Good Saturday afternoon to you! I pray God is blessing you and yours this weekend.

Over the course of my lifetime, I have been blessed with many mothers. Due to situations, my mom wasn't always able to be there for me. My dad remarried and I had stepmothers, but neither my mom or my stepmothers are of whom I speak. There were women in my life who showed me how to be a Godly wife and mother without giving birth to me. They weren't there when I took my first step or said my first word, but they were there in crucial times in my life when it really mattered most. The Bible is full of Godly women who we can learn from, but God has truly shown his love to me through the women in MY life. I will write of two of these today.

In the third grade, my family moved across town. One of the first people we met was Kathy...at that time in my life she was the "coolest" grown-up I had ever met. She always had enough popsicles for every kid in the neighborhood, taught me how to make perfect chocolate chip cookies, and was always there when I needed someone to talk to. When I had to do a report for the great American smoke out, I did it on her, (who was also my inspiration to quit smoking) who quit, not with patches or nicotene gum, but by giving it to God and allowing Him to take it from her. Every Christmas, she held caroling practice at her house for weeks before Christmas and took all the neighborhood kids caroling, followed by a Christmas party at her house. I recall many New Year's Eve's at her house, sleepovers, I baby sat her kids, and just hung out when things weren't so great at home. She took us to the pastor's house one night, a practical joker himself, where we toilet-papered and "forked" his yard (for those of you who have never been forking, we spelled "gotcha" across his yard with hundreds of plastic forks). She and another friend got me my first bra, embarrassing at the time, but a fond memory of caring friends now. In high school, when I needed to ask the "How do you know if he's really 'The One'" question, my Kathy was there. I live to this day, by the advice she gave me on finding a Godly man, I'll never forget the way she smiled when she told me of the first time she met Charlie The lessons Kathy taught me and the memories we made will last a lifetime. The make a difference, still, in my every day life. God blessed not only me, but an entire neighborhood of children, by sending us this saint, by loaning her to us for our "other mother." Because of her, there are always enough popsicles in my freezer for the entire neighborhood.

I also have another "other mother" who I met as an adult and has meant so much to me this last year. Carolyn, thank you, you will never know the ways you have touched my life. God has truly blessed me by putting you on my road When I was lost and alone and had nowhere to go, she was there for me. Showed me the true meaning of hospitality by opening her arms, heart and home to me. Proverbs 31:10 says "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." I praise the Lord, and thank Him for bringing these virtuous women into my life.

Proverbs 22:6 says "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." I learned so much from these Godly women about Faith, and Virtue and about Trusting in God and I am so very thankful. I pray one day that my walk with God will be as evident to others as Kathy's and Carolyn's is to me. I pray that I can touch someone's life the way these wonderful ladies have touched mine. I am truly blessed!

Who are you thankful for today?

Good Wednesday Morning to you, I hope you are filled with blessings!

With yesterday's church newsletter, I sent out the August church calendar. Nothing new, I send out the calendar every month on the fourth week. However getting to work this morning and seeing it on my desk filled me with such sadness. You see, at the beginning of the summer, it seemed like June 18th would never get here, the day I picked up my kids for our summer visit. And since June 18th, it seems the time has flown by. Now, as we make plans for their father to come pick them up, I have tear-filled nights of my children pleading to stay in Texas; followed by sleepless nights of my own pain as I plead with the Father for strength and guidance through this time.

Not too long ago, I asked a friend of mine if he was gonna be there for me when I fall to pieces when they leave and his reply was, "Of course, but you know what I am going to say." I said yes and he says, "Whose babies are those? And will He not protect them and keep them safe? Does He not have a greater plan in mind?" I find reassurance in this in my Bible study this morning. It comes from II Peter 1:5 & 6. I read the verses and then read on to see what Spurgeon had to say in my study, this sentence stood out to me as I prayed, "Give diligent heed to thy courage. Plead with God that he would give thee the face of a lion, that thou mayest, with a consciousness of right, go on boldly."

Wow, God steadily speaks to those of your needs if you let Him. I needed to hear that today. The face of a lion, go on boldly...How Great Thou art!

Will I fall apart when my kids leave? Will I cry for days and sleep in their rooms? Will I call my mom two million times? Probably, but I will make it through, because God has graced my life with some of the best Christian friends a girl could have and I am assured God will use them to help me through. Again, I go to the sixth chapter of Matthew verses 33 & 34, where Jesus tells us "(33) But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." This is the verse I quoted last week, but then He goes on to say in verse 34, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow should take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is evil thereof." He says "Don't worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will worry about itself, each day has enough trouble of its own."

My friend says, "Let go and let God." Can you let go today?

A sign in my office says "Good morning, this is God and I will be handling all your problems today. Have a nice day!" Will you give your problems to Him?

It's not always easy but how blessed would we be if we would just "Let go and let God."

Have a blessed day!
Kaci

Every week at the beginning of the service, our pastor says "Praise the Lord it's Sunday morning!" This morning, one of my preschoolers shouted back,with all fervor, "Praise the Lord, it's Sunday morning!" If only we could all start each day with such zeal.

So, last night, after the kids are asleep, I'm talking to a friend on the telephone. I decided I needed something out of the car and go out to get it.It is about 11 o' clock and very dark. My porch light is broken and there are no streetlights in my neighborhood. I have a small yard, surrounded by a 4 foot chain link fence. I am not afraid of the dark, so running to the car,in my very safe neighborhood, seems like a simple task. As I open the gate, a stranger in the darkness, a huge black lab that probably weighs as much as me, jumps up on me and sets his paws on my shoulders. The person on the other end of the phone hears my shriek of panic and asks what is wrong. As I scramble back to the porch, nearly falling on my face, I try to explain what has happened. The dog obviously meant no harm, but became a temporary roadblock between me and my goal. I am sure if he had intended to hurt me,there would have been no stopping him, as he was seen much too late for me to have run to safety. I had no idea he was even there until he was literally on me.

How many times have we gone out into the darkness of our lives, seeking out the goal set forth for us by the Lord, only to find Satan standing in the darkness, seen much too late, trying to stop us from reaching our goal. Do we let the stranger in the darkness stop of from reaching the Glory that is His? No, Psalms 23:4 tells us "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." When you find yourself in the darkness, remember, Heis with you. Let Psalms 119:105 remind us that "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Let Him guide you through the darkness, lean on Him, trust in Him...and follow through to your goal.

And remember, "Praise the Lord, it's Monday morning!"
God bless you today!
Kaci