Whew ...

This is a picture of my family. Back row: Joey my oldest brother, Jeff next brother, my mom, my niece Kayla, her mother Linda (who is married to my brother Steven). Next row is Chris my hubby, me, my brother Steven with their dog Binky, my sweet daughter Olivia and my nephew Jacob who is Steven's son. My nephew Justin (Joey's son) was spending Thanksgiving with a friend so he is missing from the picture as well as my sweet grandmother who at 92 wasn't up to coming. We had a great Thanksgiving at mom's ... she is good cooker as Olivia used to say.



The Neal's came over here and ate that evening and I can't believe we didn't take one picture. I was so busy with the food that I didn't have time to pick up the camera. We had a great time. Olivia's cousin Meghan ended up spending the night and the girls had a blast. We are all tired and just relaxing at home.

God bless you and your family.

Thoughts of Frank

I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. Hug those you love and hug those you don't love (that hug might change your mind about them :-) Be a blessing to others and take time to thank the Lord for all of your blessings. This is our first Thanksgiving without Frank ~ we miss him and we remember him.

Psalm 100 : 1-5
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Deer damage

I am a little sick tonight.... We were on Highway 9 in Boiling Springs heading toward home when a huge deer ran out in front of us and did the above damage to my new vehicle. Praise the Lord none of us were hurt. I don't know how the buck fared. Chris got Olivia and me home safely and then he and his brother went back with flashlights to see if they could locate the buck. I am sure it was an 8 to 10 pointer. I saw it coming right for us and thank the Lord it didn't come through our windshield. The entire ordeal has shook up Olivia so much that she said she'll never get in a car again. I said those same words when I was in my first accident, but of course I was back in the car the very next day. It was one of those unexpected moments that makes you count your blessings. I'm thankful it wasn't worse than it was because that road had a lot of traffic on it. Oh well ... I am exhausted from a day of cleaning, mopping, baking and running errands. We will eat Thanksgiving with my mom and family at noon tomorrow then all of Chris' family will come here for Thanksgiving dinner at 6:30. I am looking forward to having everyone over. This is our first Thanksgiving without Chris' dad. He died back in May. Please pray for all of us as we go through this first big meal without Frank. His dad loved to eat and to cook. Every Thanksgiving he and Chris's brother would deep fry turkeys. I know it is going to be hard on those boys to cook without Frank being with them. Frank is feasting at the table with my dad and our Lord in Heaven :-) One day we'll all be together again. Tonight I feel blessed to be married to such a wonderful man and to have such a precious daughter. I am blessed by a caring family and true friends. The Lord is good.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all ... count your blessings.

What a weekend. Olivia has been taking piano lessons since school started and is doing fantastic. She has been practicing on a large keyboard while I've been searching the classifieds for an affordable piano. Well ... last Monday I found one. We bought it on Monday night and Chris and his brother Franky (pictured with him) along with 3 other big guys went and got it for us on Saturday. It looks and sounds great and it was only $200. It is a super nice piano. That is a huge blessing from the Lord. After all of their hard work Chris and Franky decided to spend the evening deer hunting while Olivia and I played piano and spent a little time raking leaves :-) She is my twin isn't she?

But the best news came on Sunday when our 13 year old niece was baptized. Meghan recently prayed and asked Jesus into her heart and was baptized yesterday. The entire family came to support her. Pictured left to right: her step dad Sean, her mom Michelle, Meghan, her dad Brian, Sylvia her grandmother, Austin her brother, Olivia her cousin, Chris her uncle and uncle Franky on the end. I wasn't in the picture because I was the photographer. Anyway, it was a wonderful service and I am glad we all got to be apart of it. Afterward we all had lunch at Acropolis Greek/ Italian.

