Words of Wisdom

Last night I had a restless night. My heart was heavy. I went to bed crying and praying. Couldn't sleep, so I got up (carefully, I didn't want to wake my Knight), grabbed my bible and went to the living room. Where I continued to cry, pray and read. I was lead to read in Proverbs.

So much has happened since last Tuesday. Mr. Seminary Student teaches the college and career class at church on Wednesday nights. He made a comment about Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters. He said they were shrugging responsibilities and that when they commit to something they need to follow it through.

What lead to his comment? The college and career class was scheduled to lead the youth night on 7/18. They were going to do some skits and divide all the youth into groups. They were going to have a lesson appropriate for each group. There would be four groups: middle school boys, high school boys, middle school girls and high school girls. I'm not sure why, but it got moved to 7/25. Hence the dilemma. On 7/25 our church was having a "Disaster Relief mock drill". Our church got approved to be a shelter in a time of need. My Knight, Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters are volunteers for the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. My Fair Maidens reminded the their peers and Mr. Seminary Student about the mock drill. Our entire church body had been asked to participate in the drill. All they had to do was be the victims. The Disaster Relief team would direct them where to go. Dinner was going to be being served and cots would be assigned. They were even going to have volunteers working with children. The mock drill had been mentioned for the last couple of weeks. It had even been mentioned a couple of times in the church bulletin. Not only that, but a number of our youth were on a mission trip that week. Attendance is usually down when some of the youth are away on youth camps or on mission trips. They youth that don't go on these trips, tend not to attend church because their friends aren't there. My Fair Maidens brought up the suggestion of waiting one more week, due to the mock drill. Also because the youth attendance was going to be extremely low. The college and career goal was to minister to the youth and show them what they do in college in career class. We seem to lose the students once they graduate from high school. That's when my daughter's characters got slandered.

It all took place on facebook. My Fair Maidens were told that they were shrugging responsibilities. That they had first committed to the youth night and they needed to follow that through. They also alluded to my Fair Maidens "trying to stir" trouble within the group. I was flabbergasted. How could ANY ONE think my Fair Maidens would do such a thing?! I'm sure some of them might not know how much they do for our church and and our church body. The amount of ours they put into the quilting ministry, the babysitting they do for free as a ministry to families, the childcare they provide (for free) so that moms can participate in choir or attend the church service, the child care they provide for "mom's day out", the volunteer hours they've put in for Disaster Relief team, and the mission trips that they've been on. They have such a giving, gently spirit. Their names have been tainted. My heart goes out to them. Your name is your name. They don't take the name of "Christian" lightly.

I was so upset, that the flesh in me wanted to lash out. I was in attack mode. But scripture told me to do otherwise. I was lead to Proverbs, over and over again. I was in a hurry, so I asked my Still Waters to send me some scriptures regarding what God has spoken to me about. Below is what she sent me. After some of the Scriptures, she shared a little bit of her insight. My Still Waters is only 18 yr. old, but she is wise beyond her years. She has taught me much...


1.) HOW TO IDENTIFY THE FOOL:

Pro 14:3
In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Pro 14:15
The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.

Pro 14:16
A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.

Pro 18:2
A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his own heart.

Pro 18:6
A fool's lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calls for blows.

Pro 27:3
A stone [is] heavy and sand [is] weighty,
But a fool's wrath [is] heavier than both of them.

(Mom, this is me thinking: because he's so DENSE!)

Pro 28:3
He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,
But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.

Prov 29:11
A fool vents all his feelings,
But a wise [man] holds them back.

(Me again: Must....retain.....self-.....control!!!)

Ecc 10:3
Even when a fool walks a long the way,
He lacks wisdom, and he shows everyone [that] he [is] a fool.

(Me again: I just hope the others aren't fools or they won't see it!)


2) HOW TO HANDLE A FOOL:
Pro 26:4
Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.

Pro 26:5
Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

Pro 17:10
Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.

