How I loved the prize in a cereal box when I was a little girl.
It was usually way down at the bottom of the box; I grew impatient to finally reach it.
To a child, waiting a whole week until the cereal was finished seemed torturous.
I remember once pouring the cereal into a bowl in order to find the prize.

That did not go over too well.
Learning things like patience and not instant gratification was a necessary lesson.
Also learning that touching the cereal that other people would eat was not acceptable.
Big lessons for a little girl.

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My daughter, who teaches second grade, just had poetry day.
It is a special day she has each spring.
Her students have to choose a poem and memorize it.
They have to recite the poem in front of the class.

The children love poetry day.
They wear nice clothes: dresses for girls, nice pants and button down shirts for boys.
Some boys have been known to wear a suit and tie.
The parents and grandparents are invited to come.

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The alert came on my phone. Severe thunderstorm warning in our county. I read the alert and passed it on to my daughters. I checked the email that coincided with the text alert. I am always amazed at the precision of the alert. The counties affected are named. The time of the storm and the […]

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We planned a day trip to the city to visit my aunt.
We were going to take the train so we would not have to worry about parking.
I only had one child at the time and she was two years old.
I was expecting my second child in about six months.

I parked my car at a local train station, so it would be there when we returned.
I was so thrilled to see a parking space right near the entrance.
It was so convenient, since I had extra things in one hand and a toddler in my other.
I locked the car door and we were off.

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Walter Brueggemann taught Old Testament classes for over forty years.
Before each class, he would pray a prayer he wrote himself.
His students were abundantly blessed to have this man as their professor.
He has written more than 58 books, as well as articles, and Bible commentaries.

A collection of his personal, written prayers was published in book form in 2003.
Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth is a wonderful collection.

One prayer in particular has never left my heart.
I think of its title often, and ponder what Walter is asking of the Lord.

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I am partial to full moons.
I have always been amazed at their beauty.
I will stop what I’m doing as I’m getting ready for bed and gaze up at the moon.

The balcony off of our bedroom beckons.
Many evenings I will open the door just to see the masterpiece before me.
The silhouette of the trees in the light of the moon makes me wish I could paint pictures.
Everything is illuminated with a silvery glow in the moonlight.

Simply exquisite.

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Back in college, everyone dreaded the famous oral presentation.
It didn’t matter the subject, the professor, the class, it was cause for much anxiety.
You hoped for a good friend that you could glance at; the smile you could count on.
You mustered up a support team and you were there for each other.

One girl was confident about her presentation; if she was nervous it didn’t show.
She got up to the podium and began.
Her presentation was wonderful; she had put a lot of work into this.
It was the days before power point and smart boards; you made your own visuals.

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I was lovingly corrected by two of my children one night after dinner.
The correction concerned things I had taught them.
Not character things, or morality things.
Old wives tale things that we pass along as truth.

I have always told my children that cows lie down when it is going to rain.
I learned that as a child and I passed the pearl of wisdom down to them.
I learned that cows have arthritic hips and the change in barometric pressure affects them.

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I have eight black-eyed Susan plants near my side porch.
They were planted this spring.
I enjoy the whimsy of them as they bloom.
They are next to daisies and day lilies, forming a sea of yellow, white, and orange.

Five of the eight plants are growing beautifully.
Some have already flowered.
But three plants are so much smaller than the others.

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Today I celebrate fifty-four revolutions around the sun!
That sounds so much more distinguished than saying, it’s my birthday!
Inside, I am still the girl roller skating, jump roping, and riding my purple bike.

My husband’s birthday is in March.
I always like when he is older than me…if only for four months!
I like it especially now!

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