A Poem: Time Chugs On

I know I said I would be writing more, and I have. I just forget to post it on here. I have more stories to share, soon.

In the meantime, here is my poem for the week. My class is working on poetry this week, and this morning we will have a Cafe Day and Poetry Reading. We are going to drink coffee, dress like poets and read our poems. I am very excited to hear what my students wrote. Here is my poem I wrote this morning at boot camp, where I ran for 30 minutes for the first time EVER! Yay!

Time Chugs On

It is said “time marches on,”

As if it is an army,

Consistently,

Rrhythmically,

Marching forward.

I say time is a train.

Some occasions it meanders through hills and valleys,

Taking its sweet time as we wait;

For baby’s arrival,

Illness to end,

The Sun to show its shining face

In a cloudy situation.

Some occasions, it crashes into the heart of my home,

Pulling loads of chaos,

Loss of memories and moments,

Hauling away pudgy fingers and legs,

And Hugs and kisses.

It brings with it a blaring whistle

That says, “Goodbye, precious moments, that are much too short.”

All the while, the train chugs along.

I am forever the tiny caboose,

Clinging to every last moment,

Watching as each one fades into the distance,

Wishing I could wrap up each giggly kiss,

Each chubby bear hug,

Every single, I love you Mommy,

And Put it in my pocket,

To hold in my hands just one more time.

To Carpe Diem or not to Carpe Diem? That is the Question.

Alot of people have been posting Glennon Melton's article "Don't Carpe Diem" and giving her a cyber high five for her well penned words on Chronos vs. Kairos times in parenting.

I've been praying and thinking about this blog post for days now, because it is not my intention to contradict a mother, or say something bad. But I know that what I am going to say, can be taken as just that. Please understand that my intentions are good, and while I agree with Melton's article, I only agree to a certain point. Overall, while her article left other moms shouting, "Amen! That's Me!" it left me sad, depressed, and hopeless, because while I can say, "Yes, that is me." I don't want that to be me. And it took a couple of days of digging into my soul to understand why.


Just like Melton said, not everything about parenting is wonderful. Not every moment feels like a moment to enjoy, or relish, or even remember.

However, in her article, Melton returns the suggestion, "Enjoy every moment. I know I did," with a question; "Are you sure you enjoyed every moment? Are you sure you don't mean you love having parented?"
Now this is where I think she goes terribly wrong. This is where my depression and sadness set in.

I am left feeling hopeless.

According to Melton, for the next 18 years, the most I can hope for is one or two moments, here and there, that are enjoyable. The rest is going to be misery, but at the end I will have loved that I was miserable with only a handful of good moments, for 28 years of my life?


She says, this is what works for her.

Now don't get me wrong, I can relate. Just read my last post here, if you have any doubts. I have horrible awful moments. Last night was one, when I came in to the kids' room to find that in cleaning all they did was stuff everything in their closet, in corners, under dressers and beds and out of the middle of the floor. I wanted to scream in my frustration!

I have hard moments when I am trying to get through the day of school work and all they do is play, thus prolonging my day!

I get irritated when the baby is screaming to be fed while I make lunch for the other kids and I am so hungry my hands are shaking and I feel like I'm going to pass out.

There are bad moments. For every mother. For every person.

It is true of every person, in every walk of life, not just parenting.

Working in a job, for other people, is hard. Bosses are not always kind, understanding or even reasonable.

Being a student can become frustrating as the assignments are piled on higher and higher.

Marriage is difficult when it turns out that a lifetime of love between two imperfect people is not as the romance movies and novels portray.

All walks of life have their difficulties and parenting is the mother of them all. But if we look to God's word we find that enjoying just select "good" moments in all walks of life, is not Biblical.

The problem with Melton's stand on  enjoying and being grateful in Chronos vs. Kairos time, is this is not how God commanded us to live life. He did not ask us to be thankful only when the moment is good. He did not ask us to praise Him only when we receive "good" blessings. He did not ask us to rejoice only when our life is a bed of roses and perfect and peachy. In fact, He asks us more often to praise Him, thank Him, rejoice and find joy in the most difficult times in our lives. Yes, even in Chronos time.

In Philippians 4:4, Paul tells the people in Philippi,

"Rejoice in the Lord, when every thing is good, ALWAYS; again I will say, rejoice!"

