Love Letters from Papa

Shana Tova

2011-09-30T02:05:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Rosh Hashanah this week. It's the beginning of the Civil New Year in Israel. It's also when the year changes. And as I was thinking back over this past year, one of the things I really want to improve on is my blogging....I've been horribly silent for several months now. Please forgive me my friends. I will try diligently to post at least once a month if not more. So let me catch you up on the news and the blessings!

We finished tax season 18 April 2011 with more returns done by fewer people than the year before. Even the district manager was impressed. We did not pass last year on income, but that's OK. We finished the season with money in the bank to pay the bills thru the end of the year, got several new clients and overall had a really impressive season for newbies. (Newbie owners, not tax pros. Grin) Then in March we were informed the bank was going to raise the rent on our office....to an unacceptable rate. So tax season ended and we moved the office to a new space. We have spent the entire summer renovating and redecorating this new space. But look at Papa's hand in this.....We have almost 5 times the space as before, and our rent is almost $100 LESS! Isn't Papa awesome!?!?! The new location is only around the corner from the old place, but we're in a 100 yr old building, with landlords that are incredible!!! They pretty much have let us do whatever we want to do and when they came to see our improvements the end of June, they were speechless. I'll try to get pictures to post in another post the show the before/after. It's pretty cool.

We had a wonderful Pesach in our yard with several friends joining us. (Got pics of that too.....sigh) Then got to go see Grandma in July. We've had almost no rain down here so leaving for any extended time is a little scary. (We're about 25 inches short on rain so everything is crispy and a fire hazard.) In June we went to Dallas for the district convention and the boys had a blast! They got to go places, play and see folks....I was at work. Double sigh. But I got to go to the Holocaust Museum with them before we left Dallas to head south to home again. It was horribly sad, but incredibly informative at the same time. And there was a Holocaust survivor there who signed a book for Little Critter! That made what we saw inside even sadder....this poor man had experienced all that horror as a teenager. Praise Yah, he survived and is willing to tell others how to prevent it happening again!

In August we went to Kansas City Mo for a new franchisee training I had to attend. Again the boys had a BLAST!!! I was in class all day.....this seems to be a recurring theme doesn't it. Hmmmm. But I learned lots, made some great friends and got to enjoy some fun with the boys on the way up and back. So it's all good.

Now I'm teaching 5 new folks how to do taxes, coaching Little Critter's soccer team, taking care of my folks and attempting to keep the house from being condemned!!!! While still doing taxes at the office. We have a couple of book keeping clients (toda Yah) and hope to get some more. Life is full, we're enjoying ourselves and Papa has sent SO many love letters I could write for days trying to tell them all to you...but you're my friends and I won't do that to you. This time. Giggle. Know I pray for you daily and ask Papa to show you His love letters too. May you find your names written in His Book of Life and may your new year be a sweet, joyful, healthy year. Shalom, Spitfire

The Tax Man Calleth.....

2011-02-07T00:57:00.000-06:00

Boker Tov (Good Morning), my dear friends. I realize I haven't written in more than a month...boy have I got news to tell you! I don't remember if I mentioned this several months ago, but Dodi and I were discussing buying the H&R Block office I've worked at and managed the last several years. The owner has some health problems, and really needed to sell the office. He approached me and asked if I was interested. Well, long story short, we did it. We bought the office back in October. Due to change ups in Corporate offices, the contract with Block wasn't signed until the Thursday before the office officially opened in December. So we signed papers with Corporate, and then opened the office the following Monday....whew! We did great in December with the Emerald Advances....beat last years total done. Pretty good for a couple of rookies! We'd prayed and told Papa if it was His Will for us to have this office, He'd have to provide what we needed. And He did. If things continue the way they're going, we should be completely out of debt both in the office and the house in 3 years. WooHoo!
Come January, we rehired two employees from last year's tax season, Dodi was hired and my former boss stayed on as my mentor. So far this tax season, we've already done more than half the returns we did last tax season. And we've gained several new clients. Pretty exciting for us and for the office! We're hoping to pick up some book keeping work for the off season to help with getting everything paid off. And to broaden the scope of services for the office. So it looks like we'll be busy for a couple more months. Of course this means I may not get to post as often as I would like....but I know you'll understand.
We also got some troubling news in January. We've been driving 3 hours one way to go to Tabernacle for the last 7 months. We LOVE the congregation and the Rabbi is wonderful. We'd hoped to be able to work out something with them for Little Critter to begin his Bar Mitzvah classes there. Unfortunately, they require him to attend weekly...and won't allow us to do any of the work in homeschool. That made it impossible to do with tax season and the shop too...so. I'm relying on Papa to take care of this problem. Little Critter will be turning 11 next month and we REALLY need to get him into some kind of Bar Mitzvah class soon. And while I was devastated that we were denied our request, I also understand the teacher's refusal. And I know Papa wasn't at all surprised at this turn of events. So we're waiting to see what direction He would have us go now on this issue. There is a slightly closer Synagogue we can approach, but it's in a higher traffic area. Sigh. There just isn't one near us. So perhaps we're to go somewhere new. Again. I know He has a place for us....we just have to find it. And listen for His directions. But Little Critter is doing pretty good on his other school work and doing his work at the office too. (He gathers trash everyday and takes it out twice a week, and then makes the coffee first thing when we arrive.) So overall, it's all good.
Well, it's getting late and I have to get up early. No calling in sick for me for another 2 1/2 months.....but look out May!!! Giggle. Hope things are going great for everyone. Pops, thrilled you're doing better after your surgery. Abouna, you take care of yourself Sweetie. No more pnuemonia or I really WILL send you Jewish Penicillin!!!! Nanc, hugs to you dear one. Stay warm. And to everyone else, know that even when I'm silent for a bit, I pray for each of you daily. May Papa bless you with His joy, peace and love. Stay warm! Shalom, Spitfire

Happy Hanukkah!

2010-12-03T00:18:00.000-06:00

Hello my sweet friends. I see it's been a month again since last I posted.....oops. I'm sorry. And for those of you who sent me private emails, I'm SO sorry I worried you! Life has been incredibly busy and I'm a little behind the ball.....but it's going to get better! I have faith! Now, let's get on with this post!

This Wednesday, we began the holiday of Hanukkah. For those who don't know what this holiday is, it's also known as the Festival of Lights or the Feast of Dedication. If you look in your B'rit Hadasha (New Covenant) in John 10:22, it mentions that Yeshua was at the Temple in Yerushalayim for the Feast of Dedication...This is not a Levitical feast, but it is a Hebrew feast. See way back during the Hasmonean Era in the land of Israel, there was a family named Macabbee. Matthithias was the father and was a righteous, priest of the line of Aaron. He had 5 sons who were also righteous men. Now the Seleucids were taking over the land of Israel and their king Antiochus IV had conquered Yerushalayim. Now as if that wasn't bad enough, this king also put an altar on top of Papa's altar, and slaughtered pigs on that altar! He totally trashed the Temple, the house of the Father! Then he proceeded to terrorize and murder the Israelites, ruled that the practice of their faith was unlawful, and tried to burn all the scrolls. Matthithias was furious and vowed to destroy the Seleucids. He did a pretty good job, but he was old and died before the war was finished. So his sons took over. The eldest was Y'huda (Judas) Maccabee also known as the Hammer. Well, Y'huda and his brothers followed YHWH's ways faithfully and were strong leaders. So they fought the Seleucids and eventually won freedom for the Israelites and the land of Israel. This is all told in the apocryphal book named appropriately 1st Maccabbees. There are 4 books of the Maccabbees, but they were taken out of our modern Bibles a long time ago, and put with the other apocryphal books. (some of those are really COOL books! You should read them sometime.) Back to our story. The Maccabbees ruled wisely for many years, but eventually greed, corruption and forgetting YHWH took place and the Hasmonean Era ended with all the Maccabbees gone....sigh. Oh, I forgot the best part!!! Silly me.

So after Y'huda Maccabbee and his army had wrested Yerushalayim from the Seleucids, they cleansed the Temple, rebuilt the altar according the Mosaic Law, and reinstalled the Golden Menorah. They could only find one flask of consecrated oil to light the Menorah with. And it takes 8 days to prepare fresh oil. So they lit the Menorah with the oil they had, then left the Temple to go help prepare a fresh batch to keep the Menorah lit all the time as commanded in Exodus. Well, when they arrived back 8 days later....fully expecting the Menorah to not be lit anymore due to lack of oil.......guess what! It was STILL burning! Now normally, the priests had to fill the Menorah's branches twice a day to keep it burning. But this time, it burned for 8 days with only one filling!!! Hence the phrase, "A great miracle occurred there" ("here" if you live in Israel). So during Hanukkah, we light one candle a night until we have all 8 candles burning taking us to the end of the 8 days festival. For those of us who know Yeshua, He's there too.....see there's a 9th candle that is only used to light the other candles. It's called the Shamash or Servant Candle....Aha! Did you catch that??? The Shamash is the servant candle.....it represents Yeshua! Now, in our family, we exchange small gifts with each other each of the 8 nights with one night being a bigger gift. And we fry lots of foods to eat to represent the provision of the oil burning so long. If you've never experienced Hanukkah, it's LOADS of fun! There's latkes to eat, and sufnyiot (jelly donut like pastries), and chocolate gelt (like coins) and kugel (noodle dish to die for) and songs to sing, and dreidle to play....oh the fun!!!!!

So in among the other things going on....and there's a ton of them,(but that's for another post)....we've been having a blast celebrating Hanukkah. And as we're celebrating and reading the story of the Maccabees, we're also offering prayers that Papa would spread some of our joy into your lives, and bless you each with His Love. I'll try my best to post again soon....probably from Grandma's house at the end of the month and try to catch you up on all the other stuff. In the meantime, know I thank Papa for each of you my friends each day during my prayers and am SO blessed by having you in my life. Happy Hanukkah! Spitfire

What a busy month!

2010-11-01T01:14:00.000-05:00

Hi friends. Hope ya'll had a wonderful month this past month. Ours was busy. Let me catch you up a bit. The first of October saw Dodi and I signing the papers to buy the franchise of H & R Block that I've worked for the last several years. Whew! Did I really do this????? Yep. I became a new business owner, in the midst of all the threats from our government to put us out of business. And while this could seem as a lack of sanity to some (and possibly to me in another couple of months...giggle) we prayed about it and asked Papa to direct our steps. When things kept falling into place, even when we botched paperwork! We felt this is what we're to do. So I am now the sole proprietorship owner of a franchise. Dodi is taking classes (80 hours worth!) to be able to help me with preparing the taxes for folks and I have two other dedicated employees. I've worked with one of them for 5 years and one year with the other. I spent this last week painting the office. I got half of it done and only have the other half to go....how's that for my math skills. LOL!

Last weekend, my sister found a rental to move into thus moving out of my parent's house. This is a blessing on several levels. It allows my parents to have their privacy and their own schedule back. Sister had moved in after Hurricane Ike destroyed her home. Her husband (who works for the State of Texas) stayed with his son down in Houston so he could report for work. Now, instead of coming up and living in a spare room at my folks, he and Sister have their own place to spend time in doing whatever they want when they want. So this is better for them also. Sister and husband were not good about letting Parents know their schedules or when they would even show up, so this is helpful for Parents too. Since Nana is blind, she no longer has to worry about extra critters in the house that she can't see, and often either stepped on or tripped over. It does mean Dodi, Little Critter and I go over even more often to check on them, help with several things, and visit with Pawpaw, but that's OK. We don't mind and it seems to be a blessing for all involved.

Also last weekend, dear cousin decided it was time for him to move on and find a new job. While we were sorry to see him leave, we're happy that he's settled in his new place. It is a couple of hours from here, so we can't be much help to him, but it's also in a much bigger town, so will be easier for him to find a new job. This is a blessing for him. It's not good for a man to have nothing meaningful to do with his days, and I'm sure it was depressing for him. Living in small town USA, is wonderful in some aspects, but if looking for a job, the prospects are limited. He won't have that problem now. We pray for him daily that Papa will take care of him and bless him with a good job doing something he'll enjoy as well as healing some of his health issues.

This past weekend, we had our first Cub Scout/Webelos campout. It was an experience. But there were blessings here too. We got to spend a day and a half outside teaching little boys more about being young men. We had some fun. The boys had fun (judging from their comments). We got to teach some parents how to let go of the controls a little and let the boys do things they could do themselves. There were some problems, but this was a first campout for many of the boys and some of the parents. We got to know some of the parents better and shared some of our faith with those that wanted to learn about a different way of doing things. Being the only Jewish family in the whole pack, was a little tricky. But as we did Havdalah service by our tent, several parents and children came and loved dipping their fingers in the grape juice. (Being we were camping on government property, we were not allowed to use wine....oh well.) I also brought the Challah I baked for Erev Shabbat and shared it Sunday morning for breakfast. Everyone ate it and said they wanted the recipe. I suppose now I'll have to figure out what I do to make it. (I don't have a written recipe, and don't use measuring utensils......oops!) I've made it so long, I just make it. Well, that's a worry for another day.....like sometime in June 3005. LOL!

So all in all, it's been a month of blessings, a few struggles, and plenty of fun. I hope you've had a great month and I hope things will ease up a little so I can blog more regularly!!!! I miss hearing from all my sweet friends. Please know that even when I seem so silent, that I lift each and everyone of you in my daily prayers. Papa has so much to tell you, I pray daily that you hear His voice and follow His directions. As this world gets scarier and darker, only His light and peace will keep us all safe. He sends us each daily love letters. I pray you see./hear them. Be blessed till next time. Shalom....Spitfire

PS Please don't forget to pray before you vote this Tuesday. Freedom is a privilege and voting is the responsibility of each of us. If we want to see this country return to it's blessed status, we must vote the Father's heart. There's LOTS of things that need to change to return us to even 50 years ago....please vote!

Sukkot 2010

2010-10-06T09:24:00.000-05:00

Well, Sukkot is over so I figured I'd better get this post up.....This is a picture of our Sukkah. This shows the edge of the Sukkah itself, as well as the tents. You can sorta see Little Critter's small tent between the table and the large tent that Dodi and I slept in. We were supposed to have rain most the week, so that's why we put the cabana over the tents. Ours is waterproof, but Little Critter's isn't.
We had a blast! We ate out there and slept in the tents several nights. A couple of nights, it was SO hot and humid none of us could sleep so we moved inside...and one night, it got cold (down in the 50's!). Something in the air changed the night it got cold and Little Critter's allergies flared up badly. We had to move inside that night also....but we stayed out as much as possible. We had plenty of good food made from harvested veggies and even had friends come visit a couple of nights.

Some of our friends think we're nuts to do this, but they've never tried it. I heard someone give an incredible explanation of Sukkot that I'd like to share with you. Sukkot is one of the moedim or appointed times to spend with Papa. (Kinda like you have Dr. appointments.) Only this appointment is with the Creator of the Universe! And while you're sitting in your sukkah, the three walls represent the arms of the Father. So while sitting in your sukkah, you're wrapped in a hug from the Father! The ground below you is like His lap, the plant material on the roof (we use river cane) is like His beard tickling your head. And the whole feeling while following the commandment laid out in Leviticus 23 is that you really ARE sitting in His lap, getting a hug from Him. It's wonderful!!!!!

I hope each of you had a blessed week of Sukkot. We traveled to Dallas the end of Sukkot (which lasts 8 days) and shared Simchat Torah (the joy of Torah) with a lovely congregation there. Dancing around the building with the Torahs was a blast! Those who've never done such a thing can not begin to understand the wonder and joy it gives. And I have no words to describe it well for you.....We danced, we laughed, we danced some more, we praised Him for His gifts to us, and we met some really wonderful folks. Such a wonderful blessing for us. Our Papa is so good to us!!!

Well, as we start over on our Torah readings, I pray each of you will learn many new things from Papa. May He speak of His love for you, His expectations for your life and His promises to you. Be blessed. Shalom, Spitfire

Shana Tova

2010-09-09T02:31:00.000-05:00

Today starts Rosh Hashanah. This is referred to in the Torah in Leviticus 23 as the feast of Trumpets. It is one of the Holy Convocations Abba commanded us to keep. It's fun! We lit our candles, said our prayers, and ate our food....lots of food! Then we joined a congregation about 3 hours away online. It was great!!!

Many of my non Jewish/Messianic friends will question why we do this? What's the big deal??? Let me explain. In Leviticus 23, it says that this is one of the feasts of YHVH. It's one of the times called a moedim, an appointed time. It begins the 10 days of awe...leading to Yom Kippur. Now some will quickly say we don't have to do this, Yeshua did away with this. After all, it's Old Testament. But I would say to you, please read the passage again....YHVH said it's to be an appointed time for all generations for all time. So then you may say Yeshua did away with it. But Yeshua said Himself He didn't come to do away with the law, but to fullfill it. To take it to a higher level. The blowing of the shofars is to remind us to come back to the Father. It's to remind us that HE wants to meet with us. I know for myself, that if Abba said He wanted to meet with me, I'd want to be there!!!! It's a time in our busy,hectic lives when we get to stop, focus our hearts and thoughts on Him, on the marvelous things He's done for us through out history. It's a time we can come before Him and ask forgiveness for our sins (not that we can't on any other day, but this is a special time with Him), do some repentance (called Teshuva or turn things around) and know that we're forgiven, loved and special to Him.

On the first day of Rosh Hashana, there's a tradition of going to a body of moving water (a lake, a river, whatever) and throw pieces of bread on the water. It symbolizes our sins all being washed away. Now I realize that Yeshua did this for us with His blood. But if you've never tried it, I whole heartedly encourage you to try this. It's amazing!!! You stand on the side of the water, think about the things you did this past year that you'd really like to get rid of. Then take that bread, put those actions/words/activities/whatever figuratively on that piece of bread. Ask Father to forgive you for doing those things, and then (the best part!) throw them out on the water. Watch them for a minute or two and they'll usually sink to the bottom of the water. It's a physical picture of what happens when we pray for forgiveness. And I was amazed the first time we did this how freeing and releasing it is. I've know for many, many years that Papa would forgive me my sins if I asked Him. But seeing it happen, seeing them sinking to the bottom of the lake or river....whew!!! It's powerful. There's a verse that I can't find at the moment (of course) that says Papa takes our sins and places them at the bottom of the sea, as far as the east is from the west. This is just an example of that happening for our eyes and hearts to see. Try it.....you'll like it! ;-)

There's another tradition that says G-d opens three books on this day. Those that are tzaddik (righteous) are written into the book of the righteous. Those that are bad/evil are written into the book of the lost forever. (Don't want my name there!!!!) Those that are kinda on the fence, not really righteous but not really evil, are written in the third book and given 10 days to straighten up. Then on Yom Kippur the names are scribed to the book of the righteous for blessings and long life. Or to the book of the Evil and death both physical and spiritual is their reward. So many Jewish/Hebraic folks will greet each other with Shana Tova. This means may your name be written for good. So my wish for each of you my friends, is Shana Tova. May your names be written for good and may your new year be sweet. Shalom.

School Daze

2010-08-25T22:41:00.000-05:00

Well, we started back to homeschooling this week. Dodi and I had decided that Little Critter and I both needed a break so we took the month of July off from formal teaching (not that informal teaching didn't still occur...but no books and such) and then took the first couple weeks of this month off while I was gathering up and finding all the things I'd need for this year. Little Critter will be doing mostly 5/6th grade work. Whew! Where did the time go?????Seems only two years ago we were learning letters and numbers!

He got to make his first salt map this week....we made a salt map of our state showing the different regions, rivers and escarpments. Oh, and mountains. He made the coolest looking mountains!!! Of course the local pizza place thought I was nuts when I called asking if I could have a large empty pizza box. But, lots of folks think I'm nuts around here. Grin. He drew our state in the bottom of the box, then we mixed the salt dough, colored different parts of it, and then he put it in the box following the drawing he'd made. He did a great job!!! (Ok, the state is a little wonky looking....but we don't live in a state that easy to draw! It's not square or rectangular but bounded on three sides by rivers/mountains/oceans) I'm proud of him!

We also started a study of rocks and minerals. He LOVES rocks...we have tons of them in the house and even more he's brought back from every and any where we've gone. He started collecting rocks at the tender age of 2 and I haven't been able to interest him in anything else....I reckon that means he'll be a rock hound most his life. Not sure yet if this is his bent, but wouldn't be surprised to see him become a geologist, archeologist or rock scientist of some kind. Could be interesting as we learn about other occupations......Grin.

Our Torah study today had the most wonderful phrases in it....I'd like to share. We were reading Isaiah 60:1-22. But the first verse there just grabbed me. It says "Arise! Shine! For your light has come, the glory of YHVH has risen over you!" Isn't that wonderful!?!?! Now, I realize Isaiah was speaking to Yerushalayim,, but those words today just pumped me up so wonderfully! We were sitting here under a cloudy sky (which did not last long nor did it drop one drop of rain on us....pooo)which rather quickly gave way to bright blue sunny skies. (with temps of 108 again!!!!) And as I hung laundry later and fed chickens I couldn't help but think that oh so bright (and hot) sun was His gaze on me. And the warmth of the sun didn't seem so incredibly hot although the thermometer said it was. It was more like the loving gaze of my Papa watching me work. It was comforting. Sometimes it feels like I'm alone. There's no homeschool group near us, most of my friends are not nearby, Dodi knows everyone in town but I'm more in the shadows. You know what I mean? I'm the (now ex)coach's wife....and Little Critter's mom......and my father's daughter....but there's not really anyone nearby I can confide in. Or talk to....or share things with. So that's where you come in...dear readers! I get to share with you the treasures Papa shows me. And it blesses my heart when you comment. I know we're all busy with our lives, but it brightens my day just like the sun today when you comment. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my scribbles here. I pray Papa will speak to you as He did to me this morning. Read His Love Letter to you....It's full of amazing things! Well, have a great week.. I'll try to post something less mundane next week. Shalom.

Month of Elul

2010-08-11T01:58:00.000-05:00

Hi dear friends. Sorry to have been gone so long....it's been hectic. What can I say??? Well, today we began the month of Elul on the Hebrew Calendar. So you ask, what does that mean??? Let me explain...if I can. Elul is the end of the Hebrew Civil calendar. It is the 30 days before we greet Rosh Hashana (the Hebrew New Year for the Civil year)and typically is spent as a time of reflection. So, what do we reflect on, you might ask. We reflect on our thoughts and our actions this past year. Were there things we aren't so proud of in the way we treated others? Were there ways we didn't shine the Father's love into other's world? Did we show any signs of growth in our attempts to be more like Him who created us? And on and on.....you get the idea.

I suppose in a way it's like the Catholic tradition of Lent....only instead of giving up things we reflect, repent for things not done according to Torah (that's called Tashuva)and make sure we're changing those things as best we can. Will we still mess up? Of course. But we try our best to become more and more like our Father by imitating His Son....Yeshua. See Yeshua came to show us that Torah COULD be followed. It really wasn't too hard for us, if we learned to fully rely on and listen to Abba. But in our hard headed, stiff necked ways, we don't like to listen to others or rely on someone else for the things we need/want. So each year, we spend these 30 days and the 10 days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (total 40 days....like Lent) to reflect, to do tashuva (which means more than just repent....we must also change our ways and make restitution if possible for our errors) and prepare our hearts for Father to join with us in celebrating Sukkot. (but more on that next month....grin)

So as I reflect this month, I will find many things I need to change, and then look for His wisdom on how to do that. I have already realized that I will need to tashuva for my neglect of this blog! And of my sweet friends that visit and have their own blogs. I have been remiss about keeping up with my blog writing and reading. Please accept my apologies. I will attempt to do a better job this next year...I can see where this next year is going to be quite full already, but I will do my best to do a better job and be a better friend to you. I see it as a form of respect for you, dear friends. How can I say I'm a friend if you seldom hear from me????Or if I seldom visit you in your places? I can't. I delight in reading your responses to my posts. I enjoy reading the things going on in your spots of the world. And am delighted to correspond with several of you outside the blogs. So I will rearrange my computer time so I can spend more time with you...

Well, we blow the shofar each morning (not too early!!! don't want to irritate the neighbors...)so I need to get a few things finished before I go to bed tonight. I pray each of you will have a blessed and wonderful week, that Papa will speak to your hearts as you reflect on what I've written here....and that your reflections will bring you closer to the One who loves you the most. Shalom

PS. To my Oriental friends, please translate your comments before leaving them.....I haven't figured out how to translate them and post them together yet. I'll keep working on that. And thank you for your comments.

Honoring others

2010-07-23T22:39:00.001-05:00

This week's Torah portion dealt with Deut. 3:23-7:11. It has to do with the Shema (Hear, O Israel, the Lord is your G-d, Adonai is one....") but also with the 10 Words or Commandments. The fifth commandment is the one our commentary took up. For those who can't remember what the 5th commandment is, it says to "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you. (Deuteronomy 5:16)"

The commentary goes on to state the obvious....that today's society teaches our kids that it's more important to be 'cool' and disrespect your parents. I know that while I was still teaching in the public schools, I was horrified to see how many kids (even elementary kids!!!) would back talk and sass their parents. I was reprimanded more than once for stepping in and telling a student that it was disrespectful to talk to their parents that way! (Oh well, the parents were shocked, and grateful, but the principal felt I'd stepped over my 'bounds' while silently agreeing with me.) As this world seems to be hurtling faster and faster to some kind of explosion or perhaps a glorious reappearing, it seems our children are getting worse and worse about not knowing how to honor their parents. It just breaks my heart to see the disrespect shown parents. Even by many in MY generation!!!!! (and we're older than dirt, let me tell ya!!!!!!) Which reminds me, that even though you're grown, does not mean you get a free pass on this one!!! Many times, showing respect for an aging or chronically ill parent is even more difficult, but we're called to do it! After all, without parents, we wouldn't be here.....think about that a minute. Ok, back to the gist of this......

But this does not have to be so. There's an easy fix. If parents will respect each other (I know that's tough in this world of instant divorce and step families, but it CAN be done!!!!) and show that respect in front of the children, it would go miles in teaching our kids how to act. I know Dodi is INCREDIBLE about not allowing Little Critter to diss me. And I in return will put a stop to disrespect towards Dodi in a heartbeat! Not that we 'jump and bash' Little Critter....but we will not allow disrespect. We also crack down on disrespect to any adult!!!! Several of his little friends were shocked when we wouldn't allow them to call us by our first names.
"Why ever not?!?!" , they asked us. We told them that it was a form of respect and that as they got older, and had to deal with bosses and co workers, it would stand them in good stead. These kinds of manners would help them get ahead, be treated better than others, and give them far more friends. They were surprised. Now, these are 9-11 year olds. Why were we having to teach this idea to them?????Because parents had not. Shame on those parents. We can no longer expect our kids to learn manners in school, or one hour of church. As parents, it's our responsibility and DUTY to teach our children. Can we demand honor and respect? Of course not. If we treat them like dirt, they of course will have no respect for us. But if we treat them as the amazing gift from YHVH that they are, teaching them to honor and respect us will be fairly easy. And if they can honor and respect us, it's easy to honor and respect others....and if that happens, well, the blessings WILL flow to them! YHVH promised. So let's be sure we're teaching our kids HOW to honor others...not just with words, but with actions. And while we're teaching our children, let's not forget all those children in our sphere of influence. If each of us teach our children, and 3 of their friends, we could easily make a major difference in the attitudes of this world. What an amazing idea! So as you contemplate my ideas here, and ask Papa to show you His truth, don't forget to look for the blessings He's given you. You'll find them gathered around your table, living in your house and taking flight from your nest. Be sure you thank Him for them.....they are truly an amazing blessing. Now teach them well. Shabbat Shalom, Spitfire

The power of our words......

2010-07-17T15:37:00.001-05:00

This week's Torah portions contained several mentions on the power of our words. It talked about how the Israelites took the words of the 10 spies who didn't think YHVH was big enough to clear out the 'giants' in the Promised Land.(Deut. 1) And then in Isaiah, it talked about how YHVH was so angry with the children of Israel that He was turning His back on them. That they refused to "come now, let us talk this over together." (Isaiah 1:10a) These were both kinda sad commentaries on the children of Israel and their faith in their Papa. Then we read Acts 1-2, and there's further talking about talking....and the words people use, even speaking languages they don't know. And then it hit me!

We all tend to think of our words as no big deal. They're just little puffs of air that are gone as soon as we say them. But these words spoken so many years ago were written down and we get to read them now....several hundred years later!!! So perhaps our words are more important than we think. Well, I stewed on that idea for a bit, then got a book I'd ordered for us to read as a family. It's called Positive Word Power..The Torah's Wisdom on Human Interaction for daily study. As we read the first study in there, guess what it was about...you got it. The power of our words! So now I realized I was on the right track about the Torah portion for this past week....

Well, this book presented an idea I found fascinating and more than scary at the same time. It proposed that since Adam was brought to live by the breathe of Yah, we all have a breathe of Yah in us. And each word we speak uses a little of that breath, sending His breathe out into the world around us. That means the words we speak have the power of either life or death in them. Whew! That's scary! So as Dodi and I tried to explain this a little more to Little Critter, I came up with an analogy that helped he and I both understand it better. I told him it was like our words are bricks. Each time we speak to someone, we have to think....am I saying something that will bury that person under these bricks? Or will my words serve to build a protective wall for them to help stop the harsh, unthinking words of myself and others? And which words would you want to be known for? Does that make sense? It did to Little Critter. He understood what we were getting at. Now, I'm not saying Little Critter buries folks with his cruel, harsh words. But it's something we all need to work on. There's far more times than I want to even think about that I'm tired, not feeling well, or stressed that I'm sure I buried my loved ones under the bricks of my words...with their sharpness, or impatience, or out and out meanness. sigh..... But now, like the disciples in Acts 1 &2, I know the power of my words. I know now how much I need to lean on Papa for wisdom to know when to speak and when to stay silent. So I can attempt to unbury those I've hurt with my words, and attempt with His help to not make the same mistakes again. In this way, even I can help make the world a better place...one word at a time.

So as you think about what I've written, may my words be balm to your souls, healing to your wounds, and a path to help you on your journey through this life. Shalom.

Here I am!

2010-07-11T01:46:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it again.....it's been about a month since I posted anything. I'm sorry dear friends. I have no real excuse....just didn't have much to say. Let me catch you up on things here. We took time to go to Grandma's house the middle of June. I hate the drive to Grandma's.....roughly 6 hours. But I love visiting my in-laws. They're wonderful folks. This time was a little harder than normal though. The girls that we had as foster girls for 1/2 a year were not there much (back with their mother) so Little Critter was lonely for them. Budget was tight so not much shopping for me to get to do....bummer! And that means there's not much to do but watch the grass grow and sit in front of the TV with Grandma. ARGGGGGG. Usually I take plenty of books, handwork and movies for us to watch, but silly me left the bag with all that stuff in it here at the house while we were there. And since my in-laws are not Torah observant, there was the usual difficulties with Shabbat and such. But we're used to that. All in all, it was a nice visit. We were there in time for Grandma's birthday, and one of the sisters-in-law had a big party for her at sister's house. There was food out the bazoo and we were at her private pond so it was beautiful. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera. ARGGGGH again!
Little Critter was great with his 4 yo cousin...he loaded her fishing pole with about eleventy million worms and 'helped' her fish for hours. It was so funny. He put the worm on the hook, hand her the pole, she'd hold it about three minutes then hand it back and run off. When he'd catch a fish, he'd yell "Gabby, you caught a fish!" She'd come running while he'd reel the fish up to the bank, and then hand her the pole to pull the fish onto the bank. She'd show everyone her fish, then hand it all back to Little Critter to take the fish off the hook and throw it back so they could repeat the process. They did this for about 3 hours!!!!!!! It was SO cute!!!!!

