Women of Faith Weekend!

What more can you say?... If you've been before, you know what I'm talking about - if you've never experienced it, you cannot begin to imagine it!
We attended last year for the first time and made sure to go again this year, and we have not been disappointed. As a matter of fact, just when you think it doesn't get any better? ...it does!
This year, we were blessed enough here in Atlanta, to have the world-renowned Beth Moore speak for our pre-conference. And that unto itself was worth every penny spent for the entire conference. There is just simply none other like Beth Moore. She spoke Friday from about 9:00 'till 3:30. It was an amazing day with her. She chose 2 Corinthians 1:3-10 to focus on.

God Offers Comfort to All

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.
We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.

She explained that it is better for us to find comfort in the arms of our Father (Divine Comfort) than search for our comfort in earthly things or people. He's the only One Who can fill that need for us completely. He longs to give us comfort, so that we may then, pass along that comfort to others. In other words, you will suffer in this life, but as Christians you will never have to suffer in vain. And in our troubles, we will get to realize just how real He really is.

Friday evening, we came back to the conference for the start of the actual Women of Faith conference. First, Nicole C. Mullen (my new favorite now!) kicked us off with some awesome praise and worship. And then Patsy Clairmont got us warmed up for the speakers. A woman who once suffered tremendously from Agoriphobia, who now speaks to MILLIONS every year and is the spunkiest, most out-going of them all! A living testimony indeed.
The next morning, after some more praise and worhsip, we were welcomed by dramatist Nicole Johnson. We missed her last year, so it was good to get to see her this year. Truly gifted in bringing the scripture to life, and entertaining as well.
After Nicole, was Denise Jackson - wife of country singer Alan Jackson. She was interviewed and spoke to the hardships that she and Alan have been up against and come through by surrending their lives to God.
Ending out that session was my beloved Sheila Walsh. Even after all the wonderful speakers and performers this weekend, I believe she's still my favorite. She went through so much at a young age, and now today, she fills others with the hope and comfort that she's experienced over the years.
After break, we got to come back to the most hilarious woman I have ever seen or heard! Anita Renfroe. Author of "Purse-driven Life" and "If You Can't Lose it, Decorate It", Anita was once a pastor's wife and is now a well-known Christian Comedianne. You just have to see her to know how funny she is... she had us all laughing 'till we cried!
Thirty minutes later, in true woman-style, we were crying sadly along with Carol Kent, whose only son is sentenced in a Florida penitentiary for life with no chance of parole. Unimaginable for any mother, I'm sure. And yet, she holds onto her faith more strongly now than ever before. In fact, she's been told that their family inpsires many in the prison every week when they visit and are seen praying together and actually laughing together.
After lunch was Marilyn Meberg. One of the veteran Women of Faith speakers. She's seasoned. She's wise. She's funny. One of my favorite books, as a matter of fact has been "God at Your Wit's End" by Marilyn.
Then, that afternoon, after yet another break and more good praise and worship by Nicole C. Mullen, we got an encore performance by Nicole Johnson. And then wrapped up with the one and only Luci Swindoll. One of the other veteran speakers, Luci is Charles Swindoll's (Chuck, as she calls him) sister. She is very well-rounded, quite talented, and EXTREMELY down to earth! As she says, when life gets tough just "show up and shut up". :) She said she got that from her brother, but it is definitely in keeping with her personality! She's a riot.
So, as you can well imagine, we had a truly amazing time this weekend. I just wish everyone I know could've experienced it... but there's always NEXT YEAR! And if you've never been, I strongly encourage you to check it out next time. It's a weekend you won't soon forget.

To give you an idea of the conference, here's what Sheila had to say, in part:

"I always find it very inspiring to see every seat taken and every woman joining in to worship God. This year Luci ends her talk with a story about...well I won't give it away as we might not have visited your city yet but it is one of the funniest stories I have ever heard. What makes it even funnier is that Luci can hardly tell it for laughing. On Saturday she had to hold onto a pole at the edge of the stage to stop herself from falling over. I looked around at the crowd many of whom had tears rolling down their cheeks from laughing so hard. I saw my friend who is in a wheelchair and facing fresh health challenges. I saw the young Mom I had talked with on Friday whose baby girl was stillborn four weeks ago. All across the arena there was pain and heartache and yet for just a few moments everyone was able to receive the healing gift of laughter. It is so good to be able to laugh. I thought of the Psalmist's words in Psalm 126:2: Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The LORD has done great things for them.' "

~AMEN!

Living Example of Philippians 4:11

Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.

Most Saturday nights, I find myself tuning in to watch "The Hour of Power" from the Crystal Cathedral. They have some of the most amazing guest speakers there, and this one is certainly no exception.

Nick Vujicic is an Australian gentleman, not much younger than myself, who was born with no arms and no legs. Somebody who has every right to get down and out and feel sorry for himself and just exist - at best. And yet, through the love and support of his parents and the faith that he's maintained through his life, he has a spirit that can't be contained and a testimony that can't be denied.

