The Secret Adventure Getaway and The Final Product

Greetings Everybody,
First of all, I just want to say that my husband outdid himself this weekend.  


He planned a Secret Adventure Getaway for me that included an historic hotel, antiques & thrift stores, an art festival, good food, and even had nap-time built in.


In case there are gentleman readers out there, this is how it's done fella's:
Planning and executing The Secret Adventure Getaway for your wife will get you "major" cool points.
     -But you have to know her likes and interests.
     -And you have to be attentive to personal details...will 
      she need a jacket? Dress up clothing? Meds?
     -If you are truly gifted in this area, you can secretly   
      pack for her yourself, but you better be REALLY good at 
      this or it spells trouble.
     -Packing for road trips is way different than packing for
      air travel. Road trips are easier & less restrictive.
     -And fella's...you have to be willing to put your wife 
      FIRST during the whole trip. And that means that she is
      above Baseball, Football, Golf, Your Momma, Your Kids, 
      and YOURSELF. 
      -She needs to know that she is more important to you 
      than anyone or anything else except God Almighty.


If you can't do all of the above, 
then do not even attempt
The Secret Adventure Getaway.


Ok, now that I have all the fella's on board with the basics...let's get back to the story.


My husband gave me just enough information so that I knew what to pack...but he did NOT tell me where we were going. 


And I never asked him where we were headed.  
If I ask him, he will tell me.  
But I don't ask, because I LIKE his surprises. 


This is different than a planned vacation.  I am only talking about a weekend getaway here...not 4 weeks in Tahiti. lol


Anyway, we took a wee Road Trip...and I was as content as could be letting him wisp me away for the weekend.


He was charming.
He was gracious.
He was just wonderful.


Now, let me just go ahead right now and mention that I am a very verbal, and very strong willed woman.
I do not keep a spotless house.
I do not define myself by whether my laundry has the whitest whites in the neighborhood.
Nor do I vacuum while wearing pearls.


I am sharing this with you because I just want you folks to know that the concept of Prince Charming rescuing me and sweeping me away to his castle...is SOOO not my daily life.


But my Prince Charming DID sweep me away this weekend.


Rather than riding a mighty steed though...his "horses" were under the hood of bright and shiny 4-door Ford F-150.


He packed the truck.
He opened my door.
I got in.
And we drove off into The Sunset.


I'll show you guys a few photo's of our adventure later...


But for now, I want to end this by telling you all something that my first Mother In Law said to me a long time ago, before she passed away. 


She said...

"I raised that boy and I know what is inside of him. 

And I know that things are hard right now,

 and that you two are having trouble.  

But don't give up on him,

 cause he is still growing up.

And you are too.

I promise you 

that you will be pleased

 with The Final Product."

And I am.

This August will bring our 32nd year of Marriage.

And I am VERY pleased with

"The Final Product".

In Him
Grace

Cloud Watching: The Anti-Venom for Busy-Ness

Greetings Everybody, 
We have all looked up at the sky and seen clouds. 


Do you remember Elementary School and learning the types of clouds?


I Do: Stratus, Cumulus, Cirrus & Nimbus


And most us have at one time or another passed a pleasant bit of time watching those clouds.   


Please tell me that you have watched clouds before???  If you haven't, you might want to try it sometime.  It's very relaxing.


Most folks I know deal with stress , but lots of those same people refuse to take time to just be still and breathe.


Meditation is Good For The Body and The Soul


God even tells us to be still and contemplative.


"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalms 46:10


But alas, we resist.


These days it seems it's all about being busy.
As if being busy equals being successful.


But it doesn't.


Being busy sometimes causes us to lose touch with what is most important to us: Faith, Family and Friends.


I know a whole lot of people who would be a whole lot happier if they would just slow down and spend a little time being spiritually contemplative


 ...and then maybe look up and watch clouds.


A good dose of Cloud Watching might serve as a pretty good anti-venom for all that "Busy-Ness" that is poisoning our society.


Yeah clouds have fascinated me since I was a kid. 


Was it just ME...or did anybody else ever think that clouds were giant cotton balls in the sky?


Did Thunder also fascinate you guys?


As a little girl, I used to think that thunder was caused when one dark & angry cloud bumped into another dark & angry cloud.  


Not sure if somebody told me that, or I just "figured it out for myself".


Such is childhood...


Anyway, although I'm a grandmother now, clouds are still compelling to me. I can totally lose track of time while watching them.


This morning for example... I watched a particularly dark cloud display a sudden brilliance at the highest peak of its formation. 


It was almost as if Gods' Glory was shining through the top of the cloud...even in the midst of its' "blustering anger". 

And of course...the life lesson revealed itself to me: 

In the midst of our darkness, 

God is still there. 

His Glory is ALWAYS there and is ALWAYS shining.

If we want to see that glory though, it's important that we seek it by looking UPWARD rather than INWARD! :)

Perhaps instead of spending our time floating through life like clouds, 

bumping & thundering & "raining",

we should try to reflect some of His Glory for others to see.

God is closer than we think.

In Him,

Grace

Is Our Focus Out of Whack?

