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Perspective

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 01:37:33 GMT

Good grief...it's been a long time since I've written anything here. I think I have been intimidated by all of my web savvy friends who have developed such high tech blogs. Oh well, it's bland, but here goes...

Not too long ago, a good friend and I stopped in to visit my Mom. She was at work, but had time to talk (benefits of being the owner). We got into a conversation about my Aunt's cancer and this spurred Mom to tell us in detail of all the people that she knows who have been "burned up" by chemotherapy (I know, it's radiation, not chemotherapy, but bear with me). I always complain that everytime I talk to my Mom all she wants to talk about is who has died, who's sick, what horrible thing is the latest news headline, or how she's tired of supporting all the people on welfare. Most of the time I just get aggravated with her outlook and wonder how in the world I ended up being as optimistic as I usually am. Sometimes I say it's purely rebellion, but honestly, it's the grace of God. When I really think about it, I realize that in addition to a hard life sometimes physically and oftentimes emotionally, Mom has never really had an optimistic influence in her life. Not a lasting one anyway. I don't know if I could be that, but maybe I should try a little harder instead of being so judgmental all the time. It's just that judgmental is so much easier.

I started thinking more about this because of an email that I received today. Last weekend I had the opportunity to photograph the Dragon Boat Festival in Chattanooga. (you can see pictures at www.imagesoflove.instaproofs.com) It's a fundraiser for Children's Hospital involving people racing these canoe like boats down the river. There were 4 professional teams there and they all had something in common. They were all cancer survivors, the majority of them breast cancer survivors. These people had more spirit and drive than I can possibly put into words. They came from Atlanta and Charleston and they travel all over entering in these races. Some of them are even going to Australia for the Nationals! In corresponding with one of the ladies about pictures, I simply asked if she had enjoyed the event. This was her response:

I had a wonderful time. It was my first race. I started with the group shortly after chemo (was bald at the time, but now have hair!) Winning our division and the survivor race was such an incredible thrill. Being alive, being able to paddle well, being with such a wonderful group made for one of the finest days of my life.

No bitterness, completely optimistic. I'm sure she probably had days where that wasn't so, but she's out there taking life by the horns and LIVING. Wouldn't it be great if we were all that aware of what a precious gift life is and the opportunities we have in it without having to come so close to losing it. I want to live every day like it might be my last. I'll admit, I don't know how to do that most of the time, but I'm getting better at it.

My Mom's getting ready to go out on the road as an OTR driver (yes, those of you who know me and not her are probably scratching your heads on this one). As crazy as it sounds, I think it's great. It will give her a chance to see things that she's never seen and do things that she has only dreamed of. I hope the experience sheds light into her darkness, and that she realizes the true source of the light. I love her so much and I want her to experience true happiness and discover the wellspring of all joy. Today is her birthday actually, so that's my wish for her.

My wish for all of you is that you not be on the road when she's in that 18 wheeler because she likes to drive on both sides. Her theory is she paid for the whole thing, she should get to use it.....

You Never Know What You're Going to Get...

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 02:48:13 GMT

I love weddings...which is a good thing since I spend a lot of time at them. They are all different, reflecting the lives and personalities of the brides and grooms. Although they can be extremely unpredictable, I love weddings who have little ones as part of the wedding party.

Today's wedding happened to be on of these. The flower girl was 4 and her brother, who was 3, was the ringbearer. They both had personality plus! For some reason, animals and children love me and usually we bond pretty quickly. That works to my advantage in cases like these. However, it brought something new to the picture today. As the flower girl and the ring bearer were walking down the aisle, she was having trouble getting the petals out of her basket because of two strips of material that were lining her basket. So, about 3/4 of the way down the aisle with all eyes on her, she stopped right in front of me and pulled the material out of her basket and handed it to me. She had solved her problem, so she went the rest of the way down the aisle! To her, it was logical because I was the person along the way that she knew and had spent the last couple of hours with. To me, it was just hilarious and precious at the same time.

The wedding was beautiful and I had the privilege of witnessing another of God's miracles.

Boogie Nights...

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 01:55:51 GMT

Tonight I had the opportunity to photograph a second wedding reception for a lady that I work with. She was booked with another engagement, so she asked me to fill in for her. I say it was a second wedding reception because the couple actually got married yesterday, but wanted to have a more intimate party with their family and close friends.