So, I encourage you to watch this clip of what I watched last night. And if you don't care to watch the entire program, just click on the link, and then click on Nick's picture (bottom left) below the larger image. ("Victory in God's Grace and Perfection") And then, just sit back and be prepared to be encouraged!

http://www.hourofpower.org/video/video.details.php?id=2237

Philippians 4:8-9

8 Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

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This is the new scripture that keeps popping up in my life. So, to follow suit of so many who do "Thankful Thursday", here's my list of things I'm SO grateful for...

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~Loving family

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~Supportive friends

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~An awesome church home/church family

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~A job I truly enjoy

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~Great co-workers, who have become a second family

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~Good health

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~All the good resources out there now for Christians

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~The opportunity to experience Women of Faith again - just in one more week!

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~All my new blogger friends

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~To be able to live in this awesome nation -where we are free to think for ourselves and go to church where and when we want with no threat of persecution

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~All the brave men and women fighting for this great nation of ours - putting their lives on the line day in and day out, so that we don't have to

"What do these stones mean?"

(EVERYTHING these days!)

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Joshua 4:4-7/19-24

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4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." ...19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' 22 tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' 23 For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea [b] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God."

~ I am admittantly one of the worst pack-rats EVER. I've gotten better about this, but still tend to hold onto things I don't need for much longer than necessary - usually for one of two reasons... 1. sentimental reasons (or) 2. you just never know when you might need ________. Sure as you throw it away, you'll just end up needing it!
Last spring, however, we studied the book of Joshua and I realized that it's not always necessarily a bad thing to hold onto some things in life. For example, reminders of God's protection and provision along the way, for when you come to times of doubt and confusion later down the road.
Hearing this message on Joshua encouraged me to start journaling any instances that I've felt God 'speaking' to me. There are SO many times He uses 'themes' to get through to me - you know, seeing the same scripture pop up here and there all in the same week, or even day. Hearing the same topic come up over and over. Or sometimes, I might come across something that just seems to 'stick' in my mind and my mind doesn't want to let it go easily. So, I jot it down.
But, the most encouraging ways He gets through to me and when I feel the most 'connected' are those times when I just really have a need in my life and He turns around and speaks right to that need. I LOVE that!
When I started my journal last April, I had no idea how much content would appear on those pages. Just figured I'd take it as it came. But, I ended up jotting so much down, here and there, that at times, I would feel like I'd gone MONTHS without having anything to document and it'd only been a few days! The pages just seemed to be filling up with no end in sight.
Until this May. And I was quietly reminded that it wasn't all just me being oh-so-insightful or observant (or to the skeptics - 'inventive' or 'imaginitive'), but rather it was all a gift from my Father. A gift I've appreciated having to look back on and regain encouragement from in a time where I've found myself drifted away. A time that's otherwise been filled with doubt and unbelief, though somehow eased by the many undisputable reminders on those pages.
Thankfully, I feel as though my 'walk in the desert' is coming to an end - for now - and hopefully more words will come spilling back onto the pages of my now treasured journal. And I'll have even more 'stones to pile' as a reminder, not only for me but for 'future generations' (should they need it)!

ps~ The 'theme' that's reassured me that I'm getting back on track with Him? JOY and HAPPINESS - He wants me to be happy. And just knowing that is enough to put a smile on my face. :)

Humbled

I just received a note to say that I had something from Dianne over at Glasses of Grace. So I headed over to her blog and this is what I found said about me and my blog:

Jess at Bittersweet: Another random find, besides Jill, that I just love. She finds great lessons in the ordinary things and right now has a great post about the change dishes you find beside registers in stores. I'll never see one of those again without thinking of her post on this....WOW!

How sweet is that! I am touched, flattered, honored, and encouraged to dig deeper and put my heart more fully back into my blog. To be quite honest, I'm surprised that anybody would be the least bit impressed with my blog in the past several months. As I have just been more or less 'out of touch'. Just coasting along. In the past, when I had a closer walk with God, words and ideas just seemed to 'strike' and pour forth. These days, not so much. Which makes it all the more evident that He is the One providing me the words on the more profound posts! Hopefully, with the added encouragement from sweet Dianne, I will be able to re-connect, not only with you all but with God once again.

Being as I'm not all that impressed with my latter posts, here are some I feel I had been guided on, in previous months:

We Could All Use a Little 'Change'

Frazzled

Single-Minded

Master Craftsman

Jesus, Take the Wheel

Life's in Pieces

Grateful Heart

Makin' a Splash


Okay... Now for the blogs I look most forward to reading each day!

http://www.glassesofgrace.blogspot.com/ Dianne just seems to be 'on the same page' as me SO many times! When I first read her blog, I just had to laugh because there were so many similarities in our thinking. :) And she has been my biggest supporter besides my family. Although we've never officially met, I consider her a dear friend whom I am very blessed to have found. Thank you, Dianne!

http://www.jodiyork.com/ Jodi - the very person who got me into blogging! Albeit by accident initially! :) Her blog is cute and funny at times, with stories of the kids and inspiring at other times. She's my sister and what can I say? I love her and I'm proud of her - as a sister, a friend and the mother she's been.

http://hendersonshighlights.blogspot.com/ Michelle is relatively new to the blog world, but a friend of mine for years now. I'm excited to share in this experience with her and thank her for her encouragement as well.

http://ohfiddle-dee-dee.blogspot.com/ Lyndy is a new visitor to my blog and she has had several posts that I have connected on over at her blog, just in the last several weeks. So, I look forward to more from her!

http://fiddledeedee.net/ I just recently discovered this blog through 'Inspired by Faith' and it is HILARIOUS!! A stay-at-home mother who just keeps it real and keeps you laughing.

