Moms

My Uncle Paul sent this over e-mail. I think you will enjoy it. :)

"Why God made moms" answers given by elementary school age children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mom?
1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your Mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goofball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the ! stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work & at home, & dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on her back.

THE MOMMY TEST

I was out walking with my 4 year old daughter. She picked up something off the ground and started to put it in her mouth. I took the item away from her and I asked her not to do that."Why?" my daughter asked. "Because it's been laying outside, you don't know where it's been, it's dirty and probably has germs" I replied. At this point, my daughter looked at me with total admiration and asked, "Wow! How do you know all this stuff?" "Uh," ...I was thinking quickly, "All moms know this stuff. It's on the Mommy Test. You have to know it, or they don't let you be a Mommy." We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information. "OH...I get it!" she beamed, "So if you don't pass the test you have to be the daddy." "Exactly" I replied back with a big smile on my face and joy in my heart.

IN CHURCH

"Dear Lord," the preacher began with arms extended and a rapturous look on his upturned face, "without you we are but dust..." He would have continued, but at that moment one very obedient little girl (who was listening carefully) leaned over to her mother and asked quite audibly in her shrill little girl voice, "Mommy, WHAT is butt dust?" Church was pretty much over at that point. . .

Wholesome Oat Muffins

Woohoo! Today I get to start eating whole grains and fruit again! I lost 4 pounds in the last two weeks and even though it is not as much as I wanted to lose I am still so happy that I stuck to the diet even though it was really really hard at times. I have lost all my cravings for junk food and am enjoying really healthy food.
For breakfast this morning I decided to make some Wholesome Oat Muffins. I heated one up when I got up this morning and sat down and enjoyed it.

Wholesome Oat Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

3/4 cup + 2 tabls oats
1 cup buttermilk (I used low-fat)
1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour or whole grain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cups chopped walnuts
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup brown sugar substitute
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Coat a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.

2. In small bowl, combine 3/4 cup of the oats and the buttermilk. Let soak for 30 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and walnuts.

4. In a large bowl, stir together the oil, egg, brown sugar substitute, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the oat mixture. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.

5. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tbls oats over the muffins. Bake for 11 - 15 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Remove to the rack to cool completely.

Scrapbooking

This evening I did some catching up in my scrapbook. I am not a scrapbooker who tries to make the pages look really artistic and fancy. (Plus I don't have time to spend an hour on each page.) I want the pictures to be the focus. Here are the pages I did tonight. (The pages are a lot more clear in person. I tried to get them as clear as I could with my camera.) :)

These pages are of Ruhiyyih's going away party last Sunday.

This is Rue's and my outing to Ruston Way and Point Defiance.

Here are Isaac and Gabe, my two little charges during the week.

Just some pictures of my big bro.

And, of course, Daisy. :)

Grocery Shopping

Today Rue and Daisy are up at Crystal Mountain snowboarding which leaves me all by myself. I slept in a little bit and then went to the gym. After I ate and took a shower I headed on over to the grocery store. I usually go on Friday mornings at 9am. But I didn't get there until about 1pm and it was crowded! When I go in the morning there is hardly anyone there and I don't feel as stressed and I want to just take my time. Today I shopped as quickly as I could.
Starting Monday I get to start in the second phase of the South Beach Diet! I am almost done with the first phase and am really happy. So far I have lost 4 pounds which isn't as much as most people on South Beach, but I am NOT quitting. I may lose it slowly but I am happy to be losing it.
So anyway, I was able to buy things today that I will start eating on Monday. One thing I have not had for 2 weeks is bread. I am so looking forward to being able to eat a sandwich in the afternoon made with whole grain bread! (I am still not allowed to have white bread or simple starches like potatoes.) I never thought I would be so excited over bread. :) Another thing I can start eating again is fruit. I bought some grapes, bananas and oranges. (We already have apples.) I also bought some dried berries for a sweet treat when I need it. For breakfast I bought all-bran cereal and 1 % milk to go with. I bought cute little mini whole wheat bagals for breakfast and light cream cheese. The cream cheese is also for a yummy South Beach sandwich I will be making that has cucumber, lettuce, and cream cheese made on whole wheat bread. I bought oatmeal so I can make some South Beach Oat Muffins for breakfasts also. I did buy some boxed sugar-free pudding for desserts. I made homemade pudding a couple months ago but because I would have to a lot of an artificial sweetner in order to make it from scratch I decided just to buy the boxed kind. Splenda is pretty expensive!
I am really looking forward to Monday! Only 2 days to go! :)

Cozy Bed?