Fourth of July (a couple weeks later) we fixed burgers and dogs for Papa. We also took some home made ice cream that Little Critter made. (Fresh cherry! Yumm!!!!) While eating, we watched the movie 1776. I LOVE that show!!!!! Then met Papa and Brother in law at the park for the city fireworks. Due to rain, there was no music this year which was disheartening. But the fireworks were spectacular!!!!!! Then we went home and watched the DC fireworks with the Boston Pops on TV. The fireworks were great, but I was totally bummed when they didn't have the Boston Pops play the 1812 overture for the finale. They've always done that and it just makes your heart soar! This time they used inane PC music that really hurt my feelings. Sigh...all our wonderful traditions being changed....poop! The next morning the cub scout troop (both boys that are still active!!!) met and we cleaned up all the exploded fireworks mess. Little Critter even found several that still had the wicks in them with unexploded caps!!!!! We disarmed them of course. It was a lot of work for the two boys, but of course we helped and we got it done quickly. One of the major perks was we got to bring home all the used 1/2 lumber they'd used for the fireworks. So far, Little Critter (with a very little help from Dodi) built me a corner shelf to put out by our pool so we can listen to music while in the pool. He did a GREAT job on it!!!! Next, he's going to work on a chicken tractor for us. I'll try to get pics.

Then the week after the Fourth, I had to have oral surgery. YUCK! I'm allergic to local anesthetics so don't like dentists much to start with. But this time there was no avoiding it. One tooth had roots that had gotten tangled in the nerves that control my face....and the root was being strangled so was rotting. My whole face hurt most the time, I could hardly eat anything, and was starting to have trouble with paralysis/cramping in my face. Needless to say, with my allergy to locals, this was a trip to the oral surgeon. He put me out, told Dodi he used an anesthetic that wears off quickly so I'd have to have pain pills within 2 hours of surgery. Silly Dr. He didn't know me well......3 1/2 days later when I finally figured out which planet I was on and who I was I really didn't need any pain meds. Yes, I said 3 1/2 days later! Poor Dodi was trying to keep fluids in me, (all I could eat), feed himself and Little Critter and then explain to Little Critter why Mommy was so odd. Thank goodness Shabbat was not with our congregation that Friday!!!! I was still half dopey, so we ate really simply here at home. Dodi was beside himself trying to figure out how to make the challah....Little Critter was trying to help, but I don't have a recipe. At least it's not written down. And I don't usually measure things, so Little Critter was having a mell of a hess trying to explain amounts he'd seen me use to Dodi. I walked in, figured out what the problem was, and salvaged what they'd started. But I goofed too. I thought I'd picked up the flax seed, poured it in, then discovered it was Gluten!!!! I poured in about double the normal amount. oops. Did I mention those were GOOD drugs the surgeon used?!?!?! Anyway, the bread was extraordinarily light and only tasted a little bit strange. So there's proof YHVH loves me!!!!!! LOL!

So as you can see, we've been blessed. We got to share in Grandma's birthday party, still keep our traditions in a modified way, saw outstandingly beautiful fireworks twice, and even got to enjoy challah that had to be made by Yah Himself.....No one else could have straightened out the mess we were making of it!!!!! And I finally found my way back to the land of the living on the same planet with those I love. What a wonderful month it's been. So did you have a blessed month? I pray you each had blessings you couldn't begin to count. Yah willing I'll be back in a few days with pics and more to share. In the meantime, look around you. I"m sure Papa sends you love letters everyday....several a day in fact. Take the time to look for them. He loves you, you know. Be blessed. Shalom, Spitfire

Harvest time.

2010-06-04T15:50:00.001-05:00

I realize it's been a couple weeks since I last posted, but I thought I'd share why.....This is Little Critter with two of our zucchini. And no, we didn't forget to go out and pick them.....they got this big in two days! One day they're just little teeny things, then the next day, they're ginormous!!!!!!(That's a contraction between gigantic and enormous...for those of you in Loma Linda.)

And lest you think it's just our zucchini, our crook neck squash, cucumbers, and green beans are about the same sizes. I've already put up 6 gallons of green beans....after we gave Rabbi 2 pints. (we first fruit the first of each of our fruits and veggies.....easier to do it as they come ready than to try to keep track of it at the end of the harvests.) Plus my dill, garlic, onions, and cucumbers are doing the same thing to us! So I've been up to my ears in canning, freezing, pickling, and cooking.

We kinda expected a larger than normal harvest since this is the sixth year we've planted. Biblically this means that we do NOT plant anything next year so the land can have it's Shabbat (Sabbath). So Torah tells us that means the sixth year we'd have a harvest big enough to last us until harvest time on the eighth year. It just never really dawned on me what that really meant....or how many veggies that would be! But we'll get it all put up, eaten up or given away.

It's amazing how when we follow the instructions in Papa's love letter to us how much He blesses us. I pray dear readers, that you know how much He loves you and wants to bless you also. If you don't know Papa, I'd be honored to tell you about Him. I know He loves you enough that He died for you....So have a great week and until next time. Shalom.

A debt we can't repay......

2010-05-31T03:07:00.000-05:00

All across this land, there are hundreds of thousands of people who owe a debt they can not repay. Who would be those folks? It would be each of us who live in freedom and (at least) relative safety in the United States of America. Today, we remember all those brave men and women thru the years who gave all they had even including their lives to protect us and our country. Yeshua said "No greater love is this, that a man would give up his life for a friend." And over the years, there have been thousands and thousands of these brave service men and women who fought for us. They loved their country enough to write a blank check saying they'd give their all to protect this land. And they paid that check with their lives.

Three of our foster boys were in the military. I know the sacrifices they and their families make. I know what it's like to get phone calls in the middle of the night from a child who is half way around the globe from home and suddenly is so lonely, sick, or frightened they can't help themselves and call home knowing they'll be waking Mom and Dad up...but doing it anyway because they just HAD to hear those voices and comforting words. I know how it feels to just KNOW your child is in danger, and there's nothing you can do but pray for them and wait for that phone call that tells you they're OK. The panic when you realize a birthday or special holiday is only 2 weeks away and you haven't mailed the package overseas to your child. The pain of a hearing a child call and tell you how alone he feels so far from home or how he's struggling with doing those things he knows are right when he's surrounded by the wrong things to do.....and only being able to use words to comfort and support them. I can only imagine the loneliness of the wives who now have to do everything themselves for 6months or more...with no relief. (although that would be much like football season for me)or the pain of the children that will never know what a great Mom or Dad they had......

And I know there's NO way I can repay the debt I owe these families, men and women who have given up so much to protect my family and I. To protect this country even to the point of giving their lives for us. So I take this time to honor them, to thank them for their sacrifices and courage. And to ask Papa to bless the families left behind...Thank you Military people. You are a good portion of what makes this country great!!!And I'm proud of the example you've set for my still young son. You've taught him patriotism with your actions far better than I can ever do...I owe you a debt I can never repay. Thank you for your courage, your selflessness, and your love of your fellow man. May YHVH bless your families. Shalom.

An award-how cool!

2010-05-17T01:24:00.001-05:00

One of my homeschool friends gave me this award. Isn't that cool?! I love the flower on this award....I love orange flowers. They're unusual and always beautiful. Doesn't Papa do great work?! LOL!

Well, I suppose this means I should write something cheerful and sunny, eh? This past week has been kinda tough...although not really in a bad way. I put up 4 qts of green beans, (gave one to Rabbi for first fruits), 3 gallons of spinach, made up three trays of zucchini pizzas, found a new recipe and made scalloped zucchini, a huge batch of yellow squash sauteed with onions, garlic and butter, and still have 10 zucchini sitting on my counter waiting for me to put them up. We now need to repick green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, dill, parsley, onions and broccoli and cucumbers. Whew! So while it's been really tough, it's in a good way. This is our sixth year to plant, so we expected a large crop.....just didn't think it would all come ready at the same time! LOL! For those wondering what the sixth year has to do with it, let me explain. In Torah, it tells us that just as we are to have our weekly Shabbot, and our harvest Sabboths (at Pesach or Passover, Shavuot or Pentecost and Sukkot or Tabernacles) and our Jubliee years (every 50th year), the land is to have a Shabbot every 7th year. So you plant on the sixth year, do NOT plant on the 7th year and let the land rest, then plant again on the 8th year. And YHWH promised the land would produce enough on the sixth year to last until the harvest on the 8th year. So we expected a large crop of veggies this year, but whew!!!! I even have lettuce coming up from last year!!!! And our blackberries we planted in March are fruiting!!!!! Isn't Papa wonderful!?! Just as His Love Letter to us says, we're having a HUGE crop and if I can just figure out how to put everything up, we'll have veggies for the next year easily! I'm just blown away by His blessings to us.

What was that? Where in Torah does it say that? Well, silly me. I'm sorry. You can find this commandment in Leviticus 25:1-7. Now I know many folks will say they are under grace and not law....that the "Old Testament" doesn't apply to them. But I would respectfully ask those who think this way to reread the Book of Leviticus. You'll find several places in there where it says "this is to be for all generations". I believe we're one of those "all generations." Also, while I agree that our sins are covered by the Grace of Yah, I don't know that I understand what you are using to do away with the "Old Testament". Yeshua said He didn't come to do away with the Law (poor translation, really said Torah which means instruction) but to bring it to fruition. He was a Jewish Rabbi.....don't you think it would be a really bad example if He didn't follow Torah?! Well, those are just my thoughts. Please feel free to respectfully explain your thoughts if you so desire.

Now, if I understand this award, I need to pass it on to some of you! How cool is that?!?! So here goes, I joyfully pass this award on to:

1.Conservative Outrage-
Pops does a great job on his blog and is such a sweetie!
2.ahavah-Emunah
Ahavah has another blog that will lift your spirits and often make you giggle!
3.hadassahthetraveler
Hasassah is such an inspiration! How this woman does all she does is amazing!!!!
4.ohboomoments
Nanc is a hoot and a half! If you don't giggle at her site, you need to check your giggler! She's a joy!!!!
5.Skippy
This friend of mine is kinda new at blogging, but is doing a great job. I'm proud of him as he searches his way to fulfilling YHWH's plan for his life.
6. Is It Only For Jews?
This is another friend who's a bit new to blogging, but is doing a great job! I'm impressed with his energy.

I have a couple of other folks I'd love to give an award to, but they haven't blogged for several weeks or months....so James, Chris, Malcontent, Gayle and Abouna....know you're winners in my book!!!

So I hope each of you have a great week, are blessed beyond belief and take the time to find those little Love Letters Papa sends each of us daily to remind us how much He loves us. Shalom.

A Time to Contemplate

2010-04-29T22:19:00.001-05:00

This past weekend was the Dewberry Festival here in Small Town USA. It was a time to show off recipes using Dewberries (like a wild blackberry kinda) which was really silly since they don't ripen around here for another three weeks or so. But be that as it may, we had our Festival. There were vendors of all kinds trying to sell jewelry, knit goods, t shirts (many of which bordered on vulgar!), leather goods, more jewelry, makeup, yard art, you name it it was most likely out there. There was a car show going on and lots of visiting with folks from town that you maybe didn't get to see often. Oh, and can't forget the chili cookoff!!! That was going on on the other side of the pond. But at the pond. Now, let me tell you, there was some serious work going on. Every year at the Dewberry Festival, they have a kids fishing contest. The above pic is Little Critter doing his imitation of Huckleberry Finn. There were over 400 kids under the age of 16 out there at this one fairly small pond. All seriously trying to catch the biggest or the longest fish in their age category. All striving to win the coveted trophy saying they'd caught the biggest or longest fish for this year. What bragging rights!!!!!

Dodi and I were sitting there watching and helping several of the kids that didn't have parents nearby or whose parents were busy talking and didn't notice when Jr got his line all tangled up with 4 other kids' lines. We'd patiently walk over, show them how to easily uncross the lines and not have to cut everything off and leave a mess behind. We spent 4 hours doing this. It was hysterically funny at times. Those kids, especially the 8-10 yo boys, wanted so badly to know everything......and often didn't know anything. But as we'd try to explain or show them how to fix their problems, the little faces would glow with pride as they fixed it "all by themselves!" and the grins would stretch from ear to ear. It made me stop a couple times and wonder if that's how Papa feels sometimes. Here we are trying so hard to act like we know how to act, when in reality we don't often have a clue. Then He gently, patiently explains and shows us how we should/could/ought to do things and we feel so proud of ourselves because we figured it out 'all by ourselves!" I wonder if He often has a grin hidden behind pinched lips or a twinkle in His eye when we get so excited about the obvious. Does He also get a warm fuzzy feeling in His heart when we finally remember to thank Him for helping us out and for encouraging us to continue trying? I wonder.

One of the organizers of the whole affair told Dodi and I later that we'd been really good with those boys. (At one point we had 10 of the little wormy creatures all crowded around our chairs! All asking either Dodi to fix their bobbers or me to help them put the worms on the hooks. My least favorite thing to do of course. But I did it...while showing them how to do themselves!!!!! I certainly don't want to be known as the County Worm Lady!!!!!!LOL!) We were a little startled by the organizers comment. We'd only treated them all like they were our kids....isn't that what we're supposed to do? " Love one another, as I have loved you" Wasn't that hard to do.....even if I did have to hook 6 cans of worms.....yuck! Something to contemplate as you go into the weekend.....how many ways DO you show you love Him? Do you love others as He's loved you? Do you love Him enough to follow His commandments? Think about it. I look forward to seeing what you think. Shabbat Shalom to all my Torah observant friends....and have a great weekend to those who aren't.

Spring 2010

2010-04-25T00:09:00.000-05:00

Well, spring is finally in the air here in Central Texas. This is a pic of Little Critter hiding in the blue bonnets just west of town. Of course, I couldn't get the little worm to smile for me......"Mom, the grass itches." "Mom, cars are slowing down to watch us!!!" "Mom, I think there's an ant on my foot" "Mom, do I have to lie down in the grass?!" Sheesh!!!! It was so much easier when he was still little. Sigh.

We had a series of storms come thru the last few days that were a bit scary, but I'm glad to say we all survived. Although when we called Dragon Lady after the last storm hit this week, they were in the cellar waiting for the worst of the storm to finish passing them by. (She lives within 4 miles of our house.) We had some serious wind, but they got the hail. Oh boo. This could put a real cramp in our 'gleaning' of their wheat fields for Shavuot (Pentecost) in a few weeks. Double oh boo!!!! We'll just have to wait and see what YHWH has in store for us.

I hope each of you are having a wonderful spring. We've got fresh veggies growing in the garden, (will try to get a pic of that soon to post), the chicks are pretty much all laying eggs for us (fresh eggs, doesn't get much better than that!) and there's flowers in my pots on the porch. (Now if I can keep from killing them all, life will truly be great!!! LOL!)

Tax season officially ends next week, although I still have a couple overseas returns that automatically have a 90 day extension to work on and a couple of folks who filed extensions till Aug 15. But that will just give me things to do over the summer to stay out of trouble. We had the end of season dinner tonight at a local restaurant, and my boss made it official that this was his last end of the season dinner. Next year, it'll be me in charge. So, yes, later this year (contracts are signed in October) it looks like I'll join the ranks of the self employed. Boy that's a scary idea!!!! But Dodi and I both feel it's what we're called to do right now. So, if Papa wants me to run that tax office as owner instead of manager....who am I to say "No Way?!" We'll see how it goes. It's biting off a bit more than I really had intended for this time of my life, but I also know He knows far better than I what I should be doing so I'll follow His lead.

Well, sweet friends, I pray protection over each of you as we go thru the rest of the tornado season and head into the hurricane season....from one storm to another. But I know Who holds us in His hands, and know His presence is there for each of us to cling to in the midst of each storm. May He bless and keep each of you, make His face to shine on you and give you His shalom. Amen. Spitfire

Snow in Central Texas

2010-04-08T00:42:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of Little Critter with the snow man he and Dodi built. Please notice his leek for a nose...we didn't have any large carrots, and that was all I could find to use for his nose. LOL! He has prunes for eyes and mouth and somehow I think the raisins for his buttons disappeared....most likely into Little Critter's mouth! Oh, and the little snowball that appears to be floating in the air, is a snowball Little Critter put into the 'y' of Snowman's hand so it would look like Snowman was throwing a snowball at me. Here in Central Texas, we so seldom get enough snow to build snowmen that this was a HUGE deal around here. The schools closed early (at 2:00) and almost everything in town closed between noon and 3pm. By morning, it was all gone and life went back to almost normal...whatever that means. But for one delightful afternoon, we were in a winter wonderland.

Now, me being a lizard type person, I'm not a real fan of cold and snow and such. But this was a blast! We made snow angels, built several snow people, slid down the small hill in the yard, tried to track critters in the snow, threw snowballs at each other and just overall had a blast. I almost hated to see it melt so quickly. (Yes, I said almost....remember, I hate being cold!!!!) Neighbors came by looking at and taking pictures of the snow people, everyone was laughing and having fun. There seemed to be no ugliness or rudeness or pettiness anywhere around. It made me think how wonderful it will be when Yeshua comes back and cleans all the ugliness and filth from this world. Whew! What a wonderful place this will be!!!!

So I thank Papa for this lovely glimpse into the delights that await. And now must get back to my quiet time with Him....lots to do tomorrow and better get my instructions first. May each of you be blessed. Shalom, Spitfire

Purim 2010

2010-04-05T02:12:00.000-05:00

Well, I said I had several great pics to share and lots to catch up on....so let's start with Purim! For those who don't know about Purim, it's also called the Feast of Esther. It's found in the book of Esther in the Tanak (Bible). This was the first year we got to celebrate it with others, and it was a blast!!!! Notice the costumes? Well, I was so busy getting everyone else's pictures that I have none of myself....or Little Critter......or Dodi. Nanc, I think this qualifies as an Oh Boo moment, eh?! Little Critter wanted to dress as King Xerxes, Dodi went as Mordecai, and I was Esther. I sewed my little fingers raw getting new costumes for us, but it was SO worth it!!! We found curtains on sale at Pier I for the tunics for Dodi and I in fabulous colors and materials that cost us next to nothing. For Little Critter, we found some wonderfully regal cotton material at a local fabric store and I wove some cording in different colors for the boys' belts. (Mine was the same fabric as my tunic). I also found a beautiful sheer curtain at a dollar store to use for my veil and sewed little golden coins all along the bottom of it. It was incredible.

We were driving home from services the week before Purim when Little Critter popped off and told Dodi "Daddy, Mommy is my queen!" Of course my little mommy heart started to swell with pride. Dodi quickly said, "No, she's my queen because I'm married to her. She's your Mommy." I'm trying to shush Dodi, when Little Critter pops off again saying "But you're only Mordecai, I'm King Xerxes. That makes her my queen even if she is old!" I almost spit my coffee on the inside windshield. He had Dodi there......the little worm!!!!

OK, so we may have a bit of work to do on tact.....but he understands the story of Esther!!!! Well, I'll leave you with that grin on your face. (Don't deny it, I know you're grinning....it's OK. I laughed too after I finished chocking on my coffee.) In all fairness, Little Critter did (rather quickly I might add) admit he didn't mean that the way it sounded....after Dodi made a comment about no dessert for Little Critter. Giggle.

Have a great and blessed week For my Torah observant friends, may your counting of the Omar be uplifting and enlightening. For my other friends, be blessed. I pray for all of you. Shalom, Spitfire

Scout Sabbath 2010

2010-03-10T01:25:00.000-06:00

I realize I've been far too quite for far too long, but please allow me to indulge my Momma's heart here for a bit. The above picture was taken on Scout Sabbath....2-13-2010. That's a picture of our Rabbi presenting Little Critter with his Aleph pin in front of the whole congregation. (The big guy in the Tallit or prayer shawl is Dodi. Isn't he gorgeous!?! Giggle.) Anyway, it took Little Critter and I a little over a year for him to earn this pin for Cub Scouts. He worked really hard at it. (So did Mom....well, someone had to learn the Hebrew before I could teach it to Little Critter!!!!!) And I was SO proud of him as he stood in front of everyone, in his uniform (I just LOVE a man in uniform.......sigh) and received his pin and then quoted the Boy Scout promise. To earn this religion pin, Little Critter had to learn the Hebrew names of all seven of the Feasts found in Leviticus, draw pictures of menorah, lulavs, sukka, mezuzah, demonstrate the ability to read some Hebrew (I know Rabbi was gentle with him on that one! We learned to read Genesis 1:1...that was all we could handle!!!!) research and write about 3 different famous American Jews and learn two prayers in Hebrew. Whew! Did I mention he really worked hard at this?!

Well, I hope to have a couple more posts before too long. I've got some great pics to share, but right now it's late and I'm tired. Tax season is almost over, so it won't be too long before I'll be back to blogging more regularly. So many cool things to share and so many blogs to read. I keep trying to check on all your blogs as often as I can.....but it's not as regular as it was before tax season. Please forgive me my friends. I promise to do better after tax season ends. Well, I better get ready for bed....it's after 1am and I have to work again in the morning. I pray for each of you daily and think fondly of you each. Take care and Shalom. Spitfire

A New Year for Trees

2010-01-25T01:48:00.000-06:00

Well, dear friends, I've made it thru the first three weeks of tax season and I'm still kicking! (Just barely some days, but kicking just the same. LOL!) Things will be more than hectic for a few more weeks and then they'll slow down to a more reasonable rate. So please hang in there with me.

This week we have Tu' B'Shuvat. That's Hebrew for "the fifteenth of Shuvat". This is the eleventh month of the Hebrew year and the 29th of this month (which is the 15th of Shuvat) is the day we start over on figuring out what we're to tithe from our trees produce for giving to YHWH. Now, since there isn't a Tabernacle in Jerusalem anymore, we really don't have to count out a tithe and send it to Yerushalyim. But it's also when we plant new trees. Dodi would like to get a couple olive trees, but I don't think they'll grow here in our area. Our second choice would be a pomegranate tree. Little Critter and I LOVE to eat pomegranate. So it'll be fun to search out a new tree for our yard. (not to mention figuring out where we have room to plant another tree!!!!)

For Shabbat this week, our congregation is planning all sorts of wonderful foods made from things from trees. I'm planning on making some old fashioned Kolaches with apricot and prune fillings, pear and pomegranate salad (it's wonderful!!!!) some date logs and possibly a walnut encrusted fish to go with our salad and barley soup. Oh, and I was asked to make cinnamon sticks for the congregation. So I have lots of cooking to do this week just for Shabbat. I wonder what I'll cook for our meals this week.....hmmm. Forgot to think that close to home....worried more about getting everything I'd need for Shabbat. Oh boo!

Our scouts will be having their car races. Little Critter has done a really good job on his car....in my humble opinion. And my little cubs all made some great looking cars. It'll be interesting to see who wins the races. I'll try to get a pic of Little Critter's car after the race and post it. He did it himself with Dodi only helping him put the tires on. And I helped him draw the letter Zayin on the trunk. It's also the number 7 which was the number he wanted his car to have but he wanted it in Hebrew. He even took one of the little Star of David's we used at Hanukkah that missed being put up and placed it on the front of his car. It really looks cool!

All other things are going well. Work is busy, but really going quite smoothly. Still a little trouble with our afternoon receptionist, but she's young (really young) and a bit immature. So I'll have to continue doing some retraining on how to deal with folks with her. But the rest of it's going well. Wow, I don't know what's going on outside, but that's the third set of sirens I've heard going nearby. I'd better get off here and start praying hard for the emergency personnel and whoever they're going after. Ya'll have a great week, be blessed and don't forget to thank Papa for the beautiful and varied trees He made for us. I'll try to post again before next week, but no promises. Shalom. Spitfire

Prayers for Haiti

2010-01-15T01:45:00.000-06:00

By now everyone has heard about the earthquake in Haiti....even if you've been under a rock somewhere hibernating you've had to have heard about it! It will start to really get bad down there in the next few days if the aid workers can't get in there to start the rebuilding/rescuing. I'd ask all to pray for the victims and their families. I'd also like to ask all my dear readers to say a few extra prayers for Francios. He's an orphan down in Haiti that we supported for several years. We had to withdraw our support 3 years ago when we had the twins living with us but we've continued to pray for Francios. He lived in an orphanage just outside Port Au Prince. He's the same age as Little Critter....9. We've been able to find out from the website that the orphanage is in pretty good shape, but haven't been able to find anything out about Francios. He lived in the mountains at one the orphanage's other buildings....some of those collapsed. We're praying Francios is well and that Papa would keep the terrors away from him...and I ask that you join us in that prayer.

I've now made it through the first two weeks of tax season. It's been busy, but really pretty enjoyable! I love my job....both of them. Little Critter is having a little trouble adjusting to having to get up early and do his work more independently than normal, but he's adjusting. He's used to sitting at the kitchen table with me and he works on his work while I work on my work....usually working on future lesson plans, writing letters or sewing. Now, he has to sit in the back room and I'm up front usually with either a client at my desk, or a pile of paperwork to get done for the office. I miss getting to hear from everyone, but realize this is for a season....and it's a relatively short season! So now I'm thinking and praying for each of you and hoping things are going great for you. Let me know you're all OK if you have time. I try to check your blogs on the weekends....but sometimes don't say anything. So take care and I'll try to post as I can. Shalom, Spitfire

PS LM-thanks for the update. I was beginning to think we'd lost you! Grin. Looking forward to hearing more about your survival blog.

2010 begins....and a note to my friends

2010-01-02T12:25:00.000-06:00

Sure hope everyone had a great holiday season. We had a great Hanukkah! Lots of food, fun and family time. We also had a great time with both families. Just returned from the hinterlands where we spent almost a week with the in-laws and Little Critter got spoiled rotten!!! (It'll take me weeks to unspoil him! Oy vey!) MIL was so sweet, she cooked for us several nights up there and kept asking if her menu was acceptable to us. Bless her heart, I know from experience, that trying to cook healthy food that's both Kosher AND on Dodi's diet is a trick!!! But she did a good job. Of course there were far too many carbs, but we adapted. We also got to see some snow! It was after dark, so hard to see, but I went out and played in big, wet, gloppy snowflakes until I was soaking wet and freezing cold. (Being a lizard by nature that didn't take long.....oh boo!)

Now we're home again and getting ready for school to restart, tax season to begin and all the great things Papa has planned for us for this year. I predict things will get more and more crazy in the world around us, the economy will most likely NOT get alot better for the time being, and there will be plenty of things to really make my blood boil if I let it. (I've read the back of the book....it could get downright scary for a bit! You should read it too....just know the 'good guys' win, the 'calvary' comes in just the right moment and things WILL get better....eventually) But I propose to remain as calm as my nature will allow as I let Papa handle things as only He can. I propose to do all I can to make my little space in this world as peaceful and loving as I possibly can....knowing Nana, dear sister and asundry others will make that as difficult as possible. LOL! But Papa calls me to love Him with all my heart, mind, soul and strength...and to love my neighbors as myself. So all I can do is my best to live up to that mitzvot (commandment).

My wish for all my readers, friends and family is that this year 2010, will see all of you so covered in Papa's love that you not only grow closer to Him with every breath you take, but are so covered in His blessings you can't hold them all and have to share them with others. May each one know His love, His word, His rest as you follow your journeys towards Him. And may His plans for each of us come to fruition so that we each become more and more the people He ordained us to be before the beginning of time. Shalom my friends.

OH, PS....I almost forgot. I need to warn you that my posts may continue to be rather sporadic for the next few months. I am not only the office manager, lead tax preparer but also owner in training of a tax office. And tax season has begun here in the US. So I'll be working horrible hours, while continuing to homeschool Little Critter, keep the house as best I can, and still take care of my folks and cousin. So my life will become hectic on steroids for a few months.. I love what I do (especially during the 'off season' which is after April 15th. LOL!), I'm good at it, and Dodi and I both feel this is where Papa wants us to be right now. So if I'm not here as often, don't fret....feel free to leave messages, and I'll answer as I can or email me. Again, it may take a couple days to hear back from me, but I WILL get back to you. I'll be praying for you daily as I always do and will post as I can. So enjoy these winter/spring months and I'll be back ASAP.
Pops, that means you take care of yourself!!!! Don't make me have to come fuss at you!!!!! There's still adventure out there for you Honey.. enjoy the adventure. I'll be checking on you....and praying for you.
Gayle, don't work so hard! Enjoy the life you have....it's a great life! Come see me, I miss you!!!
AOW, hug Mr. AOW for Little Critter and I and know we still pray for you both.
Abouna...do NOT let the turkeys get you down...you know what's coming and it will be good in the end!
Skippy, keep writing...you're doing a great job and don't worry about your needs. Papa WILL supply them!!!! Keep searching, looking and knocking. He'll answer you. If we can help, just call!
Nanc, darling girl, you keep being you and know I'll be here if you need me Sweetie. You are a jewel!!!
Ahava, I'll be checking on you....and fussing if necessary. You take care of yourself Sweetheart. You're precious...to me and to HIM!
Local Malcontent, I miss hearing from you dear friend. Hope you're well. I pray for you and Leti daily and know He'll take care of you both....and Dillon too!
Christopher, I haven't seen anything from you in months....I pray your health issues aren't preventing you from posting. You have wonderful things to share and there's tons of folks who need your wisdom. Be blessed.
Quiet Life, I pray things are easier for you now that husband is home and that you're having the time of your life! I enjoy your occasional posts and pray His blessings on you and your family. And thanks to your husband for keeping us safe and doing what he does! He's awesome and you're more awesome for being a military wife!!!!I know how hard that is, and the sacrifices you make on a daily basis. Thank you for being you.
If I missed anyone, please forgive me....I'm only on my second cup of coffee and not functioning well yet. Just know you're prayed for and wished all His best for you. Shalom

Happy Hanukkah!!!!

2009-12-11T18:23:00.000-06:00

Happy Hanukkah Everyone! Tonight at sundown starts the beginning of eight days of Hanukkah. Boy am I ready for this!!! It's a celebration...for eight days we celebrate....lots of food, fun, playing games, food, singing songs, food, family, food, friends, food, laughter....did I mention food?! We'll eat for days!!!

Some of you may not know what this is all about...I posted a guest post on ABNPoppa's blog, but I'll try to explain it here too. This is a typically Jewish Festival. We've been doing this Festival for about 8 years now. And I have to be honest. To my Christian friends that don't celebrate this, I'm sorry. You're really missing a great celebration! Let me explain what led us to start doing this....I can do that in one word: G-d! Well, I better do 'some splaining' to quote Ricky Ricardo of I love Lucy fame.

About 200 BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes was king of Syria. He was a Greek Hellenist. He also controlled all of Judea and Samaria. (Northern Israel) Being a Hellenist, Antiochus believed in the 'if it feels good, do it' train of thought. And he also worshiped the Greek gods. For several years that didn't really affect the Judeans (the Jews)until he began making laws making the practice of Judaism illegal. This began a bit of grumbling but some Jews tried to fit in by becoming more Hellenistic themselves. When Antiochus took over the Holy Temple in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), and decided to slaughter a pig on the altar...well, let's just say it didn't go over well. There was a priest nearby named Mattithius who had 5 sons...and they were NOT happy campers!!! In fact, they led a major revolt against the entire Greek Army! After Mattithius died, his son Judah the Macabee (the hammer) took over and continued the revolt. It took them two years, but this little band of really hacked off Jews defeated the entire Greek Army and won Yerushalayim back. Pretty incredible, huh. A bunch of farmers, shepherds and lowly craftsmen, banded together beat the Greek Army with all it's weapons.

Well, the first thing this group of Macabees did was to clean and prepare the Holy Temple (which I believe was built by King Solomon) so that YHWH could dwell there again. They cleaned the Temple, remade the altar, remade the Holy implements and went to relight the Holy Menorah (a large seven branched candelabra) when they discovered there was only one small jar of sanctified oil for the Menorah. Oy Vey!! What's a good Jewish boy to do?! Well, gather up plenty of olives, and make oil of course! So they did. This was a time consuming process that takes about 8 days to complete....and then a priest had to sanctify it. So when they returned to the Temple with it's wonderful Menorah made of gold as commanded to Moses hundreds of years before....figuring they'd have to relight everything....LOOK! The Menorah was still lit! All 7 bowls of oil were STILL burning!!!!! A mighty miracle took place there! So quick, let's have a celebration! And this is where the celebration of today gets the 8 days of celebrating....

Now, move forward to Yeshua's time, and check out John 10:22. It says Yeshua (Jesus) was in Yerushalayim for the Festival of Dedication...This means Yeshua (Jesus) celebrated Hanukkah also. Which only makes sense when you remember that He was a Jew...raised by Jewish parents in a Jewish household. And His followers were Jews also. So of course they'd celebrate Hanukkah. It's great fun! And have I mentioned the food??? But I digress.

