. Saturday, September 17, 2011 .
Days have gone by and I see this plant just hanging around.  And then today I don't know why but it feels like such a gift to me. It might be the purple color that reminds me of the drape on the cross at Easter or how the skin of the pod is transparent...kinda like God can see thru our skin into what is important inside.   This vine has come to the end of it's season just like someday we all will come to the end of ours.  I hope that I  will have been able to let others see what is important to me on the inside by letting it grow all around me on the outside.

Silly Gift

. Monday, September 5, 2011 .

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!
Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that ugly burned biscuit. He ate every bite of that thing... Never made a face nor uttered a word about it!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom
apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he
said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits every now and then."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he
really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your
Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!"

As I've grown older, I've thought about that many times. Life is full of
imperfect things and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything,
and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what
I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults -
and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is one of the most
important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today... That you will learn to take the good,
the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God.
Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a
relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal - breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base
of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent - child or friendship!

"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep it in your own."

So, please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burned one will do just fine.


I borrowed this from a friend on FB

The Gift of Burnt Biscuits