From the mouth of babes: What is a grandparent?

The following was taken from papers written by a class of 8 year-olds and sent to me via email by a friend. ENJOY. Above are pictures of my grandma Jessie Atkins years before she passed away, my great-grandmothers Minerva Wade and Rhoda Brownlee Wilkerson. To see more of my old pictures, visit http://photos.patsimmons.net

**Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of their own. They like other people's. A Grandfather is a man and a Grandmother is a lady!

**Grandparents don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the shops and give us money.

**When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.

They show us and talk to us about the colors of the flowers and also why we shouldn't step on 'cracks.'

They don't say, 'Hurry up.'

**Usually grandmothers are fat but not too fat to tie your shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take their teeth and gums out.

Grandparents don't have to be smart.

They have to answer questions like 'Why isn't God married?' and 'How come dogs chase cats?'

When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again.

**Everybody should try to have a Grandmother, especially if you don't have Television because they are the only grownups who like to spend time with us.

**They know we should have snack time before bed time, and they say prayers with us and kiss us even when we've acted bad.

**A 6-YEAR-OLD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS GRANDMA LIVED.''OH,'' HE SAID, ''SHE LIVES AT THE AIRPORT, AND WHEN WE WANT HER, WE JUST GO GET HER. THEN WHEN WE'RE DONE HAVING HER VISIT, WE TAKE HER BACK TO THE AIRPORT.''

GRANDPA IS THE SMARTEST MAN ON EARTH! HE TEACHES ME GOOD THINGS, BUT I DON'T GET TO SEE HIM ENOUGH TO GET AS SMART AS HIM!

**It's funny when they bend over; you hear gas leaks, and they blame their dog.

The last time you thought of these things

I AM THANKFUL:  FOR THE WIFE,
WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,
AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE. 

FOR THE HUSBAND WHO IS ON THE SOFA, BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.

FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED . 


FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY 
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT. 

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE 


FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING, WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING 
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME. 

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH. 


FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT 
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS   I CAN HEAR. 

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING  BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR. 


FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY  BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD. 

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

The author is unknown, but was shared with me by a cousin.

Have You Checked in?

A minister passing through his church in the middle of the day, decided to pause by the altar and see who had come to pray.

Just then the back door opened, a man came down the aisle. The minister frowned as he saw the man hadn't shaved in a while.

His shirt was kinda shabby and his coat was worn and frayed; the man knelt, he bowed his head, then rose and walked away.

In the days that followed, each noon time came this chap, each time he knelt just for a moment,a lunch pail in his lap.

Well, the minister's suspicions grew with robbery a main fear. He decided to stop the man and ask him, "What are you doing here?"

The old man said, he worked down the road. Lunch was half an hour. Lunchtime was his prayer time for finding strength and power.

'I stay only moments, see, because the factory is so far away.As I kneel here talking to the Lord,This is kinda what I say:

'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM CHECKING IN TODAY.'

The minister feeling foolish,told Jim, that was fine. He told the man he was welcome
To come and pray just anytime.

Time to go, Jim smiled, said 'Thanks.'
He hurried to the door. The minister knelt at the altar. He'd never done it before.

His cold heart melted, warmed with love, and met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart, he repeated old Jim's prayer:

'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TO DAY.'

Past noon one day, the minister noticed that old Jim hadn't come. As more days passed without Jim, he began to worry some.

At the factory, he asked about him, learning he was ill. The hospital staff was worried, but he'd given them a thrill. The week that Jim was with them brought changes in the ward. His smiles, a joy contagious. Changed people were his reward.
The head nurse couldn't understand why Jim was so glad when no flowers, calls or cards came. Not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by his bed. He voiced the nurse's concern. No friends came to show they cared. He had nowhere to turn.

Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up and with a winsome smile. "The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know that he's in here all the while everyday at noon He's here,
a dear friend of mine, you see. He sits right down, takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:

'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP, AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.
ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY, AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS CHECKING IN TODAY.'

author unknown

Barbecue Anyone?