So about 8 years ago we noticed that verse in John 10...and started looking into what that meant. We found a jewel hidden before our eyes all these years! For eight days we thank Papa for His provision, protection and love. We eat foods made with oil, cooked in oil or splashed with oil. We eat jelly donuts (sufginoyt), cookies with icing, rugellah (rolled jelly cookie things), and chocolate gelt by the pound!!!! We play games, spin Driedels to win more gelt (chocolate coins) laugh lots, and sing silly songs. My favorite is sung to the tune of Mammy's Little Darling Loves Shortning Bread...only we sing Bubbe's little darling loves latke cakes. (Bubbe is Yiddish for Grandma) or we dance, or we laugh. We spend time with family, friends, and celebrate all the blessings we've already gotten, will get or have right now. We pray prayers using words from His Love Letter to Us! We pray for family for friends and for the world. And we attempt in this season especially to make the world just a little bit better for us being here. Now, we try to do that all the time, but we make more concerted efforts to beautify the world and those around us at this time of year. So if I'm quiet for the next few days....I'm either eating, praying for you my friends, dancing with the Lover of my Soul, eating, cooking, playing games, eating, singing or eating more! Now that you will be in our prayers every day. You are anyway, but we'll ask special blessings for you....and thank Papa for sending each of you into our lives...whether only online or in person.....you've blessed us both ways. May Papa shine His light into your lives and show you the amazing blessings He's given you especially at this season. Shalom and Mozel Tov!!! Spitfire and the boys

Thanksgiving wishes for all!

2009-11-26T11:57:00.000-06:00

My thanks to Mr. Norman Rockwell for his wonderful talent in painting the essence of Thanksgiving. I want to wish all my friends and readers a most blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving. This is the day that we in the US pause to thank Papa for all the marvelous blessings He's given us. We are free to worship as we wish, to gather together in groups to share our blessings with each other, to celebrate our successes in our own way, to pray to YHWH in our own ways, to express our love for each other in our own ways, and to live in this country where we can pursue our own ideas of happiness freely. This is a day when all business usually closes (except hospitals, fire departments and police stations of course), families gather together and share love, food and fellowship. It's a grand and wonderful holiday....although there's really nothing holy about it...except we're to be thanking Papa. But it works for us.

So as we all gather together, eat entirely too much food, watch football games or play our own family games, and enjoy making wonderful memories together, I want each of you to know I count you among my blessings. Papa has blessed me with some of the best friends in the entire world and I am SO thankful for each and every one of you. The blessings you've given me as you share parts of yourselves and your lives with me are so precious and dear to me. Often your examples of Yeshua's love to me have brought tears to my eyes. I thank Papa for blessing me with your friendships-whether close, sharing food together type friendships or over the internet only type friendships-each one has made my life richer for you being in it. May Papa give you the best of His blessings not only this day, but each of your days here on this planet. I love you each and can hardly believe how gifted I've been by having you in my life. Mozel Tov! (Happy Celebration) and Happy Thanksgiving to you each. Shalom, Spitfire

Psalm 20

2009-11-21T01:18:00.000-06:00

Hi friends. It's been awhile again since last I posted. It got pretty chaotic here, and while I had a couple things I thought about posting, I ran out of steam before getting to it. I even pulled my 'round to it' coin out and it didn't help. Oh, well. What? You asked what a 'round to it' is? It's a coin that says "I have so much to do today I hope I can get around to it all." It's a joke thing that Pawpaw gave us years ago....

Well, moving on. Little Critter and I were doing Torah study this week, and ran out of Torah portion before we ran out of week....so we read Psalm 20. Have you read it lately? It's an incredible Psalm. So, as this week seems to be a week of horrible news all over the place, I thought I'd share it with you, my friends. It's almost like a prayer. So this is what I wish for you this next week....

"1. For the leader. A psalm of David:
2. May YHWH answer you in times of distress, may the name of the G-d of Ya'akov (Jacob)protect you.
3. May He send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Tziyon. (Zion)
4. May He be reminded by all your grain offereings and accept the fat of your burnt offerings.
5. May He grant you your heart's desire and bring all your plans to success.

6. Then we will shout for joy at your victory and fly our flags in the name of our G-d. May YHWH fulfill all your requests.
7. Now I know that YHWH give svictory to His annointed one-
He will answer himn from his holy heaven with might victories by his right hand.

8. Some trust in chariouts and some in horses, but we praise the name of YHWH our G-d.
9. They will crumple and fall, but we will arise and stand erect.
10. Give victory YHWH!
Let the King answer us the day we call."

Isn't that wonderful?! Now if we go back to verse 4, that's spoken of in Acts 10:3 when the angel appears to Cornelius and says YHWH remembered all his prayers. So that means that the prayers we submit to Papa are remembered by Him and count as though they were burnt offerings. Pretty cool, huh. Those that are Torah observant know we still offer burnt offerings according to Leviticus 23. For instance, each Erev Shabbat (Evening of Sabboth) when we make the Challah (bread) for the evening dinner, as we braid our loaves of bread, we save a piece of dough for YHWH. We cook Papa's piece with our loaves and before we start the ceremony for lighting candles to welcome Shabbat, we take the piece we'd cooked for Papa and go outside to present it to Him. It may sound strange to some, but once you've done a couple of times, it just doesn't feel right without it. Little Critter loves this part! He breaks his piece of bread into many pieces, says the prayer with us then throws his pieces in all 6 directions. (I realize we only do that during Sukkot, but he loves to do it, and we don't stop him. I enjoy it too. It's fun to thank Papa from each direction and toss our crumbs out for all the little birdies and worms (and stray cats) to enjoy.) Now, do I burn my bread each week? Good grief NO!!!! That would be a waste of the resources Papa's given me! But I do cook the bread in my gas oven so it's like an unburnt burnt offering. (or something like that)

So as we all head into another week that no doubt will bring distressing news from all directions, remember that this is the prayer I pray for each of you this week. And as we prepare for Thanksgiving, let's not waste much time being distressed by all the lunacy surrounding us. Let's concentrate on the things we have to be thankful for and remember that the lunacy just means the sound of the shofar (trumpet) is getting closer each day. Shabbat Shalom my friends. Spitfire

Veteran's Day 2009

2009-11-11T02:39:00.000-06:00

As we start our day today, we need to remember those who fought to give us the freedoms we have. Today, in the US, is Veteran's Day. It's a National Holiday to remember those who sacrificed so much to allow us to have the liberty to make our own choices about so many things. I realize I have readers from other countries, and I hope you will forgive my choice of postings today. But, especially after what happened last week at Ft. Hood, I feel it extremely important that we as a country remember how much we have to be thankful for.

The memorial service for Ft Hood was held Tuesday. It was a tasteful, dignified and respectful service. We chose to watch it on TV (Fox News carried it live) We flew our flag outside, (although we can't do the half mast thingy....but we flew the flag anyway. And will fly it again Wednesday.) The only downside was that as the POTUS was walking up to the podium to deliver his remarks,some yahoos decided it was appropriate to yell and hollar. Now, I don't care if you are for OR against the POTUS....but hooping and hollaring during a funeral memorial service is just poor etiquette! It's inappropriate, disrespectful and down right rude!!!!! That put my hackles up pretty high. The rest of the service was tasteful and respectful....oh, and the poor little bag piper....bless his/her heart. I don't now if it was the cameras not able to pick up the sound well, or the piper being so nervous he/she couldn't play or what, but we couldn't even figure out what song he/she was trying to play. OK, NOW the rest of it was fine. Even the POTUS did an appropriate job in his remarks. I still don't like him, but he did do a good job on this. I'll give him that. And perhaps now some healing can begin for all those involved. It'll take time, but now our goodbyes are said, and healing can begin....sort of.

We found out last week our former Dr was one of the victims. That made it more important that we watch. Little Critter was a bit put out saying "MMOOOMMM!!! Why do I have to watch this? More people died in other wars!" And while I was proud that he understood this was an act of war, I told him "This is history happening. One day you'll be able to tell your children you saw it all unfold. Besides, it's the right and respectful thing to do. These folks protect your freedoms. You can spare 30 minutes to watch and pray for their families!" (I am SO mean!) I also told him to be prepared for a test afterwards.....of course I didn't give him one. But I did make him tell Dodi about it when Dodi got home from work. (More than one way to skin a cat!!! LOL!)

As we consider the great sacrifices of those that fight for our freedoms, we need to go out of our way to do something FOR these great men and women. If you're money is as tight as ours, there are still things you can do. My little Cub Scouts all signed a couple cards that I will deliver today to the VFW, American Legion and VA. Last year, Little Critter made cards and gave them to some of the vets that live nearby. You could also place flowers on graves of deceased veterans in a local cemetery, take time to pray for our soldiers both active and retired and their families, fly your American flags, thank any vets you know personally. Especially our older vets. They seldom get thanks. When Little Critter made the cards and delivered them to two WWII vets we know, both men sat there, read the cards, then cried. At first, I was deeply concerned we'd done something wrong. But both men told me that in over 50 years, no one had EVER told them thank you for fighting for our freedoms and safety!!! I was shocked!!!! Can you imagine how you'd feel if you did something really tough for someone to help them out and they NEVER said thank you!?!??! My goodness. Our manners as a nation are in sore need of spiffing up! So where ever you live, try to thank a Vet for his/her service. These folks endure mind boggling hardships and horrors that haunt them for life, so that we remain a free and safe country. And they do it with grace, with a firm sense of duty to country and a burning desire to share the greatest parts of this country with others. They are heroes in the truest sense of the word.

I realize there's always a few goof balls in every deck, and so it is with our military. But for the most part, these men and women are some of the most upstanding, bravest and lest complaining folks you'd ever meet. I know, we live close to the largest military base in the country. We meet soldiers all the time. And they are awesome! (And I'm NOT saying that because two of our boys are in the military. Of course I think our boys are wonderful.....but I also know they can be goof balls....at times.) And while you're saying your prayers today, remember to ask Papa to protect, guard and guide our military folks, to comfort and strengthen their families, and to reunite those that are separated by miles due to duty to country.

Have a blessed day my friends, be sure to teach your children what this day is all about, remember how blessed we are and look for the Love Letters Papa will send you this day. Thank you to all the Vets out there...especially Pops-one of my favorite vets (next to Pawpaw that is!) Your sacrifices are appreciated more than you know, and I don't want you to ever say that no one thanked you for what you've done for us. You've given so much, the least I can do is thank you. Shalom my friends. Spitfire

My heart is breaking....

2009-11-06T01:39:00.000-06:00

Hello dear friends. Please parden the moroseness of this posting...after what happened today, I'm just so distressed. For those that didn't hear, there was a mass killing just down the road at Ft Hood Military Base. This is the base eldest son was stationed at until this past May. (Thank you Papa for sending him to Colorado last May!!!!) When he was transferred out, I was quite dissappointed....I wanted to keep him nearby. But now I'm so thankful he was transferred out!!!! And my little heart is just breaking all over the place for the families of those that were shot today. My heart is even braking for the family of the shooter. Can you imagine turning on the news and finding out your son/brother/cousin had opened fire on a building full of folks he worked with and killed 12 of them?!?! Bless their hearts. I realize they are Islamic, but I feel certain their shock is just about the same as the families of those who got calls saying their child/brother/sister/wife/husband had just been shot while on base. This is just SUCH a mess.

Torah tells us that in the last days the world will be upside down and backwards...well, OK. It says people will say right is wrong and wrong is right. That appears to be what we're seeing today. Apparently this shooter felt it was right to plan to go down to the most crowded building on the base and just start shooting because he didn't want to be deployed overseas later this year... I can understand his not wanting to have to go overseas to where the fighting actually is. No parent wants their child to place themselves in harms way. But when you join the military, you have to know there's always the chance that you'll have to fight! So I'm angry with him for inflicting so much pain to SO many people. But at the same time, I also feel a bit sorry for him. Being Islamic, he doesn't know the wonderful peace and joy of our YHWH. And because of what he's done today, he's shamed his family, himself and shed a poor light on his fellow Islamics. Even those that are not radical, but are simply the folks next door. I have friends that are Islamic....they are wonderfully kind, sweet folks who accept us as we are just as we accept them the way they are. Now all Islamics look like folks you need to beware of. That's not right....he didn't have the right to do that!!!! Now he's killed his military career, and most likely any civilian career also. In fact, I think it's fairly safe to say he's now a 'dead man walking'. If he's not sent to prison for the rest of his life for the deaths of those 12 soldiers, he's a walking target for someone angry enough to kill him for what he's done. Here in Texas, we take the 2nd amendment seriously and most everyone has a gun in the house, plus you don't forget your manners when you're visiting from out of state...we'll happily send you home! So he's not only forgotten his manners, he done messed with our military! That's not wise when you're in a state that still remembers the wild west....if you get my drift.

On a brighter side, (I always have to find that brighter side you know!Grin) immediately after the shootings, as soon as the area was no longer on lockdown, there must have been 47 churches that opened their doors for any and all to come for counseling, prayer or just to be with someone else. Schools stayed opened and kept kids until parents could come get them (many parents were caught in the lockdown on base), civilian counselors began offering their services for any that needed them, the whole town and even the surrounding areas all joined hands, closed ranks and began working together to ease the shock, horror and fear of what was going on on the base. It was incredible to see. Even the hospital that Dodi used to have to go to for his bloodwork, took in 10 of the injured and then closed the hospital to the public so the famlies of the injured could have some privacy. Now for a major hospital to close themselves to the public (they had a couple check in doors you could enter after screening if you had someone already in the hospital) and deny the press access to the hospital is pretty awesome. They shut their doors to extra money and respected the families of those injured. Judging from what I saw on my facebook page, there were almost immediately prayers going up from all over the country for all involved as soon as the news broke. So I am thankful that so many folks from so many places who had no involvment or really even interest in what was going on here in Texas took the time to pray for all involved. I'm so thankful to YHWH that neither of our boys were there.....and that I was safely here at home with my darling Little Critter, that so far as we can tell none of our friends were on base at the time so weren't involved, and that instead of shrugging shoulders and saying "It doesn't involve me, why should I care?!" all the surrounding towns jumped up to help in whatever ways they could. It was almost like 9-11. For a few hours, everyone forgot about religions, politics, race...we were all just Americans and we'd been attacked. We joined together to help each other, to pray for each other, to listen to each other. So while my little heart is breaking, it's also rejoicing. HaSatan may think he rules this world, but for a few hours, I got a glimpse of what heaven would be like. Everyone working together to help each other.

Well, my friends, be sure you take the time today to tell those you love how you feel, hug those close to you, share your heart with those not nearby and don't forget to thank Papa for all the blessings He's given you. Life is short....the times are hard....and the night is on us. But we also know that joy comes in the morning! Shalom, Spitfire

More "new" things from Torah.....

2009-10-28T00:22:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or are others seeing things in Scripture that they've never noticed before?! I'm beginning to think I've never read these verses before....except I know that to be false! I've read these repeatedly for several years!!!! Sigh. Perhaps my eyes were just not open. But let me continue.....

This week Little Critter and I were reading the Torah portions for this week....We were reading Genesis 12-17:27. Now I divide the readings up into a couple chapters a day for the week. So we read Chapters 12-13 Monday and I noticed something I've never noticed before. It was like Papa had highlighted it to tell me something....In Chapter 12:1 it says " Now YHWH said to Avram, (Abram), "Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you." Ok, now jump down to verse 4, it says "So Avram went, as YHWH had said to him, and Lot went with him."

Did you see that? YHWH said go away from your kinsmen and then it says Lot went with him.....hmmm. So does this mean Avram disobeyed? Now I understand that Lot was Avram's nephew and that Lot's father had died young. So presumably Avram had jumped in to be a father figure for the young nephew...so did Lot go along as a member of Avram's family? I don't have an answer for this. But if you know the story of Avram and Lot you know that by Chapter 13 verse 6, there's trouble between Lot and his herdsmen and Avram and his herdsmen. Now, call me silly, but it would seem to me that if my father had died, my uncle took me in and treated me like one of his own kids, let me travel all over the countryside with him while providing for me and then found a nice place for me to live nearby his place, that I'd see to it that my 'herdsmen' kept a civil tongue in their mouths!!! I mean after all, from what the Torah tells us it appears Lot really had it made. Just hang around with his Aunt and Uncle and grow fat and wealthy. But there's trouble and Avram tells Lot to choose which side of the property he wants so that the two groups of family won't fight. Lot, of course, chooses the river property that was the more fertile for himself. Avram goes to the less fertile area. But then has to keep going back to rescue Lot and his family. Now, what's wrong with that picture?! Well, it appears that Lot didn't learn the lessons Avram had tried to teach him about Papa and didn't teach his children better either. So he repeatedly makes poor choices and Avram repeatedly has to save him from himself and his poor choices.

The point I got from this was that we do the same thing! Papa tells us how to live and be pleasing to Him and have all His blessings in Torah. But we repeatedly make poor choices and choose to do things that are not pleasing to Papa or we compromise what we know is the right thing to do and then have to be rescued from our poor choices. We refuse to 'leave our kinsmen' and go where Papa tells us to go. He's called each believer to be 'a called out group' and 'a company of priests' in His service. But do we do that? Are we really different from the world around us? Or are we indistinguishable from heathens all over the world? Hmmmm.

This may get me in trouble, but I'm going to say it anyway...and if I offend someone, I'm sorry. Truly. But all around me there's all sort of Halloween junk. Is this something we as believers should have anything to do with? Or is this another example of not 'leaving our kinsmen'? Let me explain. What is Halloween? Its the evening of All Hallow's Eve. A night of remembering the dead...any light bulbs going off yet? Ok, I realize most of us dressed up as kids and went trick or treating. But look at what is going on today and compare it to 20-30 years ago. Is it the same? Of course not! Everything about Halloween is now uglier, more gruesome, more bloody and just overall dark. Does that sound like something that Papa would be encouraging? Would the One who created all life suddenly be all in favor of celebrating the dead?!? I don't think so. I know many churches and "Christian" groups have changed the names to Fall Festivals or Harvest Feasts, but isn't it still just a Halloween party with a different name? If you want a feast or a festival, Papa gave us several to choose from in Leviticus 23. Sukkot is a wonderful festival. It's fun, it celebrates the end of the harvests, there's TONS of food, (always healthy in our house, but that's just us) lots of singing, dancing, playing games....awesome family time. So why would believers feel that a celebration of the dead is better than Sukkot? Hmmm. I don't know. Perhaps they haven't been taught about the feasts of YHWH. Perhaps they've been told they don't HAVE to celebrate those feast/festivals anymore. Folks, those are lies from the same heathen who says Halloween is the best holiday to celebrate. He's also the one who is the father of death, ugliness, and darkness. Now, I realize someone will say that Leviticus 23 was for the Hebrews (or Israelites) but where do you think Christianity came from?!?! Yeshua didn't come to create a new religioin....He wanted to create relationships! So I feel it important, especially at this time, to make sure we're in relationship with Papa and that we're willing to 'leave our kinsmen' and follow where Papa tells us to go. It's time all believers (irregardless of religion or denomination) join together and become that 'fellowship of believers', that 'company of priests' and that 'holy and set apart nation' that we've been called to be. It's time to 'leave our kinsmen' and return to our Father's house...a house of prayer for all nations.

So as we get closer and closer to that awful night called Halloween, I pray you each choose to 'leave your kinsmen' and follow instead the steps of the Father. May each of you be blessed this week. Shalom, Spitfire

Mind boggling words this week

2009-10-17T01:23:00.000-05:00

This week's Torah portions included Genesis 1-6:8, Matthew 1 & 2 and from the Prophets, Isaiah 42:5-43:10. So Little Critter and I read them during the week. (I split the readings up and we do a couple chapters a day. That way we have time to discuss and talk about them and he can learn more from them.) Well, I have to admit, we were both comforted as we read the creation story and the birth of Yeshua in Matthew. But when we read Isaiah...I was just stunned at how beautiful those words are. I've read them many times before, but all of a sudden this week, several phrases just jumped out at me. So I'd like to share them with you, my friends.

First, in this passage of Isaiah, YHWH is talking through Isaiah to not only the people of Israel, but talking TO Yeshua....and also to US. That's what struck me this week, YHWH was talking to US!!!! Too cool. Ok, so if we look in Isaiah 42:6, look at this phrase:"I am YHWH, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you...." Now, imagine the young Yeshua studying his Torah lesson and seeing that. Can you imagine how wonderful He felt to know it was Papa talking to His Son?!?! Even now, when I read it, it makes me feel so incredibly loved and special...He's called me, He's holding my hand and watching over me. Even ME!!! Whew. Kinda makes ya feel you can go out and do incredible things, doesn't it. Well, before you run out to make the world so much better a place than it is right now, please hang on a minute...there's more. Yep, there's more.

Jump down to Isaiah 43:1-3. Have ya found it? Let me help you..."But now says YHWH who formed you O Ya'ackov (Jacob); and He who made you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I called you by name; you are MINE! When you pass thru the waters, I will be with you...."

Did cha catch that? "Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are MINE!" Jumping Jehoshaphat!!! Doesn't that just make your heart swell? He calls us by name...we are HIS! Ok, I'm ready to start dancing now. Happy dancing, happy dancing. He knows my name. He's called me by that name. I am HIS!!!! Now for those who are wondering why this is so exciting for me. Let me explain. I'm not any great beauty, my younger sister was the beauty. My youngest sister had a figure to die for and all the boys eyed her...in fact, I didn't have a figure until after age 40! True story, I was still getting asked for ID when I'd go get wine for Shabbat after Dodi and I got married...I was 36 years old!!!!!! I grew up with speech problems so got teased all the time and was severely hearing impaired (though no one realized it till I was 27 years old...all just thought I talked funny. LOL!) I was told often that I was 'piddly' (meaning unimportant, not worth much) and inconsequential by family members....I believed it for years. I was (and still am to a large extent) the odd one in the family. Now, don't get me wrong, my family is wonderful....but I didn't quite fit in. (Still don't) So for the creator of the universe to know my name and call me important enough for Him to take notice of me is thrilling to me. But don't we each feel that way sometimes? Kinda like we're invisible to those we love the most? Well, dear friends, now you know...Elohim (Almighty G-d) knows your name and calls you HIS! Pretty cool huh?

Keep going...it just keeps on getting better and better!!!Down in verses 4 and 5 He tells us "Since you were precious in My eyes, you are honored, and I love you;and I give men instead of you and peoples instead of your soul. Fear not, for I AM with you;" Didn't I tell you it got better?! See, no matter how dark and disparate it looks around us, no matter what our leaders attempt to do or take from us, we who believe in Yeshua are honored and loved and YHWH is with us. So there's no need to be afraid. If He created all we see, and provides food and shelter for the birds of the air wouldn't He also take care of us? Of course He will. He just told us He is with us....He knows our names, holds our hands, He loves us and is with us...always. WOW!!! So while I may get momentarily angry or irritated with what politicians are doing or not doing, with the goof that just cut me off in traffic, or the teenager that just dumped the leftovers of his Happy Meal in my yard while yelling obscenities at Little Critter or I....I'm not afraid. Papa's with us. He will take care of all of it. And He'll do it in such a way that those who don't know Him will understand He did took care of the problem. He Does stand by His words. And He loves us. Whew! So awesome.

So as we go into another week, my friends. Never forget what we read today. He knows your name, He holds your hand, loves you and will be with you....though it all. So stand proud, be fearless, listen for and follow His voice and do great things for His honor. Now, let's go through this week praising Him and making this world a better place. Shalom, Spitfire

Life is going on.....and on....and on

2009-10-14T16:18:00.000-05:00

Folks, I'm sorry I haven't blogged in the last 10 days...it's been more hectic than normal and I haven't taken the time to write much more than checks!!! LOL! Oh,well. Things will get better.....one day. Let me catch you up on what's going on.

We didn't get to spend nearly as much time in our Sukkah as we'd hoped. Between the rain, the colder weather and Dodi fighting the flu....well, I know Papa will understand. We had a blast the few times we did get to spend time in it. And are now plotting and planning how to make it better next year. (with more room for some small cots to sleep on...one for each of us even!!!!!) We did get to celebrate several times with our fellowship at the corporate Sukkah. That was fun...it was way different from what we normally do, but it was fun even so. We're truly blessed to have found a group of like minded believers!!!!

After Sukkah ended, we danced ourselves silly with Simchat Torah. This is a celebration found in Leviticus 23:35.It is a celebration of finishing the yearly Torah portions and beginning again on them.It also denotes the end of Sukkah. It's a day to praise, sing, and dance with the Torah. The Torah is held by various members of the Synagogue while they dance to music and is passed to others. Most all are eligible to hold the Torah and dance with it. It is an absolutely thrilling thing to be able to dance with a scroll written so many years ago and dictated by YHWH Himself! Whew! I thought sure I'd lost several pounds after all that dancing.....unfortunately, those pesky pounds seemed to find me again latter in the week.......oh boo.

Little Critter and I have restarted school in earnest again. We had been doing our Torah studies and some other reading, but not all subjects...kinda waiting on Simchat Torah to restart everything all at once. So Monday we restarted. We did Torah study, new word for the day, Hebrew practice, spelling, , science, some art, listened to music and discussed rhythm, and math. Didn't get to History/geography, but not to bad for a first day back. We were also somewhat slowed down due to Dodi being home sick.....bless his heart. He finally admitted he felt horrible, and missed two days of school. (something that doesn't happen often during football season!!!) Tuesday turned into a horrible, awful, no good day....Little Critter woke up cranky, Dodi felt better, (thank Yah!) but I woke up from sleeping on the loveseat feeling like a human pretzel being unwrapped. So we didn't get much done Tuesday. Today has been MUCH better!!!! Dodi's back at work, Little Critter woke up much more cheerful and has worked really hard to make up his work missed from yesterday as well as do today's work. Even the Sun came out today to allow me to FINALLY get some laundry done! So we're dancing again....well, OK, maybe not dancing, but at least we're smiling! Points in our favor! LOL!

I hope each of you have had a wonderful and blessed week while I was overwhelmed here. Somehow it seemed there was not enough hours in any of my days to get all my stuff done. And I have no doubts it will happen again...but I have a plan to make sure I don't get overwhelmed again. I just remind myself "I can do all things thru Yeshua who strengthens me", then I remind myself to 'rejoice, and again I say rejoice in everything!" I find that if I do this, I get three times as much done, no one gets too cranky with me, and I don't get so cranky with anyone else. It truly makes life more pleasant...even in unpleasant situations.

So my sweet friends, keep reminding yourselves how precious you are to Abba (Father), spend plenty of time in His Love Letter to you, and just know it will get better....also know I pray for you daily even if I don't always say anything on your blogs.... I read them all. Shalom, Spitfire

Sukkot 2009

2009-10-03T03:50:00.000-05:00

Well, we did it! We got the Sukkah built in record time. Of course most of this has to do with Dodi helping...and our deciding we really could afford to spend a few dollars to buy wood to build it out of...instead of using the bamboo cane we normally gather along the roadsides....but I digress.

Some have heard me speak of our first couple of Sukkot. Flimsy doesn't begin to describe them...in fact I have it from a reliable source that there were 2 battalions of angels holding the silly thing together the first year Little Critter and I build a Sukkah. We had NO clue what we were doing....we only knew Torah had said in Leviticus 23 that this was to be a permanent celebration for all generations. And we were going to do the best we could to build a Sukkah or die trying! (the latter could have easily happened if not for the afore mentioned battalions of angels....)So below is a couple pictures of the second year we build our Sukkah. It's only slightly better than the first year. (But I don't seem to have pictures of the first year.......oh boo Nanc!!!)

See how Little Critter is having to brace the sides....and we had no roof for fear the whole thing would collapse on us! It was pathetic...but we were SO proud of ourselves. We cut the bamboo, stripped all the leaves off, wired the lattice on and prayed real hard whenever anyone was inside it......

Well, this year, Dodi and I determined we needed to do something a bit better. (construction wise) So I bought some lumber and Dodi helped Little Critter and I nail everything together. We even got to decorate this year! We'd been afraid to the last 3 years for fear the weight of a couple sheets of paper would be more than the walls could hold up...LOL! So here are some pictures of this year's Sukkah.

The green stool is for our Shabbat candles and wine glass. We'll sit in the chairs. This first pic is late afternoon on Friday, 2 October 2009. We have the whole thing slightly under the carport in case of rain.(we have 60% chance of rain all week.....figures heh.)

The Indian Wind Catcher is symbolic of the Thunderbird shield Dodi's
ancestors would have carried. Dodi is Native American or American Indian. So we wanted to include some of his heritage in our Sukkah...since he'll be gone much of the week with school and football. This way, there's a part of him in the Sukkah with us! Grin. And the row of TV trays will be our 'table' for all the food....See our cane for our roof? Isn't it beautiful!?! (this is where you politely agree....I have cuts and scrapes all over me getting that silly stuff!!!!)

This is what it looked like after we'd lit the candles and Tiki torches. That's Dear Cousin's leg you see at the left...didn't realize I'd gotten him in the picture too. Our Lulav and Lemon (couldn't get a Citron) are in front of the candles on the stool. Doesn't it look better than those first ones?! (again, this is where you politely agree....even if you liked the pathetic one!!!!!) We even have a couple woven mats on the floor to make it a little nicer. I feel kinda like we've gotten our first 'home' instead of a rented apartment on the ghetto side of town. Pardon my pride please. But I think even Papa is pleased with this Sukkah! After 3 years of hearing Him giggle and laugh out loud at our versions of Sukkot, tonight as we prayed and praised Him....I heard no giggles, snickers or laughs....only angels joining us in praising Him. Now if it just doesn't rain tomorrow night, we may even get to sleep in it! I'm hoping next year to make it a little bigger so we can have friends come join us...and be inside the Sukkah. But I believe we're off to a great start. I'll update later in the week...and let you know how many nights Little Critter and I slept out on the ground in our Sukkah! (I think I hear my bones screaming already!?!! LOL!)

So my friends, whether you celebrate Sukkot or not, enjoy this week of meeting with Papa and have a blessed week. Our's is already off to a great start! Grin. Shabbat Shalom and Happy Sukkot! Spitfire

High Holiday over....now back to life

2009-09-29T01:08:00.000-05:00

Please forgive my absence for the last week,my friends. We celebrated the High Holiday of Yom Kippur and since this is the first time we've had a fellowship to celebrate with, it involved a bit more of my time (and kitchen) than I expected. Grin. Now that we've finished our Days of Awe (focusing on Papa's instructions to us and where we need to personally improve or need to make adjustments to our understanding) and our Day of Atonement (a 25 hour complete fast....no food, no water, no coffee...gasp! NO COFFEE?!?!?! ) I am pleased to state that we survived, enjoyed and grew both individually and as a family. Even Little Critter decided he needed to fast (even though we explained that as a child he was exempt). He made it 18 hours before he couldn't stand it and had to eat a half a banana. (I offered the whole naner, or some real food, but he refused.) So we were all proud of his determination to learn to lean on Papa to help him do something really hard for him. (I also kept our activities to an absolute minimum! Like, get dressed and make beds only....LOL!)

So now it's back to real life.....with the only notable difference being Little Critter and I will be working on building our Succah this week. We both look forward to this season best of all! This is known as the Feast of Tabernacles (found in Leviticus 23:34-43.Deuteronomy 16:13-16, John 7: 2,14). It's a wonderful celebration, and of course Little Critter LOVES both the making of our Succah, but also the eating and sleeping in it too. So as we work on the building of this 'amazing house' (spoken with deep gratitude to Papa who keeps the silly thing from falling on our heads and annihilating us!!!) I'm sure there will be pictures and wonderful stories to share. I look forward to sharing this next adventure with you.

We also will have to begin to work on his popcorn sales for Cub Scouts...he's actually inWebelos, and reminds me regularly that he's no longer a cub scout...but in Boy Scouts, there's two major levels with several more levels within the two big ones....ah 9yo boys....such sticklers for precision when it applies to them being grown up and refusal to allow the same precision to be applied to their responsibilities. Gotta love 'em...grin.

Dodi's blood sugars are continuing to come down lower and lower. He even fasted with no ill effects...and only had to take half his meds while doing it! Papa is SO wonderful!!!! We're now waiting for Dodi to no longer having to take any meds. Papa can do it....

