"Friend"- What does it mean?

I recently had a "fall out" with a "friend".  Many things were said between us, but one thing stuck out more than any other.

"One tough week for me throws out all the hours I've given to you??"

This statement more than any other keeps rolling around in my head.  At my age, you probably have gotten into a  few "fall outs" with friends.  I know that I have.  But never have I been told this "all the hours I've given to you".  
I NEVER knew I was punching a clock.  I never knew that there was a "time tab" being kept to be thrown one day in my face.  
Now if a therapist had said this, I could totally understand it, but not someone who says "I love you and care about you."  

So, that made me think about what is "Friendship"?  I may be wrong, but this is MY idea of what a true friendship is.

Friends are there for you through some of your happy times, some of your sad times, some of your mad times, but ALWAYS there through the devastating times.

Friends do not keep score as to who did what to whom and why.  They just see a need and try their best to help.

Friends respect each other's opinions, even when they don't agree.

Friends give advice out of a loving place in their heart, not judgement, or comparison to others issues.

Friends will ALWAYS see your faults, and still love you. 

Friends pray for you, your dreams, your hopes, your struggles, your family.

Friends will let you down, as they are only human, but will "own" it, and ask forgiveness. 

Friends do not keep "time tabs"!

I pray that for whoever reads this, YOU would have a friend that blesses you with a real, true friendship. 

Please share with me YOUR ideas of what a friendship means to you. 

The King's Daughter - A HubPage Article by Tamarajo

The King's Daughter

By Tamarajo

Source: Ramona Haveranack

INTRODUCTION

This next series of hubs will be taken once again from a women's conference presentation and is addressed to a female audience but I do not wish nor intend to alienate male readers. There are biblical principles that are applicable to all that can be gleaned from this message and might give male readers some insight into the vulnerabilities and needs of the females around them.

^{Psalm 45:9} Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women;
At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.
¹⁰ Listen, O daughter,
Consider and incline your ear;
Forget your own people also, and your father’s house;
¹¹ So the King will greatly desire your beauty;
Because He is your Lord, worship Him.
¹² And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;
The rich among the people will seek your favor.
¹³ The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace;
Her clothing is woven with gold.
¹⁴ She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.
¹⁵ With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought;
They shall enter the King’s palace.

One of the greatest challenges of women sometimes is to believe that they are loved. Many of us have spent a good portion of our lives attempting to convince ourselves that we are truly loved through the dramatics of our relationships.


To read the rest of this great article, go to The King's Daughter.

Out Of The Mouth of Babes - "THE" Talk

I was recently told by a friend of mine, a mother of 4 boys, that I should have "THE talk" with my 10 year old son, if he is asking. I have been dreading it because I feel like I will PUT the thoughts in his head if they aren't already there.

He asks often about "how does the sperm fertilize the egg?" He knows that "sperm" fertilizes the "egg" in plants and humans and animals. He just learned how the sperm of flowers fertilizes the egg. He asked how it happened in humans. I said, "I will let you know when you get a little older." A few days later, I ran into my "above mentioned" friend and told her. She has a farm and uses the animals as examples...lucky her!

So, at dinner, something was mentioned that gave me an opening to start discussing "THE talk". He let me know he knew what sex was. I tried not to look surprised, more like scared. I told him to tell me what sex was. At first, he didn't want to, but gave in. This is what he told me:

Ok, Mom, I have seen it on T.V's many times.  The man and the woman get naked, they get in bed.  They French Kiss and the guy puts the sperm in the girl's mouth.  

With as straight a face as I could muster, I said, "Yep, that is it!"    :)

Would You Shave Your Head If It Cured Childhood Cancer?

Help children who are afflicted with childhood cancer...be a hero!

Childhood cancer cures can be found, even if it is done one "shave" at a time.

The Little Things

I am so guilty of letting "little things" ruin my day.   Little glitches in my schedule drive me insane.  We need to get from point A to point B and that is it!  There is no time for diaper changes, bathroom stops, flat tires, or tickets.  Can you relate?
But I am learning, very s-l-o-w-l-y learning, to start to look at these "little things" for what they truly are.   LITTLE.  There are reasons for everything, and sometimes that slow person in front of you on the road, going 30 mph instead of 50 mph is saving you from an accident that would have happened if you were not stuck behind them.    That bathroom stop gave you time to share a laugh with your children.   The flat tire allowed you to see that God sends angels in human form to help you in your times of trouble, just like He promised.
There is a great song, "This Is The Stuff" by Francesca Battistelli , that totally hits the "nail on the head".






I encourage each of you, not matter what your "little things" are, to look at them as the "stuff" God uses to show you how blessed you are.

After the storm | RedGage

After the storm | RedGage

We recently had a major storm in our area.  It ended by noon.  As we went out to deliver the papers, we took many pictures of the after math.  The sun was shining and it was amazing.  "After the storm" is my collection of these photos on RedGage.

WE ARE FAMOUS!!!!

My son and I were on the radio this morning.  We listen to KLOVE 95.4 every morning while doing the papers.  This morning, they were looking for funny "On my way to work" stories.  I had one to share, and after getting permission from my son to tell it, as it mostly about him, I called.  It was busy like 6 times and then it rang...and I got to talk to THE hosts Lisa and Scott!  How cool.

So I told them my story.  And after the song that was playing.  They played the clip they had of  me telling it!  My daughter had just enough time to use her camera to take a video of our speaker..LOL...for sound only.  Just so stinkin' cool!