Wordful Wednesday - The Gift of Preservation

This structure is will be 99 years old in April. The first church service was the week of the Land Run in Oklahoma in 1889, the congregation broke ground in 1907 and dedicated it in 1910.


It happens to be where we worship every week but it also is a place that I am passionate about preserving. So many want to embrace the new and build huge modern structures. The idea that if you build it..and build it big.. they will come. That may in fact be true as churches try to relate to the young or young at heart.



I however feel that there is much to learn and to gain from embracing what is old and what has lived though the ages. This amazing structure is beautiful but it needs some renovation, some polishing. I am working hard to help the wonderful people of this congregation move forward to preserve this beautiful structure so that in 100 more years, it can still be a viable place of worship.

The beautiful stained glass, the rich woodwork, the working pipe organ and the beautiful stained glass dome. This is the character of not just a building but of several lifetimes of families who gathered to worship God and support each other.

I hope that the dream can be realized!

Abundance is...appreciating what we have and doing all we can to preserve it.

For other's who are abundantly participating in Angie's Wordful Wednesday visit her at "SEven Clown Circus"

Wordful Wednesday - 2008 RECAP

It is the final day of 2008 and what a year it has been! For me 2008 has been such a blessing.

It is difficult to recap a whole year in one post but I must do it for myself to record what this year has meant to me!

I would not even be blogging if it were not for this woman! Octamom is a my blog mentor. Most of you who read my blog know her and love her too. I have had the pleasure of serving her family through my profession and in the process we became very special friends. Here she is in her monkey flannel pj's and looks like a million bucks!

So in August, I began this blog. I knew I wanted to post about having an abundant life. As the blog developed I learned more about design and begin creating my own headers.
Then in September, the fun really began!

On September 3rd I participated in my first Wordful Wednesday with Angie at 7 clown circus. That is when I met so many wonderful people and began making m eaningful connections with others. Angie has a special way of relating to people that draw them to her. For more Wordful Wednesday participants today go see Mr. Linky at Angie's place. (By the way, a special message to my friend Stephanie of Live.Love.Eat....don't tell her husband but I think Mr. Linky has a crush on her!)

On September 8th, I first met Miruspeg of Middle Age Ramblings. On September 22 I included her wonder site in my first feature of "There Sites To See". Since then we have developed a wonderful friendship. Here is a picture that she posted on her own site. See this joyful face? She is a light to all who read her blog and have the good fortune to receive one of her encouraging comments. Her posts contain so many wonderful thinking points that inspire you to be a better person!

Then on September 20, I posted my first personal blog about a very personal life experience. My husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer at a young age and we were very surprised.

We handled it with humor and I posted this: "We interrupt this life..."

We had so many blog friends sending us well wishes the whole month!! He had surgery and is now completely recovered. We have so much to be thankful for!

On September 25th I had my birthday and I posted this: This Libra Has A Birthday and I received an amazing gift. This comment from Fly Girl: "Is your birthday the 24th or 25th? Mine is the 25th..." then we discovered that we were both born on September 25, 1961!! I have a blog sister across the country who has so many similar life experiences. If you want to read about them you can go to this post. Go to "Moments In Time" and meet this amazing woman!

On September 29 I posted another my favorite sites: Caroline at "The Zen In You". See this post if you want to read about her. Her posts have made a huge impact in my thinking this year and have really helped me create a more abundant life. She is always doing something new and meaningful.

She has posted about choosing a WORD for the year in place of a resolution. I have done this as has Octamom, Miruspeg and McMGrad89. You will find out more about how we plan to celebrate our WORDS for the year in future posts.

In October, I began in earnest with "Tuesday Tales". It is my effort to share a love of children's books and offer some professional insights into the ways parents can use books to enrich the language of their children.

Through this experience I met Elle of Fingerprints on My Window, and Laura of Storytellin' Mama. We three have collaborated on Tuesday Tales and I know many have enjoyed their guest posts. Elle is a speech-language pathologist like me and Laura is a former high school friend of Elle and she is a child therapist. This has been an amazing professional collaboration and I have enjoyed the new friendships.

I cannot end 2008 without also recognizing two other blog friends. I so appreciate the photography and posts of Chris at "Life or a reasonable facsimile thereof" and the insights and thoughts of Lance at "The Jungle of Life". Lance just participated in two amazing interviews. See his site for details. You cannot possibly stay stagnant in your thinking or in your doing or in the way you create your family when you read these blogs. Your life will be enriched and you will be changed!

