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Saturday, October 15, 2011

Gotch Day Ponderings





Her Story Unfolds


"Mama, was I an orphan?"

She questions from out of the blue.

"Yes, Baby, you certainly were,

But that was before we adopted you."



Her questions, the same yet different,

Are repeated year after year;

As she grows in understanding, and

Her story becomes even more clear.


She knows that her story is different,

So her questions are quite a big deal;

Cause she so wants to know her story

To believe what is really real.


Born with no real future or past,

A baby house in a far away place;

Now confidently knowing that she belongs

In our family's loving embrace.


So I'll always answer her questions,

As any loving mother would do;

And help her sort out her story.

I'll teach her the things that are true.



But more than anything else, I pray

As she seeks and desires to know;

That she'll see the work of God's hand,

And her faith will continue to grow.



by Diane Proctor
Oct 15, 2011






Thursday, October 13, 2011

Grateful For A Shepherd

As I was doing some fence repair this mornng, God reminded me of His love for me. He brought to mind the parable of the lost sheep found in Luke15:4-6

4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep."





Somewhere between hammering loose boards, and shoveling dirt into holes, I was working out my frustration. You see, I along with my son, had a midnight mission. The mission was thrust upon us whether we liked it or not. We did not! We would have preferred to be warm in our beds. But Cheyenne, our beagle, did not consider us or our preferences. She willfully left the confines of our yard before we could bring her in for the night. We could hear the distant yapping of a beagle on a scent. If you know beagles, you know what I mean. When she has her nose to the ground, nothing else matters. She cannot be distracted from her instincts to sniff it out. It is like she has returned to "the Wild," as she goes crazy trailing the temptation. Anyway, this time the temptation lay outside of our yard. She either dug or pushed her way out and was hot on the trail when we became aware of her absence. So we put on our shoes and picked up a flashlight and the leash, and headed out into the dark misty air. The thought did cross my mind to just leave the silly dog out! But I couldn't have slept knowing that she would be roaming the neighborhood waking all the neighbors with her yapping. People, believe me when I say it is loud and constant! I reluctantly vowed to find the little dog who had gone astray. Working together, we managed to locate her a few houses down and even captured her without getting too dirty. For this I was grateful. I must confess that while I was carrying her in my arms, I certainly was not doing so in the manner listed above in Luke 15:5. Other than the sheer accomplishment of having conquered her, there was certainly no joy in my heart. I was annoyed! If I were to call my neighbors, it would not have been to rejoice, but to apologize for any disturbance. Not so with my Shepherd. When we stray, He comes after us and lovingly brings us back into His fellowship. May I reflect on His mercy and His forgiveness and His love. May I be reminded of this love the next time one of my sheep goes astray. And may I always rejoice that God has not yet seen fit to give me 100 sheep! He knows what I can manage.






Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Contrary to Popular Camping Opinions...Pt1

After enjoying a few days in the north GA mountains of Hiawassee, I return with new insight and understanding into some of life's common misconceptions. I will pick a few of my favorites and share them with my friends.


Contrary to popular camping opinion..... staking your tent should never be considered optional. We battled some steady winds while setting up one of our family's tent. It took all hands on deck to maintain control during the process. When we had the tent placed just where we wanted it, we let our guard down. Just then, before we had gotten any stakes in the ground, a major gust blew in. Lifting our tent right off the ground, the wind rolled it across our campsite. Thankfully, God grew a clump of pine trees strategically between us and the pond, keeping our tent from tumbling into the pond. After taking a deep breath & reminding ourselves that we were having fun, we dissassembled the wreckage and started over...a little smarter the second time around.





Contrary to popular camping opinion.....Not all roosters have feathers.
I admit I was as shocked as you, to learn this amazing bit of info. You see, we camp often. We are completely accustomed to being awakened by roosters, crows, and the like. But this trip, we were awakened promptly at 7am each day by an odd rooster. Rather than the age-old, over-rated, typical "Cock-a-doodle-doo!", our Mr. Rooster's signature call sounded more like "Eeeeee-Awwwwww!" I was so intrigued that I set off in search of Mr. Rooster. I had to get a glimpse of this guy. I walk to the end of our campground, thru a small thicket, jumped a little stream and came to a pasture. I made certain there were no rogue bulls grazing before setting off across the field. I went as far as I dared tresspass, before giving up. No Mr. Rooster anywhere. But I did find a neat old barn to photograph.


Mr. Rooster Hunt...Take Two.....
While approaching our campground via the road, we came upon a neighboring pasture. It was there that I glimpsed Mr. Rooster for the first time. I had my Daddy pull over and I jumped out and stealthily made my way back to the field. To my utter "amazement" he looked nothing like a rooster...but rather like a donkey. Not a feather anywhere!



Mr. Rooster was very friendly to approach, and we were soon on a first name basis. What a novelty! I rather liked being awakened by a donkey. Hey, it's not everyday.........


"Eeeeeeeeeee-Awwwwwwwww!!!!!!!"