Paying it Forward...


Working in retail, I have come to appreciate those wonderful customers who dig deep down into their pockets or purses to provide me with change. I don't care if there's a line of 50 people behind them, I will wait all day for that pretty little penny, so as not to give up 4 of my precious pennies out of the drawer! (As referenced to on my April 16th post, I do not enjoy my visits to the bank, to get change for the week.)

So today, after 12 years of asking for change, I finally thought to actually put out a little 'change dish'... you know, the community pot sort of thing. People who don't want to mess with the change putting it in for those who just lack a coin or two later down the line. Already, after just one day of having it out... there was like 73 cents in it! That's pretty good, I think! Just in the number of people willing to share their 'surplus' change. (Now, I just need to get the girls who work with me to actually encourage those without change to use the change dish!)

Maybe I'm a bit sentimental, but I think you can even get a sense of community out of that simple little dish. A very insignificant thing, I realize, but think about it: one guy throwing his loose change in there in the morning, for a lady who can then use it for her purchase a couple of hours later. And I get to be the one who 'mediates' - the one who says "Here you go... don't worry about it! We had someone who had some extra and you are welcome to use that!"

And, you know, it makes me realize one of the numerous benefits of being a Christian with a great network of other believers. Much in the spirit of that simple 'change dish', I have seen countless Christians eagerly sharing their 'extra blessings' in the off-chance that there is somebody else down the line who needs to share in that blessing. And I can just see God as the Mediator - saying "Here you go... don't worry about it! I've got someone who incidently has some extra (encouragement, good cheer, wisdom, hope...) who would LOVE to share and you are welcome to use that!"

Thank God for all our brothers and sisters in Christ who always seem to know just what we need to collect from that 'dish' and just when we need it most!

Frazzled?

...Me??

(...who knew?

God did.)

Several weeks ago, when my friend Anita told me that the girls were having another bible study over the summer, I said "Count me in!" as I hadn't gotten into the last one and had wished I had. I've missed it terribly. The fellowship and the lessons. So, she was kind enough to pick me up a study guide and when I looked at it, I thought "Well, this a study for pretty much anyone BUT me, but alright..." It is 'The Frazzled Female' by Cindi Wood.

Now, honestly, I think most anyone who knows me would find it comical that I'm in a bible study on being 'frazzled' as I'm generally anything but... and it takes a LOT to frazzle me - in our common interpretation of the word, that is. But, much to my surprise, after the first week of going through the study, it really started hitting on some issues that I've been dealing with lately. And so I looked up the actual definition:

fraz'zled- 1. exhausted and in a very confused or irritable state 2. frayed and in a generally worn, tangled, or otherwise unsatisfactory state

Well, there ya go! That's me! I think most people just think of frazzled as being completely stressed out, but according to the handy thesaurus, it can also simply mean:

exhausted, weary, tired out, drained or fatigued

And THAT my friends is exactly the unsatisfactory state that I have been in lately... at least spiritually.

After having had such an awesome close walk with God in the last couple of years, I now feel that I have just 'dropped out of the race'. Like I didn't pace myself, the way a true runner does. And now, here lately, I just find myself in a little spiritual 'heap' by the side of the road, still encouraged by the others I can see on their spiritual journeys, but just waiting for Him to scoop me up and carry me the rest of the way!

But, what does He keep telling me now? "Draw near to Me (once again) and I will (then) draw near to you (once again)." In other words, "You take the first step." I've been waiting on Him, while He's been waiting on me.

"Take up your cross daily."

UGH! ...DAILY!! Thankfully though, once you get back in the race and build up that momentum, you can feel Him there with you once again, cheering you on, just like before, excited to embrace you at the end. And that's enough to get me back on track.

In response to my last blog post, Mom mentioned it bringing to mind a favorite writing she's read: Windows of Gold. She emailed it to me, so I thought I would pass it along to you all. It is very sweet and really changes your perspective on where you might be in life; whether it's on the mountaintop or in the valley.

Enjoy!