I love photographing receptions and events where people really know how to let loose and have a good time. These folks really knew how to celebrate. And a bonus...they LOVE to dance. If you know me, then you know that I do as well. I probably dance while I'm taking pictures of other people dancing. I can't help it. If there is music playing, I 'm somehow moving.

Now, the groom claimed that he couldn't dance, but I told him that he gave a really good impression of it if that was actually the case. So, after that, everyone was leaving the dance floor and he grabbed my hand and asked me to dance. I laughed, but took him up on the offer. Unfortunately there is no picture of this, but let me see if I can paint one for you. First of all, I have an enormous camera around my neck, complete with flash and lightsphere. I've also got a battery pack tucked into the back waistband of my skirt, which probably did wonders for my posterior. Somehow we ended up being the only two people on the dance floor at the time and this was a fast, shake-your-bootie kind of song. Here's the kicker, did I mention that I was the minority in the room and that the groom made me look like a really skinny midget? Well, I did my best, but I was laughing so hard that somehow all the dance lessons that Kari has given me went straight out of my head. I hope no one got that on video. I'm sure it will be part of the blooper reel if they did!

Anyway, it was fun and I'm sure they are going to have a very blessed and fun-filled marriage. I'm so glad I got to share in this one night with them.

So, shake your groove thing any opportunity you get!

Techno Geek failure

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 15:00:18 GMT

Well, maybe I should make empty posts more often...I seem to get more comments that way! Actually, I was trying to post the code from that personality test that Mattchews had in his latest entry. However, evidently, I'm not smart enough to copy the code that it gives you. I copied it and it still looked like code, so I just deleted it, not realizing that you all would get an empty entry. Oh well, if someone would like to help me out here, I would be much appreciative.

So, I'll just tell you what the test said. Basically, I'm the opposite of you Mattchews, surprised? Yeah, probably not. I'd say anyone could have seen that one coming. I'm an ISFP, which is somewhat rare. 7% of all people have my personality, 8% of all women, and 6% of all men. It means Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving. Supposedly I'm caring, peaceful, artistic, and calm. I would agree with that overall, although I do have my off days.

So, if you would like to take this test yourself, it's quick and easy, but you'll have to visit Mattchews site because I can't figure out how to post the $?*#& code.

Friday, June 01, 2007

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 02:31:46 GMT

Tour of West Knoxville Churches...

Tue, 15 May 2007 03:16:31 GMT

I've spent the past three weeks "visiting" different churches somewhat near my home in effort to try and find a place where I fit and have an opportunity for community. The first two that I visited were not that much of a stretch for me because they were actually quite similar to the church I "grew up" in (can I say I grew up there since I didn't even start going until I was 25?). Well, it's where I grew up spiritually anyway. The funny thing is, my church background is not typical for a Southern girl. I didn't grow up Southern Baptist (hard to believe, I know). Actually, I didn't grow up anything, so I was pretty much a blank slate when I entered the Evangelical Free Church of America that I used to attend. So, clapping, hand-raising, movie theater seats and hour and 1/2 services are not novel or shocking to me.

Due to events that I won't go into here, I moved from the Evangelical Free Church to a Southern Baptist Church. Talk about a culture shock. However, despite the shock, I learned a lot while I was there, made some truly special friends, and hopefully grew in my relationship with Christ. But, here I am again, searching for where I actually belong. So, this week, I ventured into the somewhat scary and unknown world of the Methodists...

Actually, the Methodists aren't really scary, they look remarkably just like you and me! I was somwhat prepared for what I was walking into though since I have two good friends who are Methodists, one who is a Methodist minister and the other one is doing his best to liberate the Baptists ( just kidding!), so they have done their best to educate me. So, I walked into the service and the first person I ran into in the lobby was someone I knew! That's always huge for me since I hate walking into large groups of people where I don't know anyone. I made my way into the sanctuary, found a seat, and a few minutes later, two more people I knew spotted me and asked me to come sit with them. What are the odds of that in a room of probably 300-400 people?

I guess I should mention that this is a really large Methodist church, but it is also their contemporary service, so probably not what you would normally expect. They "advertise" the worship in this service as rock and roll and I would say that's pretty accurate. I personally loved it. It was even more contemporary than what I'm used to and that's saying quite a bit. The other strange thing about it was that the worship leader was female, as were all of the vocalists as far as I could tell. Now, I don't have any problem with that. Some of the most talented worship leaders I know are female...I've just been in a place for awhile where that isn't the norm, so it took a little adjusting to, that's all. These folks were extremely talented though and while some people might accuse them of "performing", I didn't get that at all.