Lastly Chris, Olivia and I had the privilege of taking a Thanksgiving basket to a needy family. Our Sunday school class had taken up food and money and we got to deliver it yesterday. The family was very humble and appreciative. Their circumstances are not good right now, but their spirit was. Pray if you will for this family ... the daughter needs a job and a car. Thank you. Any of us could fall on difficult times like these folks are experiencing right now. I pray we don't, but I'm sure they never expected to be going through tough times either. Always be thankful for what you have and never take anything for granted.

Blessings ....


<

Exciting times

I only have a few minutes, but I am so excited I have to share. My 13 year old niece is being baptized this morning. We are skipping our church services to head over to Greenville to be apart of her wonderful act of obedience to the Lord. I hope to have pictures to post later. Also I have some good news from yesterday to post pictures about, but that will come later too. Until then....

Go to church today and be blessed :-)

Sweet daddy, today you've been away from me for 2 years. Somehow it seems so much longer than that. I will always be grateful that the Lord allowed me to be with you as you left this life and entered eternal life. I am proud that I was the last person you spoke the words; "I love you" to. Oh how I loved you. It's funny I'm writing this to my dad (who won't be reading it, you are reading it). Well, let me take this opportunity to say if you don't have a good relationship with your father for whatever reason make sure you TRY to make it work. Pray for him, be kind to him, listen to all of his stories ... because if you don't you might regret it later. I have no regrets with my dad because I loved and respected him. I am no saint, but when my siblings would tell him that he'd already told that story, I'd tell him to go ahead and tell it again. I'd say I loved to hear it or I'd forgotten part of it. That's what old men like to do, tell stories; how hard is it really to listen. Oh to hear him tell another story. We are not promised tomorrow, we are not promised our next breath, be sure you make peace with those you need to make peace with. Life is to short.

The pictures today are from the cemetery where daddy is buried. He and I used to spot Hawks sitting in the tops of trees and on that trip to the cemetery I zoomed in on one and took a picture. In the next picture is Olivia playing on the playground right behind where daddy is buried. That headstone that is tall is daddy's and the one to the left of it is where his parents are buried. The last picture is of dad's foot marker. He has a beautiful headstone with his and mom's name, but I don't have a close up of it. These pictures may seem morbid to most, but they are comforting to me.

Love those near you and make peace now while you can. I don't know who is reading this and I feel a since of responsibility to say what the Lord lays on my heart. If you have trouble with someone (maybe even me) make peace today.

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."Ephesians 4:31-32

Ray J. Boiter, Sr. my dad

These are not the best pictures of my dad, but they are the last ones taken leading up to his death on November 22, 2006. He had horrible swelling and was in the hospital in Columbia where he received 3 stints. As you can see from the dates on the pictures his swelling went down very quickly after his procedure. He came home and seemed back to his old self. It's strange how one week prior to his death he was cleared from his cancer doctor and given a clean bill of health, yet he died due to cancer and heart failure. Only the Lord knows the time for us to come home. I'm so thankful daddy was ready (spiritually). Are you ready to meet the Lord? Have you accepted his wonderful love for you? If not email me and I'll be more than happy to tell you how to live forever. None of us are promised tomorrow.

A day in the life

Living with a 9 year old; who happens to be your only child ... you just never know what your day is going to be like. There are times when she is so quiet and creative playing alone. As illustrated by her tunnel building technique and Barbie family outing. Then there are times when she thinks her soon to be 39 year old mom can do anything :-) as the last picture shows. I really should be super thin considering how much jump rope, basket ball, soccer and chase she has me playing. I always prayed for a daughter and the Lord blessed me greatly. She is spirited and delicate, quick tempered and compassionate. Oh example: This week her school is taking up money for children with cancer. Last night she got out her wallet and asked to donate all that she had then she requested more money from me and her dad saying "you know you can't send to much to help these kids". How sweet was that? Moments us mom's live for.

For some reason it's been difficult for me to have blog ideas this week ( Oh I know I am experiencing writers block :-) so I thought I'd go to my camera for inspiration and thus the pictures that she had taken of her handiwork caught my eye. She's was proud of her work and took pictures to share with her friends. I guess that sums up blogging ... we are proud of our work and we share pictures with our friends. Hope today is a good one for you.