If you have read this far you know that I take seriously each and every blog that I read and comment on. It is impossible in one post to thank all of those of you who have made my 2008 so abundant. In closing, here are the bloggers who have made such an impact on my life this year:

Tami, Octamom, Miruspeg, Caroline, Elle, Laura, Jen, Angie, Chris, Lance, Dana, Stephanie, Mandy, Elizabeth, Mommaof4wife2r, Susan, Tiaras&Tantrums, Carrie, Jaysi, Kacey R., Liz, Cecilia R., Honey Mommy, Mammarazi, Frizzy, Jonny's Mommy, imbeingheldhostage, Izzy & Emmy, Gil, weeksie50, Jyl, McMGrad89, Supercoolhotmama, Lindsay, Kimberley, Ronda's Rants, Rhonda, Bermudabluez, Gumbo Writer, Stefunkc, Robin, Mimi, Carrie, CC, Suzannah, Tommie, Frannie, Scrappysue, Shannon.

My friend Peggy sent me this quote today:

"The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement. Yet, almost no one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond our wildest dreams."
-Sidney Madwed

So all of my friends, Thank you for a wonderful 2008 and Happy New Year. May you receive all of the encouragement you need to grow, blossom and produce abundance in 2009!!!

Abundance is...living to appreciate another year!

I WILL HAVE MY 100TH POST TOMORROW, I PROMISE IT WILL NOT BE THIS LONG!!

Hey!! Santa brought you a doll!!!

We had great Christmases at our house growing up. My parents always made sure that Christmas was special. There was one thing that I did not love. My brother was two years younger and it was his mission in life to make me scream. Christmas morning was no exception. Every Christmas Eve we left out a plate of cookies and glass of milk for Santa. We hurried to sleep because Santa would not visit if we weren't asleep. Then came Christmas morning. Santa presents were unwrapped under the tree. I never got the pleasure of running downstairs and seeing what Santa brought me. Every Christmas my brother woke up first and he would see what Santa brought me then proceed to wake me up and tell me what I got. Every year I begged him to let me look for myself and every year he would tell me. Once it's out, it's out, you can't take it back. You can't take back the opportunity for a child to look with wonder at the gifts she has been given. I am happy to say that although preparing this post did bring back some slight bitterness (ya think?), I have to say that this little orneriness of my little brother is no longer a big deal to me. What is a big deal is that my family loves Christmas, my parents always made ours special and my husband and I make every effort to make our daughters' Christmas special. I really feel that we have celebrated with an abundance of spirit and meaning without an abundance of "stuff" and we have never forgotten the true celebration of the birth of Christ.

This Wordful Wednesday picture is one of the few I have of our early Christmas days. We were always too busy opening presents to take pictures. This was probably taken around 1969. Note the black and white TV (right), the Christmas Card tree (above), the gold painted nut tree on the table, and the quilted lime green floral house robe!! Gotta love that robe!! Way cooler than that animal print robe of my brother's. The creep!! :)

Abundance is...Christmas memories, a doll from Santa and an abundance of love and joy!

Join other Wordful Wednesday Participants at Seven Clown Circus!!

Prayer: Standing In The Gap

When my husband was preparing for surgery a good friend brought a prayer shawl to the hospital. With the shawl came a note that with each stitch she had prayed for my husband and his recovery. We have experienced these shawls before but have never been on the receiving end of this special ministry. There is something about receiving this handmade token of love and prayer that does have power. Since his surgery we placed the shawl on the back of our couch and with the coming colder weather I have often grabbed it and placed it around my shoulders for warmth. Each time I was reminded of the prayers that were given on our behalf.

In our church each Sunday we have a time of "Prayers of the People". This is a time for us to share our joys and concerns. It provides an opportunity for us to pray as a group for each other and those we love. I often write the names down but I have to admit that in the busyness of the week the notes can get laid aside for more seemly pressing things.

Lately I have been thinking about prayer. I have been moved to pray for many of my blog friends who have asked their readers for prayer. I have written down these names and this time the lists have made it in my car and to my desk. When I see their names on my blog roll I am reminded again of their need.

I like to think that when I pray I am "standing in the gap" for others. When they are in need I can "intercede" on their behalf and ask for their God to meet them in their need. After being on the receiving end of so many well wishes on my own blog during my husband's surgery, I realized the power that we all have to support each other even through this blog community.

For today, I have several blog friends who need prayer and have asked for it on their blogs:

JenX67: Jen asks for prayers for her brother Billy in California who has a tumor on his kidney.

