mango tree in my house, how I wish you were here to enjoy it with me. Dianne, I will love to become a nurse when I grow up, what do you want to be in future?

My class teacher is called Mr David and he says it is good I like dictations it will help me become a good nurse. My family and I are always praying for you.

From your child: Kate Aban (with social worker’s signature as the writer)"

How sweet is that?

Now THAT'S the kind of letter I want to get!

Can you identify? :-)

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway,
I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage,
I notice mail on the porch table that
I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table,
Put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,
And notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back
On the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think,
Since I'm going to be near the mailbox
When I take out the garbage anyway,
I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my checkbook off the table,
And see that there is only one check left.

My extra checks are in my desk in the study,
So I go inside the house to my desk where
I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks,
But first I need to push the Coke aside
So that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Coke is getting warm,
And I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke,
A vase of flowers on the counter
Catches my eye--they need water.

I put the Coke on the counter and
Discover my reading glasses that
I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk,
But first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter,
Fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.
Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,
I'll be looking for the remote,
But I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,
So I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,
But first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers,
But quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back on the table,
Get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to
Remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

The car isn't washed,

The bills aren't paid,

There is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter,

The flowers don't have enough water,

There is still only 1 check in my checkbook,

I can't find the remote,

I can't find my glasses,

And I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all darn day,
And I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem,
And I'll try to get some help for it,
But first I'll check my e-mail....

More than a holiday...

"The 4th of July is the time when we celebrate our nation-- a time to reflect on the freedoms which we believe are not granted by our government, but are self-evident rights for all humankind. Time for the Independence Day Quiz which asks, "How much do you really know?" Every day thousands leave their homelands to settle here in the land of the free. Before they become citizens they are required to take a citizenship test and score 80%. Could you pass this test if you took it today?"

"This quiz is made up of 20 questions found on the actual citizenship test with a few curveballs in the mix. The last ten questions may be a bit harder, but a score of around 24 out of 30 is considered a passing grade."

Take the quiz HERE, and let me know how you do....I got 22.

Two pleasant surprises.

I can tell that I'm going to have to post about Deeper Still as I process the whole weekend, but this link will give you some of what we experienced. It really was great.

Personally, one of my most immediate responses is that I LOVED Priscilla Shirer! I knew absolutely nothing about her going in and was SO pleasantly surprised. She was funny, incredibly thought provoking, and just a big ball of energy up there, so it was easy to stay interested in her message. She spoke about trusting and seeking God in the 'wilderness' situations of life. While she spoke of the desert being dry, dusty and barren, she suggested camping out in those times and seeking God, stating that 'the wilderness is where intimacy is ignited. God leads us there so we will experience and trust God more fully.' That was a powerful statement for me because I can surely look back during specific 'wilderness' times in my life and see how diligenty I sought God, how I looked for His lessons and had a huge desire to follow where He was leading. It's hard to think that He would lead us into a time of brokenness like that, but I know when it happened to me, one time specifically, my priorities were WAY out of whack. And even if it's not anything like what I experienced, there are other situations that are out of our control, but God still wants us to use that time to trust and meditate on His word, His ways and His purposes and just remain obedient. When we come out of those times, it is a witness to others and a huge step in our walk of faith. She had a great message and I was thrilled to hear her. I can tell that one of the next books I read will be one of hers.

The other thing I was most struck by was Mandisa. I had heard her name from American Idol, but had no idea who she was. She has evidently has traveled with Beth Moore's praise team for years, but American Idol is what got her name out there. This post will give you insight into her sweet heart and her love for the Lord. I was just smitten with her and intend to either get a CD of hers or get some songs from iTunes for my ipod. She was fabulous. With that, this is just a taste of what she offered: Don't worry about today and it's problems....we have much to look forward to, after all.....

"It's Only the World"!



If you have a chance to see either of these two ladies, DO IT. You won't be disappointed!

