March 17 Happy St. Patrick's Day

While I'm not sure how much is memory verses having been told the story throughout the years-if you could turn back the clock 37 years and check up on me in the morning-I'd of been eating chocolate chips while watching cartoons during a Saturday snowstorm.

I don't think that I often snacked on chocolate chips but they remain a favorite of mine-right from the bag. That morning my Grandma TerAvest went to met her Lord and Savior face to face. No surprise as her body gave into the effects of cancer. I remember small things-she liked yellow, did not like loud noises. She taught the little ones in Sunday school. Grandpa allowed me to pick a flower arrangement from the funeral to take home and it had pussy willow buds in it.

We have cream puffs with green frosting, beef stew started on the stove [with all the substitutions not sure it's "Irish" or not] and the recipe for soda bread is waiting. Our neighbors will be joining us for a festive supper. Irish River dance music on the radio adds to the mood.

Mom and I chatted a bit today about life. How a scary thing about earthquakes unlike storms you don't have a warning. No warning like at lunch when Anna licked off something hard she found in her rice and beans chicken sauce. Cory with previous knowledge identified it immediately as the tip of the knife the cook used to separate the frozen chicken. She showed him the knife but he assumed she'd located the tip and thrown it out.

A reminder how fast accidents can happen and life can change. My medical mind raced to the horrible "what if's" even as my lips thanked the Lord that Anna hadn't swallowed the sharp metal tip. My second thank you following the heels of the first acknowledged our thankfulness and dependency on our prayer team.

We don't know when an earthquake, accident, robbery may take place. We rely on the Lord to nudge our prayer partners to lift us up when we need it most. Thank you if you prayed for us and Anna today-Thank you.