The Greatest Blessing

     Kayla wanted to find the perfect birthday gift for her Dad.  This wasn't just any birthday.  This was a special time.  She hadn't seen her Dad in a while.  It had probably been about two years.  Her Mother and Father were divorced.  They separated when she was just two years old.  It was a difficult transition for Kayla.  She was always so close to her Dad.  She got to see him sometimes.  But, his job required that he traveled a lot.  Sometimes those trips took him overseas.

   But, now Kayla is a teenager.  School is out for the summer.  She's going to get to spend a week at her Dad's house.  Kayla saved her allowance and the money that she had been making babysitting.  She went to the store with her friends, trying to find the perfect gift.  But, nothing seemed quite right.  She then found an appointment scheduler that her Dad could use on his business trips.  She bought some craft supplies and pasted her favorite picture of her Dad on the front.

  Kayla packed with great excitement for the trip.  It was going to be the highlight of her life.  The big day had finally arrived.  Her Mom took her to the airport.  Kayla couldn't wait to get on the plane.  Her Dad was going to meet her on the other side.  But, when the plane arrived and landed and Kayla walked inside of the building she didn't see her Father.   

  Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of him walking towards her.  They ran to embrace each other.  But, Kayla suddenly became silent when she saw a strange woman standing beside of her Father.  "Kayla,"  He said  "This is my wife Aimee."  Kayla's joy quickly disappeared.  She became very withdrawn.  She took her bags and followed them out to the van.

  Her Father's house was beautiful.  Aimee made everyone a great dinner and tried to talk to Kayla.  But, she would not answer.  Her Father's birthday was the next day.  Kayla unpacked and cried herself to sleep that night.  She knew that her parents were not going to get back together.   The next day, her Father took them out to lunch just the two of them.  He told her how he really wanted her and Aimee to be friends.

  When she got home, everything was finely decorated in birthday colors.  The table had many presents on it.  But, then Kayla noticed something.  Her present had been wrapped beautifully and was also included with an awesome wood framed picture of her and her Dad and his favorite cologne.  It all had her name on it.  Kayla looked at Aimee.  Aimee just smiled and winked at her.

  They had an amazing evening celebrating her Father's birthday.  The next day, Kayla was asked to go with them to church.  She had never remembered her Father being religious.  She got dressed and went with them.  Her Dad was one of the deacons.  Aimee stood up and introduced her beautiful daughter Kayla.  Everyone clapped with delight.

  Kayla could feel something tugging at her heart at that moment.  She embraced Aimee and began to cry.  She gave her heart to the Lord.  Kayla realized how important it is not to judge others.  She saw something even more awesome in her Dad at that moment.  It was the love of the Lord.  She had truly realized the greatest blessing!

This Memorial Day, let us say thank you to all of our military heroes who have served and are serving our nation with bravery and courage. Thank you for your service, your commitment, and for your sacrifice to protect our great land.. God bless you all. To my hero, my dad John Leto who served his nation with honor, thank you. Thank you Dad for your love of God and country. I miss you and love you.

Thought For The Day

Let Faith be an important key

and heart felt prayer be the foundation

that 

unlocks the door

to the greatest dream

the deepest hopes

the most beautiful promise

You can do any thing

and

it 

all starts with four simple words....

FATHER,

HERE

I 

AM.

When you look into the eyes of friendship, you see truth. Someone who will always say the right thing at the right time. In the eyes of friendship you see faithfulness. Someone who will always be there no matter how cold the weather may become. Through the eyes of friendship you see pure love; a love that nurtures, protects, defends, and soothes. Through the eyes of friendship you see devotion; someone who will be there with a smile in the good times, and words of comfort in the down times. Through the eyes of friendship you see happiness. It is the blessing of knowing that two hearts care about each other and are always there for one another. Friendship is one of the most precious gifts and blessings bestowed upon the heart from God above. Like a beautiful stain glass box, it can be fragile, but it is rugged, enduring, wholesome, everlasting and strong beyond anything that the mind could ever fathom. The most beautiful and loving relationships and marriages are those that begin as solid friendships. So, give thanks for the extraordinary gifts of your true friends. They are like beautiful pearls of light that make your life a little brighter, a little sweeter, and a lot more bearable.
*By Me* GOD BLESS.

Help Me To See

Lord, I see your beauty in the seconds of each day

In the great blessings large and small that are before me

Please open my eyes and heart in a positive way

that I may be the person you designed me to be.

I want to be someone who knows you are always there
Working and moving with your great love so perfectly
Showing with every gift from your heart how much you care
and giving thanks for everything so generously.

I want to be someone who truly does understand
that nothing is ever worth having Lord without you
and life's wonders and promise all come from your hands
We must pray and seek your will in all that we may do.

Lord, I'm asking for assurance and pure clarity
Prepare me to see your sweet presence so great and strong
I want to see the best that you've prepared for me
and have a grateful, humbled heart of love each day long.

Perfect Discoveries

     Krista sat quietly in her chair and watched as her best friend lay struggling to breath in the bed before her.  For the first time in her life, she felt horrifying feelings of helplessness and loneliness.

 

  She is a devout Christian and prayer warrior.  All of her life she has always rested in the presence of the Lord through every step.  But now, no matter how much or how hard she prays, there seems to be no improvement.

 

  She finds herself constantly asking the question why her Lord seems so distant now?  He has always felt so close to her all of her life.  Mika and she have been best friends since before they could walk.

 

  They have shared all of the wonderful and precious memories that girlhood friends can share.  But, when Mika became gravely ill, it was like a piece of her heart was now missing.

 

  Krista stayed by her bedside as much as possible.  She went to work.  But, she would come on lunch breaks and when she was done for the day.  She continued to try and pray.  But there was no answer.

