My word for the day.

Coke has  a new promotion right now that has a name on each label.  The point is, these are supposed to be the names of people you would like to share a coke and a smile with.  I purchased a drink on the way to work and when I looked at the label I just laughed.  Mine said FAMILY.  That is exactly who I would like to share a soft drink with!

But....Who is my family?

I immediately think of the old saying, "Me and mine" (I would add: and those who belong to "mine".)

But then I realized that in our lives we have all types of family.  My sister said,"God puts the lonely together in families". That's true.  There have been times in our lives that others have stepped in to fill the void of our families when we are absent from each other.  There is church family, work family, friends that come together as families,  and they are all "Me and mine" in some way, aren't they?

In just a few short hours our family is going change again...We are blessed beyond measure with children, their spouses and grandchildren.  Life is good!  We are adding a bouncing 16 hear old young man to the mix for a year!  His name is Jimmey and we couldnt be more excited than to add someone else to share a coke and a smile with!

Jimmey is from another country, he has different experiences to bring to our family, and hopefully we have some slices of  life to share with him!  We do, however have one thing in common:  We all love and serve the same God.

So, as Jimmey makes his final steps of his journey to Fairhope, We pray for his Mama back home,  we are thankful for the opportunity we are blessed with,  and we pray that Jimmey feels safe and loved enough to share a coke and a smile this year with his American family!

Feeling a little thirsty?

Are you a "Foot Person?" or a "Wings Person"?

     One of the earliest art projects that I remember as a child was drawing butterflies by tracing your feet. You just simply take of your shoes,  cross your feet on a piece of paper in front of you and trace around them.  You add some antennae in the cleft between them, color them beautifully and "Voila"...butterflies!  If you turn them around and trace them, the picture just looks like feet.

Many years later, I was a young mom attending a women's conference, and the topic was; are you a "foot person or a wings person?' The very first thing she had us do was to trace our feet and make butterflies, and then trace our feet the correct way.  You can guess the direction this is going...I am sure.  

Sometimes we are "foot people"  just putting one foot in front of the other, looking at the ground, or not too far ahead, and just simply "getting by".  Sometimes the heaviness of life beats us down and we just cant look up.  Each step is a heavy one, each mile a long one, each day  another one we just "made it through", the blessings are hidden, and the possibilities are few through the fog of life.

Other times we are "wing people",  soaring in the realm of possibiliites. We are doing what God created us to do, operating joyfully within His plans and seeing how blessed we really are. We see the person God intended for us to be.

I have to admit that I have spent way too many days being a "foot person" and way too few being a "Wings girl".  But when those "Wings" days come, I do not ever take them for granted. I find myself aching to live life in the realm of "possibilities"  not the agony of the "Feet".    Jesus never promised that we would live in the stratosphere and that all of our days would be "Wings" days.  He promised that we would never be alone, that we would have grace to make it through the "foot" days.  The foot days are made bearable by  the promise in Isaiah 49:31, "Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on Wings as eagles, They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

So, If you are a "foot person" right now, hang on, wait on Him, you are gonna soar before too long, and if you are a "Wings" person right now, enjoy the fabulous ride!

His...yours!