heat

Goodness gracious is it really just a few weeks until the kids go back to school? I just can’t with this. Miss Neenee is going to be in the 9^th grade.

As in High. School.

I ask myself: “Why does she even need higher learning?” I love her just the way she is. But she is so excited to go. I just know with high school beginning, that means she will be flying out of our little nest before too many years. Which is not my favorite.

I am so over this already, y’all and it ain’t even started. Oh my word. I’m trying my best not to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but GAH.

HIGH SCHOOL. MY BABY. TOO MUCH TO HANDLE.

Bless my heart. Y’all pray for me. Because dadgum it if I had my druthers we would still be here.

Not here.

Speaking of which, do you ever get so caught up with your own circus of problems, that you don’t notice what others have going on? I am so bad about this, unless someone just pretty much comes up to me & tells me what’s happening, I don’t even pay attention to what’s all around me. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s that I have such a heapin’, helpin’ of this life stuff happening, that I may fail to look at what others are going through. That’s not always good.

This past Sunday, our Sunday School teacher was talking about Jesus. He was mentioning the fact that Jesus helped people & we should be willing to do the same thing. He was talking about how Jesus healed the woman, that had an issue of blood. She had so much faith, that she knew if she could just get to Jesus & touch the hem of his garment, her troubles would be over.

Matthew 9:20-22

And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. ²¹For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” ²²But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

A sweet hearted lady at church made mention of just that fact people may still be reaching out to touch His garment. When they do, we need to be ready to help. Her point was this, people are hurting. They need the same healing Jesus gave that woman. If others around us reach out to us, we need to be ready to point them to Jesus. I know some may be reluctant to lend a helping hand to others because

A. What do you even say to a person that is in dire straits?

And

B. Who am I to get into someone else’s business?

If you see someone that you know has had a hard time or is having a hard time, sometimes just saying, “I’m praying for you, would you like to talk?” or “What can I do to make things easier for you?” or “Here’s my cell number. Text me & let’s go out to eat.” Are WONDERFUL ways to begin. Then, be there to lend an ear, or meet for lunch, or whatever the other person feels comfortable with. Now let me tell you, I am the worst one in the world to accept help from others. I will scratch and claw and knash my teeth before I will give up and take someone’s offer of help. I have this stubborn way of thinking that I have to do everything on my own. It may be a pride thing or just being bull headed. But there are times I have to step back & say, “This is too much.” Then, members of my personal support team come in and rescue me. (**Personal support team = my wonderful, unjudging family & friends**)

The kind hearted lady I was talking about, just a minute ago, is actually a doctor. She counsels and is basically a super hero. She made mention of the fact that people need to understand they do not have to walk around with the weight of the world on their shoulders. People need to realize there is help out there. It’s through us as Christians that we need to be willing to reach out and help others. I heard a preacher say once,

“People are hurting. They need to know we care & they need to know about the love of Jesus.”

You just never know what the person right beside you is going through.

AND you don’t have to be up in someone’s business to help. Simply just saying, “I’m here if you need me.” Or “I have been thinking about you.” Or how about, “I love you.” Plain & simple. Sometimes just knowing you have support is the best medicine. If the other person does need help, hopefully, this will open the door for them to tell you that.

I can remember my mama telling me more than once,

“Don’t let things get in sucha mess. You would have been so much better off if you had of let somebody help you.”

Yes, yes I could have. But my “I can do it myself” got in the way with reality. Which was “I really could use help, like last week.” I guess I just don’t like to admit I can’t HANDLE IT ALL. Which is really silly of me because I have help around every corner, if I would only quit thinking I am less of a person for needing help. And you know my Personal Support Team I made mention of? Every time I ask one of them to help me out, they are more than glad to. It goes without saying, it would be advisable for me to not think I am too good to ask or receive help because like my Mama Boyce used to say:

“Lawdy, chile, you know better than that.”

So, to recap:

Realize there are people that need help.
Be prepared to help others.
Let others help you,

I am so glad you came by to visit with me today. It has been hotter than blue blazes here. Which is great if you can stay under the air conditioning all the time. Otherwise, it can be a smidge inconvenient because hair and makeup are not a fan of humidity. More than once in the past few weeks I have declared: I’ma ’bout to burn up! Miss Neenee is at band camp this week and next week. Pray that she remembers to put on her sunscreen, bless her red faced heart. Until next time, I should be going because I should be washing clothes.

Photo credit: www.pinterest.com, BibleGodQuotes

Fried green tomatoes just like my Mama Boyce used to make us. Don’t tell me we wasn’t raised right.

Since the summer has decided to pass by, without any warning whatsoever, I thought it would be perhaps a good time to mention school starts back at the end of this week.

As in THE.END.OF.THIS.WEEK.

I will just leave that right there. Do with it what you will.

However, with my disbelief of why the kids should be starting back to school so soon, Miss Neenee is quite excited. Per her usual, she has pinned me down to every last detail. Such as, when we are getting the last bit of her school supplies (and when I say the last bit, I mean, we have a back pack & lunch box & the 8th grade supply list is RIDONKULOUS), and when we will shopping for school clothes. She is so much of the planner. Just like her sister. They LOVE to plan and have everything figured out. I’m the more of flying by the seat of my pants type gal. A fountain of forethought & follow through I am not. Which thoroughly irritates the fire out of them. I don’t mean to. But deadlines & plans & being prepared, just not me. That gene skipped me somehow, because low & behold my beloved mama was a planner, as well.

We have been talking about the sermon on the mount at church. Well, Bro. Brad has been talking about it & we have been listening. But y’all. I have been studying & reading on it this week. Some really good stuff in there. I love to study on real words that Jesus said. I know & believe the entire Bible is God breathed. I just feel comforted to listen to Jesus’s teachings, always.

One of the things Jesus talks about, in this sermon, is worry. With everything that goes on these days, it’s so easy to go down the rabbit hole of worry & being fearful. We worry about our kids, money, family, friends, our jobs, our health, our family’s health, our country, our country’s leadership, etc. and so on. My grandmother was a worrier to a fault. She would worry. Then, when there wasn’t anything to worry about, well, she’d worry about that! She was a wonderful person. She just lived a life of unfortunate circumstances & things happened to her, that was out of her control. (Just like the rest of us.) When you are dealt a crummy hand, it’s easy to lose heart & begin to doubt & worry.

However, Jesus reassures us that we never have a need to worry.

Matthew 6: 25-34

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

²⁶Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

²⁷And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^[g] ²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (ESV)

Y’all, let’s not let worry consume us. Let’s not look back & think of all the things we missed out on because of worry. Things like joy, happiness, and restful nights sleep are at the top of the list for me. Everybody has problems & things they wish they didn’t have to deal with. However, we need to be prayerful & let the Lord work in our lives. He will if you let him, ya know?

Thank you for stopping by to visit with me today. July is but a fleeting memory. I’ve always heard time goes quicker, as you get older. And by George, I am a firm believer of this. I am also a firm believer that Mississippi, dead of heat summer is comparable to the torments of hell. Thus, my firm belief of doing my best to live a life that keeps me from those type situations. I hope you have a blessed rest of the week. As for me, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.