A Week Full of Lessons

Ah, what a WEEK!
So many things discovered, so many things to think about, and SO many things to anticipate!

I guess that for the most part, my life has pretty much felt as if it has been placed "on hold." And after a crazy journey, I'm kinda feeling like I'm coming out of the grey.

I have struggled a lot over the past year with regrets. There have been several moments in my life in which I felt I wasn't as "fair" as I should or could have been. Times in my life when my reaction to certain things/people was quite a bit on the shallow side. God has really convicted me over the past few years in regards to judging people and my relationship to them. He has taught me the importance of looking beyond the exterior and concentrating on what's on the inside of others. ...Sometimes I catch myself over-analyzing behavioral patterns; however sometimes I feel as if it's Satan's way of manipulating the mind into thinking it's ok to judge people. I'm definitely a "work in progress" and for those who know me, know that about me! :)

Anyway...I get overwhelmed sometimes. Chatting with people on facebook and re-living the past can be painful for me. Because I know that I haven't always been "fair." Thankfully...the ones I haven't been fair to are forgiving.

This has been a hard, yet incredible lesson to learn. The irony is...since I was a teen, I have known what it feels like to be judged/made fun of. And it hurt. It is emotionally damaging when your so-called peers make jokes about you. Especially when you're a girl. So why...or rather when, did I think it was acceptable to turn the table around? I don't know...but I've decided that I will react that way no longer and do the best I can to make ammends with the ones I may have directly or indirectly hurt.

The second lesson came to me when I was boasting about having a "great day." Within a few hours I was singing a different tune as I backed into someone at the Shell station. Never boast! :)

I also learned this week that five hour energy drinks are my friend.

I sat in the church nursery this morning, after spending an exhausting day in the heat on Saturday, and learned the importance of counting your blessings. There was a teenage girl who has requested to volunteer on the weekends. I had never met this girl but have seen her around several times, being pushed in a wheelchair by at least two other individuals. I recall the day she was baptized and the reaction from the church body. Today...I had the pleasure of introducing myself to her. This young woman has such a zest for life. Her smile and personality absolutely lit up the nursery! She was there for one reason...to love on kids. Without directly inquiring exactly why she was in wheelchair, I couldn't help but overhear my boss holding a conversation with her. She is in high school...and was born with cerebral palsy. She has a twin sister that is completely healthy, but for whatever reason, God placed this handicap on her. When the diagnosis was spoken, my heart sank. I tuned in to the conversation and began speaking to her with more compassion than I ever thought was possible. "Do people make fun of you in school?" was a question that was asked, (not by me although I wondered). "oh, yeah" was her response. But it wasn't sympathetic. She didn't feel sorry for herself. If anything, she felt sorry for the people that ridicule and make fun of her!!! What a testimony!!!

And it struck me. Do people make fun of my son?! Talk about a helpless feeling!!! And THEN to be informed that they do...within the youth group?! How can people be so...cruel?

I know that through enduring difficulties, your character is strengthened. I just have a really hard time with the fact that such lessons have to be learned at such a young age. Parental instinct says...head to youth group, kick tail and start taking names. But spiritual instinct says...this will make him strong. Maybe not now, maybe not 5 years from now. But it will. And he will eventually develop even more compassion and extend more grace than most people can offer in a lifetime. I love the thought of that.

So then...I come home today, go about my cleaning and laundry. When it's finished, I sit down at the computer thinking to myself, "finally...I can upload pictures on facebook and blog a little bit." Enter in a text message from a friend.

There had been a terrible car accident this afternoon, involving someone from our church, her little boy and three other children. Prayer was being sought after. Immediately my body went numb. What do I do? What can I do?

After several phone calls to any connections I could think of I discovered more of the incident. Child air lifted to UC Davis. Little girl had a leg amputated. Can this be real? I called my mom who is in Washington state. I don't know what to do! Who can I call to seek prayer from?! Ultimately, I knew that I was to "go." Really? What can I do? And I still don't know why...but I know that if it were me driving that car...and my son that was air lifted...I would want to know that someone was at the very least...there.

Such a tragedy. I still don't know what I'm feeling right now. It's just one of those things that is completely out of your hands and in the hands of God. And that's just life....

Anyway...it's been an emotionally draining day for me. For a lot of people. And it's a horrible way to learn a lesson, but one that needs to be learned nonetheless. Life is too short and life is way too precious to allow the little things to consume you...and cause you to neglet what is truly the most important!