Many Christmas blessings ...

Web log

Have you ever wondered where the word Blog comes from? It actually comes from two words web log thus weB LOG. I never knew that and since I have a blog I thought I'd see how it all started. It's nice to find out how things begin. I always find proposal / marriage stories interesting. Let me share our story. I began visiting First Baptist North Spartanburg ( a large church for those of you who don't know) with a guy that I was dating at the time. Our relationship only lasted 2 months. I was a member of a smaller church and even though I had been there all my life I really liked First North and knew I wanted to keep going there even after he and I broke off our relationship. Ok fast forward to the singles dept where 45 to 55 people met each week. We'd go out to eat in large groups and participated in many activities together. On one such occasion Chris and I got to talk. He asked for my number and called me a couple of days later. We continued to talk every day and only dated each other until he proposed to me on Thanksgiving Day 1995. He took me to Pretty Place ( an outdoor chapel over looking the mountains) and gave me a large sweater box. When I opened it, I was surprised to see it filled with newspapers. I could not find a gift and wondered what was going on. Well, my eye then moved to the lid of box where a small box was securely taped. I proceeded to open that box to find the most beautiful engagement ring you'll ever see. Chris got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I immediately said yes, but then quickly said; "Did you ask my dad?" He and my dad were very close hunting and fishing buddies and I just had to know. He said that my dad knew all about it and had given his blessing. My mom on the other hand did not know until we got home to eat Thanksgiving dinner and tell her the good news. It was a special day. We had planned to get married at Pretty Place (we reserved it for June of 1996), but due to the health of both of our grandparents we moved our wedding to the church we had met in. Of course no marriage is perfect, but with Christ as the Lord of your home, you can't go wrong. Chris is a wonderful husband, provider and put up with my junk man :-)

What's your story?

Missing Samson

Samson was my beautiful blue-eyed, bushy tail Himalayan. He was so sweet and loved us all. He was fat, as you can tell by his pictures and weighed in at 16.4 pounds. Two weeks prior to his death he wasn't acting like himself so I took him to the vet. The vet put him on a special diet and gave him his updated shots. A week later I took him back to the vet, but the doctor found nothing wrong with him. He got worse so I took him back to the vet and he was given a shot of cortisone; which perked him up a little. Unfortunately he had a cyst on his bladder, that went unnoticed and due to it rupturing he died from complications with that. That was two years ago and we still miss him. Today a pretty yellow and gold stray cat showed up meowing in our driveway. He was so sweet; I called him Honey. I don't know if he'll be back tomorrow, but he sure made me miss my Samson. If anyone reading this ever comes across a blue-eyed Himalayan and it is free to a loving home :-) please let me know.

Blessings ...

Thinking of Christmas

It seems the topic of Christmas is on every one's mind these days. The stores are all decked out with decorations and lights. One of our neighbors has already put up an outdoor snowman and garland. My inbox is bombarded with emails about keeping Christ in Christmas and which stores will wish us a Merry Christmas. All that got me to thinking about Christmas and how the world views this time of year. What is Christmas? It is the day Jesus was born. Why do we celebrate that? Because without Jesus we would have no life. He came to live and to die for us. Ok, here is the tricky part ... believing that and accepting Jesus into my heart makes me a Christian therefore Christmas means everything to me. However, a good part of our world doesn't believe that or hasn't had the opportunity to hear about Jesus and his love for them, so that would mean Christmas doesn't have any real meaning for them other than time off from work, Christmas parties and gifts. So that brings me to this thought; how would Jesus want me to celebrate Christmas ? What can I do to glorify the Lord and bring others to the knowledge of His love for them so they too can celebrate the real meaning of Christmas? The story in the Bible of Jesus birth talks of the Wise men bringing gifts to Jesus; not thoughtless gifts, but the very best. I think that is what we are to do. Put some thought into Christmas and the true meaning and bring Jesus our very best. What is Christmas to you? He is the reason for the season and we need to share that we others in a very real and loving way.

