friend

It always amazes me how much I learn by having kids around me. Just this week me & my Miss Neenee have had some pretty good conversations. You know she is in 6^th grade, this time around. The kids are stuck in the preteen years. They don’t know whether to play with dolls or be boy crazy. Some of them are both. They are also so very silly. There is a little girl, that’s just come to school this year. They have named her, “Bacon”. Miss Neenee talks about Bacon all the time. Everyday Bacon says something or does something new. It’s always something goofy or weird or obnoxious. You know YOUR PRETEEN YEARS in a nutshell. Any the whoo, one day Miss Neenee & I was talking about school this year. I asked her about some of the kids from school. Some that just so tee-totally got on her last nerve last year. (Which is funny, because she was probably getting on their nerves just as bad.) She said that they really didn’t bother her so much this year. She said it was all good with them. I told her perhaps they grew up some over the summer.

She replied, “No, I did.”

What a grown up thing to say! Sometimes we get so up in arms about how other people act, that we forget to look at ourselves. My Papa Clyde always said, to have friends, you had to first be a friend, yourself. I think that lesson has hit home for my Miss Neenee. She is becoming a mature little lady. I wish I could be as understanding & compassionate as she is.

Proverbs 18:24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.(NKJV)

Maybe she is learning the world is not all about her needs, but the needs of others. Hopefully, she is growing to have the heart of a servant. To be kind & tenderhearted, like the apostle Paul talked about

Ephesians 4:32

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.(NKJV)

Relationships are important. I am glad to learn from my 6^th grader that love, forgiveness, & mercy can come through from any age. And speaking of mercy, we talked about the unmerciful servant in my Wednesday night class, this week. I asked the class what they thought unmerciful meant. One little girl said she knew exactly what it meant. She said when she played basketball with her brother & his friends they just kept trying to beat her down & not let her have the ball. She said that was very unmerciful. These kids tickle me to death. We had promotion Sunday a couple of weeks when the school year started back. This is when the kids move classes, since they are advancing in grades at school. I MAY or may not have a couple of kids that do NOT want to advance out of my 1^st & 2^nd grade class. We just have so much fun in there. If one of the elders is reading this, I sternly told the kids they had to move up next Wednesday night, no exceptions. Then, I gave them a bunch of candy.

Hope you are having a wonderful week. Summer is back. If you haven’t heard. It’s just weather in Mississippi. Hot, cold, air conditioner, heater, all in one day. You just never know. I hope you had a great long weekend. We did. Lots of food, family, friends, & fellowship. Until next time I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

My favorite quote of the week. Don’t worry about saving your money. You don’t need a penny to do this-

You know, I never get tired of having my faith strengthened. God is such a working God. He is on time, every time. This past week, a sweet friend shared with me a beautiful story of God being hard at work in her life.

A friend of mine has been going through some trials. She has had her fair share of ups & downs here of late. Sometimes, during the week, we may just get a minute to share what we have going on. At times, it’s just a shaking of our heads in passing, saying- “Pray for me.” And we do. That’s why when she sent me a quick message, this week, I knew our prayers were being heard. My friend’s mother has been in poor health. She is older & is having quite a time. My friend & her sister have been wearing themselves to a frazzle trying to take care of her. Her doctor had discussed with my friend & her family about moving her to an assisted living center. Of course, there goes more sleepless nights for my friend. She knew in her head this was what was best for her mama. But her heart kept tugging at her to keep her at home. When the day finally came to talk to her mama about staying in an assisted living home, her mama was just fine with it. The doctor talked to her mama & explained to her this was what she needed right now. She was all in. No kicking, screaming, spittin’, cussin’ or anything, from my friend or her mama. My friend was so thankful to the Lord & relieved. She knew it was the prayers of hers & her family & friends that made it all work out.

Change is hard. Sickness & getting older is hard. There comes a time that we have to make decisions we don’t want to. We have responsibilities to others. And sometimes those hard decisions may have to do with our parents. I know for me, when my mama got so sick, it was awful. It was especially heartbreaking to have to move her to a place with 24 hour nurse care. Nobody wants to have to move a loved one from their own home, to somewhere strange & unknown- even for their own good. But with a lot of prayer, we did what we had to do. We put our heart to the side & went with what our head told us to do. Our main goal was to take care of her needs. That’s what I told my friend, the last time we talked about her sweet mama. “Remember, this is something to work out in your head, not your heart.” She did the right thing. She asked the Lord for help. I think sometimes we don’t receive because we don’t ask.

Sadly very true….

James 1:6 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

Just like anything, our asking has conditions. We must ask for things that are Godly & for the glory of the Lord. Not for our own selfish benefit.

James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

I think it was wonderful that my friend took all of this to our Lord. He was the One that made the difference. We must rely on God’s divine will. Not ours.

I am so glad you stopped by to visit with me today. Have I told you lately that I’m happy you are here? I appreciate the time you give to coming by this little blog. I also wanted to take this time to apologize to the cable man that came to fix our internet this week. I am sorry you had to see my husband’s dirty socks on my bedroom floor. I had fully intended on being home to pick them up before you got there. Don’t worry. I gave him a good scolding. Since he was the one that let you back there anyway. Trust me. I know the talking to I gave him did a lot of good. Because his dirty socks, he took off last night, were perhaps in the exact same area this morning. I do love that man. Even though he is a non-dirty sock picker upper. I hope everyone has a blessed weekend. As for me, I will be doing a little sewing for my granddaughter. She’s got to have some new things for fall & Christmas. I will share some of it with you, soon. Until then, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

Oh & p.s. Happy 3rd birthday today to Mr. Sweetie Pants!!