If you are ever invited to a barbecue party, make sure your host has the proper cooking utensils. LOL.

The Benefits of Aging

Perks of reaching 50, being over 60 or heading towards 70:







1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.

2. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.

3. No one expects you to run--anywhere.

4. People call at 9 pm and ask, did I wake you?

5. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

6. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.

7. Things you buy now won't wear out.

8. You can eat supper at 4 pm.

9. You can live without sex but not your glasses.

10. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.

11. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

12. You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.

13. You sing along with elevator music.

14. Your eyes won't get much worse.

15. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

16. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.

17. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.

18. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.

19. You can't remember who sent you this list.

20. And Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

And you notice these are all in Big Print for your convenience.

A Ram in the Bush

Who doesn’t know the Biblical story of Abraham and his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac? After all, God told Abraham he was going to be the father of many nations, then years later, God tested Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. If that was me, I would have tried to re-negotiate with God about the test, but Abraham not only had faith, but really loved God.

God opened my eyes to experience Genesis 22:13:
Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

A few weeks ago, I was in Indianapolis for the 40th Indiana Black Expo. The Church of God in Christ was having a regional convention at the Sheraton Hotel where my husband and I were staying. In order to get free Wi-Fi, hotel guests had to use their laptops in the lobby. One night, we went downstairs so that I could use my computer just as one of their evening services was about to get underway.

My husband said, “Hey, they’re singing one of the songs you like.”
I didn’t recognize the song, but that didn’t stop me from being nosy. We made our way to the lower level where the service was being conducted. I decided to stay, so I took a seat in the back row. As the evangelist preached, she walked the aisles and randomly prayed for people. I thought to myself, I wish God would direct her to come and pray for me. I never turn down prayer.

Eventually, as the service came to a close, it was offering time. All I had in my pocket was my room key. Not far from behind my seat, a shiny new quarter laid on the carpet.
The offertory was practically over and I missed out. Again I glanced at the floor. I heard the Lord telling me that the quarter was my offering—what? A quarter was MY ram in the bush.

I thought to myself, “I’m not taking a quarter to put in the offering.” I mean, come on, a quarter? I pay my tithes and give dollars in offerings, but a quarter? No way.

It was my test whether I decided to be humble, or not, to take it. God was teaching me an offering isn’t about the amount of money. God was showing me He would accept $.25 as my offering, SO I swiped up the quarter and walked boldly to the front with my quarter offering. The deacons were about to walk away, but when one saw me, he turned around. He held out an empty deep white bucket, and I dropped my coin into it. As I turned to go back in my seat, the speaker had the ministers get my attention. She beckoned for me to come to the bottom of the stage where she stood waiting for me. Grasping my hand, she prayed financial and other blessings for me. The anointing fell on my spirit and I was praising God as I spoke in other tongues.

What I learned is to look for the ram in the bush. Who knows, how small your blessings may seem. It’s all in the sacrifice.

WISDOM

Anger is a condition in which
The tongue works faster than the mind .


You can't change the past,
but you can ruin the present
By worrying over the future!

Love...and you shall be loved.

God always gives His best to those
who leave the choice with Him.

All people smile in the same language.

Everyone needs to be loved...
especially when they do not deserve it.

The real measure of a man's wealth
is what he has invested in eternity.

Laughter is God's sunshine.

Everyone has beauty
but not everyone sees it.

It's important for parents to live
the same things they teach.

Thank God for what you have,
TRUST GOD for what you need.

If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow,
you have no today to be thankful for.

Man looks at outward appearance
but the Lord looks within.

The choice you make today
will usually affect tomorrow.

Take time to laugh, for it is
the music of the soul.

Patience is the ability to idle your motor
when you feel like stripping your gears.

Love is strengthened by working
through conflicts together.


Harsh words break no bones
but they do break hearts.

To get out of a difficulty,
one usually must go through it.

We take for granted the things
that we should be giving thanks for.

Love is the only thing that can be
divided without being diminished.

Happiness is enhanced by others
but does not depend upon others.

Author unknown, but I like the advice.