If You Say So....Luke 5:4-7 (NASB)

     Here I am - on the verge of 2011 looking back at the highlights from this past year. Here they are: 7) My Dad's miraculous return and recovery from death . No joke here. (See my post http://halfdozengirls.blogspot.com/2010/03/big-pour-concrete-and-blood.html). I remember holding his hand in the ICU in mid-March. He was getting paler and colder. His eyes were blinking nervously as the nurses were rushing around trying to force more blood into him as quickly as they could. My sister, an ICU nurse for 17 years, was offering to help them because she could see that they were not handling his blood loss as efficiently as they shoud have been. As I held my Dad's hand, I thought, I don't want the last face for him to see before he dies to be a sad, anxious, grieving face.  So I smiled at him as sweetly and bravely as I could. It was hard and it felt weird. I was trying to stay strong for my Dad. We were whisked out of the ICU rather quickly after my...

  I couldn't limit it to just 10, okay?! I know the "Top Twelve Highlights of 2010" does NOT sound very hip, but have I ever tried to be  hip ? Uh-huh, yep, those who know me are choking, laughing and gagging at the thought. I really try to keep it real, folks. The thought briefly skated through my mind to do "The Top (How Many Ever) Lowlights of 2010," but  that list would be way too long, boring, silly, self-centered, not a good example to my children or a good Christian witness, and just plain whiny. So, even though I try to "keep it real," I also aspire to focus on those things that are "praiseworthy, pure," God-honoring, and positive. Because I wanted to put links and pictures in my list, I wanted to break my list up into two parts. I do try to keep my posts on the briefer side. You're all busy people and so am I. Here are my first six, but by no means the bottom six. There's no ranking of which items had the most significant imp...

     We were traipsing through Macy's today, Daisy and Julia and I, after a failed shopping trip for pants for Julia. That little tike just doesn't have enough pants and I'm having a hard time finding some that don't look exactly like her sister's (way too hard to get them in the right drawer - even when they have totally different pants!) I was near Macy's so I thought, "I'll give it a shot." No deal - literally. So, I made my way to the elevator with Daisy and Julia following close behind, or so I thought. I glance back to see Julia, about 10 feet behind me, staring intently at something I couldn't see. I could see that she was taken with this mysterious object and was reaching her hand out like she was daring herself to touch it. I pause and watched her, wondering what it was she was looking at. I see her staring with greater intensity, willing herself to reach out and touch "it."      And then she did. ...

     I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this post, so hold on to your seats. I had to remind myself that this is Christmastime, not Easter. The Easter story does have a brief morgue-like aspect to it when Jesus lay in his tomb for three days. We know how that story ends - hallelujah! The greatest and most significant miracle to ever occur in all of time happened when Jesus rose from the dead, conquered sin and death, and defeated Satan. Easter is a holiday we should celebrate everyday because EVERYDAY the implications of Christ's resurrection should impact our lives with the joy, peace, and strength we possess to please God and live profoundly satisfying and hopeful lives.      But, back to my hopefully-not-too morbid post. So, it started like this: a restful Thanksgiving weekend prompted Tim to get all the Christmas decorations out and decorate everything, everywhere, hallelujah and amen. "Christmas is on!" Tim really fancies Christmas...

TWO DAYS AGO     My blog posts have not been funny lately. I miss my funny blog posts. My posts were funnier when my sense of order and peace was shaky. Now that I'm feeling like I have things "under control" I've gone back to being boring. Depression and trauma recovery have their advantages, huh? How sad. But, you know what they say about funny comedians: they are hiding their pain, very well, behind their humor. I really don't want painful circumstances, but I would like to be a little funnier than I have been. (Sorry, Obama enthusiasts. I couldn't help getting a  political jab in with this picture.  I'm usually a-political, but I couldn't help it.)      The sad thing is, I can't make  myself be funny. It's easy to be boring. Excessively self-introspective. Morbidly serious. Those emotions and written expressions have their place. Sometimes. But I want funny. Laugh out loud hilarious. Gut-busting, tears- streaming- from- my- eyes ...

     It feels like forever ago since I last posted on my blog. Hmm....what to write....I've been busy! At the end of the evening, when the house is picked up, homework is finished, the last story is read, details about tomorrow have been discussed, and I finally have my jammies on and teeth brushed and flossed,  I squeeze in some reading time.   Ahhh....just a couple of pages.....Right now I'm reading  Esther: A Woman of Strength and Dignity  by Charles Swindoll. I had done an excellent bible study on the book of Esther about 9 years ago and thought I knew the book fairly well. Ch arle s Swindoll never disappoints, though. He is a theologian and his detailed handling and explanation of this beautiful woman's place in biblical history is, so far, fantastic . I am surprised by how much more I'm getting out of it. I'm only about a 1/4 of the way through it and am enjoying every chapter.      The other book I'm readi...

     So, I heard about this woman who had a really rough couple of years. I mean, really rough , couple of years. Financial devastation, misunderstood, physically afflicted, unfairly blamed, huge losses of relationships and emotional reserves. Bad. Just recently, she felt that God opened her eyes, ever so gently and slowly, to see that some of her suffering was because of self-pity. Ouch. She realized that this was true and repented and got right with God and others in this area of her life.  Freedom, joy, and peace flooded her heart for the first time in a long time. Thank you Lord!      I read about another lady who had an awful experience that profoundly traumatized her. She was really wronged. Really badly. She acknowledged her anger at those who hurt her, let herself think through and ponder her pain and didn't deny that she was angry. She avoided situations that would cause her more heartache and grief over wha...