the benefits and value of a playful laugh?

God's Boys will be good boys!

I had the privilege of enjoying an inexplicable laugh with a little friend, yesterday. It made me remember a day that we went in the car with uncle and all 4 of our girls that were born at that time, couldn't stop laughing. Our dear cousins looked in the back of the car like we were strange. Uncle explained to our incredulous cousins that that is what girls do. They giggle. We giggled and giggled as much as we cried. Sometimes we provoked the giggles by a joke or a tickle, but most times we could just look at each other and find the joke.

Sometimes our dad didn't get the joke and he would try to control us and squash the joke. That is not a good thing to try to do as a dad. Let them giggle. Try to enter into the giggle as much as masculinely possible.

One good joke my father was able to laugh with us about, was when we made him our puppet. We put our hands through his arms and used our hands to act out what he was saying with his funny ladylike voice. We laughed for the whole night, each taking turns being dad's hands. I highly recommend that young fathers and old take time to giggle with their girls.

Appealing a grade without losing your decorum?

God's Boys will be good boys!

tis a daunting task, suggests mother!

I read your request and I gave you my editorial corrections, for the most part. Personally, I believe in accepting an untoward grade and perhaps that is why I haven't graduated yet. It will all come out in the wash, I say. Still, I respect your use of the written word to implore a reconsideration of the grade, on your behalf. Our forfathers would have said "They crucified my Lord..." Is godliness accepting the decision of the teacher? Sometimes. A quiet request to reconsider is in order, I think. People will pay God for all of their unfair dolings. I'd see God's hand of humbling as in Shimei with David. I accept his cursings, said David. Maybe God will see it and have mercy on me for my times of misjudging another. God is in control, whatever the outcome. All the best, dear boy.

Thanks for the discussion in the car

God's Boys will be good boys!

I am always glad to hear your opinion about the academic and the sensitivity to these things.  You make some very important points that we are taking into consideration.  High School was a challenging time for you and your experiences are very helpful as we look at our Ethan's struggles this week.

I wouldn't call it academic abuse, though.  I would call it biting off more than you can chew, perhaps. He did very well in his own ability.  He misused time, some, as we all do.  But all in all we are rejoicing that he went this far in a challenging academic environment.

I take full responsibility for placing the bar, too high at times in my aspirations for your use of your minds.   It is an emotional thing not to be able to accomplish what you have started.   I apologize to you and to Ethan for expecting so much.  Thanks for your understanding.

Please feel free to let us know when we are doing the same thing with Ezzy.   Love you,  Mom

Don't forget to snuggle your children

God's Boys will be good boys!

Make sure that the cogs in your son's memory are repleat with memories of snuggles from his dad!

I gave in to Josh, today and tried to rock him to sleep. It was only because he is a new big brother and I know that this is an exciting and stressful time for a youngster. I know that stress, first hand. Every other year it was my experience for years and years of my life. Nobody really remembers that big brother needs a hug also.

Don't miss the chance to make him a man, by firmness and also by sensitivity.

I Will Praise HIm, Still---May this be your insistent determination, I pray.

God's Boys will be good boys!

Oh Lord, You have been Good!

God's Boys will be good boys!

There was a day that I went to the hospital and came out saying "good grief". It was excruciating. This wasn't that day.

This was a day of going to the hospital and finding, "Good God". As we drove through torrents and sheets of rain that were like a curtain, I was sensible of the similarity to the sheets that we drove through to see Joni. I prayed in my soul that this wasn't taking me into another "good grief" learning session. I said, I can't see the door, Lord. I thought you were going to give us a day or so to process that this is a new season in our lives. I can't see the door into the new season, Lord?

The rains were enveloping and all I could see was the light of the emergency lights of the vehicle in front of us. All I could hear was my heart rejoicing that the heart was still beating. "He's alright? what does that mean?" I went back in my mind to my Grandma telling me the story of my father's hospital session. He was cut up so bad and the shreds of his arm were just held by the sutures. I was crying, when she told me and I couldn't imagine her maternal grief. I saw my mother and I saw my grandma and I saw myself growing into the mother of a man. My son is a man of faith, I told God.

When I saw him, verses of scripture flooded my mind to give to him. I couldn't get the story of this deliverance. God was merciful to us. God had given us another day! His mercies are truly new, like the dew.

What is Education for?~~~figuring out and looking for direction, for your life's journey. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed"

God's Boys will be good boys!

Attempting to recoup all your scruples as they roll upon the floor.

One day you wake up and find that all that you believed about yourself with God has been strewn across the floor of your life. There is a thought that comes to your mind to leave them there and not pick them up. Let's see what happens if I don't pick them back up? I know that God is supposed to love me anyhow? What's the worst that could happen? As we negotiate with our consciences the world is kicking and eating our scruples and every minute that passes defiles them worse and worse, until they are no longer identifiable.

Sometimes, we have to recoup by starting over. Sometimes, we have to start swiftly picking up pieces and cleaning them off. Each time this happens in life, it is different. We always lose a little something when we have fallen and stumbled and dropped everything. Only in Heaven will we see the things that God reglues to our lives to replace the real thing that we dropped, in our sinful stupors. I cannot imagine that we won't be crying about our stumblings. He promises to wipe every tear from our eyes, regardless. Coming to Jesus with the broken pieces is better than trying to glue the things back, ourselves.

Some people never recoup their faith until their very dying day. What a loss, to walk on the earth with your hand outside of God's hand! Learn to walk with Him, even through the complex and painful surgery of reconciliation to Christ in our deepest conscience. He loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Know that this picking up is also part of His wonderful plan for your life!