Like at First Sight

While we were away, we got to do so much, including watch our Boy continue to be such an amazing child.

Boy is not even two and an half yet, and he had three teenagers doting on him at the pool...the first time that he went there! He called them his ladies. By the end of the second day, the girls and a couple of their guy friends were "hanging out" with Boy. They could not seem to get over how adorable he is, and he certainly enjoyed being a part of their group. They played, they laughed, they booped each other's noses, they "walked" the pool wall, the talked. The last time that he saw them, he obligingly gave each one of his new girl friends a hug good-bye when they asked and then told each of them, "Bye-bye, (name of girl)."

How amazing is it that the children can like someone right away and just enjoy the time with them? How willing are we, as adults, to instantly like someone and welcome them to our lives.

In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Jesus has a special place in His heart for the little children. Could it be because the youngest of us are the least jaded and the least cruel and the least hateful of all of the people? Could it be because the children are the closest to what Jesus would have each of us be with their open hearts and welcoming kindness toward others.

Matthew 18:4 tell us, "Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Who among us could take a lesson from the children rather than trying to teach them one?

Thankful on Thursday - Summer

Yes, I have been quiet for a couple of weeks. My little blog was getting a rest. We had some time away, some time visiting with friends, some time getting to know more about people, some time getting to know the Lord more. All in all, it was a good time.

One of the things that we did during my time away from Words from DUG was to head down to our place at Hilton Head Island for a vacation. What a beautiful place that island it. The quiet sounds of the forest mixed with the soothing sounds of the beach make for such a relaxing atmosphere.

While I am thankful this summer for our first "real" family vacation since...umm...I do not even remember for sure, I am also thankful for so many things that summer offers.

Summer brings around our wedding anniversary, and my marriage is one things for which I am so thankful. God put together a great team when he matched up my husband and me.

Swimming pools with water that is just the right temperature are another thing for which I am grateful. I love the feeling of clean water rolling across my body as I swim and play.

I have a heartwarming thankfulness for the happy image of my husband and our son playing outside and doing "boy things" and being able to bond as father and son in the midst of the beauty and boldness of summer's vegetation.

I am thankful for sun dresses to wear and sea gulls for Boy to feed and pelicans to admire and dolphins to make us smile and back porches to sit outside and eat and countless other summer time things.

Admittedly, though, I am not grateful for the weeds that seem to have taken over our gardens and mulched area. Two weeks away and a bunch of rain will do that for a yard.

What makes summer special for you? What are some things about summer that make you feel grateful?

Did you miss my blog?

Did you miss my blog? It will be back tomorrow, so get ready to smile, laugh, be touched, get ticked at me, be inspired, or whatever it is that my blog does for you each day.

Sunshine and smiles,

Dug 8^)

Dickie & Dug -- July 19th (Pt. 3)

Once they finally found the Chapel in the Village, the guy and gal liked it. Plus, they allowed you to dress in period costume for your ceremony. How fun!

Figuring that people would need to plan months in advance, the couple asked the woman when was their next opening. She looked through her calendar and said, "Eleven o'clock."

Huh?!

"What time is it now?" the couple asked. Looking at her watch, the woman responded, "About ten to eleven."

The guy and the gal looked at one another. "Do you want to?"

"I do not know. Do you want to?"

"Sure!"

"Okay!"

They chose their old-timey outfits and settled on a Cowboy (complete with a hat, trench coat and gun holster) and a Southern Belle (if you know the gal, you know that there was a hat).

They made their way up the stairs to the chapel. Did I mention that the guy was on crutches and wearing a cast-boot through all of this? That is love and dedication.

The ceremony.


Completely in love and happily married, the couple was on track for a life together full of adventure and many stories to come.

Happy Anniversary, Husband!

******* If you want more details about that time, then you are welcome to attend a speaking engagement to hear my husband and me share our testimony.

Dickie & Dug -- July 19th (Pt. 2)

Once they got together, it was as if the guy and the gal had always been together. Their whirlwind relationship progressed quickly.

On February 22nd, about six months after that first dinner which no one else attended, they had an engagement party in the form of a mock wedding. Dress, flowers, guests, "minister" and all. What a romantic event that was.

Truth be told, they would have gotten married for real by that time, but the gal still had a house in New York that she wanted to sell. The gal did not want to get married until she had her financial obligations taken care of...and, frankly, the guy was okay with that.

The gal's house was sold on July 5th. Yay!

Unrelated, the guy and the gal decided to go to Smokey Mountains of Tennessee for the weekend of July 18th. While they were there, they talked about it and thought that the mountains might be a romantic place for a wedding and were not too too far away for guests who might want to attend. Saturday morning they went looking at chapels in the area to get some ideas.

The guy and the gal could not find one chapel, so they phoned and left a message on an answering machine. They went to another chapel, which looked just like a little church building. Technically, I suppose it was. Was it closed? If I remember correctly, they looked at it through the windows. There were several wedding chapels in the area where the guy and the gal were looking.

After wandering for a bit, the couple thought that they found the chapel that they could not find earlier. The cellular telephone rang. The gal answered it. The woman on the other end said that she was returning their call from the Chapel in the Village. The gal opened the door and said, "I think I am looking at you."

Then...well, to find out what happened then, return tomorrow for the dramatic conclusion.

Dickie & Dug -- July 19th

The year was 1996. The city was not important. It was a time when the "interweb" was not overly populated. AOL chat rooms were popular and "normal" people typed and got to know one another. There was a local chat room for the area. A local gal decided to throw a party with a friend. They invited the people from that chat room. If I can remember correctly, eighty-seven people were in attendance at that night club. One of those people was the guy.

The gal and the guy met one another, as well as many other people. A group of those people got along well and decided to meet for dinner together the following week. When the evening arrived, the gal and the guy were the only two to arrive for the dinner.

The rest, as they say, is history!






Okay, okay, we will not stop there because one of my readers did ask me to share the story. Also, entire books are written about historical events, so why not a few posts on a little blog that almost no one reads anyway?

When the gal and the guy met, there was an instant attraction. However, the guy was not exactly what you would call "available." He sort of had a lady friend who was out of state. Thus, the guy and the gal became and remained friends. They spent time together, enjoyed one another's company, and eventually became roommates-- in a two bedroom apartment.

As time went on, it became apparent that they guy's lady friend was not going to turn out to be the other half of his future. He probably knew that for while. Then, one day, it hit the guy like a slap to the forehead. The guy had had the "right" gal right for a while, and she was wonderful. He realized that he had loved her since that night when they were the only two to meet for that dinner. What next? I will tell you more tomorrow.

Father's Love Letter

My Child,

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you.
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live.
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb.
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented
by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father.
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father.
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you.
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires.
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine.
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being.
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you.
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me.
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…

Will you be my child?
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

Father's Love Letter shared with permission.