The Great Possum Caper

One day my husband fixed a leak under the commode in my bathroom.  Being the handynan he is, he cut a small hole in the floor to make it easier to reach the pipe.  Fine--no problem--leak fixed.  Now he will fix the hole and life goes on-right?  Wrong!  He decided to leave the hole for a few days to make sure the leak has been permanently fixed.  Now that few days has turned into  months.  Although it is a small hole, I have tried my best to conceal it but there is just so much I can do to make a hole in the floor attractive..

Now fast forward about six montbs.  The hole is still there even though I have done all I can to conceal/decorate it.  But it is still there.

One night I stumble into bed exhausted after transporting four kids to four different activities as well as the usual daily struggles of running a household with four kids.  Around 2:00 in the morning my little dog woke me up with frantic barking and yelping.  I forced one eye open to see him jumping up and down on the floor by my bed.  He looked at me as if to say, "I'm trying to protect you, now come on and do your part."  When I did manage to stumble into the bathroom I was instantly awake.  There between the commode and the waste can was a  possum.  Pugsley, my dog had him trapped.  I could not move because I was totally in shock until Pugsley barked again as if to say,"See I told you.  Now get rid of it.  I'm tired and want to go to sleep."

Frantically, I woke my husband and screamed, "THERE'S A POSSUM IN MY BATHROOM!  GET UP AND KILL IT!"  He looked at me as though he thought I had totally lost my mind.

"Ok, get me something to use to kill it," he calmly said.  I ran to my grandson's room and came back with a ball bat.  I gave the bat to hubby and jumped on my bed and covered my eyes.  I could hear the battle raging on in the bathroom. "Hiss!"  "Pow!" "Ka Pow!" "Boom!"  Finally all was silent so I opened my eyes.  There on the floor lay the lifeless body of the intruder.  I carefully picked it up by the tail and placed it into a plastic bag and ran to throw it into the outside garbage can.

I was finally able to fall back to sleep but the bathroom light was left on for the rest of the night.

I bet you thought this was the end of the story.  WRONG!  While going about my daily chores the next morning, my grandkids came running to me with excitement written all over their faces.  "Nanny, Nanny, Nanny  (all three were talking at once.  There is a possum in our garbage can and he is alive!" I went out to see what what was happening and sure enough when I raised the lid of the can, I could see two beady little eyes staring up at me.   I don't know what eventually happened to this wayward creature.  The kids think he escaped and is now living happily ever after with his family.  I hope so.  But at least he is not living his life with my family.

The next morning when I sat down for my morning visit with God, I asked Him, as I always do "What do you want to talk about today Father?"  His answer came as a total surprise to me.  "I want to talk about the possum."

"What about the possum?" I asked in astonishment.

"That was a small hole in your floor wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was a very small hole." I answered, not sure where this conversation was going but definitely intrigued by it.

"Well that possum was able to come into your house through that small hole, wasn't he?"

"Yeah,"  I slowly answered.

"Just like that possum squeezing though such a small opening in your floor that was unguarded, the enemy can enter your heart through a small unguarded hole in your heart.  Just as that intruding animal filled you with dread, the enemy can fill your heart with fears and worries.  When he does that you do not fully trust me to care for you."

Suddenly, I understood what He was telling me.  We must always guard our hearts against the enemy that roams around trying to find who he can devour.  Satan doesn't need a door with a welcome sign, he enters through a hole he finds unguarded.  Don't make it easy for him to enter your heart.  Fill your heart with joy and love and trust in a heavenly Father who loves you unconditionally and will never leave you unprotected.

Oh, by the way--the hole in my floor has been fixed!

When Life is Hard

Some days it seems as though there is nothing I can do that is right.  The kids are grouchy when they get up for school and things go down hill from there.  I know you have all had days like this.   Usually mornings like this come on the heels of nights that seem so long and sleep evades me.   I have a clock that reflects the time on the ceiling.  Some nights I find myself gazing at this clock and thinking it has stopped because time seems to drag by.  A wonderful clock for an insomniac for sure.  Lately, I have been going through a time when depression is my constant companion.  I don't mean to bring you all down and discouraged when my purpose is to be an encouragement.  I'm sure God is teaching me something about myself but I just haven't learned the lesson yet.

