Time With Theresa

While Dad and Nancy were here visiting, we got to spend an hour or so at one of the tourist spots getting to see all the wildlife offered here in Cozumel.   So here are some of the pictures from our fun!  This first one is of Grandpa, Nana and the kids they are holding Macaw birds.  We had such a good time with dad and Nancy while they were here.  It was great to be able to spend time with them and to witness the great things that God continues to do in the recovery of my Dad!  He taught a Bible study while he was here - it was great! 

Rex with the spider monkey!  Rex is doing great!  He is speaking Spanish working on getting his studies for the year caught up and enjoys playing a new online game with some of his friends.  He also switched to a more challenging basketball team recently, and is enjoying the intensity of his workouts. 

This is Valerie with the ferrett.  Not sure if it is a native animal to Cozumel but we enjoyed it.  Valerie is also doing really good.  She is speaking Spanish really well too.  She just spent a month helping with the babies during worship at church, and had a good time with this. She is taking a break from basket ball for a while because there were not enough teams for the big girls on the island to compete.  This is good for now, she gets extra time to study and get closer to being caught up with her studies! 

Abbie had a blast with all the animals!  She would love to be able to volunteer with this organization so that she could spend more time helping the animals.   She is doing great as well.  She just had her 11th birthday and had a slumber part with 10 other girls-  they were up all night.  She does such a great job playing hostess when anyone comes to see us.  She has gotten close to their Spanish teachers 1 yr. old son, in fact one of his first words was Abbie!

Matt was tricked into this one!   He was told to shut his eyes and opened them to a hairy tarantula on him!   Matt is our little red headed Mexican.  He speaks the best of any of us and with little effort.  He is zooming through his studies and doing a good job of getting caught up as well.  Matt enjoys video and computer games as well.   He also is still playing basketball and having a lot of fun!

 Dennis is doing great as well…he is working hard but really doing a great job with all he has taken on. Groups are beginning again and it is such a blessing to have these folks come and help with the work here, but takes extra efforts to get the kids to and from activities and make sure all runs smoothly.  A group from Libscomb just left this weekend and were so encouraging to us.  He is still working on online studies as well working on getting his Masters work completed.  Dennis is doing great on language as well.  He is having all of his meeting in Spanish as well as teaching some Bible studies in Spanish!   

I am doing good also!  My spanish is not as good as everyone elses. I do not have as much opportunity to speak it since I am working with the kids in their studies,  and doing all the regular household upkeeping as well.  I do feel like I can understand and say what I need to say most the time, though I know I don’t sound intelligent yet!   I am especially excited about being able to have deeper relationships with some of the women as I learn to talk better.   Most of my time is spent now on daily studies with the kids and trying to get them all caught up.  I am enjoying it and finally getting into some sort of routine!  I think we will be caught up by the end of the summer. 

Please continue to pray for us and the kids of Ciudad here!  I am having an easier time now with the uploading of pictures and plan on getting some up of the Ciudad kids next! 

Ok…so it has now been about 2 months since I last posted….Not sure all the excuses why…but I would like to catch you up on some of the happenings since then.

Christmas was great!  Since Dennis got to make the trip back to the states to pick up the van…Santa had a little help getting presents here from the states!  We had a great day.   I found a recipe to homemake the turnovers, we usually bought the kit in the states that made it a lot easier, poker gratuitonoble pokertilt poker7 card stud gratisstri pokerdownload giochi poker gratistavoli da gioco pokerpoker texano on linepoker on line in italiano7 card stud inlineapoker il giocodownload live pokereuropean poker tourper giocare a pokertornei di pokerpoker online bonusscommesse internetpoker online italiatorneo poker on linepoker on line gratis,poker gratis,download video poker gratisgioco video poker gratisgiochi internetholdem poker,poker texas holdem on line,holdem poker downloadgiochi di poker on linescaricare gratis pokerstrip poker flashpoker comstrategia pokeronline casino gamescasino’ onlineregole crapswww giochi casinoslots machine gratisvip casinogioco di roulettebaccarat onlinemobile casino gamesgiochi jack blackplay free baccarat onlinepc game casinoall slotsgiochi on line casinosistemi rouletteroulette europeacasino bonus no depositi casino onlineonline kenoblack jackcasino per pccasino da scaricare gratis but mine turned out pretty good.  We then opened presents, and played games.   One of our favorite new ones was the pirates of the Carribean Life game Matt got.  We had an easy lunch…I didn’t go all out but made one of our favorite family meals…this gave me more time to play with the kids. 