Greetings Everybody,
Got a photo I want to share with you and then a few thoughts afterwards.  Here ya go.

I took this photo in Yellowstone National Park a few years go.

I knew when I looked at this one that I really liked it. 
I dig the contrast of the blues & greens and how the whole nature scene 
is just so peaceful.

(BTW...I am so very aware that MOST of you folks take much better pictures than I do with my little 

"Point & Shoot Kodak" ...lol...but still, I like sharing my pictures with you)

Anyway, I like this one for many reasons, not the least of which is that 
it reminds me that sometimes "I Get My Focus Out of Whack".


True enough, the flowers are correctly focused in this photo; no blurring.
But the photo calls for the viewer to focus so intently on the small flowers 
that we really don't pay attention to the HUGE boulders on the horizon.

And isn't life just like that.

We get so caught up in the right here and now.
We give so much importance to what is immediately before us, 
that we fail to see exactly how small and how fleeting the 
"here and now" really is.


This flower had a very short lifespan...like what???
Maybe a week?  2 weeks tops???


I think we can all agree the blooms lasted for only a fleeting Season of Time.


But those the boulders on the horizon have probably been around since 
those mountains were formed, which means that we are talking 
about Geological Time here.

A Season of Time versus Geological Time?

Big Difference.

but not as big a difference as...

 Today's Cares vs. Eternity!

We as humans, tend to think that what is going on RIGHT NOW is so very 
big and so very very very important!
Yet whatever it is, it will only last for a Season of Time.


No matter now long it is...it is Fleeting compared to God's time.


He is the one who created the Heavens and the Earth


"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1


...which means that means HE is OLDER than the Heavens and the Earth.


Later He created mankind.


Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Genesis 1:26


There is GREAT discussion over how long this process took.
And though our scientific knowledge has increased tremendously,
there are still many things that we do not know.


As an aside...

Perhaps I should go ahead and acknowledge 

"The Elephant Who Just Waddled Into The Room" 

...His Name is 

THE BIG BANG THEORY

He generally causes a ruckus wherever he goes.


People either throw roses at this elephant or throw rocks at him depending on their personal belief systems.


We hear it all the time...


THE BIG BANG THEORY vs. CREATIONISM


But I have long wondered WHY people disregard the possibility that 
A CREATOR might have USED a BIG BANG in order to Create this Earth.


God could very well have done that ya know!!!


But very few people TALK about THAT possibility.
Many point to Geological Time as evidence that the Bible is flawed.
Others ignore Geological Time as if they have to choose The Bible over Science.


Pssttt, What IF?
WHAT IF God designed DNA and has a pretty good grasp of Science? lol
WHAT IF God invented the things that Science attempts to study? lol
WHAT IF choosing to believe in GOD does NOT mean that you discount Science?


Meanwhile the Elephant seems to be waddling out of the room toward some place where he can make more of a ruckus...lolol


So, continuing with my thoughts prior to 
The Elephants' arrival...


Scripture tells us that God's time flows differently than our time.

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."2 Peter 3:8-9

Basically it goes like this:

1.  The lifespan of a flower is brief.


2.  The lifespan of a human is usually much longer, and may in some cases 
even exceed 100 years.


3.  But what's a hundred years compared to Geological Time?


4.  And what is Geological Time compared to GOD's TIME?


Too often we get our focus out of whack and forget to pay attention 
to what is really important.


We think too much about the "here & now" and forget to think of "eternity"
 ...mostly because we can not fully comprehend it.


Instead, we need to guard our thinking and purposefully tune our minds 
to think of things worthy of His Eternal Kingdom.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble,

 whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." Philippians 4:8

There is a time to focus on the flowers in the field

There is a time to focus on the boulders on the horizon.

But MOST of the time we need to focus on the 
ONE who created them BOTH.

In Him,

Grace

I'm Such A Rookie Blogger Sometimes!!!

Greetings Everybody....
SHEESH.... I really need to apologize to several folks.  There are several of you whom I have now managed to "Follow" twice.  


My whompin' 6 months of blogging gave me the courage to branch out and REACH out to more blogs...and I got to pressing the wrong buttons lol...and I messed up.


So if have managed to plop my little yellow daisy on your Followers list more than once, please feel free to gently   
 "pluck the 2nd daisy". lolol


(Ah well...if that's the biggest mistake I make all weekend it will have been a GRAND weekend indeed. lol)


Happy Weekend Everybody.
Sorry about the Goof Up!


In Him, 
Grace

It's Been A Really Good Day

Greetings Everybody, 
It's been a really good day!


Several major breakthroughs with students today...and one in particular. 


After 12 solid weeks of open defiance, barely controlled anger, and palpable disdain...one of my male students smiled today. 


And he worked hard today.


Grinned ear to ear when I said  "I'm Proud of You."


I called his mom to tell her about this sudden change.
She was all prepared for a different kind of phone call and it took her a minute or two to believe that I was calling with a Positive Report on her son.


There have been so many difficult phone calls to this mom, and she is so weary of hearing about all the ways in which he has sabotaged himself again. 