Windows of Gold

My Grandmother's favorite story was called "Windows of Gold." She told it to me many times while I was a child. It begins in a small village, nestled in a valley, where a young man is dissatisfied with his mundane existence in the sleepy town. But every evening, after his work in the fields is done, he looks up to the mountain where another town clung to the cliffs. He was always transfixed, for every window in that magical, far-off berg had windows of gold.
All of his life, he had yearned to make the arduous journey up from the valley to that wonderful place, and to see the windows of gold for himself. One morning, he could stand his ordinary life no more, dropped his plow, and set off to climb the mountain.
It took him all day to make the ascent. At times he was tempted to give up and return to the safety of his home. But as the afternoon wore on, his eye caught reflections of those windows of gold, and he found the strength to continue.
The lad finally reached his destination just as the last rays of the sun were fading below the horizon behind him. And there were the windows of gold! But what was this? No sooner had he finally seen his tantalizing goal up close but their spectacular color was ebbing away.
And as the sun finally set, he realized: these were just ordinary windows, the same as those in his own village. They were simply reflecting the afternoon sun when seen from down in the valley.
Dejected, he fell into a troubled sleep.
The following morning, he awoke, and turned to make the long journey back. But he stopped in his track in disbelief. There, down in the valley, in his own town, every home had windows of gold - reflections from the rising sun. With renewed strength and a smile born of understanding and peace of heart, he cheerfully set about his descent down to his home and its windows of gold.
I always liked this story because it has a happy ending. The similar concepts of "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence," or the story of the dog who drops his bone to grab at the one reflecting in the pond, both end in personal loss. Whereas "Windows of Gold" is more like the Wizard of Oz in which Dorothy comes to realize that she had actually always possessed that which she had left home to find, and happily returns home to embrace it.
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It also brings to my mind, a quote that really struck me some time back. "People are like stained glass windows; they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light within." ~Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Life's a BEACH!

Well, I just got back home from the most relaxing week I've had in a long time. My friend Victoria invited me to go along with her family to the Outerbanks of North Carolina. And although it was a LONG HAUL... it was WELL worth it! It was so nice, I'm glad I had taken the whole week off to enjoy it with them.

Most of the first day, we spent on the road. But, we did get a good start, so we arrived at the Bodie Lighthouse by about 2:30 in the afternoon. Kicked around there before checking into our beachhouse at 4:00. Got checked into our house - complete with 5 bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths, game room, elevator, hot tub, private pool and outside showers!! With the house being built on stilts and then having 3 huge stories atop of that, on a strip of land not any wider than a mile across... you can only imagine the view we had of the ocean on one side and the sound on the other.

I got the bedroom/bath in the lower level, so I had that and the game room and second kitchen area all to myself. Then we got some good local seafood for dinner and some groceries for the week and just got settled in the rest of the night.

Monday, we took it easy and just basically enjoyed being on vacation. A little pool time. A little beach time. A little game time. And a LOT of lounge time.

Tuesday, I suppose we were a bit more ambitious. We took off for Roanoke Island to see what we could find there. Hit a few of the shops. Headed over to the Museum to check out the 'Lost Colony', but decided we were more hungry for food than knowledge. So, we got a good hearty lunch on the waterfront and missed out on the 'Lost Colony' story.

Wednesday, we headed back up to Roanoke to find out about the 'Lost Colony', but we didn't beat the rainstorm that hit that afternoon. Basically drove 30 min's for some good ole Micky D's. :) Tried to drive around and just kind of see what all was there, but the rain wasn't about to let up, so headed back to the house. Of course, they hadn't had any rain there. But, it did ease over, so we just stayed in and enjoyed some more game time. Never did make it back to the 'Lost Colony' presentation. I'm assuming they're all still lost though. We never heard otherwise. :)

Thursday was so frustrating. All you hear about is Ocracoke Island. Ocracoke Island. Ocracoke Island. So, we cut out a whole day to check it out and see what all the hype is about. Drove 45 min's down to the end of Hatteras Island to catch the ferry to Ocracoke. Got into what can only be described as a parking lot to sit and wait our turn for an available ferry... An hour and a half!!! Sitting. In the car. In the sun (I can't imagine doing this in the heat of the summer). FINALLY made it onto a ferry that took us close to an hour to get us to the island! By that point, we were just hungry, so grabbed a little something to eat at a local deli, headed over to see their puny lighthouse, and pretty much chalked it up to a lost day.

The one fun thing that day was - on the way down, we stopped in at the Hatteras Lighthouse and climbed to the top of that. 257 steps, I think? And boy am I outta shape!! But, the weather was so awesome and it was such a view from the top, I'm glad we got to do that.

With the exception of the one rainy afternoon, we really had some great weather. It truly couldn't have been better. High 70s / Low 80s with a nice breeze off the water, pretty much anytime and anywhere you went. That alone would be enough to keep me there!!

So, Friday, we wrapped it up by just knocking about the shops back up in Roanoke and had an awesome lunch at the little Full Moon Cafe there. Hit a couple of shops on the way back and enjoyed a good dinner that night at the little Asian place at the end of our street - The Board Wok. :) Walked home and then fit in one more walk on the beach.

Before you knew it, it was time to pack up and head back.

We hated to leave. The climate. The beach. The house. The climate. The good food. All the things we didn't get around to seeing. The climate. ... Did I mention the climate?? It was all just so great. I'd go again in a heartbeat.

But, you know, it's funny. Half of the way home, I was trying to think of how/when to get back out there and who else would enjoy it as much as I had and what I could do to live there :) ... (Victoria suggested me running a peanut shop, but I just don't think that's my calling). But, I think it was just the Georgia heat getting to me, because as I drove out of my all-too familiar Social Circle, in the home stretch of my drive, I looked out over the field there and it was the most beautiful sunset I'd seen in some time. And do you know, we tried and tried every night to catch a pretty sunset over the sound... and never really found what we were looking for. It took getting back to, of all places, the outskirts of Social Circle to catch that gorgeous sun setting.

