Uphill idealist

Drawing I did of my daughter, around age 6. Under the computer desk and on the shelf we found some memories, of life that had been dealt. On the shelf and under the grime, dust bunnies had collected keeping company with the history of our time. Kindergarten, I think There were found, drawings, crayoned by my now almost sweet sixteen daughter's kindergarten hand and baby picture's yellowed but delightfully grand. Shuffling through those artifacts, I saw a glimmer of joy surface in her eyes reviving a life that I hadn't seen for a while. Wipe off the dust and remember from where you came and step boldly and bravely into the light and promise of this day, today. Sweet Fifteen T.L. Eastman

The servant heart is not easily distracted from what is important. This man followed through with his work faithfully and made a difference between life and death of another person. He also bridged the gap in divisions of race, simply by caring for the public he'd vowed to serve. We need more real life stories like this. For the full story about William Carol and Evangeline Harper, go to this link to the Boston Globe .

I was tagged for this quiz by my friend Julia . If you'd like to play along, enjoy! 1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My first name is for the theme of the film Gone with the wind - "Tara's theme", my middle name was from my Mom's school friend who was French: Lamont. 2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? The other day, when reading The Sacred Echo. 3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, when I take time to write like I'm capable of. 4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey or Cajun Chicken. 5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes. 6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, I think I'm good at being a friend. 7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? Oh my, yes:) 8.DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? No. 9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No. You know those falling dreams, I don't enjoy those so why would I try to fall on purpose? 10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Frosted Mini-Wheats or Rasin Bran 11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes. 13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOR...

The light of someone you know and really knowing you have a way of cutting through, the anxiety of newness, the worry of what if, and wondering if "I" fit. It all washes it all away knowing you have a someone and a somewhere to sit. T.L. Eastman 09'

Every now and again, I experience a phenomenon of words chasing me. In this case, its a scripture from the book of Matthew in the Bible. Here below is the text that I find myself being drawn to again and again. Matthew 18 The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven 1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. Why on earth would Jesus ask his followers to become like little children? I remember reading in the book "Speaking of Faith" by writer, Krista Tippet and her comment on this scripture. She said something like, 'I laugh every time I think of Jes...

Image from SamanthaKrieger.com I've been reading and interesting book written by Margaret Feinberg called "The Sacred Echo" . The sub title of the book is, 'Hearing God's voice in every area of your life'. Here is a picture of Margaret and the cover of the book. So may times when I pray, I find myself struggling to focus on what I'm praying about due to the many things that pop into my mind. Things like grocery lists, calls to make, shelves to dust and many other various 'to do's' often time succeed in distracting me from my intended purpose, praying. Margaret's words have a way of comforting and challenging the prayfully distracted individual. She confirms that I'm not the only person on the planet that struggles in focusing on prayer and offers some helpful advice in working out the distractions. Today I had the opportunity to share some conversation and prayer with some high school students and we spent most of the time talking abou...

My Sleeping With Bread friend Mary Lue , mentioned last week that little crackers would suffice for bread in a pinch. So this week I'll call my bread Croutons. This week has had both kinds of croutons, the too-crunchy-stale-out-of-the-box-kind and the tasty made at home with lots of garlic and butter kind. I suppose I'll start with the stale croutons first. Stale croutons: I have acquired a mean-spirited cold that does not want to quit. I'm foggy headed, feverish, and sleep-seeking. It is my main focus to consume lots and lots of OJ, Tea and anything else that is liquid. I even went to the doctors to check for strep - thankfully it isn't. Only a virus that lasts at least only 10 days, so says the Dr. I'm frustrated that apparently some disorder and mess was left at the end of a youth event on Friday. Instead of spending a day away from work, this afternoon, I will now have to deal with the group that may or may not be responsible for the problem. Conflict is so not ...

Cartoon from Virgil @ "Cartoons on the back of business cards" In church today, an elderly woman was sitting in the pew in front of me. We said our hellos, and I chatted with her and my friend before the beginning of the service. She asked me what the time was and I told her. She thanked me. She asked me where her friend was, and I told her I wasn't sure. She thanked me. At the passing of the peace, she turned around with great effort to say, "Peace", to me. I held her hand for a moment and she unexpectedly leaned into me and hugged me tight. She curled her face towards my ear and said, "I love you." Her words and smile were so sweet, sincere and childlike. Tears immediately sprung to my eyes, not because I heard her speak these kind words, but because I felt them impact my heart. Love has a funny way of sneaking up on you, taking you off guard, and reminding you of what life really is all about. I gently hugged her back and said, "I love you too...