 

  She stopped going to church.  She even felt a disconnection from the Lord that she had never felt before.  Her family and church family were becoming increasingly worried about her.

 

  One Saturday her Pastor came to visit with her at her friend's bedside.  "Hello Krista", he said with a big smile.  "When will we be seeing you back in church?"  "Hello Pastor", Krista answered.  "What are you doing here?"

 

  "We miss you dearly sweetheart.  You haven't been to church in weeks."  He answered.  "Well, God doesn't seem to be answering my prayers sir."  She responded.  "I want to see my friend better.  I feel so far away from Him now."

 

  The Pastor smiled brightly.  "God is right here with us Krista.  Just because we don't see any thing in our humanity, doesn't mean he is not working."  He said.  "Our timing is not God's timing."

 

  The Pastor left Krista for a while.  He came back later with a group of elders from the church.  They all joined hands and prayed for Mika.  "You see", he told Krista.  "Sometimes God wants to see how faithful we will be to him."

 

  The group came back every Saturday and continued to do the same thing.  Suddenly, over the next few weeks, there were visible signs of improvement.

 

  Krista got down on her knees and asked God for forgiveness.  She returned to church.  However, about a month later her friend was right there beside her!  Krista looked at the Pastor and smiled.  She then looked up to Heaven and said two words thank you.

 

The End

***** E-MAIL TO GOD *****
HELLO LORD:
THIS IS A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM MY HEART TO YOURS SO LOVINGLY
ASKING YOU TO WATCH OVER ME AND HELP ME AS ONLY YOU CAN
GRANT ME THE STRENGTH AND WISDOM TO WALK EACH STEP SO DILIGENTLY
AND TO SEEK YOUR PURPOSE AND PROMISE ALL FOUND IN YOUR PERFECT PLAN.

SOMETIMES I MAY GET SOMEWHAT OFF COURSE AND NEED YOU TO GUIDE MY WAY
AND GIVE ME THE LOVE AND GRACE TO BE A LIGHT WHEREVER I GO
I CAN ACCOMPLISH A LOT AND MAKE THE MOST OUT OF EVERY DAY
IF I SEEK YOUR POWER AND PRESENCE AND IN ALL THINGS LET IT SHOW.
SO, THIS IS ONE OF MANY E-MAIL THAT I AM SENDING TO YOU
A BEAUTIFUL MESSAGE THAT COMES FROM THE GENUINE PART OF ME
FOR THE 'E' STANDS FOR ENCOURAGING EXCELLENCE MY WHOLE LIFE THROUGH
AND IT IS A PERSONAL MESSAGE THAT YOU ARE HAPPY TO SEE.

A fragile rose is picked from God's garden with love,
It's radiant beauty is like none that you will find
It is nurtured so sweetly by God's hands above
and cultivated by a Father's grace so kind.
It is given a purpose so defined and true,
to bring pure light and promise to a special place
Spreading pure happiness so breathtaking and new
A wonderful blessing from the Father's embrace.
It is then new seeds begin to blossom with care,
and the Father's love starts to shine so brilliantly
Something so wondrous and perfect is truly there
The Father looks on and approves of all He sees.
"Well done!" He proclaims with a smile of His great plan
His gift had done well more than words could ever say
He gave humble thanks and praise as only He can
and blessed His creation more on this special day.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL

Thought Of The Day

Don't let fear and worry

govern who you are

Don't let others steal your joy

and determine who you are meant 

to be

Give God total control

Let faith be your compass

Block out the negatives

with

the love and joy

of the

Lord

Let Him

determine

who

you are

and

who you are meant to be

SOMEONE AWESOME

AND

SPECIAL!

      Words are like mounds of clay.  If you use them correctly and shape them the right way, they can become a beautiful masterpiece.  But, if they are developed incorrectly, they can develop into an ugly shaped source of unhappiness.

  If we examine the world around us, words are used improperly.  Has someone ever said something cruel and unkind to you?  Many of us have experienced this at some point.  You try with all of your being to overlook their insensitivity, but, it hurts your heart inside.

  Yet, there are others whose few words of encouragement have motivated us and uplifted our souls.  So, what does this all mean to our own individual journey?  If we are followers of Christ, He wants us to be just like Him.

  Throughout His journey upon the earth, many had said unkind words to Him.  Yet, He never responded in the same manner.  He always used perfect love in all of His fellowship.

  The Lord desires for us to use His love as a building tool to reach out to others.  So, as we build words in fellowship with others on our journey, we should do so in a thoughtful and considerate manner.  We should build continuous masterpieces with the love of God.

  This also includes those instances when someone responds negatively.  What??  How on earth do you respond with love when someone hurts your heart??  It is not easy at all.  This is especially true in our own human way.

  But, we must not look at things in our own perspective.  We must view them through God's perspective.  How can negative words hurt that badly when you are a child of God?  Perhaps the person is hurting inside.

  Smile and respond in kind.  Do something nice for them.  Pray for them.  You'll find much brighter rays of sun upon your journey when you seek THE SON!
*************************************************
GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
**************************************************

TICKETS PLEASE!!  WE ARE HEADING TO OUR NEXT PORT OF CALL!  STAY TUNED!

  

Thought For The Day

The greatest thing

that a heart can reach for...

cannot be

bought, for any price

IT IS PRICELESS...

IT IS

YOUR BEST

THE BEAUTIFUL AND UNIQUE STAR

OF PROMISE

THAT GOD DESIGNED YOU TO BE

Always reaching

for the greatest dreams,

and 

the most awesome blessings

that 

He has for you

NEVER GIVING UP

NEVER LOOKING AT OBSTACLES

BUT KEEPING YOUR FOCUS

ON HIM

AND

SHINING BRIGHTLY

WITH

HIS GREAT LOVE!