And I thought back to this as Pastor Rob told a story of a golfer and his caddy playing at Augusta National. Both guys, totally enamored and overwhelmed by the meticulous landscape of the Augusta Course, the golfer tells his caddy that the staff there makes sure that there's not so much as a weed anywhere on their course. Several days later, the caddy runs over to the golfer and says "Guess what I found!" The golfer asks "What?" ... "A weed!" he replies. And the golfer responds "I guess you're always going to find what you're looking for."

And although we weren't able to find the sunset we were looking for over on the islands, it was waiting for me at home. Reminding me that God's blessings are all around, if we look for them. Getting back to my church home. Playing with the kids at Nanny's. And even getting back to a job that I enjoy (of course, I say this prior to seeing what they've left for me to do!)... And that will always rank higher than any beachfront property.

...(Though the beach does run a close second.) ;)

Maybe 33 won't be so bad after all...

Well, after the week I had last week, I was thankful just to make it to my 33rd birthday! And even though I had to work, I must say I had a wonderful birthday after all.

I was reminded all day (and week) long through cards and phone calls, just how many people God has blessed me with over the years ~ each one bringing something special into my life. Lynn had a balloon waiting for me at work. Sally brought me my favorite Truffle cake, special made in Athens. Jeremy and Jodi had a wonderful cook-out at their house and an entertaining night of bowling (of which I incidently won the second game ~ thank you very much!) :) Mom got me a Bruster's ice cream cake (YUM!) per my request. I got some great new books to read and movies to watch and ITunes to figure out (hopefully with some help from Jodi) and some very sweet cards. I have truly been blessed. And I thank God for each and every one of whom He has blessed me through. But, I think the one that takes the cake would have to be Miss Savannah. I was honored that her very first ballet recital fell on my birthday and I got to go catch that before work. And I'm so glad I did. For what better present could I ever ask than to have my sweet non-conformist niece stop the recital, take center stage just to tell everyone that she loves her Aunt Jess (among others... for the 'rest of the story', check out www.jodiyork.com)! That little gift will be sure to stay with me for some time! So, thank you Savannah, and Aunt Jess loves you, too! :)

Two people are better than one... If one falls down, the other can help him up. But, it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help. ~ Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Amen to that!!
How much comfort we find in the idea of having someone there to pick us up and help get us back on our feet again! And I think, a lot of times, that's exactly what us single women feel like we're missing out on most. Having to deal with the good, the bad and the "ookey" (just for you, Dianne!) all on our own.

Last night, I had a case in point. Having been fighting off some sort of illness - be it cold or semi-flu of some kind - I went to bed relatively early. Well, about 2:00 am, I got up to go to the bathroom and blow my nose (again!) and noticed I was rather warm, so decided maybe I should take some Motrin to just bring my fever down a bit. Thought: "It couldn't hurt." So, headed off to get my purse in the living room, in the dark. Once I got to the Motrin, I realized I was so hot and weak, I had to sit down to try to open the bottle. Fumbled with it in the dark and wasn't able to open it, so dragged myself over to the stove light. Finally, I managed to open the bottle and dump a couple little pills into my hand... slowly turned around to the sink to get some water and honestly only had enough energy just to cup my hands under the faucet just praying water would come out! Didn't have it in me to actually turn it on! So, gave it up and headed back around the counter... to then pass out in the middle of the room! Scary? Yeah, you could say that. Even for a veteran passer-outer like myself... as I had never passed out alone before!! However, thankfully, I didn't get hurt and just forced myself back up to get some water for the pills that were still in my mouth, waiting to be washed down. Got the water successfully this time, dragged myself back toward my bedroom, got to the doorway, and again passed out! Well, now having been there, done that, I wasn't so much scared this time, but rather irritated that I just couldn't 'get there from here'! Sat up thinking "I bet I'll be sore from that tomorrow!" and finally was able to drag myself back to bed... where I actually felt much better and 'secure'. (Of course, I didn't sleep all that well, feeling that I should probably check in on myself every so often, just in case!)
But, what a night!! Now, you must know, that I am not one who wants to be coddled when sick. I'd rather be left to myself until better and back to normal. But, last night, I must say I had truly been wishing I had someone here with me to check on me and at least make sure I made it to morning!! But, in my 'single-mindedness' (that is, frustrated with being single) I forget, that I do have Someone Who watches over me. Day in and day out. In sickness and in health.

Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. ~ Isaiah 41:10

And for that, I am thankful.

(And just so mom can sleep better tonight, I have felt much better all day today! Put in a full day's work and feel fine. I'll just know to take my medicine much earlier next time, or at least keep it by my bed!!) :)

Proof that I am NOT

a Morning Person!

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Do not judge, lest you be judged. ~ I'm sure I've heard something along those lines at some point in my life. And today that's all I could think of, as I was just talking about how crazy all these other people were the other day, and then today was humbly reminded... I have no room to talk!!

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For starters, I had to get up at 7:00 (not something I'm accustomed to) to make sure to get L'il Bit to the vet on time for her 'procedure'. Doing good on time, I was all but ready to go when I dropped my curling iron (on the absolute last curl, thankfully!) and smashed it in the sink. I mean, it had seriously curled its last curl.

