The "F" WORD

Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel; both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back - in many ways it is a feast fit for a king - the chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.

Frederick Buechner

Today is beautiful! Gorgeous! perfect! Days like today make you forget what summers here in South Texas are like! A small convention of female grackles were hanging out by my car when I came out of the grocery store this morning. I always feel a little sorry for them; they're so drab and scroungy compared to the glammed-up males. I took a couple of croissants out of my basket to feed them. As I stood tearing bite-size pieces, the sunshine and the barely cool breeze felt heavenly! Had there been a park bench I would have sat down with the ladies and we would have finished the croissants off; maybe I would have even closed my eyes for a few minutes! An absolutely perfect spring day in January!

Last night I finished reading Forgive and Forget by Lewis B. Smedes, a book my mother lent me last week. A great book; I thoroughly recommend it. The other day right as I pulled the car into the garage The Heart of The Matter by Don Henley came on the radio. I sat in my car to hear it out. On Sunday our Pastor's sermon was about righteous indignation, justified anger, our need to see someone get what they have coming, and the necessity of forgiveness. Yesterday a mockingbird actually said "forgiveness" while I was doing my chores. OK, OK, the mockingbird part I made up! But it may as well have - that's how often I've been receiving little reminders these days :) Yes.. allright! I'm listening. I hear it through the thoughts of tomorrow's to-do list, getting the school uniforms washed and in the dryer, and where on earth can I find the water filter cartridges the icebox is asking for (?). There's something I need to take care of. How about you?

there are people in your life who've come and gone

they let you down and hurt your pride

better put it all behind you; life goes on

you keep carrying that anger

it'll eat you up inside

I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter

but my will gets weak

and my thoughts seem to scatter

but I think it's about forgiveness - forgiveness

even if - even if - you don't love me anymore

I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter

because the flesh is weak

and the ashes will scatter

so I'm thinkin' about forgiveness - forgiveness

even if - even if - you don't love me anymore

Don Henley

from The Heart of the Matter

I'm thinkin about it too. Love, RED