Pro 17:14
The beginning of strife is like releasing water,
Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

(Me again: does that mean we've taken this too far already?)

Pro 20:3
[It is] honorable for a man to stop striving,
Since any fool can start a quarrel.

(Me again: So, umm....give up?)

Pro 23:9
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

(Me again: Uummmm........too late. This is not really in the Bible. Its just a quote I've had pinned to my cork board for a while: "He who acts as his own lawyer has a fool for a client.")

3) WHAT HAPPENS WHILE DEALING WITH THE FOOL:

Pro 17:12
Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.

(Me again: because a bear will eventually shut up and go her own way, but the fool will follow you around, turn others to his cause, and annoy the heck outta you while attempting to soil your character! So come think about it, they're a lot like stupid monkeys! They dare not come level with you to fight, so they stay out of reach and throw whatever they can get a hold of at you.)

Prov 29:9
[If] a wise man contends with a foolish man,
Whether [the fool] rages or laughs, [there is] no peace.

(Me again: Don't we know it!!!)

4) WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE FOOL:

Pro 10:8
The wise in heart will receive commands,
But a prating fool will fall.

(Me again: God is Just.)

Pro 17:28
Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
[When] he shuts his lips. [he is considered a perceptive.

(Me again: I wish he would at least do that.)

Prov 18:7
A fool's mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.

(Me again: We know he's very annoying, but we also know that God is Just.)

Pro 26:11
As a dog returns to his own vomit,
[So] a fool repeats his folly.

(Me again: We know this won't be the last time. But remember:God is Just.)

Ecc 10:12
The words of a wise man's mouth [are] gracious,
But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;


5) WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE WISE:

Ecc 2:15
So I said in my heart, "As it happens to the fool,
It also happens to me, And why was I then more wise?"
Then I said in my heart, "This also [is] vanity."

(Me again: This is the most depressing book in the Bible. Will the wise be justified before death? Or must they wait until then to be recognized as the ones with the truth? RRRGH! ok.. just trust.... God is Just......God is Just....God is Just..... )

A Visit From My Cousin In North Carolina

My Dad is the oldest of four children. La Diva is a couple of years younger than my dad. She got married when she was young, but found out he was a bigamist. They got divorced and she never married again. She never had children. His youngest sister Super Mom,was a twin. The Rebel was born a little over 23 hours after Super Mom. So they are twins, but don't share the same date of birth. Super Mom had three boys. Her first two are twins, The Banker and The Athlete. Little R was born years later. Even though he's in his 30's, we all still call him Little R. The Rebel is the most complicated of all my aunts and uncles. I would need a whole new entry to share about him. So I'll leave it like this for now. :o)

The Banker and his three children came to visit us. He and his wife (Mai) are in the process of getting a divorce. They have been living in North Carolina for over 10 years. They love it up there. Well, who wouldn't? :o)

They arrived on Tuesday, July 24 around 3p. They left today around 11a. We were the pit stop. Their final destination was visiting our family down in Miami. We just kinda of hung out together, while they were here. Our Fair Maidens had a softball game on Tuesday night, so we all went to that. Wednesday during the day, they all went swimming. After lunch, The Banker took the five youngest cousins to the driving range. They all had a great time hitting some golf balls. My Squires had never done that before. They loved it! I guess I should add golf clubs to my list of "gifts to get". ;o) Our church had a "mock, Disaster Relief drill" on Wednesday night. My Knight and our Fair Maidens are part of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Team, so they were helping in the mock drill. The Banker and our the "young cousins", played the part needing shelter due to being left homeless because of a "hurricane". It was a "learning" experience for all involved. Thursday night Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Daughter of the King's womens softball team had a double header. Sooooo, we spent the night at the fields. Even though we didn't "go out", we stayed pretty busy. All the cousins enjoyed staying home and just playing.

