Thanks to God

I really liked this and wanted to keep it. I hope you like it too.

THANKS TO GOD
I pray that this will bless you as it blessed me.

Hello God,
I called tonight
To talk a little while
I need a friend who'll listen
To my anxiety and trial.
You see, I can't quite make it
Through a day just on my own..
I need your love to guide me,
So I'll never feel alone.
I want to ask you please to keep
My family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence
For whatever fate they're bound.
Give me faith, Dear God, to face
Each hour throughout the day,
And not to worry over things
I can't change in any way.
I thank you God for being home
And listening to my call,
For giving me such good advice
When I stumble and fall.
Your number, God, is the only one
That answers every time.
I never get a busy signal,
Never had to pay a dime.
So thank you, God, for listening
To my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God, I love You too,
And I'll call again tomorrow!


The man whispered, "God, speak to me"
and a meadowlark sang.

But, the man did not hear.
So the man yelled, "God, speak to me"
and the thunder rolled across the sky.

But, the man did not listen.
The man looked around and said,
"God let me see you."
And a star shined brightly.

But the man did not see.
And, the man shouted,
"God show me a miracle."
And, a life was born.

But, the man did not notice.
So, the man cried out in despair,
"Touch me God,
and let me know
you are here."
Whereupon, God reached down
and touched the man.
But, the man brushed
the butterfly away

and walked on.

I found this to be a great reminder
that God is always around us in the
little and simple things
that we take for granted...
even in our electronic age...
so I would like to add one more:

The man cried,
"God, I need your help!"
And an e-mail arrived reaching out
with good news and encouragement.

But, the man deleted it and continued crying...

Don't miss out on a blessing
because it isn't packaged
the way that you expect.


Expect the unexpected.....

Have A Blessed Day!

Christmas Parties

Well, I didn't forget to go to the annual Ratliff & Sommerville Christmas Party this year! Yeah! Last year I COMPLETELY forgot about it. I mean, when Elaine called and asked me what I was doing and when I was going to be there because they were about to serve dinner, I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. So, Charlie and I grabbed some gift cards and ran over there in our jeans. Not pretty. This year I remembered to get gifts for the gift exchange, and actually got ready for the party. Charlie and I had a great time... we especially loved Shannon's stories!

Today is Michael's class Christmas party. Charlie is going to attend that with him since he is on vacation through the 26th. Michael and I went to school early this morning to put his teachers' gifts in their boxes. He was very excited about doing that.

Today is Tabitha's cheerleading Christmas party. I don't know where it is or what time to be there but, I'm bringing food and helping out... sounds about normal.

I'm almost finished with my Christmas cards. I should have the last of them finished up pretty quick. I think the hardest thing besides finding addresses, is having everyone sign the card. It isn't very often that we are all in the same room together. Our Wednesday night "Family Night" has been messed up these last 4 weeks with Tabitha in driving school. We should be able to get back on track next year.

I've taken my car back to the dealership 5 times now for the wind noise issue. Looks like its Lemon Law time. I printed the information off the internet, and talked to my service tech about it. He has been through the Lemon Law with one other customer. He said it took about 3½ months to resolve the issue. I've been driving with this annoying sound for 12 months now... I can handle it a little bit longer... let's hope.

Does anyone know of a good, free online address book? I've created my address book more times than I care to remember... them my computer crashes and I lose it all. I'd appreciate any feedback on this.

School's Closed

Maybe I can get my desk cleared off today... that's a big maybe.

I tried to upload the pictures of the poor (20 year old) crepe myrtle tree Tabitha killed on her first driving excursion with her permit last week. She jumped a curb to get to the tree. I was really surprised she didn't take out the stop sign next to the curb. There was minimal damage to my car, and she is driving much better now. The couple who live at the house have been very gracious about the whole thing. They have been shopping around to get us the best price so we can avoid filing an insurance claim. Of course, "everyone" at school knows about it now and is teasing her about it. "Tabitha, do you really drive THAT bad?!?" John - the pictures are in my phone and I keep sending them to my email address, and the phone keeps putting them in my outbox... stupid repititous circle... very frustrating. Let me know if you have a clue about this.

I have been able to get quite a bit of Christmas shopping done. That's a big shock. I usually haven't even started yet.

Karen came over last week and held a garage sale for me Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. That was a great idea! This would explain why I got so much Christmas shopping done already... money helps!

Michael was having a real hard time for a while there. But, after MANY conversations and emails with his teachers, we have finally gotten to a good place at school. I was getting notes just about every day concerning his behavior. We moved some kids away from him in class, that helped. His writing teacher is letting him write in his journal everyday about what is going on in his life. That is helping them to understand his viewpoint. And he is now going to and coming home from school with a child down the street named Preston. Those two get along so well! It has been wonderful!!!

I've been trying to upload a picture of a dragon that Michael drew, but I keep getting errors. Maybe another time.

Apparently, this is not the day for pictures...