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Some days I make myself giggle…out loud. And some days I almost bust my buttons with delight that I accomplished so much. But there are those days…I’m so over me.

Here I am at my age, think antique, and I’m still not who I wanted to be when I grew up. I had hoped I’d be more, uh, well, sophisticated. More settled. More simple. Instead I remain unlearned in most of the arts. I can and do get rattled over small frustrations. And I am a complicated wad of femininity…sometimes even puzzling myself.

I take comfort in that God is ongoing in His efforts concerning us. He is not surprised by our human frailty. He understands us even when we don’t. And best of all He knows we won’t have it all together until we step into His dear purifying presence.

Our longing to be more is a good thing as long as we use it as motivation to move forward and not a whip to beat our selves up. Jesus gave His life for our freedom…let’s live in it!

Where do lost thoughts go? I mean really.

This morning I was on a mission walking with great gusto from the bedroom to the kitchen when the slate of my brain was wiped clean. By the time my foot hit the kitchen hardwood I had no idea why I had rushed in there. So here’s my question…where did that initially motivating thought go?

I considered the possibility of a “thought-nabber”. I mean I have had suspicious looking dust bunnies bordering on the size of cougars who hang out at my place from time to time. Perhaps they nabbed my brilliance and are this very minute burrowing my thoughts under the bed?

Or maybe the snarky sock-thief who lives in my clothes dryer is spinning my thoughts on the wash-n-wear cycle for his twisted entertainment.

Or what about the possibility they were doomed to have a short shelf-life? Unlike…say Twinkies, which will outlive dirt, “Seinfeld” re-runs, and earwax.

Is there a home for stray thoughts? If so mine must need an addition the size of an air field! I hear myself regularly ask my hubby, “Do you know what I came in here to do?” He often looks at me dazed and then I realize, he’s in search of his own thoughts…

I know it’s not nice but his muddled-ness comforts me.

Do you know where your “thoughts” are?

P.S. If you don’t struggle with LTS (lost thought syndrome) hang in there my nimble-minded friend you will…you will!

Why I remember when…uh…let’s see…uh, nevermind!

Oh, listen. Can you hear it? The tiny rhythms of the bee darting among the flowers and dipping into sweetness. His working buzz firmly in place alerts us to his presence and reminds us of his purpose. I love his gaudy frock, so unexpectedly tailored.

And what is that sound? Of course it’s the Robin. What would these sultry days be without those Sweet Soprano’s filling the heat with their heartfelt praise? My how verbal she becomes when we peek at her babies. We best stay clear lest she pack up her musical repertoire and move to Nashville.

I love the soft sounds of our flag moving in the stir of a breeze. And the way the day lilies curtsey when she moves through the landscape, as tough nodding their approval of her presence. The garden chimes get caught up in a whirl of excitement when an unexpected breath of an afternoon storm rushes in. Soon the bass rumbling of thunder will quieten the birds serenade and cause the bees to shelter inside buttercups.

Yes, I love the musical mosaic of summer…from the distant giggles of playing children, the hum of a lawn mower in a neighbors yard, the clinking of ice cubes against a frosty mug, and the sound of rain dancing across rooftops.

Lean in and listen…don’t miss the music.

What do you hear?

Vascilating wears me out. It tap dances on my last nerve and plays hide and seek between my two remaining brain cells. So to have things cleared off the back burner of my thoughts, which allows me to move forward, feels liberating.

Meeting new people is not new to me! But it sure creates fresh breezes that fan my life. Today friends introduced us to some neighbors we had not previously met. They then gave us a tour of their home….which was an eclectic world of charm: they had an antique table from England, an authentic Italian pizza oven, an original large photograph of Churchill, arched doors from Europe, a huge fish tank full of brightly colored tropical fish with live coral, and an outdoor garden straight from New Orleans.

Afterwards we all sat on the porch and shared stories. When I left I felt like Alice in Wonderland…I had fallen into a new adventure full of enchantment.

So here’s my recommendation for your today; settle up old business, risk making a mistake, move past indecision (it’s a time-wasting, energy-zapping trap). Then make a new friend, sit a good porch, share stories, and hug a pal.