Paul didn't say, rejoice in Kairos time. He didn't say, rejoice for our children when you realize how beautiful they are. He didn't say, be thankful for your family at the end of the day when they are no longer bothering you and you can think clearly.

Paul said ALWAYS.

It's hard. It's a discipline. And if you are human, you won't ALWAYS be able to rejoice. You will have to discipline yourself to do so.

But here is a better way to understand parenting in the difficult chronos time, so that one day you won't look back and regret having wished it all away counting down the minutes until dad gets home or school starts so you can escape your misery. Instead you will find joy in what once made you miserable, and peace in what once brought about chaos.

Rejoicing doesn't mean you have to always be happy. Having joy doesn't mean you say, "Yay! I'm so happy that my daughter jumped off the roof and broke her legs. What a fantastic day!"

Rejoicing means you give credit where credit is due.

It means saying in those difficult moments, "God, right now I want to pinch her head off for writing on every wall and every piece of furniture with a permanent marker. (TRUE STORY!) So please, help me to calm down and not injure your precious child verbally, emotionally, mentally, or physically, and to find some way to rejoice as I scrub the walls with magic eraser and furniture with alcohol for the next 3 or 4 hours."

When that little old lady tells you, "Enjoy every moment," I understand what she means.

The newborn days are so hard and seem so endless. Yet, one day you wake up, and your 4lb preemie is looking at you eye to eye and you wonder where the last 10 years have gone. And your heart breaks so much that your body will physically ache.

At that moment you can decide that you are so glad those days are over and you never want to do them again, yet you are glad you did them.

Or, before that day comes, you can choose every day to rejoice, in every moment and every difficult situation. You can choose, even as you are screaming at the top of your lungs for just one person to pick up the Lego you have stepped on ten times and asked to be picked up at least a hundred times, to rejoice.

Then you can look back and not feel you have wasted even one minute, because even when it was excruciatingly painful, and horrible and awful, you chose to do what God asks of us; rejoice and again, rejoice!

I will leave you with the story I read a long time ago. I don't know where, or who, but I will never forget it. It causes me to count my blessings in every frustrating moment.

A man and woman tried for years to have a baby without any success. Their hearts ached and longed for a baby, yet God did not bless them with even one. The pain of their empty arms was so great, it was difficult to face a world that included children.

But after years of waiting, they were finally given the blessing they had longed for for so long.

Two children. Two very precious children joined the couple and made them a family.

The years went by, and the mother experienced all the pains of mothering. She knew and lived the frustration and endless days and difficulty of parenting.

One day, her child had found the grape jelly and proceeded to enjoy a little treat without mom's knowledge.
Once all the fun had been had, the little one went on about his business, playing throughout the house, leaving the sticky, grapey evidence all throughout every room.

The mother said that as she worked to clean the jelly, frustrated and exhausted and angry, she realized there was a day that she would have given anything to have her house covered in tiny, grape jelly, hand prints. And now, she was blessed by those little hand prints. She thanked God for them, and even decided to leave a few around the house to remind her of what she almost missed out on. She saw the joy in the problem because she knew the true blessing was the child, not the hand prints.

That is how you rejoice in the moments of chaos.

Even my parents, have permanent marker on their newly painted walls from a recent visit from the Mykytiuk mob. My mother said they considered framing the artwork on their wall because it was precious to them. That is how you rejoice in the difficult moments.

My college roommate is one of my favorite mothers, and I often long to be just like her as a mother. She says, I don't know what we will do today, but we're going to have fun doing it! And, even when nothing goes quite like it should, she rejoices and has fun.

God has a way of pouring out his peace when we do what He asks, rather than trying to find an easier shortcut way to live life, if we just let Him.

Philippians 4:4-9 is a perfect remedy for making the most of your chronos time. He says to pray and ask Him in times of trouble, rather than worrying and becoming anxious. He says to give Him thanks in times of anxiousness. Paul tells us, "The Lord is near."

When you are angry, frustrated, and at the end of your rope, Dear Mother, the Lord is near. Rejoice! You are not trying to create responsible adults from tyrannical toddlers all alone!

What will happen if you admit you cannot do it alone? If you admit that you want to enjoy every moment of life and not just a handful?  You might be able to stop screaming at kids all day long, because God will give you peace in EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT.