Busy week, but fun days

My sweet Kate boarded a plane this morning, BY HERSELF, to go see my mom in Florida! She has now done something that her Aunt Dianne has never done! I'm really proud of her. I know that's not such a big deal to anyone who flies often, but it is to me! :-) When my sister booked the flight, she'd asked about being able to walk Kate to the gate, but they told her that it depended on what the security risks were on the day Kate was flying, so, true worry-wart that I am, I began praying right then that all would be calm and she would be able to do that. As it turned out, my sister didn't even have to ask for a gate pass....the airline Kate flew evidently automatically gives them to parents of minors who are flying alone. Too bad the people on the phone didn't tell my sister that to begin with, but oh well, extra prayers never hurt anyone! :-)

We have rehearsals tonight and tomorrow night for our 4th of July program at church this Sunday...Patriotic Jamboree. It should be fun. I am looking forward to getting there tonight and seeing what's in store. It sounds like the set-up is nothing like we've ever done, so I'm excited to see it. Hopefully the rehearsals will go well......

THEN, what I'm really excited about....this weekend, I am going to the Deeper Still conference this weekend here in Atlanta with Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and Kay Arthur. Well, actually, I'm not going WITH them, but they are the speakers. :-) I've only been to one other Beth Moore conference to see her in person and I and left there ready to become a groupie. She is just fabulous. I've done a couple of Kay Arthur studies, but never seen her in person. I know nothing at all about Priscilla Shirer, but I'm sure she's great as well. I am excited. I am going with my step-mom, her sister, and my step-mom's daughter. It will be nice to get away for a while and focus on GOD and spend time with Brenda (my step-mom) and Angie (her daughter). I don't know Brenda's sister very well, but it will be a good weekend. We are spending the night at some hotel downtown so that we don't have to fight traffic and pay so much for parking. There is supposed to be a shuttle that runs from the hotel to Phillips Arena, so that will be nice.

Then when we get home from that, I hit the ground running getting ready for Sunday and then program at church Sunday night.

Whew....it will all be fun, but it'll be a whirlwind.

And now, I need some opinions:

I think this black background makes all this somewhat easier to read and the other colors stand out more, but I don't know if I'm sold on it yet....any thoughts?

This convicts me:

"If our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our charitable expenditure excludes them."

-- C. S. Lewis

WOW. This was the 'Today's Quote' from Heartlight that changes on my blog sidebar every day. This was Tuesday's quote from this week. It stopped me in my tracks that morning and has been on my mind on and off since then.

You know, God uses so many different ways and times to convict me of things in my life that I know are not up to HIS standard. Sometimes it's my actions, sometimes it's my words, somtimes it's my thoughts or the unexpressed things I may not share with anyone, then sometimes I read things that covict me to the very core of my being. The quote above happens to be one of them.

I spent some time catching up on blog reading tonight...something I have let slide for several weeks for some odd reason. While doing this, I found that another friend had a great Memorial Day post that was thought provoking as well. I have had many of her same thoughts myself, and even though Memorial Day has passed, her post is worth mentioning again. You should go read it if you haven't already. (Great word, Jill!)

Here's the thing: I think I am struggling because the gas I am putting in my car is more expensive than it's ever been since I've been driving. I think I don't have enough because I don't have the money to do all the things I might want to do around my house right now. I think I am struggling because I am single and trying to live on one income in this day of rising prices of, it seems, everything...and it appears it will get worse before it gets better.

It is a bit scary with things like they are and money is definitely tight, but I'm not struggling.

The truth is.....I am blessed. I am lucky enough to have a car that runs and to be able to afford the gas for it right now. I am lucky enough to have a nice roof over my head. I am lucky enough to be able to put money into my retirement each payday. I am lucky to have food to cook or money to eat out if I choose (which can fall under the 'bad money management' category if I'm not careful!). I only mention things concerning money here because of the reference to lifestyle in CS Lewis' quote, but I am blessed to have the friends, relationships and family that I have. The truth is that I am not struggling in any sense of the word.

