My Childhood Homes

Since I'm laid up with nothing better to do, I took a little trip down memory lane tonight via Google Earth.  I made virtual visits to Georgia, where I spent my childhood.  I found my childhood homes in Georgia...

I even found the Methodist Church I attended as a child.  Still searching for sweet Miss Penny's house, my beloved piano teacher's home.  She was just the most precious Christian Lady, a little old maid who dedicated her life to children.  Miss Penny was one of the Christian mentors in my young life.  She didn't just teach me the love of music, but introduced me to the love of Christ. 

I just love trips down memory lane!  For when I take one, I see how God has shown His love to me throughout my life!

In His Love, Cathy

The Foot Saga

Okay, so I know you are all probalby sick and tired of hearing about my stupid feet.  Frankly, I'm tired of dealing with issues due to my stupid feet!

So this story is in no way inspirational or uplifting, unless, that is, you are a podiatrist who sees me as a potential customer! LOL!

So, I go to the doctor this afternoon.  I know that I have a bad sprain.  I hobble in on my crutches.  I had no appointment, I was a 'walk in'  - or appropriately - a 'limp in'.  My goal was to just make sure my ankle or foot wasn't broken.  After thoroughly checking my right foot, my doctor informs me that I possibibly had stretched tendons in my foot.  That popping sound I heard accompanied by immediate pain was a ligament tearing in my ankle.  Nice!  Whether sprained or broken, my ankle will take 4 to 6 weeks to heal!  Grrrr!!!!  I had just been able to start back exercising after my last broken foot saga! 

My doctor then whips out her prescription pad, writing me a prescription for Ibuproferin (800mg) for inflammation and Darvocet for pain.  She sends me off to Pensacola to get an Xray to check for fractures.  Total time in doctor's office plus xray and travel from/to Pensacola - less than 1 hour!!!  One thing I've learned from this big ole' mess is that Friday afternoons are the best time to go to the doctor or have an xray done.  Why?  Because NO ONE wants to be hanging out in the doctor's office on a sunny, summer Friday afternoon! 

So, after returning to Pace, I hit the pharmacy to fill my prescription.  After I picked up my prescription, I picked Britt up from school and we got our hair done...we were waaayy overdue.  So as I sit, trying to enjoy my hair appointment, my foot starts swelling, bigger and bigger.  By the time I got home my foot looked like an inflated balloon version of it's former self!  I break out my prescription Ibuproferin and to my surprise...there are FOUR BIG FAT prescription bottles ALL labelled IBUPROFERIN!  I thought, this must be a  MISTAKE!  My doctor had prescribed 90 pills!  Ninety of those jokers!  Say what???

But then I remembered....4 to 6 weeks! 

After all this, all I can think is, "Thank goodness I had a pedicure this week!"

It's all good!

In His Love, Cathy

Just Call Me Lefty!

Just when my left foot has healed up enough for me to start exercising again...I sprain my right foot!!!

And how, pray tell, did I sprain it?  I sprained it as I walked toward the door of my classroom to answer a call from my son who was at the doctor's office.  Nope, I wasn't wearing heels, I was wearing flats.  Nope, I wasn't wearing flip flops, I was wearing sandals securely fastened to my feet.  There were no obstacles that tripped me.  And when I took that fatal step, something popped!  Something snapped so loudly and so painfully it took all I could do to make it back to my desk chair.  It was though I stubbed my toes but 100 times more painful.  If I could've collapsed outside in the hallway I would've.  But for fear of embarrassement, I tried to walk normally back to my desk as though nothing had happened.  After all, I'm supposed to be the adult in the room!  However, my hobbled gait betrayed the consequences of my embarrassing clumsiness!

If I had sprained my ankle while doing something cool and exciting - like surfing, playing tennis, or mountain climbing - it would be okay.  I would have bragging rights, a person worthy of such a sprain - a war wound justifiably earned! But nope, not me!  My ankle sprains occur doing something completely normal and BORING - simply by walking across a room!  I do believe I could sprain my ankle sound asleep in my own bed!

Thankfully, I have wonderful students in my 3rd block class who assisted me.  Thank you, Wade, for coming to the rescue with the ice pack.  Special shout out also goes to Ben, Chris, and Zach...not exactly sure what you guys did, but I know that it took all of you to help Wade get the ice pack:-)   What can I say, I love my 3rd block class!  (Even if I give them what-for every now and then...keeps them honest!)

So, I guess the moral of the story is...ahhh, there's no moral!  I just have two left feet, is all!  Just call me lefty!