 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus...The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:7 & 9

I Believe in the Prosperity Gospel

For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

-Jeremiah 29:11

There are alot of believers in the prosperity gospel, and alot of criticisms of the prosperity gospel. I used to fall into the latter category, but lately I have become an all-out believer in the message that God wants to prosper his children. I can't read my favorite verse above and not believe that.

However, I have come to have a different understanding of prosperity.

I have heard so many people say things like, "It's so nice to know that when I do everything right, that God will bless me in so many ways." 

This comment usually comes from someone with whom everything in life seems to be falling right into place, with no major problems or difficulties.

However, life is not easy all the time. The problem comes when people face difficult situations like sickness, job loss, personal criticism, death, or a multitude of other difficulties life tends to throw our way. It's usually during these times you will hear the same person say something like, "I don't understand what I've done to deserve this. What did I do to upset God so much that He would stop blessing me? I've been doing everything just right like the Bible teaches me."

The prosperity gospel, that everything will go just right if you do everything you are supposed to do, can be damaging to believers leading to disappointment in God, loss of faith and trust in Him, and worst of all, the loss of their entire faith in God and the Bible altogether.

I'm sure everyone has heard someone say, "I don't believe in God because why would He let my loved one suffer through such a painful sickness without healing them. We prayed, we had faith, we believed, but He still let them die a painful death. He must not be real."

The problem with the prosperity gospel is not the message, but the defintion of prosperity. As human beings we see and understand everything upside-down compared to how God created. God says to gain everything, you must lose everything. God says, the last will be first and the first will be last.

We don't understand, in our human finiteness, how God's message works.

It's like Lightning McQueen in the movie Cars. The older, wiser race car tells McQueen that when he is driving on dirt, he must turn left if he wants to go right. McQueen mocks and scoffs at the older race car calling him crazy. But in the end, he understands that indeed, turning left to go right, will work when he is driving on dirt, just as the older race car had taught  him.

God tells us quite often, that if we want to go right, we must turn left. We laugh in his face and make fun of the backwards, upside-down concept, and then drive off  leaving our dust in his face. And we keep doing what we've always done, turning right to go right, with the same result as before... failure, disappointment, and ultimately a messy wreck.

Let's look at the world's definition of prosperity.

Prosperity-n. The condition of prospering; condition or wealth. (source www.thefreedicitonary.com)

Some synonyms for the word prosperity include riches, wealth, ease, fortune, luxury, well-being, good-fortune, the good-life, plenty, and affluance.

This is what the preachers of the prosperity gospel tell us God wants for us. But I believe we need to look to the Bible for God's definition of prosperity.

The Hebrew word used in Jeremiah 29:11 for the word prosper is Shalom.

Shalom- completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment, friendship, welfare, health, of human relationships, and (my personal favorite definition) with God especially in covenant relationship. (source www.bible.org or Strong's #07965)

In people terms, Shalom means completeness, contentment, welfare, or peace in human relationships and with God, especially in covenant relationship.

This is the kind of prosperity God desires for His people, for all people. He desires to have a covenantal relationship with each human being, lasting for all eternity. This is true prosperity.

Stick with me for a few more posts and a deeper look into God's definition of prosperity and what the Bible teaches is prosperous in the Christian life.
*Hint, it doesn't include money, possessions or anything else we consider "blessings".

May God bless you today with prosperity, or peace and completeness in your relationship with Him, and with others!

The Awe Factor

I finished reading Job today. I have been trying to read the entire Bible in a year for a very long time, as long as I can remember.
And in my old age of thirty-something, I have come to the realization that not everything in life needs to work exactly like I plan. In fact, nothing will go as I plan, and just because I miss one day of my reading plan, or two, or 50, doesn't mean I can't still continue on through the Bible.

So, yes. I am behind on my reading plan, but I finished Job today nonetheless. Which was a huge success for me. I usually give up somewhere around Job (I like to go chronoligically rather than front to back, and Job comes after the first 11 chapters of Genesis, so you can see I don't make it very far).

I get to Job, and I get depressed. Who really wants to read a story about a man who loses all his family, all his belongings, and his health, all because Satan had something to prove to God... AND, here's the part I have trouble with... God LET Satan use Job to prove Himself instead!

But this time, I loved Job. I really did.

Even all the speeches from his friends, and his speeches, long and drawn out as they were, have so much in them.

