March 30, 2003 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MACY!

Four years ago today me and Shannon were make our plans for March 30, 2003. Our house was finished almost,enough for us to move in. We were planning moving as much as me and her brother Matthew could. I had to work that day so our plans were to start working when I got home. But I was home about and hour and Shannon didn't look good at all. She had been feeling like she was ready to pop #2 out real soon. Well she was right. We didn't move into the house that day instead we moved Shannon into the hospital. She was hurting so bad I thought about stringin' her up to the furniture dolly we had to move stuff with.

8 hours later and a lot of pain (of course Shannon's pain) we had a new baby girl to love and hold tight for the rest of our lives. I can't even describe how much I love this little girl. She is the exact opposite of her brothers. Where both of them are extremely shy, Macy is not!!!!!!!!!!!! One of her favorite things to do in public is point out people smoking. She'll say: "Brayden look that guy is smoking, he's a bad guy." Or like this morning leaving for school there was a guy working on the new house across the street, she starts laughing and saying"Daddy look that guy is bald!" I was shushing her as loud as I could. She's going to get her Dad beat up one day!

She has already made her presence known to everybody. Her first day of school this year I dreaded, because we have never sent a child of ours to school at the age of 3. Brayden cried and cried his first day and we thought the same for her. NOPE! She walked right in and didn't look back.

She is an inspiration to both me and Shannon, she has no fear at all. She will be the first to leave the nest. Where the boys will probably be here till they're 45. :( They say you can't learn anything from a child, but I did. She has taught me to be patient no matter what kind of trouble she causes(And trust me she has caused alot). But to see her everyday making new friends and bringing smiles and laughter to people makes me feel we have been truly blessed by God.

Thank you God for March 30,2003 one of the most important days of my life.

Happy Birthday Macy my little angel.

The Many Faces Of macy!

Does she remind you of someone else? She's very comical and entertaining. I took these tonight on my camera phone. She always says take a picture of me when I open it. I guess that's why I pay so much a month for the phone bill. I don't talk on it at all I just have it because Macy is obsessed with the camera.

She will be 4 on march 30th, hard to believe.

AHH! St. Patty's Day, Finally :)

My second favorite day of the year, finally arrived. My 1st favorite day of course is Christmas, DUH!

There is nothing better than celebrating your families heritage. I often think about my ancestors and wonder when and how they arrived to the United States. I wonder what their names were and what they looked like.

When this time of year rolls around it's a new begging of life for the earth. The Redbud, Bradford Pears and the forsythia are out in full bloom already. It's a wonderful sight. The Creator dresses his planet like a bride dresses for her wedding.

I am happy that my ancestor's were from Ireland. When I see pictures of its green pastures and other beautiful landscapes it takes my breath away. But to live in Ireland hasn't always been a peaceful one for those have been in the midst of the constant wars for centuries.

Thar's why I am glad they came over here instead. If it weren't for them making the voyage on rough seas and probably not the best living conditions on those boats, I probably would be living over there. But I'm not! I proud to be Irish and German, but I'm proud to be in the country I live in. Even with all the junk that goes on over here, we still are able to keep our country and it's citizens at somewhat peace. Thank the Lord everyday for The United States of America.

Spare Tire Or Steering Wheel?

"Is Jesus your Steering wheel or your Spare Tire ?"

I read this the other day on a sign outside the Baptist Church down the street. They always have thought provoking sayings on their sign every week. I don't know where they get them from, but there usually pretty good. There must be some book these churches have, to find these little daily tid-bits of information. I might stop and ask one day.

I thought about this one in particular when I was driving by taking the kids to school. Do I use Jesus only in times of need or do I give him my praise everyday no matter what happens? It kind of hung in my mind for awhile, and I came to the conclusion that I don't use him just in emergencies. Back in my earlier life that was when I only consulted Christ on a "As Needed Basis." But as I have matured in Christ over the years I see Him as the basis for every day living. So I believe he is becoming my Steering Wheel, but I'm not quite completely off the Spare Tire Part yet!

As we go through daily life we all forget to thank the Creator and His Son for another day of life. He should be the very first thought on our mind each morning when we wake up and the last thought before we go to bed. Prayer life is important to me, it relieves all the stresses of the day. It's like when we were children and we'd ask our parents about a problem and their answer would be "It'll be OK." It would relieve us from those worries. Same thing when we pray to God it's a relief.

Build a permanent relationship with Jesus and not a conditional one. Be able to stop what you are doing and bow your head in prayer and read from His word regularly. Those are the basic keys to opening the door to a permanent relationship with our Father and His Son. Make him your Guide for life not your E R for the moment. In everything give God the glory He deserves.

The Harding Mobile!

This is the PT Cruiser Harding is toting around. It's actually not a bad looking ride. Education well spent! They passed a brochure out the other day while we were waiting in line to pick up Brayden. It was a meeting they were having at the university. It was about investing for your kids education. I see they already invested four years of my kids schooling into that Ride. LOL!

Anyhow, they said on the flyer that in 15 years your child's college education for a state school would be $140,000 dollars. I think they had that wrong on the sheet. I think they meant Private college. But I don't know, I didn't go to the meeting.