When you’re done let me know if you don’t feel better too!

God has given us a sense of” beginning anew” with a fresh day. I often fall asleep at night thinking tomorrow will be the day I ___ ___ ____. (fill in blanks)

Mine might read:

Go on a diet,

Clean out my pantry,

Start walking,

Set fresh goals for my writing,

Read the stack of books at my bedside,

Cook (huh, now that’s extreme),

Draw, paint, take pictures,

Give up whining,

blah. blah, blah.

Tomorrow breathes hope into my “undoneness.” And today is my tomorrow…so I’m off to start on my list.

How about you? What’s on your tomorrow list? What will you begin today??

Girlfriends come in all shapes and patterns and bring into our lives their attitudes, dreams, heartaches, encouragement, and perspectives. Without them we are limited and lonely. With them we are challenged, comforted, and heard. I personally am drawn to those filled with spunk and sensibility.

Recently two of my favorite friends on planet earth came for a “I just wanna visit” time. We giggled, exhorted, shopped, talked about what mattered, and, of course, ate buckets of food. Anita and Jan make me laugh, think, and they fan the flame of my faith…I am grateful for that kind of rich companionship.

Take time out of your demands to celebrate with friends if for no other reason then you “wanna.”

My friend Carol was an amazing artist and every great once in awhile she realized it…but then all too quickly the information would seep out the hole in her heart. And she would slip into the cozy corner of complacency.

I so understand holes in the heart and complacency. They may be my more obvious gifts. Here’s what I think happens to many of us: old messages of worthlessness puncture our heart causing spill-off of pertinent information like “I am loved,” “I have value,” and oh, yes, “I have gifts.”

Sometimes we don’t recognize our gift because its dressed in familiarity and/or seems to come to us too easily to be considered anything special. When you grow up being a good listener you don’t think of it it as something beyond how you’ve always been, while others are undeniably drawn to your hospitable heart as a place of shelter.

So for a moment let’s think “gift.”

What do others compliment you on about yourself? Maybe its your sense of style, your blueberry muffins, your green thumb, your calming influence, your organizational mind, etc.

Now how are we using our gifts to serve the body of Christ? To help our neighborhood? To impact our homes atmosphere? To lead others to the transforming love of Christ?

If you’re uncertain what your gift is ask half a dozen trusted people who know you well and are successful in their life. See if two or three of them are saying the same thing. That’s a strong indicator and clarifier.

We need to be careful not to brag on our gift because that tends to put human smudges on God’s holy generosity. Yet we should never refuse acknowledgement of His gift within us, thats not humility, that’s down right foolish and obstinate. And another caution is we need to be careful not to use our gift to get our needs met. Jesus gets jealous. He is our need meeter. And our gift is not meant to be used for manipulation but for the manifestation of who God is in us.

My friend Carol is in heaven now. All her broken places are healed. Before she died Carol whispered that she “couldn’t wait to see the colors in heaven.” I thought…”Spoken like a true artist!”

My daughter-in-law Danya cooked an amazing Mother’s Day dinner. She has been making her way through the Pioneer Woman’s recipes and we the recipients are thrilled. From rosemary dinner rolls, green beans, lasagna, lamp chops, cole slaw, and yummy mashed potatoes it made taste buds want to rise up and call her blessed.

Danya wouldn’t let her mom or me do anything. Personally I love that game plan. I’m easily pampered. Not a resistant bone in me just bring on the fan and bon-bons Honey-Girl!

Dessert was a good three pounds more on the you-ate-too-much-again-scale. It was chocolate pie good enough to make you want to slap your granny, AND delectable pound cake smothered in fresh strawberries and whipping cream. Somebody stop me!

Somebody should have! For some reason I didn’t sleep well last night. groan. Bring on the Rolaids. Make mine a double!

The dessert that pleased me most was the non-caloric grandboys! Now that double is a pleasure. Justin (9) and Noah (7) wrote me precious letters. Two things they especially liked about me is I let them help me decorate our big Christmas tree and I fix good popcorn…and oh, yes I’m nice.

Thanks boys…that works for me.

What did you do Sunday?