Rosie decided to curl up in the most unusual place this evening. There are many cozy places she can curl up and sleep but she decided on the newspaper. I have noticed that whenever there is paper on the floor she goes and lies down on it. I personally would rather curl up on a cozy pillow or chair but I guess she prefers paper. :)

Black Bean Soup

Here is a South Beach Diet recipe that I really enjoy. I have been on the diet for almost 2 weeks now and I find myself trying and enjoying new foods that I didn't before! Even my husband is enjoying all of the new and different foods I am making. This recipe can be eaten in the first phase and I have already made it twice. It is very filling and my step-daughter Daisy says that it tastes like you are eating a burrito! :) I put a little bit of shredded reduced fat cheddar on top and let it melt. Yum!


Black Bean Soup

Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 cups dried black beans
6 cups water
2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, with leaves, chopped
Ground black pepper
1 tsp celery seeds
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1 lemon, sliced paper thin, for garnish
Leaves celery for garnish

1. Place black beans in a large bowl and cover with water. Add more water if necessary to cover the beans. Soak overnight. Drain the beans and add 6 cups of fresh water to the bowl.

2. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the beans and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours, or until beans are tender.

3. Remove half of the beans to a food processor or blender and process to puree, adding the liquid from the soup to cover. Add the black pepper to taste and the celery seeds. Return the pureed beans to the pot and heat, stirring, until the soup thickens. Stir in lemon juice.

Quilting

Right now I am working on a nine-patch quilt. I bought the lavendar fabric when we were on our honeymoon in July of '04. We found a very cute little quilting shop on the Oregon coast. And since my favorite color is lavendar my eyes were drawn to a little rolled up bunch of lavendar, reproduced fabric, fat-quarters. Reproduced fabric are prints from earlier times like the 1930's and 40's. I decided to make a nine-patch quilt with them. Except my little nine-patch squares will only be an inch big. I thought that would be really cute but of course it makes more work, but I like doing it.

My first step is cutting the fabric into 1 inch wide strips. (There are a few more patterns of fabric but I only picked 4 to show in the picture.)












The second step is to pick 2 different patterns and sew them together. Once the first 3 pieces are sewn together you take 3 more except the opposite of the first 3 pieces sewn together.












Next I cut the 2 strips into 1 inch wide pieces width-wise.









Next I pick 2 pieces from one strip and 1 piece from the other strip. I sew two opposite pieces together. Then sew on the 3rd strip so that the opposite strip is inbetween the 2 strips. I do this until all the pieces from both strips are used. There is usually one or two pieces left over that can't be used.












Now I have little 1 inch nine-patch squares.










These are the steps I am working on at the moment. Once I am done making all my squares I will show what I have to do next. Pretty soon I will have a quilt that I can pass down to my children and tell them I bought the fabric when I was on my honeymoon and they can give it their kids. :)

Party for Ruhiyyih

On Sunday a bunch of us got together to have a little good-bye party for Ruhiyyih. She is moving to Washington D.C. on Thursday of this week. It was mostly family but also some of Ruhiyyih's close friends came also. We had a great time visiting. You can also read about the party on my mother-in-law Bonita's blog also. :) Here are some pictures I took of everyone.

This is a picture of Bonita standing on a bench in the living room taking a picture of the whole group. :)
Here are all five siblings together one last time before Ruhiyyih moves. From top to bottom: Laurel, Rue (my hubby), Ruhiyyih, Taraz and Rahmat.

I loved this picture because the cake matches Ruhiyyih sandals and Taraz's shirt perfectly. They ate the cake while we all sat around discussing what it must tast like. Laurel said it was a great way to enjoy the cake without actually eating all the calories. :)

Here are some pictures that my mom took.

My big bro, Ben.

George and Bonita. Cute couple! :)
Rahmat messing with Taraz. Don't you love their hair!? :)
Ruhiyyih and Justin, her best friend Veronica's little boy. He was such a delight at the party.

Me tickling Justin. Isn't he so cute!?

As you can tell, we had a great time! I love getting together with family and friends. I am so thankful for the family that God had blessed me with. We are going to miss Ruhiyyih when she goes but she is following what the Lord has lead her to do.

