I know how Dorothy must have felt in the middle of the twister. Whew! My sister and I recently returned from a trip to New York. I have often thought that I would like to teach in the inner cities of NY.  But, this trip was strictly to sight-see and enjoy the landmarks with friends; The Statue of Liberty, the 911 Memorial, Grand Central Station, Time Square, Brooklyn Bridge, and on and on...they are spectacular. All of it was great to see but it wasn't what pulled at my heart strings the most. It was all those that were begging for money and sleeping on the sidewalks with only the clothes on their backs. It was all the hundreds of thousands of people that walked the streets, rode the subways, and waited for hours on a ferry to get home from work that made a lasting impression on me. So many of them have no earthly idea of who Jesus is and how much God loves them.They are frantically striving for something that will be of no use to them in the end. It is heart breaking. So it was hard for me to just enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. Oh yeah, so let me backtrack a little to the beginning of our trip. We had just arrived at the airport and was checking in when my sister could not find her driver's license. To say we panicked is an understatement. I honestly saw the trip flash before my eyes without her. I started to think of a plan. I asked the lady that was helping us "Will you take a copy of her drivers license?" Thinking if she left them home we could get someone to send a picture of it. Hallelujah! She finally found them. So all was well. As I said before, we were with a group of friends and supposedly all had the same ticket schedules. Well, we all started to board the plane when a "beep beep" went off on mine and my sisters tickets revealing that we had missed our plane one hour previously. We never dreamed that the others held tickets with different boarding times than ours. Lesson learned, always check your tickets. Never assume anything. The man at the desk said, "You are two lucky ladies." As he explained that he found two seats on the flight with our friends. I said, "No we're not lucky we are blessed."  Although it was a great trip overall, I came home a little drained; physically and emotionally. I arrived at my mothers home in time to enjoy my grandson's football game. They hadn't been winning, truthfully they hadn't even been playing very well. Anyway, it was the big game. Our team against the county rival. I prayed. Lord, please help them play a good game. The previous game they had played was really bad. My prayers were answered. We played wonderful. It was like a new team. The score was close and both teams played very well. We were into the 3rd quarter. My grandson ran the ball, making good yardage only to be tackled by several boys pretty hard. As he got up and started walking to the sideline, he appeared to be stumbling and making motions that something was wrong. They quickly started taking off his helmet and pads and everyone rushed around to aid him. My daughter went hysterical. I sat still on the bench. My insides were screaming though! I eventually scooted away from the crowd beside the bleachers to pace and pray. Having had a son that played sports too, it was a familiar place for me to be. Who would have ever thought we would be rushing him off to the hospital in an ambulance. Long story, short all x-rays revealed normalcy in brain, ribs, and hand. Praise God. As I think about it all... maybe God is just trying to stretch me.  I jokingly told my sister that while we were in NY.  But, looking back in hindsight, there just might be something to that.  A whole lot can happen in one week. This morning, back home safe and sound in my own little quiet surroundings, I thought of this song that Holy Spirit gave me years ago. It is just as true today.

Take me to the place
where love abounds
take me to the place
where I'm safe and sound
in the river of your love
no strife is there
in the river of your love
 perfect peace is where

take me to the place...

There's a whole lot of sadness in this world; the cares might toss me around. I might lose my way at times. My focus not on point.
But, thank you Father God, if I will just stop and listen...you always quieten my soul 💝

sammie jean

"Behold, I extend peace to her like a river..." Isaiah 66:12

Talogia Creek that runs on the edge of our property