After the worship set, the pastor introduced about 12 new members (almost all from letter of transfer) and then "baptized" two children. This is where I get a little confused. It seemed more of a christening or a child dedication than a baptism to me. It wasn't so much the sprinkling verses immersion that struck me as strange, but the fact that the children weren't asked to declare anything. Their parents and the members of the church were asked if they would commit to raising the children in the church and all that entails. But it didn't seem to be a declaration of faith in Jesus Christ. Maybe I'm missing something, but that's what I thought baptism was all about. It also was done very quickly with very little ceremony or significance it seemed.

Then on to the message. I liked the pastor, thought he seemed to be a gifted teacher (you know, based on one encounter anyway), but he kept doing something that drove me insane. I guess I should add here that I have been trained to evaluate worship services for flow and things that cause people to disengage (thanks B! and I'm not being sarcastic when I say that, really). In the beginning of his message, the pastor tells us that it is going to last 22 minutes. I appreciate leaving in a timely manner along with everyone else, but do you have to declare it? Now I'm looking at my watch timing him just to see if he can really get this point across in exactly 22 minutes. I'm now more focused on the race against the clock than what he actually has to say. I'm thinking, "they are REALLY serious about beating the Baptists to lunch...." which the pastor actually mentioned. I eventually got pulled into the message, but then he went and mentioned the time again, saying he was going to finish in 10 minutes. WHY?

Well, he ended up going 15 minutes longer than he intended, which I wouldn't have cared or even thought anything about had he not kept harping on it. Overall though, I enjoyed (not really a great word here, but for lack of a better one...) the experience and will probably give it another try. Not next week though....I'll be a heathen as I'm skipping church to go to Dollywood with some friends!

Blessings!

There's no place like home

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 13:07:42 GMT

Sometimes you have to leave to fully grasp what "home" really means. I love to travel and explore new territory, but turns out, I'm only good for about 2 weeks (actually a week and some change) and then I'm ready to come back home.

My Dad and I just returned from a two week jaunt across the pond to Ireland and Scotland. Although we are technically genealogical mutts, we have a lot of Scot-Irish in our roots, so we like to visit there. This was my third trip to Ireland (Dad's second) and our first time in Scotland. I've always said that Ireland is the only place in the world I've ever been so far that I would like to live other than East TN. I think this trip changed my mind on that one though.

We had a great time and I'm thankful to have been able to share this experience with my Dad. I took a few (loose interpretation) pictures which I'll share in the coming weeks for those of you who might be interested and we saw lots of breathtaking sights. I've collected a lot of stories to share as well, so those will be appearing here in the weeks to come also. But right now, I think I'll take the advice of one of my favorite David Wilcox songs, "Start with the ending, it's the best place to begin".

I was so excited about taking this trip, lots of planning and anticipation led up to it's arrival. But I think I was just as excited about coming home. It's experiences like this one that dissuades me of the notion that sometimes fleets through my brain about just packing up and moving somewhere where I don't know anyone and starting over. Although that seems appealing at certain moments, I just don't think it's in my DNA.

Lots of people get homesick, so why am I writing about such a commonplace experience? Because I feel like God is teaching me something (or at least reminding me of something I have forgotten) through this and I need to work it out through words. So the blog-o-sphere is my forum and I guess that makes you all the victims...

I guess I should digress a bit and explain that when I left for this trip, I was running, escaping I guess to be truthful. Something unpleasant happened in my little corner of the world the week before I left and I saw my trip as an escape hatch, a temporary diversion of having to deal with reality, my emotions, what the best course of action should be for me, what God would want me to do. Someone asked me what my short term plans were in relation to the situation and my response was "to get on a plane". That's was as far as I wanted to think about it really. I had two weeks to put it off and not deal with things. Probably not entirely healthy, but I'm not a big embracer of change, even when it's good for me, so if there is a procrastination wormhole available, I'm in it. Just as Adam and Eve discovered though, you can't hide from God.

