Has Spring Sprung?

Has Spring finally Sprung? I would like to think so given the 70 degree weather and sunshine that we have today. However, I know that there is still the possibility of snow and cold weather. I remember an Easter with snow on the ground and me in open toe shoes!!!

Has anyone read "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle"? I just finished it last night and it was a GREAT book. It's about a mute boy born into a family that breeds and trains dogs. However, the ending has really gotten to me and I am dying to chat with someone else that has read it to get their opinions. I think I am going to have to go back and reread the last few chapters just to make sure that I read everything correctly.

It has been one month today that Jeff was arrested and it will be one month on Wednesday that I moved in with Tim and Becky. This past week, I spent Thursday and Friday night at my house. So on Thursday morning, I gave Delaney a hug and told her that I would see her on Saturday. She told me that she would watch my stuff for me. She said that my kitty missed me and I needed to spend some time with her as well. Such understanding from a five year old. On Saturday, I walked into the Philipps house around 3:30 and Delaney met me with a HUGE hug. She ran into the family room and came back holding something clutched in her hand. She said "I made this for you" and handed me a "necklace" which was a ribbon that had green beads on one side and clear beads on the other. I immediately put it on and thanked her. I went down to the couch which has become my bed and took a nap. When I got up, Delaney was so excited that I had slept with the necklace on. Later on as I was rocking her for bed, she told me that the clear beads represented salt and the green beads represented green beans. LOL

Yesterday morning I attended Sunday School and morning service. It was only a week ago that Pastor Winters of Maryville Baptist Church was shot and killed during his 8:15AM service. So our sermon yesterday morning was entitled "Why". It was very good and very thought provoking. One of the things that has stayed with me is this. Pastor Winters was only 45 years old. Our pastor said that many people are asking why God would allow such a tragedy and especially one for someone who was so young. Our pastor, Pastor Schneider, referred to the passage in Job that reads "man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed". Pastor stated that God has given each of us only so much time and only He knows what it is. Because of this we should live every day as if it were our last. Who is to say that if someone had apprehended the shooter before he was able to reach Pastor Winters, that Pastor Winters would not have died in a car accident on the way home or had a heart attack that night? God has only given each of us a certain amount of time on this Earth and it is up to us to use that time wisely. Pastor also said that sometimes God allows us to suffer because we need to be in a place of suffering for our soul to mature. If our soul is shallow we cannot receive the blessings that God has for us. As you can see, this sermon has stayed with me.

I had an enjoyable lunch yesterday with my friend Tammy and her daughter Brandy. We stopped by my house so that I could give her the Longaberger she had purchased from me and then I went back to Tim/Becky's. Tim and I made a wonderful dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes and peas---YUMMMMY.

Today, the sun has shone, work has been steady and I had an interview for a part-time job at Country Inn Hearth and Suites. Becky just called to let us know she thinks Carson has strep throat and she is taking him to the doctor.

As I write this, a song from Casting Crowns is echoing through my head " here I am to worship, here I am to bow down down, here I am to say that you are God..."

If this were your last day, would you be satisfied with how you have lived it?

Jess