The visiting cousins are contemporary with my youngest two. Xerox will be 15 yr. old in December. I'll call her Xerox, cause she's a carbon copy of her mama. Not just the way they look, but how they act. She's a sweet young lady. Medulla Oblongata (MO) is 13 years old. He is a brainiac. He doesn't like sports, but he loves to flex his brain muscles. Sweetie Pie is 11 yrs. old. I call him this because it's a nickname Mai gave him when he was young. He is a sweetie pie. I felt really bad for him because he's got allergies really bad. Our Nicodemus (a golden retriever) is an indoor dog. Poor Sweetie Pie was sneezing and coughing the whole time they were here. There really wasn't much we could do for him. He did spend a lot of time playing with my Squires up in their room. Nicodemus isn't allowed upstairs.


The Banker and I. He tells me quite often that I'm his favorite cousin. I can't see me being a favorite of anyone or anything. I know his cousins from his dad side of the family and they ROCK! Needless to say that my sister, Boss Lady, ROCKS too. If my brother, Toots, was here, he'd be the BOMB! Thanks my Banker, you hold a special place in my heart too.



It's not easy getting a group picture. But I think this one came out pretty good. Here we have: Still Waters (on the left wearing the maroon shirt), Sweetie Pie (all in royal blue), Xerox (pink baby doll shirt), Daughter of the King (behind Xerox), MO (all white t-shirt), G.I.Joe (behind MO), Soaring Amongst The Clouds (Snoopy t-shirt) and The Warrior (up front). At first I said, "Ok, all the tall ones in the back." I quickly realized, they are all about the same height! LOL!



We are only missing one of the girl cousins and that would be Drama Queen. DQ is my niece. She's my sister's oldest daughter. They don't live here, which is why she's not in the picture.



Here we have all the boys cousins. Well, not really. All the boys cousins that were here. Boss Lady has one son, Papa and The Athlete has two sons, The Lawyer and Master Suave. They were being uncooperative. This is the best I could do. LOL!

Over all everyone had a great time. There was lots of laughter and smiling faces. We are looking forward to seeing them again next Friday. Once again, we'll be the pit stop on their way back home.

The "G" Family

I thought it's about time I share a little about my family. The "G" family is very close. Even though we are miles apart, we stay in close contact. We keep in touch daily, thanks to Cingular. :o)

I'm the oldest of three children. I'm eighteen months older than my sister and I was seven years older than my brother. We are blessed with awesome parents. They are very different, but together they brought balance to our family.

My dad, Bigote, which means mustache in Spanish was born in *Habana, Cuba (note about this later on). He has had a mustache for as long as I can remember. Hence his nickname. :o) He came to the United States in search of freedom and a better way of life. In my eyes, my dad has always been a hero. I've always looked up to him. Ever since I was little girls, I wanted to marry someone like him. My Knight is like my dad in many ways, but different at the same time. My dad is a gentle, loving, humorous, hard working, dedicated and a family man. Family is very important to him. While I was growing up, there were times that he held two jobs so that my mom would stay home and take care of us. He was old fashioned but not in an egotistical way. He loved my mom and it was evident. He was always happy and smiling. Which made us all happy too. He was the softy one.

My mom, Sabimbi, which is a name my brother made up, was born in Panama, Repiblica de Panama. Which is in Central America. My Abuela Caky, her mom, brought her to the United States when she was a teenager. Like my dad, she came here in search of freedom and a better way of life. She doesn't talk much about her past. What little I do know, I know it wasn't an easy life. I'll leave it at that. She is the most strongest, self assured, reliable, self reliant person I know. Well, next to my sister. :o) When it came to my sister and I, she was not big on praises, kisses or hugs, but she was big on showing us by her actions that she loved us. We knew without a shadow of a doubt that she loved us in her own way. There was nothing she wouldn't do for us. She was the one who dealt the discipline.