I love the familiarity of home. There's comfort in that for me. But what I love most, and what I always miss most, are the people. I'm always reminded how much I'm loved whenever I come home from somewhere. That may sound kind of hokey, but from someone who has difficulty accepting unconditional love, it's pretty important. It's always nice to be missed. The funny thing is, I found out that I was missed by people I didn't even think would notice I was gone. I don't mean that in a self-pity kind of way, just a surprise realization of the impact you can have in someone else's world and not even know it, even if it's a small one.

I always have a list of people to "check-in with" when I get home from a trip. You know, Mom, Dad, Sister, etc. As kids (ok, teenagers) we often look at that as a burden, but the older I get the more I understand what a gift it is just to know that someone cares enough to be concerned. It shows in even the smallest of things, like having a friend who answers the phone even though she has two screaming children that she is dealing with, but still takes the time to ask if I made it home safely. Or a friend who answers the phone which rings waking him from a Sunday afternoon nap (those are sacred by the way) just because it's me and we haven't talked in two weeks.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that in some warped part of my brain, I think that those things are going to change or go away if anything else in the delicate balance of the universe (ok, my little part of it) changes in any way. I know that's stupid, but somehow, I seem to let the fear of it creep in and grip my heart, even if it's for a short lived period of time. One would think that having this disproven to me time and again would be proof enough that this doesn't have to be true. Evidently, I'm still working through that whole acceptance of unconditional love thing.

I don't know if this makes any sense. If not, chalk it up to the emotional rambing of a crazy woman (I'm sure I get that a lot!). So, let me conclude with this...Family, in all sense of the word, is what defines "home" to me and I've discovered that I don't do well separated from it for any length of time. But I appreciate it's value all the more upon returning to it.

Blessings

Party Pics and Friday Night with JP

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 00:55:39 GMT

Well, I was going to post some fun details about my sister's St. Patrick's Day birthday extravaganza and my Friday night with JP, but I ended up putting most of the details in the captions of the pics on dropshots. So, if you are interested, you can see them here...www.dropshots.com/alove

Have a great day!

Closure and looking up old friends.

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:21:52 GMT

I love St. Patrick's Day, actually, I love pretty much all things Irish. To add to the reasons to party, the 17th of March is also my Sister's birthday. So, my Sister and I had an all day celebration this past Saturday. I took some silly pics throughout the day to "document" our activities. She said at one point that I couldn't help it that I was an idiot...she's an idiot too....we get it from our Mother!

So, Sunday morning, I was not exactly prepared to the fullest to lead worship since I had partyed a little too much the day before (um, not what you are probably thinking....I ATE way too much of all the wrong stuff!). Being on the programming team for our worship sets, I knew the theme for the morning, where it came from, why we were doing it, and where it was supposed to lead. B sometimes surprises me in how he actually sets up a call to worship, even when I know the gist of it ahead of time. Something hit me right between the eyes this Sunday when he was talking about St. Patrick and his willingness to follow God's call and go back to Ireland to witness to people who had enslaved him. The question that struck me was "how would I react to worshiping next to and with people who I was not comfortable with?" I had previously thought of this "group" as people who were just different than me...but somehow still removed. It dawned on me during the call to worship on Sunday that this also meant people that I did not see eye to eye with, people who had hurt me, people with whom I still have unresolved issues. That was a horse of a different color and not one I could so easily turn away from.

I didn't have to wait long to be tested on this one either. Sunday night, I went into the grocery store to pick up a few things and on my way out, saw the obituary of the founder of that store. Well, that's sad, but so what. I had my first job with that company and when I was 22 and right out of college, the founder of that company sat at the other end of a board table from me and gave me an opportunity. An opportunity that I had not asked for, and to be honest one for which I was probably not qualified or prepared. Nonetheless, I'm grateful that he took a chance on me, that he saw something of merit or worth in me and decided to give me that opportunity. Although I only stayed in that position for 2 and 1/2 years, I would not be where I am today had he not taken that chance on me. Laughingly, I told my Dad somedays I wonder if I would have been better off, but I don't really think so. Anyway, when I read the obituary, something compelled me (probably God) that I needed to go to the funeral service, which was the next day.