Poetikat: Kat is from Canada and lost her father this week. The funeral is Wednesday.

Fordy Days and Nights: Susan has asked for prayers for her grandmother who is ill in Florida.

I have been led to respond to these requests and although there is risk in blogging about religion and politics I have to say that this act of posting boldly this need of mine to "stand in the gap" for these wonderful friends feels right today.

Abundance is...praying on behalf of others.

For another opportunity to experience prayer through blogging visit Caroline at "Zen Prayers".

For other Wordful Wednesday Participants see Angie @ Seven Clown Circus

Wordful Wednesday - The White House

Join other Wordful Wednesday participants at Angie's Seven Clown Circus

I did not post about the election this year but I have been thinking about those two precious Obama girls and how their lives are about to drastically change. It is one thing to be the First daughters of the state of Illinois and another to be the First daughters of the United States.

Now I did not take this photo so I have already broken one of Angie's rules (probably) but it has been a while since I was in Washington D.C. I wanted to post about being a kid in the White House and People.Com beat me to it!!!

Well I was thinking what kind of fun the girls would have roaming around that big mansion. I did some checking and here is what I found out on The White House website: "There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators." Now that is some playhouse!! Also, "there five full-time chefs, and the White House kitchen is able to serve dinner to as many as 140 guests and hors d'oeuvres to more than 1,000." People.com said it first, but I was thinking about those birthday cakes and tea parties for their friends. And, what about those sleep overs!! I hope they will still have macaroni and cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

The girls will have plenty of recreational opportunities. "White House has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, jogging track, swimming pool, movie theater, and bowling lane."

With two sweet girls in the White House this generation of children will learn so much about our United States government. They will grow up feeling like they have something in common with a Presidential family that is usually living way beyond that which we can only imagine. I have a feeling that the Obama children's peers will have fun learning more about their president.

Just for fun, if your children are interested in learning more about the presidents and the White House, they can find it at White House Kids website. There is a version right now all about the presidency and specifically George Bush but I bet by January the site will be overhauled and Obama will be front and center. Take a look at the games, quizzes, photos and fun facts at this site.

And for you who are interested in more detail about the White House I have found a site that has a Virtual Tour. See photos and learn more about all of those rooms.

And last but not least I cannot think about the White House without thinking about one of my favorite movies, "The American President". I especially like the romantic but awkward scene in "the dish room". If you haven't seen it in a while or ever, first check out your cable movie channel, it's on all of the time or rent this movie for a great romantic and presidential story! There are so many great lines in that movie!!

Well, that's it for my take on any political topic. That is as political as this blog will ever get. I will be saying a prayer for those two little Obama girls that their parents are able to find a balance. That they are able to lead the country without losing their lead on raising those children. That those children can enjoy their childhood in a world where their dad has some tough issues to face and that they will live their lives with an abundance of love and joy!

Abundance is...getting a new puppy!

Toys Actually Worth Buying

Today I am participating in two Wednesday carnivals! Both are so fun and both have amazing hosts. Seven Clown Circus hosts Wordful Wednesday and Rocks In My Dryer a fellow Oklahoma blogger hosts Works-For-Me-Wednesday. This week the theme is "Toys Actually Worth Buying".

My favorite toys are those that have a variety of ways to play with them. I really like the Fisher Price Little People toy sets. They are very versatile. I especially like the School Bus and the Playground. The little people are all dressed in different clothing, come in different nationalities and have different objects in their hands. These can be used for following complex commands, "The boy with the backpack wants to slide next." for inferencing, "Do you want the girl holding the toy that cries and wets or the boy with the green amphibian in his pocket?" or for prepositions, "The girl with the balloon is under the slide". The children can swing, ride the merry-go-round, climb the ladder, play in the sandbox, slide down, and play tic-tac-toe. I usually have the little people stand in lines waiting for their friends to take a turn. We talk about the ones that are first, second, third or last in line. Children can learn descriptors for the little people such as hair color, clothing + color, short, long, curly, or straight hair, and with or without a bow or headband.

I like these toys because they can be used with little ones who just want to put the people in and out of the bus (while singing "Wheels on the bus") or at a higher level they can pretend play by having the children play together and create real dialogue. What a wonderful way to act out social conversations that might occur on a real school playground.

