Bouffant Blonde

How many times have you whined today? Give it up! We all complain numerous times each and every day. And usually about trivial things that really don't matter or that we simply can't change. We just don't like to admit that we are whiners. Think about it. It's June in Alabama. It's hot and humid. And sunny. I'm thankful that the rain has finally stopped but now in a two-day span of time the ground is so hard. I miss the cooler temperatures that the rain brought. But when it was raining and water was standing everywhere, I was first in line complaining that I wanted to see the sun. Or think about the traffic. That's a favorite whine topic. The stop lights never work to our satisfaction. If we're in a hurry, they're always red. When we're trying to delay our arrival, they're always green. And don't forget about that slowpoke going our way. You've heard the phrase "he's got nowhere to go and all day to get there." If the sl...

Life can change in an instant. Our minds know that. Our hearts, however, want to believe that all is right with our world. That bad things happen to other people, in other families, in other towns. That diseases either don't happen or are always cured. That traffic accidents are minor and life goes on after a minor headache or two. Then a neighbor swerves frantically into the driveway with news. A gunman is heading down the highway, shooting everyone. Surely, not. This is rural Alabama where folks shoot deer not people. Law enforcement vehicles speed down the road with lights flashing. First one and then another. Sirens echo in the distance. An ambulance follows a different path, yet just as fast with its lights flashing and sirens sounding. It is not a dream. It isn't happening in a big city. It's real and it's right here. Early reports vary, depending on your preferred news outlet. Nine people are believed dead. Two are children. We don't know how many are hurt. ...

It is so easy in this land of plenty to confuse need with want. That's a question more and more people are asking themselves. It only takes a job loss or income reduction to put that in perspective. Let's be honest here. How many people really have six months' of living expenses in an easily accesible account? Not that even that amount would be enough right now. But you understand where I'm going with this. We think we "need" to go out to dinner several nights each week. Or we "need" a new pair of shoes for the kids or that expensive mocha latte with the girls. But what do we really need? We need food for our bodies. That doesn't mean designer pizza or ice cream with fancy names. Food can be basic. Meat (unless you're vegetarian), vegetables, fruit. We need shelter. Preferably, somewhere with a comfortable temperature and dry inside. A small trailer qualifies just as much as a 5,000 square foot house. We may need transportation to jobs and sc...

I wonder how many times we think our prayers have gone unanswered when in reality God just said no? We expect, in our own selfish human way, that God wants for us what we want for ourselves. But His perfect reasoning doesn't mean that we always get what we want. That's true of the big things or the small things. My little three-year-old cousin was diagnosed last week with leukemia. The doctors think she'll eventually be okay. Researchers have made great strides. After six to eight months of treatment and another two or so years, she'll be fine. We're grateful. Still, we pray. That all will be well. For strength for her parents and siblings. For comfort during the long journey ahead. For a healing that is far from assured. So many people are hurting right now. Solid jobs have vanished. Homes are lost. Medical issues are left untreated because insurance payments take a backseat to food and housing. Our world is in scary turmoil. So we pray. Because God controls it al...