Linda got a doggie!!: The Lord led me back to the 1st pound we went to last Saturday. I just felt this tugging that I needed to go back and check to see if any more dogs had been brought in. Of course I headed right for the cage where this adorable blk/whi cocker spaniel was that had already been adopted, but was still there. Across from that cage was this dog with a very piercing bark that drove us out of this building the last time. But as I turned around to tell this doggie to 'shhhhhhhhhhh' I noticed this precious little dog cowarded in the corner. I tried calling her over and she wouldn't come. She was in this cage with 2 other HUGE dogs and she wasn't going to budge. I found out she had been there 2 weeks, so somehow we just didn't see her the other day. She was brought in by a family who just had a baby and didn't want to keep the dog. Probably due to shedding since she has long hair. She is 6 yrs old and very well behaved. I walked her for a bit and she seemed very calm, something dh required. I went to my truck to get my purse, she jumped right up there and sat in the passenger seat. That won my heart over big time. She is very very pretty, a small retriever mix. Blondish/reddish coat with perky little ears and the sweetest face ever. During our 100th board "birthday party", Linda was a rather popular person! This is what a few members had to say about Linda: "Linda, I am so blessed by you. I see you as such a Titus Woman. Walking with the Lord. And seeking His wisdom and passing it to others. Thank you for touching my life." -Susie "I whole heartedly agree that Linda is such a blessing in my life!!" -Jennifer "I think if one could have 2 mothers, Linda would be my other one." -Wendy#1 "Linda... if you haven't realized it from all the posts, I will let you in on a secret..... You are involved in a ministry. It's this board. The Lord is using you to touch many lives of people on this board. I am sure you are looking for one closer to home, but until the Lord reveals what it is He has for you, know that He has you here right now. Love ya lots!" -Susie "Susie, you are so right! Linda has a very important ministry within the board!!!" -Jennifer "...I love all of you but hold a special place in my heart for....(Linda)..God has put these ladies in very special places in my heart and life! I am so blessed from having them in my life and love them dearly!" -Jennifer "I second all the wonderful sentiments regarding Linda...She truly is an inspiration and a blessing to so many of us. She has been such an important person in my life and we haven't even met! Linda --- since we do live so close, I would love to meet you someday! I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for me. She truly is a true Titus woman and an inspiration. She has shown me a glimpse of what I am striving for. Thank you, Linda." -Rea Words of Wisdom: Just wanted to share something....(and I have an idea some may be interested in) Since there's been so much love in the air over the past week, I just wanted to share how the Lord filled me with more of his love yesterday and early this a.m. Dh and I used to fill notebooks with letters to one another. It was our way of communicating since I worked shift work,slept alot during the day and we really didn't get the quality time to either spend together nor talk. Our letters are very special to us and are kept safely in dh's closet. Well communication has been a little difficult lately, perhaps it's just a season, ya' know. But since I'm the talkative one and dh is the quiet one, the quietness sometimes makes me stir crazy. Besides, he's my best friend, and I miss communicating with him on deep levels. So yesterday the Lord placed it on my heart to write him a letter. It was awesome the words HE gave me to write, which were from the heart. It wasn't a mushy letter as one would suppose, but one that communicated what was in my heart during these last months of very little communication. I dropped it off (in a sealed envelope) on dh's desk, he was out on a service call thank goodness. I was a little nervous as to how it would come across since it had been so long and sometimes reading someone's feelings on paper can come across differently than they intend. Well, it turned out all good. Dh was so happy that I took the time to write him. Actually it took no time at all, when the Lord leads, it goes pretty smoothly ;0) So that was yesterday's love story. This morning I awoke around 2:45. Change of life does that to us ladies. Just when you are getting comfortable in sleeping through the night after all the 2:00 feedings, the teens coming in late, then comes the CHANGE! No sleep for the mommy's of this world! ;0) Anyways, back to my story. I got up, took a warm bath thinking it would help me go back to sleep. And with me I took an incredible book called With New Eyes~Fresh Vision for the Soul by Margaret Becker, famous singer/songwriter. It's a small book with 23 chapters, each only 4-5 pages, and includes some of her life story written from excerpts of her journal that she kept since she was a very young girl. It is so moving and very deep, and worth the reading. I would like to start a book chain, if anyone is interested. DD, Crystal and I do this with good books, we pass them around and have everyone sign them and comment what they thought. Then the book comes back to us eventually. If anyone is interested, please send me your name and address at and I will send it to you along with a list of names and addresses to forward to the next person when you are finished. I love to share a good book. This is one I'm going to have a hard time parting with as I thought I might read it again and again. But early this morning the Lord just filled me with so much love after finishing the book. I prayed to Him like I haven't prayed in a long time. It was a wonderful morning. ~ Lots of love to you all! Linda How did Linda choose her screename?... "Mine is pretty simplistic... since we are all familiar with Psalm 23. A sermon I heard before I got my computer stood out in my mind, as the speaker said regarding "he makes me lie down in green pastures" was speaking of contentment in our lives. For the first time in my life I have been content with many things, marriage, our home (very dinky home ;0), where I live (in the dry hot desert), with our church home, with where God has placed me. He blessed me so much by bringing me to this place of contentment. (of course, I chose daily whether to remain content, and admittedly it's a daily struggle that I cannot win unless I keep my eyes focused on Jesus! ;0)" See how the Lord works everything for good? He is a God of restoration..... "Quip for the day~~You are never so high,as when you are on your knees." -Linda "Quip for the day~~Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it" hmmmmm reminds me of God's mercy and grace with us. Just an fyi, these are from God's Little Instruction Book for Mom which is a collection of inspirational sayings on a screen saver. I always intend to use the quoters name but sometimes I catch reading these on my screen just as they are about to change to another saying. God bless all of you, may you receive his love and grace abundantly today. Love, Linda