With that said, Merry Christmas ( a month early :-)

Happy ending or sad ending?

After my class at church last night I went to the SCA book fair. I found a really cute book titled; "Milo and the Magical Stones" by Marcus Pfister. This book has a cute mouse on the cover who is the main character. My friend Renee was with me and highly recommended the book. She said someone read it at her school this week and that the story has two endings. You can choose to read the Happy ending or the Sad ending. I took her at her word and bought the book for my daughter. We didn't have time to read it last night, so I thought I would read it this morning. I read the Happy ending first then the sad. It is a thought provoking story that I enjoyed. As a matter of fact it has prompted me to blog about endings. You know in life we have a choice in what kind of ending we are going to have, happy or sad. If we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we are going to have a VERY Happy ending, but if we don't choose him we will have a VERY Sad ending. Life is really, very simple. No matter what trial or heartache or fantastic joy you are going through, you are just going through it. THIS is not all there is. We are just passing through on a journey to home (Heaven). The day I realized that this earth was not my home was like a breakthrough for me. I had just lost a dear friend, Dan Queen, to cancer and I was very sad and really seeking the Lord for answers/ guidance then out of no where my father died two months later of cancer. That was when the Lord clearly and gently reminded me that this earth is not my home. I was sitting here at this computer typing in a journal (didn't blog at the time) and it hit me like a ton of bricks (I'm going to live forever and I haven't gotten home yet) What joy filled my soul. When I die in this body I will begin to live, Y'all it's a WIN / WIN situation. God is taking care of us. Do you see it? If you don't, you can, if you'll choose Jesus. Choose Jesus :-) Decide on the Happy ending. He tells us in His precious word in Revelation 3:20

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in ...." Invite Jesus in today.

Love you.

Curiosity?

I don't know about you, but on occasion when I have a few free moments I read blogs of people that I don't know. It's fun to see what other people blog about. Truthfully most are just like mine; people either sharing family photos or getting on their soapbox and expressing their views. It's nice to live in a free country and have that option. I'm curious if anyone who doesn't know me is reading my blog? If so, how did you come across it and why have you come back to read it? I really like writing and some day hope to be creative enough to write a book and be in print. I've started writing several books at different times in my life. I have a wonderful title for a Children's book ( I won't share that just now because I plan to use it one day :-) But ... it would be helpful to have some ideas??? I have a 365 day flip calendar that my friend Lisa gave me 8 years ago and the sayings are so good I've flipped it for 8 years and still do. I started to make my own 365 day flip calendar similar to it, but after 65 days I ran out of things to say :-) I guess it takes a team to do that sort of thing. It would be grand to be able to write something that would encourage and inspire others daily. Once I came up with the idea of doing a photo devotional book ( you should see the scrap papers and pictures and stuff I have for that project). Oh well ... if it's meant to be it will be and if not I'll accept that too.

My head is hurting today along with my face, nose and entire sinus area. I guess I don't have anything grand to say except that I appreciate you reading this and really enjoy writing. Maybe I'll have more to say later. Until then keep praying and keep seeking the Lord first.

Many blessings,

Veteran's Day Program

I just got home from a Veterans Day program at my daughters school. This is the first production I've seen at her new school and it was very good. The 5th graders sang a medley of songs with costumes and dance. One thing that was so special to me was seeing the variety of nationalities represented. Several children who went to microphone to say their part of American history said it in the sweetest foreign accent. I believe children from Russia, India, Mexico, Japan, China and of course America were all represented. As they went through their parts I got a little teary eyed as I looked into all of their faces and wondered what America means to them. What does that history they were talking about mean to them? or to their parents? We do live in an amazing country. There are MANY bad things in the world we could talk about, but seeing those precious faces reminded me that there are WAY MORE good things to talk about. Look for the good. Pray for the bad. At the end of the program the kids sang, God Bless America. It was beautiful. Considering this is my daughters first year in public school it meant allot to me to hear it. As I sat in the auditorium; I prayed for all of the students and for their school. There is prayer in school ( and the right person hears it :-)


Pray for America.

