13 Hours of Rain

Every time I do this, it amazes me. I had lumps of brown sugar in a bag. Sweet, yet useless for baking. I bought a plastic storage container and dumped the sugar in with a slice of bread. Three days later, the bread became hard and dry, while the brown sugar was pliable again. It took just a piece of bread to do the trick. Something small, seemingly insignificant. Yet, its impact was great. The bread transformed the environment it was placed in. It gave of its moisture to soften the hard places around it. This reminds me of how I have been the beneficiary of little deeds of kindness over the last several months. Sometimes the event or decision was the result of a random cause and effect. Other times, thought was put into the action. In spite of the donor's intentions, I was blessed. The hard parts inside of me were softened. For a restful moment, I looked heavenward and thanked God for His mercy and grace. For instance, when I was given my teaching schedule for the fall, I noticed ...

My paternal grandmother passed away in the early hours of March 6, 2010 at the age of 94. We receive this news with sadness and joy. Sadness for the loss of a devoted prayer warrior, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Joy for the sure belief that she is now in her heavenly home in the presence of her Lord Jesus Christ. We praise God for the many years of life she experienced here on earth. Your prayers are appreciated at this time.

"I just need to make it to July," I muttered under my breath as I patted my ever expanding abdomen. My husband laughs as he turns to our daughter and comments, "Mommy's goal: Make it to July." "Well, by the then, this new baby would have arrived. And hopefully he or she would be sleeping through the night," I defended my comment. And I would feel less tired. In theory. Tired. That seemed to be my state of being during the last month. I felt I spend more time sleeping than anything else. It is understandable, since I was recovering from a very busy semester of teaching. But now I would like to get some things DONE, if my body will cooperate. Rooms need to be arranged to accommodate child #2, the house begs for a thorough cleaning (according to me), new baby supplies have to be purchased, meals need to be created and frozen for when the baby arrives, washable diapers must be repaired, etc., etc., etc. And time is ticking away. And when the baby arrives, ...