Wishing Upon a Star

Star light, star bright

First star I see tonight

Wish I may, wish I might

Have this wish I wish tonight...

I walked outside to grab something out of my car last night, and as I looked up I couldn't help but notice the stars. The sky was clear and the galaxy was more visible than usual from the parking lot of my apartment complex. And in that moment, I went back in time...to the nights as a child when it was practically a ritual in which I would gaze up at the sky and make a wish upon the very first star that I focused on.

I would throw wishes up there as sincerely, as honest as I knew how. Believing that the wishes would be caught and that one day, they would come true. I was persistent in doing this whenever I had the chance. (One can never wish too many, you know!) There were nights as a child when I would just stare out my window. I believed that even though certain wishes had not yet come true....they were still heard.

The other night, as a "30-something" individual, I stood there for a moment, quietly...and "wished." And I believe it was heard.

I miss the good old days in the country when I could throw a blanket down on the grass or a truck bed, lay back and simply be mesmerized with the stars. To ponder what it could possibly be like up there...so far above and away from everything "down here." To have my breath be taken away whenever I caught a glimpse of a shooting star, the moments when I could sit and be still...to take in the fresh air and completely get lost in the amazement of it all.

Wishes... God only knows how many I have made and continue to make...

I wish that life could be easier, for everyone.

I wish that I could think more, and speak less.

I wish that our minds never had the capability to "play tricks on us."

I wish that everyone knew, understood, and practiced the concept of unconditional love.

I wish I could one day grasp the idea that my parents...usually know best.

I wish I could hug my grandma every day!
I wish I could sit down with my best friend at least once a week (face to face) and chat like best friends should.

I wish I knew where this journey was going to take me and also wish that I knew "then" what I know "now."

I wish I could give my child the truly important things in life that he deserves.

I wish I was 19 again...no I don't. I wish I was ten years older than I am now...maybe by then more of my life will have made sense!

Almost every morning I wake up with a song in my head. I don't know why, but I do. (I'm not complaining, either. Because waking up with a song in my head is much more pleasant than waking up with the "I don't want to move" attitude!) This morning...after my "star gazing" experience, I woke up singing (not literally) Bebo Norman's "I Will Lift my Eyes" which practically brought me to tears. It is just like God to show Himself in such incredible ways! And He didn't stop there either. As I was driving to work, this was the very last song that was played on the radio prior to me pulling up to the office.

I'm old enough to know that stars don't respond to wishes. But the Creator of the stars does. And He responds in ways that we will never even begin to comprehend!

...You know you want to go outside and do it. So what's stopping you?

A Truly Amazing Afternoon...

So we finally received a cooler day today, with a beautiful breeze.

During church we had an invitation to go out to our friends' property to visit Bosco and pick some peaches. There was no way we were going to turn it down!!!

Nick has been wanting to go see his puppy for months now, but it has been so flipping hot I didn't think I could stand it. Today, Nick's long awaited yearning was fulfilled!!!

I was a tad worried that because so many months have gone by, Bosco wouldn't remember Nick but as soon as we stepped out of the car he ran full speed and practically leaped into Nick's arms.

We took a short walk back into the orchard to pick some peaches.

Juliette immediately found some flowers!

My heart was so happy to see Nick reunite with his little buddy and I think that through these pictures you can see what I mean...

Hunter climbed up on the tractors, but he said they "don't work..."

...priceless...

It was quite obvious how much they have both missed each other!

Explored the barns a little...

Juliette trying to get Nick to play.

I strolled around the property to snap a few shots, climbing up on an old IH combine! :)

More chains....

Walking across the canal...so "serious."

Mike and Mary are extremely blessed with such an amazing view...I wonder if they would notice if I built a little log cabin on their property?!

Moving along on our journey, over the canal where Nick decided to take a break and Bosco came to check on him. :)

The sky was so beautiful today....

Talk about crazy! This tree grew through a barbed wire fence!!!

This was the final shot of Bosco for the day and I think it really proves that he is in his element.

For as much as we miss the heck out of him, we know that he is well taken care of, so thankful he is in good hands and has the freedom to run!

For a Friend

Here I am...on the verge of exhaustion, and yet the one thing I want to do, I can't do. Sleep.
I realized today while I was at work that my blog post last night was a lot of...well, basically a lot of nothing so I took care of it. If any of you read it and could actually make sense out of it, then kudos to you! (You must be as deliriously beat as I am!!!)

