conversations with Betty. . . .as we were sitting in the nursery, last night, chatting I asked Betty how her painting was coming along (83 years old and painting her livingroom by herself). She said that she has the walls and ceilings all washed and ready to paint but that with all the snow it keeps her from painting. She sees my puzzled expression and begins to tell me that she has to keep her driveway shoveled, and its quite a job because its long and time-consuming. Now I am in shock and ask her why she doesn't have someone plow it and she says that she loves the exercise, and as long as she can do it herself she is gonna shovel it. She smiles and then says, Oh' no one knows the best time God and I have together. I just love spending my days with Him. I said, "O Betty I am beginning to know about your love affair with God and loving it myself." she just smiles and says, "I just can't tell ya' how exciting life is with Him, we do everything together!" She then goes on to tell me that she has this big pole barn out back and that the summer heat makes the door, for some reason, swell and leaves a gap at the bottom so she had to cut a piece of lumber and screw it on the bottom to cover the gap, then before winter sets in she removes the board because the door returns to its normal state, only this winter she forgot to take it off. She needed to get her dipstick to measure her fuel oil, from the pole barn, and couldn't get in because now the board was stuck in the snow and earth. She said she dug and pulled on the door for almost an hour, praying the whole time that God would allow her to get the door opened. She got it opened all right, removed the pesky board and got her dipstick. These were her words, "Praise Jesus, he helped me do it! He helps me do everything!"

Now I have to admit that when I am stuck in the thick of things, frustrated and irritated, my mind isn't usually on praising God. . . . far from it. I am gleaning, from my conversations with Betty, just what a real walk with Him is, how beautiful it can be and how its all about letting God choose the order of my day and following His path. It's not easy, for sure, because my desires, my wants, my demands are still ever present and I am beginning to see that its not about me, it can't be. . . it has to be about Him.

Thank you, dear sweet Betty for another lesson and a few cherished moments with you. What a gift you are to me and I praise God for you! (someday I will have to take a picture of Betty for all of you to enjoy!)