But today as I finished, I felt the writer of Job should have done a better job at brining home the fantastic conclusion. Instead, there is just a paragraph, after all that talking, that is basically summed up in, "And he lived happily ever after."

Maybe it's the writer in me, but I want a big fanfare of resolution.

As I finished I sat in my little blue rocking chair that does not match my bedroom in anyway, and pondered God.

The last part of the book, God describes himself sarcastically to Job. Job defends himself up to this point, all along the way, saying, "I am innocent! Put me on trial and I will prove my innocence! I don't deserve this. What have I done to be treated so unfairly by You, God?" (not exactly his words, but rather the Amy Mykytiuk reader's digest version).

God stays silent throughout Job'scomplaining (which I totally understand and have no judgement toward Job for that), but finally in the end speaks out in sarcasm.
Summed up, God says, "Oh, that's right, I forgot. You were there when everything was created. You control everything. I completely forgot, you are omnipotent, omniscient, all-powerful, and equal to me."

Now that's not what He really says, but that's sort of his message. He's sarcastically reminding Job of who HE is.


This is my favorite question God poses to Job.

"Have you entered into the springs of the sea Or walked in the recesses of the deep?" Job 38:16

I think I love it because I truly imagine the deep of the sea to be an unreachable place. I never really imagined God strolling along the sea floor, where the undiscovered creatures roam. That's an unfathomable place.

I can imagine him in the universe, because that is sort of where we place him and heaven, out there in space somewhere. But the utter dark, cold, crushing depths of the sea?

Sunday, the pastor spoke about losing that awe factor for certain things in our life, after we have become too familiar with them. I have always felt that way about God.

I was born into a Christian family and attended church from the crib. I was always taught about who He is, and who Jesus is, and how Jesus died and rose again. The story of the Resurrection, though it is precious to me, never held that awe factor for me. It was too familiar. I do not feel that feeling of impossibility, like I would if a dead man sat up out of his coffin at his own funeral and began to speak. But I always wanted to be in awe of the miracle.

When God is finished telling Job exactly who He is, Job says,

"Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth." Job 40:4

Job, gasped and covered his mouth. He had no response, no defense, nothing to say for himself. He didn't say, "Ya, ya. I know you did all that creation stuff and everything, but I don't deserve this!" (Imagine that in your most whiny voice ever).

He was awe struck. He was silenced by who God is.

I finished the story and wondered what it would take to silence me, to make me gasp at the wonder of who God is.

And then I realized. He's already done it. It's those times that He puts me on the edge of that cliff, my heels hanging off the edge and my body weight falling to my despair. Nothing can save me. I can't regain control of my life and save myself. I can only feel my body begin to fall as I wait for Him to rescue me.

It's when He puts me in those places that I have no where to go, no answer, and no salvation apart from Him, that I find the awe factor. It's when He stretches out His hand and rescues me in that completely hopeless and impossible situation, that I find myself gasp. When I know that the only way I could have made it through that "thing", is by His very hand, that I find awe.

I am alot like Job, declaring what it is I deserve. But I love Job's confession in the end, and it is my prayer when I become too big for my britches too.

"I know that You can do all things,

And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.

Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?

Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,

Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

Hear, now,  and I will speak; I will ask You, and you instruct me.

I have heard of  You by the hearing of the ear;

But now my eye sees You;

Therefore I retract,

And I repent in dust and ashes."

Job 42:2-6

What makes you stand in awe of who God is? Job 38-42 will definitely give you something to think about.

My St. Patrick's Day

I had a great day, but by 11AM I told my Beloved I was going to do a blog about the funny things I saw today. We had too many big laughs first thing this morning.

To start the day off, my Beloved officiated at a sweet little wedding in town. The bride and groom wanted to elope and have a small ceremony with just their parents. We were honored that she asked Jay to be the officiating minister.

The bride had been a youth in the church we served in a while back, and she and Jay had bonded over a game of hacky- sack. Now she is a young adult, spending her first evening as a Mrs.! Yay!

As we tried to get ready for our day, we had a multitude of slightly humorous, mostly time constraining, events happen with our kids. The toilet overflowed and little Noisemaker didn't seem in too much of a hurry to let us know water was dumping out onto the bathroom floor. The little girl had to go potty at the last minute, and she loves to sit and play, a long time. I forgot to bring my slip for my dress, leaving me to duck tape and safety pin some sort of acceptable undergarment under my dress, hoping for the best. It was a rough start to an important day.