I feel convicted, almost ashamed, even admitting that here.

With all that said though, I do give and do what I can when I know there's a need, but I can't say that I give until feel the need to alter my 'wants' in order to do it and that's where I think the coviction of this quote comes in. I want to live with that 'pinch' that CS Lewis mentions, but I don't want to live with it because everything is costly right now or because I am a bad money manager. I want to live with it because my heart is open and willing to help others that need it far more than me. I want to live with it because God is bigger than I am and I know He will meet my needs if I follow through on the things He places on my heart. I want to live with it because I've quit looking at things like an accountant and have started looking at things in light of ministry and helping others.

Thank you, CS Lewis, for your timeless wisdom.

God's goodness

If there is one thing in my life I am sure of, it is that I am at the church where I am meant to be. I was raised going to a Methodist church in the city where I grew up, but after high school, they didn't have a college-age class for me to attend. I quickly found out that I didn't belong in the class with young marrieds, or young married couples with small children, so I just quit going. While this was the case, since that is one of the churches from my childhood and the only one we attended during my teenage years, it still holds a special place in my heart.

I started attending my current church with a friend who was away at college but didn't want to go to Sunday school by herself on the weekends she was home. At her urging, along with the fact that I knew I needed to be attending somewhere, I went. Initially, I wasn't totally comfortable in such a large church, but I still went with her the weekends she was home. Since that was all I was doing spiritually, it was obvious that I was just going through the motions because I knew I needed to be going somewhere. I loved the church and the preacher, but with this backwards personality that I have sometimes (!!), I just didn't know how to break in and make friends.

Unfortunately, it took my grandmother's death in 1988 to get my attention. I LOVED my grandmother! My dad is one of 18 kids, 15 living now. He's the second in line now, so with that many children, his youngest sister, my aunt, is only two years older than me. They lived out in the country....and when I say country, I mean 'country,' especially back then. I would go down there many summers and spend a week doing nothing but playing with my aunt. We would play games, ride bikes (on a dirt road of all things), ride on the trailer that was attached to a tractor to go feed the hogs every night (my aunt and I would try to push that slop all over each other...YUCK!), catch butterflies, just all the things that make childhood fun. My grandmother, even though she still had several children still at home, would always dote on me a bit. I loved it. I also loved the fact, and still do, that people who knew her would say that I looked just like she did when she was younger. I still hear that, even to this day. I think that's pretty cool because I loved my grandmother. Anyway, unfortunately, it took her death in 1988 to really get my attention spiritually. Although I was saved at a retreat as a teenager, I wasn't living like it and knew in my heart that my grandmother's death was the shake-up that I needed to make it happen. I wasn't doing anything bad, I just wasn't living the Christ-centered life that I should have been.

I started getting serious about my church attendance and my spiritual walk. I started looking at this life in light of eternity and knew the changes that I needed to make. I started putting a bit more effort into the relationships I had at this church and the friendships that I was making along the way. As creeped out as I am about being in front of people, it still took me until 1990 or 1991 to go forward and join this church, and even at that, I had to sit through the service with a friend who was a counselor because I knew she'd hold me accountable! I joined the choir in 1991, I believe, and except for a few months leave of absence in 1996, I have been in there since that date.

I am grateful for parents who took me and my sister to church every Sunday. We didn't always stay for 'big church,' but we did attend Sunday school and my sister and I were both involved in the youth group when we got to that age. I learned the basics there, but I feel that probably 80-90 % of my spiritual growth has come from my current church. God has used the preachers, members, classes, different ministies, etc to speak to me. He has given me some huge disappointments and hard times since I've been there, but also some fabulous friends and some of the most heartfelt relationships of my life. I just have no doubt that this is where I am supposed to be. Even the bad times have been times of great growth. Funny how that works, isn't it?

