Chocolate Galore

I won this huge basket of chocolates at a fundraiser last night. It looks like my diet is going to be delayed a little bit....

What Happens in Heaven When We Pray?

WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN WHEN WE PRAY?
I received this in an email and I thought it was very inspiring 

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, ‘ This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.

The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them." I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed." How is it that there is no work going on here? ‘ I asked.

"So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments"

"How does one acknowledge God’s blessings?" I asked?
"Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you, Lord."

"What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked.

"If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. "

"And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity."

"If you woke up this morning with more health than illness… You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day. "

"If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation … You are ahead of 700 million people in the world…"

"If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world."
"If your parents are still alive and still married…you are very rare."

"If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you’re unique to all those in doubt and despair…"

Ok, what now? How can I start?

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you care to, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are. 
ATTN: Acknowledge Dept.

"Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people with whom to share it."

If you have read this far, and are thankful for all that you have been blessed with, how can you not send it on???? I thank God for everything, especially all my family and friends

A Mother's Love

I have been pondering on this post for this past week. I love my sons with all my heart. I would do anything for them. I think when they were little like in this picture it was so much easier to fixed their hurts. Kiss their boo boos and make it all better. I now know that the worry we have for our grown children goes so much deeper.  Because we can't fix the hurt with just a kiss. I wish it was that easy. All I can do for my grown sons is love them with all my heart and pray for them.
I choose to post this picture of the boys & I because there was a lot of heartache during this time. Their dad had cheated on me for the 2nd time. I had found out I had rheumatoid arthritis. We were living with my parents because money was tight. But there was a lot of joy I had a great family (parents, sister & their family) but the greatest was my boys. I always tried to make it work with their father but in the 90's after yet another affair I knew there was no more fixing to do. My sons were in high school it was time to move on.
But back to the reason for this post, my sons. They have grown into great men. I love them with all my heart. I see them struggling in live I wish I could fix it but...I can't. So this mother gives a lot of love & prayers for my boys.

Book Goals

My goal for the past few years has been to read 100 books in a year. I have not made my goal yet. This years total is 75. I started the year reading "Fatally Frosted" by Jessica Beck and ended it with "Prey" by Linda Howard. Both good books.

My top five picks for the year are:
1) "Here Burns my Candle" & "Mine is the Night" by Liz Curtis Higgs.
2) "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell (one of my childhood favorites)
3) "Night Road" by Kristin Hannah
4) "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
5) "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Does anyone have any suggestions on books for me to read in 2012?