New Years we spend together at with the church for dinner, games, and a devotional and prayer time together.  This was really a good time.  My highlight of the night was singing the New Year in with brothers and sisters, as we watched three little girls twirl around in the middle of our circle.  One of the little ones, was Floricita, one of our newest kids in the home here.  She is two years old….when we got her a few months ago she was completely unable to communicate beyond screaming.  She now was dancing around smiling, and waving.  She talks now saying ola, adios,  and trying to mimic other words.  Yesterday, I saw her give one of her caretakers a kiss on the cheek.  Jessica, who is her main mommy has really been working with her well.  She has her able to drink from a cup instead of only a bottle and also eating solid foods…she was only eating what had been mashed or pureed. 

As we said good bye to 2007 I thanked God for answering many prayers for us over the year.  My fathers health has continue to improve, he is walking on his own, he has preached a couple of times, and he and Nancy were able to go to to Camp Bea for the Sojourners big meeting in October and November.  They are planning on visiting us here in the next month or so. One thing I will always remember is one Wednesday night at the open when Rex asked me what I would pray for, for my dad, this was back when he was still in the hospital.  I asked that God would allow him to go home, and to walk again.  Rex asked me…is that really all you would ask from God, the maker of the universe, and one able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine?  I changed the request…asking for a complete recovery.  The next day Nancy told me she had talked to a neurosurgeon that morning that said to expect nothing less than a full recovery!    I also am thankful for God working so amazingly to allow us to adopt Valerie in April.  We were daily asking specifically for help with getting the adoption completed and paperwork completed.  God worked through numerous folks to allow us to be able to have all we needed to bring her with us to Mexico.  I also thank God for helping us with all it took to get us here to Mexico!   We have been able to finally get settled in with living here, as well as getting our schooling situation under control as well. 

As I look forward to the rest of 2008, I have several requests that you can keep in your prayers as well.  I pray for increasing peace and healing to be brought to my sister Jennifer and her family in Italy, as well as the church there.  I also pray for my kids that they will continue to be able to catch up with their school work that we missed out on in the first half of the year.  They are doing a great job!  I pray for our kids in care in Ciudad de Angeles as we make the big move later on in the year to our new campus.  This will be a new part of town,  leaving their homes they have been in, and getting used to all being closer together. 

Also, on New Years we watched the BCS Championship Bowl Game.  LSU won…and Richard Dixon scored two touchdowns!  He is my cousins son and it was fun getting to see him do so well!  I talked with my Aunt (his Grandma) a few weeks ago, she had got to go to the game and it sounds like it was a blast!  By the way…my son Rex has started a new SportsBlog for kids.  The address is www. rexsports.wordpress.com   It is great! 

 Having the van here has allowed us to go to the beach a couple of times with the kids from the home, this has been a lot of fun!  We also, hosted our first pemenada or slumber party in our house.  We had about 10 more kids than ours up all night watching movies and playing games!  It was fun, but took a couple of days to recover from!  The kids have done a good job at making friends from church and are enjoying having different ones spend time with them on the weekends.  

Which brings us to last weekend,  the Super Bowl.  We had a house full as we watched the Giants end the Patriots streak and claim the W!  We were thrilled to say the least.  More on this on Rex’s site!  Yesterday, was the Mexico and US Soccer game….they tied!  Guess we can’t brag, but don’t have to listen to our friends bragging either!  

Well,  I am hoping to get some pictures posted soon for you of some of the kids that we have been working with in Ciudad.  They have been a blessing to us.   Thanks to all of you who have checked back on this neglected site also!

The kids and I were invited to go to the beach with another American lady and her daughter after church today.   Of course we accepted!  Following are some of the things I thought about while enjoying the sun and the Caribbean Sea today. 

1.       The world God created is so diverse.   Friends and family of ours from Oklahoma to Indiana are experiencing heavy ice, snow and cold temperatures.   Dennis and Rex are in Lubbock this week, working to bring the Ciudad van back to Cozumel and are cold.  Yet, here we were sitting on the beach in our swimsuits enjoying the warm water and sun.  What an amazing world!

2.       I was reminded of the amazing qualities of sitting and watching and listening to the sea.  It is powerful yet soothing!  The force of the waves coming in is enough to knock you over if you are not careful, but the sound is so soothing and comforting.  The mesmerizing sound is enough to carry troubles away and bring peace to a persons soul.  I like the thought of God creating the ocean for us to enjoy the sound and site of.  

