Thank Goodness He Takes Care of the Simple-Minded - #write31days 10-28-16

When I was a very young child, I remember my grandmother exclaiming, "Thank goodness the Lord takes care of the simple-minded!". This was right after she was informed that my 6 year old cousin had snuck out of her house & crossed the street to play at the city park. I knew she was referring to my cousin & remember wondering what simple-minded meant.

Well, time marches on & the term simple-minded isn't used any more. But, I have always thought the term was a bit funny and have always thought myself to be simple-minded about certain things :) Throughout life, as I have made senseless mistakes or felt insecure or insufficient in my actions or abilities, I've seen the Lord protect me and help me out. So many times my mind went back to grandma's "scripture" .

Today I almost missed out on something and thought, "If I was paying more attention, I would have known about that". I was extremely frustrated that I was so forgetful about certain things. And, then I quickly thanked the Lord for pointing it out to me. And, I said what my grandmother said that one day. "Thank goodness the Lord takes care of the simple-minded!"

Well, here are a few translations of what my grandmother had said. These are from the Bible, Psalm 116:6:

• The Lord preserves the simple. NKJV
• God takes the side of the helpless. The Message
• God protects those of childlike faith. NLT
• The Lord protects the unwary. NIV

So...
Q: What did I almost miss out on?

Dancing with the children on the green screen at the
WFYI Members Halloween Party :)

A: The annual Members Halloween Party at WFYI in Indianapolis... GOOD TIMES :)

Fellow believers... don't stress about your short-comings... God has your back!!

5 Minute Free-For-All - Thank Goodness He Takes Care of the Simple-Minded - #write31days 10-28-16

Little... but FIERCE

For the past 6 days, I've been the caregiver of the Little - our 3 and half year old granddaughter - while her Mommy is away on a trip. 95% of the time, she's a JOY with not many challenges at all. The remaining 5% of the time, she is a JOY with TONS OF CHALLENGES - all very typical to that age group though. I love being with her & she definitely keeps me on my toes! I suppose other children her age have a great memory. But, I am constantly amazed at her fantastic memory.

• After having been to our apartment complex only 3 times, the other night as we approached the entrance to the apartments, she announced, "We are home at our apartment!"
• At the Dollar General yesterday, we saw a set of Frozen kids' dishes in teal and purple. We walked out of the store with a full set in teal for less than $5. For dinner last evening, she demanded to have her food on the purple ones we saw in the store but, that I had not purchased.
• A few days ago, I gave her a choice of Cheerios or yogurt for breakfast. She announced that she wanted "product". I had no idea what she meant & began to question her about what this mysterious "product" could be. Thankfully, she caught a glimpse of a box of raisins in the cabinet & requested a bowl of Cheerios with raisins in them.
• This morning when giving her suggestions for breakfast, she exclaimed, "I told you 'last day' (her term for days, weeks, months in the past) that I wanted PRODUCT and that's what I want." After a tantrum fit or two and me walking away a few times, she calmed herself. Since I'm the ADULT & not new to this rodeo, I managed to trick #theLittle into eating some Greek yogurt, raisins & walnuts and drink some cranberry juice for breakfast while I got ready to go out & take her to the grocery store to find PRODUCT. Since she's 3 and a half, she no longer wanted PRODUCT and wanted to keep her jammie's on and watch a "movie" on PBS Kids!

"And though she be little, she is fierce."

~ William Shakespeare

And, so... early in the day, I sit here all dressed up with no place to go. And, I write about being little but fierce. I'm visually reminded of the fierceness of little children as she sits cross-legged on the sofa loudly answering the questions posed on "Super Why" and continuing to tell me that she doesn't want to go shopping and look for PRODUCT. I'm reminded of small things that have been fierce in my life too...

• One or two things someone did to hurt me years & years ago, still prevent me from looking at that person in a fresh new way -- without conditions or prejudices -- and prevent me from extending a hand of friendship to them.
• I grew up feeling insecure and continue to allow a feeling I had as a young child affect my choices and actions as an adult - even when I know better. 
• In the past I allowed the emotional baggage I carried with me to outweigh the heart & head knowledge I'd gained over the years. 
• And, I remember a time when a small white lie turned into years & years of hiding something that wasn't that big in the beginning but, grew immensely with time.

What if... just what if... even when I feel "little" in a situation or when facing a task that feels overwhelming... I can be FIERCE too!

5 Minute Free-For-All #write31days 10-19-16 - Little... but FIERCE