Redacted

Yesterday we went to the library sale at the fairgrounds. "My" kids picked out a wide assortment of books.  A couple of their friends were there browsing and picking out books like "Encyclopedia Brown", even reading some before they left the sale...   One of "My" kids' favorite books is shown above.  It's a child's counting board book.  It was likely published for children under the age of five.  It is designed to teach the correlation between numbers and actual quantities.    This morning on the way to church they were reading and exclaiming how "cool" it was and counting each page out-loud in unison.  They were astounded that each picture contained the exact quantity of candy pieces to match the number it shaped.  When I explained that it was made on purpose that way, one asked "Why?"  I asked if it would make sense if the number was 12 but it was made up of 17 candies?  They replied "no."   ...

Too intent on the next thing To see what is right in front of me.

How do you treat someone who has no grace for other people but expects it from everyone else?  It is a quandary that has long puzzled me. . What do you do when fear, anger or frustration stops you from unconditional acceptance and begins judging? . Can you accept others if you do not have a base of acceptance to fall back upon? . Is it possible to be loved?  To be loving? . In my experience it isn't enough to have head knowledge that God loves you, you must also have the human representation that you are loved and accepted as you are by at least one person, hopefully more. . You gain confidence by loving and being loved in return.  Consistently. . What if everything you say is taken to mean something personally demeaning?  What turns a person into someone in whom paranoia reigns?  I worked with some of these individuals until just recently.  It was unnerving to say the least.  It was downright despicable and immoral at the most.  Wrong is wrong is...

Ugliness comes in all varieties.  Let's just say that I admit that this evening was insanely ugly.  Unfortunately. ~ I should be sleeping. ~ Maybe I should never do this again.  Do you think that would change anything?  I'm just wishing I could do everything I would like to do, or said that I would do, or even SHOULD do.  Sigh.  I think I'm failing. ~ Still very thankful for my job today.  God is great.