3.       I think of Bible stories at the beach.  I always think of the sand of the seashore and God’s fulfillment to His covenant with Abraham.  Hebrews 11:12 -”and so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.   That is a lot of descendants!  Also, one of my newest reminders is from Joshua chapter 11 when Joshua is faced with a huge army as numerous as the sand on the seashore, the Lord tells Him not to be afraid and then delivers Joshua and the Israelites into victory over this sand numbered army.   Though as I sat today,  I also thought more on the life style of Jesus and the disciples.  Much of Jesus’ ministry is seen unfolding on the shores of the seas and rivers in that area.  Many of the disciples were fisherman by trade, and earned a living from the sea.  I still see men today earning a living by fishing, and imagine them being willing to drop all that and follow a man like Jesus.

4.     My kids can be entertained for free!  Well, almost free!  We did have to pay for a snack and drinks for use of this part of the beach today, but other parts on the island we don’t even have to do that.  They enjoyed snorkeling and looking at the fish, and shells.  They enjoyed swimming in the ocean, and even enjoyed the pool at these facilities.  I think it is refreshing to realize we had a good day, enjoyed each other, got some physical activity, and didn’t have to pay a fortune.  I think we have learned a lot about this kind of entertainment in Mexico.   Our park that we go to on Saturday nights with the church is busy so much of the time during the day.  This too is free entertainment and families are out together walking the track, swimming, playing at the play ground, shooting hoops or watching a soccer game.   

5.     Finally, I also have been reminded at how wonderful a day at the beach is for tiring out any child or adult for that matter!  So much energy as we arrived, lots of jumping in the waves, cannon balls into the pool, running through the sand, and dunking of sisters and brother, then a trip home a shower, and a short time later they are all asleep, earlier than normal.   Whatever, party that was going has finally stopped at 10:30 at night and it is quiet!   Thank you God!

So, what is something from nature that reminds you of Gods promises, or a certain story? 

Well,  the past month has been very eventful for us here in Mexico.  First of all, we decided to take our kids out of the school that they were in here.  This was a private  school that we had enrolled them in, in the beginning of the year, with the thought in mind that they were going to be able to pay more attention to our kids and help them with learning Spanish.  However, we were not being helped hardly at all.   The kids were sitting in classes all day trying to grab what they could.  We had a tutor we were paying extra for that we hired to pull them out of their English classes and teach them Spanish.  However, she was helping them with homework more than teaching them the language.  We also started to have some issues with the kids being mistreated by teachers and students.  We made the decision to pull them out of school and hire a tutor from the church to teach them four hours every day of Spanish.  Our teacher is Ofelia, she was a mom in Ciudad de Angeles a couple of years ago, and is a great teacher.  We have seen amazing progress in the 3 1/2 weeks since we started with her.  

We have also started studies with Texas Tech University Independent School District, with all the kids.  They are starting from the beginning of their grades for this year, put seem to be catching up already.   This is taking more adjustment on all of our parts, but seems like it will be best for the kids in the long run.   They will be able to keep up with all their studies exactly as they would in the states.   They will be able to go right back into school at the appropriate level if we return in 3 years.   Be praying for us and them as we continue to adjust to a new way of schooling. 

One of the great things about the kids getting to where they fell better with the language, is the relationships they are beginning to have here.  We have been amazed to see them talk with friends that have come over for the day, with little difficulty.  Matt is “talking like a Mexican”, so they say.   He does so good at just talking to others, and it doesn’t take much effort for him to talk properly.  Abbie has been invited over to a couple of sleepovers in the past couple of weeks and seems to fit in well with the girls from church.   Valerie is working on developing relationships both at church and basketball.  She has a little girl at basketball training every day, that admires her and follows her around during practice.  Rex is doing great too.  He is doing great in basketball as well.  He scored the first two baskets in his teams last game.  Rex is also going to get to come back to the states with Dennis next week to pick up the van, and is looking forward to this trip.

