"If you are all wrapped up in yourself, you are way overdressed."
Admittedly "borrowed" this from a friend's post today, but I thought it very appropriate. I find that my biggest fooupa(sp) most times is that my world becomes so small that I am the only one that fits...How boring, unkind, and exclusive can this be? Eph. 4:32 cautions me "to be kind one to another, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has fogiven me." My kindnesses are usually non-existant when it's 'all about me.' As the song on my cell-phone goes...'open the eyes of my heart,Lord. Open the eyes of my heart. I want to see you, I want to see you' and I want others to see You in me. Have a joy-filled day!

Learning everyday...

"God's love is meteoric, His loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, His verdicts oceanic."

"Yet in His largeness, nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, (not anyone) slips through cracks. How exquisite Your love, O God! How eager we are to run under Your wings."
Psalms 36:5-8 (The Message)
*thank you, Sue

Sometimes, when we are feeling a little lost I have found (once at the bottom of my barrel) that it is where I need to be in order to finally listen to what I need to hear. It's not a terrible place to be once I remember this...but getting there, as I look back on the journey, is when I see the challenges. I'm in the midst of reading "the 4:8 Principle." The author digs deep in the simplicity of God's truth, and how we ALL muddle up our lives because we want everything to make sense. God's love is so amazing...and believe me, I, like a baby bird who struggles for his independence realize again, that my greatest security and protection lie only and forever under the shelter His wings.

Raise up a child.....

Just came from the races. Blayke here, to your left, is now five and has grown up enough to FINALLY be able to drive his own go-cart. He has been very patiently awaiting his turn, while his big brother Brayden has been the "guinea pig" and started the driving craze. Blayke has the Heart of a Lion...no fear...should be this boy's motto. He is at times quiet, but has a 'carries a big stick' type mentality. It's very hot here in Fresno these days. Not unusual for this time of the year. So try putting on a full driving suit and all the padding needed for safety, a very heavy helmet, and drive in 100*+ weather for about 25 minutes or so on a asphfalt track and see how you do. Today, Blaykie came in second place in his class. Not an easy task for our little "dare me to do anything" boy. So proud of him...and Blayke...Great job on keeping your head down!

Skyler Sadie Perry, on the other hand, just turned four years old on the 30th. What a little "surprise she's always been...from conception to the present. So independantly delightful! She will tell you what's on her mind, whether you want to hear it or not, and only checks in when she's ready to. Her friends are anyone who will enjoy her, no matter the age. She is truly the youngest of four, but don't mistake her smile and laughter for being the weakest in any way, shape or form. Not detoured easily, it's always best to use "creativity" with our little dancer to get her to do what you want. Most likely she's already figured out what her elders wish she would do, so it's best to stay two steps ahead at all times.

How much fun has it been for me to see these kids grow to where they are today. I can't even ever imagine my life without them. Mathematically speaking that would be "half-a-life." They are all a huge part of me. I know that will never change, because God doesn't give gifts to add to who we are to only remove the sparkle that they bring. I love them so much it hurts, and pray for them daily that the many lives that each of them touch in their lifetimes will be fuller, like mine, because of the impact they have had and continue to have on me.

This past Thursday night was scary for me. Sometimes we don't realize how heavily we count on others to give us security. The phone rang and I missed it, but saw that one of my aunt's had tried to call me. A call that time of day was unusual, and the busy signal that I heard while trying to get her made it worse. During that time I had run every senario thru my mind, most of them negative. Finally, after what seemed like almost an hour of busy's I heard her voice answer. She sounded tired and asked me how I was, like it mattered then. My only question was to know what was wrong. The news was that my 86 year old aunt, my mom's closest sister, had been driving home from her weekly trip to the grocery store and had been in a terrible accident. She was turning onto her country road, and had been hit by two girls. The impact had broken her hip and her arm in four places. Her car was totaled, had been spun around twice and she was going into surgery the next morning after she was stabilized. This is not a frail woman, believe me. She is one of 12 children who has 8 children of her own. She lived with an alcoholic husband for twenty years, abused and beaten many times. Has lost two of her children to an early death, and became the primary care-giver to my grandparents before they died. My Aunt Muriel is a woman of God. She has taught me that hardships and circumstances are not permanent, but meant to make us better. Her walk with her Lord is THE most important part of her life, and to pray with her is truly to walk into His presence. Next to my own mom, I love her immensely. God spared her...it was only a couple of months ago that I called her, as I do on a regular basis, and she told me she couldn't answer the phone one day that I tried to get her, because she was doing something on top of her house. NO JOKE! That's my Aunt Muriel. Well, now I want to bring her home...Will she come...absolutely not, but she knows she can. Her kids wouldn't let her go and I know that. But, it reminded me that God alone holds the key to what is allowed and disallowed. When it is time for her to go home with Him, it will be the best time for all of us. Thankfully, God is perfect in his timing, and that He is not bound by it. This reminds me that when I pray for those that I love, I have to trust Him, give my burdens to Him, and allow Him to do things His way. "Thou will keep him/her in perfect peace....when?...when our minds are focused on Him." Our reality is that God will have His way with us no matter what...He wants us to believe and understand that His love for us is unconditional and eternal. I love my aunt, she knows it, and her life is in His hands. What better place could she be? Have a great week-end. Love you.