With all that being said, we have been without a pastor since last November. We have had some great preachers in the interim. Our search committee has been working on it and on Sunday, June 8, it was announced that Dr Mel Blackaby was their choice for our church. He was here over the weekend for various 'get to know you' things, but yesterday morning, he preached, then last night, he and his wife, Gina, gave their testimonies. I sat there listening to them, many times with tears in my eyes, because of the things they were sharing about their lives and how God has worked in them, but also that God, in all His faithfulness and goodness has chosen to bring them here as leadership for our church! I have a book that he co-wrote with his dad, Henry Blackaby, titled 'Experiencing God Together' that I've started reading again with new eyes since he's going to be our pastor. We still have several weeks before they get here, but these are exciting days and I cannot WAIT to see what God has in store.

I have no doubt I am in the church where I am meant to be. God is good!

A tribute.

I'm not normally very political, but I have found myself quite sad since learning of Tim Russert's death yesterday. I left work early yesterday afternoon and when I got home, I had an e-mail from CNN Breaking News stating that Mr Russert had passed away, an untimely death, at the age of 58. I immediately clicked over to their website to find that he'd had a heart attack while working on his Meet the Press show for Sunday. He'd just returned from a trip to Italy with his family to celebrate his son's college graduation. Since then, outside of the things I've had to get done last night and earlier today, I have been consumed with listening to the news coverages, the tributes, etc. I just cannot hear enough.

One of the best things when I bought my house was that my bedroom was big enough that I could have a television in there. I'd never had that 'luxury' before, so I was thrilled when it all worked out like it did. In the 3.5 years I've been here, I've gotten used to watching the Today Show in the morning and hearing what's going on in the world before I head out to work each day. With things on the political realm as they have been for a while, Tim Russert was on there most every morning giving the facts and his insight on what was going on. His humor and truthfulness were things that I liked and his was an opinion that I began to look forward to hearing without even really realizing that I did.

It's funny how you can feel like you know someone simply by watching them on television, but that's kinda how I feel. With all the tributes I've heard since yesterday afternoon, it seems like the kindness and respect that I saw him give the Today Show hosts were qualities that were part of his everyday life. For some reason, I don't have a hard time believing that. In listening to him speak, he seemed very 'real' and I have been touched, much moreso than I expected to be, by the tributes I've heard from so many involved in his life....co-workers, employees, friends, politicians, etc, and it breaks my heart that so many of these people feel they have lost someone who was a true friend in every sense of the word. He was evidently a fabulous man and while he did incredible research in his job, he made others feel appreciated, valued, respected and honored by remembering the little things and celebrating the big moments in the lives of his friends, even as busy as he was. It seems that he was filled with such enthusiasm for every aspect of his life....father, husband, son, boss, mentor, political correspondent, spiritually, etc.

He evidently led a fabulous life and set the bar very high morally, ethically and professionally. We should all be so fortunate to have such a balanced life and be remembered so fondly. Even though I didn't know him personally, I'm going to miss him and I'm going to miss his insight as this upcoming election unfolds. It just seems sad that he won't be here for it.

I found this quote earlier this week and it seems appropriate to share here:

There are many fine things which you mean to do some day, under what you think will be more favorable circumstances. But the only time that is surely yours is the present, hence this is the time to speak the word of appreciation and sympathy, to do the generous deed, to forgive the fault of a thoughtful friend, to sacrifice self a little more for others. Today is the day in which to express your noblest qualities of mind and heart, to do at least one worthy thing which you have long postponed, and to use your God-given abilities for the enrichment of some less fortunate fellow traveler.

Grenville Kleiser, 1868-1953
American Author

Catching up...again!