Also, this month was Thanksgiving!  I love Thanksgiving and all it has to offer.  I especially loved “the hunt” this year to try and find all the things to fix for our dinner.   I knew months ago, that I would be able to find a turkey at a supermarket on the other side of town.  I made the trip though to pick it up on the Monday of Thanksgiving week.  This is the day of Revolution in Mexico, another holiday!  This means, taxis are not working at full capacity.  So I exited the store on the other side of town and waited for about half an hour holding my 18 lb. bird.   Finally, I realized I would not be able to catch a taxi from there and began to walk the long distance to my home.  I got about 6 city blocks and finally found a taxi to bring me the rest of the way.  My other “find” of the week was a restaurant supply store that sells some American products.  I was able to purchase canned pumpkin, chicken gravy in a jar, dill pickles, cranberry sauce, and Dr. Pepper!  Boy was I thankful!  So we ended up with lots of our normal dishes on the table.  I was not able to make my sausage balls for breakfast that morning, because we can’t buy sausage here.  Also, was not able to have green bean casserole, because they don’t sell the fried onion topping.  However, I did make my first ever homemade pie crust for the pumpkin pies, they turned out great.  The day after thanksgiving our cellular group ate our leftovers, they especially like the brocolli rice and cheese, and the cheese ball with crackers.  We even got to watch the parade and football games to make the day complete!  I have to admit though the thing I missed most about Thanksgiving was the morning after sales.   Dennis and I had a tradition of getting up early and hitting all the sales, we were amazed every year at how much this saved us on Christmas!  

Hope you all are doing well this Christmas season!  We are missing all of our friends and family as the Holidays approach.

I have been tagged not once, nor twice, but 3 times!  Thanks to Flee, Tim, and Paige.  I think it was really all an attempt to resuscitate my blog!  Ok The Rules:

1.  Each person tagged needs to come up with 8 random facts or habits about themselves.

2. They should write about themselves and post these rules on the post.

3.  Pick 8 more lucky bloggers to tag and list their names at the end of the post.

4.  Leave a comment on the chosens blog to let them know of this blessing you have given them and to read your post for the rules!

So here it goes….8 things you will sleep better knowing about me!

1.  I took minding my parents seriously!  Once when I was 8 yrs. old, I was riding bikes with my sister.  She raced off ahead of me and I got hit by a car.  A sweet lady tried to convince me to let her give me a ride the block to the house we were riding to, but I told her my mom had told me to never get in a car with a stranger!  I walked the block and then was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. 

2. I love to try new foods even in new countries, this is a good thing since I married Dennis.  Once in Czech I had to eat a double portion of raw pork fat served to us by a gracious hostess.  Dennis slipped me his when no one was looking.

3.  My favorite Disney character is Donald Duck.  I recently found a big old plastic Donald bank that my folks bought me when I was little from Disney World.

4.  I have a relative-my cousins son that plays for LSU football.  Richard Dickson is having a great year too!

5.  I cry when I hear our national anthem, or watch Extreme Home makeover, or watch certain Hallmark commercials.

6.  I had my first ever massage when I turned 40 this year!  What was I waiting for?

7.  I was not so persistent about rule keeping in AIM.  While sitting in Whataburger one Sunday during mission term, I got a call from Rex.  The next day he took my checkbook up and read the entries to the entire class!

8.  Last week when asked in Spanish by a group of ladies visiting where Dennis was,  I supposedly responded that he was a pork!

I tag Fred, Wilma, George, Jane, Joanie, Chachi, Samson, and Delilah!

I guess I haven’t completely gotten over the breaking the rules!

Well, we were hoping that one of the benefits of living here would be some weight loss for both Dennis and I and sure enough we have hit a groove.  So far he has lost over 40 lbs and I have lost 20.  So what is the secret?  No secret here, and no diet…really just a change of climate and change of mode of transportation.  We left our van and truck at home knowing this island is only so big and we aren’t afraid of a little bit of walking.  Also, there are always taxis available pretty reasonably if you have to go too far quickly.  Anyways, I have really gotten where I enjoy the walking.  The kids and I walk the mile and a half to school then I walk back and we repeat in the afternoons.  I also walk to the store though this is only a few blocks away.  In the afternoon the kids and I walk to and from basketball practice at the sports park, probably a little over 1/2 mile one way.  All this walking will produce plenty of sweat, which in turn makes one very thirsty for water.  We have all been drinking a lot more water since we have been here.  This has for sure been the biggest difference for Dennis…going from cokes to water has really helped him a lot.  The kids are always carrying their water bottles with them to school and practice and go through several refills in a day.  We have all cut out much of the snacking we were doing at home and are all doing good! 

