Clay Balls

A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone! Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away! It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see some people as less important than others that are more beautiful, stylish, well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person. There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that individual the way that he sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth. May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them in his eyes and heart? I am so blessed by the gems of friendship I have with you. Thank you for looking beyond my clay vessel.

My Heartaches

There is not a day that I don't think about them because I know I don't want to forget.

It’s coming up on a year since my family and I suffered so much pain. At one point in time; we were a very close family. Now it seems things have changed.

My Aunt Karen found peace in her faith. The love in her heart shined brightly for others to see. Her patience to listen too and the keen advice she always offered was wonderful. She was a great wife and an incredible mother to her children. She was one of 7 children, 4 brothers and 2 younger sisters. Being able to share our lives with her was absolutely a wonderful. After being diagnosed with stage four, cancer; we were blessed to have her for another 12 years. Last July, her lung collapsed and the cancer was no longer in remission. Everyone was prepared when Karen took her last breath on Thursday, July 24th, 2008

Almost three years ago I watched my nephew, Anthony Cole come into this world and while visiting his grandfather in North Carolina he fell into their family pool and the water quickly filled his lungs. His little body was not strong enough to hold on. On Monday, July 28th, 2008; just four days after suffering the loss of my aunt; I received a hysterical phone call from my sister to tell me that my nephew was gone. I nearly lost my mind. How was I going to explain this to Anthony’s older brother Jonathan who was only six years old at the time and how was I going to tell my mother?

The what if’s and blames started to fill my head. I know now that it makes no difference to have those types of thoughts. I look back and think about the incredible memories I have of both of them and I want to feel joy but my sorrow continues to grow.

Anthony’s second birthday fell on Jonathan’s last day of school in the 1st grade. I let him play hooky so they could spend the day with each other. We had a small family party and Anthony shared a few of his first words along with a few loud YEAHS! Everyone was there and we were all happy. It is incredible how quickly life turns around.

If there is one thing I want to stress from this experience; it’s that there should be a gate around any pool with an alarm on it when there is no supervision. It was only a matter of minutes for everything to change.
I’m just really upset and I find it comforting to write sometimes.

One Flaw in Woman

By the time the Lord made woman, He was into his sixth day of working overtime. An angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time on this one?" And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart -and she will do everything with only two hands." The angel was astounded at the requirements. "Only two hands!? No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish." "But I won't," the Lord protested. "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days." The angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But you have made her so soft, Lord." "She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish." "Will she be able to think?", asked the angel. The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate." The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one." "That's not a leak," the Lord corrected, "that's a tear!" "What's the tear for?" the angel asked. The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride." The angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing." And she is! Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous. They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice. They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution. They go without so their family can have. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend. They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding. Their hearts break when a friend dies. They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart. Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They'll drive, fly, walk, run or email you to show how much they care about you. The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning. They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideals. They give moral support to their family and friends. Women have vital things to say and everything to give. HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.