My sister, Boss Lady is an amazing woman. This nickname was given to her by my children. It's not meant as an insult. My sister likes the name too. :o) The real nickname she's always had is something else and since she still uses it, for privacy reasons, I'm not sharing it. There is so much I admire about her. She has a "can do" attitude. When she sets her mind on something, that's it, she goes for it until it's done or gotten. No one can talk her into doing something she doesn't want to do. She has so much in common with my Abuela Caky and my mom. They all have a servants heart. They give and give until they have nothing left. When I was younger, I the oldest, was jealous of her. She has always been friendly, a leader and smart. I was the opposite. I was the oldest, but I was her shadow. Growing up she suffered from asthma. Being that I was young, I didn't understand that. I thought it was her way of "getting out" of cleaning. Never mind that she would at times be hospitalized because of her asthma. It wasn't until I was older, that I realized how wrong I was. She is blessed with two children, Drama Queen and Papa.

Toots (my brother- the 82nd Airborne, Ranger in training) had won my mom's heart when he was born. There was never any jealousy between us. My brother was an answered prayer. My sister and I had always wanted a brother. In my eyes, he could do no wrong. He was the apple of every one's eyes. He grew up to be a handsome young man. He had charisma and charm. The girls loved him and the guys wanted to be his friend. He knew how to have fun and he enjoyed his short life. He died at 19.

Drama Queen is my niece and she'll be 13 in October. She is the oldest of Boss Lady's babies. I don't call her this, but for online journaling, this will be her name. I call her a shorter version of her name, but like my sister, for privacy reasons, she's Drama Queen. The reason I picked that name is because she loves to perform. Always has. I'm not just saying this, but she is a miniature of my sister WITH a lot of her dad mixed in there too. There is never a dull moment around her. She is a leader. I remember once when we were staying at a condo. She had all my children and my neighbors children acting like they were whales and dolphins in a pool. She was their trainer. She was not even 6 yrs old. Enough said! LOL!

Papa is my nephew and he just turned 11 in March. He is Boss Lady's second baby. He is a gentle giant. He's soft hearted with a little bit of a hot temper. Then again, he's Spanish blooded, what can one expect. LOL! He's tall for his age. Then again he has his mom and dad's genes. They are both tall. He's got a servant's heart, always willing to help out. He's the one that will get up and help bring in the packages from the car without even being asked.

I love it when our family gets together. There is never a dull moment. If you are wondering what my family reunions are like, watch, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. :o)

* note- In Cuba, Habana is spelled with a "b" not a "v". In the United States, they spell it with a "v" not a "b". As a child my parents taught me how to correctly spell Habana. Being that I was born and raised in the United States, hearing it spoken among fellow Americans, I had forgotten how to correctly spell it. I guess it's true when they say, "If you don't use it, you lose it." I need to get back to my Spanish roots.

Hasta luego...

Thankful Thursday!

Yesterday was Thursday. I've been meaning to get back into my "Thankful Thursday" mode. I know it's a day late, but it doesn't have to be Thursday in order for me to be thankful! I'm thankful every day. :o)

"in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
-1 Thessalonians 5:18

* God's grace, mercy and unconditional love.

* Love and forgiveness.

* My Knight.

* My children

* My family.

* Proverbs 17:17 friends.

* Time

* Rain and sunshine.

* Silence and laughter.

* Scholarships


In reality, my thankful list is endless...

What are you thankful for?

A Trip To The Beach

Last night Jewels and I decided to spend the day at the beach today. Never mind that we had thunderstorms all around us last night. We thought it would be worth the trip even if we only spent a couple of hours at the beach. A day at the beach would do us all good.

I guess this is a good time to share a little about Jewels. Her hubby is The Mechanic, he teaches the middle school boys Sunday School class at our church. Jewels plays the keyboard for our Youth on Wednesday nights. She also plays the keyboard or piano during Praise and Worship in church. They have five boys. The oldest is married. The next two are 25 & 22 (I think- I'm having brain fog). Then there is Steps who is 16 and One With Nature who is 11. Jewels and I get along wonderfully. We seem to be kindred spirits. I enjoy spending time with her.