At first when we started the school year and realized how far the school walk would be each day…we were not sure the kids would go for walking this far in the morning and afternoon…but we knew it would get expensive pretty quickly if we were paying for taxis everyday.  I walked to school several times the week or so before school started trying to find the best route for us and found a good one.   The kids actually enjoy walking to school and home in the afternoon!!!   I kid you not, last week one morning I told them we would have to take a taxi and they actually started arguing with me, telling me they wanted to walk.   The difference?  We have found every dog or cat along the way, and then add to that any iguanas we see…these are out in force in the afternoon when it is warm…we have seen box turtles, and baby frogs, chickens, rabbits and assorted birds.  But the all time favorite of all is in the afternoon when we walk by the monkey house.  About a block from our house there is a pet spider monkey.  He hears us coming and swings around to the top of his cage and sits and waves and monkeys the kids actions.  It seems to be a reward in a way to making it through the day and almost home. I love Psalms 8:2 - From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praises.  Pretty cool to hear the little ones acknowledge the Maker of all things.

 Yesterday, we had a great family day.  We went down to the touristy part of town and had fun looking around.   I am including a picture of the kids with a bunch of macaw birds and one of  Matt with a statue man, as well as one with Ronald McDonald after lunch…Oh yeah…Mike is doing better out of the hospital after a few days and seems to be doing better.  My mom also had a good trip to Mississippi…thanks for the prayers! 

Having worked in child care for almost 11 years…I cannot tell you how many times I have been approached by strangers that would comment on how much patience I must have.  I guess a lady with an assorted bunch of 10-12 kids, you would expect to have patience.  Well, I never asked for such a lesson in this much desired fruit of the spirit.  You have been there in a group of folks and during prayer requests and one asks for patience in a certain situation…you can hear the snickers.  Why?  Because we are all aware that God gives us patience by placing us in situations that are out of our control, thus having to exhibit patience. 

We have been through such a testing time this past week.  It started last week on Wednesday when Dennis left to go to Cancun for the day…I was excited about having the day to get  a lot done at home by myself.  After getting home from my weekly shopping trip, it started to rain and then boom! and amazing storm with lightning striking close and all around the house.  I quickly turned off computers and headed downstairs to unplug the modems…but I was too late…we had been hit.  We called the telephone company and they assured us that they would be here the next day to replace the modem…so we waited…We were assured on a daily basis that there was someone coming…needless to say, they didn’t.  Dennis went to the office and asked them if he could get a modem and change it himself and they said no.  They said the only way to get a new modem would be to go to the mainland.  Finally, yesterday, Dennis borrowed a modem and we are back up online.  We are happy and getting back in touch with the world, but still waiting for our service folks to come.   So have I gained patience from such an experience?  I have learned that life goes on without internet….I have enjoyed occupying our time with watching movies together and seeing the kids play together. 

Look at 1 Timothy 1:16 - How much patience does Jesus have with us?  An unlimited amount of patience!  Isn’t that good news?  Aren”t you thrilled to know that Jesus has unlimited patience with us?  What situation in your life right now would you like to have more patience with?

Finally….a new post…I apologize, I have a hundred things I have wanted to post.  My first excuse is once again my laptop.   Being in Mexico with a laptop that only works when coaxed for quite a while can be a challenge.  Dennis has decided it has a short in it…he decided this when I was using it looking at blogs…he came in and sat on the bed and it went black!  The good news is, it looks like Dennis will get a new computer and I will be getting his, as soon as he can get his down here.   I have better luck at surfing and looking on my computer than commenting and posting though so I have enjoyed everyone elses blogs during this time.  It is amazing to see God working in so many ways…using an old preacher to once again show us Jesus…using a silly play blog to bring friends back together, communicating….using a not old at all friend, very talented friend to encourage and challenge me!

The Force….my youngest….my baby (ok, not the rocking kind, he is 7), has been reading his Bible all on his own a lot lately.   I think it comes from the whole not understanding what is being said in church thing.  He started pulling out his really nifty Bible.com Bible and marking what he was reading.  I have caught him at home reading also, at bedtime but also while watching cartoons.  This past Friday night he came to me while I was setting up for our weekly cellular group and said, “Mom, you wanna see something cool?”  Sure, I thought I was about to see the newest contortion of his arms or face…He opened his Bible and said, “Right here where David was about to fight Goliath…Saul told him Go! and the Lord be with you!”  He was giggling now…and said, “kind of like Star Wars…when they say The Force is with you!”  I love that he sees the Bible as cool…and I love that he will remember this story all on his own…and most of all I love his little heart that WANTS to read his Bible!

Family…We just recieved word today that Mike, Dennis’ brother (not twin) is in the hospital in Lubbock.  He had a kidney transplant over 5 years ago and lately it seems his body has been trying to reject it…he now has the flu…but even something small like this can be more serious to him.  Please pray for him and we will update how he is doing.  Also, my dear mom will be travelling to Mississippi to visit her family there.  She recently got to retire and is enjoying getting to have time to do the things she loves to do.  She spends most of her time, serving others taking them to appointments, helping them find jobs, and just loving those who need it most.  Please pray for her as she travels!