So my friends, I pray that as we start the New Hebraic Year, that your new year is blessed beyond your ability to imagine, with an abundance of love letters from our Papa. Shalom, Spitfire

Who says miracles no longer happen?!?!

2009-09-23T02:10:00.000-05:00

Well, folks, I am SO excited!!!! I have something truly amazing to tell you about. Let me give a little background first so that the magnitude of this announcement is understood.

Dodi and I were married about 4 or 5 years when he was diagnosed with diabetes. It runs in his family so it wasn't a horribly big surprise, but it was a bit of a shock non the less. Dodi is a large man....he stands a little over 6'3" and was maybe 40-50 lbs overweight. But we thought we were doing a pretty good job eating healthy foods and avoiding those foods that weren't good for us. So I dove in feet first into researching all I could find out about diabetes and how to control it with as little medications as possible. So we modified our diet and worked on more regular exercise....although with Dodi being a coach, he got quite a bit of exercise to start with.
For close to 5 years we controlled his diabetes with mostly diet and only 1 pill a day. Then, with time, it started to get harder and harder for that 1 pill to control the sugar levels. For the next 15 years his blood sugars were controlled with diet, and increasing amounts of medications. This was frustrating to us, but what could you do?! The doctors kept urging us to follow the American Diabetic Association's diet plan... but there was something about that plan that really bugged us. So we developed our own plan...one that cut down on sugars unless natural sugars found in fruits and veggies, using honey for sweetner in cooking, ect. I continued to track research in diabetes and we tried various diet programs trying to get on top of this insidious disease....to no avail. His blood sugars kept going up. So this past summer our family doctor referred us to a Hematology Specialist. (specialist in blood issues). The specialist was horrible! I think I posted on his attitude of "well, this is what happens when you poison your body and don't do what you should." (Needless to say, since I do the cooking, I was NOT a happy camper with his attitude or his words!!!!) This same specialist told us there was nothing else to be done but to begin insulin shots. I asked about some new glucose inhibitors I'd read about and was told "you're not a scientist, you couldn't possibly understand what you're taking about". (red hair now standing on end!!!!) Then he ended the visit with "You will begin with insulin and your only choice is whether you want 1 shot a day or 4 shots." We explained we'd just started a new diet plan, and a holistic approach to the diabetes. He told us it would do no good and we had to follow his advice. So in June, Dodi began his insulin shots everyday. He hates them, I hate them, and I absolutely despise what the insulin has done to his energy levels, his well being and the frequent 'crashes' when his blood sugar drops down below 50!

Well, the first of September we had to choose our insurance carrier for this new school year. Our previous carrier was going to charge us $600 a month for Dodi and Little Critter to have insurance! Plus $25-$50 per Dr.'s visit and they would only pay a portion of Dodi's meds. This meant our medical/insurance bill was going to go from about $150 a month to closer to $500 a month. So we looked thru the choices the school district gave us, and changed insurance carriers. This meant we had to change doctors also. (Our family doctor retired effective 9-1, so we'd have had to change doctors anyhow.) The new doctor believes in holistic health. She also ordered new blood work and further tests on Dodi. Today we went back to see her. (this is where the amazing thing comes in.....keep reading!)

It seems that Dodi's HDL (good cholesterol) is a little low, so she suggested he start eating a few almonds daily. OK, easy enough to do. Then she said his LDL (bad cholesterol) was fine, blood counts were good, prostate looked great, ect, ect, and then...Oh, this isn't good. We asked what wasn't good and she said his A1C. (This is an average of his blood sugars for the last 30 days...the blood cells keep a record of the sugar amounts in them for 30 days. Isn't that amazing in itself?!) Well, the A1C was 7.1 which is wonderful when you consider that back in June it was 13.8!!! (Over about 10 or 11, the sugars in the blood stream start damaging internal organs, eyes and extremities.) She showed us where his A1C needs to be 6.7 or below, but agreed that to pull it down almost in half in less than 4 months was pretty amazing. Then she looked at his log of blood sugar counts for the last 2 weeks, we told her about the several 'crashes' he'd been having and she said the most amazing and miraculous thing....she said "Stop taking the insulin".We both said 'Excuse me!?!" And she said, she could control his blood sugars with pills instead of having to use the insulin if we'd continue on the diet plan we're on. We follow a Biblical diet!!!! So our miracle is that the doctor has taken Dodi OFF insulin!!!! Dr's NEVER take diabetics off insulin....they always increase the amounts of insulin. But Dodi is OFF insulin!!!!! Oh, I am SO pumped!!!!! I am happy dancing all over the place!! I realize this doesn't mean Dodi's diabetes is cured.....yet. But my next goal is to refine our diet to the point he IS cured and no longer needs to even take oral medication for diabetes. It's a big goal, but I know that "I can do ALL things thru He who gives me power." Phil 4:13

For those who don't believe this is a miracle....well, I'm sorry to disappoint you. But for those of you who have diabetes, know someone who does or understand diabetes, you'll understand. And we owe it all to Papa. In Genesis 1:29, Papa tells us what He prepared for us to eat. Then in Leviticus 3:17 He added that we should eat neither fat nor blood....ever! (Those belong to YHWH) And in Leviticus 11 YHWH tells us in fairly plain language what is acceptable to eat and what is not acceptable. We are finding that if we follow those instructions, we do not look or feel as bad as we did before we started following Torah. In fact, we have more energy and accomplish more than some of our kids!!! Papa knew how He'd designed our bodies and what they'd need to efficient operation....so if we follow His instructions, miracles truly DO happen!

I pray you will find your miracles awaiting you in His Love Letter to you, dear friends. I thank Papa daily for each one of you and lift you up to His throne each day during our time together. Be blessed, know you are loved and experience His love. Shalom, Spitfire

Finishing Psalm 27

2009-09-21T00:23:00.000-05:00

Ok, now that we've made it thru the first of the Days of Awe...the ten days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, let's work at finishing Psalm 27. The following verses are some of the most powerful in my humble opinion. So let's get going.......

"11.Teach me Your ways Adonai; lead me on a level path because of my enemies-12. don't give me up to the whims of my foes; for false witnesses have risen against me., also those who are breathing violence.

13. If I hadn't believed that I would see Adonai's goodness in the land of the living...
14. Put your hope in Adonai, be strong and let your heart take courage! Yes, put your hope in Adonai!"

Isn't that awesome!?! Can you imagine the Creator of the Universe teaching you His ways?! It just gives me goosebumps to think of it!!!! I want with all my heart for Him to teach me His ways! I wouldn't mind a level path just to make my life a little easier....but then again if it was too level, I might forget all I owe Him for His mercies towards me. So while my life often gets hectic and I often become frazzled....I really can't complain. We always have food to eat (even if not always our favorite things to eat), we have a great house (with only a couple leaks....Grin) we live in a great town, in a wonderful state, in a wonderful country....the only way things could get better, I reckon, would be to be living in Israel during the 1000 year reign of Yeshua. (Jesus).

But look at that last line....One interpretation of that phrase 'put your hope in Adonai' states that a more correct translation would be 'wait on Adonai' , to wait for His perfect timing. So as we watch our country being torn apart by divisive forces, and our world getting darker and darker in terms of morality, sanctity of life, and just manners in general, take heart. "Put your hope in Adonai and be strong. Let your heart take courage!" Adonai is still in control. He's not at all surprised by what's going on. He knows what He's doing.

I was listening to a speaker tonight, who stated that if we wanted to know what's going on in our world, reread Exodus 1-3. It talks about a new Pharaoh coming to power who didn't know Joseph or the covenent made with Joseph. And he began to institute laws to keep the Israelites from leaving Egypt...by oppressing them. The speaker (Bill Cloud) then stated that when President Obama was being inaugurated, the Torah portion came from Exodus 1-3....and that YHWH had done this not to punish the Israelites, but to draw them out of Egypt. But first, they had to relearn how to depend on YHWH....not on the Egyptian system to take care of them. (Anyone see some parallels?!) It was a very interesting speech. And as I looked thru Exodus 1-3, I was struck by the similarities. Perhaps what's going on now in the US is to get us to stop waiting for the Government to take care of everything for us and lead us back into depending on Him who loves us more than anything. Perhaps if we'd learn to put our trust in YHWH and put our hope (or wait on His timing) in Him instead of having to have everything we want right this minute, we'd see a great change come about not only in this country.....but in the world. Or perhaps....just maybe, we'd hear a loud trumpet call...and see a magnificent white horse....It's a thought.

Well, my dear friends, I pray you have a blessed week. I pray those of you who just celebrated Rosh Hashana were renewed and blessed, that those who celebrate it next weekend will also be renewed, strengthened and blessed, and that those of you who don't celebrate the Feasts and Festivals of YHWH would have a great, blessed week....and feel drawn to celebrating with us. (Only because the Torah (Bible) tells us to and because it is SO enlightening, and fun to boot!) Pray for my Mom please. It appears she had a mini stroke this past week.....and this worries my Dad and I. Now I pray for each of you daily. Shalom, spitfire

Certifiable????

2009-09-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

Friends, I think it may now be that I've crossed that line into certifiable! Yep, in a moment of insanity, I agreed to help coach Little Critter's soccer team....Now before you all say "SO?!" let me remind you that I am no longer a spring chick. Ok, I'm probably not even a summer chick any longer. Keep in mind our eldest foster son is 29...OK, now you're getting the picture. So what in the name of sanity made me agree to this idiocy?!?! All I can plead is insanity. We had 7 boys (9 and 10 yo boys) with no coach. And the head of the soccer league said he had a mom (who's never coached anything and knows less about soccer than I do)who agreed to be a coach if she had someone to help. I got chosen....sigh. What is that little three letter word I keep forgetting at strategic times???? Hmmm. Well, I did help coach 2 years ago, and was made head coach when the man coaching had his shift at work changed to second shift.....OK, I'll do it.

Well, Monday was our first practice....Fortunately 6 of the 7 boys have played soccer before so it's mostly getting them to play as a team, with a little extra practice for the one child. OK, we can do this! So I'm kicking the balls to them for them to block and then kick back to me.....I jammed my big toe. Don't know how I did it, but by the time we finished our 1 1/2 hour practice, I could hardly walk! Dodi looked at it, prescribed a cold washrag which Little Critter took maniacal pleasure in getting for me.....(I HATE being cold! So the little rat filled that washrag with ice! And then grinned the whole time he held it on my poor swollen bare toe!!! LOL!) So I determined that perhaps I didn't need to kick so many balls to them at the next practice. Great plan! But it backfired on me.....sigh.

Thursday was our next practice. The toe was better....at least no so swollen so I could put my tennis shoes on. Off to practice we go as soon as I get off work. (I work part time) We're having a great practice, but when it came time to set them in their positions for our game this weekend, there was no one to play the opposing team. Well, I got one of the little brothers to come help me and said we'd be the opposing team. (Yep, I just don't learn do I?!) So I punt the ball into the middle of their positions, and the race is on....they kick to each other, they're passing the ball, running for the goal...Oh good grief! That's MY goal! I take off down the field trying to block the kick for a goal and take a flying leap missing the ball completely but land on my belly in the goal zone. The boys hoop and hollar for the point they made...I pick myself up thinking there's something wrong with this picture...but not yet sure what's wrong here. (Yes, sometimes I'm not the brightest crayon in the box!) So we all line up again and I again punt the ball into their midst, they start passing the ball beautifully, heading again for my goal, but this time I'm smarter! I run into the mix and start trying to steal the ball from them!! That'll teach those little wormy boys!!!! Yea.

Unfortunately, my eyesight isn't as good as it used to be, so as I'm trying to steal the ball, I land on TOP of the ball instead of behind it...the ball rolls....my foot goes with it.....and SPLAT! I'm doing the splits..sideways. ARGGGGGG! As I'm sitting there looking at my legs going in opposite directions, I realize there's this horrible burning pain in my left groin area....OH NO!!! Of course the boys don't realize anything's wrong until they've finished scoring on me again. (WORMS!) Then as I'm dragging my body off the ground, muttering "I'm too old for this nonsense!!!!" They exclaim, "But Miss, you did that really well!!! Besides, your cool for being so old!!!!" Awww. Aren't they wonderful little worms!?!?

So tonight, I'm thankful that I have to do nothing but stand on the sidelines during our game this weekend, and that our next practice isn't until next week!!!! That gives Papa plenty of time to bind these old bones back together and strengthen them!!(Or give them some better flexibility.....I'm not sure which I need more of) And I'm also thankful that Sukkot isn't for another week so I have time to heal a little before Little Critter and I start building our Succa. (that's another blogpost.....) Now I just have to figure out how to get all my cooking done tomorrow for Shabbat and Rosh Hashanna without having to get out of my chair here.....LOL!

Hope each of you learn from my mistakes here and don't forget to make sure your brains have functioning cells before you open your mouths....I'd hate for anyone else to follow my example....it's painful. Of course I'm going to tell everyone this is my weight loss program. Yea, hurt yourself so you can't walk into the kitchen to get any food and you're sure to loose weight!!!!! After soccer season I think I'll work on a less painful method of loosing those last few pesky pounds! Be blessed, enjoy a giggle or two on me tonight, and know I'm thankful for friends who will laugh with me....at me. Shalom, and Shana Tova Umetukah (blessed and sweet new year). a very sore Spitfire

PS Lest anyone think I'm really complaining....I really would do this again in a heart beat!!! This will most likely be LittleCritter's last year to play soccer (no leagues for the older kids yet)and the precious memories we're making are priceless! If my being in pain a few days is all it takes to make these kinds of memories, I'll gladly do it. Before too much longer, he'll be a teen and no longer want to do things with Mom. So I'll eat it up while I can!!! And thank Papa for allowing me to have the privilege of being Little Critter's Mom!

A time to mourn...a time to rejoice

2009-09-13T00:28:00.000-05:00

This has been a rough week. Last Shabbat Dodi got a phone call that one of our former students, one of his football players had died. We of course, were shocked! We knew Darryn was in the military and were quite proud of his service and the wonderful young man he'd become. But to find he'd died?! He's not much more than a kid....how in the world could he be dead? And what of his family??? Oh, heavens. This is horrible. They just lost their only daughter a few years ago to a rare (and fast acting) cancer. Now one of the twins?! Sigh. Heavy heart.....and tons of prayers for the family and all the friends of this young man.

When I wrote my last post, the one about 9-11, these things were heavy on my heart. I knew then that Darryn was on his way home for burial...I also knew he had married and had a young son. My heart was breaking for them. Then the details started coming out. WOW! To think we'd known him when he was still a wet behind the neck kid....sometimes a bit squirrely, always going full blast, but a good kid. Well, I digress....let me continue.

Friday morning, as I'm preparing homemade applesauce and roasted chicken for Shabbat dinner, we get a phone call. It's the neighbor letting us know Darryn's motorcade is going to be coming up the street in a few minutes...Little Critter and I drop everything, grab our shoes and the US flag off the front porch and run out back to help the school welcome Darryn home. This weekend was home coming. And now one of our own was coming home....on 9-11....in a casket. The irony of the situation did not pass me by.

If you look (very carefully I'm afraid) just even with the police car is the tip of another flag...that's Little Critter and I. Did cha find us? Oh well. Little Critter (who never knew Darryn, but knows Darryn's father) was proudly standing at Boy Scout attention holding our flag against his belly and smartly saluting the motorcade. I turned my head so he wouldn't see my tears....my baby was growing up....and another Mom, one I know personally, would never see her baby again. sigh.

The Patriot Guard flanked the hearse and then followed it with about 15-20 motorcycles, flags waving proudly in the wind. Cars from local police, sheriff, and constables were in the motorcade...and then the family. My heart just broke for them. And then swelled with pride as the students and parents lining the street silently raised their index fingers (like in 'we're number 1). This is a tradition that occurs each time the School song is played. And these kids, most of whom were too young to even know Darryn, were standing there giving him a home coming welcome....with tears running down their young faces.

Friday afternoon, we went to the viewing....saw many of our friends there. Met his wife, pregnant with their daughter who's arrival is expected in time for Christmas. Did you hear that? That was my heart breaking a little more for the baby girl that will never meet her father....and the two year old son who will soon have no memories of the fun he had with his daddy. Gulp.

Shabbat we went to the funeral. It was a beautiful service (if you can say that about funerals of young people...) and during the service, one of the military commanders told the crowd that Darryn had died a hero. He was riding in a humvee when they took gun fire, he saw an IED coming at the humvee and shoved three other soldiers to the floor of the vehicle. They all survived....but Darryn took the full hit. CRACK. Now my heart was broken into a million pieces. Here we'd had a true blue, real life hero in our midst years ago and never even knew it! An example for Little Critter of the words of Yeshua come to life...."No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends" (Yochanan (John)15:13). It made the Shabbath service later this evening more bittersweet. As we sang the songs and listened to an incredibly timely teaching, I couldn't help but remember another mother....one I know and one I've only read about. Both of whom lost their sons early in life....both of whom freely and gracefully gave their best for the betterment of mankind. I am humbled. My role as a mother is more clearly defined.....I have lots of work to do, but my job is made easier by those who've gone before me, giving me real examples of real heroes for Little Critter to emulate.

Papa, thank you for determining that even when it's a time to mourn, You would supply opportunities to rejoice at the same time. Rejoice in the life of a young man who heard your voice, followed it all the way to Your Gates and set an example of valor for those that follow him. Please bless Darryn's family and his friends. Hold them close to Your heart and comfort them as only You can do. Todah Abba. Shalom, spitfire

A Reminder from Papa

2009-09-11T02:44:00.000-05:00

Today is a day to remember...to remember one of the most horrible days in modern history. A day that affected not only America, but most every country in the world. A day that affected almost 3000 families...and not in a helpful way. A day that many asked "Where was G-d?!"

But I suggest that Papa was there all the time. Did He allow the disaster that happened that day? Perhaps. We know He didn't prevent it occuring...because it did happen. But does that mean He wasn't there? I don't think so. I believe that in the midst of all that horror, He was watching and waiting. And each and every time someone called out to Him, He rushed to the side of that person, reminding them of His love for them, comforting them, protecting some and for those who had accomplished their purpose here..He released them from the horror of the situation and took them home.

Most everyone over the age of 10 remembers where they were and what they were doing that day. For those of us old enough, it's like the day President John F Kennedy was shot. A day that will live forever in our minds and forever bring a pain to our hearts. A day that changed America....

As we go through this day today, I suggest we all need to remember what happened on this day 8 years ago. Remember all those innocent folks that died...the mothers,fathers, brothers, sisters, children, spouses. We need to remember the families that were forever changed in such a horrific way...the parents whose child died, the children who's parents never came home from work that day, the brothers and sisters who will never again get to share secrets/jokes/hugs with their siblings, the spouses that will live the rest of their lives with holes in their hearts....but also remember that Papa in His infinite mercy and love was there. He knew from the beginning of time that day would occur. He knew from the beginning of time the heroes that would need to spring from nowhere to unselfishly and inflinchingly give all they had to save/comfort/rescue/treat others. And He made sure those heroes were where they needed to be so they could be His hands and feet, His eyes and ears, His mouth speaking soothingly or comfortingly to those that grieved, or hurt, or were frightened.

I pray this day, while solemn, also be a celebration of the lives of those that died, the contributions of the heroes we didn't know we had, and the awe inspiring love that was demonstrated by people all over the world as for a little while, differences were forgotten and we were all children of Papa. May He give comfort and strength to the families that experienced loss, wisdom and compassion to those who only watched the disaster from afar, and a knowledge for all that though that day was painful and nightmarish, He was there. Just as He has been in every disaster since Noah's flood. Just waiting for us to call out to Him, whispering in our ears how much He adores us. May those called by His Name, remind each other and tell those that don't know...and may His peace dwell with us all. Shalom, spitfire

My heart's cry

2009-09-06T00:53:00.000-05:00

As we continue going thru Psalm 27, verses 7-10 speak to my heart SO much. See what you think.

7. Listen, YHWH, to my voice when I cry; show favor to me; and answer me. 8. My heart said of you, "Seek my face." Your face, Adonai, I will seek.9. Do not hide your face from me, don't turn your servant away in anger. You are my help; don't abandon me; don't leave me, G-d my savior. 10. Even though my father and mother have left me, Adonai will care for me.

Wow, isn't that something!?! In the Interlinear Bible, the original Hebrew says in verse 7: Shema YHWH.
Now in Hebrew Shema is usually translated listen,but it means SO much more than that. It's really more like: pay attention, hear me, attend to what I'm saying with no distractions. So King David was telling YHWH that he wanted the Almighty's undivided attention. Can you see yourself doing that? Is your relationship with the Creator of the Universe so close and real that you feel comfortable saying to the One who made you, "Pay attention here! I'm talking to you!" There's days I'm not so sure I have that close a relationship, but it's what I want. David then goes on in the original Hebrew to say: 'my voice when I call and favor me and answer me.'

Not just show me favor, but favor me. You know, you've seen your kids do this: "pick me, pick me Mommy! I want to help you, pick me!" I can just see David, the king of Israel praying and saying "YHWH, listen up, I've got to talk to you and I want you to not only hear me but favor me."(pick me or show favoritism for me and answer me) Keep in mind, this is the man that was called a man after G-d's own heart. So don't you think he could ask anything and YHWH would hear him?! Hmmm. What a great relationship they had to have had. A relationship I aspire to and feel certain we all wish we had with Papa.

Verse 9 also has a slight variation in the Hebrew. Where the translations say "don't turn your servant away in anger.", the original Hebrew says; " do not turn away in anger your servant." While this may seem to be no big deal, look a little deeper. The first one says kinda like 'don't send your servant away because you're angry'. While the Hebrew seems (at least to me) to be more of "don't turn yourself away YHWH when angry with your servant." It appears to me to be like with our children again....do we send them into their room because we're angry with them for an infraction, or do we turn our back to their little faces and then ignore them being there. That's a pretty big difference. One is a discipline meant to teach a lesson, the other a punishment intended to hurt. Does this make sense?

Then in verse 10 I love the phrase "Adonai will care for me." David's just stated that he'd seek Papa's face, that Papa was his help. Even if everyone of any importance left him, even then, Adonai will care for me. Doesn't that just give you goose bumps?! If we look back into ancient history, the most important people in a person's life were their parents. Children were considered a 'gift from YHWH', a treasured property to be cherished. And in this time period, children were not considered adults until they'd reached the age of 20. They lived with their parents until that age or if they'd married young, they lived next to their parents (or inlaws). So no matter who leaves you, or deserts you, or treats you badly....Adonai will care for you. That just makes me want to dance and shout for joy!

I'll be honest with you dear friends, there've been times in my life when it felt like everyone I loved had turned their backs on me. Some in anger, some in disgust, some in total apathy. And it hurt!!!! I didn't know if I could survive it....but through it all, Papa cared for me. He dried my tears, he held me in His arms, He whispered in my ear how precious I was to Him, how wonderfully He'd made me and even how proud He was of me. He never left my side...through all the ugliness, the horribleness, the darkness....He stayed with me. He heard me and showed favor to me.....and cared for me. What a glorious promise this is. He's done it for me. He'll do it for you, dear friends. Papa is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow...He never changes. So if you're going through a rough time, or feeling like everyone has turned their back on you....read and ponder these verses. And remember.....He WILL do what he promises to do. And Yeshua promised He'd NEVER leave us. I pray you believe this and that my little scribblings here have brought you some joy today. Be blessed, know you're loved....and know I pray for you. Shalom, Spitfire

One of my favorite parts of Psalm 27

2009-09-02T01:33:00.000-05:00

As we continue to go thru Psalm 27, we've come to one of my favorite parts! I LOVE verses 4-6. So here we go:
"4. Just one thing have I asked of YHWH; only this will I seek;
to live in the house of YHWH all the days of my life,
to see the beauty of YHWH and visit in His temple.
5. For He will conceal me in His shelter on the day of trouble,
He will hide me in the folds of His tent, He will set me high on a rock.
6. Then my head will be lifted up above my surrounding foes,
and I will offer in His tent sacrifices, with shouts of joy; I will sing, sing praises to YHWH."

Can you imagine that friends? To live in His house?! Wow! I just know Papa's house is a marvelous and wonderful place. To be able to see Him face to face and visit in His temple just blows my mind. I can hardly wait for this to occur!!!!

And the picture of the Creator of the Universe caring enough about me to hide me in the folds of His tent!!! Do you realize how much that would show His love and care of us?! Oh, just think....when any trouble comes along, all we have to do is call on Him and Papa comes, scoops us up and then hides us in His tent. Now our troubles can't find us! We're hidden from them and surrounded by His love. We're set high on a rock....above the troubles. What an awesome picture! To think I'd not have to worry about what to cook for dinner, about Dodi's diabetes, or if Little Critter is learning enough, or Nana's growing infirmities (both physical and mental), or Pawpaw's growing hearing problems or Dear Cousin's heart problems...or the garden drying out....or eldest son's latest troubles.....or....anything. WOW!

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't spend all day worrying about these things. I know Papa has everything under control. And I know He's working things according to His plans....not mine. But the idea that all worries and troubles would be completely gone is just amazing to me. I want and seek for it to happen NOW! (Yes, I don't have a large supply of the "P" word......what is the "P" word? Why patience of course. You don't think Spitfire was given me as a nickname just because of my red hair did you?! LOL!) But since the prayer commonly called the Lord's Prayer states "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven", I really don't see why it couldn't happen here. If I can just learn to leave all my worries in His lap and let Him take care of them instead of constantly taking them back from Him....sigh. Well, I'll have to keep working on it, won't I. And I pray, dear friends, you learn this lesson also. To be able to leave your worries with Papa and not constantly take them back to see if you can fix them. (I know I'm bad about that. red face.) He loves you more than you realize and wants to hide you in His tent...and take care of all your worries. Please let Him. He does it SO well!

And the part about seeing the beauty of YHWH really appeals to me also. I know how much beauty I see around me but I just know there's beauty beyond my imagination even to see. Oh what joys I'm sure there are in Papa's house! To see the sapphire throne, the garden like setting, the beauty of His face. Sigh. In the meantime, I will enjoy the beauty around me. Then I can imagine how much more it will be in His house!! Too cool! Talk about sensory overload! My poor little mouth will be hanging open so much I'll most likely have birds building nests in it. LOL!

Well, I hope today's little blurp has been helpful to you. When I feel overwhelmed with all I'm trying to accomplish in a day, I read these verses....and it comforts my heart no end. May it comfort yours also. It's just another of Papa's Love letters to us....Let me leave you with a picture of some of His beauty here.

Now I think I have some singing to do! Shalom, Spitfire

Just keep trusting, just keep trusting.....

2009-08-28T01:44:00.003-05:00

Continuing our look at Psalm 27, let's look at verses 2 and 3.

2. When evildoers assailed me, to devour my flesh,
my adversaries and foes, they stumbled and fell.
3. If an army encamps against me, my heart will not fear;
if war breaks out against me, even then I will keep trusting.

Well, if you're even halfway conservative, no matter what your political persuasion, you most likely feel assailed and encamped against. And in many ways, you are. There's an all out push to stuff Papa in a box, hide Him in the closet and then lock the door while telling the world He doesn't exist. And then, to go after those of us who would much prefer He be left out in the open, free to do with this world as He sees fit and reminding all of us of the ways we're to travel this road of life. But we seem to be in the minority. OK, then just let us worship the way we wish to and don't stuff all this humanistic, atheistic, hedonistic stuff down our throats. I have nothing against atheists or hedonists.....not my place to come down hard on them. My job, as I understand it, is to point out Papa's Ways and His desires for them and their lives with grace and love. (Boy is that hard some days!!!!!)

But as it said in verse 1, Adonai is my salvation and light, the stronghold of my life. So do I need to fear? Heavens, no. I still say that if He could move several million (or thousand depending on your counting) Israelites thru the wilderness for 40 years without once having to replace their clothes, or shoes and making sure they had food and water that whole time, He can certainly take care of my loved ones and me. He is the same yesterday, today and forever....He never changes. He's not like normal men that change their stories to suit their purposes. He's the Eternal, the Creator, the El Shaddai, the YHWH Yirah. He knows how many hairs are on your head, how many blood cells in your veins. Don't you think He also knows the desires of your heart, your needs, your hopes. Yes, Beloved friends, He knows more about you than you know yourself. And He promised in His love letter to us that a)He would never leave us alone, b) He loved us with an unending love, c) no one could grab us out of His Hand, d) He would fight for and with us to make sure we stayed His and best of all, e)He'd cover us with His wings (the corners of His cloak)and be our rear guard.

So, to paraphrase my favorite brain dead fish....just keep trusting, just keep trusting.
Shalom, Spitfire
My thanks to the writers of Nemo and especially Dory for the title. Giggle, giggle.

Happy Preparation day for my Jewish friends. For those not Jewish, have a great weekend!

Do not fear....

2009-08-24T01:20:00.002-05:00

Well, as we move along thru this Hebraic month of Elul, several of my friends have assured me I have not offended them this past year. Whoo, I can sleep now...well, perhaps a little later. Grin!

Another Elul tradition is to read/recite Psalm 27 as part of our daily prayers. So I thought I'd share a few verses from that Psalm that seem magnificently appropriate for our times my next few posts. It just amazes me sometimes that words that were penned 1000's of years ago are still pertinent today. Boy, isn't Papa wonderful?! OK, moving along here.....

1. Adonai (G-d) is my light and salvation;
whom do I need to fear?
Adonai is the stronghold of my life;
of whom should I be afraid?

Well, hey, that one verse is enough!!! Just think about it, friends. Or as David the Psalmist would say...Selah, which is Hebrew for think about it, ponder this, meditate on this. Or in modern English (Texan dialect) "chew on this till ya get it!"

If we belong to Adonai, then who do we need to fear?! Do we really need to worry what those folks in DC are trying to do to us? If the Creator of the Universe is our provider, then can anyone here really do us in? I think not!!! Now, before a few friends get all upset, I am NOT saying we don't need to make our voices heard on subjects dear to us. (For example this monstrosity the House turned into a bill supposedly about health care!) Torah teaches we are to be in submission to our leaders....WAIT---Don't start yelling yet! Submission means (according to Mr. Webster) yielding to or submitting....now submitting means: yield; refer or present; offer; suggest.

Did you see that? Look closely at those last three definitions....refer or present; offer; suggest. So even being Torah Observant, I have every right to present or offer my opinions of what's going on. I also have the right to suggest other ways to accomplish something or suggest that if it's good enough for WE THE PEOPLE, it's good enough for our representatives...Do you see where I'm going here? The trick is, according to Torah, my words must be spoken in love, with kindness. We must learn to 'come and let us reason together.' And if I'm doing that (even if the other party is acting foolish and rude!) then I have nothing to fear! My Papa, the One who created those turkeys, the One who knows our thoughts (and theirs) better than we do...well, He'll take care of me. So am I just sitting around thinking I don't have to do anything because Papa will take care of me??? Oh, come on folks, most of you know me better than that! Yes, I've most likely got a dossier in DC about 6 inches thick for all the emails I've sent to everyone I could send them to voicing my opinion on the healthcare/insurance reform/Obamacare mess. But I'm not really worried about the outcome. I have no insurance....just a major medical plan in case of an emergency...like having one of Little Critter's 'inventions' crush me or something.... giggle..

I haven't had insurance for almost 4 years.....and haven't needed it. Papa has taken care of all my needs. Now I realize not everyone can do that....Dodi for instance. Until his diabetes is under better control (which will happen much faster and better after football season short of a miracle!!!!) we need to have insurance for him! (The insulin alone is impossibly expensive and when you add in the other 4 meds he takes....well you get the picture.) But I know that even with Dodi, that Papa has it all under control. If we simply trust Him to take care of the things we need....He'll do it. Hey, He made sure several thousand (or million depending on the counting) Israelites had enough food and water for themselves and all their servants and all their critters during 40 years in the desert! AND made sure their clothes and shoes didn't wear out that whole time!!!!! Don'tcha think that if He could do that, He can easily take care of your needs, sweet friends? Oh, I KNOW He can!!!

