KEEP ME AT IT.

ser·en·dip·i·ty
–noun
1 .an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
2 .good fortune; luck

This morning, after taking Devin and the Dracenator to school, I came home to a message from my mom saying her Aunt and my Great Aunt, Carrie, from Georgia passed. She just turned 88 years old on Wednesday and had been suffering with cancer. I said a special prayer for her last night before I fell asleep and I believe that prayer was answered. She is home with all the many she had loved and lost during her time on earth, including a brother, a husband, a daughter, a mother we all called Big Mama and her sister, who was also my grandmother, Ollie Mae. She died of cancer when I was 4. What a day of rejoicing this must be for them in the kingdom of heaven!

It has been quite some time since I saw my Great Aunt Carrie in person but all my memories of her are warm and happy. I remember her as a kind, humble woman with a heart and soul of gold. She always made me, and assuredly everyone else who passed through her door, feel very welcome and at home. I remember Easter eggs hunts at her house and the coconut cakes she always made and how just about every other time she saw me she would say, "Ohhhh, she looks just like Ollie Mae!" in that sweet, drawn out southern accent of hers. Yes, she will be missed by many here on earth but I have no doubts that she made it home just fine and has been rewarded for a life well-lived.... And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish (JOHN 10:28)

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Charlie took the day off to spend some QT with me today. We went to lunch and to browse through an antique mall. I so love those places! I really took my time and found myself drawn to all the booths that contained varied assortments of old books. Do you ever have one of those days that can only be described as serendipitous? Well, today was definitely one of those days for me. I purchased some wonderful old books that just seemed to leap off the shelves at me and let me tell you, when I cracked open the covers on a couple of them, I was filled with what I like to refer to as "spiritual chills". It's an overwhelmingly wonderful sensation that something so much bigger than yourself is at work in that particular spot and moment in time. It is a very magical experience and I live for those moments... Like you can almost feel God physically fitting the pieces of your life together and you just know that you are heading down the right path and are exactly where you are supposed to be in life. Makes for a proud spirit and a smiling heart.
One of the books I found or shall I say, found me, was published in 1968 and was given as a birthday present to someone named Mildred in 1973. The book is...I've Got to Talk to Somebody, God by Marjorie Holmes. I will close with one particular passage from it that spoke very deeply to me. It can simply be described as... Powerful. I hope you will find it so as well...

"God, give me due respect for the abilities you have given me.

Don't let me sell them short. Don't let me cheapen them.

Don't let me bury my talents through indecision, cowardice, or laziness.

Plant in me the necessary determination. Keep me at it.

Rouse in me the fires of dedication. Keep me at it.

Give me the energy, strength, and will power to bring your gifts to proper fruition.

Keep me at it.

When I falter or fall, lift me up and set me back on my destined path.

Keep me at it."