A little outing with Rue

I was feeling really restless today and my husband Rue could see it. Outside the sun was shining (although it was very cold) and I just didn't want to be in the house.
Rue decided to take me with him when he went over to the library in Tacoma. He said after the library we would go down to Ruston Way on the waterfront. So we headed to the library and checked out some books and movies to enjoy this evening. Then we headed down to Ruston Way. I made sure to bring my camera and my snowboarding jacket. Rue wanted to rollerblade, so he did. I decided to walk. So he would rollerblade a down the walk a little and then turn around and come back to where I was, talk with me for a little bit and then head out again.
Having a good fresh breath of sea air and sunshine was so rejuvenating. The air was so cold but it felt so good.
We stopped on a pier and I took a picture of Mount Rainier and Tacoma to the east and a picture of the Olympic Mountians to the west. The water was a beautiful deep blue and was really choppy with white-caps.
When we got back to the car our cheeks and noses were red from the cold. I felt like I had so much energy though. We drove over to the Antique Sandwich company to get some hot coffee. On the way there is an old concrete tunnel that you must drive through. It is an extremely narrow tunnel. There were icicles hanging from the ceiling and ice all over the walls. It was really pretty to see.
At the Antique Sandwich Company we both got coffee, Rue regular and me decaf. I brought a little baggy of some sugar-free creamer powder because I can't have sugar right now. We sat down in the back of the room and chatted for a little while. This place was a little different than I am used to. They had all kinds of interesting art up on the walls and rugs that looked like perhaps they came from India. There were all kinds of little wooden statues and nick-nacks. Rue described it as being "hippy".
We then headed down the street to Point Defiance Park. We took the 5 Mile Drive which is so lovely. The trees and shrubs are so dense you could almost forget that you are only a couple minutes outside of Tacoma.
We stopped at one look-out point and as we were driving away a little raccoon came out of the bushes right next to the car. I rolled the window down to take a picture. He kept coming closer so I think he must of thought that we had food for him. But then he turned aroung and scurried back into the bushes.
At the last look-out we could see the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and the construction of the new bridge on the other side of it.
After this we headed home. I am so glad that Rue had me come with him today. I had such a delightful time! :)

Brrrrrr! It's cold!

My mom took this picture of my parent's thermometer yesturday morning when she woke up. The sun is shining and it is gorgeous outside but absolutely frigid. It was also very windy yesturday and the wind chill made it feel like it was 10 degrees outside.

Getting Ready...

Today marks the fifth day that I have been on the South Beach Diet. The cravings I had for sweets and carbs have finally died down. The first few days were pretty hard especially since I am sick. I have lost 2 pounds which is good! I wish that it would have been more but at least I am losing weight and not gaining it! :) I haven't exercised all week because of my cold and also my energy level has been so low from not having any carbs. But this morning when I woke up I was a lot peppier and I feel really good. My throat is a little itchy from my cold but not enough to really effect me. I plan on going to the gym this afternoon and workout. I know it will feel good. I plan on this whole next week working out as much as I can to help my weight loss.
Slow and steady wins the race! :)

Snack Time

I arrive at my nanny job at 2pm and the two boys I watch are already down for their afternoon nap.
Right on cue, at 3:30pm, is when they wake up. I usually hear Gabe (1 year old) first and then Isaac (3 years old) wakes up and starts talking to him. It is always fun to walk into their room because Gabe's little face always has a big grin on it from behind the crib bars. He knows what is coming, snack time! I get them ready and we head downstairs to the kitchen. Isaac climbs up into his blue booster seat at the table and I put Gabe in his high chair. I go and get some fruit and cut it up small enough for Gabe to munch on and then give Isaac his fruit too. Then I get Gabe a bottle of milk to go along with his fruit and Isaac either water or juice. On some days Isaac will have some yogurt as a snack and on special days he will get a cookie.
I also try to give Gabe some cheerios but he just doesn't seem to like carbs except for fruit. The only things he likes to eat are fruit or protein. When I told my husband Rue about this he said in his best Arnold Swartzenager voice. "He's going to be a body-builder!"

After snacks are eaten, then of course comes clean-up. Isaac is the easiest because all I have to do is tell him to go wash his hands and face. He goes into the bathroom, pulls out his little stool and cleans himself up. Gabe on the other hand usually manages to get fruit all over himself, in his hair and on the high chair. So it takes me a little time to get him clean. He doesn't like his face to be wiped off so he squirms and this makes it a little more difficult. Once the task is done they are both happy with happy tummies. And then it's play time! :)




(I took these pictures of the boys as they were waiting for their snacks.)