So as we continue thru Elul, searching our hearts and repairing/restoring relationships....let's also not neglect repairing/restoring the most important relationship we can have....the one with Papa. Wouldn't it hurt your feelings if your child told you he/she was afraid there'd be no food for him/her tomorrow....or that you wouldn't provide clean clothes for them? How much it must hurt Papa's heart when we doubt that He'll take care of our needs....Let's each ask Him to forgive us for doubting His provisions and work on not fearing. I hope this was helpful to you. Shalom, Spitfire

New Month, New post

2009-08-19T23:04:00.004-05:00

OK, I realize most of you are questioning my sanity with the title of this post....but tonight was the start of a new Hebraic month. The month of Elul. The sixth month of the calendar YHWH gave to man. In Nehemiah 6:15, it talks about the walls of Jerusalem being built during the month of Elul. The meaning of the Hebrew word Elul is nothingness. Where the walls of Jerusalem were nothingness, (due to being torn down during the Persian invasion) Nehemiah had been sent by King Darius to rebuild them. The month of Elul then is a month when Hebrew people world wide look into their own hearts, see the emptiness, and begin to rebuild. Pretty cool, huh.

This month is also regarded as the month 'the King is in the field." Now most folks would say 'HUH?!" But let me explain, it's really awesome! When a King of a country would go about to visit his subjects, as he neared a town, the servants would pitch the King's tent out in a field near the town while the emissaries (or ambassadors) would go into the town to notify them the King was waiting for them to finish preparations for his entrance and he was 'in the field'. Now while the King was in the field waiting for the townsfolk to prepare for him, he was relaxed and the 'regular joe's' (and joie's LOL!) could go visit him in the field without all the pomp and circumstance. So in Hebraic thought, this is the month The King is in the field....He's waiting for us to come to visit with Him in a relaxed and neighborly manner. Isn't that an awesome idea?! The Creator of the Universe is waiting for us to visit without having to worry about proper Court Etiquette. Wohoo, Papa, I'm working my way to ya!

This is also the month when orthodox Jews will look at this past year, ascertain where they've offended someone, and do what they can to make amends or restitution. Now, we are NOT orthodox Jews.....OK, I'm not real sure we're orthodox anythings!!!! But to me, this sounds like a wonderful idea. It's kinda like Elul is the Hebrew form of Lent....except that instead of giving something up, we're spending 40 days preparing our hearts for the meeting with the King in the field and we're repairing relationships with all we know. Whoo. Boy, do I have lots to think about! So as I prepare my heart, and help Little Critter prepare his heart....and we think back over our year....if I (or we) have offended anyone, please tell me. I wish to seek your forgiveness and make amends. It just wouldn't do to go to the field to visit with my King and have ought that a brother (or sister) has against me. I do not believe any one has offended me....except those people in Washington DC....and somehow I just don't see them seeking to make amends for offending me. So I'll have to work on forgiving them on my own I suppose. Oohh, this could get tough! Well, I know Papa will help me with this....after all we'll have 40 days to work on it! And if He can create all we see and more in only 6 days, I have no doubts He can help me fix this in 40 days.

So, my sweet friends, may you find this month with relationships strengthened, hearts filled with Papa's love for yourself and all you know and may you also spend time with The King who's waiting in the field for you. Shalom. Spitfire

PS Please don't forget to tell me if I've offended any of you. I truly have not meant to, but want to ask your forgiveness. And Pops, that includes you Sweetheart! ;-)Thanks. (Toda.)

A Torah Study with a twist

2009-08-09T23:20:00.002-05:00

"But Mommy, how can G-d be Father, Son and Holy spirit all at once?!" So asked my dear Little Critter several weeks ago after we'd read Torah portions for that day. Whew, now what was I going to say???? How do you explain to a 9yo something most adults have trouble with??????
Well, I prayed extremely quickly "Papa! I need some help here please. Some words of wisdom would be nice about NOW!" And suddenly I thought I had a plan. I explained it was kinda like Mommy. I'm Little Critter's mommy, but I'm also Daddy's wife, and I'm also a daughter to Pawpaw and Nana. In the same way YHWH is Abba (father), Yeshua (Son) and Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) but still YHWH Himself. I asked if this made sense to him and he replied slowly, yea, kinda. So I thought it was settled and he'd just kinda stew things over for a few days. Silly me......

So Saturday at synagogue, Rabbi was teaching on a similar subject when the question was asked if Yeshua was diety. We all thought a few minutes, several voiced ideas.....and then Rabbi said "Prove your answers!" Well, Little Critter tried to explain it in his simple way and Rabbi looked confused. So I told him my analogy I'd given to Little Critter a few days earlier, but said I didn't know of a chapter and verse from Tanak I could use to prove it. Then Rabbi, in the most wonderful way possible, came over to Little Critter and took his hand and asked if he (Rabbi) came over and took Little Critter's hand off and talked only to that hand or grabbed his mouth and pulled the breath out of it to talk only to that breathe would Rabbi be talking to Little Critter? Suddenly most every adult in the room could smell the smoke as Little Critter's pistons were chugging thru this most puzzling question. Then the light dawned and Little Critter said "Rabbi, you can't do that. Those are parts of me and if you tried to take my hand or my breathe and talk only to them we'd all think you're silly!" Rabbi then gently explained that was the point. Yeshua and Ruach HaKodesh (Jesus and Holy Spirit) are part of YHWH and to try to take them out and make them separate from Father is silly. All of a sudden, you could hear light bulbs going off all around the room as adults suddenly understood what had been explained to them in various Protestant/Catholic/non denominational churches all their lives. The idea of the 'three-in-one' nature of Papa is hard enough for adults to understand (and many don't) but for a child of 9.....well, it's worse than Greek! And that easily Rabbi made it clear not only for Little Critter, but for several adults as well. So the answer to Rabbi's earlier question was now clear: Yes. Yeshua IS diety because He's part of the Father!
After study was finished, I couldn't help myself and asked Rabbi if my explanation to Little Critter had been far off. He laughed and said no, it wasn't too bad....but making it apply to Little Critter was the trick. I walked away feeling much better about my abilities to teach this darling little trouble maker....because Papa will always give me the words I need when I need them.
I pray you find the words Papa sends you each day. He talks to you all the time and wants so badly to share His love with you. Shalom.

He who seeks

2009-08-01T02:15:00.002-05:00

This week's Torah portions dealt with Moise (Moses) talking to Papa as the Israelites are about to go into the Promised land. I had to giggle a little bit as Little Critter and I were reading this passage this week. If you'll look in Deuteronomy 3:23-26, I think you'll giggle too! It's not quite a funny in the Niv or Message Bibles, but in the Complete Jewish Bible even Little Critter said "Mommy, Moise sounds like a baby whining and begging for something!" After I got finished spitting my coffee across the room and choking on what I had been trying to sip on when he said that, I had to agree with him. (Trust Little Critter to wait until I have a full mouth of something to say something oddly profound...sigh)

The rest of the Torah portions this week included Isaiah 40 and Acts 3-5.. They were interesting reading, but it was the Deuteronomy section that stood out to me. Papa told the Israelites that if they sought Him with their whole hearts (Deut 4:29) that they'd find Him. That no matter what happened, if they turned their backs on Papa, if they forgot to follow His Rules (Mitzvot), if they just decided to do whatever they wanted to do instead...Papa would always be there with them. Not pressuring them, not begging them, not bribing, cajoling or threatening them....just there. Waiting. And as soon as the Israelites looked for Papa, He'd answer them. WOW!

Yeshua reiterated this idea in Luke 11:9-10 when He said "ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." Now isn't that amazing??? The Creator of the universe, the One who was and is and is to come, the all powerful, all knowing Father of all living things said that if we just looked we'd find Him there with us....anywhere, anytime. That just blows my mind. What an incredible gift to us from Him! And it's right there in His Love Letter to us all. How amazing. Nothing hard to understand about it. No fine print, impossible rules, no having to know the blood types of your last six dogs and 4 cats....just seek, look for Him and He'll be there.

My friends, I spent a good portion of this week shuttling family members to the doctors, and reading that abomination our House of Representatives came up with for Health Care Reform. Times are looking pretty grim. The darkness of this world is growing with a rapidity that is stunning in it's magnitude. I urge all of my readers to be sure they've looked for Papa. Please ascertain your standing with Papa. The sounding of the shofar signaling the end of the world as we know it can not possibly be far off....and I would truly hate not being able to meet you when we all join Papa in the new heaven and earth. If you'd like to know more about how to seek Papa and find Him, don't hesitate to email me. I'd love to share with you more about my Dearest Papa. I pray each of you talk with Him today, be blessed by His love and His joy. Dance with Him. It's an exquisite activity. Feel His loving arms wrapped around you as He whispers of His love and plans for you in your ear. Be blessed my friends. Papa's still in charge and those folks in DC can only go so far before that shofar will call us from this place. Have a blessed Shabbat for those who are also Torah Observant. For my friends who aren't, have a blessed weekend...and don't forget to go to His House this weekend....He's waiting to give you a love letter! Shalom, Spitfire

Home again....hallelujah!

2009-07-23T22:39:00.002-05:00

OK, so I didn't get my post done earlier.....we got home yesterday and it's been non-stop since then. WHew! It was SO wonderful to sleep in our own beds last night. Even Little Critter appreciated being home again.

Tuesday we went to the LBJ Presidential Library. I figured we'd spend an hour or so....well, boy was I wrong!!!! Little Critter got to going thru the exhibits and I explained how the things he was looking at (and reading about) related to what was going on in the world at that time period. We watched a short video about his life, and then went to the 10th floor to see the replicas of the White House. It took me 4 hours to drag Little Critter out of that library!!!! Who would have believed a squirmy wormy 9 yo boy would have so much fun at a Presidential Library?!

Once we left there, we walked across about 1/2 of the UT campus to our next bus, (This was about 3/4 of a mile), rode the bus three blocks and then walked another 2 blocks to the Bob Bullock Museum (also called the Story Of Texas Museum). We walked thru about 1/2 of it, went to see the movie "The Spirit of Texas" (which wasn't working so we didn't get to see it....bummer) and had a quick bite of lunch. Some really neat exhibits, but without the 'hearing wand' (which we didn't know we had to buy until it was too late) it was not much that we couldn't have found on the internet. I was disappointed....but Little Critter LOVED seeing all the knives, guns and cannons. Sigh.....boys!

After that we got on the bus again (we got really good at buses!!!!) went to Republic Park and took a picture of Little Critter at the Treaty Oak. (we think....it wasn't tagged, but that's where the website said it was). The Treaty Oak is supposed to be where Sam Houston signed the Treaty with Santa Anna to end the Texas War for Independence, hence making Texas a sovereign country in it's own right. Pretty cool huh!

Finally we went back to the hotel, ate dinner with Dodi and watched the bats come out from the bridge. I have several pictures to post, but they'll most likely have to wait a couple of days. Tomorrow is preparation day for Shabbot and I have to go back into work for a bit. (Not to mention laundry and cleaning the house since we weren't here to do it earlier this week.....sigh) S

So, my sweet friends, as we thank Papa for our dear home with our own little beds and our own little kitchen for me to cook in.....be sure to thank Him for all the blessings He's given you. He sends you love letters everyday too! And He loves you like crazy! Shabbat Shalom, Spitfire

On the road....again!

2009-07-21T22:19:00.002-05:00

This week is Coach's School. So, we're in Austin Texas this week while Dodi attends his classes at Coaching School. Little Critter and I are attending classes ourselves....sort of. We got here late Sunday afternoon, spent over an hour trying to get checked into our hotel and then spent another hour trying to find a restaurant to eat at. Whew! After all that, (not to mention a couple of 'scenic routes' which translate into Dodi read the map/directions and gave incorrect info to me the driver) we just watched a little TV and went to bed!!!

Monday, we got up, went to breakfast and then dropped Dodi off at his classes. Little Critter and I asked at the front desk which bus to catch and took off for the Capital building. We walked all over the place!!!! The Texas Capital Building is a HUGE building set in the middle of about 2 1/2 acres if ground. The Capital itself has 8.5 acres of office floor space (and we walked almost 8 of those 8.5 acres!!!!!). It's an impressive building with beautiful granite floors and more staircases than I ever want to see again, thank you! There's also a 650,000 sq ft extension that was added in 1995 that has 4 floors to it and several skylights. (the entire extension is underground!) We've been there before, but he was only 5 and we made that last tour a short one. This one, we looked in most every nook and crannie! He had a blast! We looked in the Agriculture museum inside the Capital building, the original Supreme Court and Court of Appeals for the State of Texas, the Senate and House of Representatives chambers and even the President of the Senate's reception/receiving room...complete with massive chandeliers (3) and it's own kitchen. We also saw the Governor's reception/receiving room and the basement offices. We walked underground and visited our Representative's office and then went back to the original Capital building to visit our Senator's office. Both secretaries were incredible!!! They took us into the men's offices and we got to sit in their chairs! (The Representative has the better seat....the Senator has a very clean, spare and fussless office, but his chair is not real comfortable.) They both asked Little Critter questions and if he had any questions, and then gave him goodies for his lapbook/scrapbook pages. He did a real good job answering questions and using his manners. He even signed both guest books himself, and told the Senator's secretary that last election he'd voted for our Senator. (He did....he filled out a voter registration card, marked he was NOT 18 and took it with us when Dodi and I voted. The registrar then gave Little Critter a practice ballot to vote on and had him place it in the box for counting later. Our county now uses the computers to vote so it's not like Little Critter's ballot ever really got counted, but she was sweet to not tell him that!) We spent about 5 hours going thru the Capital building and grounds. I got a great picture of him at the gates in front of the Capital, but can't load them up till we get home. I'll try to remember to post them later in the week.
Next week, he'll have to prepare his pages for lapbook/scrapbook and write up all the stuff he learned while at the Capital. I'm looking forward to seeing what he writes about. He learned lots of cool stuff. Then we'll start working on how a bill becomes a law....not too shabby for a 9yo heh?

Well, I'll try to post again in the next couple of days....we still have to go to the LBJ Museum, the Story of Texas Museum (Bob Bullock Museum), the LadyBird Johnson Wildfire park, the Treaty Oak, and hopefully the children;s museum. Whew! I think I'm tired just thinking about it all!!!! But he's learning lots, having fun and having a blast riding the buses downtown.

So I'm thanking Yah for public transportation, (so we don't have to walk eleventy million miles), for being able to visit these historic and wonderful places, for living in a great state in a great country, and for family and friends. I'm also grateful we homeschool so we can go with Dodi on his yearly trip to Coach's school! Hopefully next year will be in Ft Worth. (That's where I grew up and there's some incredible museums for kids...not to mention a working Log CabinVillage that Little Critter would have an absolute blast at!) Well, take care my friends, look for the love letters that Papa sends you everyday....Shalom, Spitfire
PS We're still trying to follow Dodi's diet, but boy is it tough down here!!!! So many restaurants and so little we can eat!!!! LOL!

Two points for me!

2009-07-17T00:59:00.003-05:00

Earlier this week, we had an appointment to go talk with the Dietitian. This was a requirement from the new specialist Dodi went to a few weeks ago that angered me so deeply. So I was not excited about this 'visit', but we went anyway. As some of you know, Dodi is diabetic. Has been for 15 years or so. And the first 5 years, we managed his blood sugars with diet alone....no meds. After 5 years, he started on oral meds and over the last 10 years the dosages have progressively gotten higher and higher with more and more drugs going into his system. This has bothered me for years.

Now, I will admit I have not always been good about cooking all our meals from scratch....but for the last year or two have gotten much better about it. I have, since his diagnosis, been good about trying my best to all I could to use foods and supplements and spices that would help control his blood sugars as naturally as possible. (I'm not sure I trust all these man made drugs to not screw things up worse than before.) So we've been on an Atkins type diet for about 4-5 months now. We don't even keep sugar in the house (unless dear cousin buys it for his coffee and occasionally I buy him a small pkge), we grow as much fresh veggies as we can, and I buy fresh when I have to. I can or freeze our produce and use it during the off seasons. So I felt we were doing pretty well.

Surprise, surprise, surprise! The dietitian agreed that we were doing quite well! WOHOO! Now, she advocates adding more carbs into our diet and eating less protein...but that doesn't make sense! Why add foods that turn straight into sugars into the diet of someone with uncontrolled high blood sugar?!?! So we're taking some of her advice and going with the advice of the wholeistic doctor on other parts. What does this mean for us? Well, for those of you who prepare Shabbat dinners.....it's like making Shabbat dinner for most every meal only in smaller portions. But we're beginning to see some really positive results from this. Dodi has lost almost 50 lbs, his blood sugars are now running 200 and below (they were in the 400's!) and he's feeling much better most the time. Now if we can just get him off the insulin shots at night, life will be awesome! (He only takes the insulin at night, during the day he still uses oral meds.) So your prayers would be appreciated as we attempt to defy the medical community at large and cure him of his diabetis. I realize everyone says you can't cure diabetis....but I know the Creator. And I also know HE didn't create diabetis......He created Dodi with perfectly functioning body parts, and healed him of this wretched disease over 2000 years ago. We're just waiting for Dodi's body to line up with the Word of YHWH and show that healing.

I pray things are going well for each of you and you're enjoying your summers. We're trying to stay as cool as you can in triple digit temps but we're still having fun....just inside. LOL! You know it's hot when even the lizards don't want to come out and play until after sundown!!!!! Have a blessed weekend, a restful Shabbat and know I pray for each of you daily. May Papa load you up with love letters this weekend. Shabbat Shalom, Spitfire

I've been tagged!

2009-07-13T12:04:00.005-05:00

This is just too cool! While on vacation, Ahava tagged me for having an inspirational blog. This just blows my mind! So thank you Ahava for your kind comments....just remember, you were the one who pushed and prodded me into starting a blog! (You are a Sweetheart and I'm blessed to know you and count you as a friend!hugs)

So, in response to the tag, I'm to list several groups of eights....this should give you a chance to know me a little better and perhaps understand how my little 2 cylinder brain functions. (or not-sometimes I don't understand how my little pea brain functions!) Here we go:

8 things I'm looking forward to:
1. Dancing with Papa everyday, whenever I want (while in heaven with Him!)
2. Meeting the 4 children I had to return to Heaven before getting to know them.
3. Asking SO many questions of the great men and women of the Torah about their faith, their lives and their families.
4. Being able to be debt free in the next year (except our house...that will take 3 more years!WOHOO!!!!)
5. Being able to have Dodi retire and enjoy being home with Little Critter and I...(that's in the plans as soon as Papa releases him from his current job as coach!)
6. Being able to move outside of town and have as many chickens and goats and kitties and puppies and horses and .....well, as many critters as we can feed and a garden to feed us.
7. Becoming the woman Papa intended me to be....sometimes I feel I haven't even begun the journey, otherdays I feel the journey has been going on forever and I haven't made any progress. sigh.
8. Reuniting with family and friends that have already returned to Papa and seeing so many friends I have all over the world that I've never met except online. (Lookout Ahava, Cindy, Alaska Bea, Steph, Rachel-I'll be looking for you my sweeties!! Can hardly wait to sit down with a great big cuppa and some serious girl talk!!!!)

8 things I wish I could do:
1. Ease the pain of all the moms and children of the world....sigh
2. Learn Hebrew.....this has been a couple years I've worked at it and still don't have it down yet...I'd love to learn the language Yeshua used when here. Perhaps one day.
3. Influence one life a day to learn more about our loving Papa so that they'd follow Him.
4. Be more like that Proverbs 31 woman that so often makes me feel like I'm not beginning to stack up....
5. Bring a smile and a giggle to Papa at least once a day.
6. Be the wife, mother, and grammie my Dodi, children and grandchildren need me to be.
7. Have a house outside of town that is big enough to provide a safe haven for any and all who'd need it with a huge garden, lots of critters and enough joy, peace and nurturing to repair the hurts this world dishes out.
8. Bring all I meet into a real relationship with Papa so we can spend eternity together with Him.

8 things I love:
1. Abba, Ben Adam, Ruach HaKodesh (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
2. Dodi, Little Critter and the rest of my family
3. Being able to do things for my parents to make their lives easier in their elder years. (They're both in the Hebraic age of "The Gray Age" being in their 70's)
4. Being able to teach Little Critter and the kids at church about their wonderful Papa!
5. Gardening, growing, canning, freezing, cooking, preparing new foods...Ok, if it deals with food, I love it!!!!! (Hence the 40 lb weight gain in the last 17 years!!!!! Grin)
6. Critters....especially the unconditional love they share with us for such little things as providing food and water for them. Not to mention the lessons about Papa I learn from them!
7. Learning new things and being able to do them reasonably well.
8. The wonder in children's eyes when they see something or learn something new and understand it. The excitement of splashing in rain puddles, chasing and catching 'lightening' bugs, seeing a green stem suddenly have a beautiful flower the next morning, learning to read...I could go on far too long. I reckon I just love children....

8 things I did yesterday:
1. Taught the children at church about their nearing age of accountability and the many faces of Papa.
2. Visited with my parents and did the ironing for Nana. (She's blind, ironing is a real trick when you can't see what you're ironing! Smile.)
3. Read a few blog entries of my friends and posted some responses.
4. Got most the laundry done....(we celebrate Shabbat so Sunday is a work day, we rest on Saturday)
5. Prepared an early dinner of corned beef, steamed cabbage and broccili with cheese.
6. Went to evening services at the church Dodi enjoys going to. (I get bored...they spend 20 minutes talking about 1 Tanak verse....But Dodi enjoys it and I like the people there. So we go.)
7. Prepared a care package for eldest son who's now stationed in Colorado. (He just returned from Iraq a couple months ago.)
8. Read some interesting articles and posts on some favorite Messianic sites and studied Torah before bed.

8 shows I watch:
yikes, this is gonna be hard....we don't watch that much TV.
1. Little House on the Prairie ( Little Critter loves to watch this one....)
2. The Rifleman (another of Little Critter's favorites....I'm not overly excited about it....I usually doze thru it. smile)
3. Beck (on FoxNews channel....I agree with him that we need far less government and far more personal responsiblity!)
4. MannaFest with Perry Stone (lost of interesting digging into our Hebraic roots)
5. Saturday mornings we watch several cartoons and shows on the Christian stations.....
That's about it....we watch the Hallmark channel some, the history channel some, the FoxNews channel some.....the Food Network some, HGTV some.....but not really anything we have to rearrange the schedules for.
Oh, I was watching Spiritual Warfare with Rabbi Moshe Laurie almost daily until they changed the time he's one....now I seldom get to watch him. Sniff, sniff. I love his show!!!
I think that's it. sorry, couldn't come up with 8. Oh well.

Ok, last but not least, I get to tag some of you!!! So, let's see......
1. Heart of Wisdom blog...Robin is an inspiration to all! I always gain something good from her blog on any one of several areas.
2. Blasting Caps and Dynamite....My friend and her husband are a hoot! They're full of spit and vinager and that's one reason we like each other so much....if she weren't a brunette, I just know she'd be a red head!!!
3. Conservative Outrage... Pops is a real Sweetie who loves Papa dearly.

4. Nazarene Chabad This is a friend from Tabernacle. He doesn't post real often, but they're pretty meaty and interesting.
5. The Door Post This is a great place to learn more about our Hebraic Roots. You have to join to look thru everything, but it's free and easy to join. It's more of a webring (I think) than a blog, but I've enjoyed it.
6. Let the Truth Be Known This is a blog run by an Orthodox Catholic Priest. But he's a hoot. Sometimes he gets really angry about things, but his love for Papa is evident in all he writes. And his puppy Munchie gets to put in some really fun posts too!
7. Recovering Christians This is Ahava's blog. It's wonderful!!!!

8. The Quiet Life-A work in Progress This is the blog of an army wife with three small kids. She's inspiring as she does all that she does with a quiet spirit. Truly amazing!

Well, as you can see I have an eclectic list of folks I keep track of. I hope you enjoy them too if you choose to visit them. Now, I have to get to work today.....before the day is over!
Thanks again Ahava for tagging me. You've blessed me Sweetie. I hope this has been interesting for you and that those of you who were tagged are blessed also. Look for the little Love Letters from Papa... He sends them everyday if we'll only look for them. Shalom, Spitfire

Lessons learned from a quail....

2009-07-10T23:22:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful week this past week, dear friends. Ours was a bit aggravating. After taking Dodi to a doctor who intimated I had been poisoning my beloved Dodi, and an insurance company that would not accept the prescriptions said Doctor wrote for Dodi....I was just about ready to do physical harm to someone or something. Well, the clutter in our bedroom bore the venting of my wrath. (Much better than anyone living in my house!!!) So our bedroom is now much better arranged and minus a huge pile of things we no longer need....

We also had a 'funeral' for one of the quail that Grandpa (Dodi's father) had given Little Critter about 4 or 5 years ago. It was a simple service....Dodi dug a hole, we each prayed for/about Bob White the quail (yes, that was his name....what can I say, he's a Bob White Quail!) We threw dirt on him and then Dodi finished filling the hole while Litte Critter fashioned a marker to mark the spot. It was simple, sweet and quite innocent. Although we're getting quite a 'pet cemetary' out there by the chickens....hmmmm.

Later as I contemplated the day, I thought about the lessons we'd learned over the past several years from the quail. Here are some quite foolish little birds, that seldom appeared to recognize us as the ones who fed them daily or provided their water, didn't seem to like us much and tried to ignore us whenever possible. So what lessons did we learn from them? Well, we learned that worry doesn't really help anything. These little birds didn't worry if we were late with their feed, they just seemed to know there'd always be food. If the temps went up, and the water got low, they knew we'd fill their water bottle for them, or Papa would send some rain for them. When the 'house' Little Critter had made for them started to fall apart, they didn't panic, or try to sue us for faulty workmanship....they just calmly moved the pieces of the cardboard box into an arrangement that met their expectations. They never let us pet them or hold them without a frenzied flight around their cage, they never gave any lavious or showy displays of affection for us, they didn't even provide enough eggs for us to use for anything. And yet.....

We learned Papa will always provide for us in one way or another. If our shelter doesn't look the way we wanted, He'll make sure we have shelter that is sufficient for our needs. When it becomes too hot to do much of anything, Papa will provide a breeze to cool us or rain to dampen us, or clouds to cut the heat a bit. When we're lonely, Papa will send other birds to talk to us, cheer us or just listen to our cries and commiserate. And when it's time to leave this place, Papa will provide those that love us with the ammenities to 'plant' us with love.

All this we learned from these silly little birds. Hmmm. I wonder what other things we could learn from our pets if we took the time to really think about it? Could be pretty amazing, ey?
Now I have a question for my readers to help me with. As we buried Bob White the quail, Little Critter's prayer which was amazingly sweet and innocent, conveyed a certainty that only a child could have that Bob White and our other now gone pets will be waiting for us in Heaven. I can find no mention in Scripture that says critters will be in Heaven other than the comments Papa made when the critters were made and He pronouced them good. So what do you think? Will critters be in heaven or not? I would love to have Scriptural references, but they aren't required. I personally find it hard to believe Papa would create all these wonderful critters, pronounce them good and then say "Well, you were cute, you were fun, but when you die you just rot." Somehow that doesn't sound right to me. Let me know what you think. And as you go thru this week, may you find the love letters Papa sends you in your everyday life....even if they're from quail...heheheh. Shalom, Spitfire

Happy Birthday America!!!

2009-07-04T21:40:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday America! I realize this post is a little behind...but it's still the Fourth of July here. I'm just behind on getting this posted. (Oops.) Here's hoping as folks are watching their fireworks, eating with family and friends, and listening to patriotic music or watching great old movies about our country that we all remember that this county WAS founded as a Judeo-Christian country! I don't care what Mr. Obama tells the world about us not being a Christian country. He's wrong!!!

Our entire form of government and our laws are based on the 10 Words (Commandments) and the form of government set up by YHWH in Deuteronomy! We have a Democratic Republic form of government. One set up of the people, for the people and by the people.

I thankful to live in this country...even if I don't like the road we appear to heading down. I still believe there's enough people with backbone to turn us back toward what our founders intended. I'm also incredibly proud of our military personnel. (yes, I have two foster sons in the military and a dear friend just leaving Iraq but heading for Afghanistan, so I'm biased!) We have a volunteer military, and they do a fine job! They're underpaid, underappreciated, and dishonored on a regular basis. They do the best they can without the equipment they need and without the support of our government, President, media or large sections of our population. But those men and women risk their lives every single day to protect our freedoms! And while there's always a few screwballs in the group, for the most part, they are cream of the crop! I pray Yah blesses and protects each of them!

Now I pray each of you dear readers, have a blessed Fourth of July and remember to thank Papa for the blessings He's given us. For my friends in other countries, may you have a blessed weekend and now we'll praise your countries as I find out about your Independence Days. May Papa bless each of you and may He bless The United States of America. Shalom, Spitfire

We saw a miracle!!!!

2009-06-29T21:47:00.002-05:00

I am so pumped! We saw a miracle today. About 4:00pm this afternoon, we saw an honest to goodness miracle!!! It rained. Yep, after almost 2 months of not a drop of rain here in Central Texas, we saw rain. Little Critter wasn't sure at first what that funny sound was....till he looked outside. Then he and I went running outside and stood in the rain, thanking Papa for sending it to us. This of course also means the temps stayed lower this afternoon! This is a wonderful miracle since it was 107.8 at 2:00pm....By the time the 15 minutes of gentle life-giving rain had ended, the temps had dropped under 100! WOOHOO!!! It's now at almost 10:00pm close to 88 degrees outside....only a couple of degrees higher than we keep the A/C (when it's working!!!!) in the house. Is that just too cool or what?!?!

So on that happy note, I have an email a friend of mine sent me. I really enjoyed it and thought you would too my friends. So read the following, never forget to thank Papa for His love letters to you and be blessed. Shalom, Spitfire

Inner Peace

If you can start the day without caffeine,

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,

If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment ,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without liquor,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

...Then You Are Probably The Family Dog!

PS And no, I have proof I'm not the family dog.....mornings without caffeine is not a pretty sight at my house!!!!!giggle giggle.

On the road....part 2

2009-06-27T01:01:00.003-05:00

Well, here's day two in Branson, Mo. We started the day with breakfast with Red Skelton. Tom Molika used to work as a writer for Red before his retirement. Now he impersonates him. The first picture is Little Critter with his favorite Red Skelton character, Clem Cadiddlehopper. I have video of Little Critter when he was really little, running around the house with one of my old felt fedora-like hats crammed on his head and an oversized shirt (one of mine) talking like he was Clem. It's hysterically funny. The second picture is Tom Molika. He even sounds like Red Skelton when he's not in character!! And he was so funny, I couldn't breathe! I had to pull out my inhaler and use it...I haven't had to use an inhaler in years!!!! (I always keep one handy for just in case scenerios. Trips to the ER are expensive....lots more so than a generic inhaler for asthma!!!!)

After we finally got our breathe back after Red Skelton...we took Little Critter to the Talking Rocks Cavern. It was incredible. This is a picture of one of the group of stalagtights called curtain stalagtights. Of course the young boy behind us had to remind us they were also called Bacon Stalagtights to the point I finally turned around with a grin and said "We're Jewish. We don't have bacon and certainly don't crawl thru it!! They're curtains!!!" He just looked at me a minute and then he and Little Critter in unison chimed out 'bacon, bacon, bacon!!!!" The two little rats.....it was really funny. But then again, we were 200 feet underground by that point, so most likely a lack of real air was beginning to make everything silly to us!!!!(Not to mention the fact that we were deep into a small tight place I could not readily get out of!!!! Which was only half as bad as the natural bridge we walked across....the one where Little Critter says so excitedly "Mom look! I can hardly see the bottom from here!" Of course I looked.....silly me....then when the vision returned to my stunned eyes I remembered I don't like heights either!) Little Critter loved the cavern....Dodi thought it was wonderfully fascinating.....I did it because I love my son. (I hate small, tight places and walking on very narrow, slippery natural bridges miles above the bottom of the hole we're crawling thru.....Next year-NO CAVERNS!!!!!) Wink, wink.