Anyway...shortly after I posted last night, a friend of mine sent me a message in regards to something I said to them. This person struggles in ways that are different than mine and yet we share a common bond in that we both "struggle." I firmly believe that as Christians, we are called to encourage, uplift, and support one another. Upon reading the message in my inbox last night, I was heartbroken to read how a fellow believer reacted to someone who was sincerely trying to open her heart and express her raw emotions in an honest way.

I read something today that totally reminded me of this person and what they are presently going through and so I wanted to share:

This is taken from a book called, "The Signature of Jesus" by Brennan Manning.

"Henri Nouwen tells the story of an old man who used to meditate early every morning under a big tree on the bank of the Ganges River. One morning, after he had finished his meditation, the old man opened his eyes and saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the water. As the scorpion was washed closer to the tree, the old man quickly stretched himself out on one of the long roots that branched out into the river and reached out to rescue the drowning creature. As soon as he touched it, the scorpion stung him. Instinctively, the man withdrew his hand. A minute later, after he had regained his balance, he stretched himself out again on the roots to save the scorpion. This time the scorpion stung him so badly with his poisonous tail that his hand became swollen and bloody and his face contorted with pain.
At that moment, a passerby saw the old man stretched out on the roots struggling with the scorpion and shouted, "Hey, stupid old man, what's wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don't you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion"
The old man turned his head. Looking into the stranger's eyes, he said calmly, "My friend, just because it is the scorpion's nature to sting, that does not change my nature to save."
Sitting here at my typewriter in my study, I turn to the symbol of the crucified Christ on the wall to my left. And I hear Jesus praying for his murderers, "Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing."
The scorpion he had tried to save had finally killed him. To me, the passerby who sees him stretched out on the tree roots and who shouts, "Only a madman would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, ungrateful creature," Jesus answers, "My friend, just because it is fallen mankind's nature to wound, that does not change my nature to save.""

And to my friend...I love you. I love what you're doing and I love that you're persevering, even though you may not feel like it! :) God bless you and Rich for your hearts. You're forever changing a little guy's life and showing him love like he's more than likely never known... Stay strong!

Dear Nick

I am having a hard time falling asleep tonight.

When I awake...it will be to get you up and ready for your 7th grade school year. It is so incredibly difficult for me to imagine.

I know that you are excited, but for your mom...it means that you are one year closer to graduation and then off to follow your dreams in college. One step closer to stepping away from being a "mamma's boy."

You are such an incredible kid and I am so proud of who you are!

You make me laugh more than you make me upset. You know how to make me smile when I feel like there's not much to smile about. And you can show love like no one else I know.

7th grade is going to be a whole new journey for you. I know...I've been there. My wish is that you hold true to your convictions. Always. Treat others the way you would always like to be treated. And most of all...enjoy your youth. It really does go by way too quickly, and you will never get it back. Build memories. Build relationships. And continue to build that extremely rare and beautiful character that you have begun. The world loves you Nick...

There will be many moments of frustration and discouragement, caused by me and others. But don't let that stand in the way of who you are. Life is hard, but you have proven yourself to be strong.

Don't ever, ever be afraid to come to me whenever you need to talk. I know opening up to a parent can feel uncomfortable, but for 12 years it has been you and I. That will never change. There is nothing that you could ever say or do that would cause me to love you any less. You are my life.

I love you Nick...more than you will ever begin to understand. And I am so very proud of you. You continue to bless my life more and more each and every day...

Love,
Mom

p.s. If you could learn how to become more of a morning person, I would greatly appreciate it! :)

Is it Friday YET?!

Often times I wonder how I can possibly find the time in my days to blog...but I do. And I think that one of the reasons I make the time is based solely on the fact that blogging is like therapy to me. Growing up, I was devout in journaling. Then I reached a point in my life when I thought to myself, "Oh holy heck...it's time to dispose of these!" and so I did. Enter the wonderful world of "blogging" and in essence, journaling. So this is my "therapy." Oh, you poor, poor readers! ...All FIVE of you! :) For my "facebook" friends who may have caught a few of the "status updates" this week, it is no secret that this week has been extremely frustrating for me. Let me rephrase that...there has been one person who has frustrated the heck out of me this week. Unfortunately there is no way to avoid this person at the present time. I have decided that it would most definitely benefit me to study up on psychological disorders and the best way to deal with someone who may have one!!!