It’s been a while again, but Kate’s last day of school was great. I was an absolute blubbering idiot from the time I got there and saw how special they were making it for these 8th graders leaving the school that I just couldn’t contain myself. One thing about my emotions...I can’t hold them in! Once something is sweet or touching, I am quickly reduced to tears! Grace missed her last day of school so she could be there for Kate’s Pride Walk. She looked over at me at one point and said, "Aunt Dianne, are you okay??," then she kept checking on me periodically. It was funny and sweet at the same time. I just couldn’t pull myself together. I wasn't a mess the whole time...it came in waves, so I was glad for that! That's just how I am about sentimental things, so it's a good thing that my family knows to expect it. They still tease me, but they know it's coming. Imagine what I will be like at her high school graduation, when she goes off to college, gets married, etc. I mean, this was just 8th grade graduation! :-) She’s such a good kid. I just adore her.

It was really cool because the students filed in, the principal said a few words, then Monica Kauffman Pearson spoke. She’s a local news anchor, and she did an absolutely fabulous job. She spoke WISE words to both parents and children about their responsibilities to each other, respecting each other and, to the students, fulfilling their paths in life. She gave great ‘life examples’ from things she’d been through as a child and young adult herself as well as examples of being a mom and raising her own children. Funny thing. She left a note on Doc’s page at Legacy.com when his obituary was in the paper and said he was the doctor for her channel when she went to work there years ago. After knowing that then finding her making a speech at Kate’s last day of school, I felt like I knew her! :-) That was a very cool thing. I have thought that I need to e-mail her and see if she’ll e-mail me her speech so Kate can put it in a scrapbook or something. At the end of the program, they had the students file out to walk the halls with their friends for the last time...there I went again...BOO HOO! :-) They had all the 6th and 7th graders come out of their classes to line the halls and clap as the 8th graders went by and they had all of us that were there for the program to line the halls outside they gym as well. It was a sweet time and it was sweet to see Kate in her teenage habitat. I SO remember those years. That was a fun day.

Not much was going on last week, just getting back to life at work. It seems strangely quiet coming off being so busy with tax season.

The kitten, I think, is going to be named, ‘Lilly.’ She is 3.6 pounds now, but an absolute handful. From the minute she springs forth from her room in the morning, she is a bundle of energy. It is hilarious to watch her sometimes, but not quite so funny when she tries to sharpen her claws on my sofa, chaise, and oversized chair and ottoman. I’ve decided to use the squirt bottle as a deterrent and that seems to work. She hisses and runs off, but hey...she’s not ruining my furniture! She’s been out on the patio with Sweet Kitty a few times, but I don’t let her roam far. She’ll be the one to trot off into the road and get hit and I’m not ready for her to venture that far yet. I’ve been calling her ‘Little Bit,’ so I think ‘Lilly’ will be a smooth transition for her and for me!

I need to do better about posting, but everyday life seems so mundane sometimes that it hardly seems interesting enough to write about. I have noticed how much I love going to peek into everyone else’s life though....funny how that works! :-)

UGH!

I decided today as I was sitting in the doctor's office that there is one thing that REALLY irritates me....people who monopolize conversations and won't hush!

Without going into all the detail here, I had an appointment with my new doctor this afternoon (who I changed to after the fiasco with my prior one last October when I was so sick) and while I was sitting in the waiting room, there were three ladies there who knew each other. Two of them were together (one came with a friend she evidently works with), the third knew them and evidently used to work with them, but didn't know they would be there today. Gosh...talk about a know-it-all.....she drove me NUTS. She was pressuring the two ladies that were together to tell her things that were discussed in a staff meeting they had today, making them feel 'small' because they didn't ask all the 'right' questions in their meeting, harassing them because they didn't have their cell phones on so she could call them and find out about their meeting as soon as it was over, etc. Of course, her job 'now' is just perfect and she can't imagine how the other firm is possibly going to make it without her, but I'm sure they will somehow manage! It wore me out just listening to her and I couldn't help but to wonder what her friends, not to mention the other people in the waiting room hearing the conversation, were thinking. I was SO glad when they called her back for her appointment. There was truly no way that you could not have heard her or their conversation. It made me hope that I never come across that way to other people, even strangers, and it made me pray that I never do!