The service was in Abingdon, VA so I had to take the day off work to drive up there. It sounded kind of silly when I told them why I needed to go, but it was a long story to have to explain. I just felt like I needed to go pay my respect. In all honesty though, it had a lot to do with all of the people who I knew were going to be at the service. Although I left my position with the company on good terms, I held a lot of resentment for things that happened and the people involved for a long time. Most of those people I haven't seen in over 8 years. There are a few that I remained close to and have kept in contact with over the years, but I can count them on one hand. So, walking into "foreign territory" if you will to say goodbye was a little unnerving to me, but it was a good feeling at the same time. I don't harbor that resentment anymore and was actually looking forward to seeing some of those folks. There were two people in particular that I hoped I would run into.

I did see quite a few people, most of which I was only able to say hello to since the service was about to begin. It was funny though, "Hello, how have you been" was all the closure that I really needed with some of those folks. One of the first people I saw was my direct supervisor at the time I left. He actually inherited me because my boss had quit 8 months earlier. Anyway, I drove 4 hours to personally turn in my resignation to him (while he was announcing a wrestling match on the radio at a local high school) and I'm pretty sure he almost didn't remember who I was. Either that, or he just didn't want to talk to me. Oh well.

Back to why this was a challenge for me. It was an opportunity to worship with a group of people that for the most part, I felt I had been somewhat betrayed by. It was such a relief to be able to let that go. I was grateful to have been a part of that group for the time that I was, but I was also grateful to have been given the opportunity to move on when I did. The service was very nice and I'm glad I have been impacted by the life and works of Jack C. Smith. He was a good man and a blessed man, and I believe that he is in a much better place after living a long and rewarding life.

I was walking out of the church, rather disappointed that I had not seen either of the two people I had hoped to. Then I thought, "it's a long drive home, I'd better go back in to use the restroom before I go". It was then that I ran into my friend Ed. I had not seen him in four years and it had been close to two years since the last time I spoke to him on the phone. It was one of those things that life got in the way and we somehow stopped calling each other. At least, I hope that's what it was. Ed was my boss that I mentioned earlier, the one who left the company 8 months before I did. He taught me more than I can ever begin to give him credit for...no small feat being that he lives and works in another state, so much of it was by phone. But Ed was not just my boss, he was (and is) my friend, and I would go so far as to say that we were a lot like brother and sister. We were two peas in a pod, which most people could not understand or comprehend. I guess it is foreign for most people to honestly, genuinely LIKE their boss. That in itself is sad. But I'm glad to be able to count myself as one of the lucky few. We had lots of fun together because we spent a lot of time in a car traveling to stores located in Podunk sticksville, so you had to come up with unique ways to pass the time. Ed liked to rewrite lyrics to Elvis songs off the top of his head to fit with whatever conversation we were having at the time. How could that not be fun?

There were also the times that we fought like cats and dogs. He had me in tears on more than one occasion. Did I mention that we are both red headed, obstinate, argumentative people? Like I said, a lot like brother and sister. No matter what the argument though, I always knew that at the end of the day, he had my back. So, when he left the company, I took it REALLY hard. I mean, I cried for weeks when I opened mail that was still coming internally from him. People stopped thinking much about it when they would walk by my office and I would be crying for no apparent reason. I'm sure this just added to the many reasons that people thought I was strange. I have a penchant for becoming extremely attached to people and I do not deal well with letting go.

We kept in touch regularly for a long time after he left. In fact, I believe I was the only person from the company that he kept in touch with. It was less frequent as the years went by, but I always knew how to get in touch with him and he would call if he was ever in Knoxville and had time to visit. This four year stretch was the longest we had ever gone without seeing each other though, so it was just like a tidal wave of relief to lay eyes on this old friend again.

We talked for a while in the parking lot of the church and swapped updated info on how to stay in touch. Hopefully, we will do a better job than we have the past two years. It was worth the trip, if for nothing else, just for the chance to see him and the 15-20 minutes we got to spend catching up.

So, Mr. Smith, thank you for taking a chance on a 22 year old who thought she knew a lot, but didn't know diddly squat about Human Resources. Thankfully, you had a wonderful team who taught her well. Had it not been for you thinking that one little grocery store in Grundy, VA with the one cash register that was never open, needed some competition, I would not have met Ed or Emerson. I may not have ended up going to Fellowship Church because Emerson invited me. I may have never met my closest and dearest friends that I get to live life with today. Who knows where I might have ended up and what would have become of me. It's been a bumpy, windy road thus far, but the journey has definitely been interesting.

In conclusion, a trip down memory lane complete with illustrations... here are some pics that I dug up out of the archives...