It's amazing how much everything costs today. Why must products, schooling and gas go up so much? We could still go by the pricing of these things like they were back in past. My answer "GREED!" We human are so Greedy anymore, especially those who run the markets who drive up these costs.

What made me think of this is a simple Klondike bar. I was eating one the other night and thought about how much thinner these things have gotten since I was little boy. They go for $3.50 for six bars at WALMART. I think they were in the $1.60 price range when I was little. With the $3.50 price they should measure alot bigger than they are. But NO! They made them smaller so it cost them more to make them. WRONG!

What a mixed up world we live in! We all want and need more money. But do we really? We have spent alot of money on medicine since Christmas, even with insurance. Do they really need to make medicine so expensive. It's not the research that costs so much it the greedy salary of the CEO"s that's killing us with the price. I pray for the drug people that they won't go where we think they are all going.

The past two days I have been in Little Rock taking Life and Health insurance classes to get my licenses. I have learned alot about scammers and the government taxing gained interest on life policies and whatever else they can tax. I know insurance people are the worst when it comes to jacking up the price on people and ripping people off. But there is a lady in there who was a customer service rep for Blue cross and she broke down in tears about some of the calls she had. Most of the calls were from the elderly, showing gratitude for the new medicare drug policies (which are still garbage). But they were so happy that they could get there medicine cheaper and not have to decide to go without food or choose to get their medicine. One lady told her that she hadn't taken her heart medicine for over a year because she said she had to eat. She had a pretty bad heart condition is what she told the woman in my class.

WHAT A SHAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"GREED!" We have all been guilty of it. Why? Nothing we gain can be taken with us. Money is just a piece of paper. Nothing else! We could all do our work and not need money. They did without it in the caveman days. Adam and Eve didn't have money and neither did Jesus. But if we want to keep the shelter over our heads and keep the lights on and our stomachs full, the world says we need money.

I wish I could have the heart of Mother Teresa. They said when she died she had nothing to her name. She had no house, no car, no life insurance policy, no High Definition TV. In the worlds standards she was dirt poor. But in the eyes of those she helped over the years she had everything! Even the $200 K she won from the Nobel Peace Prize she gave it all to the poor. WOW!

One question about money W.W.J.D? What Would Jesus Do? He would say sell everything to the poor and follow him. Isn't that what he told the young rich man. That's would be hard for us all, including myself. Think about it? I think I need to let go of a few things and do without some things. I need to start the process now before Jesus comes back and says I had to much stuff while others had too little. I don't want to watch the gates close in front of me because I was living by the worlds standards of GREED.

The past couple of years instead of having a yard sale we have decided to give our old clothes and the kids clothes to His House at Church. I'm not bragging about it, I'm just telling we've begun the process. I drove by there one Thursday and there was huge line of those in need. I felt good that I let go of that stuff and someone else could get some good use for it.

Moral of the story is: Give what you can and don't feel so much need for materialistic stuff. Because when your gone it's the direction of where your soul is going. Up or Down.

Oh, and I didn't put the picture of the Harding car on here because they are greedy. I just thought alumni back home would like to see it.

I hit the wrong button?

I don't know what I did but I went exploring on Blogger.com and it says advertise here. Don't think that I'm trying to profit off this I just hit the wrong button and I can't figure out how to get it off. Thanks Clint

The Cross Man of Sherwood!

I found this cross about a month ago. It has great meaning to me. I was given this cross about three years ago by a man in Sherwood, Arkansas. He didn't give it to me at a church building or any type of church activity. He gave it to me on the side of the road.

I had watched this man many times out the window at work. I saw him go up and down the road at least three to four times a week walk up and down highway 107 in Sherwood. He wasn't empty handed either. It was an unusual sight to see what he did when he walked down the busy highway.

He carried a Bible in one hand and carried something else that I know hardly any of his wouldn't even think of carrying. But this gentleman put Christ first before ever thinking of what the world thought of him. He carried a huge cross one his shoulder. The cross had to measure 9 feet in height with two little wheels on the back so he didn't have to drag it down the street. I thought this was unusual but I thought it was great in the eyes of the Lord. I don't know what this man had done in his past but I know he was happy for the cross of Jesus. That he was able to put humiliation behind him and put the message of Christ on his shoulder and carry it with great hope for eternal life. And the hope that his non-verbal message would help somebody or anybody driving on that highway. To put the message of Christ's cross into the life of one person would probably satisfy him greatly.

It was five o' clock and I was shutting the gate to the garden center and he was coming to pass in front of me. He stopped in front of me and gave me the cross and said do you know the Lord? I said yes. He said good stay that way and handed me the cross. And I told him he was doing a great thing and I was proud to call him my brother. I didn't know what church he went to or of what faith he was. But that didn't matter to me, I was humbled at that moment.

We as humans in the world try to find heroes to look up to. Many try to find that hero in a movie star, athlete or rock star. I think after my encounter with that gentleman I have put him on my list of people to look up to. He has more strength than I do; I still don't think I would have the guts to drag that cross up that highway. But I think if I ever see him again I might stop and walk it up the street with him.

Matthew 10:38-39 Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Amen.