Lastly, this one is not a complaint, but here's a picture of the new, growing kitty. I am still deciding on a name....I had thought about 'Sissy' since she's a sister to my other one, then after talking to a friend at work the other day, I decided I might like 'Chelsie,' but in all actuality, her name needs to be RAMBO. She is SO active it drives me nuts sometimes, then other times, she's so sweet that I can't help but to love her. Sweet Kitty, who also goes by Sugar just for the record, is still trying to decide. They play and fight, then Sweet Kitty tries to lick her and take care of her and be her mama, so who knows! At any rate, here's her sweet face:

Tomorrow is Kate's last day in middle school, so I'm going for their Pride Walk where they send the 8th graders off to the high school for next year, but of course, Kate and Grace both will be attending a rather new Christian school next year. She'll still be in high school nonetheless. I am amazed! I'm excited to see what next year holds for them in several areas, but I know it will be a change and probably pretty sad for Kate tomorrow knowing this will be it for life as she knows it now. She's got several good friends though, so I'm sure they'll stay in touch....teenage years are just kinda hard sometimes.

If you've managed to stay to the end of this post, I hope you've had a good week and that you have a great weekend! :-)

Where has time gone?

I can't believe that it's been since May 8 that I last posted anything...where has the time gone??

I have thoroughly LOVED getting back to life after tax season! I have been trying to think what I have done since I last posted and here's my list: attended Grace's soccer games (their season is through now), taken time off to shop a little, went to Grace's field day...where I got sunburned (UGH!), we wrapped up our year of children's choir with an end of the year program, I've been to some FABULOUS programs at church....between our grade school choirs and middle and high school choirs, we are incredibly blessed. Last weekend I went to a Beth Moore DVD study that left me more emotional than I ever thought it would. She's just so fabulous that you HAVE to be touched by anything she does by the time it's over!

I've also been breaking up catfights and trying to teach the little one that furniture is not to be CLIMBED! She should certainly know the meaning of 'NO!' by now! :-) She is sweet though! I've had her 5 weeks today and I weighed her tonight....she only weighs 2.2 lbs, so she was really tiny when I got her. I don't think that I even realized how little she was!

Other than that, I've just been doing the normal 'life things' but all things that I appreciate being able to do now. Tomorrow I am going in to work then leaving to go to Christopher's (my friend Gina's son) awards day, then meeting a friend for lunch, then back to work for the afternoon. Next week, I will go to Kate's awards day on Wednesday then back to her middle school on Friday for some program, then something where they send them off to high school. Another reason I can title this post, 'Where has time gone?' That sweet thing has grown up before my eyes and I can hardly believe she heads to high school next year! WOW! She is a fabulous young woman and I am SO proud to be her aunt. By the time this month is over, I will have used about a week of my vacation time, but that's okay because these are all things that I wouldn't miss for the world. I've learned that you only get one chance to do some things and I don't want to blow a single opportunity!

Here's a picture of Kate and me from her concert tonight. Not so great of me....but really good of her. She got her braces off last Thursday and she is just precious!

Life is good....great, actually....and I am so content right now that it's not funny. Isn't that a blessing???

What's not to love?

This 'n that....

As you might have expected, guess who has a new home:

She has been at my house what will be 2 weeks tomorrow, and I'm hooked! She and Sweet Kitty are learning to co-exist, but I still feel like I'm trying to keep them both happy and non-jealous of the other! :-) The little one just wants to play and the big one will only 'entertain' her in spurts. They are running and deciding whether to like each other or not as I type this. I know they are only cats, but it's an adjustment! It IS fun to watch though.

It's been a while since I've posted, but it's been a busy week....my mom got here last Wednesday and left Monday morning. She stayed 3 nights here and two with my sister and her family. Doc's memorial service was Saturday and went very well. Since I missed out on ALL the decorating genes in my family, my mom did some decorating while she was here and I'm very pleased with what she did. Several of the things she hung, I already had here, but just didn't know what to do with them. She also bought a few things, including a picture hanging in my kitchen which I love. Now I just need to get going on painting, then I may post a picture or two. It was a good visit.