Once we finished panning for jewels (which we were guaranteed to find...
once we bought the sand to pan with) we drove back to the hotel and walked over to the Titanic museum. This picture is of Little Critter in front of the Museum. It's one of the coolest museums we've ever been to! The whole thing is built like the front half of the ship Titanic. You walk thru a man made ice berg with a real ice berg inside (out of the heat of course) to pick up your boarding pass and ticket. Then you find out which of the real passengers from the Titanic you are. The rest of the museum you walk thru various compartments of the ship and read all sorts of fasinating info about the people, building, launching and sailing of the Titanic. Little Critter was John Jacob Astor-the richest man in the world (in 1912 of course), Dodi was the head mailman on the ship and I was one of the women. Needless to say, I was the only survivor. We had little scavenger hunt pages to fill out that I'd downloaded from their website and all had a blast looking for the answers to the questions on the hunt. For instance, did you know there were 12 couples on their honeymoons on Titanic's maiden voyage? There were. And there were only 23 female staff members of the 432 employees on board. We all learned some neat facts about the ship, the crew and the passengers. Mr. Astor was there with his second wife on their honeymoon. (Which was probably a good thing since she was 5 months pregnant with his child....ooops) Mr. Astor was 47 yrs old ( I think) and his new bride was 18. She survived and the child was born later. Mr. Astor perished. I believe I remember reading there were only about 12-14 crew members who survived and they were all rowing the life boats. It was a beautifully well done and really family friendly museum with great things for kids to do hands on. At one place they could put their hands in water cooled to the 28 degrees the water was when Titanic sank and then punch the clock to see how long they could stay in that cold water. There was also a place were you walked along the promenade in front of the captain's deck and the air temp was about 32 degrees. Boy that one felt good!!!! Even in our shorts and t shirts!!!! All in all, this is for sure a place to visit more than once. It was great.

After Titanic, we went back to the hotel and went to bed. The next morning (Friday 6-19-09) we hit the road again....but that's for another post. On the road again....just gotta get on the road again... sorry, couldn't help myself.

Well my friends, I pray that as you travel on your journeys whether to new, exciting places or even if just to the local grocery store you take the time to see the wonders that surround us. Learn to savor the moments, make beautiful memories, enjoy the wonders around us. And always look for Papa's love letters to you....they're all around you. If you look. Shalom, until next time. Spitfire

Still on the road.....

2009-06-22T19:05:00.004-05:00

Well, we made it back to Grandma's house. We actually made it here last Friday (6-19-09) just in time for Grandma's birthday! (Funny how that worked out heh? wink wink) I've checked the blog a couple of times and tried to check email, but it's tricky here. The WIFI link is iffy at best and unreliable at worst. So I'm just blogging a quickie while I have a signal.

We're having a great time here with Grandma and the cousins. I have some more pictures to post, but can't do it here. Will have to wait till after we get back home later this week. Little Critter is being spoiled rotten (that is with a capital R you understand!), Dodi is having a blast getting to sit and talk with his momma, and me....well, I'm enjoying not having to cook, clean and watch Little Critter every minute of the day! It's relaxing to be able to sit on the back porch of Mom's house, listen to the birds, and go pop fresh blue and blackberries in my mouth if I'm hungry! (OK, between Little Critter and I we've pretty much cleaned out the ripe blueberries...still working on the blackberries, but we still have a day to do it in!)

Mom's house is out in a small subdivision of folks that live about 15 miles from the nearest small town. It's my idea of heavenly. A few neighbors in case of emergency, but not so close as to be able to see all the goings on at your own house. In fact Dodi and I snuck out last night after Little Critter was asleep and went swimming in the swimming pool! At 11:00PM!!!! It was SO wonderful. The stars were amazingly clear and bright, the air was cool (but not cold, only about 87 degrees), the water was still warm from the daylight heating....ssssiiiigggghhhh. It was SO relaxing. I think we're going to do it again tonight. Without all the kids in there, it's quite pleasant. And it's the only time this whole trip we've had time to ourselves! It was even romantic! Kinda felt like Adam and Eve out there in that pool....just us and YHWH and the stars. I told Dodi we may have to consider one for our house! (someday)

Well, probably better check on Little Critter and Dodi....it's strangely quiet all of a sudden....of course Little Critter is down at the pool with Aunt and the girls, and Dodi's in with his mom....but I'd hate for them to forget me! Hahahaha Besides, I've got to get things ready for the Rosh Chodesh (New Moon)....had no bread, and no way to make it here, so Papa forgive me for using Popcorn....it's all we have. But we can salt it! He'll understand. We also don't have our shofars with us, so we'll have to use paper towel rollers I reckon....it's hard to do the feasts and festivals on the road. But I feel certain Papa understands and recognizes our effort even if it's unconventional. Yes, Gayle, I know, I know....I'm seldom accused of being conventional anyway, so what's new.....I could hear you thinking it clear up here! I still love you and know that's one of the things about me that you love too! Giggle, giggle.

So my friends, as you rush thru your days, please be sure to slow down enough to hear the birds. Papa sends them to remind us how much He loves us. And if you can find fresh berries, that's just an extra love letter from your Papa! Smile. Shalom, Spitfire

PS For my Jewish friends, Shauva tov. (I think that's the Hebrew phrase for Happy New Moon... If I'm wrong, at least I tried. Happy New Month anyway! :-)

From the road....part 1

2009-06-17T23:17:00.004-05:00

We're still in Missouri, but I thought I'd try to upload some pictures of our adventures....Crossing my fingers I've figured this out....

Ok, this is a tunnel through a mountain! Yes, through the mountain...I was a bit jittery going through here. I think it had something to do with the HUGE 18 wheeler truck behind me, the equally big truck next to me and the idiot in the little car that changed lanes in front of me and SLOWED DOWN!!!! All I can see in the rear view mirror is grill and bumper of the HUGE truck and this pipsqueak in front of me slows down...I nearly wet myself!!!!! Fortunately, we survived this adventure....and down the road we went.

This is at the Holy Land Adventure in Eureka Springs Arkansas. (For those of you from Loma Linda, that's still in the US) It's a wonderful place and you go from spot to spot, listen to the park employees tell their part of the Bible story and then go to the next spot. It covers about 1 mile or so and you walk it all. It was wonderful! I thought I'd gotten a picture of some of the other spots, but would have to search through my whole 450 pictures to find them.....this is Little Critter at the Moshe (Moses) spot. He's helping hold up the 10 commandments. I just knew I had a great picture of Kefa (Peter).....he's my favorite desciple. I just know he was a red head....how else to explain his mouth so often outrunning his good intentions?!?!! grin.

Well, on to our hotel and our spot in Branson, Missouri....and yes, that's still in the US. We've know gone through Texas, Oklahoma (nothing exciting to share from there), Arkansas and are now in Missouri. Roughly 750 miles from home. Whew!!!

The following morning (Wednesday) we had breakfast with Mark Twain and Norman Rockwall. Now I realize both these men are dead....but the impersonator of Mark Twain was wonderful! He even looks a LOT like Mark Twain!!!! This is a picture of Little Critter and Mr. Twain after the show. He was impressed Little Critter had read both Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer and had also read The Jumping Frog from Calico County. Little Critter loved the jokes (that he caught, several went over his head) and seeing the pictures Mr. Rockwall had painted for the second edition of Tom Sawyer. (I personally love Norman Rockwall's paintings!) I also didn't realize he'd done the pictures for the second edition or that the two men knew each other!! THey did! And enjoyed each other's company quite well...according to Mr. Twain that is. Little Critter enjoyed this show so much he wanted to spend the money Grandma had given him to buy a copy of the show on DVD for PawPaw to watch. He just knew Pawpaw would love it. (He's right, but Momma paid for the DVD....that money is for Little Critter to buy himself something.)

After that show, we stayed downtown on the landing and snooped around. Not much to see unless you wanted to eat or shop. But did see the Paddle Boat go by as the water works started spouting water. Then suddenly the Star Spangled Banner is booming from the speakers down at the pond, and wham! Fire is bursting from these tubes in the background. Boy, howdy, it was fabulous!!! Talk about getting your patriatism stirred up!!!!! I grabbed this quick picture to share. WOW! I was almost in tears when it finished, it was so beautiful and made me so proud of this country!!!! Thank you Branson, for reminding us what a great place this is! Ok, let's move on now....

Our second show for the day was at the Sight and Sound theatre. We saw the musical Noah. This is Little Critter outside the theatre in front of the Lion and the Lamb sculpture that doubles as a small water fall. Once inside, no cameras allowed. Pooey. If you ever get the change to see this....DO IT!!! It's a bit pricey, but worth every single dime in our book. Our only quibble was they used the name Jehovah quite often mixed in with Hebrew names and Greek words. There's no J in Hebrew or Greek....so Jehovah is not a correct translation of His name. Oh well, it was only slightly bothersome. The rest of the show was incredible. Especially when we're inside the Ark...yep, they build the set all around you in the audience and you're in the Ark with them. And they bring the animals into the Ark right through the audience. It was great!!!!! This was Dodi's favorite for Wednesday. I was torn....I liked both the shows we saw. Little Critter, well, he just liked being surprised all day.

Well, I'll try to post some more pictures from our day on Thursday later this week. It was a full day with LOTS of fun stuff! As we went to each show and explored the town of Branson, we were grateful to be born in this country, to see SO much of Papa's love for us in the friendliness of wait people, ticket takers, showmen and even just other tourists, and to be able to enjoy all this great adventure. I pray you take the time to see His love for you in the people around you. He really does love you like crazy! And He sends you people and events to show it to you. Be sure not to miss them. It makes life so much more beautiful! Well, gotta get to bed, we have another big adventure on the books for the morning. Shalom, from the road......Spitfire

On the road......

2009-06-16T22:33:00.002-05:00

Well, we left home Monday morning around 11:30 to head for Grandma's house. Over the river, and thru the woods....well, OK, there's no woods, but we did cross a couple of rivers! Six hours later, we arrived at Grandma's house. I love my mother-in-law! She is truly a jewel!!! She's always thrilled to see us, even if it's the middle of the night. (It wasn't this time, but one year we showed up around 2 in the morning....she just left the doors open for us in the little house and had a note for us. Then cooked a huge breakfast for us later that morning! No complaints about our being so late or anything! We had to wait until after work to leave....funeral, no prior warning. Oh well. We got there!) And this time she even knew we'd be using her as a Motel 6....meaning we arrived Monday around 6pm and left Tuesday morning around 10am. What a bummer! But we'll be back to her house late Friday evening...and get to stay for about 3 days.

We're now in Missouri. (For those of you unfamiliar with the US, that's another state...in fact, we drove thru 3 states today!!!!! ARGGG!) We left Texas this morning, drove thru a good portion of Eastern Oklahoma always on the lookout for Indians! I thought sure I saw smoke signals a couple of times...giggle giggle. (Oklahoma is the state the Federal Government sent all the American Indians to live in in the 1800's. There's Indian reservations all over it.) Little Critter had his nose buried in the DVD player thru most of Oklahoma, so Dodi and I had fun making up stories about the scenery....and the Indians.

Once we crossed into Arkansas (another state) we pulled the plug on the DVD player and made Little Critter look at the scenery with us. By now we were driving thru parts of the Ozark Mountains. It was beautiful....at least the parts I could actually take my eyes off the road to see! We went to Eureka Springs. To be honest, from about Fayetteville on to Eureka Springs I saw little of the scenery...something about 75 million squiggly hairpin turns up and down those blasted mountains at 65 and 70 mph.....gulp! I got seasick just before we actually got to Eureka Springs...the road did so many switchbacks! That's when the road turns back almost opposite the way you just came. And after being used to Texas roads and highways.....well, let's just say Arkansas and Oklahoma dont' know what a highway is!!!!!

Once in Eureka Springs, we went to the Holy Land Tour. We got there 30 minutes before closing (google maps was not accurate about the timing from Grandma's to Eureka Springs.....must have been all those mountain switchbacks!) so they didn't charge us for tickets and just let us run thru the tour. It was great!!!!! I hope to be able to post some pictures tomorrow of what we saw. We got to talk to "Hannah", Kefa (Peter), and Moshe (Moses). Imagine our surprise when talking with Moshe to find out he was born in our hometown and went to school 17 miles from our house!!!!!! Talk about a small world....and boy did he look good for being 3000 years old!!!!! Smile. (One day I'll have to figure out how to get smiley faces on here......oh, some other day.)

After our whirlwind tour of the Holy Lands, we got back in the Trooper, and drove the last 1 1/2 hours to Branson, Missouri. Tonight we're in our hotel room getting ready for tomorrow.. We have breakfast with Mark Twain tomorrow.. I can hardly wait and Little Critter can hardly go to sleep. He's read 3 or 4 of Mr. Twain's books, so can't wait to meet him in the morning....wait till he finds out we go on the Titanic our last day here! Hehehe. Mom can still surprise the little beast! Well, will try to post again tomorrow evening. We eat with Mark Twain in the morning, then later go visit with Noah and help with the critters. (Good grief, that could be a lot like being at home!!!!! I've got dubs on feeding the unicorns!!!)

We saw more of Papa's gifts to us today than I can recount in one entry....the mountains, the hawks, the rivers we crossed (I think there were about 30), the friendliness of the folks we met at meals and gas stops, the sharing of His love with us by the actors/actresses of the Holy Lands. I pray you each have found some of Papa's gifts to you today. And may you find more tomorrow. Shalom, from a long way from home.....one tired spitfire.

We did it!

2009-06-15T23:29:00.000-05:00

Each year for about 10 years now, Dodi and I (and Little Critter since he was about 5) have held a biker's rest stop for those bikers going to Austin for the ROT Biker Rally. Now, if you don't live in Texas, you have no clue what this is. But it's a huge (like about 70,000 bikers) Motorcycle Rally held down in Austin each June. It's a secular rally which means we've never actually gone to it because it's mostly drunk, scantily dressed and/or hung over bikers. (For those who don't know we've been bikers for over 10 years....with the Christian Motorcyclists Association. And yes, I do have my own Harley and have logged more miles than Dodi! In fact for over a year I was the road captain and led our group on all rides....which was totally unheard of at the time...for a woman to be road captain! And that's where the name Spitfire originally came from.....the bikers.)

Well, this year, we opted to do 4 days of rest stop. Usually we only did 3 full days and sometimes part of a 4th day. But this year, Dodi really felt called to do all four days....whew. We got up between 6am and 6:30am each morning, loaded 6 ice chests with ice, drove 40 miles to the nearest Harley dealer, unloaded the canopy, table, ice chests, chairs, tracts, Bibles and our selves and proceeded to water, juice and witness to hundreds of bikers all day. The weather was between 90 and 100 degrees with humidity levels from 50-75 percent. It was miserable the last two days!!! The first two days it was cloudy so wasn't too horrible....just humid! But we got to share with SO many folks looking for a way to feel better about themselves and their lives. It was incredible! And the folks at Horny Toad Harley are the best!!! We've known them for over 10 years, and each year they just treat us like royalty. It's great!

But it's over for another year....and to be honest, I'm glad. Staying outside in the heat, the wind and the noise for 8 hours or more gets tough. I love visiting with folks, although explaining my voice gets old (I don't have one....it sounds like I have a bad case of laryngitis....but that IS my voice. Sigh.) And I LOVE getting to talk about Yeshua, the Kingdom of my Father, and prayer with these people...but. Of course, we've already started working on ways to impact more folks next year...and I'm sure I'll be right in the thick of it again...but I can honestly say I'm glad we're finished for this year. (What a baby I am, heh?) I just pray some of the seeds we planted will get watered and come to fruition.

Well, I've gotta get to bed, we leave in the morning on a trip I won as a new partner in our H & R Block office, and then to see Grandma. I'll post as I can on the road but fair warning....Internet is tricky at best at Grandma's! So if I'm quite for the next 10 days, it's just that I can't get Internet access at Grandma's. So be blessed this next week, and be sure to listen for Papa's voice asking you to fulfill His Great Commission. Tell the world how wonderful He is! They need to hear it!!! Shalom, Spitfire

Happy Dancing Again

2009-06-07T22:30:00.001-05:00

Well, we're happy dancing around here again. We just got a phone call from our eldest foster son. He's not been speaking to us for about 1 1/2 years. And this was a pleasant phone call, so we're blessed. Of course the reason he called was he and his father have had another falling out resulting in father disowning eldest son....that hurts my heart. Torah (Bible) tells us to honor our father and mother. So it hurts my heart that this father and son can not seem to work out their differences.....but in fairness to this son, I've seen the story working out for 28 years and felt it would come to this eventually. Eldest son has a multitude of problems, many of them caused by his parents. His mother's death when he was 13 didn't help anything.....but his father's reaction and response to the boys (he has a younger brother that also lived with us for awhile, but will no longer even speak to us. Sigh.)when their mother died was nothing short of heartless. As eldest son grew up, step mom resented him being there, younger half brothers hated him, and father did nothing to try to alleviate the situation. Eldest son ran away from home numerous times, but father had issued a court order that we could do nothing to help the boy. Only after he hit 19 could we step in, and by then an enormous amount of damage had been done. He now serves in the United States Army...as a mechanic on the big machinery. He's also pretty good on smaller cars. ;-)

I told Dodi when he got mad at me over a year ago for telling him the truth about some of his actions that he'd be back next time his father got mad at him. As we talked, he asked why we always took him back even when he treated us badly. I told him that what family does. Even if we're angry with you, disagree with what you've done, or disapprove of your speech,....you're still our son and we love you. Bless his heart. He's heard that for most of his life from me. (And no, he's not my child....except from my heart.) But now that eldest son has his own child, he's beginning to understand where we've been coming from for the last 17 years of his live. So now there's hope we can help lead him to a closer walk with Papa. He's professed faith in Papa, but his actions don't show it. Perhaps we can be used by Papa to show him that Papa loves him more than we.....more than his father. And thru us perhaps, little creeper (his son-our grandson) will also be introduced to Papa. WOOHOOO! We could possibly impact their eternal lives!!! OH, the incredible responsibility of that just hit me. Wow, we could impact the eternal future of their lives. Hmmmm. Boy, gonna have to hit my knees on this one! I sure don't want to allow my red hair and unruly tongue to ruin everything......Well, I'll trust Papa to have this all under control. After all, He's the one who put this child into our lives so long ago, and keeps bringing him back to us. There has to be a reason for that! So as long as we stay out of the way, allow Papa to use us and listen carefully so we hear His voice, this could have a seriously happy ending!

And best of all, we're going to get new pictures of our grandson!!!!! We haven't seen him in over a year either... and he spent his first 6 weeks of live in our home without either of his parents. So in a way, he's another of our kids! I can hardly wait to cuddle that little creeper!!!!!!

So I hope you each listen for Papa's voice in your hearts....He's got big plans for each of you. And He's got people just dying to hear you tell them how much Papa loves them. So get to work! The Kingdom is at hand! Shalom, Spitfire

PS Things are a little more peaceful with Little Critter the last couple of days....he's trying to catch himself when he's being disrespectful (doesn't always make it, but you can see him trying. That's a big step towards growing up!) So while I know it's only the opening volleys in this war to grow up, I now feel more assured I haven't lost his heart. It's just hormones getting in the way! Sigh. But this too shall pass. And soon I'll see my little caterpillar turning into a wonderfully beautiful, G-dly young man. OK, now I've gotta go get a hankie, sniff, sniff. My baby's growing up!!!!!! WAAAAAAA. (giggle, giggle)

Regaining Consciousness

2009-06-05T22:30:00.001-05:00

One of my sweet sisters sent this to me today. It's called the YaYa Sisters....in many ways (more than I really want to admit to) it describes life in our zoo this week. ....let me explain a little.

For several months now we've had increasing trouble with Little Critter and his attitude mostly towards me, but also towards several adults. It was most puzzling as he has wonderful manners....most the time. And when he chooses to use them, people are usually blown away by his maturity level. But lately, he's chosen to not use them with me and has been increasingly rude and disrespectful. No amount of fussing, paddling, taking away priveleges or times out have seemed to help alleviate the problem. I was not only hurt and sad about this, but also bumfuzzled. What in the world could have gotten into my sweet, loving, squirmy, wormy little boy?!?!?! I had this horrible thought one day, and asked the Dr. about it when we went in for Little Critter's annual checkup. But Dr. assured me he was far too young and we wouldn't have those problems for a couple more years.... Still there was a niggle in my mommy heart that something wasn't right. Hmmmm.

Well, the last three days have been miserable for both Dodi and I. Little Critter has been almost totally out of control....rude to both of us, disrespectful, nasty, hateful to others and downright mean to all living creatures. Today, as we were beginning the preps for Shabbat, it came to a head. He blew it with me, I lost my temper, paddled his backside, sent him to his room, and (sigh, I'm ashamed to say this........) I ran away from home. Yep, I gathered my things, took the car keys and told Dodi I was leaving and would be back sometime. When the poor man asked what happened, I snapped "Ask YOUR son! I'm sure he'll say it's all my fault!!!!" and then drove off. I'm not proud of my actions.....but I was about to do some serious harm to my child.....starting with yanking that nasty little tongue out of his mouth and wrapping it around his neck!!!!!!!

Fortunately, my parents (to whose house I ran) allowed me to vent my frustrations, offered their advice and after about an hour sent me back home. Sigh....now to apologize to my poor Dodi. I did, he understood and told me he loved me still. Feeling better now, I left Little Critter in his room while I prepared things for Shabbat. I knew I had to talk with him, but needed to allow Papa to rid me of my anger, sooth my hurt heart and talk some sense into me. He did. And before Shabbat started we'd both apologized, talked and spent some sweet time together with giggles, hugs and affirmations of our love for each other. Shabbat was a lovely time together as a family with a friend over.

As for the source of the problems.....well, I'm afraid I was right. Papa told me to trust my mommy heart. He speaks to it regularly! Little Critter is going into the male version of PMS....or puberty. He's only just turned 9, and this shouldn't be happening for a couple years. But it is. So for those of you with young boys.....cherish your cuddles and giggles while you can. And when they suddenly turn into Jeckel/Hyde, hit your knees!!!! Papa can and will give you all the patience (oh how I hate that P word!!!!), control and wisdom you need. Just hit your knees before you run away....grin. It's so undignified.....

May Papa bless each of you this Shabbat and may you each feel Papa's love for you. He loves you like crazy ya know. Heiveinu Shalom Aleichem. (May peace be on you) Spitfire

Scotty, I think Summer's here!

2009-06-03T00:37:00.004-05:00

Well, my goodness. Has it really been over a week since I last wrote?! Whew. The time just flew past. Of course, the temps have sky rocketed too! It's now generally in the 90s with moderate to high humidity. Yuck. I wouldn't mind the heat so much if the humidity weren't so high. But 40%-70% humidity is a real killer of motivation to do much of anything!!!!! Even my poor little plants are not having fun out in the garden.

We've been busy harvesting and preparing more zucchini than I have figured out what to do with, green beans (8 quarts in the freezer so far....one more we ate tonight for dinner....boy were they good!), and about 1/2 a bushel of onions. We've been picking peppers, tomatoes and cilantro as they ripen. Hoping they'll start ripening together so we can make some salsa for Dodi. I've also got to cut all the bok choy and do something with it......any suggestions?!?! I don't think we can eat all 8 heads at once.

I hope you all had a blessed and wonderful Shavuot (Pentecost). We went to the new synagogue in Temple and joined. (Ahava, don't have a heart attack please. )But Dodi decided he was ready to join, so we're now Messianic Jews. We have been in our hearts for several years, but had no where close enough to make it feasible to join. Now we do. (Gayle, now it's your turn to NOT have a heart attack!!!! I'll explain to you later....) Our Shavuot service was incredible!!! I even got to hold the Torah Scroll as we "danced like David danced" during the service. The Torah scroll I got to carry and dance with is one that was smuggled out of Iraq just before the War started. It's got tiny bells all over the top of the two spools (?) holding the actual Torah. I was blown away when they handed it to me. It's priceless! But I did SO enjoy dancing with Papa while holding His love letter to me!!!! It was such a blessing. We also had taken some freshly gleaned wheat with us... yes Gayle, Little Critter and I went out early and gleaned some of your corner wheat...thank you for allowing us to do that. I'm so blessed to have friends in high places! We still may come do some more gleaning if I can figure out how to grind it.....probably would help if I had a grinder. But I don't. And I don't think I want to stand at the table and use my marble slab to grind wheat......hmmmm. Will have to continue to study this one.

After the service, we had a feast!!! Boy, if you left hungry it was your own fault!!!! The congregation is small (much like All Saints, Gayle) but there was more food than our home town could have eaten!!!!! All 5,000 of them!

Then Monday, we got to go pick up our baby chicks. Six of the little darlings. They are SO cute. I'll try to get a picture of them to post soon. We're now busy building a small pen for them so the big chicks don't hurt them. Eventually, they'll all be in the same pen. But for the next several months, the babies will have their own brand new pen. We're also trying to hatch a couple of the older hens eggs. I'll letcha know how that goes. We've hatched several quail, but they never live past 3 weeks. sigh. Hopefully this will work better.

Well, I reckon I've made up for being silent so long.....will try to post more often and shorter posts. I pray Papa has blessed each of you as we start this hot season of the year. shalom, Spitfire

Mazel Tov Nana!

2009-05-25T00:32:00.001-05:00

Well, today was Nana's birthday! She turned 74 years old. Not to shabby for someone who had polio as a child and wasn't expected to live. Then about 6 years ago, she got Fornier's Gangrene.(sp?) It involved a gangrenous growth in her intestinal tract that no one knew about for quite some time. We think it grew for years, but aren't real sure. Anyway, she got sicker and sicker, refused to go to the doctor and when we finally got her to go, she was about 12 hours away from having gangrene all over her body!!! She had 5 major surgeries in 4 days while they worked at getting all the gangrene out of her body. She tried to give up on us then....I begged, cried and bullied her into continuing to fight. (My mother knows YHWH but doesn't really follow Him....sigh, deep and heavy sigh!) So this birthday was kinda special. We got to keep her for another year.....

Then we took her to the eye specialist today, and he dropped a new bomb into our lives. Mom is blind, she can still see shapes and colors (sometimes) and really uses her hearing more than her eyes to figure out who's walked into her room....but today the specialist said her blind spots have moved to another area of the eyes. Of course I thought "HUH?" He then said her peripheral vision had improved! (For the first time in about 6 years!!!!) When we asked how that could happen, he dropped the bombshell. He's sending her for some more tests, (of course) but he believes she's had a small stroke. STROKE?!?! Her blood pressure is wonderful, she doesn't get any exercise to speak of (her choice....I've tried to get her to do more walking, but no go), her eating habits are bad on good days and horrible most the time.....but a stroke?!?! Sigh. It would explain some recent odd behavior. But a stroke also means we need to do something about her being home alone so much......the implications of this are mind boggling. So I reckon Little Critter, Dodi and I will do more to lavish her with our love.

For her birthday, we took her a brilliantly red mini rose that I'd gotten from a friend and nursed back to health. (It was kinda sad looking when I got it.....for her birthday it had one incredibly beautiful and fragrant flower with another bud on it! Yea Papa!) Also Little Critter and I made her some pretty cards on our Scrapbook Max program. Little Critter put her favorite colors, some lace (a big deal for a 9 yo boy to do!) and buttons and pictures of sunrise and sunset. Then he made up a rhyming poem for her. OK, the poem went like this:
"Roses are red, Violets are blue. You smell like a zoo, because I love you! Love Little Critter" Needless to say, Nana and I both kinda gulped when he oh so proudly read it to her. And when she started to giggle and tease him about smelling like a zoo, he pointed out it rhymed and he couldn't think of anything else!!!! So I believe I have a bit more work to do on his rhyming skills.....sigh. The card he made for PawPaw for Memorial Day was nicer than that!!!!! Well, at least the pictures and layout was beautiful.....and the attempt was honest and full of love....even if tact was missing. LOL!

So I pray you each realize how precious a gift Papa has given each of you when He gave you the parents you have. Treasure them.....they won't always be here. And I know my life will be sadder (perhaps easier, but much sadder)when Nana leaves for her home with YHWH. It's not just a commandment to honor your parents, it's a blessing! Shalom, Spitfire

Thank you Dear Military

2009-05-23T01:42:00.003-05:00

For those not in the US, this post may not mean anything. But for those of us state side....this is an important weekend. This weekend is Memorial Day weekend. This is a weekend for remembering all the men and women who have fought, suffered and many died to preserve our freedoms here in the States. It's a bit doubtful our President will do anything meaningful to observe this weekend. But I felt compelled to voice my thanks. We have 2 foster sons in the military. One is a mechanic and one a medic. Both have served overseas multiple times. Both have been to Iraq more than once. And they both returned changed....not for the better. The horrors they saw and experienced, have hardened them and made them both unpredictable. Now, in all fairness, I don't believe this is the military's fault! One was a new believer in Yeshua and promptly forgot all he'd been taught most of his life. He says he's a believer, but his actions say otherwise. The other son was a strong believer and follower of Yeshua (Jesus) and yet he too lost his way while overseas. I know the fears of the families of our military....I earned some pretty impressive calluses on my knees while the boys have been overseas. I've received middle of the night phone calls because one or the other just needed to talk to "Mom" to allay fears, or loneliness, or to reassure them they're still loved even if they've done horrible things in the name of war. And my heart just bleeds for those parents, wives, husbands and children who've lost their loved ones due to war. War stinks. Pure and simple.

But for those who ARE still fighting overseas or even stateside. I thank you. I thank you for having the courage and chutzpah (I think you all know what that translates in to)to volunteer to protect, defend and fight for the land you love, the country of your families, the freedoms you've enjoyed and that you want your children to enjoy. I thank you for making unbelievable sacrifices, having to make hellish decisions on the spur of the moment, and knowing that some of these decisions will haunt you the rest of your lives. I thank you for your determination to right wrongs, protect the innocents, and guard the dignity of fellow human beings...no matter their race, religion or nationality. I thank you for keeping us safe here at home and taking the fight to the terrorists back yards. I thank you for loving this country as much as I do.

So as we spend the weekend enjoying our freedoms, watching endless sports on the tellie, eating more food than many countries eat in a month and visiting with family members, let us all say prayers to our Father for those brave, daring, and audacious men and women who fight miles from home, light years away from spouses and children, and eons from the same freedoms we're enjoying. To all our military: Thank you from the bottom of my heart and may Papa protect you, guide you and safely bring you home. Shalom, Spitfire

Another Monday at the Zoo '-)

2009-05-19T01:29:00.003-05:00

We had a beautiful day here today....a little bit nippy first thing this morning......OK, it was almost cold! But it warmed up nicely, was sunny and warm enough to dry the clothes. What a blessing.

Little Critter and I were trying to catch up on our 'counting the omer' page. For those that don't know about it, counting the omer is the count from Resurrection Sunday to Pentecost. It's kinda like Lent in the Catholic church. It's a time of personal reflection, taking stock of your life, your relationships with Papa and others, and making any necessary adjustments of attitude or actions. But since it's 50 days long, it's easy to get lost as to which day you're on. So we had this little chart and each evening as we read the Torah passage for the day, we'd add a little picture of a barley grain to the chart. Well, we've not been doing the sheet for a couple weeks, so tried to get caught up today....Unfortunately, Mommy counted wrong, so now we've glued our barley pictures for the next week down!!!! ARGGGGG! Oh well. I'll just check mark each day as we do them until we get to where we finished gluing and then we can start adding more barley. Guess it was Monday, huh. Sigh.

On the bright side, we got all the laundry washed, hung to dry, folded and put away. Thank you so much!!!!

Oh, and Dodi got a loving letter from me at lunch...went something like "Husband, BANG! You're dead! Love, Wife." When he returned from his retreat this weekend, (during which it rained for 2 of the 3 days) he'd dumped his wet laundry in the washing machine. No problem, less for me to sort. So as I finished the first load of laundry and was putting it in the basket to go hang on the line, I noticed a lump of something in the bottom of the machine. On closer inspection, it was what was left of a bar of soap!!!!! The turkey had dropped his wash rag in the machine with the soap bar wrapped up in it!!!!! So of course, I had to re-rinse all the clothes that were extremely clean at this point. Hence the loving note to him......LOL! I told him, "See, I send you on a three day retreat and you come home to make me wash things twice! Such a deal?!?!" Of course, it really was funny when I finally figured out what that lump was. But I had to give him a hard time......it's in the fine print of my contract. So getting all the laundry done in one day was kinda a big deal since we normally have about 5 loads of laundry....and then you add in the additional rinse. At least the bar of soap is good and clean.....

