I love Valentines Day! Sending and receiving a Valentine is a simple way of letting someone know you love and care about them. Ed and I started a Valentine tradition many years ago of sending a $2 bill with each of our grandchildren’s valentines. Many of them have kept the $2 bills as a treasure; others have spent them. For Ed and me, it was a way of us letting them know how special, unique and loved each one of them is.

​I love the joke my husband told recently about the two little boys who were misbehaving and had their mother totally frustrated on how to handle them. One day she was sharing this frustration with her neighbor. Oddly enough, the neighbor had the same problem once with her boys. So she offered some advice: “I took my boys to the pastor for some counseling, and it really helped.”

​Francis Schaeffer once asked a question: “How then shall we live?”
Many times, we read God’s Word but have a hard time applying it to our lives or living out the practicality of it. While asking the above question, I decided to actually look up the meaning of the key words in Romans 12:9-21. This passage of Scripture left no doubt in my mind as to how we should live . . . as Christians and overcomers.

​Counting the cost of our actions and words should always be a part of our daily lives before the Lord.
Remember the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me?” Is that really true? I do not believe so! Words can hurt as much as sticks and stones. There are consequences for both our words and actions, as well as ramifications. Those ramifications or consequences can produce good or evil, success or failure, love or hate, war or peace, joy or unhappiness.

​My grandchildren love to go barefooted!  In fact, I caught two of them outside shoeless after Christmas.  During the summer months, shoelessness is the norm, but winter! Oh, my!

​Last week I wrote about joy, which has led me to its twin – laughter.  Just like twins, there are similarities, yet differences. Joy can be contemplative and even silent, but laughter is articulated orally and can be observed and witnessed.

​Recently I found myself making a list and writing down Christmas Joy reflections!  I thought I would share a few with you.

Car repair and mechanics are not my expertise for sure!  While in High School I had 4 flat tires.  Each time I had to call my dad to come help me.  The fourth time, he told me that if I had another flat, I would have to fix it myself.  Praise the Lord, I have not had a flat ever since!

 Have you ever tried to walk backwards or watched your grandkids trying to do it?  They end up going sideways while turning their heads trying to see where they are going.  It’s not an easy task.  It lends itself to a feeling of instability, awkwardness and insecurity.  The destination becomes harder and takes longer.
This life lesson had me wondering how much of our spiritual lives are spent looking back, walking sideways, feeling unstable, insecure, moving backwards, not forward.

So much of life is about waiting!  Waiting for the right partner, right home, right job, right doctor, right church, right thing to say or do.  One of the definitions of waiting is to remain in readiness for some purpose, to stay where you are.