IT MOVED ME TO TEARS

Posted on by BETH
Magic Flying Carpet
Magic Flying Carpet

Like most idealists who come to India for the first time, we initially expected to see a storybook land of maharajas, magic carpets, temples and mosques to inspire our imaginations. However, living here on the ground with the people is far different than just touching the tarmac, going to a posh hotel and chronicling a visit with photographs once or twice a year. There is a harsh reality of having three times the number of people the US census claims all squashed into one-third the land space. To get some idea of what it really is, multiply your family by three and then imagine two-thirds less living space!  Or multiply your family by nine in the same living space.  That’s mind boggling.

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JUST BLOWING SAND

Posted on by BETH

When I was a girl at home, we had a nice little newspaper called The Donley County Leader that often featured news from several towns in Donley County Texas. The part I liked was that it also featured poetry.

One column was called “Plowin’ Out the CORNERS” by Uncle Zeb. I never really knew who Zeb was, but we corresponded several times. Once I submitted a poem written by my mother and he thought it was great. Another time or two, I wrote him about what was going on in our “neck of the woods,” and he always answered me. Here is a copy of one article he wrote along with the poem I submitted.

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The Father’s Day Dilemma

Posted on by BETH

This is what parents of “ordinary” kids usually don’t understand–how a special needs child can bring so much to a family.

ajcollette7's avatarAJ Collette

josh daddy hands

It started innocently enough.  It’s Friday (the 13th in fact which is ironic beyond all measures) and I am parked in my home office to begin the day.  I prepare to read through the list of personal emails that have filled my account since the previous morning.  I’m into my typical morning routine which involves email accompanied by some type of breakfast.  Today I have rewarded myself with an egg sandwich.  Having lost the naive view in younger days that Crunch Berries is a good way to start the day, the choice of healthy cereals just didn’t seem like a proper reward for a busy week.   I sit back in the chair with a glass of orange juice in hand and watch the mailbox slowly fill with the bold headlines of emails not yet read.  I focus on the bright blue bar at the bottom of my monitor that…

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Free Falling

Posted on by BETH

I fear we may hear many more such accounts in the near future. Can you imagine being homeless with children? The Lord did truly bless this family to find a refuge by night.

Carrie's avatarThe Shady Tree

DSC03783_web

**Just when I thought my family was relatively settled and life was flowing into a new normal…I unexpectedly found myself in a free fall. It has been a week, to the day, since I wrote this. I didn’t have a web connection until today. I am hopeful that my posts and my life, will from this point forward, be more consistent. Hope, is the operative word, here.

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The Kindness of Strangers

Posted on by BETH

poor old man

When was the last time a stranger did something particularly kind, generous, or selfless for you? Tell us what happened!

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This is a true story.  Only the names have been changed to protect identities of those involved.  The year was 1967.

Carl was walking down the highway one hot summer day.  Walking was his only means of getting where he needed to go these days.  He had been sick a while now and without any income, but he was willing to work for meals when he felt well enough.  Laboring jobs had run out in Cisco, Texas, so he was on his way to Eastland and possibly Ranger if necessary.

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