Ok, so this is not a good picture of either Ed or myself, but it's the only one I have of the two of us together (since I was usually the one taking the pics, even way back then). Scary to think that I'm about 23 or 24 in this picture and I look older than I do now...for that matter, so does Ed. Unfortunately, no one was giving me fashion advice back then (Kari where were you? Oh yeah, you were in middle school...ughhh).

On the left is Bill (Ed's boss and later mine...the one I don't think recognized me at the funeral). On the right is Ed. We were at an HR staff picnic in Grundy, VA. It was actually a lot of fun....before I knew that HR people were "supposed to be" stuffy!

Yep, that's me driving the Food City Big Cart. Ok, I'm pretending to drive, but I have actually ridden down the road in it. One of the perks of hanging out with the Security department.

This was taken on my last day with Food City. Notice how much skinnier I am than in the previous pics....that's what stress relief will do for you! (ok, and the Atkins diet). On the left is Steve, VP of Operations for the Southern Division. He also served as the District Manager for the store that I worked in during high school and college. He witnessed probably more than one disagreement between me and my store manager. Part of me thinks thats why he supported me in getting the HR job! On the right is Bucky, District Manager of Knoxville at the time this was taken, but my aforementioned Store Manager before that. We argued a lot and he made me cry almost every day, but he was also one of my biggest supporters and he taught me just about all I know about store operations, even how to stack a Halloween candy display using saran wrap!

And last, but not least, this is one of my favorite pics. Me and Emerson, who is still working as Food City's Public Relations Specialist for the Southern Division. Emerson not only mentored me in HR, but he invited me to Fellowship church, which is where my life was changed forever. I still keep in touch with and see Emerson and his fabulous wife Leslie.

Well, it's been a fun trip down memory lane (the scenic route for most of you!), but it's time to go to bed now!

Blessings,

The Healing Power of a Kiss

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 02:44:55 GMT

I was rinsing out a skillet Friday night when I heard a small thump as JP was running his truck in circles around the kitchen table. It wasn't loud, I didn't even turn around at the noise. However, he stopped his chase and shuffled over to me with a pitiful puppy dog look and said "I bumped my head". He wasn't really hurt, wasn't even crying, but he gave me the look that said "pick me up". So, I did, and I kissed him on the head where it had connected with the table. Instantly, he started wriggling to get down and he promptly resumed racing his truck in laps through the house.

That was all he wanted, a kiss to make it better. What is it in a kiss that has such healing properties? Isn't funny how most all of us have either been the recipient or the provider of this medicinal wonder? We learn of it at a very young age and never really grow out of it. My thoughts are that it's just knowing that someone else is there who loves you, someone who cares about the little bumps and the bigger ones along the way. Someone to say "everything is going to be ok".

If you think about it, God kisses us to make it better all the time. I've found that I still have to experience the pain of life sometimes, but He's there with me through it all, and if I will only turn to Him, He will pick me up and kiss me where it hurts. Sometimes, that's what gives me the strength to keep pressing on.

I don't have children, which is not what I thought would be the case at this point in my life. However, I am blessed to be able to be part of the lives of my nephews and nieces (both by blood and adopted). This comes with all the perks...I get to play with them, spoil them, and love on them. Most of the time, I learn more from them than they do from me.

JP is 3 and some change, so he is at a very fun and interesting stage right now. I got to hang out with him on Friday night while his Mommy and Daddy went on a date. Needless to say, we always have fun. Friday night consisted of cooking eggs and waffles for dinner, snacking on microwave popcorn, dancing in the kitchen to Rascal Flatts, and me trying to explain that people have bones just like dinosaurs do. During the dancing portion of the evening, I was spinning around in my sock feet on the linoleum. JP of course tried to imitate my actions, but was having a hard time in his bare feet. When I told him that it worked better with socks, he immediately went and found his and asked me to put them on for him. His spinning improved greatly at this point! We spun individually and holding hands, we spun until we were so dizzy, we had to stop.

It's moments like these that I treasure because they are like a kiss from God saying "it's all going to be ok". For those few hours, I didn't think about all of the things that usually occupy my brain. You know, all of the usual worries, making a living, making a difference. I just had fun and savored the moments as they happened. The small things, the important things.

So, look for the little things God may bring your way each and every day. And Amy, check out your camera...we took a few pics since you and B weren't there to share the popcorn with us!