It is the new year for all that are blessed enough to see it come. If you are reading this you are one of that joyous number.  So join me in paying homage to a tradition dating back to 1788. That is singing a song written by Scottish man, Robert Burns. A song sung to only he knows who about who knows what. One thing for likely sure, it sounds like Mr. Burns started celebrating the new year early that day! Just saying. But in any case, Happy New Year everyone! 

Auld Lane Syne
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne?

CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine.
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend!
And give me a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.nd old lang syne?

CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine.
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS
And there’s a hand my trusty friend!
And give me a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.




If anyone sees this auld lang syne, give a shout out from 2014!

.... and on that day they will all come together on the mount big and small, strong and weak, young and old. They will come singing and dancing rejoicing one and all, skipping, prancing, jumping to and fro. For they will know they were part of the mighty kingdom builders.

Bring people to Jesus. . .We are called to extend the love of Christ and the message of the gospel to everyone—to our family, friends, and neighbors and to people all around the world. Jesus calls us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” and teaching others to obey His commands (Mt.28:19-20). Bringing people to Jesus includes praying for and reaching “every nation, tribe, people and language” (Rev.7:9).

 Bringing people to Jesus does not happen by imposing the message of Christ upon others. It happens by offering the gospel respectfully, through loving service, through Spirit-filled witness and caring relationships. We are thirsty people who have discovered the well spring of life. Our task is to lead and bring others to the Water of Life.

....and they will rest in the bosom of everlasting life wearing a crown of jubilee. Amen.

I have never met a perfect person, though there was a time in my life that quite a few people came close. I used to think my sweet grandma Inez was perfect, used to think my mom was too when I was very young. I did not think there was a finer more perfect person on God's green earth than my 9th grade English Advanced Placement teacher Ms. Hayes who nurtured my intellect and told me I was surely going to be someone amazing one day. 

I wrote Santa a letter asking how he did it? How are you able to reach so many people and give so many gifts, each one getting their perfect joy. How do you know with such perfection? How are you always perfectly timed, never late and never forget anyone no matter what? I asked Santa where his help comes from? He motioned me to jump on his sled and take one ride with him. I did not hesitate. Santa told me I could come along under only one condition. I told him I would do anything to have answers to my questions. 

Santa turned to me and said, the one condition is this, before we speed off, tell me of something you believe that seems unbelievable. Something you believe so strongly that no contrary view can penetrate. A belief that can't be broken and time and time again keeps proving to you how real it is. Then imagine your life without this belief. 

He ended by saying, if you even think you might be wrong about this belief you share with me then come with me. Tonight I will bring hope of a better tomorrow to so many. Some will try to spy the sled and count its gifts. Because  they have no other beliefs to fall back on, they don't dare ask your type of questions. But many more will be content in the reminder that it is O.K. to throw me a wink and a nod and then reserve their heart for what they truly believe!

And with that I stepped down from that sled and walked away with a wink and a nod back toward St. Nick. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

There is so much we can do for one another this holiday season without over doing it. Those things most lasting will come in packages that can't be unwrapped. I look forward to benefiting from that type of giving. I guarantee it will be those little elf moments that I will be talking about next year and many years to follow. It surely will not be the porcelain crock pot or the jasmine bath salts. A recent study was conducted and the top gift women want this Christmas season is travel. Also high on the list are gift cards to cut down on their regifting after Christmas.

I will be on the look out this holiday for the littlest elves. Those little moments that I can't get back. The random hug. The warm snuggle. The "just because" moments that create lasting memories. The real conversations sitting close and paying attention. The little elves that bring hot coco, that sit quietly and just enjoy the time we have together not asking for anything, not needing anything. Being completely content knowing that we are together and all is well in the world. I  choose to pass this year on the stress of giving just to give of wrapping just to wrap. This year, I will send my gifts as little elves that don't go home after Christmas. 

When you score, no one knows if you punted or kicked a long shot. What they remember is the effort behind the try. Let the accolades catch up. You want your victory? Then do what it takes to finish.

So many of us sit this one out, waiting to see how "they" do it. And for what? My goodness their effort is not any better or worse than ours. So you want something? Then put your personal skin in the game. No matter what "that" is. We in the crowd just want to see the your "want of it".

And here is the big secret untold.......even if you come up short......we are rooting for you...........we just wanted to see the TRY IN YOU!

So here is our wish list:

Love us unconditionally

Live your personal best

Let us know we exist with a quality of excellence in your life

Remind us that no matter what ...... WE MUST...and TOGETHER!


Don't pawn "that" off on tomorrow.

The 12 apostles were gathered together in a house when a terrific wind came from heaven and filled the place. They saw tongues that looked like fire, that separated and came down on each of them.

The apostles had chosen Mathias to replace Judas Iscariot, who had hanged himself. That brought their number back to 12.

• Before his ascension into heaven, Jesus had promised his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit to give them strength and wisdom to spread the gospel throughout the world. (Acts 1:8) • The apostles' ability to address these foreign visitors in their own languages was a miracle from God. After they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the 12 did many other miracles and wondrous signs. • Right from the start of the church, we see that God intended his offer of salvation to extend to all nations. Whoever calls on the name of Jesus, repents, and believes in him will be saved. • Today, 2,000 years later, believers in Jesus are still filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot live the Christian life without his help. We are to call on him whenever we need strength or guidance.