We were on the road by 9:30a. Being that our Caboose only sits five (comfortably), my two boys went along with Jewels and her two boys. While my girls rode with me. We had a wonderful time. We couldn't have asked for better weather.


I have a hard time getting pictures of my children. I consider them to be a little uncooperative. But in their defense, I can be a little demanding. I'm constantly snapping pictures. So, I take what I can get. In the back row we have Still Waters, Daughter of the King and G.I. Joe. The Warrior is the one with his face turned to the side. That pose is called, The Logan Pose. It's named after a young man who was in Still Waters' World Changer work crew. Every time he pose for a picture, that's the way he would pose. So, our youngest has decided to do the same. Up front in the middle is, One With Nature and next to him is his brother, Steps.

I just can't get over Still Waters' new haircut. It really looks so cute on her. Now if I could only get her to "look" at me when I'm taking a picture.

Daughter of the King looks sooooooo happy. I wonder what she's thinking?

In this picture, G.I. Joe looks so much like my brother. Be still my heart...


The Warrior and his classic look. I think I need to get myself a HUGE zoom lens. That way, they don't know, I'm taking a picture. They'll be happy and most important... I'll be happy.

One With Nature giving The Warrior a ride. They all had a great time riding the waves.

Still Waters taking a picture of Lady G~.... me.

My friend Jewels with two of her boys. We were packing up to leave. The sky started getting dark. A storm was brewing.

Jewels and I had a great time. We just sat under the umbrella and talked. We watched our children play and just enjoyed the scenery. Every once in a while I got up and took pictures, but mostly, we just sat and enjoyed each other's company.

Mr. Knight, Can We Talk?

Sunday morning after Sunday School hour was over, Steps, a young man we know and love came up to my Knight and asked, "Mr. Knight, can we talk?" And so it begins.....

Steps asked permission to "get to know" our Daughter of the King (who is 17 yr. old). My Knight explained to him that we don't believe in dating, we believe in courtship. Now this can't be explained as you are walking out of Sunday School and into the Worship service. But being that my Knight is a man of few words, I'm sure he got the point across. The great thing is, that Steps parents (and Steps) also believe as we do. :o)

I have to say, that my heart went out to Steps. It's not an easy thing going up to a dad, much less my Knight and asking for permission to "get to know" his daughter. My Knight is not a scary man. He's a wonderful, fun, loving husband and father. He is stern. He believes that their is a time for fun and a time to buckle down and do. Right is right and wrong is wrong. The Youth see this and I believe they respect him for it. Which is why, I think that only a young man with character would have the courage to come up and talk to him about our daughter. If a young man is interested in our daughters, but doesn't want to make the effort or take the time to talk to "the dad", then what exactly is his purpose?

What exactly is the "getting to know" stage. We don't believe in "exclusiveness". In the sense of no going out as one on one. We encourage going out in a group supervised by an adult. The adult would have to be a trustworthy person we approve of. Our older Fair Maidens are trustworthy to chaperon the younger ones outings or gatherings. The young man would be welcomed to visit our home and spend time with our family. You really get to know a person this way. You get to see how they interact with family members (theirs and yours). We encourage ministry work as a group, this way you get to their heart. This is the "getting to know" stage. From there you move on to courtship. Courtship can start once they have graduated from high school.

Well, once we got home and had lunch, we gathered in the family room to sit and talk. We talked about my Knight's conversation with Steps. My Knight asked Daughter of the King if she would like to get to know Steps or would she prefer he "scare him off"? She smiled and said she was interested in him. We talked some more about what is acceptable. The boundaries are there for their own protection.

I know all this sounds very old fashioned. I feel there is something to be said about the old fashion ways. If it works, why not stick with it. I know this works. Why? Because that's how I was raised. It worked for my Knight and I.

New Hairdo!

Still Waters decided to get her hair trimmed. So I scheduled an appointment. She tends to keep her hair loooooong. When I say trim, I mean like 1-2 inches cut off.