Will it snow?

Pacific Northwest meteorologists are saying that tonight the temperature is suppose to dip into the mid 20's. Now I know in some places that seems like no big deal, but we rarely get temperatures that low. And then on Thursday night the high is suppose to be in the teens. Then on Friday, during the day, it will only reach freezing. They call it the Artic Blast since all the cold air is coming down from Canada.
But sadly, there will not be any moisture so that means no snow. I would love for it to just dump snow on us so we could enjoy a good snow before the winter is over. Rue and I did go up to Crystal Mountain and went snowboarding (which you can read about here) and that was fun to see all the snow in the mountains. It was so beautiful.
Who knows, maybe they are wrong. Maybe it will end up snowing. The meteorologists here in the Northwest have been known to make mistakes before. :)


(You can check out our weather forecast here)

Valentine's Day

My sweet hubby bought me this bouquet of roses and the balloons for Valentine's Day. Also he gave me the Canon digital camera that took this picture!! He had me open it right before we went to dinner. I was so happy! I have wanted a digital camera for the longest time. Now I can take lots of pictures and post them on my blog.
Let the picture taking begin! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Rosie

Rosie is my dear, sweet kitty that Rue gave me for my 21st birthday this last July. One day he came home and handed my a shoebox and said, "Happy Birthday!". I heard a little meow and I opened the box to the cutest little kitten. I picked her up and cuddled her for the longest time. She was so sweet. I bought her a little collar with a bell on it. She was so tiny that we could not hear her when she was walking around. I was afraid that she was going to get stepped on! My little bell was the perfect idea and if she couldn't be found all you had to do was stop and listen for the little bell.
She was sweet and also feisty! She loved to play and would "attack" your feet whenever she got the chance, and she still does. She would hide around the corner in the hallway and jump out at you when she heard you coming. She was only as big as a coffee mug. So, try to imagine a little ball of fur as big as a coffee mug arching her back and "attacking" your feet. It was the cutest thing. She would also do this little thing where she would arch ber back and run/bounce across the floor. Rue played the most rough with her and she loved it and still does.
But of course all little kittens must grow up, but she is still very small for a full grown cat. She still loves to play rough and "attack" you, but also loves to cuddle. One thing she hates is to be alone. Most cats would run and hide if there were a lot of people around but she wants to be with everyone.
When I go to bed at night she sits by the bedroom door and meows for a couple minutes before she realizes I won't be coming back out. When the alarm goes off she hears it and comes and scratches at the bedroom door until I get up. Then I must pick her up and cuddle her for a few minutes. She just purrs and purrs. And then starts "attacking" my feet!
I love my little Rosie! I think she is the sweetest cat in the world! :)

(My mom took these pictures of Rosie.)

Rue and Annie

Valentine's Banquet

2006

Getting Ready...

Well, my friend Hannah and I have decided to do the South Beach Diet together. As most of you know she just had a baby and has some "baby fat" that she wants to get off. And I of course want to lose some extra weight before I put some "baby fat" on. I thought it would be nice to have someone to do the diet with because then there is accountability. (As if posting my efforts on the internet isn't accountability enough!) :)
The South Beach Diet has 3 phases. The first phase is the most strict. It is pretty much no fat, no sugar, no carbs. You can eat all the vegetables you want, except for things like corn and carrots that have high in sugar. You can have low-fat and non-fat cheeses and eggs. And lots and lots of lean meat, such as skinless chicken breasts and fish. Also you can have nuts but only a certain amount. But absolutely no bread or fruit of any kind. (There are more details but I won't go into them.) And of course no junk food. You are aloud 75 calories of sugar-free candy if you desire, but sugar-free candy messes up my stomach, so I am going to stick to the sugar free jello which doesn't bother me.
Hannah and I each got the South Beach Diet Cookbook from the library and did our grocery shopping. I have my lunch and dinner meals all planned out for the week. You stay on phase one for 2 weeks or more if you feel that you can stand it. Then you move on to phase 2 where you start to introduce fruit and whole grains back into your diet. Weight loss will slow some on phase 2, but you stay on this phase until you lose the amount of weight you want. Then phase 3 is pretty much eating healthfully. By then end of the first phase most cravings for junk food should be gone. I am looking forward to that. It would be so much easier to eat healthy if I didn't crave junk food.
So anyways, this will be an adventure but I am glad to be doing it with Hannah. My husband is throwing in his full support also. I will let you know how much weight I have lost this coming Sunday!! :)