Question for Reflection About the Day of Pentecost:When it comes to Jesus Christ, each of us must answer the same question as these early seekers: "What shall we do?" Jesus cannot be ignored. Have you decided yet what you are going to do? If you want eternal life in heaven, there is only one correct response: Repent of your sins, be baptized in the name of Jesus, and turn to him for salvation.

When I got home that night my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking about divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn’t have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn’t want anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month’s time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month’s duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife’s divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don’t tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn’t tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me… she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it’s time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to the office…. jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind…I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run upstairs, only to find my wife in the bed – dead. My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the negative reaction from our son, in case we push through with the divorce.— At least, in the eyes of our son—- I’m a loving husband….

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves.

So find time to be your spouse’s friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don’t share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Written by: Kimmies Floral

No, I am not talking about the dress. Instead I am talking about the mess that dress has meddled into again. Come on,  life is hard enough without us crossing the street and walking right into someone else's stuff. Really now? Why would we expend our good energy only to meddle in affairs we should not be anywhere near and usually received no invitation to attend. What compels us to dive in is our obsession with obstructionism.

I know what I am talking about too. When I was in college a friend's boyfriend was cheating on her. A lot of her friends knew including me. Our mutual friends cautioned me to stay way out of it. They told me if you tell her, she will be mad at him, he will be mad at you and you will be mad at yourself. Why? Because they will eventually make up, not break up and you will be left asking what the heck just happened and for what? So I have developed a few cardinal rules for meddling. I choose to call them the I WOULD NOT BE CAUGHT DEAD IN THAT unless it fits in my 10.

Unless  ......

1. I am acting from a level head and not acting from my over zealous heart.
2. I can control the outcome.
3. I can bring real value.
4. I am helping as a God thing not as a man thing.
5. I can be objective.
6. My involvement is appreciated by all parties.
7. I can answer the question, "Why am I really doing this?" and feel good about the answer.
8. There is a real solution here.
9. I am behaving in a way that I would want others to behave with me.
10. I can answer, "What do I hope to gain from taking this step?", question.

Proverbs 26:17
Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.

There once was a little boy who lived up on a hill with twelve brothers and sisters. This little boy was the youngest. The family did not have much. Dad worked as a shoe maker and mom washed clothes for other families in town to help keep the family fed. This family did not have much, but they did have each other.

The little boy assembled scraps he could find around and after many weeks made a kite. It would never be mistaken as anything beautiful. It was a mix match of this and that strewn together for one purpose, to fly. The tail of the kite was most special. It was a collection of torn fabric, remnants of discarded clothing, rags his mother's customers thought had no use and especially no further value. This tail showed pallets of denim, cotton, polyester, wool and all other forgotten material deemed worthless and forgotten in their eyes.

One day the young boy could be spotted up on the hill trying with all his might to get this mix match kite into the sky. It would go up just a few feet off the ground and come crashing down just as fast. Day after day the same thing, up a bit and down with a thump. The boy would make bits of repair when needed then with steadfast determination try to put that kite in the sky.

One day, one of his mom's customers, a pilot was dropping off laundry and noticed the young boy trying to fly the kite. He watched a long while and then walked over to him. Without speaking, he gently took the kite from the child. He slowly examined the kite and noticed an imbalance in the weight of the tail, too much fabric in some places and not enough in others. The customer removed his own tie and carefully assembled it to the back of the kite.

The next week, the pilot saw the same young boy, running on the hill holding onto something. His arm high in the air. He briskly walks over to the young boy and says "Wonderful, now how high do you want to take this kite?" The young man with his eyes pointed toward the sky, no kite in sight, simply replies, "Now that my insides feel what it is like to fly, I have not decided yet!"

There are a few things I am staking it all on. A few things that if untrue are deal breakers, heart breakers, complete undoing of my soul. I am playing for keeps in this game of life. I have been steadfast in my belief, have cashed all my chips in one direction and so for me with these things there is no plan B.


Meaning:Purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red. The color purple is often associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition. Purple also represents meanings of wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, independence, and magic.

Purpose: Purple is associated spirituality, the sacred, higher self, passion, third eye, fulfillment, and vitality. Purple helps align oneself with the whole of the universe.

Color:The color purple has a variety of effects on the mind and body, including uplifting spirits, calming the mind and nerves, enhancing the sacred, creating feelings of spirituality, increasing nurturing tendencies and sensitivity, and encouraging imagination and creativity.

Purple or violet gemstones are believed to increase your imagination, remove perceived spiritual obstacles, calm confrontations, and re-energize the learning of new things.

Throughout history, purple robes were worn by royalty and people of authority or high rank. Many believe this to be true because the rare occurrence of purple in nature made it one of the most expensive color dyes to create. The United States Military awards the Purple Heart to soldiers wounded in battle. In Thailand, purple is the color of mourning for widows.

These purple things are these:

Mark 15:20 ESV /          
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
Luke 16:19 ESV /         
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

Me: I did a quick check in with God. When HE did not answer I decided to check back later. Later I sent word through moma to tell God I was waiting to hear from him. Still nothing.

When I did not hear back I decided to carry on anyway and do things ON MY OWN & MY WAY. Wow, when things turned out great I was really surprised. I really wish God had not missed this, HE would have been so proud. Wish HE could have been here.

God: My child checked in without once calling me by name. She said something about checking back later. Then she sent word through her moma's prayer that she was waiting to hear from me. ...

I went on to perform a miracle in her Life down to the last little detail. For this I got, "I wish GOD had been here, HE would have been so proud."

Well one thing we agree on. SHE KEEPS MISSING ME.