I had scheduled her appointment for Thursday, which I had forgotten is quilting day. Still Waters and Daughter of the King, help out in the quilting ministry. All the quilts that are made are sent to orphans all over the world. It's a wonderful ministry. Well, after lunch they were going to set all the quilts that were made, to display them and pray over them this coming Sunday. So, Still Waters ended up rescheduling her appointment for today. Little did I know she had a surprise in store for me. :o)

I think long hair is ABSOLUTELY beautiful. It's so feminine and flowy (I know it's not a word, but I like how it sounds). All my Fair Maidens look beautiful with long or short hair. But I've been after my Still Waters to "try" a new cut for YEARS!

Well, she did it. She looks absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!!! She had 15" cut off! She donated her cut off hair to Locks of Love. Her new hairdo fits her to a "T"! She looks like an anime character. Which is pretty incredible considering that she's studying computer animation. She loves to draw. Anime characters are her favorites.








I had a hard time getting these pictures of her. She (like the rest of my beloved children) are uncooperative when it comes to picture taking time. They tell me that they don't like to "pose" for pictures. Well, if I had a $1000+ camera it would take the picture when I click it. URGH!!! But I'm pleased with the "few" shots I got. Thanks for your patience Baby Girl. I know that it took "A LOT" out of you.

My All Star Players

The All Star tournament is over for the 9 & 10 yr. olds and the Juniors (13-15 yr. olds). The 11 & 12 year olds have moved on to sectionals. YEAH!!! I can't even begin to recount what has happened in the last 6-7 weeks. BUT I can say, just how very proud I am of my Squires.

My G.I. Joe's team, the Juniors, had a difficult time. I have to honestly say that it wasn't so much the players fault as the coaching. Players were being played in positions that they shouldn't have been played in. The assistant coach put his son in while he was still recovering from a badly pulled hamstring. He kept telling his dad he couldn't run, but he paid no attention to his son. The head coach didn't want to "meddle" in "father/son" issues, so he didn't get involved. The coach's attitudes were... ah... how can I say it... very poor. The flesh part of me wanted to say something else. If you degrade players you are NOT going to get the best performance out of them. The coaches did absolutely nothing to encourage and bring out the best in the players. The players all had potential. They were all "smack the ball" hitters and great fielders. They just didn't have good leaders and they fell apart. It broke my heart to see their brokenness. I hope and pray, that the coaches at not allowed to coach again. But then again, it's all on a volunteer basis. Needless to say, all this sent me into quite a flare up. I have to honestly say that my G.I. Joe's positive attitude and strong character is what kept me out of the loony bin. It sure helped to strengthen spirit.

My Warrior's team had over 6 players that were 9 years old. All the teams they played had mostly 10 yr. olds. Even so, they held their own. I have never in over 10 years seen a team come together like our little team. Well, except for the year my Knight coached. He has a way of bringing out the best in each player. I'm not just saying that because he's my Knight. This has been said by many other parents. :o) Any way, Coach Danny and Coach Todd were wonderful. They really balanced each other perfectly. They all played their little hearts out. There was this one team we had to play twice. During our first time against them, we played in their town. So a reporter from their newspaper was present. He wrote a big article regarding the game. The next time we played them, their coach had brought the newspaper and had given it to us. Some of our players names (including my Warrior's name) were mentioned in the sports section of the newspaper. A play with one of our players sliding into home plate was on the front cover of their sports section. We all thought, "This is what Little League is all about!". They other team had lost that game and still they shared the newspaper clipping with us. We were all touched. I should mention, that later on, I called the newspaper and ordered enough copies of that sports section for all the players and enough for them to share with other family members.

Like everything else in life, this was a growing and stretching experience. I hope and pray that each of us learned the lesson God intended us to learn. It's not fun having to go through the same lesson over and over again.

I'll update this post with some pictures as soon as I find them. :o)