*

Then, I had to get my sweet girl all crated up and ready to hit the road (poor thing... of course, she couldn't have been sweeter all night last night, even though she hadn't had food or water! Made me feel bad taking her after that). But, she did okay. Got her to the vet. They tacked on several more charges (bloodwork and what-not...) and I went on my way. With plenty of time left to get to work, I decided to go get my over-due oil change.

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Anticipating the long, usual wait, I swung back by my place to pick up my Games magazine to work on. Headed on up the road and got all checked-in. ...30 minute wait is all? Wow. That's great. So, I got crackin' on my crosswords. About 25 minutes into it, I realized my right shoe heel kept clunking on the floor... then I thought, Wait... what shoes did I decide on this morning?... THEN I REALIZED... I never DID decide!! I had put one of each on to see which I liked better with my outfit and then just kept on going!!! And not ONCE did I think about it until sitting in that chair at Big 10 Tires. I decided... play it cool. Odds are these guys in the waiting room won't notice. Then, the workers called in the room "Ms. Simmons... we're gonna need to change your air filter... it's really dirty."

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Now, if you know me, you know that those are NOT the words I want to hear from my mechanics!! To me, it spells out loud and clear "Yeah, Ma'am, I see that you are someone who CLEARLY doesn't know a thing about cars, so why don't we just get an easy $20 from ya." I was so irritated. I generally use this place because I've always appreciated their honesty, but the usual guys weren't there. And these guys were obviously out to get all the money they could get from me.

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So, then, not only did I have to 'play cool', like I meant to wear two mis-matched shoes (pictured above -the lovely brown ones- you can tell just how different they are!) I also had to show that I was not at all happy over the whole air filter scam.

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They finally finished. I finally got my keys. I clicked and clunked myself to the car and thought: What nerve! What makes them think that they can fool me into a dumb air filter, anyway?! ... to which I could only reply to myself: Well, look at your feet for starters, you MoMo!

*

But, thankfully, I had time to swing back by my apartment and could swap shoes. Not only for the sake of my pride which had flown out the window with all my money, seeing as I'd already been to the vet's office, back to my apartment, and up to Big 10) but I had also neglected to put my other cat's food and water back out for the day! (Since the little one couldn't have any, I had to have it all put up.)

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Oh, well. Now you can see why I'm not all that good at the matching-up picture puzzles, Mom! :) ...and why I am NOT a morning person!!!

MAY DAY! MAY DAY!

Was today a little bit crazy for anyone else??

For starters, it was like 90 degrees outside! Hello... what happened to SPRING??? (I've got a show on now about Alaska - to cool me down. Ice sculpting... very coooool. I'm ready to buy my ticket right about now! It's 11:00 and still 80 here in the Deep South. Yuck. I am definitely not ready for that.)

But, the heat wave is just the 'tip of the iceberg', you might say! :) I think today (at least where I was) it was evident that we are in the presence of a FULL MOON. We had so many unusual people today? I thought maybe it was just me, but Judy agreed. They were all strange today.

I asked a guy who appeared to be a surveyor on the property what they were doing exactly... to which he responded: "Trying to locate the ground." (???) I was tempted to say "Have you checked beneath your feet?" But, I refrained. :)

Then we had a lady, who was obviously bitter about her husband (who was from Minnesota - by the way, where there is apparently "not one nice person" and at all "nothing to do") moving her to Nashville (the "nastiest town in the South"). Judy said "Well, you've got all the country stars up there" to which she answered "Well, actually not really. They all live outside of the city... and besides not one of them is nice. Dolly Parton is a horrible person." (I wanted to ask her if there was anyone on God's green earth she DID like! And really how many times had she really had run-ins with Ms. Parton?? But, again... held my tongue.) Well, apparently, she does approve of Mr. George Strait, but he lives in Oklahoma. I think if I were her husband I would be shipping her off to the Sooner state... sooner rather than later! What a gem, she was!

Then, Dominick came down to the shop at 5:00 and asked how the day was. I said "Crazy!" He agreed. Said as they were having lunch on the front porch, they watched as a lady fell asleep while talking on her cell phone!!! And I just wonder how long before the person at the other end realized it was a one-sided conversation!!!

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On second thought, maybe I don't want to head for Alaska... they've got even longer days there, and I'm not sure I could've taken this day for much longer!!

"DO WHAT?!?"

It's funny... I was just perusing my favorite blogs and on http://nspiredbyfaith.blogspot.com/ she tells of a sweet story that took place on her farm today and named it: "Cows need Girlfriends, too". (Intrigued, right? Yeah, it's pretty cute and very sweet. Hope it had a happy ending...)

But, it just made me laugh, because after the day I've had with my rapidly-growing kitten, I'm reminded that Cats need Boyfriends, too! This girl is PITIFUL!

