Today I went green.

This seems to be green week and I have decided to join in. Now in the interest in full disclosure, I must admit that this green thought wasn't my idea. No, it wasn't some idea Al Gore came up with on the same day he invented the Internet either; this idea came from a friend of mine who has given me great sanity. Today I used a source of energy that will never run low. This source has no greenhouse emissions, no carbon footprint and will not run out in the year 2049 leaving us on empty. This source of power is something so unique that it will never change and is completely renewable. What is this power that is so dependant? God. What??? People who really know God, know His secret. Our source of power is renewed every day and will never run out. People who don't know this secret gain their sense of power, value from things that do change. You see, people who don't understand God often wake up each morning and take stock of their lives to see where their value in the world is each day. Am I pretty, do I have enough friend, are my children smart enough, popular enough, is my house big enough, does my husband have the right job? All of these questions lead to comparison to determine one's value. Think about it, what better way to stack the comparison in one's favor than to put someone else down? Unfortunately, these things change. God does not change. People who don't know this secret usually evaluate their worth daily based on things that are not renewable- things that get used up. Where is your power, your value coming from today? Are you taking strength from His love that will never run out or are you evaluating your power level from something that will be destroyed? Where moth and rust does not corrupt...lay up your treasures in heaven, Matthew 6.

Today my dogs ate my daughter's guinea pig.

You see, it all started when I decided that the dogs needed a bath. It is too cold now to wash the dogs outside (yes, even in Georgia) and my neighbor said she puts her dog in the shower. I thought I would do the same because it wouldn't be too hard to clean up the mess. One thing I forgot, my neighbor has a detachable shower head to spray the dog with- I do not. After trying to maneuver a large lab and a very (I mean very) overweight beagle under the shower head that didn't move, I finally was satisfied with my effort. I congratulated myself by deciding that the dog washing was enough exercise for one day and I could skip my (sometimes) daily workout. All was well, or so I thought. The dogs don't normally come upstairs and when I sent them out of my bathroom I thought that they went back downstairs like good little (OK, not little) dogs. I was wrong. They decided to investigate my daughter's room and there they found guinea pigs and guinea pig food! While I was in my closet I kept hearing a loud squeak. The thought did actually occur to me "huh, that sounds like a guinea pig" but then I dismissed the sound as "but our guinea pigs aren't that loud". Not so smart. I heard the squeaking again and called to my son to find out that it wasn't him. I heard it again and by then decided I should run to find out what was wrong. I expected to see my lab eye to eye with two frightened guinea pigs but it was much worse. My dogs had tipped over the cage and our little Snowy was screeching as our lab stood over her. Of course, you have guessed by now that she didn't die since she was squeaking but she did look worse for the wear. I grabbed her up and tried to comfort her as best I could. She was all wet; I'm not sure if it was dog slobber or water left from the dog shower but she was scared. I put her in her hiding spot and then searched for the other guinea pig. She was perfectly fine hiding under my daughter's desk. As I was cleaning up the gigantic mess, I began to think about what had happened. Snowy has not been the easiest guinea pig. She is more timid than others and has needed a lot of time spent with her. I have been the one to spend that time with her and I have found that effort satisfying when I see the progress she has made. Snowy was just beginning to trust me but one curious dog may change all of that. All of the time and effort I put into her may be for nothing now. I asked God what he wanted me to understand from this and the thought came to me that we might do the same thing to other Christians. We don't know what is going on in another person's life. God may be teaching them to trust Him again, maybe He is helping them to become the person He created them to be. How easy is it for us to be just a little too curious (gossip, judgemental, critical) and have a negative impact on them. I know I have been that big bad lab before. God still loves me just like I still love my lab but hopefully next time I will be a little more gentle and help encourage trust not scare it away.

Today I thought I lost my son.

Don't worry, I didn't loose him but I am a little embarrassed to tell you how I thought I lost him. You see, I have been quite busy lately with many little things on my mind. It appears that many little thoughts (like "maybe I should have filled up with gas yesterday since my gas gauge has never registered so low... or I wonder how long it will take for our Jack-o-lantern to decompose on our front porch") all add up to one huge distraction. As I was hurrying my son into the car on the way to preschool, I absently agreed to his request to sit in the extra booster seat in the very back of the minivan. This seat isn't usually there and he doesn't usually sit in it. I drove quickly to school and DID observe the cop on the way without any problem. The problem arose when I opened the sliding door to get him out and screamed because my son was not in his seat. Yes, there were other mothers around when this happened. No, I did not explain to them why I screamed. My heart stopped and then started again when I saw him in the extra booster seat in the back of the van- sitting quietly for the first time in his life. I actually forgot in a two minute drive that I let him sit there! I laughed out loud and then my son asked what was so funny- he didn't understand. I am guessing that it is time I take the verses to heart that say we don't need to worry about tomorrow (or those little thoughts that add up quickly) because God really will go ahead of us and take care of all of those things even the little ones. So please, don't loose your child today.

Today I experienced a high speed chase.

OK, I said I would be honest- it wasn't high speed but I really did chase someone. You see, earlier this morning as I was coming home from dropping my son off at preschool, I stopped to talk to a friend who was walking in the neighborhood. As we were talking, a man drove by who frequents the street much more than other people. We both had noticed him over the last few weeks and assessed his behavior as strange but didn't think too much of it. A few hours later, my neighbor and I were going to lunch and as we were leaving my driveway the very same car I had just talked about this morning drove past us. We decided to follow the man to make sure he lived in our neighborhood. The chase was on! We followed him around several loops in our subdivision and once he even eluded us. We spotted him a minute later hiding in a cul-de-sac (we knew he didn't live there). Now I am not sure why a man would be afraid of two youngish women riding in a minivan but he was certainly acting guilty. To cut to the chase (pun intended), we did later learn that he lived in the area. While I am still wondering why this man would be afraid of ME, I can say that the time I spent with my neighbor was encouraging. The Bible tells us that we do need to spend time with other people (where two are walking, when one falls down the other is there to help...). I know how busy we all are, and how sometimes we don't feel like making the effort to socialize. After all, we can do just about anything in this world without ever talking to another person (self-checkouts, getting our drivers license on-line...). Take the time, put in the effort and go out for lunch with a friend. You may be able to encourage your friend or you may even get some encouragement yourself. Go ahead, go on a high speed chase today.