Daddy at the steerin' wheel
Mama with camera in hand,
Kids in the backseat asleepin'
Travelin' Texas-style through this land.
Mama whispers lovin'ly to Daddy
"Darlin', could you stop for awhile?"
But Daddy just keeps on a truckin'
As Mama gives him her Mama smile.
"I want to take some pictures,"
She explains after awhile,
But Daddy with his Daddy way
Just flashes his great Texas smile.
Givin' up, Mama does her thing
Pointin' the camera out the window,
Shootin' the sunrise burstin' with color
The movement makes the sunrise flow.
Travelin' Texas-style with Mama and Daddy
Has been an interestin' way.
Of documentin' our Texas adventures
And the sky God paints throughout the day.

If you don't believe God's power, please read this. Brandilyn is my Cousin and her story is incredible but true. "In Him All Things Are Possible."

Brandilyn Collins: When the Writer Becomes the Story
By Tim Branson
The 700 Club

CBN.com – Brandilyn Collins loves to spin tales of mystery, suspense and murder. That might sound strange coming from a Christian author. But Brandilyn says that in many ways her books reflect real life.

“My books are about people in bad, scary situations but how God can work through those situations and how they can pray during those times. My stories are about God’s power,” Brandilyn says.

She knows about scary situations. In 2002 she landed a seven-book contract from a major publisher. She was vibrant and physically fit, thanks to her 20-year habit of running five miles a day. Then came the symptoms. At first it felt like the flu…

“I was in my kitchen trying to cook dinner, and I wanted to bend down and get a pan. My legs wouldn’t hold me, and I fell. Then I couldn’t get up. It happened that fast.”

Over the following weeks she grew worse.

“The bottoms of my feet felt like I had been on them for 24 hours,” she says. “Then [they] felt like they’d been stuck in a fire. They had this burning [sensation]. Then all my joints started hurting so badly.”

At one point the symptoms all but went away. Then they returned -- worse than before. Doctors couldn’t find a cause.

“My body hurt so badly. Every muscle hurt. Every joint hurt. It was constant pain,” Brandilyn remembers. “I really lost the ability to walk much. Going up and down stairs was very difficult for me. I would go up very, very slowly. Coming down is way worse than going up.”

Brandilyn tried working on her book, but found it near impossible. Then through tests, she learned that she had an advanced case of Lyme disease -- a debilitating disease that is very painful and difficult to cure.

“It was very scary,” she recalls. “My daughter was 13 at the time, still at home, and she thought she was losing me.”

Brandilyn drew strength and hope through prayer. “I had many, many people praying for me,” she says. “I started praying the Psalms every day.”

The treatments for Lyme disease were intense and could only be administered a few weeks at a time.

“Instead of getting better, I was getting worse. After a period of months on this treatment, all the symptoms went from my waist up. The most gentle lacing of my fingers I couldn’t do because they hurt so badly.”

Brandilyn faced another round of treatments. These would be harsher than any she’d had before. So she and her husband Mark decided to come to their vacation home in Coeur d'Alene Vacation, to get some rest. As it turns out God had other plans.

At the last minute Brandilyn decided to go to a healing room in Spokane, Washington, to receive prayer. At the same time, she learned that a 24-hour prayer vigil had been set up for her through e-mail.

“So when I heard that this prayer vigil was going to be set up for me on the very day that I was planning to go to the healing room -- and they didn’t know it -- I thought, God’s up to something.

“I told my husband, ‘God’s going to heal me.’”

But after the prayers at the healing room, nothing happened… at least not at first.

“In the next hour the symptoms just went away,” Brandilyn says. “I walked into the house, and I was just moving normally. It was just gone. The pain was gone; everything was gone.”

Immediately she climbed the stairs. But the real test was coming back down.

“I just sailed down the stairs. I hit the bottom and I yelled. My family comes running, and I just went, ‘Oh, I came down the stairs. I came down the stairs. Watch me!’ And I went running up and came running down. They just stood there with their mouths open.”

That same day, those involved in the prayer vigil e-mailed Brandilyn about their time of prayer. The last one came just around midnight.

“She said, ‘I went to pray for Brandilyn, and I couldn’t pray for her healing. I tried, and I couldn’t do it. All that came to my mind was this song that we used to sing in Sunday School when we were kids: Praise Him, praise Him, all ye little children. I just gave up and sang the song.’ You see, God knew that I was already healed.”

