It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Disney World. My little girl grew up and married her handsome prince. What can I say? He takes her now. I was going on this trip, but I was going to babysit in the hotel – until they decided not to take the baby. What can I say, my granddaughter only turns 4 once.
There were quite a few differences in my trip 18 years ago. The one thing that struck me as so cute was all the little princesses that were visiting the park. There were princesses of all ages, cultures, and languages. I saw Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Belle, Mulan, Tiana, Jasmine, Rapunzel, and Aurora. I even saw a few Tinker Bells and a few Simbas. Then there were the Star Wars characters and the Princes. It was precious. The children could be whoever they wanted to be. It’s Disney Magic. We went to the Bibbidy, Bobbidy, Boutique and had a “Fairy God Mother in Training” dress up our little birthday girl. We had a wonderful time watching her as she became the princess on the outside that she is on the inside.
Disney World is definitely a place full of wonder and joy where your handsome prince could be just around the corner. Life is magical there unless you want a snack and your goldfish cheese crackers are actually shaped like goldfish and not Mickey Mouse. Can 
you imagine someone offering you fish-shaped goldfish in Disney World? Is that even allowed? Or what if your graham crackers are not in full crackers but part of them have broken off. How could that possibly happen?
How can anything not be perfect in Disney World?
Imagine reality settling in. Eventually, that is what happens to all of us. What happens when that handsome prince turns out to be the proverbial frog? Or when you lose your glass slipper for good? Or when snacks do not meet your expectations? Or if your job loses its magic? That exciting job has lost its luster. Or the boss says you are no longer needed? What happens when the money runs out? Or maybe sickness has entered the picture. Perhaps infertility.
God tells us in his word to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV.
Philippians 4:6 ESV “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
One of my husband’s favorite verses is Ephesians 3:20 ESV “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” We have found this verse to be true.
Not even Walt Disney, himself, could promise that life would be all Disney Magic. One of his famous quotes is “You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” (Goalcast)
Jesus offers us Life Everlasting. In Matthew 11:28 ESV, Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Philippians 4:19 ESV “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
When life is not what you expect it to be or when your dreams are not coming true, give them to Jesus.
Mathew 6:33 ESV “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Philippians 4:13 ESV “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
up a few items he needed. He called me from inside the store and asked me what we were having for supper. He was at the deli and was looking at the soup that they had. He decided to get a bowl of soup and a sandwich. I asked him to bring me a chicken breast. He was at the deli, right?
As we have grown older together, we often finish each other’s sentences. Sometimes it takes the two of us to remember who someone is or what movie we are discussing. We laugh and have a good time with it. Sometimes it is the next week and one of us will say the name of the person we were discussing or the movie an actor was in. The other one knows exactly what is being said.
As I was packing my laptop computer recently, I wondered if I would need an electrical strip to give me extra distance for plugging my computer in. I forgot that we recently purchased a different type of electrical strip that the cord came from the side of the plug in the electrical socket instead of the top of the plug. I say that so that you will understand that when I pulled the electrical strip’s cord, it did not come out easily. I pulled with a little more strength and the plug came free along with the broken plate and broken socket. My husband was out of town, so when I called him early in the morning, his first response was not “Hello” it was “What’s wrong.” I told him what I had done and that I was afraid I was going to burn the house down. He assured me that everything would be ok and he could make repairs when he returned home.
What warnings do we receive today? Don’t text and drive! Drive Safely! Observe Caution lights at railroad crossings. Do unto others….
are fully formed, my tv reception goes from bad to worse. There are some work arounds but for most television stations, I have very little or no reception. It is not easy to get the tree limbs out of the way. My trees are so tall and stately. There is no easy way to trim back the tops of these trees to get the tv signal through to my home receiver. Oh my! Such a major problem for just a few tv shows. Before you tell me to use cable, I live beyond cable. We are checking into other options but still have satellite tv at this point.
A gentleman had stepped up to hold an umbrella over her to shield her from the rain. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at this picture. To many she is a face without a name, but we know her name. She is a wife, a mother, a daughter, and a deputy. I have loved her since the day she was born. I realize that I do not understand the depth of her loss but I love her dearly. She was not able to go to the funeral but took her break during the funeral procession. As she saluted the procession in the rain, a gentleman opened his umbrella to protect her from the rain. What respect he showed to her. To the dear sweet face in the picture, my prayer for you is that the Lord will be your rear guard. (Isaiah 58:8).
Now it was time to start the task of entering the names in my brand-new address book. As I completed the first page I realized that the names were not in alphabetical order. I looked back at my spreadsheet and realized that after all the work of getting all of the names in my computer list, I had forgotten to do that one last thing, to press the one button that would have placed all of the names in ABC order.
debut, so my mother sent her old camera with me to camp. I thought my photographs that were captured on black and white film were beautiful. That was the beginning of my quest to capture moments in time. I remember when Kodak had a commercial with a song about taking pictures. The song asked, “Do you remember? Do you remember the times of your life?”
So why do I like a camera when I have a phone that takes amazing pictures? Most people never think of cleaning the lens of the camera on their phone. Most people have little specks of dirt or grime that they may not see as they take their picture but it is there. Phones go everywhere with us. If the lens is not clean if affects the picture. Even the best camera only takes great pictures if the lens is clean. When we take pictures with our backgrounds and lights, I remember to check the camera lens because of the extra effort it takes to use a camera. I have to be sure the battery is charged and the camera card has enough space for the pictures I plan to take to record special moments. All that effort is for nothing if the lens is not clean.
Life has certainly changed just as Christmas cards have changed through the years. The envelopes come with those little strips that you pull off of the flap to keep from having to lick them. Stamps are 50 cents and have a self adhesive backing so they don’t have to be licked anymore. Even with all of the changes the sentiment on the card it still the same. Merry Christmas! Peace on Earth! Joy to the World! Jesus is Born! So why do I send Christmas cards when I can just post Merry Christmas on Facebook. I just can’t get away from my address book. All those precious people who have crossed my path. Yes, I have an address book in my phone but there is something about that precious book that holds the names and addresses of my family and the friends who touch my life. As I addressed my cards I had the opportunity to share a memory about each person or family and to reflect why they were special enough to have a place in my address book. I also had the opportunity to remember those whose names had been gently crossed through because they have gone to be with the Lord. Each card I addressed has been handled with care and a prayer spoken for each one who would receive a special card. For each name in my address book, I love and appreciate you all year-long, but especially at Christmas when your name is lovingly transferred to the front of a Christmas card with tender care.
could get on a small allowance. The gifts would be a handkerchief for my mother and stationary for my Daddy. I would get little metal cars for my brothers. I was proud of my gifts and so happy to give them to each of my family members.
seen. I purchased this clock for my parents for this very special Christmas. It was the first time that I really had the opportunity to buy them special gift. My parents loved the clock and kept it in a special place on the mantel even after it stopped working. They thought it was a beautiful decorative piece and kept it because it was a special gift from me.
but I was very aware of bugs. As I waited for the onslaught of the non-imaginary bugs that were going to attack me at any moment, I was reminded of how what seems like the tiniest of sin can attack. 
Priceless 