Salvation has a name

Ok I am going to share yet another song with you. Can you tell I have a CD player in my vehicle? :-) I have never been a "hand lifter" when singing praise and worship songs, but I have to admit I am thankful to have a sunroof because these songs from my churches praise and worship CD make my hand jump right through the roof. I know people who pass me either think I'm crazy or trying to catch leaves. Enough of me, please read the words to this song. The group who sings this song is called : 33 Miles and the title is: Salvation Has A Name

I come to the altar and I bow before you
You are everything my heart desires
A friend that is closer than any brother could be
I’m so amazed I can call out to you and you hear me

[CHORUS]
Salvation has a name
Mercy has a face
Holiness was crucified
And rose to give us grace

Salvation has a name
Mercy has a face
Jesus our holiness
Worthy of all praise

Every moment that I come to know you
I find a new depth of love surrounding me
Deeper than oceans, higher than any mountain peak
I’m so amazed at the wonder you hold
I can hardly believe

CHORUS
Jesus, Father, the maker of time
Healer, Teacher, the maker or light
You are sustainer to every life
God our Savior
--------
Salvation has a name
Mercy has a face
Holiness was crucified
And he rose!

Jesus our holiness
Worthy of all praise
Jesus our holiness
Worthy of all praise

Salvation has a name

The part that says "every moment that I come to know you I find a new depth of love surrounding me" ... WOW. God loves ME just as I am; unworthy, critical, judgemental, selfish ... the list could go on, but since I'm not catholic I only confess my sins to Him :-) The point is in spite of ME, Jesus loves me and died for ME (and YOU). Isn't it wonderful to get to know Him more and more and more everyday. When I prayed and asked Jesus into my heart at 11 years old I knew I loved Jesus and I knew I wanted him in my heart and life. I knew he loved me and he died for my sins and over time I have learned so much more of his love for me and it never ceases to amaze me. If you are reading this and you've never experienced Jesus' love and you want him in your life please email me and let me share the plan of salvation with you. It's all outlined in my second blog. He loves you just as you are, he really does.

God bless you.

Oh, brothers...

Tonight I'm thinking about my brothers. I want to ask you to pray for them. I've posted their pictures above. My oldest brother Joey is in the first picture holding fish (my dad's knee is in the shot). The next picture is my second to oldest brother Jeff and our dad. The last picture is of my youngest brother and our dad. I am the baby of the family :-) No picture. Two weeks from today, on Saturday November 22nd, it will two years since the passing of our dad from this life to Heaven. I still miss him as much today as I did the day he died. Since his passing life has changed for all of us. We all grieve in our own ways. I guess writing down my thoughts is how I handle things. I am not sure how they grieve, but I know they miss daddy as much as I do. I would love to write about each one and actually started to, but they are all so private. I don't want to post anything they wouldn't want the world to read. They aren't as transparent as me :-) It's amazing how 4 children can be raised in the same house, by the same parents and turn out so differently. Regardless of our differences we are all saved by the blood of the lamb and we will all see daddy again. My only request is that you pray for them as the anniversary of daddy's death approaches. Thanks.

Blessings always.

I will NOT be moved

On the way home from taking Olivia to school this morning I heard a song on the radio that I've heard many times before. It is so powerful I just have to share it with you. It's on Natalie Grant's Relentless CD and it is called " I will not be moved". Here are the words:

I have been a wayward child,
I have acted out,
I have questioned sovereignty,
and had my share of doubts,

and though sometimes,
my prayers feel like the mountain of the sky,
the hand that holds won't let me go,
and is the reason why

I will stumble, I will fall down
but I will not be moved
I will make mistakes, I will face heartache,
but I will not be moved

on Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
I will not be moved

bitterness has plagued my heart,
many times before,
my life has been a broken glass,
that I have kept restored,
of all my shattered dreams,
and though it seemed,
that I was far too gone,
my brokenness helped me to see,
it's grace I’m standing on.

