Giving Back and Something Sweet!

Today I did something I NEVER do. Not sure if that is a proud thing to say, or a safe thing to say. Driving to an appointment I saw a young mom carrying her small child through the foggy mist in the rain. Having just gone through pneumonia with Jackson, I could not drive by that mom and that child. I stopped and asked if I could give them a ride. I was rewarded with a smile of relief from Kimberly who couldn't have been more than 20. Asia, her daughter was 2, Jackson's age. Asia smiled a beautiful smile at me as I helped Kimberly settle her into Jackson's car seat. Kimberly handed me the piece of paper with the address and said she had just gotten off the bus and was heading to the Housing office. It was just a couple of blocks away, but at least those two precious people did not have to do it in the cold.

Kimberly was very sweet, quiet and had huge brown eyes and lovely smile. Asia, shared her mom's brown eyes and had the angelic innocence of small kids. When we arrived at her destination, I gave Kimberly all the money I had in my wallet and wished her a very Merry Christmas. She thanked me repeatedly and with tears in her eyes said Friday was Asia's birthday and before I handed her the money, she wasn't going to be able to give her a birthday present.

I am very grateful for that GOD moment that made me stop and offer this family a ride. I know I made a difference in someone's life today. You cannot beat that feeling. I am grateful for all the blessings the Lord has given me; to enable to give to those less fortunate.

I do hope this young family has what they need for the Christmas season. I have worried and even shed tears about them all day and wished I had time to wait until their business was complete at the Housing Department so I could have done more, offered a ride home, a basket full of groceries. Anything!! The question at the beginning of the post, do I do this enough, or drive on by out of safety for myself and my family. I hope that my eyes are open enough to take note of those around me and to offer assistance when I can.

I pray that the Jesus has his hand on this mother and child and bring them good fortune.

Now........... something sweet!!! In going through my Grandmother's things, I came across this poster that my dad said he remembered printing a very long time ago. Not sure who wrote it, or who bought the print job, but it must have struck a chord with my grandmother as she kept it all these years. If you remember the eulogy I wrote for her in August, my Grandmother loved her boys. They were literally the light of her life - you could see it her eyes. I have to think this was her personal tribute to all three of them.

What is a BOY?

Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood we find a delightful creature called a boy. Boys come in assorted sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same creed: To enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to protest with noise (their only weapon) when their last minute is finished and the adult males pack them off to bed at night.

Boys are found everywhere - on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to. Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers tolerate them, adults ignore them, and Heaven protects them. A boy is Truth with dirt on its face. Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair, and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.

When you are busy, a boy is an inconsiderate, bothersome, intruding jangle of noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a savage, sadistic jungle creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.

A boy is a composite - he has the appetite of a horse, the digestion of a sword swallower, the energy of a pocket-size atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the lungs of a dictator, the imagination of a Paul Bunyan, the shyness of a violet, the audacity of a steel trap, the enthusiasm of a fire-cracker, and when he makes something he has five thumbs on each hand.

He like ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, the boy across the street, woods, water (in it's natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines. He is not much for Sunday School, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults or bedtime.

Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs and breezes. Nobody else can cram into one pocket a rusty knife, a half-eaten apple, 3 feet of string, an empty Bull Durham sack, 2 gum drops, 6 cents, a sling shot, a chunk of unknown substance, and a genuine supersonic code ring with a secret compartment.

A boy is a magical creature - you can lock him out of workshop, but you can't lock him out of your heart. You can get him out of your study, but you can't get him out of your mind. Might as well give up - he is your captor, your jailer, your boss, and your master - a freckle-faced, pint-sized, cat-chasing bundle of noise. But when you come home at night with only the shattered pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words - "Hi Dad!"

The following was found with the boy poster. Since grandma had no daughters, I have to belive this is a tribute to all of us girls, she had 6 grand-daughters that terrorized her house through out the years.

What is a GIRL?

She's a bundle of sweetness and brightness and fun
The beauty of springtime, the warmth of the sun

She's innocence covered with mud, sand and soot
She's motherhood dragging a doll by the foot.

She's a composite picture of giggles and tears
Of tantrums, excitement, amusement and fears

A bundle of mischief and often a tease
A creature of moods not too easy to please


She can capture your heart with her pixie-like grin
Or chatter and beg till your patience wears thin

But obedient, naughty, mischeievous or coy
She's Mom's little Darling and Dad's pride and joy.



I have just been told by Tony - too much writing, more pictures - so I promise not so wordy next time.