On another note, I felt like scum last Thursday night when I went through my mail because I had a letter from the little girl I'm sponsoring through Compassion International. It was the first letter I've received and I was thrilled, but I felt bad because I hadn't written her yet or even returned the initial contact info I received to fill out and send back. It was something I didn't want to rush through and with time so pushed and limited during tax season, it was easy to put off. I am ashamed of that though! Needless to say, that moved to the TOP of my list! The initial packet is gone now, I mailed it this week, so now I need to sit down and write more. I've been very pleased with what I've experienced so far with Compassion International and the letter I got was just precious. They are studying David and Goliath at her church and she loves that story 'very well.' She evidently has 3 siblings, two sisters and a brother, and a best friend 'called Esther.' The letter was precious...she ended by saying, 'God bless you so much. I am happy', then I turned it over on the back and she'd drawn this sweet picture:

It is humbling, then and now, to know that a child in Africa drew me this picture and sent me a thanks for a sponsorship of $32 per month. It's SUCH a small price to pay and it's amazing to me that it can make such a difference. I am eager to get to know her.

As of today, work will slow down a bit. Tax season is over, first quarter payroll reports are done....it's amazing how life feels 'new' this time every year. I love it!

PS...my friend Jennifer has a fabulous post about a program at our church on Sunday night. She's right...it was WONDERFUL...go read about it HERE.

'Playing God'

Giving credit where it is due at the end, this came as an e-mail today and it was too fabulous not to pass along:

PLAYING GOD

We sometimes refer to someone's actions as "playing God." By that, we usually mean that they are standing in judgment over another person in a way that only God can, or that they are making a decision regarding who will live or who will die. Most of the time, we use that term in a negative way. I heard a story recently, though, told by Mee Spousler that sheds a whole new light on the term "playing God."

Mee tells how she was trying to put her three-year-old son to bed for a nap. When she was unsuccessful, she put him in her bed and laid down with him to encourage him to rest. She fell asleep, but he didn't. When she woke up, she saw him sitting on a chair at the end of the bed, and asked, "Luke, what are you doing?"

"I'm playing God," he replied.

"Playing God?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "I'm watching over you while you sleep."

What a beautiful thought, because that is what God does. David wrote: "I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me." (Psalm 3:4-5)

Wouldn't it be great if we could all, like that 3-year-old boy, learn to "play God" in ways that would impact this world for good?

We need to "play God" by looking at the hearts of people rather than the clothes they are wearing.

We need to "play God" by forgiving those who have offended us.

We need to "play God" by refusing to allow race or the color of a person's skin to create barriers.

We need to "play God" by being patient, kind, and loving to the the people we deal with throughout the day.

We need to "play God" by showing compassion to those who are suffering or in need.

We need to "play God" by keeping our promises and living lives of honesty and integrity.

We need to "play God" by living in such a way that we reflect the nature of our Heavenly Father.

I hope and pray that people around you will see you "playing God" this day.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

All was well....until....:-)

I had such high plans for these days off, but have done very VERY little of what I imagined....still, it's been nice.

An update on the cats....

The little one has finally decided that I'm nothing to be scared of and rarely hisses anymore. Good thing...progress! So I've let her out of the carrier some to walk around and play and have given her some toys that Grace wanted to get at Target the other night...still, success! She LOVES playing with the little stuffed lobster and some balls that were in the package. If you've never seen a kitten play, you have really missed something. They are hilarious! After I got home from church tonight, she was meowing at the top of her lungs, so I played with her some and decided it was time to introduce her to Sweet Kitty a/k/a Sugar. It went surprisingly well. They sniffed each other, my cat licked the little one a few times in a motherly kind of way, neither one too awfully tense....

UNTIL....

the baby figured out that my cat might be a mama and started looking for somwhere to nurse! Needless to say, hissing ensued and the 'meet and greet' was over! :-)

Right now, my cat is outside laying in the bushes, watching the cars go by and wondering what has happened to her simple, 'you 'n me' life. I feel like a mom stuck between two children! :-)

What was I thinking??

