Speaking to four sessions of the Pastors/Deacons/Spouses Retreat at Shocco Springs brought many delights, as well as a few surprises.  I love these occasions because I meet so many wonderful servants of God, and they are eager to have some stress relief in form of laughter.

When I was asked to lead these sessions, I was told I would primarily be speaking to the spouses because other sessions - some planned just for the men - would be going on at the same time.  I prepared accordingly.  To my surprise, I had as many men as I did women in each session.  They wanted a reprieve from the more serious meetings also.  I spoke on Laugh often, Love much, and Live well on Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, and on Show Me Your Glory on Sat., Sept. 26, 2009.

These people were eager to laugh; therefore, they provided the ideal audience.  As an icebreaker and a getting-to-know-you activity, I asked participants to pair up with someone they didn't know and quickly tell each other something funny that had happened in church.  Before the session ended, they wrote their own anecdotes for me to use at some future time.  What a hoot they were!

I am constantly reminded that God works through humor.  He wants his children to have cheerful hearts.  We all left refreshed and renewed.

Although the elements were stormy outside, many senior adults were warmly greeted inside FBC Russellville with a beautiful Senior Aprreciation luncheon.  Bert Fowler, pastor to senior adults, and his wife Carole covered every detail to make this a spectacular event.  The meal was fabulous and was served by the youth from this great church.  Many attending went home with door prizes; some even won the spring flower bouquets which adorned each table.

As I spoke on "Joy in the Journey," I realized, from the pleasant smiles on the faces, these people knew  this joy of which I spoke; they are carriers of it.  Although I drove through torential rains on my way home, I too, returned home with a smile as I recalled the funny anecdotes some of these seniors shared with me.

As I've said in other places, I try to follow Proverbs 3:16 in both my professional and personal life.  Commit whatever you do to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.  Following such a noble intent would surely protect me from problems, right? So wrong! Recession, illnesses, flight delays - all affect everyone; Not even I am exempt.

Just as the rest of the world is being affected by financial woes and economic down turns, so are we who work for the Lord.  With my schedule near full, I twittered about, thinking all was well in my world - that is until calls started coming in with the message, "With the economy being such as it is, I'm afraid we are having to cancel our event."  Well, maybe two calls anyway.  I merely resolved to do the best I could with the events that were still scheduled.  Surely the Lord wanted me to bring Christian humor to this dismal world.

As I prepared for the Feb. 7th event - a Valentine banquet in Tuscaloosa for the Emanuel Baptist Church, that familiar tickle in the throat began.  Then the coughing set in.  Not to be deterred, my husband and I planned to put on our Valentine attire and celebrate the holiday with others attending the banquet.  Then the event planner called. "I did tell you the event will be held in a barn and the dress is dressy denim, didn't I?"  Having some reservations about speaking in a barn and waning in my confidence about what dressy denim is, we began our journey with plenty of cough syrup in my system.  We were pleasantly surprised to find the barn nothing short of elegant.  No animal had ever set foot in it; it had been built just for such events as this one.  Although interrupted a few times with coughing spasms, I, with the Lord's help, was able to bring inspiration and laughter to the occasion.

On to Illness - Prattville FBC Event at Shocco Springs

Surely a little cough was all that would beset my spring events - wrong again.  For months I had anticipated being the keynote speaker for the "Women's Winter Retreat" for FBC Prattville.  I spent more that a few hours preparing for the given theme - "Show Me Your Glory."  A main thought that permeated  my preperations and sessions was "It's not about me or us; it's about Him."  Well darling, that was put to the test.  The night before the big event, the worst virus of my life attacked; vomitting and diarrhea were my constant companions.  Now how can you not think about ME instead of HIM in a state such as that?

Not to be deterred, I pulled myself out of bed knowing I had to get better (I couldn't get worse, it seemed), and after three tries, I finally showered and dressed.  My sweet husband doubted I was in condition to speak, but seeing my determination, he drove me to Talladega to Shocco Springs, unloaded my "stuff" and prayed for me.  I prayed too.  "Lord, if you want me to do this, you are going to have to  do a miracle, put strength in my spaghetti knees, and help the Emetrol and Imodium to do their job."  He answered that prayer and His joy prevailed.