On our way to the sweet little St. Paddy's Day wedding, we had some really good laughs together. Just outside of the city, we saw a raccoon on the road. I know, that's no big deal, but this one was hilarious!

If I had had a camera with me, I would have made my Beloved stop, late or not, and take a picture so I could share it with you, even on a busy highway!

At first we thought it was a cat, because you don't really see raccoons in the daytime around here.

It was completely frozen in the middle of the left lane of traffic. It's back was arched up way high, one paw was firmly planted on the asphalt while the other one was up in the air. It stood as still as a stone statue, staring at the ground. We never saw it move!

It was the funniest thing. I really think a couple of teenagers found a taxidermy raccoon in their great-grandpa's attic and decided to stick in the middle of the road to see what happened!

But, a few hours later on our way home, the raccoon was gone. Maybe he just got really scared and tried to look really mean and ferocious to all the giant metal cars speeding around him at 70 miles per hour. I don't know.

Just a few miles down the road, in downtown, we found ourselves cracking up again.

We passed a cute little donut shop. I notice these things. I'm pregnant and hungry almost constantly, and the more fatty, sugary, higher in calories, fried and unhealthy it is, the more I want it.

As we came closer to the donut shop I began to read the small print on their sign. They advertised donuts, biscuits, pastries, kolaches... AND TACOS!

Yes, that is just what I always wanted! A donut store where I could pick up a dozen long johns AND a yummy taco!

If you don't find this post funny, I'm sorry. It just brightened my sunny little day a little more!

We made our way downtown to the sweet little wedding. My Beloved officiated a beautiful little ceremony. He talked about God's plan was for love and marriage and their marriage, my marriage, and all marriage, is a good thing.

He talked about faith, hope and love. As married people we need to have faith in ourselves to be a good spouse, to have faith in each other, and to have faith in God. We need to have hope for when the going gets tough. We need hope to make it through the tough times in marriage, because there will be tough times.

And lastly, love, the greatest of these! Love for each other, but more importantly, love for God.

I watched the bride carefully, in her vintage lace dress with a sweet green ribbon sash. She was beautiful, and the tough little girl I knew, beamed with love for her red-headed groom. His smile could not have gotten any bigger as he stood next to his beautiful bride.

I fought back the tears, remembering all the faith, hope and love my Beloved have shared over the last almost 12 years. He has had faith in me when no one else did. When life seemed too difficult, we held on to hope in our Almighty Father... together. Most of all, even when we did not like each other, we held on to the love that was sparked so long ago.

I would love to share pictures with you, but the couple still has not told all of their extended family and friends that they got married today! Tonight, they enjoy their secret, as husband and wife.

Children are Like Books

Children are like books, you can never have too many. Books are like children, to be treasured and adored.

 -Deanna Cooner

  

A trip to the grocery store is never my favorite activity. Whether it's to fill a basket to overflowing, or to just to pick up a few things, I loathe grocery shopping.

The best and worst part of grocery shopping is the reaction I always get from complete strangers. I must shop with four kids in tow. Some of the time they run around my buggy and drive me crazy while they get in my way as well as other shoppers. Sometimes I get wise and make them follow behind me like little ducklings, youngest to oldest. I find myself much more sane with this method.

Sometimes, a couple little kids are packed away in the buggy beneath the granola bars, milk, and bags of fruit.

It doesn't matter the method in which I attempt to contain, control, or corral my children, I always receive the same remark from at least one stranger while shopping.

"My, you sure have got your hands full, don't you?"

Yes, I have my hands full with four children. I prefer it that way. Most people just chuckle and walk away, seemingly thankful they are not me.

The other day at the store was a particularly memorable encounter with one such stranger. As we passed in the main aisle, she smiled sweetly as she made her "full-hands" remark as I call it. I proudly tapped my belly and said, "Yes I do, and #5 is on the way too."

Some people say the "full-hands" remark adoringly, admiring the children. Some people say it bitterly, as if they are personally offended by my choice to have so many kids. This lady seem to be the former of the two strangers, until I announced our upcoming arrival. Her response shocked me and left me speechless.

"Oh my!" She exclaimed. "I would kill myself!"