Well, this holiday snuck up on us and exploded into a huge celebration here in Cozumel.  September 15 is Independence Day and boy do the Mexicans appreciate their freedom!  I started out the day by helping a young newleywed in our cellular group prepare pezoli for about 80 people.  Pezoli is a great soup that we have enjoyed several times since we have been here.  It has hominy, pork meat and great spices.  Well, I also discovered as a shared chef that it also includes pig feet.  In fact, I was given the job of cutting up the feet to add to the soup.  Considering, I have spent the last 4 yrs. showing and caring for pigs with my kids, I handled my duties well.

Dennis had a difficult job for him as well to help prepare for the party the church was hosting.  He was to help one of the guys in our group decorate our table for a competition.  It took all he had not to speak up and let them know this was really a better job for women to take care of.  He did his part though, and needless to say the other tables were decorated by women.

Our family tried to show our support by dressing in red and green, but the Mexicans decked out fully in traditional Mexican dress.  The little girls were adorable in their shiny dresses and long braids with red and green ribbon weaved in.  Some of the adults were dressed up also, some in peasant type costumes, some as indians, some as their historical fathers Hidalgo, Morelos and others.  It was quite a show!  They even had a mini parade to the chants of the church screaming Viva Mexico!

We played lots of games with the church all screaming and supporting those from their groups.  I got snookered into playing a game that we tied a balloon on the bottom of our pants, and had to try and pop others, while protecting ourselves.  I finished 3 out of 5.  Matt, told me when it was over, ”mom, I didn’t know you could move like that!” 

The food was great, besides our pezoli, there were homemade tamales (yum), chicharones (pig fat in chili sauce) which is actually pretty tasty, fried meat and cheese pockets, and chalupas.  Everything was really good! 

 We eventually got home and were pleased to watch the fireworks going off a few blocks from our house, from our balcony!  What a great way to end the party for us.  The party for others continued till 2 in the a.m. when God ended it with a downpour.  Thank you God for the silence to finally rest!

All this talk of freedom this week has brought out a lot of talk with the kids about the differences between living in Mexico and the United States.  The neat thing is, the kids were listing positives to living here also, so maybe we are reaching a turning point with culture shock finally. 

Personally, I am thankful for the freedom we have as Americans to travel so easily.  I remember when Dennis and I went from Czechoslovakia into Austria and vice versa, all we had to do was show the front of our American passport and we were let in.  Other citizens of other countries were forced to wait while their passports were checked much more closely.  We actually had to ask to have our passports stamped, so we would be able to show others we had actually been there.   I am also thankful for the freedom we have spiritually, freedom to embrace forgiveness, and accept grace that is given to us on a daily basis as children of God!  What freedoms are you thankful for today?

Have you ever felt so strongly about something and not been able to express how you feel?   I feel this way often.  I haven’t always had a problem with talking…I hear the laughing now!  I used to talk to anyone that would listen and to everyone that wouldn’t.  I talked about important things and not so important things.  So what changed?  Well, thankfully I matured some.  Also, I married a man that speaks so much better than I do, and without effort.  I learned to hear him speak, I had to quit talking!  I think that one other event changed my heart on what I speak to others.  When I went through the hardest time in my life… the time I needed folks to be there…to say the right thing, there were many more people that said the wrong thing or said nothing at all.  I was in agony…needing someone with flesh on to say the right thing.  Once in a while someone would say something nice, something that didn’t hurt, but where had my friends gone? 

Why is it so hard for us to come up with the right thing to say to someone we love and know needs some encouragement?  Then it hit me,  it is enough to be like Jesus.  What would Jesus say to the person that has felt ashamed by their sin?  What would be the words He would speak to someone hurt by the one they loved? Someone who is grieving over the loss of a loved one?  Are words always necessary? 

Ephesians 4:25,29  ….speak truthfully…do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

So, thank you to Rex for saying the right thing to Dennis, when we sat in Damons in Indianapolis and you invited him back to graduate.   Thanks to Dennis for saying the right thing so many times, when I needed to hear it.  Thanks to Sherry for listening.  Thanks to Paige for your words to others on these blogs, so encouraging.  Thanks to Tim, for good memories..and Craig for memories of my dad…thanks for saying the right things….May we all feel challenged to say the right thing to someone to “benefit those who listen.”