Star-fish

     I went to the eye doctor today to get a general eye exam, which included having my eyes dilated. Of course, when your eyes are artificially dilated they are super sensitive to light (since the pupil widens and allows more light in, which is generally for night/dim light vision purposes only). So then, I needed sunglasses to protect my retina from the AZ sun and keep from getting a headache for a couple hours after my appointment.      Lately, things I've seen on TV and on the Internet have made me get a headache for other reasons. My eyesight was fine, but what I saw made me feel angry or sad. God's plan for us at the beginning of time was that we did not have to see evil, as long as we did not eat from the Tree of Good and Evil, we could enjoy fellowship with God in an environment free of death, disease, and destruction. But the devil, in the form of a snake, convinced Eve that God was hiding something "good" from her, so she ate from the fruit of th...

     I've had doctors appointments this week and jokingly said to others that after 50 years my warranty is running out. Looking around at one appointment, I said to my husband, "We are living too long." Many people in the room where barely ambulatory, weak on rising, and seemingly confused. I personally don't believe this was God's plan for us, but once sin entered the world, so did death, disease, and debilitation.      So now what? What do we do with the time we have left that may be less than spry? We pray and ask God to show us what He wants to do with our lives. I've heard it said that if we are still here, God still has a plan for us. Rather than ruminate on our future demise or current ailments, we may want to consider setting goals, making plans, and pushing our warranty to the limit.      If you are reading this, you are not dead yet, so get a strategy to make a difference in the world around you. Maybe not the whole world, but yo...

     My husband loves to garden and he's diligent in caring for all the plants, especially the tomatoes in our yard. When we lived in Oregon he had amazingly large tomato plants that grew clear up to the eaves of our home. Since moving to Arizona, he has struggled year after year to grow a decent amount of tomatoes in spite of all the nurturing and fussing he applies to them. I jokingly say each tomato he gets is worth a $100.00 due to the time, fertilizer, and bug removal he does each year.      This year though, (I believe God has a sense of humor!), volunteer (ones that come up on their own, not planted by my husband) came up all over our front and back yards and produced numerous, delicious little tomatoes! The plants are producing so many tomatoes that our neighbors are likely peering through their blinds, not wanting to answer the doorbell, afraid my husband is bringing them even more tomatoes. We have an abundance this year!     The birds...

     Let me begin by saying that my husband is a "car guy." He takes great care of our older, but "paid for" car and truck. So today, I wasn't looking forward to telling him what happened to the car while he was at golf.      We have company coming for dinner this weekend and I decided to go through the freezer, in the garage, to see what we had to make a special meal. I spied two whole, frozen chickens and decided that could be the makings of something delicious. But as I attempted to pull both frozen chickens towards me, one slipped loose and hit the front bumper of the car parked right next to the freezer. After further inspection, it appeared the fowl had not dented the car, but the plastic packaging on the chicken left a yellow and orange streak on the front end.      Later when I heard my husband come in through the garage, I contemplated the best approach to explain my recent bird encounter. Although, each thought just made me chuckl...

     I had the wonderful pleasure of having my mom and aunt visit us recently. We went out to dinner, swam, chatted, and, of course, shopped! One outing led us to a local farmers' market and a young woman was selling various items of jewelry made out of metal, engraved with a variety of slogans and sayings. I was drawn to a delicate silver necklace that had "Pray More, Worry Less" in small script on a nickel-size charm.      I'm apparently drawn to this saying as I have the same adage on a narrow block of wood, just under the monitor of my computer. But no matter how much I look at the saying, worry seems to be the emotion of the day for me lately. Why? If I believe that God is truly in control of my life's path, why should I be worried about? Maybe I don't have the faith I need or the trust that is required to set my whole life at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ.      Yesterday, was as I've heard other women say before, "a waste of m...