Planes and Problems Cause Me to Cancel an Event

Realizing my schedule was tight, I sent ahead my books and warned the event planner for the WINGS Candlelight Dinner at Brasher's Chapel Church that if I were to be late for the meal, I would definitely be there in time to speak.  But you know what the say about the best laid plans of mice and men ---.

Seated on the plane in Columbia, Missouri, I relaxed believing I was going to make the event with time to spare.  Then the pilot announced, "We have a problem with one of the engines.  I am not comfortable taking off until a trained mechanic flies in to check it out."  If he wasn't comfortable with it, I surely wasn't.  After an hour or so and still no mechanic at work, I realized I would miss my connection, therefore, ending my chances of making the event at all.  I did what I could; I called a fellow speaker and asked her to substitute for me.  Apparently God wanted her message presented instead of my humor.

In spite of maladies which can beset us all, I have a peace.  When I truly give myself and all I do to the Lord, I am confident all will work for His good.  It has and it still does.

Although each day should be filled with our songs of Thanksgiving, for many, it takes a national holiday to remind people of this.  But to the contrary, many families teach their children to thank God for all their blessings – sometimes at meal times and at bed times.

Just as our parents taught my sisters and me to thank God for our food before we ate, we have passed that teaching on to our children.  Before they learned to voice their own thoughts in prayers, we taught them to say, “God is great; God is good; let us thank him for our food.”

Just as a small toddler, my nephew loved to go outside with the big boys and play football.  He would look like a bobble head with his oversized helmet weighing him down.  My sister called him in from his ballgame for lunch one day.  She lifted him into his high chair and pulled him up to the table.  He won the argument about keeping his helmet on.  Before he ate, he remembered to pray but had not forgotten his football game.  He began, “Hut, one, two, three. God is great ----.”

A friend told about her child’s night time prayers.  The little girl was just recovering from a stomach virus.  As per usual, she thanked God for everything she could think of.  Finally she said, “And thank you, God, for the beee-a-u-ti-ful flowers.”  Then as an afterthought she added, “And help them not to have the di –ree (diarrhea).”

This summer has been filled with changes.  First, after celebrating our fiftieth wedding anniversary June 19th, Steve and I began our second half-century together.  Thankfully, as I have become, shall we say, less youthful, God has blessed by dimming Steve’s vision.  He thinks I look better now than when he married me.  Please don’t tell him any different.

Secondly, after my dad has lived independently and/or semi-independently for his ninety-eight years, time has come when he needs twenty-four hour supervision.  He now resides in an assisted living facility.  He says he’s happy there, and truly seems to be – until the staff asks him to do something.  The stubborn mule syndrome seems to surface then.

But to cap the stack, I seem to have become a porn star.  Now let me explain that one.  I have two great horses.  Some might call them plugs, but I’ve cherished them because they are so good with my grandchildren.  All of them have fed them bread, watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, or whatever over the fence.  I’ve taught the children how to hold the food in their hands in a position to avoid the horses biting them accidentally.  From the time they could sit astride the horses, they have.  Very gently, knowing they were carrying a precious load, the horses would follow me circling the yard, and the children would think they were in complete control because they held the reins.

With that said, I will tell you, I’ve always respected the strength and size of these equines.  I do now even more.  My brother-in-law and his wife brought out their visiting granddaughters for a swim and for them to see the horses.  I gave them hotdog buns to feed Smoky and Sisco.  Kathryn, the oldest sister, came in to report Elizabeth, the younger, was exciting the horses with her squealing.  I thought nothing of it because, as I said, they are gentle animals.  But to be on the safe side, we adults moved outside to supervise.

I had dressed earlier in the day for another event in a shimmery light orange shell and lime green pants.  As I do so often, I walked over to the fence with the girls to pet Smoky and Sisco.  In my normal natural motion, I reached up with my right hand to pet Sisco’s head.  Well, that’s when disaster, or should I say, ‘disboobster’ struck.  Before I knew what had happened, Sisco reached over the fence, grabbed my left breast with his teeth, picked my ample body off the ground, shook me, and threw me backwards. He must have seen the orange and thought it was a cantaloupe.  Pain!  That was all I could sense at the moment.  My thought was, “Boy, ‘them ain’t’ cantaloupes.”