But the power of God is Great. 


I have been lifting his name up in prayer all semester.

And today I saw the start of healing in his eyes when he smiled at me. 


He worked hard and he felt good about himself for doing so.


We have all known that he is very intelligent and very capable.


Yet somewhere along the way he forgot that he was a good kid. 


He bought into the myth of "the angry black man"  hook, line and sinker.  


He started running with the tough guys and the hoodlums. 


And he began to walk and talk like the characters he sees on music videos.


He got the message that Fear equals Respect, so he set out to make everybody respect him by making them fear him.


He used his simmering rage to define himself and keep others at bay.


In the process he tortured everyone around him...but most of all he tortured himself.


TODAY WAS DIFFERENT THOUGH!


He actually talked to me today.
He talked more to me today than he has talked all semester
And I listened:
     -He can not remember anything before he was 6 years old. 
     -The only birthday party he ever had was when he turned 6...he remembers a 
      giant cookie-cake with frosting on it. 
     -He remembers his grandmother. 
     -He has never had a pet. 
     -He has been stabbed with a knife in the back and in the arm. 
     -He survived a bad car wreck. 
     -He remembers learning to skate. 
     -His first girlfriend was in 6th grade.


These were the highs and the lows of his life...way too many lows, and frankly the highs weren't all that high. 


No wonder he has been angry for so long. 


Truly he is a most convincing angry person; he has kind of perfected it. 


But today I saw a kid who looked at my face and then finally realized that he didn't see hate looking back at him. 


He has given me 12 solid weeks of THE TREATMENT...but it didn't make me stop smiling at him or praying for him.


I told him that in May there is a special function that I will be attending... and I get to take 1 kid with me to brag on. And I told him that ever since January, I have been praying that it could turn out to be him that I selected.


I called his name and said "Please give me a reason to be able to pick YOU." 


He ducked his head and looked at his shoes.


Then he raised his chin. 


And he quietly said, "I WILL". 


Yes, It's been a very good day!


Thank You Father For Answered Prayers


In Him, 
Grace

3 Questions for Veteran Bloggers Out There!

Greetings Everybody,
Need to send out a Big "Thank You" this morning 
to the folks who have been reading me.


When I looked at the blog-stats this morning I nearly dropped my teeth... lol

The entry titled:

The Kid in the Hall Said, "I've Got A Bullet Issue." 

has had over 300 views so far.

That's Mind Boggling to Me :)  
(It's probably only a rookie bloggers perspective, since I am only 6 months into blogging, but I  am stunned at the global reach of the whole blogging medium.  It's Amazing! )


Even More shocking to me is that people from all over the globe are reading it.


At present over 65 countries have had someone visit at least once. 


Don't laugh too hard at me lol...but I've actually been keeping a list based on the blogger stats, it appears that the NEWEST Readers are from Bosnia and Herzegovina.  


WELCOME!


But all these countries being represented makes me ponder if this is REAL.
Here's why?


1.  Now as anybody can see, there are very few comments being made.


2.  And that seems so much different from what it looks like on other peoples blogs. 


3.  Some of you have hundreds of followers while I have 11  LOL!... so the number of 
     readers for this particular post just seems really OFF to me.


Perhaps you can see now why I am curious about the validity of the stats.


I don't really know what to make of it
...thus I have 3 questions: 


1.  I am wondering if these numbers likely represent
     REAL readers, or if it's more likely that some sort of 
     computer bot is involved?

2.  Is what I am describing common for ALL bloggers? 

3.  Have any of you guys experienced the same thing?

Meanwhile, (and temporarily assuming that this is a bot-free zone lol)...
Thanks For Visiting!   I am honored to have you read my blog.


In Him,
Grace

Today's Results?

Greetings Everybody,
This is going to be short, cause I am tired.
Just wanted to let you guys know that ALL IS WELL!
My Dad made it through the surgery.


     -No bad after effects with the Anesthesia.
     -No trouble with the Memory.
     -No trouble with the Diabetes.
     -No troubling flare of the Myasthenia Gravis disease.


He ate a hamburger about an hour ago.
And best of all....we got to take him home to mom.
He is sitting in his recliner :)
God is Good!


In Him,
Grace

This Earth Is Not OUR Home...We're Only Passin' Through

Greetings All,


God woke me up early this morning...well earlier than usual.
I've been in prayer since about 3:45...today my dad will have surgery to correct a broken fibula (with a metal plate and pins).


God, is in control of how the events of the day will spin out.


He is the Great I Am.


And I know as surely as I know my own name that my daddy has been up in prayer this morning as well.


I have put my fears about what will happen today in Jehovah's Hands.


If Jesus Takes my Daddy to his 
Heavenly HOME today...AMEN


If Jesus Leaves my Daddy 
to live on Here today...AMEN


HIS WILL be done.


Sometimes you realize that God leads you to something...and this morning...just minutes ago...I found this:
Here's the direct link in case you want to find it that way too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpFVJ_JX3DU

And btw...yeah...he looks a bit like my dad!

In Him,
Grace