Anyway...I have found my peace in reading (BIG surprise!) a book that was given to me a few years ago. The "gift-giver" knew that I enjoyed reading Max Lucado and was gracious (and lucky) enough to give me one that I had not yet read. I am almost ashamed to admit this, but I began reading it shortly after it was given to me and then it got lost on my shelf! But with all my frustrations (and anger) this week I picked it up and started over. And today as I was reading...it was as though the author himself wrote in big red letters at the beginning of the chapter, "Angie...this is for you. I know you've had a bad week and because of the misfortune you have in being part of an unpleasant "atmosphere" during the day, I want to offer you "HOPE.""

Max Lucado's, 3:16 The Numbers of Hope:

The chapter is called, "What Makes Heaven Heavenly." I think that most Christians try to grasp, and sometimes paint their own pictures of what heaven is going to be like. Today, I was blessed with an encouraging outlook:

"God grants glimpses of this future state. Through it we see gold-drenched sunsets. Diamond-studded night skies. Rainbows so arched in splendor that we have to stop and sigh. Appetizers of heaven. ...Christ will descend in a city unlike any the earth has ever seen. ...The gates are never closed. Why shut them? The wicked will be quarantined, leaving only a perfect place of perfected people. ...You will be at your best forever. Even now you have your good moments. Occasional glimpses of your heavenly self. When you change your baby's diaper, forgive your boss's temper, tolerate your spouse's moodiness, you display traces of saintliness. It's the other moments that sour life.

But God impounds imperfections at his gate. Can you envision your sinless existence?

Just think what Satan has taken from you, even in the last few hours. You worried about a decision and envied someone's success, dreaded a conversation and resented an interruption. He's been prowling your environs all day, pickpocketing peace, joy, belly laughs, and honest love.

Satan will not lurk in heaven's gardens. He will not tempt; hence, you will not stumble. You will be at your best forever! ...And you'll enjoy everyone else at their prime! As it is, one of us is always a step behind. Bad moods infect the best of families. Complaints shadow the clearest days. Bad apples spoil bunches of us, but rotten fruit doesn't qualify for the produce section of heaven. All gossip excised and jealousy extracted. He will suction the last drop of orneriness from the most remote corners of our souls. No one will doubt your word, question your motives, or speak evil behind your back."

Sounds like "heaven" to me! :)

Similar to the words I read today, touching my heart when I most needed it, I was SO blessed this morning with one of the most amazingly beautiful sunrises that I have seen in a while. (or maybe I just took notice of it today) But either way, I give God the credit! :) It was my "glimpse," my desperately needed reassurance that there is so much more beyond the cranky, sometimes unbearable people that we interact with on this earth. And even if I spend 8 hours a day with someone that is difficult to deal with, it will one day come to an end.

A friend suggested that I approach my frustrations in a different way. Rather than constantly fighting the urge to make hand gestures, I should say a prayer instead. I like that idea better!

Football and Life Lessons

Do you ever feel like you are "on the verge" of change, or am I the only one? Change by way of career, relationships, finances, home, personality or spirit? Some changes are obvious, tangible, "understandable." Others? Not so much!


If you've read my last few posts, you may have learned a few things about me. I love to read...especially when reading material "challenges" me. I don't consider myself a "know-it-all" kind of person, although there may be a few people out there who would disagree! As a teen, I loved Debate class. I can still hear Mr. Dean "calling me out" a few times with his, "Now Miss Brooks, there is no room for sarcasm" speech. Sarcastic...YES. "Wise?"...far from it! And so I read. To challenge myself, and to further my knowledge on life...and Scripture.


In reading this past week I have discovered two things. Make that three.

#1: I will never be able to read the 23rd Psalm the same way again.

#2: I have acquired a strong liking for the disciple Peter.

#3: 2 Chronicles 20...well, it rocks!

In life, I have discovered a few things as well.

#1: It is awkward when you hear a band rehearsing in the sanctuary of your church, singing Lita Ford's "Kiss Me Deadly." True story...

But...as a single mom I am often caught between the roles of "mother and father." For example, the "mom"side of me wanted to avoid football practices these first few weeks because I knew it would be tough on Nick, and no mom enjoys seeing their child struggle. The "dad" side of me caught myself sternly explaining to my son that he needs to "toughen up" and "deal with it," that football isn't an easy sport and I even questioned him as to whether or not he felt like quitting already.

