Mere words....

We recently learned a new song for our church choir that had the words "Hallelujah, what a morning, when I reach for His nail scarred hand. I will go from grace to glory on the banks of the promised land."

Now to some people those are mere words. It's just a song. But to me, they speak of a brighter tomorrow. A foundation of  HOPE. A love everlasting. A grace that knows no bounds. Divine mercy.

Isn't it the most wonderful, peaceful, fabulous feeling to KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that even though we may stumble and fall, He is a forgiving God; a just God. And that our faith can see us through until that most beautiful day when we can go from grace to glory and see Him on the banks of the promised land.

Because you love me....

To my husband, with love. He is my life. He's every breath I breathe. He has been my rock through so many rough times and I would not be the happy, contented person I am today if I did not have his love and support. I dedicate this song to him. It really gets to my heart....

Go Red for Women

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything

you do flows from it. 

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV©2010)

Make It Your Mission to Fight Heart Disease at GO RED FOR WOMEN.

Each year on the first Friday in February, thousands of hospitals, small businesses, multinational corporations, news broadcasters, schools, individuals and even landmarks “Go Red” to help raise crucial awareness and significant funds in the fight against heart disease in women. - American Heart Association

Today is National Wear Red day. Please show your support in the fight of heart disease by wearing red whereever you go today. Thank you.

Love is....

February is one of my favorite months because it is the month of Love. It is also very special because 30 years ago on Valentine's Day, my precious husband popped the question. I didn't even hesitate to say yes. We went the next weekend to pick out rings. I remember it so fondly. I had twins three years old from my first marriage. He had three children from his first marriage....a four year old, a three year old (only 5 days older than my twins, it was almost like we had tripletts) and a one year old. So here we are with 5 children four years old and under and we walked into Kay Jewelers in Huntington, WV. Hubby walks up to the counter and says "We'd like to look at wedding rings." The poor clerk took a look at us. Four holding hands and one in a stroller and he couldn't help himself. He opened his mouth and the first words out were "I would hope so." We cracked up. We still laugh at it. I guess he figured we had a BIG head start on our family.

That was in 1981 which was the year George Strait released his first song Unwound. In his high school years, hubby was a lead singer in a band that played for school dances and benefits. He has a gorgeous voice and loves to sing to me. When George Strait started his recordings, Hubby discovered that he could do George's song very well as they have the same voice tone and range. Over the years, he has sung many songs to me but in 1992 when Pure Country was released starring George Strait and the title song for the movie was I Cross My Heart, hubby took the time to learn it and it has become our signature song. For 19 years he has sung that song to me. It melts my heart every time. The words are so perfect and the way hubby looks at me when he sings it let's me know how very deeply I am loved.

I dedicate this video today to the love of my life, my husband Allen.

Good for a laugh...

I enjoy humor as much as the next person. There is nothing that relieves pressure and stress like a good chuckle. We all get those chain emails that contain funny stories, pictures or jokes. We read them; we get a good laugh. And we hit forward and send them on their merry way to release some humor into another life. We post them on our blogs and share them on Facebook.

I received a letter in the mail yesterday and it contained something that caught my funny bone. I wanted to share it today, but as I was typing it God spoke to me. "Don't". It was not crude or offensive in anyway. It was just a little chuckle. In the overall scheme of things it was just a little sentence that made me laugh that was used as a marketing ploy by a large company. But when God spoke, it made me think. I have so many readers according to my stat counter that come from many different places. I do not know anything about them. I do not know what they are going through in life. I do not know their personal situations, their religious affiliations, their political views, or their core values.

It made me think. What if this one little sentence that lightened my load for a moment and made me laugh offended one of my readers. What is this off-hand remark wounded their soul or "hit home" on what they are going through. Would I want to wound one soul just so everybody else could laugh. The answer was very clear. No, I do not. One thing that I cannot abide is cruelty, even if it is not intended. I do not like to see anyone hurting by something someone else has said without thinking. So I will not share the laughter. Instead, I will share Proverbs 14:13 - Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.

How appropriate is that. There is a lesson to be learned here for all of us. In marketing, the first thing you are taught is to know your target audience. This should be true in all of life's situations. Before you share that next joke, cartoon or video, please, oh please, make sure you know who you are sharing it with. I would hate to have one off hand comment or quote make someone laugh only to remind them of their pain and cause hurt in the end. Have a blessed day.

I need the help of my readers and followers...

I need your help. I am working on an idea for an upcoming post, but I need your help to do it. I need to know what your all time favorite bible verse is. I don't need the actual wording, just the book, chapter and verse that is your inspiration. I hope you will help me with this as I think you will enjoy what I have in mind.

If you are a follower or if you sign up to follow me, just leave a comment on this post with your favorite. Mine is Psalm 46:10.

If you are not a follower, I would still love to hear from you. Please send me your favorite verse to mamawsplace@gmail.com.

I want to thank everyone in advance who is willing to help me with this project.

Meet me on Monday

Meet me on Monday

(I'm a day late, but yesterday was end-of-the-quarter tax day so forgive me)

1. What do you put on your hot dog?

I am the queen of hot dogs. A true connoisseur. My absolute favorite dog is plain on a toasted English bun. I also love them with chili, mustard and onion, or with dill relish, mustard and cheese or just a plain wiener on a standard bun. There is not a week that goes by that I do not have at least one hot dog at sometime during the week. (By the way, after reading the questions this morning, I had to go to the store. Guess what I got for supper....Yes, hot dogs!)

2. Do you play Sudoku?

Crazy about crossword puzzles but I cannot get into Sudoku. It's like trying to do math as a hobby. Ugh! I tried it once and it drove me crazy after about 2 minutes.

3. What is your favorite vegetable?

Potatoes. Without a doubt. Fried, baked, mashed, scalloped, french fries, potato chips (especially with hot dogs). I just love potatoes.

4. Do you color your hair?

Definitely. I could not care less about gray hair. That is not why I do it. I started coloring it when I was 18 and loved it. Over the years, I've experimented with being a brunette, a red head and a golden blonde. I have to use an ash blonde so that my brown hair just looks like it has golden highlights. If I don't use the Ash, I get an auburn color. It's all about change. I'm not one who likes things to stay the same. I love to "shake things up a bit" every once in awhile. And then sometimes I just let it go natural again.

5. What is your favorite brand of clothing?

Is "inexpensive" a brand?  I guess if I had to pick something "special" it would be St. John's Bay...or Faded Glory...or George...or White Stag...or I guess I really don't have A favorite.