Long...worth the read...BLOG CANDY!

Why is it that those who are suffering so greatly can find peace, yet those with nothing to complain about are miserable? Perhaps we all need a taste of suffering to bring us closer to God and to humble us when dealing with the minor trials we face.

*gulp*

*inhale to speak--stop mid word and gulp again*

Wow! Do you ever have things happen in your life that leave you completely dumfounded and in awe of how evident God is working? I have had several glimpses today, though to be honest I shrugged them off. I went on about my day as though God were merely a breeze or even a pebble on the sidewalk. But thats the thing...He IS those things. He is those things and more.

I try not to preach on here. I try not to get so overbearing and Holy Rolling that I scare off what few visitors I have. But God blessed me with something tonight that I HAVE to share. If I end up talking to only one person...well then I guess it will be the ONE person He wanted me to share it with.

I promise cards will return soon. But please....sit down, and listen.

Let me introduce you to Nancy. Shes the one that wrote that statement up there.

This is Nancy. The long blonde hair, the bubbly spirit the great happy attitude. Thats her in the back row on the left. She was a great friend that always brought balance to the drama of the cheer squad. I grew up with her. Though she was a year younger than me, our town was small enough that everyone knew everyone and chances are, if you met someone in 1st grade youd still know em when ya got all the way to high school.

Tonight, as I was sifting through my emails (spam to be exact) I clicked on CLASSMATES.COM --generally I just delete their messages, because most of em are junk. But itd been awhile since I had checked out who had logged on and what was happening with the peeps there. So I did. And I noticed that Nancy was one of the NEW ones on there. Of course I clicked on her name quickly and sat there awestruck by what she wrote in her bio. OMG!

Nancy suffers from Cystic Fibrosis and is waiting a double lung transplant. I went HERE and started at the very beginning. I read every single post that she has written and still, here I sit. I am dumbfounded. I am left listless and numb.

God wanted me to see her today. HE wanted me to find her words her heart, her need and her prayers. Why? I am not sure. But I am praying for that answer. But I wanted to share this story with you. I know MANY of you are touched first hand by terminal diseases. I praise God that I have not had to deal with this in many many years (since the passing of my grandma).

I have not spoke to Nancy since I left home back in 92. I had no idea she had a family. I had no idea she had even left the area. But I do know that we were to cross paths once again. Afterall, her daughter's name is Hannah Marie!!!! My oldest daughter is Heather MARIE and my youngest is HANNAH Elizabeth! HELLO!!!!!?????

As a gift to you, and to Nancy. I am going to give away blog candy. Part of it will be a surprise, the other part will be a copy of her book. I am ordering a copy for myself and I will also order one for you. The rules for this candy are simple. Go HERE and visit her blog or go HERE and read about her book. Then come back here and post something about her. A quote? A funny thing she has shared. Something wonderful that you noticed. A prayer. Something that no one else has posted yet. Tell as many people as you know to come here too. If I can get over 100 comments to this one post, I will give away two! So that is TWO SURPRISE GIFTS & TWO BOOKS! So if you are a stamper, not a stamper, a scrapbooker or just plain a human being! HELP ME TO HELP HER!!!! And you get free stuff too! Cmon, just a whee bit of your time.

The MISSION is on!