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Signs of the Times?

4/20/2018

This sign behind a supermarket loading dock cracked me up: “Pickup Location.” Is this a dating service?
Other signs that have made me chuckle:
On a Texas interstate, a sign for an upcoming “Safety Rest Area,” then neon yellow signs warning “Watch for Rattlesnakes.”
Outside the entrance to a memory care unit: “Future Resident Parking.” You think I’ll park there?
In a women’s restroom: “I childproofed my house, but they still get in.”
A Colorado sign warning “Post No Signs. Underground Irrigation.” They broke the rule to announce the rule.
A sign for those who don’t want to hurt their dogs’ feelings that they are “owned”: “Dog ‘Guardians’ - Dogs Must Be Leashed…”
     In Washington, “The Northwest Man” store with a “Sale” sign. I can buy a Northwest man on sale?
An Alabama church for those offended by other congregations: “Perfect Alternative Baptist Church.”
Motivation to stop at a South Dakota drugstore: “Coffee 5 Cents.”
  Upon entering Louisiana: “Welcome. If You’re Here to Commit a Crime, Turn Around.”
Two Mississippi stores adjacent to each other: “Guns and Ammunition” and “Sewing Circle.”
A sign in a New Mexico canyon: “Rocks Falling.” Should I duck?
A rest stop sign extolling Wyoming’s “vast seas of grass,” while the turf next to it was artificial. What happened to the real stuff?
     And a sign at the drop-off area at an elementary school: “Hug & Go Zone.” We could all use a zone like that before we leave the house in the morning.

What Tree Are Thee?

4/13/2018

I am a beech tree in a forest of oaks.
That’s what I discovered when my scientist son-in-law described how oaks are the king of the forest. Their colossal boughs create such a wide canopy they cut off sunlight so other trees can’t flourish, Steve said.
Except for one - the beech. Like the little engine that could, it chugs through the envelope of darkness that oaks create until it finds a space for itself, sometimes carving a path between the oak’s branches.
So I am a beech tree in a forest of oaks. An introvert in a world of extroverts. Others with huge personalities thrive in life’s forest, while I search through the tangle of branches to find my spot.
But being a beech tree isn’t a bad thing. I may never reach the heights or grandeur of oaks, but I’ve found my place and prosper there.
Maybe you’re an oak, your huge personality taking up all the space in a room. Have you noticed the beauty of the other trees around you?
Maybe you’re a beech like me. Have you determined to find your way in the forest, whether the other trees make room for you or not?
Whatever kind of tree you are, there’s a place for you to thrive.

The Girl Who Lived

4/6/2018

Born with a genetic disorder, Melody was “incompatible with life,” tight-lipped doctors told her parents. She may not survive for a week.
     But Melody did, and at twenty days old, doctors sent her home with hospice care, not expecting her to live much longer. At five weeks, she languished near death. Her parents picked out a burial plot. But Melody rallied and made it to a year. Then another. And another. And another.
     When Melody turned five recently, friends decorated a gymnasium with balloons, covered tables with cloths, and threw a fajita party. Two hundred thirty turned out to celebrate the girl who lived.
     Melody zipped around the gym in her pink Porsche, then a chorus of children sang “In My Heart There Rings a Melody.” And I couldn’t hold back my tears.
     She giggles now with big smiles that melt hearts. She signs to communicate. She’s written up in the book “Miracles We Have Seen: American’s Leading Physicians Share Stories They Can’t Forget.”
     Melody has required much care from family, friends, and medical experts. But what has she given back? “I’ve observed over and over,” her mother says, “Melody brings out the best in us.”
     Perhaps that’s her calling. Her weakness makes us all stronger and better. With Melody, we find our harmony.
     She’s God’s little surprise, and in my heart I’ve been singing a Melody ever since I met her.

     Please share this post. More of Melody’s story is at www.melodysstory.com.

Is Easter a Fairy Tale?

3/30/2018

Is Easter a fairy tale?
     All that stuff about angels and a death and resurrection?
     Consider this: J.R.R. Tolkien, who gave us The Lord of the Rings, says that fairy tales enable us to escape time and death, commune with nonhuman beings, find perfect love, and triumph over evil. That’s what makes them so popular.
  Author Tim Keller says these elements satisfy “the deepest desires of the human heart.” They are “a memory trace of the garden of Eden” because “deep in your heart, you know that’s how people are supposed to live.”
     But we can’t live that way, right?
     Yes, we can, Keller says. The essence of Easter is that because Jesus Christ came back from the dead, those who believe in him “will experience these things.”
     We’ll escape time and death through eternal life, he says. We’ll interface with the work of angelic beings here on Earth. We’ll live in God’s perfect love. And we’ll experience the triumph of good over evil.
     This shakes me up because too often I forget that Christianity is actually a journey with the Supernatural as adventurous as that taken by the Fellowship of the Ring.
     So I’m joining the hobbits with a toast to this pilgrimage - Easter is the most fantastic fairy tale because it is true.

What Do E.T. and Dorothy Long For?

3/23/2018

What do both E.T. and Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz long for?
     It’s a simple, four-letter word.
     E.T. pointed his bony finger toward the heavens and mourned for home.
     Dorothy faced a Wicked Witch with Flying Monkeys to get back home.
     We all aspire for the peace and comfort that’s inherent in that little word.
   In fact, we may have the best of times with family and friends. But after we say our goodbyes, we may sense that what we’ve experienced is just a taste of something better - what “home” is meant to be.
     That’s because we live in a paradise lost, where one way or another, everything’s broken.
     So we yearn for more.
     “We were not meant for this world alone,” Billy Graham said. “We were meant for Heaven. And Heaven is our ultimate home.”    Which is why I burst with excitement that Jesus said he was going on ahead to prepare a place for us in God’s big, big house. Where nothing is broken. With no more goodbyes. Only endless hellos.
  What a homecoming that will be.

Croutons...
Chew on these seasoned bits for a little hope and humor along your highway.

JOIN ME ~ I’ll send brief, occasional posts to lighten your backpack. We're on this journey together.

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