I buy many of my toys on ebay. You can buy toys that are no longer the "best sellers" available in the stores. Also, I like to stock up on extra "Little People". You can usually find them in lots separate from the original toy. I have about 30 of the Little People so I can interchange them to keep play interesting. I like that the little people of different nationalities can play together. I usually add other pretend play toys to the mix such as a bowl for a swimming pool, little bits of cloth for the beach towel, a toy crate with a little dog, and some play food, maybe even some velveta. Everyone gets on the bus to ride to the playground. Who will want to play on the merry-go-round, and who will play tic-tac-toe? Who will play together? Who will bring their pet to the park? The play is endless and so different each time you play depending on your props.

If adults play along with their children the vocabulary and complexity of language will soar!!

Abundance is...learning life lessons through pretend play.

Three Sites To See #6

I hope you had a fabulous weekend. We had great weather here in Oklahoma and all is well in our household. Looking for sites has been fun this week and had quite a personal slant. You see I am still on a mission to stick with a budget and save as much as I can. I am quite enjoying the challenge. In addition, I participated in Ronda's Rants Bloggy Book Club on Sunday. We posted on the book "The Shack". See my Sunday post if you are interested. If you have a belief in God and want to be challenged spiritually then read this book. It won't take you long and you will certainly have food for thought. So here are my picks for this week!


#1. Money Saving Ideas: This woman provides a lot of information about saving money at local stores with coupons etc. and she provides links to printing manufacturer coupons as well. From her site alone I will save about $15.00 this week on products that I planned to buy anyway. I even signed up for free Greenies for my dog!! Savings is just a click away!


#2. Wind Rumors: This is the blog site by the auther of "The Shack". I am sending you this link because he has some profound insites and should you read the book you will want to visit this site. I realize not everyone will be interested in this but I plan to spend some time reading his articles.


#3. Europe 23 May to 1 July 2008 Italy, France, Spain, England: I found Sally who posts on the Sydney Daily Photo site. I was interested in honor of my blog friend Miruspeg who is also from Sydney. Her family took a trip to Europe this summer and the photos from across Europe are amazing. With my current budget and economic lifestyle I won't be traveling to Europe any time soon. So I must dream and read cool blog sites about my love of Europe. The cool thing about the way she set this up is that you can select a city you are interested in and choose only those posts and photos.

Abundance is...money in my pocket, a book to challenge my thinking, and photos to plan my dream vacation! ... of course I should add Sydney to the list!!!

Wordful Wednesday - Self Portrait Meme

Mamarazi of Dandelion Wishes has given me a gift. Okay, really it is a challenge. To provide a Self Portrait Meme on this blog. Thank you Mamarazi!!

The rules are (in my opinion not so ) simple: Post a picture of yourself (if you're one of those bloggers who prefers to keep pictures off of their site ( I am), maybe just post a picture of a part of yourself (a little part)-- your eyes or something...or even a picture that represents something about you).Then create a post of things that tell us who you are. It can be in the form of a poem -- rhyming or otherwise -- or just a list, or whatever. The format isn't important. Just be creative.

This is the best I could do at such short notice. I simply could not get into the salon this week. The features of this photo have been changed to protect the innocent. And darn if my photographer didn't skip out on me at the last minute. Sooooo shallow!

I have been married for 27 years. I have two girls in their early twenties. I love the mountains, especially aspens. I would love to reside in a small cabin in the outback of Montana. My favorite movie is "When Harry Met Sally", I know almost every line. My husband has married many many times.....okay, performed many marriages :) I love going to the theater and in my twenties I played the Julia Roberts role in Steel Magnolias at our local community theater.

So now I need to (high five) some other lucky souls to play along!

On The Upside, So Much Shouting So Much Laughter, In The Gutter, America As Seen By Kelly, Storytellinmama

To all my blog friends...you know what it means to have people read your blog when you are first getting started!!! And, if you haven't had a chance yet please give a Wordful Wednesday Welcome to my cousin at her new blog site The Mannings. They just had a new baby and has written her first post about it and posted some very cute newborn pics! Tell her Avtcoach sent you!

That's all folks..hope your are having yourself a great Wordful Wednesday. This post has been brought to you by Angie's Seven Clown Circus. For more wonderful posts visit Angie!

Abundance is...sharing about yourself with others...sometimes.

Wordful Wednesday - A Wordful about Poverty

These two children pictured from Halloween past did not live in poverty. They were well fed and clothed. They learned to read and excelled in school. They celebrated special holidays with their family and they were taught to love others and treat people equally.

Today is Blog Action Day 2008 and the subject is Poverty. People from around the world will be blogging today about Poverty.
We know about Poverty....
We know about:

• Starving children in countries around the world.
• Mission trips to countries to "serve the poor".
• Food banks, free lunch programs, and Meals On Wheels.
• Unaffordable prescription medication or health care.

