You know what made my day perfect today? At a Chamber ribbon cutting, I ran into Diann Meals Pitts, PHS Class of 1973. I did not know her in school, but God brought us together today. Blessed!

This evening, I got to sit with one of my "favoritist" ladies, Ruby Riggins! She is a beacon of light in my life!

Tomorrow promises to be just as awesome. Velma Thompson invited us to the Emmanuel Church of God for the community worship service to include their Juneteenth youth program.

Saturday, yes, another great day to look forward to...the Hale County Historical Commission will be represented in the Juneteenth Parade! Then there are big things happening all day in Givens Park!

All are encouraged to attend!

Tonight, in Givins Park, I bowed my head and heard the words, "Thank you, Lord, for carrying us through." God is so very good!!!

What do you see? I enjoy photos that allow our minds to see things in them.

I see a bird on a candlestick, a boot, a pigeon on a man's head, a fish, a cat, a little man, a man's head, what else?

In Jeremiah 1:9, we read, Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. 

Let our words be His. Let our minds be his so that our eyes will see those who need his love. 

See Jesus!

Jesus was listening and asking questions of the teachers in the Temple. He was twelve. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and answers.

His parents had returned after discovering his absence while they were traveling home from the festival. Can you imagine how frantic they might be? They were on foot, no car to get back quickly. Jesus asks, "Why were you searching for me?" Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" They did not understand. He was obedient and returned with them. His mom treasured all these moments. Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. He must have been a precious child. 

As I read this story in Luke 2:41-52, it got me thinking about our faith walk. We claim we know Him, are close to Him, but how long does it take us to realize he is missing from our walk? We need to consider how we can make proximity a priority regardless of the distance. We tend to return to things that bring us comfort...and it needs to be Jesus. He was obedient, and he grew. I love this!!!

"Growth"

My whole life, I've heard the word piddle or piddling. I looked up its meaning. I had never even thought of this: "The puppy piddled on the carpet." And I must say, I'm quite disappointed with the other definition; to piddle is to waste time doing something that is not important or useful.

Who determines the value of another's piddle? 

I love to piddle. To me, to piddle is to do what I want, when I want, and at the pace I want. I'm not an idle piddler. There is a difference between a piddler and a sluggard in my way of thinking.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

One minute - I just need to piddle.

Let me start by saying that many of the things I share within my blog or on Facebook do not represent what may be happening in my life. The Holy Spirit gives me thoughts to share, and I never know who will see them or read them, but always for His glory.

The same goes for when I create. Like this piece, a Holy Spirit nudge ...

There are so many people who are hurting. Their hurt is varied: emotional, physical, etc. But it's okay. God promises that he is with us. He never leaves us. In Psalm 147:3, we see, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. In Isaiah 53:5, But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. And over in Isaiah 41:10, So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I love 1 Peter 5:10, And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. And of course, Philippians 4:5-7, Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

If you read this, know that I have prayed for God to wrap his arms around you, enough that you know it is his presence. See the Light!

The comma, semicolon, colon, exclamation mark, question mark and period are all marks of punctuation. They are used to separate and organize information between sentences. The comma is for shorter breaks, while the period marks the end of a sentence. A  semicolon connects closely related sentences, and the colon introduces lists or explanations following a complete sentence. The exclamation mark lends itself to profound excitement, while the question mark tends to leave open-ended uncertainty. 

If our life is a book, with chapters and paragraphs, then we can conclude that there are sentences that need to be punctuated. I have found that if the thoughts that are being written aren't ours, then we can't possibly understand the required punctuation. 

God is writing our story.

Don't put a period where God wants a comma.

Don't put a comma where God places a period.

Often God uses an exclamation mark, while the devil uses a question mark.

God conveys his intended message clearly with the correct punctuation, but we miss it in our busyness. Let's work at coming to a full stop and listening.

If you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5

It is the end of the season for a lot of things; school, athletics, cheer, whatever the kids have participated in this school season. For these grand-sisters, it is dance. This season is coming to an end, and a new dance season is beginning. 

If you have never read the book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, might I suggest you take a few moments for yourself and dig in?

The book is about just what the title says, a boy who is lonely then he meets a mole, and a fox that might be frightening to a mole. The boy is full of questions, the mole is greedy for cake, the fox is mainly silent and wary because he has been hurt by life. The horse is the biggest thing they have ever encountered, and also the gentlest. They are all different, like us, and each has their own weaknesses.

A book of encouragement that leads us to live a little more courageously with more kindness for ourselves and others and to ask for help when we need it because it is such a brave thing to do.

"The truth is everyone is winging it," says the horse.

"I'm so small." said the mole. "Yes," said the boy "but you make a huge difference."

The sweetest gifts and finds. Our youngest grandsister is always thinking of others. Her brain is so advanced that she is way ahead of average. She is constantly on the move and her heart is moving towards kindness and compassion. She was shopping at 725 Vintage and was upstairs, and came running back downstairs telling me about a basket of puppets like the "ones I have." They happened to be Bible story puppets. They needed some love. So fun!.

Then, she bought me these Bluejay earrings. She knows I wear the same earrings every day. She also knows I decorate with fun jewelry pieces.

We are so blessed with amazingly creative and loving grands. God has a plan.

Each day, we get to choose how to learn from each other: one Lord, different people. We encounter some negative and others positive, their faces making it obvious, their words confirming.

“The Mirror Garden”

In a faraway land where emotions shaped the world, there lived two peculiar masks: Negative Face and Positive Face.

Negative Face had sharp eyes that always squinted in suspicion. His frown etched like a canyon, and wherever he went, the skies darkened just a bit. Flowers turned their petals inward, and laughter seemed to stumble midair. They didn't mean to bring gloom—but saw danger in joy, foolishness in hope, and weakness in kindness.

Positive Face was the opposite. Their smile radiated warmth, andtheir wide eyes saw possibility in everything—even broken stones and tangled weeds. Birds sang near, and even shadows seemed to soften. But some said they were naive, blind to real danger, too trusting in a world with sharp edges.

One day, the two faces were placed on the same statue in the Mirror Garden, where every reflection showed not just your image, but your soul.

At first, chaos reigned. The statue couldn't decide which face to show, and the garden withered and bloomed in rapid succession. Visitors fled in confusion—was this place cursed or blessed?

But then, a little girl wandered in, laughing despite the flickering stormclouds and sunshine. She saw the statue and tilted her head.

"Why do you wear two faces?" she asked.

The statue didn't speak, but the garden answered. A single flower grew—half wilted, half in bloom.

The girl smiled gently. "You're not enemies. You're halves of truth. Caution and hope. Fear and faith."

With that, the faces softened—not merging but learning to nod at one another. Negative Face gave Positive Face a wary glance, and in return, Positive face gave a knowing smile. From that day forward, the statue showed both faces—not in conflict but in balance.

And the garden? It grew wilder than ever—sometimes messy, sometimes perfect, always alive.

It takes all kinds to reach others for Christ. We learn from Negative that what we see and hear is a lesson from God, leading us in learning how to act and not act.

We can learn that Positive rubs off love lessons full of hope! They are contagious!

What we are to learn is to be more like Jesus, loving all his people.