A precious quote from 7 years ago

Madison to me: "I just love you so much, momma. I love you ten, 100, 100 million, all the way up to God, and then all the way to Pluto. Is that a lot? Actually, I love you more than that."

Toddlers are dogs. Teenagers are cats.

“I just realized that while children are dogs—loyal and affectionate—teenagers are cats.

It’s so easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, boss it around. It puts its head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting. It bounds indoors with enthusiasm when you call it.
Then, around age 13, your adoring puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who died and made you emperor.
Instead of dogging your footsteps, it disappears. You won’t see it again until it gets hungry…then it pauses on its sprint through the kitchen long enough to turn up its nose at whatever you’re serving, swishing its tail and giving you an aggrieved look until you break out the tuna again.
When you reach out to ruffle its head in that old affectionate gesture, it twists away from you, then gives you a blank stare as if it is trying to remember where it has seen you before.
You, not realizing your dog is now a cat, think something must be desperately wrong with it. It seems so antisocial, so distant, sort of depressed. It won’t go on family outings. Since you’re the one who raised it, taught it to fetch, stay and sit on command, you assume you did something wrong. Flooded with guilt and fear, you redouble your efforts to make your pet behave.
Only now you’re dealing with a cat, so everything that worked before now has the opposite result. Call it, and it runs away. Tell it to sit, and it jumps on the counter. The more you go toward it, wringing your hands, the more it moves away.
Instead of continuing to act like a dog owner, you must learn to behave like a cat owner. Put a dish of food near the door and let it come to you. But remember that a cat needs your help and affection too. Sit still and it will come, seeking that warm, comforting lap it has not entirely forgotten. Be there to open the door for it.
One day your grown up child will walk into the kitchen, give you a big kiss and say,
“You’ve been on your feet all day. Let me get those dishes for you.” Then, you’ll realize your cat is a dog again.”

The 4 Words That Defeat Worry

I was reflecting on Philippians 4:6-7 this morning.  It reminds me of the last time I saw my Uncle Willis at Crofton Manor on Saturday, April 28, 2012.  Stephen was there, and then Auntie Maye came later.

This is what I shared with Uncle Willis...

You know we all know the Phil 4:6-7 verse about "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Uncle Willis exclaimed, "CLAIM IT".

Ah, but, Uncle Willis, do you know what the 4 words are BEFORE that verse?  (I thought I would stump Uncle Bill when I asked him that question, but he got it.)  How about you?  Do you know the 4 words at the end of verse 5?

...drumroll, please...

It is "THE LORD IS NEAR."

I told Uncle Willis that we should start that popular verse with "THE LORD IS NEAR...Do not be anxious..."  By saying that the Lord is near, it takes us out of the equation because it is not our action to not be anxious.  But rather, we are not to be anxious because the Lord is near.  So when Uncle Willis is not well (stage 4 lung cancer), the Lord is near.  When my husband and I don't see eye to eye, the Lord is near.  When my kids drive me nuts, the Lord is near.  When I miss Auntie Vera, the Lord is near.  When I think of my dad and his challenges (and my mom who has to clean up after him), the Lord is near.  THE LORD IS NEAR.
Uncle Willis said that he learnt from me, and yes, that he would dwell on the words that THE LORD IS NEAR.  I am inspired by his positive spirit, and I know that comes from Christ within him.   

That would be the last time I saw my Uncle Willis.  He passed away August 23, 2012.