In His Love, Cathy

Today

"Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do."  Ephesians 5:10, 17

"Paul urges us to find out what pleases God, to understand what God wants us to do (as opposed to what we want to do or what others want us to do). This can be your daily prayer: "Lord, what do you want me to do? What will please you today? Help me to hear your voice above all others and to gladly do what will bring you glory today."
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

I love what Ephesians 5:10,17.  As of this morning it has become one of my favorite verses!  This verse reminds us that our lives are not to be lived out thoughtlessly, but in understanding of what the Lord wants us to do.  Our modern lives can be so busy and hectic.  If you are like me, there are times we live our life as though we on automatic pilot, going through the motions, just coasting along - living our lives like a robot with our daily schedules programmed into our system, trapped in the loop of the same daily activities.  We get up...eat...go to work...take kids to practice...come home...eat...sleep...and repeat.

Today, however, our regularly scheduled program has been interrupted by Ephesians 5:10, 17.  It's the control-alt-delete on our lives...rebooting our systems to start afresh with a deliberate spiritual perspective.  No longer should we be content to live the daily grind on automatic pilot.  Simply going through the motions just to make it through the day is NOT ENOUGH!  To continue doing so would be a failure on our part!  Instead, our thoughts are to be fixed on HIM - living in DELIBERATE UNDERSTANDING of HIS WILL and DOING what HE wants us to DO!  We are not thoughtless zombies nor are we robots programmed to perform limited functions.  We are spiritual beings, intelligent beings, created in His Image.  Those of this world live thoughtlessly - in a fog, blind to truth and without understanding.  We who are in Christ, on the other hand, are not of this world.  Instead, we are the light of this world, a beacon of hope and truth cutting through the fog of this world, reaching others with the hope of salvation.  This light shining through us is meant to be seen within the context of our daily lives - no matter how mundane we think certain aspects of it are. 

So, don't just go through the motions of your life today, live it out in deliberate thought and understanding of what the Lord wants.  You are the light to so many others, shine on them today.  Share the hope of salvation to the lost - bringing glory and honor to the Lord!

Grace and peace!

In His Love, Cathy

What WOULD Jesus Do?

As I was assigning homework in my College Statistics class today, one of my students cried out, "Mrs. Denny, remember tonight is Wednesday night!  A lot of us have church tonight.  Be like Jesus!"  I guess this was their cry for me to be merciful in the assignment.

"Okay," I replied "Tonight's homework are problems 1 through 24 ...ALL!" 

In the midst of their loud protests, one student shot back, "Okay, Mrs. Denny, but don't expect me to do all of this work because of church tonight.  After all, what would Jesus do?"

"His homework!"  I quickly retorted with a grin.

"Awww..." the class moaned!  My students realized that the battle had been lost.  Their combined cleverness was no match for a teacher determined to stick to her guns, so to speak.

“Well, then,” Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”His reply completely amazed them.   Mark 12:17

Christ's divine wisdom cut through the many traps the religious leaders set for Him.  Their combined cleverness was no match for God incarnate.  Jesus wasn't just wise, He was righteous.  His wisdom was followed through with righteous words and righteous actions.  You can be as wise as Solomon, you can know the right thing to do, but if you don't follow through with the right actions, then wisdom is worthless.  Even Solomon, reknowned for his wisdom, fell short on following through in his life. 

 Designed to get young (and some not so young) people to think about their actions, a popular Christian cliche' asks, "What would Jesus do?" The point of this catchy slogan is to help people put on the breaks in situations, think, and respond as Christ would.  But it isn't enough to know how we are to respond or what we are to say - we must actually follow through and DO what we know to be true, righteous, and pleasing to God.  So, what WOULD Jesus do?  Now go and do it!

In His Love, Cathy

A Blessed Mother's Day Indeed

I must say that this Mother's Day was the absolute best Mother's Day I've ever had. 

• It didn't involve presents - I told my family I didn't want any and I really didn't.
• My only request was to spend the day together as a family.
• My husband and I enjoyed a leisurely morning sitting out on our patio swing and talking for a good while...something that our usually hectic schedules affords very little time for us to do.
• Yes, we missed church today.  Something rare in our family unless someone is sick or suffering from a MG (we're not going to say it out loud b/c it might trigger one but my good friends know what it stands for.)
• After our leisurely morning we went to Scott's parents home - spending just about the whole day with them.
• We had wonderful food and fellowship, followed by an afternoon of an intense family competition in a friendly game of badmitton.  
• Mr. & Mrs. Denny joined in the fun.  Mr. Denny had a BLAST and had some SERIOUS Badmitton SKILLS!!!  LOL!  I was so glad he was on Brittany and my team:-)
• This Mother's Day was extra special to me because of the good times we had today.  It's been a long time since we've been able to hang out like that as a family.  Thankful for the good days we have with Scott's Dad and Mom.
• With Matt all grown up, there are not many more years in which all of our babies will be able to come home to share in these special times.  We all cherished this day ...especially Scott's Dad.  He had such a blast!

Yes, today was an awesome Mother's Day like no other.  It was the absolute best!  I am blessed and so thankful to be the Mother of our children.   Hope your Mother's Day was filled with blessings and special memories.  Grace and Peace!


In His Love, Cathy