I also found myself somewhere in the middle. Most of you know that Nick was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy over this past year. There are moments he has pain in his leg and the start of football has been tough.

And I don't ever want my son to use his diagnosis as an "excuse." But without directly expressing that concern to him I used a different approach. I decided to tell him that I was proud of him, because football is such an aggressive sport. That the conditioning he was going through was going to be tough but it is only temporary. And when it's all said and done it is going to be good for him physically and mentally. Football is going to teach him strength, endurance, and discipline. Unfortunately, he is not going to understand any of that until the season is over. Right now, he wants to skip practices and go straight into the game!

Can't the same be said about life?

Think about it. Every day is like "practice." We wake up and begin going through the drills. There are days when we avoid the defensive line. There are days when we can see the defense headed straight for us. And yet on other days, we can be so focused on one thing that we get blind-sided by a player we didn't see coming. And so we get knocked down, the wind knocked out of us. And we get beat up and bruised. And we wonder why we have to go through adversity in order to "develop" our skills. And we wonder when things are going to become easier. Why do we have to go through the brutal agony of "practice?" Why can't we jump directly into the "game?"

And like football, we have a Head Coach. He's the One who knows just how important it is for us to go through the practice in order to be prepared for the game. As a player, we walk away from His instructions, sometimes complaining and mumbling under our breath. And there may even be some instances in which we may get into an arguing match with Him. (He usually wins, by the way!) We may not understand why He chooses us to play certain positions or the plays that He calls, but we must be obedient in following His instructions.

Enter in 2 Chronicles 20, the story of Jehoshaphat's "battle."

In the book "Mountain in my Rearview Mirror" Bill Butterworth devotes an entire chapter to this amazing piece of Scripture. He breaks it down into four parts:

The Setup

The Strategy

The Battle

The Blessing

Let me summarize on the points that impacted me.

The Setup:

A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. v. 2

"There's an enemy out there...There are enemies, plural out there."

Jehoshaphat was terrified... v. 3

"Adversity causes us to worry and experience fear. Adversity, worry, and fear can cause us to draw closer to the Lord. Jehoshaphat was afraid, but what did he do with that fear?"

...and begged the Lord for guidance. v. 3

"He used that fear to focus more intently on his Lord. Pain usually sends us to the extremes. We're either pulled further away from God or drawn closer to Him."

The Strategy:

You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! v. 6

"Power over adversity is in God's hands. No one can touch Him! If we're going to be victorious against our multiple enemies, it is not going to be because of any human strategy or advantage. It is all coming from the Lord. God wants us to exercise our faith and trust Him."

We stand in your presence. ...We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us. v. 9

"We give it all to God. He will hear us and take care of us. We cry to Him. Life is so painful, so traumatic, so dysfunctional that all we can do is fall flat on our face and scream out to God, "Please do something to help me!" And the beauty is that He hears our cries. I just love that rapid-fire succession of verbs: we stand, we cry, You hear, You rescue."

We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help. v. 12

"We are powerless and without answers. Our eyes are on God. We are powerless against our enemies. We can't do it on our own. We surrender our will to the One who can do it Himself-God Himself."

The Battle:

The battle is not yours, but God's. v. 15

"There will be victory, but it's not because we are amazing. It is because God is."

You will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory. v. 17

"We don't need to fight, but we do need to stand in order to see God deliver us. He could have instructed the army to take the day off. But no, God required that the army come out in full preparation for battle and stand. Why would the Lord require such a posture? He requires it in order to show us that we cannot even begin to consider assuming a position of passivity. We need to prepare to get hit."

Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground...worshiping the Lord. v. 18

"Even in the middle of our adversity, we must still keep our focus on the Lord. It all comes down to faith. Can you trust God to deliver you? ...It's not easy, but it's still required. It's not simple, but it's right. It is never wrong to put your trust in God. Even though it may look bleak now, remember: God will never disappoint you."

The Blessing:

The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mout Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. v. 23

"Your obstacles might be more complicated than the battle of 2 Chronicles, but God can handle them. For so many of us, the name of the game these days is wait. We're being faithful. We're trusting God. But nothing seems to be happening. Hang in there, friend. Just because it isn't happening now doesn't mean it isn't going to happen. It's all a matter of timing-God's perfect timing."