I will stumble, I will fall down
but I will not be moved
I will make mistakes, I will face heartache,
but I will not be moved

on Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
I will not be moved

and chaos in my life,
has been a badge of war,
and though I have been torn,
I will not be moved

I will make mistakes, I will face heartache,
but I will not be moved

on Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
I will not be moved

Wow! It makes me want to SHOUT! Christ is my solid rock. It doesn't get any better than that; does it? Have a blessed weekend.

A lesson worth sharing

Below is a copy of a forwarded email I received from a friend yesterday. It was something that I needed to be reminded of and thought I'd share with whoever reads this stuff. Actually from the numbers on my counter I've been the only one reading my blog, but that's ok, it is for me to express myself and get things off my mind. Let's face it this is cheaper than a therapist. So if anyone reads this stuff I hope it means as much to you as it does to me.

$20.00

Sometimes we just need to be reminded!

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill.
In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first let me do this.

He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.
He then asked, "Who still wants it?"
Still the hands were up in the air.
Well, he replied, "What if I do this?"
And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.
"Now, who still wants it?"
Still the hands went into the air.
My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.
Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who LOVE you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.
You are special -

Don't EVER forget it."

Pray for revival

This is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it. We are told in Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 5 :14 "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. "

Till Heaven and earth pass ... God is in control, He is here always. The election is over, the people have chosen and God is on the Throne . Psalm 118:8 says "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

Pray for our leaders, pray for our country, pray for revival. God bless our country.

Blessings to you.

VOTE

Today is Election Day ( another school holiday :-) Olivia and I have been dancing in the kitchen. I sure love her spunk. She is something else. She told me that her school held a mock election yesterday and Obama won. It remains to be seen as to who will win the real election, but I can tell you one thing FOR SURE, Jesus Christ is on the throne. He died for my sins, your sins, McCain, Obama and the worlds sins. We don't need to have any fear in this election. Jesus wins no matter what. He may allow our country to take a nose dive; like I mentioned in yesterday's blog sometimes God takes us down, to set us apart. BUT God is always here and He is in control (even when everything seems out of control) God is here. Did you get that? God is HERE. We have rights and we have to stand up for them. Take time to vote. Take time to spread the news of Jesus and his love. We CAN change our world, one person at a time. Our country needs revival. I pray, Lord, let it start with ME. Father I pray for our country today and for the leaders that get voted in. Father you are in control whether the world believes it or not. Lord I love you and trust your guidance. Father I truly pray for your blessing on America. I truly pray for revival. In your precious and Holy name I ask these requests. Amen.

"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."Deuteronomy 31:6


Blessings to all who read.

Don't you just love fall? I do. My mom and I can't have a conversation these days without talking about how gorgeous the leaves are. I decided to capture their beauty in one picture. I couldn't help but to take a picture of the stump in our front yard as well. It used to be a gorgeous tree, but when it started to cast a shadow on our home we had to take it down. You know sometimes God has to "take us down" and remind us that He is in control and we are nothing more than stumps without Him. It is when we truly realize that He is all we need that we begin to live. If you are going through a difficult day and wonder how you will get through it or maybe you are wondering why God is taking you down a new path ? Just remember; He is ALWAYS with you and He only wants the BEST for you. Look at the brilliant colors in all of those trees. In the summer they all blend into one green image, but for some reason during this season of the year the Lord decides to set them all apart and the true colors shine through. Maybe He is doing that for you in this season of your life. Maybe He wants the true you to shine for Him. I really do want to shine for Jesus. Forgive me Lord, for wanting to shine for myself sometimes. Help me Lord to shine for you. I love you Jesus.

I want to end with one of mine and my mom's favorite poems: Trees by Joyce Kilmer

I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.