Star-fish

     I was blessed to receive a lovely bouquet of roses from my step-son and family for Mother's Day. It warmed my heart! We all had mothers whether we knew them or loved them or not. There are also women in our lives that have made a difference, but were not related or were not our mothers.      Today is a good day to tell the women in your life what a blessing they are to you. And if your mother was not someone that blessed you, remember, you have a Father that loves you deeper than any ocean. Thank Him today for watching over you, holding you when you fall, and healing you when you are bruised.      I will be off my blog until the end of May, please keep my family and me in your prayers for safety and good health. Thank you! KT My mother, who has been a model mom and loving friend all my days.  Thank you Mom and I love you!!! Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God upon e...

      My dad's birthday is tomorrow and he'll be 79. I didn't have cake mix, so I made him chocolate chip cookies. What is it about chocolate chip cookies? They are like potato chips, you can't eat just one. Now the problem is no one in our household needs one, let alone three dozen cookies, but then how do you celebrate without a special treat?      Moderation is something that doesn't come easily for anyone in my family. We are people who enjoy food with gusto. The Lord calls us to moderation and to prepare for His return. 1 Peter 1: 13  Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober,  set your hope  on the grace to be brought to you  when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. Philippians 4:5  - Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

      My parents are visiting and this morning I walked outside to hear my mom sharing a "Dear Abby" story. She noted that years ago a woman wrote Abby complaining about her husband's snoring keeping her awake. Another woman wrote a letter in reply to the "snoring" woman's letter. That woman noted she was a widow and would love to have her husband back and snoring beside her. My dad noted, "It's all in your attitude." I replied, "Yes, you need an attitude of gratitude."    So many times I can think of what's wrong with my situation, but I forget to remind myself of what's good about my situation. The Bible reminds us to be thankful in all things, at all times, even bad times. I need to spend more time "seeing the glass half full rather than half empty." 1 Thes. 5:16  Rejoice always,   17  pray continually,   18  give thanks in all circumstances;  for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

     It is so easy to live trivial lives. We focus in and build barriers to keep others out. We say we are too busy with work, too tired, too broke, or even too fat. We've lost our purpose. We've strayed away from the simple truth of living for Christ...To love your neighbor as yourself. We love ourselves, but may not even know our literal neighbors and care little for our figurative neighbors.      We think we've found our purpose in striving for success, finances, fitness, fame, recognition among our peers, kudos at work, and all must be done without even a nod toward God since many of us need to keep a distance between church and state.       If we stop a moment to take inventory of our blessings, the names of those we love bubble up to the top of our watery, out of focus worlds. As we try to keep our heads above this swirling alphabet soup of worldly lists of responsibilities, expectations, and priorities; we often regain our focu...