Since then, none of the symptoms has returned. Brandilyn finished her book, Brink of Death, which became a bestseller. She’s back to running five miles a day. She says her experience has given her new insight into life and writing. She loves to tell the story…

“God’s power is over evil in this world,” she says. “He wanted to remind them He too is Lord over illness. Even illness, which looks like it’s getting worse and there doesn’t look like a lot of hope. He’s God over that. He has power over that, and that’s what this story was about.”

Written March 17, 2003
A 48 hour time limit given to Saddam
to leave Iraq
by President Bush

Sounds
of grief
hover
just above the
crimson soaked
ground.
Hear their cries.
Feel the ripple
of the wind
as it passes by,
gently caressing
the unsuspecting soldier.
Thoughts of home
are lost
in the
desert wind,
The grit
blinding,
covering all
in her path.
Desert creatures
slither silently
over the
drifting sand,
Shallow breaths
rhythmic beats
to the night sounds
among desert mounds
of nothingness.
Clanging
metal weapons
meant to destroy
those bound
to a belief
of eternity
with God,
through bloody
vengeance,
Never wavering
since the
beginning
of time.

Hi Ivory, glad you stopped by. Ivory sent me a comment on my "Dear Friend" blog down below saying she wished she had such a friend.

I tell you, I have been blessed with so many close friends. I don't know if it is living in a small town or what. We have lived here a little over 25 years after moving around quite a bit.

I often wonder why I am here in this place, in this time, and basically why am I the person I am? I could have been anyone, born to any set of parents, born into any ethnic group, in any country in the world. So why wasn't I? I am so thankful who I am and that I was so fortunate to be born in the family I was born into (although it wasn't perfect by no means)As far as any ethnic group, I don't believe any one group is superior over another, so in that area no matter which group I would have been born into, that would have been okay with me. As far as countries, I really feel fortunate to have been born in the United States. That's not saying other countries are better or worse, but that the circumstances in other countries are so diverse and some of the horrible things that occur within those countries I would never want to have to go through.

It saddens me that the world sometimes perceives the people of the United States as arrogant and feel superior over other nations. Just like in other nations we have many different kinds of people with different kinds of attitudes. I pray that I will never feel that way about other people. The world is full of fascinating people and I love to read about the different cultures.

I honestly do not understand why there is so much hatred and violence in this world. And of course it did not start recently, but thousands of years ago. You would think as our cultures evolved into modernism, people would realize what all the bickering and fighting would lead to. I believe the thing I hate the most is the fighting in the name of religion. God is Love, yet people who profess they are God's children act so unGodly. People of different cultures living side by side for decades as friends, then someone comes along and tells them they must destroy them because of their difference, and they actually do it. Unbelievable!! And for what? It leads to destroying their homeland and there is not a winner in any of this. Just ruined lives, mass graves, atrocities beyond anyone's imagination.

Why in the world do people think they have the right to destroy anyone? To commit such unspeakable horrors upon a person, especially women and children? The leaders of the countries had better take a good look around them and take note of what they have allowed to happen within their countries! And I'm not talking only about third world countries, but every country in the world. Their leaders have a responsibility to their people. Their titles are leaders not destroyers. They need to go to the dictionary and find that the definitions of those two terms are very different.

Well, I sure did end up on my soap box today. Maybe because I had to confront not only one of my co-workers today, but she is also a friend and a Sister in Christ. I felt very disturbed by her actions and words lately, not only to myself, but to others as well. The Bible says to go to your Sister or Brother if you have a problem with them and talk it out. I pray that it makes a difference because I sure would hate to lose her in my life. That's the way it should be done, not burn her house down or shoot her and her family. It sounds kind of funny now that I'm typing this, but that kind of thing happens not only in other countries, it happens here right in the good old USA. Bottom line is, Satan sure has found a great following among the people of the world to do his bidding. AMEN?

I often reflect throughout the days
The times we've shared in those special ways,
When things get rough I just think of your smile
Remembering our friendship makes it all seem worthwhile.

I just wanted to stop and take a moment in time
To let you know you've given me reason to climb,
Those mountains of life which were once tiny hills
Thank you for the part of my life your friendship fills.

Wherever you go and whatever you do
Remember our friendship, which has always remained true,
Your kindness and honor is the perfect blend
Thank you for the privilege of calling you,"Dear Friend."