I just need your prayers and understanding as I go through this tough time.  Remember, Moses was once a basket case.

LOL with God by Pam Farrel and Dawn Wilson

In this devotional of hope and humor for women, I found the hope consistent and the humor very uplifting.  Some of the devotionals seemed to speak right to my heart and helped me through a tough time.  Each devotional consists of a bible verse, a short story to make the point of the devotional, a short prayer, a place to write your own thoughts, bible verses called "text helps" and a short humorous story called LOL.

Although I found the book to be very enlightening I do confess the "text" verses at the beginning of each devo was a bit puzzling at times.  However, I did concentrate on the verses because I had to decipher them.

I enjoyed reading this book and will recommend it to others.

I received this book from Tyndale publishers in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Why Do Something Now When You Can Put It Off?

Well, I've put this post off as long as I can. I guess I will write it and get it off my to do list. Today I had to go to the doctor for a physical exam. Something else I have put off for too long. I hoped that if I waited long enough I would automatically feel better--well, that did not happen. So...........now I have to have more tests and more blood drawn. Procrastination never benefits me but I keep doing it anyway. Maybe I subconsciously wait because I get a "high" by barely making a deadline or maybe I am just old and lazy. Laziness is probably the reason for my procrastination. I have intended to research the scientific reasons for this problem but just have not gotten around to it.


Well, I have put off washing my dishes long enough so I guess I had better do that now. I will post more when that is done. That is, if I can find the time to.

Until then, see ya later on the edge.

The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews

YOUR LIFE MATTERS!!!  This is the message of the book by Andy Andrews.  What decision we make today or what action we take will have an effect on other people for generations.

I believe that what happens to us happens for a reason and some of these events happen because someone years ago made a decision that brought about our situation.  Mr. Andrews relates the story of Col Chamberlain who made a decision in the Civil War that affected our country.  Because of that decision we have a United States of America and not a divided country.

This book will cause you to stop and think about every decision you make.  It is truly a thought provoking book.  Although it is a small volume in size it contains more truths that a book with thousands of pages.  It will make a wonderful gift for family or friends that have made a difference in your life.  However, I will buy another copy for a gift.  I plan to keep my copy to read over and over especially when I feel the "What's the use" monster creep into my thoughts.  I will read this tiny book and realize that what I do does make a difference and my actions ARE important.

The book is very attractive in appearance and very well illustrated.  I will definitely recommend this book.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest and open review.

The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews

This is a wonderful story for children.  Mr. Andrews' is a master storyteller and through this book children can learn that they can make a difference in the world.  This book carries a thought provoking question to everyone who reads it.  I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.  MY LIFE COUNTS.  What an awesome message to send to our children.  We all need to know that our lives count and effect others. 

The illustrations are very well done and are of good quality.  I applaud the illustrator for the work that went into each and every one of them.

I have read several of Mr. Andrews' books and have never been disappointed.  I do recommend this book to anyone who has children or has contact with children in any way.  Our children need to know that their lives count and what decision they make or action they take today can have far reaching effects on not only the people they know today but for generations to come.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.

Captured By Grace by Dr. David Jeremiah

Amazing Grace.  I have heard this song since I was a child but had never thought about it in the way Dr. Jeremiah has explained it.  He tells the life stories of Saul who persecuted early christians and John Newton who dealt with the slave trade.  Through retelling these men's life stories Dr. Jeremiah demonstrates that grace can touch each and every life.  He dissects each verse and relates the effect grace has on each and every one of us.

I found the story of Victoria Ruvolo fascinating.  If only we could be show the grace she did toward her "attacker."  I found this book very interesting and enlightening.  In parts of the book, I felt as though Dr. Jeremiah were speaking directly to me.  I will highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the depth of God's grace.  I will "lend" my copy to family and friends but I plan to keep this book ro reread time and again.