I knew I'd been needing to go get her spayed, but you know me... Queen of Procrastination! We haven't quite been yet. And I guess my little girl's getting all grown-up on me! Last night, when I had the back door open, I wondered why she was so talkative to everyone outside. And then at one point, I even heard a child say "Look at that cat... it looks like it's going to jump!" (Oops! I live on the 2nd floor, but in my defense, she doesn't normally have that tendancy!) So, I called her back in, closed the door and we went on to bed. Well, knowing what I know now, I'm surprised she didn't jump! She carried on ALL NIGHT LONG! She's even been trying to 'warm up' to her big sister, Sammi, which obviously does not go over well.
So... I guess now I'll actually find the time to take the poor girl in to get doctored up. But, until then... wish us both LUCK!!! It looks like we're in for a LONG weekend!

This one's for the GIRLS!!!

Tonight, I had the privilege of attending a special function at my church, just for the ladies. Above was our invitation and it left us intrigued by what exactly would be taking place there tonight. But, it sounded like fun, so with the help of my dear friend, Connie who loaned me the five bucks to attend (how sad is that??) I signed up for the experience.

Let me just say... I was NOT disappointed!! They had an excellent response... some 130 or so gals... which was great. And once we got there, we broke into groups of about 12.

I was really fortunate in the group I linked up with. Didn't really know any of them starting out, but they were all very enjoyable and a lot of fun. PLUS... we were the first group to find out what the whole "excursion" was about. They led us outside and there came up a stretch limo. We piled in there nice and cozy and the driver took us to the square in Covington? I thought "Oh, boy! We're going for ice cream at SCOOPS!" :) Nope.

They let us out in front of "Utopia" - the new local spa and salon, thank you very much. I had never been to any spa before, let alone this one, so it was like being treated as royalty! They took us back, a few at a time and treated us to either: pedicures, scalp massages, fingernail polish, or paraffin hand treatments. Wow! I had the scalp massage, which was nice.

Then, we headed back to the church, trying to keep secret where we'd been, so as not to spoil the surprise... and from there, we went to make little jars of body scrub for ourselves. This comprised of: brown sugar, olive oil, and a little bit of fragrance. It was fun. And we mused about us all showing up Sunday in casts after crashing in the shower, slipping around on all that oil!!

From there, we got to hit the food table! And, what a spread it was! Awesome chicken salad croissants, cheese and crackers, fresh fruit and veggies, little tortilla roll-ups, Italian pasta salad, and chocolate-dipped strawberries!!! YUM! And, of course, some fruit punch to wash it down.

Next, we were headed off to make our own little bags of bath salts. We took and filled up little baggies with Epson salts (with a little bit of Rosemary) and baby oil. Mush it up in your bag and you've got bath salts! Nifty, huh!

And we still weren't done yet... From there, we went to a classroom to get inspired about devotional time and pray.

And from there, we finished up at the candle table. We took votive candles and wrapped them in double-backed tape, rolled them in little different beads, then plopped them into glass votive holders... too cute! And fun!!

Like I say, the group I was with could not have been nicer or more fun. But, I think the whole thing overall was just a great success. Pastor's wife had said that this was just the beginning of a new thing that they expect to really take off more than likely all over the nation. Our representatives already had great ideas of what they were going to do, but then went to a conference and got even more ideas! (I can't remember what the national level is called!)

But, I am so glad I went. So thankful to Connie for the five dollars... (I'll be glad to pay that interest you mentioned!) :) It was worth WAY more than that! It was a great evening with some really great ladies. And hopefully, just the beginning of greater times ahead! Thanks, girls!!! I can't WAIT 'till next time! ~

My mind still can't comprehend all that the dear people involved with Virginia Tech are going through this week, even after watching the coverage all day yesterday. It's just not anything that you can really relate to, here in the United States... thank God. The tragedy surmounted any that have taken place before now and I think it could be safely said that this was a truly heinous act of a very troubled person. But, with all the hard feelings resulting from this troubling day, I challenge you. Heed the words in Luke 6:27-38. "...Love your enemies! ... Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Forgive others and you will be forgiven..." It's so easy to get caught up in the finger-pointing and imposing of hind-sight on those who "could've done something!" But, in all of this we're letting the hatred win. In Romans 12:21, we are reminded "Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good."

I realize, it's easy for me to say... I don't have a loved one who was there that day. However, I think we could learn a lot from the 27 Amish gentlemen who attended the funeral of the man who assaulted and killed their innocent young girls.

And once again, I think of amazing Immaculee Ilibagiza... the survivor of the Rowandan Genocide whose family was slaughtered at the hands of her own neighbors and acquaintances. Overcome by thoughts of hate and overwhelming loss, she finally one night hit her knees and cried out "Forgive my evil thoughts, God. Please... as You always have, take this pain from me and cleanse my heart. Fill me with the power of Your love and forgiveness. Those who did these horrible things are still your children, so let me help them, and help me to forgive them. Oh, God, help me to love them."

You know, just months later, she returned back to her homeland, utterly destroyed by the genocide that took place and she actually found it in her (with the Lord's help) to face her family's seemingly heartless murderers. And instead of rage and anger... surprisingly, she found only pity and his undeniable sense of shame. When the time came, she "reached out, touched his hands lightly, and quietly said what she had come to say 'I forgive you'. Her heart eased immediately, and she saw the tension release from the captured killer..." Later, when questioned by the confused and obviously irritated soldier, “What was that all about? That was the man who murdered your family. I brought you to question… to spit on if you wanted to. But you forgave him! How could you do that? Why did you forgive him?” Immaculee simply answered with truth: “Forgiveness is all I have to offer.”

