His grace is truly AMAZING

I met SL, when I first moved to Oregon. She was a busy lady, and promised once she retired, she'd be busy about the Lord's work. Brad didn't believe her, he told me he'd heard lots of people make that promise, but they never followed through.  Maybe so, but I've had the tendency to give people a chance to keep their word... SL did keep her word. When she retired she started working in Sunday School classes, and VBS often teamed up with Brad (I wouldn't be his helper, for reasons to be shared another time and place). She also headed up the morning ladies' Bible study, that happened in the Spring and Fall every year.   For several years, Brad had me convinced, I didn't need to go to the Bible study, I needed to be home in case he needed me to go with him to visit someone in their home or at the hospital (which very rarely happened, usually I heard after the fact something like "thank you for sharing your husband with us last week"). The evening c...

SP. What a special lady. I've known her all my life. I was 4 months old when my mother moved us to CA, and almost right away started attending the same church as SP and her family. I remember church dinners at her house, and I know she had me over to her home sometimes to play with her daughter. The worst nightmare I remember came from sleeping on her couch, while her son (who was babysitting me) watched a National Geographic documentary on fire ants. I woke up at home dreaming those ants were all over me!!  I remember her always being kind, and quiet. Her family was always at everything our church did, and she was always busy, involved in helping things get done. When another lady in the church introduced my mother to my step-father, and the interim pastor disapproved of their living arrangements, we left that church. In the moment, I don't know that it bothered me a whole lot, but a few months later I had decided I wasn't going to church unless we went back to CCC. In 199...

I have been so blessed. Sometimes it overwhelms me, I feel so unworthy of so many people who love me, care for me, and have taken me under their wing. Why do I get to have so many amazing people who are willing to invest their time and energy into me, the least important person I've ever known. The Mom-Lady says,"Don't think about it, just be thankful!" "I am thankful, it just doesn't make sense. I'm not worthy." She comes back with the great truth,"None of us is worthy! God loves you! We love you, LOTS of people love you, for you! Just believe it! Accept it! And quit crying before you make me cry!" We've had this exact conversation many times, my brain still can't quite believe and accept this truth I know. And the walls around my heart crack a little more with each round, so maybe one day I will be able to accept that God has deemed me worthy of the love of so many, simply because He is God, He can, and hopefully I will be able to...