There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! v. 25

"God will deliver. We won't know when, and we won't know how. But He will. And when He does...we will reap the rewards for a long time. Can you even imagine that outcome in your situation? Because of all you have been asked to endure, your reward is so extensive that it may take you the rest of your life to fully appreciate it!"

The men...returned...overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. ...So Jehoshaphat' kingdom was at peace, for God had given him rest on every side. v. 27, 30

"It's quiet. It's reflective. It's peaceful. It is our reward for being so faithful to a God who promises to be faithful to us."

Confusion

While standing at Nick's practice last night a thought came over me. I brought my camera, hoping to catch Nick in action. Below are a few of the pictures that I took:

Can you see him? I know he's in the picture. Somewhere....

Look harder...he's the kid with the helmet on his head. The tall one.

...with the green practice jersey.

Ok, so he has black cleats and grey pants.

He's there...somewhere.
Did you find him?

Don't worry, I didn't either! You see, I was aiming for the large group of players assuming he was among them. Truthfully, I didn't know where he was!
My boy. My son. A face that I have seen day in and day out for 12 years!

Yet, I couldn't find him on the football field. How could I not find him!!!

All of this got me to thinking about how amazing it is to have a God that doesn't have a problem with "finding" his children.

He never loses sight of us. Never confuses or mistakes us for someone else. And even when our "uniforms are the same color" (conforming to the patterns of this world) or we're "weighed down with padding" (carrying around our burdens and not surrendering) or we are "hidden under our helmets" (ashamed or consumed with guilt for our sins) He sees us.

Poor Nick...he was looking through the pictures and was making fun of me because I had taken so many, but he was hardly in any of them. So I had to come clean and tell him that I couldn't tell which one he was. What a bad mom I am! Actually, he giggled at the whole thing.


Great sunsets the past few nights!

And the moon? Breathtaking!
Some day I'll figure out how to capture it on the camera!

A Simple Post

So Nick is in his second week of football practice. Most days I feel like I'm playing the role of "motivational speaker" while slipping in a, "Did you expect this would be easy? Deal with it!!!" :) ...His arms hurt, his toe hurts, his legs have temporary marks where the pads are. He forgets his water, he forgets his mouth guard...and I am quickly losing my sanity! (not really...) it's fun to see/hear your kids whine about how "tough" things are. Really? He has NO idea!!!
"...But mom...you don't know how hard this is!" No...no I don't. But I DO remember the first few weeks of volleyball practice. The drills, the running, and questioning "Could you tell me again why we have to do this?" So no, I don't know exactly how "tough" it is. But I DO know that during this process, it will build up endurance, discipline, and strength of character. I'm looking forward to the "bigger" picture. Nick? Well...he can't wait until school starts. School=3 practices a week instead of 4! (Dare I tell him that 7th grade will be more challenging than 6th?)

Anyway...I finished my Max Lucado book. Loved it!
And I am already on the 2nd chapter of the Bill Butterworth book, "Mountain in my Rearview Mirror." With a title like that...how could I NOT want to read it. I had mixed feelings at first. The Intro was amazing, my feelings changed a little after reading the first chapter. Couldn't figure out where he was going with it until the very last paragraph. Once I "got it" I was hooked. GREAT BOOK!!! I had never heard of him until last week on K-LOVE during a "Life Changing" segment on their radio show. He touched on his book and I knew that I needed to purchase it. It's wonderful!

Crazy night at the church last night. Crazy kids. Out of control to put it "mildly." 6 kids...one headache! Just obnoxious and...well, just "kids being kids." When I was leaving the church (and breathing a sigh of relief) I looked up and there you have it...a full moon! Wonder why it is that full moons have such an impact on a person's behavior? I decided tonight that I am going to do some research. Seriously, when I saw the full moon, it all made sense!

Touched base with yet another friend from high school this week on facebook. That whole networking site is addicting. People I truly never would have thought I'd hear from ever again... and yet there they are! Sometimes it's overwhelming...in both an encouraging and a nostalgic kind of way. I enjoy it.

So that's it...a lot of nothing! :) I DO encourage anyone reading this...to go out and purchase "Mountain in my Rearview Mirror." I'm happy to loan mine out when I'm done with it...but I am a highlighting fool! :)

Next post I may even give you a preview!