JonandLaurieIrons

Every weekday morning, when I woke up to breakfast, my father would be sitting at the kitchen table reading the morning newspaper, tinkering his spoon into his cereal bowl to get the last spoonful of milk into his mouth, or munching on a piece of toast. He was usually already dressed and ready to go to work by the time I had decided to wake up. My mother would be usually dressed in her robe, pouring hot water into her tea cup and glancing at me as I yawned and rubbed my eyes. I would usually see what cereal my dad had already brought to the table and pour that into my waiting bowl as I tried to read the headlines of a article from the back my dad's newspaper. Being informed of the latest news from the local paper was a ritual in our house. The morning radio talk show would also be on playing quietly in the background so my mother could hear what the weather was going to be for my sister and I, due to the fact, we usually walked to our school bus stop each school morning. Tod

The bright flash lit up my darkened bedroom, enough for me to see the shadows of the window frames across the floor, then followed by brief darkness once again to only be jolted by the large clap of thunder that proceeded to startle me to conciseness. Another bright flash, followed again be the sound of thunder now had me wide awake and sitting up in my bed. The flashes continued along with loud crashes of thunder.  I could no longer sleep. For fear had gripped my mind and I had to find comfort somewhere. As my feet touched the cold wooden floor, I left my room in haste as I hurried towards my parents bedroom. "Mom?", I whispered. "Dad?"  Before waiting for them to answer, "I'm scared! Can I stay in your bed tonight?" "Climb in, I remember my mother saying".  And to my surprise, my younger sister had already arrived a few minutes before me. So I proceeded to squeeze in between my sister and my Dad.  I don't remember him saying anything

Having an early Lunch with friends at a Mediterranean Restaurant in Dallas  Some of my work involves listening as well as sharing about my life with others. I may not have all the answers, so I usually just listen then choose my words slowly and communicate truth and wisdom. If I start too quickly or speak out of emotion, then my wisdom comes from me. ( 1 cor. 2:5 ) We can learn so much about each other if we just take the time to also listen to other share about themselves. 

Beautiful pictures are caught for the sake of the artist within.  What was I thinking of at the time? I can only say that East Texas Sunsets are amazing. As a viewer I could marvel at this or reflect as to what this reminds me of.  My memory may not be as accurate as some would want it to be, but trees over water remind me of safety and fun. I was five or six years old at the time and one winter I was standing by a frozen pond up in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, watching others walk onto the pond and start ice skating.  Others were trying to maintain their balance as others helped them walk.  I was encouraged to step out onto the ice as well, but too cautious and remained alone the bank.  A few days later, one day I after school, I ventured down to the pond to see if it was still frozen.  Yes, is was.  But the ice has receded a bit from the bank.  So I needed a way to get out onto the ice.  There was nearby tree limb that hung out over the pond.  I jumped for the branch and sw

Having a heart for a nation starts with having a desire to know someone more than just reading about a people group on the local or national news and then praying for them on a weekly basis or even a daily basis if your heart is so moved. Engaging your whole mind, body and soul into a Nation may mean getting your finger nails a little dirty. In this case, getting my fingers sticky as I enjoyed having chicken together. Youth, no matter  the language gap or where they are from, are all the same in one way or another. Depending upon how one presents himself outside of what government bodies and idealistic news medias say about other people in the world, I think, we need to be open to learn from each other. I have read in my Christian bible, that Jesus had ask his followers to be a light to all mankind. ( Matt. 5:16 )