Then at Cub Scouts when the Game Warden came to talk to the boys, Little Critter asked some really cool questions! I was so proud of him. The other boys were really quiet....not sure what happened there, they're NOT quiet boys!!!! But when it was time, Little Critter asked how electric eels made the electricity to shock other creatures. The poor Game Warden, who is a former student of Dodi, got this shocked look on his face, looked at me and slowly said...."Ya know, I don't have any idea on that! Maybe you need to research that and let me know what you find out." Good save Charlie! He was so sweet to come talk to the boys about conservation and what his job entails, I almost felt sorry for him when Little Critter asked that question. But that now gives Little Critter a cool report to work on....hehehehe
I'm sorry. It's getting late and I'm getting goofy. Must be time for bed.

I hope you each had a great day full of blessings and not so much soap......Be Blessed. Shalom, Spitfire

A retreat

2009-05-16T02:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it! The men at the Temple we've been attending were going to have a men's retreat this weekend. I suggested to Dodi he should go....it would be good for him to have a break, and he could learn lots, not to mention having some fun with other adult men. It took a couple of weeks, but last Wednesday, he decided he'd like to go. WOHOOO! Now, don't get me wrong. I really hate it when he's gone....especially for 3 days! But I felt certain this would be good for him. And judging from his phone call this evening.....I was right. Yes, it was tough leaving Little Critter and I for 3 days knowing when he gets back he has to return to work. Yes, he was sleeping in a tent without anyone to cuddle with....and it started raining early Saturday morning and rained most the day while the temps went down, down and down. (And of course he didn't take any long sleeves or pants with him...sigh) Will I be glad to see him back Sunday afternoon? Are you kidding?!?!?! Of course I will!!!!!! I would LOVE to have a short break from everything and get to concentrate on Torah study and prayer!!!!!! But it's been good for Dodi....and that means it was good for all of us. And to be honest, Little Critter and I have had a good time too. We've gotten some work done here at home that needed to be done....acted silly, lazy and eat foods we don't eat when Dodi is here because of his diet. (OK, three days of not so healthy meals won't kill Little Critter or I either one!!!! And just who says popcorn and watermelon aren't healthy!?!?!?!?!)
So I look forward to Dodi returning Sunday afternoon and getting to talk about what he's learned. He told me he'd been falling down on his duties as "Priest" of our home. He's right, but not because he didn't want to do it, more because he didn't understand what that means. I believe he now understands. This will take a load off my shoulders....I won't have to be the one to push for family devotions nightly, or deciding whether we go to church or not.....which things we attend and which we choose to skip for family time, that kind of thing. And I got a chance to do some bonding with Little Critter.....after several pretty rough weeks, we needed time to get our work done, but still have fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what awesome things Papa has wrought in my Dodi this weekend! And seeing how we'll incorporate those things into our family life. This could be like an adventure...only more fun! Now I think I'll work a little harder to be able to go on a 2 day retreat with my sister next month....could be tough. How ever would the boys all manage without me?!?! LOL!
Well, my friends, I'll let you know later what wonders Papa has brought forth. In the meantime, I pray you each have a blessed week, full of love letters from Him. And that each of you get to find your own 'retreat' from the cares and worries of life to fill up with His love, His shalom (peace) and His plan for your lives. Be blessed. Shalom, Spitfire

Arise and Shine!

2009-05-12T00:12:00.002-05:00

Please pardon me while I gloat just a minute or two....today I got confirmation Papa loves me!!!!! As you know, I homeschool the Little Critter. The last several months have been tough as I was working full time (during tax season) and so his homeschooling work was minimal amounts and stuff that he could do mostly without my help. Hence we studied composers (he's now a full fledged classical music lover!), did pages for a lapbook about composers, handwriting practice (called copywork), and math daily. Then he also had chores at home to take care of. I explained to him that after tax season, we'd have to up the work load to finish our work for the year if he wanted to be considered to be in 4th grade come fall. Well, he's been dragging his feet on doing more work. OK, he's more like a mule with all four feet planted and that "just try to make me move!" look in his eyes.

The result is that I keep praying, planning and setting things up and then due to his dawdling, we haven't been getting half of his work done each week. Then about a month ago, when we started letting him play with a couple neighbor boys that he's played with before, we started getting more and more disrespect from him. I was becoming discouraged, bumfuzzled, (a term meaning something light years past confused and angry) and really bummed out! Dodi was as bumfuzzled as I.

Then today happened! Hallelujah for today! Today we got Torah Study done, even to the point he was asking questions about Revelation! (which we stopped and read a bit of) We got handwritting/copywork done....not well, but done nonetheless without a fight. We got all the laundry done, washed, hung out to dry, folded AND put away! He cleaned his bedroom voluntarily (keep beating my little heart!) and we did our Hebrew lessons, finished his work for Cub Scouts and even got in 30 minutes of weeding in the garden (we call that physical education!). Our math was included with our Torah reading and the extra reading from Revelation....although I'd planned to work on some more formal math. So the only thing we didn't get done today was the formal math, and his written comparison of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (Part of our History lesson which we read about and discussed, but ran out of time for the actual writting of the comparison.)

So I felt Papa blessed me today. We got done 95% of what I felt we needed to do, along with a little extra.. We had mostly a pleasant day (until Dodi got home and Little Critter got disrespectful again) and to top it off, we got a brief shower to lesson the humidity levels! What a glorious day. Now if only tomorrow will go as smoothly. I have hope!

I pray each of you dear readers also had a productive and pleasant day. May the rest of your week be filled with little Love Letters from Papa to remind you of your belovedness to Him who created you. Shalom, Spitfire

Doing a happy dance here!

2009-05-07T00:38:00.002-05:00

I realize this may not be a big deal for many reading this or may even cause concern. But I have to share some pretty big news here. As you know, we've been celebrating the Biblical feasts and Shabbat for several years. We've been slowly moving to becoming more Biblical in our lives and doing things more as the Torah says. We believe that to follow Yeshua (Jesus) we are to do our best to imitate Him in His actions and words. Now, my words often get me in trouble, but I'm working on it!
Anyway, tonight, I asked Dodi if he thought it would be OK to go to the Messianic Temple in a nearby (35 miles one way away) town instead of the usual service at our Pentecostal church. He thought it would be OK to go see what a weeknight service was like. (We've gone a couple times for Shabbat services on Saturday, and Dodi likes them!) Well, after the service, (which is more a praise and study class than a service), Dodi was talking with the rabbi and before I knew it, he'd said he'd like to have a tallit (prayer shawl) and a Jewish Bible! We also got a kippa (yalmuka) and kippot (vest with tzitzit) for Little Critter. He then asked Rabbi what he needs to do become more the priest of our home that he's called to be!!!!!! And one the way home, Dodi commented he wasn't sure he wanted to become Jewish, but he really liked the Temple, and wouldn't mind if we went regularly!!! Oh, I am happy dancing!!!!!

This Temple follows the same rules and commandments (mitzvot) as Yeshua (Jesus) and also celebrates the Biblical feasts! We won't have to do them all by ourselves anymore! We're making new friends that believe like we do, share our love for a good celebration, and also try to live emulating our Savior. This is just TOO cool!!!!

Now, don't get me wrong. We like our two churches here closer to home, but both of them are compromises. Neither church celebrates any of the feasts (although both did do Pesach (Passover) this year) and while there are flashes of G-d being in the services, it's only flashes. It's not like He lives in either church....He's only invited in sometimes. Does that make sense? The people in both churches are wonderful folks.....but even Little Critter said he likes it better at Temple....and there's NO children's church or anything there. He has to sit with us thru an entire hour of teaching on top of the rest of the service....and he loves it!!!!!!! If that's not a message from above, I've seriously missed the boat! When a 9 yo squirmy wormy boy WANTS to go sit for over an hour and listen to someone teach him Bible, it comes close to being a certifiable miracle!!!!!! My best friend growing up was Messianic, and I celebrated feasts with them and often attended Temple with them, so for me, this is like going home again! Our Savior was a Jewish rabbi, who followed the Biblical feasts and commandments of Torah. If it was good for Him, shouldn't it be good for us also? We've found SUCH blessings from following in His footsteps. I pray that each of you would know the peace and joy of following in His footsteps. I also pray you each are blessed this week. Shalom, Spitfire

PS For years I've said we were Episco-Costals....I reckon now we'll have to say we're Messianic Jewish Epsico-Costals! You reckon that will make Homeland Security put us on a terrorist list?! Goodness, we're conservative too....that's bound to get us written up as crazies!!!!!! Oh well, it'll give them something useful to do for a while. Smile.

Aging gracefully? Not me!!!

2009-05-04T01:34:00.006-05:00

I found this picture on a friend's blog and had to laugh! This is me trying to teach the boys soccer!!! Ok, maybe I'm not quite that old, but some days it sure feels like it!!!! But there's also a real truth in this picture and phrase. I know several friends who are my age or younger but act like really OLD people. How sad. Each day we all have a choice to make: will we choose to rejoice that this is the day Papa made, or will we complain about our aches and pains and choose to be miserable? Hmmm. Now let me think about this a minute....OK that's long enough. I choose to rejoice. I've had problems in my life....I'm a multiple cancer survivor, had a near fatal accident at age 18 (not my fault....other driver wasn't watching the road and ran right over my car), years of braces, therapy, meds and doctor's vists, I've buried dreams, children and family members, been beat up, accosted, and had a gun put to my head. But ya know what? Papa watched out for me in each and every instance. Sure, there were times (more than I like to admit to) when I yelled and ranted that Papa wasn't being fair! But with time, His patience and love, I've come to see that many times what I wanted was NOT the best for me at that period of time. So I choose to rejoice in each and every day. Do I enjoy being stuck inside all day with an overly active wormy boy because it's raining???? Who are you kidding?!!!! I threatened to call the Salvation Army to come get him last week if he didn't calm himself!!!!! But even on those days, I'm thankful (perhaps a little grudingly) that he's healthy, active and bright. So do I need to 'act my age'? Goodness, NO! I don't advocate acting like a brainless teenie bopper. But just because the calendar says I'm a certain age and society says I should be pigeon holed into a certain behavior doesn't mean I have follow the rules. I'm old enough to be the parent of most of Little Critter's friend's parents...and yet they act older than I. What's wrong with that picture? Papa promised Moses 120 years of life. And when Joshua went into the Promised Land, he and Caleb were in their 80's but still as fit and strong as 20yo men. That's my goal. I want to be 80 years old and still dancing with my Papa, playing with my grandchildren, climbing trees, flying kites and working in my gardens. Age-you just back off! I'm choosing to rejoice in this day my Papa made. I pray you each choose to rejoice daily also. Even the hard times and travails serve a purpose....they make us more like our Savior, Yehsua (Jesus!). Kinda gives you a new perspective, huh. So thank Papa for those aches and pains....it means you're alive, it's not even close to what Yeshua suffered for you to have eternal life, and if it's that bad, it only has one way to go....up. So rejoice. Don't become old, be as a child rejoicing in the blessings you have. Shalom, Spitfire

Stand with Israel

2009-05-02T01:28:00.002-05:00

I try real hard to not get political on this blog. The purpose of this blog is to remind us of Papa's blessings to each of us daily. But sometimes, things just kinda happen...ya know what I mean? Well, anyway, our main stream media seems to have kinda forgotten that this week Israel celebrated it's 61st anniversary of being a country. In fact, our government seems to have either forgotten what a good friend Israel has been to the US or hasn't read the 'back of the Book' to know that turning our back on Israel is not a good idea. I realize that I'm just one, but if we work together, perhaps we can make a difference. One of my Senators has heard from me so often, she's leaving the Senate and running for Governor! (As if that would stop me from letting her know how I feel about things?!?!?!) Anyway, the organization Christians United for Israel has a petition for our government officials letting them know we believe Israel has the right to the land given them by the UN in 1948 (and by Papa 4000 years ago!!!!!), the right to defend themselves from terrorists (yes, I know that word is politically incorrect, but it's the correct word!) and that there's lots of us here in the US (and abroad) that stand with Israel. I would request that you sign the petition also. I know a couple of you got this as an email from me, but hopefully I can help get more names on the petition!!! Papa told us back in Genesis, "those who bless you will be blessed and those who curse you will be cursed." I believe He meant it.....And while I may not agree with all our government is doing, I'd hate for this country to become a spot in oblivion due to poor choices....or curses. Thanks for helping me get the attention of our officials. Here's the link: http://www.cufi.org/site/PageNavigator/Israel_Pledge_EC?s_oo=XMq1IkuOaIgUuHAFq1G45Q..&s_tlid=182142

May each of you be blessed this Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom, Spitfire

Request for your help

2009-05-02T01:14:00.003-05:00

My sweet friends, I got an email today that explained about a chance for us to at least attempt to make a difference. I'm posting the info here and asking that we all post our positions. I pray that you will tell them to NOT use our tax dollars to kill innocent unborn children. If you are in favor of embryonic stem cell research, then please don't be offended....
"Last month, when President Obama overturned the federal funding ban on embryonic stem cell (ESC) research, he left the parameters of that decision up to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH officially posted draft guidelines on ESC, which open the floodgates for the destruction of embryos at taxpayers' expense. Under the rules, your tax dollars would pay for research on stem cells derived from embryos who are supposedly "leftover" from in vitro fertilization. Instead of promoting the adoption of these tiny humans, the NIH guidelines would sentence them to death. For 30 days, the government offers these rules up for public response. The comment period is 30 days, and we ask that you submit your concerns about these regulations before May 26. If you're tired of having your pro-life values steamrolled by this administration, there is something you can do. Oppose the use of your taxpayer dollars for experiments that rely on killing embryonic human beings. You can submit your comments by logging on to http://nihoerextra.nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm and filling in the official form. "

As many of you know, Little Critter is adopted. I am passionate about the pros of adoption over the destruction of innocents. There is a group that promotes the adoption of these "Snowflake" babies. With so many women finding they're infertile, these embryos are perfect for implantation and birth by infertile women. So I beg you to please fill out the official form and speak against the murder of these littlest of Papa's blessings. I pray each of you take the time to look at your children/grandchildren and praise Papa that they were allowed to be...instead of destroyed for research purposes. Shalom, Spitfire

Singing Praises

2009-04-28T01:51:00.006-05:00

A friend sent this picture to me. I love it! I love it so much I made it the wallpaper on my computer...imagine, having a bug as wallpaper. In case some of you can't recognize it, it's a praying mantis standing in the middle of the street with his hands (hands?!)raised in the air and what appears to be a huge smile on his face. My first thought was he was praising Papa. I remember Yeshua (Jesus) saying that even if the people stopping singing Hosanah as He rode into Jerusalem that even the stones would break forth in praise...but I don't remember anywhere in the Bible it saying the bugs would break forth in praise. Hmmm. Perhaps I just missed that one. I'll have to do some looking and see if I can find it.

We had another rainy day today...and cool too! So washday got postponed. Somehow it seemed a waste of time to do the laundry and hang it out on the line to dry in the rain. Ya know what I mean?! So Little Critter and I cleaned bathrooms and worked on gathering things for the yard sale at church. Yea? Anyway, it was a nice day. I got to lead the Cub Scout troop tonight, so we became archeologists for a bit, put together a tangram type puzzle of a dinosaur and then made a T-Rex lunch bag puppet. I get to lead the den for the next month since the regular Den Mother is busy with baseball. So next week we'll finish our puppets, take pictures and mount them and work on finding a dinosaur in the stars. (trying to help the boys earn their arrow points before they move up into Webolos at the end of the summer.) I think we'll have fun while still learning more about leadership, cooperation and our world around us. I was kinda proud we finished two arrow points tonight. Only 18 more to go before August. Of course at the end of our session, the boys put their hands in their puppets and tried to convince me there was a scout badge for eating each other's dinosaur. Good try, you little turkeys! No cigar. I think this will be fun. I'll let you know later in the summer.

Well, I mostly wanted to share my little praising bug with ya'll.. I just find it hysterically funny. So I'm going to join my little buggy friend and praise Papa for the wonderful rain, the cool weather, the fun with the boys tonight and for my wonderful family and friends. What a blessed life I have! May you each be as blessed. Shalom, Spitfire

PS I looked to see if the trees were praising Him today, but they looked kinda sad. Must have missed our music and dancing outside. hehehehe

beautiful days

2009-04-26T00:58:00.003-05:00

Well, dear friends, here it's been almost a week since last I posted again! Where does the time fly? And I thought I'd have a life again after tax season....silly me. But it's been a wonderful week! The weather is starting to heat up here in Texas....but the wind has continued to blow. Thus keeping it from getting hot yet. (although 80-85 can feel plenty warm, trust me!)
Little Critter and I have been able to spend several days working in our garden this week. What a joy that is! The other day, I took our CD player out with us and we listened to CD's. Unfortunately, we found out our CD player is anti-semitic. Yep, hard to be believe, but the silly thing kept hanging up in the middle of some of our favorite Jewish music CDs. It didn't do that when we listened to Veggie Tales......or Adventures in Odessey...or even the old Father Knows Best shows. Only my Jewish music. So now we'll have to find a new CD player that's not anti-semetic. (ie: hasn't been dropped several times when Little Critter is rearranging his room and acidentally drops the CD player). But before it decided it no longer liked my Paul Wilbur CD, we were listening to Dance with Me, Lover of My Soul. I adore that song!!!!! Little Critter was trying real hard to look like he was working while digging holes in the rows instead of weeding. So I told him he had to dance with me! So right there in the yard beside the garden, we waltzed to Dance with me. When he complained that people would think we were nuts, I told him he could weed instead....suddenly we didn't look so silly to him. (mean ole Mommy!) Then we looked up, and I kid you not.....the trees were dancing with us!!!! Even Little Critter's mouth dropped open. "MOM! LOOK! The trees are dancing with us!!!!" yep, there on the other side of the house, we could see the huge Oaks waving their limbs from one side to the other....exactly in time with the music! And the wind was NOT blowing from side to side.....only from one direction. It was awesome. Now, I'm certain there's someone who could easily give me some natural reason for the trees to act like that....but I don't want to hear it. Sorry to be closed minded here, but it was just such a joy to see the trees waving in the breezes and feel that they were dancing with us while we danced with Papa. I'll treasure those few minutes for a long time. And Little Critter now thinks Papa is here with us instead of way off in heaven somewhere. In his own words: 'Momma, do you think G-d likes dancing with us?" I replied, yes. And he said "I reckon we'll have to dance with Him some more then. Ya think?" So we danced some more with the Creator of the World. What an incredible blessing. I pray you will also dance with Papa my friends, in whatever way you choose to dance. If you don't you may see the trees dancing with Him and putting you to shame. Be blessed. Shalom, Spitfire

Blessings and more blessings!

2009-04-20T01:04:00.002-05:00

Well, my friends, I pray you had a delightful weekend. We were SO blessed it's almost bragging to tell about it! We had a delightful and quiet Shabbat Friday evening with just the 4 of us. I love having guests, and cooking for lots of people, but it was really nice to have just us here. Then we got rain! Now, I realize most folks would think that's no big deal, but here in Central Texas, we're in a 5 or 6 year drought. So anytime we get rain, it's a blessing. And between Thursday and Saturday we got almost 5 inches of rain (though not all at once.) My little garden is just dancing with delight!!! It's so fun to see the little seeds grow inches overnight after a drink from Papa!!
Then Saturday afternoon, we got to go to a Messianic Tabernacle not more than 40 miles from here!!!! Talk about excited!!! Dodi was a bit hesitant at first, but he loved it (OK, we sat near the incense pot and he could have done without that....but that was his only negative comment!!!) Now, in all fairness to Dodi, this was his first experience with a Jewish Service other than what we do at home. So it was all brand new for him. And Papa blessed all three of us so much that Dodi said he'd like to go again! OH, Happy Dancing all over the place! We both felt we belonged there and didn't feel so much like outsiders as we do in our other churches. Now, don't get me wrong, we aren't going to flee the Christian churches we attend. But as the 'odd' ducks it was wonderful to feel at home and not quite so 'odd'.
Then to just pile on more blessings, when we went to church Sunday night, there was a visiting preacher. He asked to pray for several of us after the service and annoint us. When he got to Dodi, he confirmed something we'd been praying about and questioning Papa about without even knowing anything about it! Then he laid hands on Little Critter and anointed him into the service of Papa. He looked into Little Critter's eyes and proclaimed that Little Critter will be a blessing to many and lead many thousands to our Father. Oh, my mother's heart was about to burst!!!! That's what Papa told me when Little Critter was born!!!! Confirmation from someone who had no idea Little Critter is adopted, and consecrated to Papa at birth. Too cool! Then, when I felt my heart couldn't hold any more blessings, he looked at me. He annointed me and told me I had a heart that Papa loved! He said I had the heart of Mary and I would need to say "May it be as You have said", but that Papa would be in control and it would all be a blessing to many! Can you imagine?!?! Me with the heart of Mary! Oh, may I live up to the prophecy of the prophet. Now, do I believe I'll get pregnant or anything like that....PLEEAAASE! I believe this means my prayer to be used by Him to bless others will occur. How cool is that! I saw it as confirmation that what Dodi and I are trying to do with Little Critter and our lives is on track with what Papa wants us to be doing. So, I'm blessed all over the place. More than anything, I want my Papa to be pleased with my life and what I've done with it. So I pray each of you, my dear friends, hear His voice this week as He whispers into your ears to tell you how much He loves you and how proud He is of you also. And if you don't know Papa in a personal, real way, please contact me! I'd be thrilled to tell you about our wonderful Abba. Shalom, Spitfire

Life begins again!

2009-04-16T22:29:00.000-05:00

Well, my dear friends, tax season is officially over. Hallelujah! The office did the same number of returns as last year with half the personel. So I will readily admit I've been working horrible hours the last couple of weeks. Hence the lack of posts. Please accept my apologies for sporadic visits to your blogs and silences here. But now life can begin again. Oh, happy dancing. I will continue to have to work one day a week the rest of the year, but it's only one day a week! And not every single week. So there's a blessing!
Speaking of blessings, as the boss and another employee and I were talking today, both said that while there were some problems with other employees, this over all, was a great year. The two of us with the most experience worked our socks off, but the less experienced girl learned alot and can hardly wait for next year. The only real problems were with two part timers who were young, tactless and a bit self centered. Since they won't be back next year, I look forward to a smoother running year next year. I have to admit to a bit of pride when they both said it had been a great year....since this was my first year officially as Office Leader/Manager as well as Tax Pro, I was a feeling a bit proud that I'd managed to successfully manage to keep the office atmosphere upbeat and friendly (for the most part). Even with the constant 'disasters' of one part timer and the striving between the two of the part timers. Youth is so over rated....sigh.
Well, as Little Critter and I enjoyed our day of errands, visits and no school, (as well as plenty of rest!!!) I couldn't help but thank Papa for allowing us the freedom to basically goof off today. Tomorrow will be preparation day for Shabbat. And we both love getting the house ready and cooking the food for Shabbat. So even though I have to go into work for a little while tomorrow, we have a treat when we get home....getting ready for Papa's visit to our home for Shabbat. What a treat! I pray you find the love letters from Papa in each of your days and look forward to visiting each of your blogs soon. Shalom, Spitfire

Hag Sameach

2009-04-09T00:08:00.002-05:00

Happy Passover everyone! This is the first night of the feast of Passover and the beginning of a one week festival of Unleavened Bread. We attended a Passover Sedar (dinner) at one of our churches tonight. It was very nice. I think I'm spoiled because the food was not anything special, but it was good food. Dodi and I have been hosting a Passover Sedar for the last 3 years inviting 4-5 other churches to join us at the second church we attend. And I always find new and different Kosher foods to prepare. It's a blast! Little Critter and I start working on it up to a week ahead of time (chopping walnuts, washing/drying and ironing the table clothes, preparing our lists of things to get, ect.) Then a few days ahead of time, we start the cooking! Talk about real live math in action...we measure, cut, chop, stew, bake, broil...you name it we probably do it!
I do have to confess that I'm feeling a bit guilty tonight though. The Sedar tonight served real Kosher wine for the service and the meal. Well, we use Kosher wine with our Shabbat service every Friday, and allow Little Critter to have a sip of real wine when we have communion. So we saw nothing wrong with him having wine with the Passover Sedar. (Of course Mommy was filling his glass!!!) Well, halfway thru the service, after being an absolute angel, he suddenly started acting pretty squirrelly! So Mommy cut his wine down to barely a taste instead of a sip. By the time we got home afterwards, he was so loopy it was hysterical! So I've been feeling guilty for allowing my just turned 9 yr old to get sopped at the Passover meal. Then he started crying... his head was woozy, his tummy hurt, he felt badly. OK, now I'm feeling really bad...what an awful mommy I am!!! Then after almost 30 minutes, it turns out that while I was in the kitchen helping with a little quick cleanup after the meal and before the rest of the service continued, Little Critter was over snitching desserts....he ate two high chocolate, high sugar desserts while no one was watching. Ahah! Now, I understand! The little rat wasn't so much sopped as he was on a sugar high. He's been on a diabetic type diet all his life because his body doesn't process sugar correctly...kinda like his mommy....and he'd had more than double his normal intake of sugar during the evening. So after numreous prayers, lots of hugs and cuddles, he finally crashed. Now he's peacefully sleeping it off in his own little bed. He'll most likely feel pretty poopy tomorrow, but he'll also better understand why Mommy and Daddy are so strict with his sugar intake....bet he doesn't make this mistake again for a while.
Thursday night we'll host our own Messianic Passover Sedar. We concentrate on explaining on why Christians celebrate what most think of as a Jewish Feast...(it's not. It's a biblical feast), how each of the parts of the Sedar (telling) reflect Yeshua (Jesus) and having a good time while we do this. We're having roast beef, rosemary-lemon chicken, spinach matzoh pie, green Mediterreanian salad, Tsimmes (sweet potatoes, carrots, apricots, prunes in an orange juice/honey/cinnamon sauce), deep dish bubble crust (an egg pasta type dish with 4 kinds of cheese and a walnut/basil/spinach pesto...DELICIOUS!!!!!), applesauce with blueberries and cinnamon (homemade), passover fruit casserole, honey nut cake, fudge brownies and sugared fruit slices. Oh, and of course Matza ball Soup. We're expecting about 50 folks to join us, and we'll have a blast reading the Haggadah (the order of doing things), singing songs in both Hebrew and English, clearing the chametz (leaven) from the church (house), and we usually end the night with dancing to Hava Nigala. It doesn't matter how many folks show up, we always have a great time, eat great food, and have a wonderful time with good friends. What a blessing! I pray Papa attends each of the many Passover Sedars tonight and tomorrow. May He bless the intentions of each heart, forgive any botched Hebrew, and dance the nigth away with each of us as we prepare ourselves to be more and more open to His words, His ways and His purpose for each of us. So until next time, be blessed my friends. Enjoy the love letters our Papa sends us each day and know we pray for each of you daily. Shalom, Joie
PS Tax season ends next week....happy dancing all over the place!!!!! Another year almost done and life can become more relaxed again.

Special Day number 3

2009-03-21T23:05:00.002-05:00

Ok, here's the last of my special days for awhile....at least the known special days. Of course Papa gives me special days each day I wake up and see the world around me. But these are special calendar days. Today was our anniversary. Yes, this means that Dodi does all his shopping in one week each year. We start the week with Little Critter's birthday (see special Day number 1), then three days later is my birthday (see special day number 2) and then three days later we have our anniversary. Folks laughingly ask how we managed to arrange things this way, but I assure you it was a G-d thing! Even the anniversary was set by Him. Dodi wanted a December wedding, I wanted a June wedding......the only time we could get the church to be married in was in March. So we married in March. And it just so happens, our anniversary always falls during Spring Break, so we don't have to worry about work the next day for Dodi. (I often have to work the next day since it always falls during tax season, but my boss is great so it's never a problem.) This year, our 17th anniversary, Boss gave me both Friday and Saturday off. And since the office is closed on Sundays, I got a three day holiday from work!! Too cool during tax season!!!
Since our anniversary also fell on Shabbot, we enjoyed a very relaxed and enjoyable day. We started the day with a treat for breakfast....we had cinnamon rolls. We usually don't eat them (although we all love them) due to Dodi being diabetic. But we ate them this morning. Then after watching some Christian cartoons with Little Critter, we went to the local feed store and got the last of the seedlings/seeds for the garden, and spent some time out in Papa's gloriously beautiful sunshine planting same. Now I realize the Torah says we're to do no work on the Shabbot. But we don't consider gardening work.....it's fun and relaxing for us. We enjoy it. We get to spend time together as a family, we each have our sections of the garden we're responsible for and often compete to see who's able to keep the weeds out of their section the best. (Yes, even Little Critter has his own couple rows he has to weed...and he really does a pretty good job for a 9 yo squirrly boy!) After we'd planted, we watered the whole garden (here in Texas we're still in the midst of a several year drought.) Then we ate some lunch, took a rest, and spent the afternoon playing in our own ways. Little Critter of course was outside making an incredible amount of noise and running all over the place. Dodi rearranged his wood shop and played with some of his woods and tools. I was a lazy bum and watched a Christian movie for a bit, then read a little bit. Later, we took the cabbage from Shabbot dinner over to Pawpaw and visited with Nana and Pawpaw before going to dinner. All in all, it wasn't romantic, exciting, or even expensive as anniversaries go. But it was relaxing, refreshing and family oriented. Dodi told me he felt that as long as we were together, doing things as a team, and enjoying ourselves, it was a wonderful anniversary. I agree with him. Candle-light dinners at expensive restaurants in fancy clothing and extreme bills are nice.....but really not that necessary. Instead, while gardening, we dreamed of the things we'd like to do to our home, our garden, things we'd like to do after tax season, after school ends, sometime this year, this lifetime....what we'd like to see in Little Critter's life, his character....we talked, and we talked and we enjoyed each other. I think we had a better anniversary than if we'd spent lots of money on an evening out. Besides, tomorrow, we're to have lunch with friends. How could we ask for more? Papa reminded me today thru my beloved Dodi, that I'm loved for who I am, not for how I look ,(and trust me after 20 minutes in the garden in the sun...I don't look too good!!!!) , that His/his love for me isn't predicated on what I have, but on what I am, and that His/his love for me is lasting....even unto the end of time. It was a blessed day and I am grateful to have experienced it. I pray each of my readers gets to experience this kind of love. And that you'll find the love letters from Papa in your lifes. Shalom, Joie

Special days number 2

2009-03-21T01:10:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a busy week....hence the delay in posting all week. My last post I got to explain how Little Critter had a wonderful and fun birthday. Well, Wednesday, the 18th, was my birthday. And no, I won't devulge my age!! And Noah didn't graduate in my class!!!! (I think he was 2 years ahead of me.......hehehehehe) But moving on.....
I had to work at the tax office. But it was fun. I started the morning with getting up quietly to let Dodi and Little Critter sleep. (Dodi is on spring break from school and getting to share the joy of homeschooling Little Critter this week. It's been an education for him.....poor darling.) As I get ready to leave the house, suddenly I have Little Critter wrapped around my waist, a cat around my foot and both of them crying "No, Mommy, don't go!" As I peeled them both off my body, explaining I had to go into work and would be back later, the clock rang the time...I was now late. Rats! After some good hearted ribbing at work, the day went uneventfully. The boss took me out for lunch which was quite pleasant (not to mention unexpected!) and complemented me on the job I've done for him. Then I got to leave early so was home a little after 2:00pm. (usually work until 6:00 or later!) So I took a bubble bath and soaked until my toes turned pruney!!!! It was SO decadent for me. Deep sigh of contentment. Later the boys took me to dinner and we went to church where they sang Happy Birthday to me. But the best part was the cards I got from my boys. Dodi's was really nice, even saying I was the best of the fine women in the world! I told him he didn't have to go overboard!!!! But Little Critter's card really surprised and startled me! He's been picking his own cards for years now....he carefully reads each card and chooses on his own what card he's going to sign for someone else to receive. The card he chose starts out with " Mother, (something he NEVER calls me) You're loved and appreciated"....then it goes on to explain how children don't realize the difficulties of being a parent, the special things done for the child, the worry and concern for their welfare, the love demonstrated in a gazillion little ways. And he signed it "Mommy, you're the best Mom....Love Little Critter". It was such an adult type card, I even questioned him later as to whether or not he understood what it said. He informed me " Mom, (his new name for me....seldom calls me Mommy anymore....sniff, sniff) I know what the card means....it means you do lots of stuff for me that I don't really realize and that you do it all because you love me. And one day I'll do the same for my kids and they won't realize either till they grow up." OK, pick me up off the floor!!!!! I plan to frame and mount this card, folks. Such wonderful, blessing words from a newly 9 year old! Boy does Papa love me. He spoke directly thru this precious child to let me know my attempts to show His love had been seen, understood and appreciated. Wooo. I am SO blessed. Then later after the boys were in bed, I found I had a bazillion birthday ecards from friends and family out of town. I went to bed with tears in my eyes and my heart full of the love showered on me....Papa blessed me with a great family, an awesome Little Critter, and more friends than should be legal....and His Own love. I pray you each find His love letters to you each day my friends. They'll blow your socks off you! Shalom, Joie

