May you be greatly blessed!

                                     And many blessings! 

If RAINDROPS WERE WISHES...

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    It's been raining here in my little corner of the world all day, nonstop!Wow was I happy, I have been wishing for rain like this for months . When I first heard that it was going to rain today and also for the next few days, I was so happy that I almost started jumping up and down.
   As the day wore on and the streets started to flood as they
always do in my little town, I started to question my sanity! I mean
what on earth was I thinking? Oh I know that we haven't had any 
"real" rain for quite some time, and that the mere mention of the name of my State fills people's imagination with  pictures of a dry dusty desert. I mean come on now, sure we haven't had any real rain in a long time but  a dry dusty desert nah! but hey, I thought, enough is enough!
  I had to literally laugh out loud at the thought of how fickle we humans can be at times. I mean here is a State that has been declared to be in a drought, do we need the rain? ugh yeah! and it was fun for a while but pretty soon, I just wanted it to stop!
   This made me think about how we as humans should always
"be careful what we ask for" as the saying goes. Some people say, "eh the day is to short, I need more hours in a day," When I hear someone say something like that I think," hey, do you really want more hours in a day?" imagine, if a day was 48 hours long instead of 24, wouldn't that mean that we would have to work twice as long, and twice as hard at whatever our "work" might be?
   I don't know about you, but I am happy with a 24 hour day
it' fine just the way it is. By the same token, I decided to just enjoy the rain no matter how long it lasts, we need it anyway, but from now on I will be sure and be careful what I ask for!

A Little Child Shall Lead Them (#2)(Please see A Child shall lead them(no number) for the first part of post)



Note- many apologies, not sure why but the rest of the post was cut off and It won't allow me to fix it so I am continuing it her below and nameing it- A child shall lead them #2


No sooner had that mom's insensitive words left her mouth that the tiny girl began to weep uncontrolably! The precious little girl didn't look like a day over maybe 4 yrs. old. I quickly figured out that not only was that child extremely mature for her age but had a heart that possessed the type of love that should exist in all of us all through the year but especially at Christmas!

That cruddy mom, was extremely angry at the child for crying and pushed her to pick out a "cheaper" gift , and to do it quickly!!! I got to tell you, it took all that I had not to walk over and scoop that child up in my arms, comfort her, and buy the gift "she" wanted. Knowing that wouldn't go over well with anyone, I kept my mouth shut and fought back tears of my own.
It was at this point that the child showed great wisdom for one so young, she held on to the $9.99 gift she had picked out for her friend Trina as though her life depended on it and said to her mother,
"I'm buying this for Trina, please write a letter to Santa and tell him I don't want anything for Christmas this year, Trina told me that Santa never comes to her house, so now he can take her all of my gifts, and I will give her this special one from me!"
That "mother" didn't bat an eye, she took Lexi's hand and headed towards the cash register without saying a word!
I guess my point is obvious, Christmas isn't about presents, or about what they may or may not cost. Instead, it is about Love. Love came down in the form of a baby. He was born in a manger, and not in a palace as a King would be. That is true love, that is what Christmas is about! Jesus commands us to love one another. Gifts are great, they are a symbol of our affection for one another, who doesn't like receiving gifts? Never the less, it's the love behind the gift, and the heart of ther giver that should matter most to us. God sent His son to deliver us from the curse of sin and death, can there be any greater gift?



"A Little Child Shall Lead Them" (Plese see- A child shall lead them #2 for the continuation, sorry about that!)





I love Christmas, I love it as much as the next guy, and the next, and the next, and so on... I love the sights, and the smells, and all that goes with Christmas!
What I don't like about Christmas is the ugliness that it brings out in some people. Case in point... I was looking for a gift for someone at my local Ross store tonight and having a nice time, singing along to the Christmas Carols all the stores pipe into our brains during this time of year to motivate us to buy, buy, buy!
If you just rolled your eyes about singing along with the Christmas songs, don't lie, lie, lie, because you know you do, even if it's just singing softly ok? smiley face!
I diverse...point is,
As I picked out the said gift, I heard a mom saying to her beautiful  little girl with long strawberry blonde hair, " Look Lexi, Trina bought you a gift from the Dollar Store last year, there is no way I'm spending $9.99 on her today!"



Get In The Boat

I will admit it, it's a lot easier and safer to watch the ocean from the shore. I am familiar with everything around the shore. The sights, the sounds, the smells.
   I know I could find great adventures out there in the ocean, but to do this, I would need to get into the boat!
 I think it's time to hop in, what do you think?

YOU GOT IT!

In Hebrew, the word "Shalom" means not only Peace, but nothing missing or broken as well! In a world filled with uncertainty and darkness, it isn't only comforting but important as well to recall that our peace is not given to us by the world or anything in it!
 When Jesus walked upon this earth He told us that we not only had His peace, but that He was leaving it with us as well. So when the days grow dark, and the storms threaten our peace, our very life, it is important to remember that He not only gave us His peace but left it with us.

Regardless of the winds that may be howling in our lives right now, it is enough to know that He is with us and will keep us safe and well with His peace, and love and protection.