Valentine's Banquet

The youth group at my church put on their annual Valentine's Banquet for the church last night. We started the tradition when I was in the youth group. The first time we put it on was 6 years ago. The youth group made chicken cor don bleu with green beans and red potatoes. There was also a lime punch served with dinner and a garden salad to start. Then for dessert there was a yummy white cake with strawberry and chocolate sauce.
The room was decorated with white Christmas lights and lots of pillar and tealight candles. There were vases of different flowers on each table.
They played the old/newly wed game. Rue and I were called up to play, so were Hannah and Gabe. We had so much fun. Rue and I got three points and Hannah and Gabe won with four. We all had a good laugh. There were four other couples who played also.
The speaker was Marty's (our old youth leader who in now a pastor in Bellevue) brother-in-law who also a pastor. He spoke about having high expectations for your marriage. He talked about how all to often we settle for less than we actually could have in our marriage. It was a really good lesson.
When everyone was leaving they gave each lady a red rose. We had a great time of fellowship!


(My mom took these pictures. Aren't they pretty!)

Watson's Nursery

This morning I met my best friend Hannah at 9am. She packed up little Gabriel in the car and we went to go find Watson's Nursery in Puyallup. Gabriel looked like a little teddy bear with his hood with the little ears on it. I just wanted to squeeze him! The sun was shining and it just made everything so much more peppy and happy.
I had gotten the directions from mapquest and we took a wrong turn at first but we turned around and we eventually found the nursery. They had a beautiful outdoor area with lots and lots of primroses plus all kinds of other flowers also. We went inside a big green house where there is a gift shop and a coffee stand. I ordered a hot chai and Hannah got a latte. We sat and talked for awhile and she held Gabriel because he doesn't like sitting in his carrier too long. Then we started shopping. We looked at all the flowers outside and I decided to get some primroses, tulips and forget-me-nots. Hannah really wanted pansies but unfortunately they had a very small and very poor selection so she decided to wait and get them somewhere else. Gabriel was getting fussy and when we went in to pay his little voice echoed off the glass ceilings and walls. Once we got back in the car he was soon asleep.
I always love spending time with Hannah. Since we have both been married and now she has a little one our time together has grown less. I really treasure her friendship and the time we do get to spend together.

This is a picture my mother-in-law Bonita took when she went to Watson's with Ruhiyyih. You can read about their visit on her blog.

Ben's Back!

My big brother left Alaska on Tuesday because he felt that the Lord was leading him to come back to Washington. He lived in Alaska for about 2 years. He really likes it and wishes he could stay but he really wants to go to Bible College. He wants to work here and save up his money and go to Frontier Bible School in Wyoming and study to be a youth pastor. I am happy to have my brother close by again!

...love is kind...

"Love is patient, love is kind; love does not envy; love does not boast, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, is not selfish, is not easily angered, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in sin, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails..." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

The first act of love is patience. Patience requires holding our tongue when we want to lash out when we feel someone has wronged us.
The next way to show love puts us into action. Once we have held our tongue and not returned evil for evil, we can show kindness. We must consider others better than ourselves like Philippians 2:3 says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." If we think we are better than those around us chances are we aren't going to treat them with love and kindness. We are going to want them to make us happy and when they don't we are not kind to them.
The definition of kind is: 1. of a friendly, generous or warm-hearted nature 2. showing sympathy or understanding 3. humane; considerate 4. forbearing; tolerant 5. generous; liberal 6. agreeable; beneficial
The one I found interesting is "beneficial". Do people benefit from being around me? Do they come away feeling encouraged by my kindness? Or do they feel aggrivated because I was harsh with them? Do I make others burdens heavier or lighter? Am I one of their burdens!?
I have to work at cultivating kindness in my life every single day. But God wants me to be looking for ways to show His love to others. The Bible says that we are to "do unto others as you would want them to do to you." It says do unto others. We are to look for ways to make people's burdens lighter. If we see someone hurting or in need then we need to help them in any way we can. And a lot of times the people we need to show kindness to the most are the ones living under the same roof!
I pray everyday that the Lord would help me to be kind to those around me and the place I can start is with my own family. Just as God is working in my heart to cultivate patience, He is also working in my heart to teach me kindness.

• "When we truly care about people, we find ourselves paying attention to the circumstances of their lives and being concerned about their welfare." - Elizabeth George

• "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12

• "She opens her mouth in wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." Proverbs 31:26