Yes, we know about Poverty.
We know about the poor.

I thought I did, until I joined a local board that supports Birth to Six programs in our county. Here is what I found out about our small Oklahoma town and county.

• The poverty rate is 14%.
• 63% of our public school children qualify for free or reduced lunch.
• 42% of the 1st-3rd graders need reading remediation.
• 27% of our households are single parent households.
• Only 65% of parents attended parent/teacher conferences.
• Our county ranked 52 of 77 for violent crime arrests for teens.
• Our county ranked 46 of 77 for infant mortality.
• Our county ranked 52 of 77 for untreated mental illness and substance abuse.

So what does this kind of poverty look like?

Poverty of wealth or spirit.

Perhaps....

• A child whose only meal each day is the one at school.
• A child who is alone because his single parent works two jobs.
• A child who is not read to.
• A child whose parent does not know her teacher.
• A child who has at least one parent or sibling in prison.
• A child who experiences the death of a brother or sister.
• A child who lives with a parent who cannot get treatment for substance abuse.
• A child who lives in foster care due to abuse and neglect.

Poverty is A CHILD without the opportunity for an abundant life.

What does poverty look like in your community?

Join Angie and friends for Wordful Wednesday at Seven Clown Circus.

Wednesday is my husband's surgery so it may take me some time to get to each of your posts. My friend Caroline from "The Zen In You" has a new Zen Prayer blog. Anyone can go to that site and post any prayer requests. She is posting a special prayer for my husband today. Thank you Caroline!!!

Also, if you didn't make it here on Tuesday, I have a guest post on Tuesday Tales Book Review!

Wordful Wednesday

Join other Wordful Wednesday particpants at Seven Clown Circus!

* If you have not read my Tuesday Tales post from yesterday please scroll down to the end of it and see how with one COMMENT you can help fight for a cure for Cancer in memory of Mitchell Whitaker a 10 year old boy who lost his battle Sept. 27, 2007. Between today and Friday for every person who comments on my Tuesday Tales my blogger friend JenX67 will give $1 to the Leukemia Society. Please go to the post and read the end paragraph!

My Wordful Wednesday is also a response to a wonderful award given to me by Caroline at "The Zen In You." She has a wonderful site about grateful living and is an amazing photographer with her own Etsy Store.

The rules for the Kreativ Blogger include:

* Mention the blog that gave it to you and comment on their blog to let them know you have posted your award.

* Share 6 values that are important to you and 6 things you do not support. Grant the prize to 6 people.

I Value My Church.

Photo taken by private photographer.

I Value My Family.

Photo taken by by Octamom.

I Value Nature's Majesty.

Photo taken by me at Grand Teton National Park

I Value Quality Coffee and Chocolate!! :) :)

Photo taken by me at Oklahoma Centennial Celebration

I Value Old Buildings and the Preservation of them.

This photo taken by me at Oklahoma Centennial Celebration.

I Value The Journey of Life!!

This Photo taken by me outside of Grand Teton National Park.


I DO NOT SUPPORT.........

Here are the six blog friends who are so deserving of this Kreative Blogger award!

1. Storytellin Mama she has a creative design and has some funny posts. I am honored that she is joining me to guest post on my Tuesday Tales children's book reviews.

2. Robin at Around The Island has a creative name. I was attracted to her site by her name then smiled when she was around the kitchen island!!! She is a great writer and has such a variety of posts you will never be bored!

3. Kacey at Chronicles of a Mommy has a cool new layout and has just celebrated her 100th post!

Check out her talents in interior and fashion design!

4. Kristie at Not Quite What I Had Planned is a new blog site I have been reading. She is in my state of Oklahoma which I love and I admire her courage. Her latest post about waiting in the doctor's office was creatively written and had me rolling with the imagery!

5. Shannon at Following Our Bliss is loyal blogger and always as creative comments. Her family has made a huge commitment to saving their family dog and I so admire her efforts!

6. Stefunkc at At Day In The Life Of A Crazed Mom is a new blogger friend from Oklahoma. She will be the recipient of the sponsorship by Jenx67 for the Leukemia Society. Stefunkc is running with Tracy Whitaker in January at the PF Chang Rock-N-Roll Marathon in honor of Mitchell.

Abundance is...the challenge of reflecting on who you are.

Please don't forget to comment on Tuesday Tales to help fight childhood cancer!!!

