When I was younger, Memorial Day was the holiday that truly marked the beginning of summer. I was oblivious to those who decorated graves, never wondering how the cemeteries were suddenly covered with brightly colored flowers. Decades passed. Now I understand the import of the holiday.

What if? How many times have you lived in the “what if” world? I find myself there quite often. "What if" is a question that we ask ourselves where we imagine what “might” happen or what “might have” happened.

My beloved and I recently had the opportunity to explore St. Augustine for a few hours, knowing it was the place Ponce de Leon reportedly discovered the Fountain of Youth. We found it. The park, that is, and did the thing you do: took a selfie at the entrance. I texted friends that I had found the Fountain of Youth and was bringing some back to all of them. One said to get a gallon.

Let me just say that if you have not had the opportunity to take a 10-year-old to school every morning you probably have not engaged in the “random” conversations that I have. I was taking “4th grade” Liza to school this morning and as she is in the back seat she says, “You know Mimzy I am not looking forward to the first day of 5th grade."

When Jack Brown’s son Adam graduated from high school, the father decided to write down the most important things his son needed to know as he started college and stepped into life’s next chapter. ​This going away present contained 511 reminders about how to live a happy and rewarding life.

A verse in Genesis 41 gave me chills last week when I read it. It just hit different. In our youth Sunday School class, we have been unpacking, digging in, breaking down, or whatever you want to call it, the story of Joseph. We’ve studied it so much that the guys and girls could take an ACT about it.

We have a staff prayer meeting every Monday morning. The person leading the prayer meeting this week opened up by asking, “What is taking up your bandwidth today?” The room went silent but you could look around at the faces and know that every single person was probably dealing with something that was taking up all their mental and maybe physical bandwidth. Some probably more than others but everyone had something.

The prophet Elijah knew plenty about the ups and downs of following God. We can draw strength and encouragement from his true story. We can be reminded that through good times and bad, God is still with us, and will help us in staying the course.

I don’t know about you, but I struggle with my “thoughts” constantly. I read this in my devotional today from Lysa Terkeurst: “When I obsess over things out of my control, it makes me act out of control. A much better place to park my mind is to look for God’s protection, provision, and lessons on perseverance in the midst of whatever I’m facing.”

The other day, I briefly misplaced my cell phone. I didn’t see the phone in my car door’s side pocket where I sometimes place it when driving, and I thought I left it at home. But where at home did I leave it? And what if it’s not there?

Do you have a favorite Bible verse? One that has been with you in the valley and carried you to the other side?  Your go-to in time of crisis? The first Bible verse I ever remember remembering is James 4:8.

Comparing ourselves to others is a trap. It’s hard not to do, but it is definitely not good for us at all. I can see how my grandchildren struggle with this, but honestly I do as well.

Beginning January 1st, I pray about opportunities to serve the Lord during the year, near or far.  I had one week open in March.  There was a possibility with a dental team going to Alaska. That door closed.  I continued to pray.  If nothing happened, I would just stay home and spring clean.

I take my 10-year-old granddaughter, Liza, to school every morning. About two weeks ago, we scheduled our summer family vacation with our kids and grandchildren. Every morning she counts down the days and tells me how she is going to have to wait SO long until we can go. She is not even the least bit excited about school being out because she is so focused on waiting for vacation.

Did you see the recent B. C. Sunday comic in which the character is working strenuously to climb the steep mountain? Each panel shows his progress. Then he finally reaches the summit, and asks, “Ever arrive at a place and forget why you’re there?”

In a recent breakfast meeting with Pastor Todd Wright of Midway Church in Villa Rica, our conversation turned to the importance of leaving a legacy for those who will come behind us. It was a meaningful discussion for many reasons, but I was reminded of the words of King Solomon in Proverbs 13:22: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children” (NKJV).

It was my turn to teach at the jail on Sunday.  I shared one of my favorite Resurrection stories… Mary Magdalene went to the tomb while it was still dark.  “Dark” was an understatement.  

Last week was spring break for my grandchildren. When they returned to school Monday they learned there was a solar eclipse and they would get to participate in watching the eclipse. The schools my granddaughters attend passed out glasses to everyone so they could all be outside and view the eclipse.

The young woodpecker left the nest and flew out to his first tree. He picked the tallest, straightest tree in the forest and started pecking away. Just as he began, a lightning bolt struck and split the tree in half, hurling the woodpecker to the ground.

Isn’t it funny how children imitate adults, sometimes not in a good way? I remember a certain incident when our youngest child, Missie, was little and in kindergarten. She had a cute, short bob haircut. We noticed Missie started to “pretend” flipping her hair like she had long hair. We couldn’t figure out why she was doing this until we went to an open house at the school. Her teacher had long straight hair and she would flip it behind her ears and then behind her back. We instantly realized where Missie had learned this habit.

I am an inquisitive person, which basically just means I ask a lot of questions. If you happen to talk to my husband he would tell you that I wake up asking questions and I go to bed asking questions. Sometimes I even ask questions if I wake up in the middle of the night.

 In June of last year, physicians in Ecuador declared Bella Montoya dead, but as family members gathered for her wake, she suddenly showed signs of life as she rested in her coffin. Four months earlier, workers at a Long Island nursing home pronounced an 82-year-old woman dead, but three hours later, funeral home staff discovered she was still alive and breathing.

I have a sweet friend who is going through a really tough time. It breaks my heart. She sent me a text message one day this week saying, “It feels like I’m walking through mud but I gotta keep moving.” I have thought about this a lot since I received that message.

I am not a fan of flying at all!  I have to really pray and talk myself into getting on an airplane.  We just got back from a trip out of the country.  Our flight was close to 10 hours long.  Needless to say, the flight out of the country was not smooth at all. 

I asked Stevie, who turns 7 this week, to name something he would run from.  “A T-Rex, a raptor, and a stegosaurus,” he answered without a pause. “Can you think of something smaller?” I asked. “Oh, ok, a baby T-Rex,” he replied.  I laughed out loud.