Wow!

The idea of children really do bring out the worst in people.

I can't help but wonder why so many Christians tell me I'm crazy, or I've lost my mind. Why when they talk to me about my choice to have a large family do they act like their own children are such a huge burden, almost to the point that they wish they had never had any at all?

I look to what the Bible says about children. Does it call them a burden?

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one's youth.

How Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;"

Psalm 127:3-5a

The Bible calls children a gift and a reward! One who has a quiver full of children, like myself, is blessed!

Through the instruction of the scripture, the choice to have children is never questioned, it is simply understood that one will have them.

"Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children the next generation." Joel 1:3

Instructions are given over and over again on how to raise children, what to teach them and how to teach them.

I haven't even mentioned one of the most common commands God gave from the very beginning of man.

You can find the words "fruitful and multiply" over 600 times in the Bible!

Even our traditions point to the blessing and reward of children. Today a couple might choose to have rice, birdseed, or bubbles thrown over them as they leave their wedding reception, but the tradition began with nuts and seeds being thrown instead. It was a blessing on the newly wed couple, that they might be "fruitful and multiply" or have lots of children!

Somewhere along the way, our society decided their blessings, rewards, and gifts were just burdens. It is still so natural for us to want children, but because they are such a burden we limit just how burdened we will become.

I'm not saying everyone should have a large family. I'm not even saying everyone should have children (because I believe strongly there are some that just shouldn't have many children). It truly is a calling from God to multiply your family so greatly.

What I am saying is that our attitude is corrupt. What message are we sending our children- the next generation and the ones who will be caring for us and making decision for us eventually- when we say things like, "I would kill myself,"? We are telling them,  "I would rather suffer death, than suffer with you."

I pray that my children's ears are deafened when people say such ugly things about them. I pray that even when I am having the most difficult time at the grocery store with my children in tow, I will treat them like the precious treasures they are, so that everyone will know just how valuable my children, and your children and every child in this world truly is.

Not only is our attitude toward children corrupt, but we have arrogantly made ourselves police over God's domain, and other people's choices.

For a person to be offended by my choice of the number of children I have is ridiculous! Just as it is ridiculous for people to be offended by my choice to homeschool my own God- given children. We have made ourselves the sovereign authority on just how many children one couple should bring forth into this world. God is the only sovereign authority on any one person's life and only He has the authority to say, "Just because it's raining doesn't mean you have to stand out in it and get wet."

God alone gives life and enables one to give birth. He may even close a woman's womb, but only He has the power and authority to do so.

"Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb." Genesis 30:22

He also is the only one with the power to bring forth life no matter how much we try to prevent it. Many of those babies aborted were created while birth control was in use.

It is time we return to the attitude God intended for us. Children are precious, desirable, and a treasure. Children should be protected, defended, and taught in the ways of the Lord.  It's time we stop casting judgemental eyes toward those that choose to enlarge their family and experience an even greater reward.

It is never easy, to have even one child, much less many more, but the reward for each child is truly worth the sacrifice and work that they require.

Beautiful Colorado in the Fall

It's one of those times in life that I feel everything I want to write should not be shared, at least not yet. I have so much on my heart and so much I want to say, scream, shout, or yell, but just as it comes to the surface I choke it back into my heart.
It's like when you are having an argument with your spouse or friend and you want to say so much. You want to point your finger at them and tell them all the things that hurt and exactly what they did to cause it. But you know... it will only cause more pain. It's better to keep it inside and fight fair without pointing a finger at anyone but myself.

I'm not pointing fingers, but the lessons God is teaching me clearly are my lessons. The day will come that I can share, but today they are for me. If I shared today, they would be misunderstood, misconstrued and misused. It would appear I was pointing a finger when indeed my finger is only pointing to God's Holy Word, which has been twisted and misconstrued. I want to point out the truth of the Gospel, but Americans have gotten so far off base, it's hard to share the truth without sounding like a hater.

I'm not a hater. I'm not angry. I just found the truth.

Since I cannot share with you what is on my heart, I will share with you some beautiful pictures I took while in Colorado last week.

Isn't it Grand?

Best Buds

I know it's out of focus, but I still love it.

Ta Da! It's the Rocky Mountains!

Our Campground

A picture of Summer, Fall and Winter. The flowers, fall leaves and snow all together at once.