We may not understand. We may not want to forgive. But, in not doing so we are only fueling the hate and hurting ourselves. Sometimes, forgiveness may be the only thing we have to offer… but I think we owe it to ourselves not to let the evil win… and even to the child of God who, somehow, somewhere got so far off-track and consumed by evil, he just could not find his way back. The killer, in this case took his own life... but I think we still need to remember him and his family in our prayers along with the others who are suffering unfathomable loss tonight.

“Our Father,
Who art in Heaven
Hallowed be Thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On Earth as it is in Heaven
Give us this day
Our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom
And the power
And the glory

Forever and Ever

Amen.”

If you'd like to send your prayers and condolences visit: http://rosa.hosting.vt.edu/index.php/memorial/

And I strongly encourage any and all to read, if they haven't "Left to Tell" by Immaculee Ilibagiza. Learn more about it at: www.lefttotell.com .

Letters to a Few Members of my Community:


My dear hard-working leaf-blowing Amigo:

I understand that you're just doing your job. And I can appreciate that, even when you crank up that loud little leaf-blower by 9:00 am on my Mondays off (granted, my butt should already be up by then anyway!) But, I just have to ask: Really... today? We've got, for the second day now, 50-60 mile an hour winds out there. Mother Nature is practically blowing YOU away! Don't you think she could perhaps manage a few leaves and grass clippings?? And let us both take a break from the dreaded leaf-blower?


My lovely penny-pinching bank teller:

You are so friendly when asking what you can do for me. And yet so loyal and defensive when I say I could just use some coins for dollars. I'm talking a few rolls of each; the likes of what most people would find in their piggy banks at home, or even some in their seat cushions! You hear this and immediately grill me: "Is this for a business?" (No, I just really like to shop with spare change... I find it makes the retailers' days to do so.) "Do they have an account with us??" (Yes, but I mean, c'mon lady... is this really a federal offense to change out money at a B A N K ???) I answer all your questions (same ones every week) and so you finish up and finally ask sweetly: "Will there be anything else for you today?" (Ummmm... No thanks.)

(Although, next time, I may say "Actually, yes, I think I would like to close my account here and transfer it to the lovely home-town bank where they are HAPPY to help us in our desperation for change... though neither the business nor myself have an account with them!")


My fellow church-going mother of two:

I'm glad to see you all come to service. I really am. I just wish I knew why you are habitually late (I mean 30 min's or more) leave out early and still need to leave half-way through the service... every Sunday. I can't help but wonder what you actually take home with you from the visits, considering the time you do actually stay in there, you spend rumaging through your purse or disciplining your two disgruntled children who should be enjoying the other pre-teens down in their own service? Perhaps you are there for no other reason than to refine me and my tolerance of others... and if that should be the case, I guess we shall be seeing a lot of each other... as I've got a ways to go!!!
(Did I mention that they ALL pile in late... they ALL leave out half-way... they ALL leave early... and they ALL insist on sitting at the FRONT of the church... every Sunday???)

GOTTA LOVE:

In checking out my favorite blogs tonight, I came across http://nspiredbyfaith.blogspot.com/ and she had the most hilarious post today. She suggested simply googling your name followed by "needs"... for example, I googled: "Jessica Needs" and here are some of my results (it doesn't help that most of my results are based on Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, and Jessica Simpson!). They are as follows:

"Jessica needs":

~ "A rumor boyfriend" (Very funny considering I was just telling the UPS man yesterday that if he's going to be talking about me all over town, he could at least tell them all I've got a good-lookin' boyfriend!)

~ "Coffee" (Mmm.... no thanks)

~ "To eat" (Many would argue this very truth, but I promise... I really do!)

~ (simply put) "YOUR HELP" ('Nuf said, I suppose!)

~ "A hand at 'yeeah'" (Excuse me?)

~ "New ink for the printer" (That one could actually be taken off... I finally took care of that one last month!)

~ "To think of a power song" (Hey, I've got PLENTY of those already!! I'll save that list for another day.) :)

~ "To be in love" (Can't argue with that one!)

~ "A new prescription" (Well, in the meantime... - j/k)

~ "Money" (Hmm... now that one does sound a bit more like me than those other girls...)

~ "A decent smile, new teeth and a better 'pose'" (Well, I suppose that could help with the whole love thing and possibly even the 'yeeah' thing - depending on what that is exactly!) :)

~ "To keep her mouth shut sometimes" (Perhaps I should be wrapping this up...)

~ "A bit of time to herself to process things" (Yeah... that sounds about right, so I think I'll go analyze some of these findings now and get back to y'all later...)

THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO THINK

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil.

In the first, she placed carrots. In the second, she placed eggs. And in the last, she placed ground coffee beans.

She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.

The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked "What does it mean, Mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water; the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

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*My women's bible study leader read this to us back in the fall, and I thought it was SO good, so was really excited to see that my great-aunt Delores sent it back around on email and just had to share it!*