Special days number 1

2009-03-20T01:37:00.000-05:00

Well, last Sunday it happened....my Little Critter had his 9th birthday. He's no longer Mommy's Little Critter. Sniff, sniff. He's now becoming Mommy's Young Man Critter. Yuck, I don't even like to say that!!!! Although I'm hit with the reality of it everyday now.....he's almost 5 ft tall and he's just turned 9! To keep this in perspective, I stand 5 ft 3 inches if I stand really straight!!!! Surely it was only last week we brought him home from the hospital....gracious, how quickly the time flies! (and yes, we are having fun.....at least most of the time! ;-)
He was a bit cranky when we started the day with a simple Happy Birthday Little Critter. And then told him to stop dawdling and get ready for church. He got more excited when he got a card and money from one of the men at church. Then he asked if we were going out to eat lunch afterwards and we said no, we'd just go home and eat leftovers from Shabbot the night before. Deep and heavy sigh from Little Critter. We could almost see the bubble above his head reading "It's my birthday!!!! Aren't we going to do ANYTHING out of the ordinary?!?! Where's my cards, and gifts and lavous attention?!?!?!?!" Poor Dodi and I were having a hard time maintaining ourselves. We managed to keep it together till we got home. While we'd been at church, Dear Cousin had been quite busy on our behalf. When Little Critter went in to change his clothes after church, he was met by a new grown up type desk, a computer of his own, and a raspberry chocolate crumble cake! It was wonderful seeing his joy and surprise. Now, before one thinks we went on a serious shopping spree.....I mean after all we are a single income family! The desk is the desk MY father (Pawpaw) built for me when I turned 10. (Yes, Gayle, that makes it an antique! LOL!) And the 'new' computer is really built by Dear Cousin out of various and assundry parts....it was a 10 year old computer Dear Cousin gutted and rebuilt with new parts. Pawpaw donated the computer and monitor for the celebration. Dodi cleaned up and did some minor repair work on the desk, and I made the cake. All in all, Little Critter (who later got more money from family and friends) felt the day was a wonderful birthday. We also gave him an extra blessing....one of thanks for the blessing he's been to us. Then we snuggled on the couch and watched movies for the afternoon....it was cold, wet and yucky outside. So we made precious memories inside instead. What a joy. For those of you who have 'littles'....enjoy them. I know it's hard when they're little. You have no time to/for yourself. But trust me, that time passes SO quickly. Treasure the time you have with your littles while you can, it's over in a heartbeat. So my love letter today (the 15th) came in the form of a little boy quickly turning into a young man and the bitter sweet tug at my heart. As much as I love Little Critter, Papa loves him more. What an amazing thing. That I can feel some of what Papa feels when He sees Little Critter. Wow! Yes, the job of mother is amazing. Be blessed my friends. Shalom, joie

Purim 2009

2009-03-08T23:46:00.003-05:00

Well, my little group of kids from children's church did a presentation for the adults at church tonight. They read a children's version of the story of Esther for the adults and then passed out baskets for tzedacka (offering for the poor) and little paper plate baskets of goodies that Little Critter and I baked for the adults to enjoy. It was HYSTERICAL!!!! The youngest child, a 5 yr old, stood there thru the entire thing mumbling to himself...."I don't want to do this. mumble, mumble, I can't read this.....mumble, mumble,...I don't want to party....mumble, mumble...." He was SO funny! The girls didn't show up, so one of the other teachers played Esther for us, while I was Queen Vasti. Unfortunately, I got killed in the first 3 minutes.....boohoo! LOL! I'm hoping I can get the picture to show up here....Wohoo! I did it!!! The child bending over is Little Critter. The littlest one is the 5 yr old who mumbled all thru it, the boy with his back to us is Mordicai and the woman kneeling down is Esther. (Little Critter was Hamon. He was worried that it would hurt the other kids feelings to have everyone booing them all the time.I was SO proud of him!) The kids made the masks last week and we talked about how we'd do this presentation. But when it came time to actually do it, only the three boys showed up. And one of them is a visitor! Now, he comes regularly to visit his Grandma, but isn't there all the time. Only 5-6 times a year. He did a great job hamming it up as Mordicai. He was a hoot! Little Critter did most of the reading (until the King has him killed) because reading is hard for Mordicai and King Xerses can't read yet. When Hamon (Little Critter) got killed, Esther read the last paragraph or so. The boys were SO proud of themselves and the congregation clapped and laughed and booed Hamon like pros. It was great. My littles are beginning to understand that they're all Esthers...placed by Papa in the places they're placed for such a time as this. Just as we all are. Do you realize that, dear friends? We're all Esthers, placed where we are to fulfill the plan Papa made for us before the beginning of the world. There's something you do that no one else can do as well as you. There's a person waiting for you to share the love of Papa with them, or a widow waiting for you to visit them, or a poor person that needs the help that only you can give them. I pray that as we celebrate Purim for real the next couple days, that you will realize how important you are to Papa and to His plan for this world. You've been placed here, for just such a time as this! Rejoice in your place and fulfill His plan for you with all the love in your heart. Then you can bless Papa! How cool is that!?!?! Well, it's probably time for me to go....Pesach (Passover) comes up soon and I have lots of work to do before then. Be blessed, and Happy Purim! Joie

Shabbot Shalom

2009-03-07T01:24:00.002-06:00

Shabbot Shalom, my friends. For those who don't celebrate Shabbot....I'm sorry. I'm sitting here listening to some awesome Messianic music (Praise Adonai at the moment) and feeling so peaceful! I had planned to fix baked salmon for Shabbot dinner tonight, but last night as I was checking to see what was on hand, I discovered I didn't have any salmon steaks to fix!!!! After a momentary panic, I decided to allow Papa to tell me what to fix. When the temps reached almost 80 today, I chose a cold plate dinner. So we had smoked salmon (which we all love and I try to always have on hand), deli roast beef (sliced paper thin!) and a hearty beef sausage that Dodi loves. Then we added a veggie tray with yellow bell pepper, broccoli from the garden, grape tomatoes (for Dodi), green onions, cucumber (for Little Critter) and baby carrots (for me!).. We also had a fresh lettuce/spinach salad with dried fruits, walnuts, eggs and cheese in it, olives, fresh basil, horseradish, and a fruit tray with grapefruit slices, cantelope, watermelon, green grapes and fresh blueberries. When you add in some crackers, 4 kinds of cheese and fresh (like still warm from the oven) challah, it was a feast!! And for dessert, I made some little mini tarts with store bought philo cups filled with a cream cheese/yogurt mix and fresh fruit. We prayed for each other, our guests, those that couldn't be here tonight (yes, Ben....that means you Sweetie), and our leaders. Then we had a blast just telling stories of growing up in our respective families. Even Little Critter joined in the discussion and told stories about his growing up years....all 8 of them. (It was so funny, we all had trouble not laughing as he talked as though he was ancient! Smiley face) I'm now sitting here relaxing, enjoying the cool of the evening, and listening to the music. What a blessing Shabbot is! Sunday, the week will begin again, and no doubt will be full of events that will try to wipe out this feeling of peace, joy and rest. But that's OK. I know that next Friday, we'll have preparation day and at sundown, Shabbot will begin again. When the week's trials try to drag me down, I just turn on my music, and relax in my Papa's lap. I wish you each could experience this peace, and rest. Well, tomorrow Little Critter and I will get to make groggers (kinda like noise makers at New Year's) for the children's Purim celebration at church Sunday night. The kids love Purim....lots of noise, colors and of course, food! So I better get ready for bed before it's time for me to go to work.....I pray you each experience Papa's peace, rest and joy this week my friends. Shabbot Shalom, (Sabboth peace) Joie

Where did the time go?!?!

2009-03-03T19:06:00.003-06:00

This past week our other church we attend had an evangelist come visit for several days. He was from South Carolina and the cutest little skinny red head! But he preached without fear. It was cool listening to his Southern drawl and his questions for things we regularly say that made no sense to him. Anyway, after we'd gone and listened to a couple of his services, he gave an altar call (as he did after each service I'm told. I missed a couple of services due to work...booo) and imagine my surprise when I felt a cold spot beside me where Little Critter had been standing! Now, Little Critter professed his faith in Yeshua years ago when he was either 4 or 5....he was watching The DJ Club and when they talked about accepting Yeshua, he did! But while we were thrilled, we also wanted to see what happened when he was old enough to really better understand the implications of what he'd just done. Obviously, last Saturday, he understood. He walked up there with no prompting from either Dodi or me and told Brother Jeff he wanted Yeshua in his heart. (OK, this mommy knew he already HAD Yeshua in his heart, but wasn't going to belabor the point!) As he stood up there, I was almost shocked at how tall he'd gotten. And how broad his shoulders were getting...and how he no longer looked like a little boy, but somehow on that short walk seemed to have grown into an attractive young man. While he answered the questions of faith in a clear strong voice, I was shocked at how grown up he sounded! Good Grief! My Little Critter is growing into a young man!?!?! When did THAT happen????? How did I sleep thru this metamorphosis??????? He's not quite a butterfly yet, but he's also not a cute little wormy, squirmy caterpillar either. Ye gads! Does that make him a grub??? Perhaps. But before I gross myself out with this analogy, I know that when we finish the grub stage, he'll be an incredible butterfly. I've seen signs of the man he'll be, and while there's still plenty of rough edges to work on, for the most part, it appears the shape is there and is only in need of some serious polishing. Then I realized, he'll be 9 years old in two weeks. NINE YEARS OLD?!?! No, time can't be flying by that fast....can it? That means that we only have 4 more years before he'll have our version of a Bar Mitzvah. Only 4 years before he's responsible for his words, actions and is considered a young man! Deep and heavy sigh. My little wormy, squirmy, giggly, darling boy is far too rapidly becoming a young man who will far too quickly become a grown man. Oh, I understand more fully the bitter sweetness of things stored in Mary's heart as she watched her little darling baby become the man Hasheem planned for Him to be since the creation of the world. While I'm proud of Little Critter and the young man he's becoming, I find myself often missing those 2 am cuddles while I fed him, or the giggles and laughter as we took showers together when he was 2 and 3, or the exuberance we felt when he learned to blow bubbles for himself. The excitement and pride we both felt when he learned to read for himself. I miss that trust that he'd come to me with his little booboo's for me to 'kiss and make better'. I realize I'll have some more time to gather my sweet memories to treasure later, but oh, how grateful I am that Papa led Dodi and I to home school Little Critter. I can't imagine the pain of missing so much of the last several years that most parents miss. But for the life of me I can't figure out where the time went? Oh my friends, I pray you treasure each moment you have with your children and grandchildren while they're little. Those times that so often feel like they'll last forever.....don't. They end entirely too quickly. And one day soon, you'll be like me, wondering where DID the time go? Treasure those darlings you have like our Papa treasures us and spend every moment you can with them, teaching them of Papa, loving on them, and watching as they grow. It's an adventure there are no words to describe, but an adventure that has eternal implications. Well, I'd better stop now before I start sniveling....or as Little Critter says "Mom, don't get mushy!". So be blessed this week, and look for those love letters from Papa. Shalom, Joie....who's feeling proud, sad, thrilled and beginning to wonder if this is the beginning of menopause......,again!!!! LOL!

Happy Dancing

2009-03-03T18:47:00.002-06:00

Well, what a difference a week makes, huh. After my last post, I was a little concerned that I'd depressed everyone. But not this time! After we got out of church last Sunday, one of the other women in the church was walking out the front door, and noticed something shiney on the sidewalk. She bent down, picked it up and exclaimed "This must be Joie's ring!" And she was correct!!!!! After 6 of us scored that sidewalk, and the grass and searched and searched for it. After the gardner had come thru with the blower cleaning off the sidewalks for church. And after an entire week of plenty of folks walking past it, Papa showed her my little band of love laying on that same sidewalk. Now how wild is that?!?! This church is downtown, there's tons of folks that walk by there all the time. We'd had Fat Tuesday services, Ash Wednesday services (twice, I might add) and then Sunday morning it shows up. Oh squealing with delight. My Papa loves me. I mean He really LOVES me!!!! After I got slobbery about it's return, I quickly shoved, pushed and twisted until I got the little darling on my somewhat swollen finger. Next time it comes off, they'll have to cut it off!!!!!!But it looks so sweet there on that finger! It's kinda amazing how once I admitted that the ring itself wasn't so important, that it was the sentiment behind it, that's when the ring showed up again. You'd think I'd have learned this lesson many years ago....but no. I'm a little slow sometimes about things. Years ago, when I was facing cancer for the 4th or 5th time, I learned that if I'd give it all up. All the dreams, all the wants, all the fears....Papa comes in quietly and almost stealthily to give us all that we just gave up! I pray, my friends, that you'll learn this lesson quicker than I have. When we give it all up for Him, He is trustworthy and faithful to give us the desires of our hearts. Not always in the way we think it should happen, but in ways that are better for us and bless us to a much greater degree than we can imagine. So as you rejoice in your 'rings of love' that surround you, don't be afraid to give up those rings. Knowing for a certainty that Papa will replace them with bigger, better and brighter rings of love. Shalom, Joie

A little Ring of Love

2009-02-28T08:21:00.002-06:00

Well, friends, it's been a full week. I'm sorry to have not posted, but just didn't have the energy to stay up and post. So let me back up and tell you about this week. It started last Sunday....we attend an Episcipal church Sunday mornings. (We also attend a Pentecostal church later in the morning, but that's another story...grin.) And we had the Bishop coming to confirm several of our youth. It was kinda exciting. It was the first time this Bishop had come to our little church. Several of the ladies on vestry had asked me to make a cake for the occasion which I happily agreed to do. Well, Saturday night, after Shabbot had ended, I'm working on finishing the cake up and realized I couldn't find my large sheet cake pan! Panic....what can I do?!?! I decided I'd have to use two smaller pans and but them together so it looked like one large sheet cake underneath the cross cake I'd baked. I've done this before and if I'm careful, no one ever guesses it's two smaller cakes under the cross, but it allows for feeding a larger number of people. Unfortunately, after the two smaller cakes baked it was discovered our oven is no longer level. As both cakes sloped badly. I attempted to cover the problem with icing, but it didn't look nearly as good as my normal cakes and I was embarrassed, so Sunday morning we got up and raced to the local bakery to pick up a ready made cake. We delivered it to the church, I added wording for the occasion and we start in for services. Then I noticied it!!! Now real panic set in!!! What did I notice? My wedding band was missing!!!! When Dodi and I first got married (in 1992) we had Black Hills Gold wedding bands. They didn't exactly match, but were obviously close to the same. And I loved that delicate little gold band with the green and red grape leaves. Over the years, Dodi broke that ring (twice I might add!!!!) and we'd get it fixed, and then one day he lost it. He was devestated. I told him it didn't matter, he had me, and we could easily get another band. Which we did. Dodi wears a size 15 ring, so it's hard to find one big enough. We usually get a 12 or 13 (the biggest we can usually find) and then have it stretched. So we got new bands, stretched his and I wore both bands on different fingers. Then last summer, he broke the new band and it was not able to be repaired. So at Hannukah, I got us another set of matching bands. These are titanium steele and etched with La Dodi en la Dodi, "My beloved is mine and I am my beloved's". So when I say I lost my wedding band, it's true...but I still have two other bands to wear. But that first band was my favorite...it was sweet, delicate, beautiful...and represented the love we'd shared for over 30 years. Deep heavy sigh. We searched everywhere....yes, even in the cake after church. Couldn't find it anyway. I cried. Dodi reminded me of my own words to him years ago....he still loved me, the ring didn't matter, we had other bands, he'd buy me another one if I wanted him to... all the right words. (Don't you just hate it when your sweetie uses your own words and you know he's right?!?!?!) Later that evening, at the other church's evening services, a guest preacher talked about how outward signs were less important than the inward signs of love. Now, yes, he was talking about faith in Yeshua and the Father's love, but it occured to me that Papa was talking straight to me!!! That little ring of gold was far less important than the inner knowledge I have that my Dodi loves me with his whole heart. The knowledge that my pain and sorrow affects him as much as it does me. The knowledge that wether I have that ring, or another, or any ring at all, he'll still love me. Hmmm, kinda a picture of Papa's love for me. Wow! So now, while my heart is sad I lost that little ring, I've realized I still have my ring of love....it's in my Dodi's eyes each time he looks at me, his voice when we talk together and his arms when he hugs me. Who needs a gold ring anyhow? I've got a loving ring wrapped around me several times....from Papa, from Dodi, from Little Critter and the boys, from my friends. Boy, am I blessed. I pray you recognize the blessings in your life too, dear friends. Be blessed and I'll talk again soon. Shalom, Joie

Blessings

2009-02-18T23:34:00.003-06:00

Well, tonight I had something different happen. As I've said before, we celebrate Shabbot. Part of the Shabbot service (service? perhaps activity would be a better word), is that the parents typically bless their children. I mean they place their hands on their children's head or shoulders and pray a blessing over them. We do this each Friday night after communion (blessing and partaking in the wine and bread) and before we pray blessings over who ever we choose to bless that particular night. Little Critter really likes this part of Shabbot. Each of our guests join in and they pray blessings over him also. But tonight, Little Critter turned the tables on me. I had to work all day today (10 hours with no break) and so Dodi put Little Critter to bed. (I'd just gotten in and was hungry! So was eating my now extremely cold dinner.) When Dodi came back out to the den, he said "Little Critter would like you to go in to his room. He'd like to bless you Mommy." I was a little startled, and figured it was a ploy to delay bedtime. But I went into Little Critter's room and sure enough he said " Oh, Mommy, thanks for coming in. I'd like to bless you. I think you could use a blessing." Well, let me tell you, out of the mouth of babes!!! I've been kinda feeling like I live at the office more than at home this past two weeks. (Lots of time off for others that they can't help needing, but means I don't get my time off....the perils of being the Office Manager...sigh) Anyway, he proceeded to place his little hand on my shoulder, and proceeded to pray such a beautiful and (dare I say it?) almost adult blessing over me that I almost cried. It was SO sweet and beautiful. (Not to mention timely!) Of course I then blessed him and prayed over him. (I do this nightly before I go to bed, but he's usually asleep.) And as I came back into the den, I felt so blessed. Not only by Little Critter, but by Papa. He knew I've been having a rough time with clients who don't think before they engage their mouths...and therefore forget to use their manners. And trying to keep the house from being condemed for health or safetly reasons while I'm working. (You know how it goes, you work 10 hours then do laundry until the wee hours of the night so you can get up and do the same thing the next day!?!?! And try to remain cheerful, friendly, helpful and NOT grouchy all the same time when all you want to do is take about a 12 hour nap!!!!!!) So Papa had my darling Little Critter (the wormy, squirmy child who loves to find my last remaining nerve and jump up and down on it!) bless me with words that just flooded my soul and my heart with Papa's love and with Little Critter's love for me. What a joy! My children may never rise up and call me blessed....but tonight, my Little Critter blessed me. I don't know if it gets any better than that! I pray you try blessing your children, my friends. It creates a bond that is hard to explain and a closeness that nothing can break. And I pray that one day, your children will bless you also. It will thrill your hearts more than words can tell! Have a blessed week, full of love letters from Papa. Shalom, Joie

Joseph's Tablecloth

2009-02-17T00:40:00.002-06:00

As I was trying to explain Joseph's coat of many colors to the littles in the Sunday School class I teach they were having trouble understanding how special this was. So I gathered up some fabric scraps and we laid out a crazy quilt type of table cloth for the table in our classroom. We had fun arranging all the little squares and rectangles of various kinds of material and various patterns to make something beautiful. This week I'll sew it together for them and take it back to church for the kids to autograph a square each. As we were laying out the materials, we talked about which color did they think Papa liked best? And which piece of material did they think Papa would like best. We had one square of material with different colored handprints on it. They all decided Papa would like that material best because it had the handprints of all kinds of kids on it. (Aren't littles wonderful?!?!) Then I explained that they were like those pieces of fabric. Each of them was different, their personalities were different "colors'...some were bright and shiny, some were quiet and subdued, some were vibrant but fragile. But not all of them were the fabric with handprints on it. Then I asked which of them Papa loved best? Dead silence for several minutes....then the yongest little (a 5 yr old boy) said he believed Papa loved him best because he was sturdy and bright at the same time. (as he's pointing to one of the squares of material!) Of course the others all informed him that Papa loved them best! The look on their faces when I told them they were all correct was priceless!!!! You mean Papa loves each of us best?!?!?! How can He do that? The following discussion was delightful as I lead them to see the wonders hidden in each one of them.
After church ended, and we went home, I contemplated that class. It occurred to me that Papa taught me as much as He did the children. What had been a spur of the moment idea turned out to be a blessing for all of us. I thought I'd come up with something to help keep the wormy, squirmy boys involved and also something the little girls would delight in, when all along I was following a still, small voice wanting to minister to me. The kids decided I was like a scrap of brocade....pretty, but kinda scratchy (meaning I insist on manners and minding in the classroom) but really strong and unbreakable. Now for a group of 5-11 yr old kids, that was an incredibly accurate picture of me. (Not too sure about the pretty part, they just like playing games with me!) But I am pretty strong, (at least will wise) and my faith is unbreakable, and sometimes I do get 'scratchy' when the kids are acting like little heathens! And to be honest, it blessed my heart to see that they understood that while I sometimes get 'scratchy' (I loved their definition of it) it was because I loved them and wanted others to see what wonderful kids they are. And as we finished up our project, they were delighted to see themselves in the little tablecloth we'd made. The bright, shiny young lady who really is quite fragile. The littlest boy who is strong, but dark colored due to a homelife that doesn't offer much support to him. My Little Critter who chose a scrap full of color and movement but all in dark colors representing his active body and mind, but also his fight with himself and his desire to 'do it all himself'. They saw each other's strengths more than weaknesses and celebrated each other in words. And I as the teacher was taught by these darling little heart stealers. What a blessed day. I was also confirmed that while my teaching methods are often unorthodox, the kids are learning about Papa and His love for them. And seeing how precious they are in His sight. I hope you can understand how precious YOU are to Papa. I hope you see the love letters Papa sends you dear friends. Even if it comes from little heart stealers....LOL! After all, 'out of the mouth of babes...." Be Blessed and have a great week. Shalom, Joie

A treasure

2009-02-15T23:28:00.002-06:00

I found something I've never seen in my Bible the other day. Little Critter and I were doing Torah Study (Bible study) as we do every day. We were reading the Torah portion for this week in Exodus. When we got to Exodus 19:5, I had to stop and read it a second time! I don't know about your translation, but I use the Complete Jewish Bible translation by David H Stern. Now, I have several other versions, but I prefer this one since it's translated from the original Aramaic/Greek/Hebrew. And in Exodus 19:5, it says "Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and keep my covenant, then you will be my own treasure from among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine:"
Did you catch it? Do you see it? We can be Jehovah's own treasure!!!! Can you imagine??? The King of the Universe, the creator of all living things, the One who IS love, the great I AM wants to call me His own treasure!!! WOW!!! It suddenly struck me, that in His eyes, I'm not just a piddly little homeschool mom who works part time, serves at two different churches and attempts to keep the house clean enough to keep it from being condemned. In His eyes, I can be His own treasure!!!! Now, if you think about that a minute that's pretty astounding. Papa can have anything He wants, He created it all! But what He wants is for you (and I) to be His own treasure. Not just a special people, not just a chosen race, not just a group of priests, but His own treasure.

I'm sure there's plenty of folks saying, "and your point is?!?!" But think about it. The dictionary says a treasure is " something that is considered to be precious, to be of great value, cherished" So see, it really is incredible. The creator of the universe says if I listen to His voice, and obey His covenant, I can be His precious, cherished and greatly valued own treasure. Not just one of the crowd, not just another freckled faced, red head with a temper and a warped sense of humor....His own special treasure. I am just blown away. I know I've read that verse about eleventy million times in the past....usually from a different version. None of them say I'm a treasure. (although I did find it say the same thing in The Word version at church today). What a wonderful love letter from my Papa to me. I'm a treasure. And you can be a treasure too. All you have to do is listen to His voice, pay attention to what He says, and follow (or obey) His covenant. (you can find the covenant in the 10 Commandments where He boiled it all down into 10 laws to follow for a long life.) It kinda gives a new way of seeing things doesn't it? Instead of seeing yourself as just another seeker of truth (or whatever you call yourself) you are a treasure.....and not just any treasure, but the treasure of the Great I AM, the creator of the universe. WOW! I pray you'll get this deep inside yourself and believe it. Talk about a self esteem booster!!! So my dear friends, as you prepare for your next week, remember you can be His own treasure, act like a treasure and don't forget to thank Him for His deep abiding love for you. Be Blessed this week and Shalom, Joie

A quicky from Papa

2009-02-12T01:04:00.003-06:00

I'm sorry to have been silent so long. It's tax season here in the States, and I work as office manager of a tax office. So lately I've been working entirely too many hours. But Papa has been faithful to send me quick little love letters. I just keep running out of energy and time to write about them. So I want to take time for a quick one here. Today things were quickly going into a downhill slide. It seemed the more I tried to pull things back into something that would resemble a calm, peaceful place to work the more things went wrong. Then as I was about to really get aggravated and no doubt say things I really didn't want to say....here comes Papa to the rescue! My boss, the owner had just finished speaking to me in a less than respectful manner, and my red hair was about to provide enough electricity to light our town for the next 10 years, when a client called and said "I'd like to make an appointment with Joie to do my taxes." The receptionist asked if someone else could help her, and she replied "No, Joie does a great job with our taxes and we'd rather wait for her!" Oh, thank you Papa. How awesome your timing in reminding me that when I treat others the way I want to be treated, they notice it....and remember it. We have 3 other women who could have done her taxes, but she preferred me. Their taxes aren't difficult, in fact they're quite simple! They could do them online for free, but they preferred to come in and have me do them for them. What an honor! What a pat on the back for me. I've even told them in the past they could do their taxes onine for free....and they continue to reply, but then we couldn't come see you! We'd rather pay you to do our taxes and know they're done correctly. OK, now my little heart is singing and my death grip on my temper is easing to a more comfortable tension. After finishing their taxes, and having several giggles along the way, I couldn't help but thank Papa for seeing I needed a pat on the back and sending these lovely angels my way. So next time you're having one of "THOSE" days, look around. I'll bet you'll find an angel or two waiting to pat you on your back too! Papa is so faithful to remind us of His love. Be blessed and know that if I don't get back for another week or so, tax season is just that.....only a season! Shalom, Joie

Thank You Mr. President

2009-01-19T00:32:00.003-06:00

I normally will not post things here that have to do with politics and such. But I was made aware of an idea that made sense to me. I was told a whole group of folks were posting their thanks to President Bush as he's leaving office. I believe this was to be done last week, but I only found out about it over the weekend. So I'm going to take this space to post why I thank President Bush for the job he's done. I didn't always agree with all his decisions, or the reasons behind his decisions. But to be very honest with you, you couldn't pay me enough to be President of this country....or any other country come to think of it. This man volunteered to serve his country..often at great cost to his privacy, his self esteem and his family life. Since the first day he took office, he's been vilified, demonized and hated simply for being himself. I don't understand this. This is a man who felt a calling to serve his country, to attempt to make this a better place for all of us, and a way to do what he felt Papa had told him to do. So I thank President Bush. I thank him for caring enough about this country to be willing to try to change things for the better. I thank him for keeping us safe since 9-11-01. I thank him for admitting to being a praying president. I thank him for trying to end the constant bickering and backbiting in Congress. I thank him for attempting to work together with people who refused to work with him for the most part. I thank him that he did what he felt was right simply because it was the right thing to do...no matter what the news casters said about him. I thank him for the strength of character that brought some dignity and class back to the office of the presidency. And I thank him for being a caring, compassionate man who was never ashamed to admit his faith in G-d. Like I said, I didn't agree with all he did, but I admire a man who knew this wouldn't be easy, was treated horribly from day 1 and yet never complained or whined. He just quietly went about doing what he could to make the world a better place. I believe he did make the world better. Ask the Aids victims he sent medicine to, or the Iraqi's that now have freedoms they've never known, or the women in Afghanistan who are now treated more like humans, or the Georgians who found a powerful friend when Russia was attacking them....I could go on. But I'll close with this....though many things have not gone the way President Bush (and I) would have liked them to go, he's not complained, whined or blamed anyone else. With all his "Bushisms" and funny sayings (that are so much the way we talk here in Texas), he brought class and dignity mixed with a little bit of character to Washington DC. And I'm proud he was my President for the last 8 years. I'm proud he's coming back home to Texas, and I wish all of Papa's blessings on him and his family for a job done honestly, to the best of his ability and done faithfully. Thank you President Bush. I believe history will show you were a great President! Shalom, Joie

I Will Provide....

2009-01-18T23:32:00.003-06:00

This weekend, we got a personal love letter from Papa. This is just wild! But SO like Papa. My Dodi is a teacher/coach in the public school system. We get paid once a month. Now, getting used to one paycheck a month for both of us was tough....but when I quit teaching to homeschool Little Critter, getting only one paycheck a month and stretching it to last the month was a real trick! It took a several months before I no longer had to rob the savings account to make it to the next paycheck. But we'd stashed a pretty fair savings account in anticipation of the adjustment. Now, we're pretty good at it. But January is tough every year. No matter how much I try to save up for it, it's rough. See in December Dodi gets paid early due to holidays. So we go about 6 weeks between paychecks from December to January. I know this is a toughie, so I try hard to save extra all year to cover those extra couple weeks. We also go visit my in-laws over the holidays, plus you have the holidays themselves occuring during those 6 weeks. Well, this year, we had a couple expenditures that really weren't in our budget....and we ran out of money before we ran out of month....if you get my drift. So, I told Dodi, we couldn't take our one evening out until payday. Well, Saturday, Dodi had to work a power lifting meet at school. This isn't unusual...there's only so many coaches qualified to judge the meets and Dodi is qualified to judge power lifting as well as track, so often gets called to work them. No clue this was to be different. So Little Critter and I enjoyed our Shabbot together doing fun things we normally don't get to do. (Like staying in our pj's most the day....eating on the floor, playing games....just fun things an 8 year old boy enjoys doing) When Dodi returned home, he had a surprise for me. He called me into the bedroom and then handed me a wad of money. I looked at him with a shocked look on my face and he told me they'd paid him for working the meet! Now, he normally doesn't get paid for doing this. And the few times he did, it came on his next month's paycheck....never in cash!!!! So suddenly, instead of juggling the food in the pantry and freezer and hoping we had enough gas to last us to payday, we now had a cushion! Isn't Papa wonderful!?! He knew we had 2 bills needing paying this week, and not enough money to pay them until next week, so He made sure it was sent to us! I know He always provides for all our needs, but it never fails to amaze me that the Creator of the Universe who has the power to anything He wants to is so much in love with us that He notices our every need and provides it for us. As King David once said, "who am I that you notice me?!" It blows my mind to realize that Papa loves me so much He always takes the time to make sure I have what I need. Isn't that awesome?!?! You know dear friends, He loves you that much too. He wants to provide for all your needs also. I'll even bet that if you take the time to notice, He's been doing it all along....you just didn't see it. Take the time to look around you and see....I'm betting you'll see your own Love Letters from Papa. Shalom, Joie