Strangers

This morning my oldest son (who is about 5-1/2) asked me, "Mom, what's a stranger?" This question probably came up because the doorbell rang yesterday and he answered it before Daddy or I could get there. (It turned out to be our next-door neighbor, Miss Audrey, bearing Christmas treats — definitely not a stranger.)

Since we haven't really talked a lot about "stranger danger" I took the opportunity to explain that a stranger is someone you don't know... and that the problem with strangers is that you don't know if they're kind/good people or bad people with bad intentions.

Anyway, we talked about what could happen... that if a stranger were "bad" they could take him from us and hurt him, and then how would we find him? (I was hoping that this would impress upon him the need to use caution around people he didn't know.) Then he asked, "Would they steal our toys?" I said, "Possibly, or our computer, or our money. Or even our car." And he replied, "How would they steal our car? It would be too big to carry!"

GRIN!

Minne-snow-ta

If you've watched the news you've probably heard about the big snow in Minnesota on Saturday. Wow! Now, I will admit, I was pretty skeptical of the weatherman's hype... I thought, Oh c'mon... we're Minnesotans, aren't we? What's a few inches of snow?


Well... 17" is actually quite A LOT. [sheepish grin]


Apparently this is the 5th biggest official snow total on record, and it's also the most snow in a storm since the famed Halloween Blizzard of 1991.

All I know is, I am so glad I spent the cashola to purchase warm Lands' End winter gear for my 5-year-old this year (I have the unfortunate blessing/curse of being thrifty)..... because he played outside for an hour today in 5-degree weather, and when he came in he wasn't cold in the least. Yahoo! :)

I'd say the chances of a White Christmas this year are... 100%.

Learning how to be God's woman

This hit a nerve for me this morning during my time with God...

"A Christian worker [anyone called by God] has to learn how to be God's man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things."
~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, October 25

He is not kidding! Can you think of "meager and worthless things" that threaten to keep you from being excellent for the Lord? I could probably rattle off a handful without thinking too hard...

Lord, help me/us run hard for You— for Your purposes and Your glory!