Wordful Wednesday

Last May my husband and I traveled to Yellowstone National Park. With park map in hand we set out early each morning to various areas within the park with a list of various wildlife that could be seen. We did see some amazing creatures, the list of which I will save for future posts, however the most prominent and plentiful wildlife in the park are the American Bison.

Being from Oklahoma we were familiar with Bison or Buffalo. The story of the buffalo goes hand in hand with the Native American history of our state and region. I did not expect to be wowed by these creatures.

The American Bison was almost extinct in the late 1800's and now there are approx. 4000 in Yellowstone Park. They congregate in small groups throughout the park.

Because we were there in May we saw many newborn bison and watched in amazement from the road side as they cared and protected their young.

That was "sweet", and "precious" and because they were plentiful, by the third day we were passing them without a second glance. Until, we saw this ONE bison.

In my curiosity as to why this bison would not be with the others, my husband shared with me that when bison get old they are segregated from their herds and left alone. Whether by choice or forced this ONE bison was a symbol for me of the aging in our society. It made me sad to see this ONE possibly ill or suffering alone in this meadow.

I do not want this to be the statement of how our "human herd" treats their aging.

We have an increasing population of the aging. Will our society care for them and keep them in the fold of society? Will we continue to learn from their wisdom? Will we work hard to keep them working and thriving?

Something to ponder....

Abundance is...hearing an old family tale from your grandparents.

Join the party and read other great Wordful Wednesday posts at Angie's Seven Clown Circus!

Wordful Wednesday

Check out other Wordful Wednesday posts at Seven Clown Circus

We have a white Bichon Frise named Abbie. She and my husband walk morning and evening. For the past year they have had much of the same route. You would think that would get boring, at least for my husband. But the route rarely changes and there is a good reason. A Cat!

You see, our dog has a special cat friend. We did not initiate this relationship. The cat did.

For the last two years (really!) this cat several times a week has waited in front of the Catholic Church for Abbie to walk by. This is amazing because she lives several blocks from the Catholic Church. She comes to the street and greets Abbie and then she actually begins walking beside Abbie and joining them for a short portion of their walk.

We found out that her name is Penelope and she has grown up with dogs as friends. I guess she really likes our little Abbie dog...she is a very reliable friend, but in the winter will sometimes not show up for weeks at a time. My husband suspects that when she does not appear she is doing "mission work" somewhere else in the neighborhood. At first Abby was skittish, but now she welcomes Penelope and does what any dog friend would do! Sniff, Sniff!!

Abundance is... a reliable friend.

Wordful Wednesday

My good friend Octamom posted Monday on birth order and the labels we assign to children. This was a humorous "attack" on the absurdity of the psychobabble that others use to "explain" our offspring. This post in response is about the "Power of Words". (In keeping with the rules note my photo of "Words" :)

Growing up, our neighborhood was full of children. There was a hateful group of boys just older than me who were "bullies". They roamed the streets I feel sure to look for smaller people to antagonize. I was small. So small my nickname from my dad was "skeeter", short for mosquito. The boys loved calling me names and the one that caused the most tears was "pinworm". Now I did not even know what a "pinworm" was and I feel sure they didn't either, but the reaction they received was just to enjoyable and they spent most of the summer teasing me unmercifully.

I cannot tell you how many times I was told..."sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me!"

What I do know is that words matter. They mattered to me at 6 and they matter now. They must matter to my fellow bloggers because they painstakingly create their posts with just the right words and then they read other posts and graciously comment!

I spend 8 hours a day teaching hearing impaired babies to talk. Their parents and I wait anxiously for every word to appear, we choose our words carefully and we encourage them to communicate. Every word that they say is a precious gift to their parents and every word that I say to the parents should be a gift of hope. The words that I say to coach them matter.

In the old testament, the blessing that a father would bestow on his offspring was of great importance. It was a statement to predict a special future.

The labels we use to describe our children whether funny, true or in jest, are a statement of how we want that child to view themselves.

The labels we use to describe our friends, our spouses, our parents and our co-workers are also a statement of how we value them.

I have to remind myself that whether the first born, the middle child or the baby of the family, whether a type-A personality or B, whether introvert or extrovert, whether a party girl or a wall flower, we all deserve to hear at ALL times words that lift us up, that help us stay strong, that help us keep the faith and that are a blessing for a special future.

Check out other Wordful Wednesday posts at Seven Clown Circus!!! Angie's words are fun and entertaining. She has a multitude of awards and for good reason. Her words are a gift to those who read them!