Tax season is over, life is back, and it's NICE! I worked Wednesday...left early yesterday....our office was closed today for our 'after tax season day off' and THIS is how life should be! Of course, with a day off comes all the things that need to be done that have been put off....

Here's the deal:

Grace and I were at Target a couple of weeks ago and I found this pet blanket that I just KNEW my cat would love. I was right...she snuggles right up on there leaving big chunks of hair every day..a fact of changing weather with cats. She sleeps every day right in the middle of my bed, so I'd been putting a sweatshirt or something up there for her to lay on, but when I saw this blanket, I thought it would be perfect. Well, last weekend or early this week, I noticed that my cat had been licking the hair off the inside of her back legs...YUCK! :-) I took her to the vet this morning because I knew she had an allergy or something, but with the weather changing, etc, I had no idea what it was. Wouldn't you know the first question the vet asked was if there were any new blankets or anything she'd been sleeping on?? Helloooo....lightbulb moment! :-) Could have saved $56 if I had just thought of that myself! Anyway, he gave her a shot to keep her from itching and scratching, then she needed a rabies shot, so I couldn't be a bad mom and let that go unattended. Anyway, we came home and removed the blanket from the top of my bed...hopefully that will help. I do NOT want a hairless cat! :-)

On another note, I was at my sister's last night and we discovered a kitten on their deck. Their cats get pregnant, but they are SOOOOOO skittish that you can't get around them enough to know until they have babies, so next thing you know, there are kittens everywhere! I don't know where any others may have been from this most recent litter, but there was only one kitten there last night...probably about 4 weeks old. Now, when I say the two cats at my sisters are skittish, I mean it. One will let you rub her, but you can't dare pick her up. The other will sit at the door and beg for food, but the minute you open the door, she runs just far enough away that you can never touch her. Almost a wild sort of thing, but not quite...it's like they want to be tame and trusting, they are just scared. Of course with dogs there too, it's no wonder they are scared.

After some fenageling on my part, I was able to get my hands on that kitten. The mom FREAKED and ran away, the kitten hissed and spat, but eventually calmed down so we could pet her. Now my cat came from that house too and while she is still skittish, she's not nearly as 'out there' as those are, but I got her when she was only a couple of months old and she's about 7 years old now, so it's been a while. Anyway, while we were petting this kitten, my sister said, "Do you want to take her and tame her?" Well, the way she was acting and the way I love cats, I couldn't say no, thinking that I would get her used to being around people and make her sweet, then find another home for her. That is still my intent. We put the kitten in hamster cage until Grace and I could get back from Target, where we were headed to buy Barbie stuff with a gift card she got for her birthday, so we bought a carrier while we were there and I brought the kitten home. I sat the carrier in the floor when I got home so my cat could get a look at it and in it and the kitten could see what was happening, then I put the kitten and carrier in another room where she slept all night. My cat was JEALOUS! :-) She usually purrs 90-nothing, but it was midnight before she got happy again....that was cracking me up....a pouting cat! Definite attitude. :-)

Well, as I've been off today, I've gone in there to check on the kitten and she's hissed and spat so much that I've been scared to put my hand in the carrier! I did manage to slide some soft food in there, but she still felt threatened. Tonight, I took her out on the patio and took the lid off the carrier so I could change the newspaper in there and we had a little time to bond. She seemed to calm down a bit and is hopefully learning that I won't hurt her. We'll see. At this point, I am more hopeful than I was even earlier today. I asked the vet about it when I was there this morning and he said to just keep holding her and petting her and she'd change. I hope he's right. For now, here are a couple of pictures of her (or him...I really don't know yet!).....


...and the QUEEN....who is unamused! :-)

Again, I ask, 'what was I thinking?'

The Hawaii Chair

Ellen just cracks me up: