THANKS FOR EVERYTHING

One of the things we learn as young Christians is this . . "in all things give thanks". I don't want to say that I always do it (give thanks). I know I should. I realize it is God's plan. I know it in my head, but my heart often moves away from thanks to complaining and discouragement.

I was in a Sunday School class recently when there were several announcements about people who were sick. There wasn't much "thanks" expressed in the group; there was mainly concern for the welfare of the individuals. When it was announced that one's illness had turned towards health, there was a literal gasp and praise the Lord. It is so difficult to praise the Lord when people are sick and dying, but that's what the Bible means when it says . . "to give thanks in all things." Of course, it's difficult to do. But that is what sets us apart from the lost world. We as Christians have a great hope.

It's easy to be thankful at Thanksgiving. That's the American way. Our job as Christians is to be thankful in the difficult times.


I want to be thankful in the deepest, darkest times of my life.

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise."

Check out this article by Paul Brewster. It says it all.

http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=29411

I WISH I HAD

It happens to almost everyone. As we get older, we think back to the things we wish we had done. The wish list is often connected with our family. We wish we had . . spent more time with the children . . lived a more Godly life . . read our Bible more . . expressed our love to our wife . . and on and on. You know the list. You've probably written it in your heart just as I have. "I just wish I had . . . . . . "

Over the past few years I've shared one simple "I wish I had" with some younger adults. This one is so simple that anyone can do it. It doesn't take a great deal of skill, and it takes such a small amount of time. Everyone has the potential of doing it. It doesn't take any great education or brain power. You just make up your mind . . and you do it.

For my children and grandchildren, I encourage you to do it.

To do what?

I encourage you to keep a journal. Take the time every day to write down some of the activities and insights of your life. It can be very simple or very involved. It can be done with a pencil or pen or computer or as a Blog . . or probably some other technical ways that I don't even know. It will be a wonderful tool in your future life as you look back at the activity of God in your life. It will help as you mature and grow and see yourself more clearly.

It would be fun to read something from my past . . to connect it with pictures of my grandmother . . or with some other event.

This is especially for my grandchildren. Start today! As you read your Bible . . and as you listen to God's directions . . write it down.

IT'S TIME TO GO TO SCHOOL

Kelli does a lot of writing for Lifeway Christian Resources, and she works from her home. Before Kelsi headed out to kindergarten last year, she had her own desk and work space set up right next to her mother's space. She really enjoyed working alongside as her mother wrote Sunday School and Vacation Bible School materials. She would do her "homework" and sing a special song as she sat at her desk.

She was certainly ready to head to kindergarten since her older sister and brother would be in the same school. She was ready to learn and to be with other children, but she did give up some "personal" time with her mother when school began.

She is the youngest and probably the last of our grandchildren, and she thoroughly enjoys her position as the baby of the group. Her little tender heart always wants to please adults. She always has a smile and a song. She's a joy. She's pretty special to me.

So we were surprised when Kindergarten began that a note was sent home to her parents, and they had to deal with a difficult problem. Here is her difficult problem! Her teacher suggested that she should stop singing while doing her work at school. It just wasn't proper for her to be singing when everyone else was doing their work.

Her mother had obviously not considered the problem that had been created as they worked side by side.

I like people who sing. Kelsi still does it. She'll be playing by herself and will quietly be singing a special song. She's a lot of fun to observe. She's learned not to sing at school, but she still sings around my house. I like her singing heart. And, of course, it doesn't hurt when she crawls up into my lap and gives me lots of Kelsi hugs and kisses.

EVERYONE LOVES SPORTS

Every one of our grandchildren love sports, and that includes all of the boys and the girls. Their parents have them involved in baseball and basketball and football and whatever is in the current season. It's fun to see all of them hitting and running and shooting and enjoying the "latest new sport".

They are all small timers when compared with Zach. He is the true "in your face" sportsman who enjoys it all. He can make a game out of anything. It doesn't take any deep concentration; he just makes up the game and makes up the rules as he goes.

I don't think I can remember all of the sports that Zach has played. They include all of the above plus street hockey, scgolf (combination of soccer and golf), swimming, diving, knee boarding, water skiing, four wheeling, hunting, fishing, and probably dozens of others yet to be named. He loves the competion and the challenge. And he is good at them.

Zach is also a good student in school, showing that he can handle the competition and challenges there. He is now in the 7th grade and is beginning to zero in on some specialties. There is so much that he can do.

Do it well . . Z-man.

LIKE MOTHER/LIKE DAUGHTER

When Samantha's mother Shari was a small child in Baytown, she had a very "free spirit" attitude. "I can do it myself" was her theme, and we tried to give her freedom to become the Shari she is today. She is a wonderful teacher, leader, mother, and wife. Her "I can do it" attitude has gotten her into some interesting spots.

I remember the time in Baytown when a young neighbor boy knocked on the door and asked if we would come and help Shari. We found her on the roof of the house. She had climbed up the fence onto the roof to retrieve something only to discover the difficulty of getting back down.



Samantha is the re-creation of her mother. "I can do it myself." There is no challenge she won't accept. It's always the great adventure. She has had her fair share of bruises, bumps, and "I can do it" moments. She has a rope ladder to her club house that only a "monkey" can climb, but she makes it with great speed. I guess her Dad built it to keep GDads and others out of her private space. And . . it's working.


I don't know what place she won in the science fair, but that's not her prize. It's the challenge. I like that.


She may just turn out to be a "rocket scientist" someday.

THE FUTURE/PRESENT WRITER

I really wonder what the future is for my grandchildren; I only want the best for all of them. But they are all so different; they have their own skills and talents and abilities. I certainly believe that is how God planned it; He gives each of them gifts to be used according to His will. I just wish I could hang around long enough to see how it works out.

Our beautiful Kaylyn Marie McAnally is now in the 6th grade . . a middle schooler. It's hard now to figure out right now about her future. Will she be a softball player (very good) . . or possibly a volleyball player (very tall) . . or maybe a scientist (great in school) . . or a people person (she's definitaly that). I don't know, and Kaylyn doesn't know. She does know that God has something good in store for here.

Writing is a special skill for her, and it may be because both her Dad and Mother are writers in their occupations. She has the genes, that's for sure. She has been a winner in writing competions in her school and at Texas State University; she writes things I didn't think about until I was full grown. That's a compliment, not a criticism. She is a very perceptive thinker. She is also turning into a very beautiful person both physically and spiritually. Here is something she wrote a year ago.

SOFTBALL SENSATIONS by Kaylyn McAnally

Four bases – pearly white, but smudged with chocolate-colored dirt – emerge from the infield to form the corners of a softball diamond. The bleachers reflect bronze, silver and gold, as though they were made from Olympic medals. From the sky’s balcony seats the marshmallow clouds cheer for both teams.

The scent of water is thick and warns of rain. Churning dust tickles my nose every time I scoop up a grounder. The fragrance of newly-cut grass greets players running to the lush, green outfield. The aroma of my leather glove gives me the confidence to make the big play.

I try to block the sounds of the infield’s chattering as I step up to the plate. The fans’ cheers help me focus. The ball whizzes past home plate for a…strike! “Zero balls, one strike,” the umpire grunts. The next one zooms in and I swing… the “ding” announces my hit …all the way to the fence!! My cleat thuds as I step onto home plate. “Safe!”

I’m tired in the last inning of the game. My worn-out glove feels like an overgrown hand. The ball is hit and I lunge forward to make the catch. The ball lands forcefully in my glove, stinging my hand underneath. Teammates rush over, tackling me in a triumphant team hug.

My dry mouth enjoys the cold, crisp water I pour down my throat. A teammate offers me sour watermelon bubblegum. Instead, I grab a handful of salty sunflower seeds. Spitting the seeds onto the dugout floor, I celebrate our team’s win. Licking my lips, I discover the sweet flavor of victory.

My senses come alive at the softball field.
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One last GDad comment . . isn't Kaylyn something?

SAM GROWS UP

RL and I were at one time concerned that we would never be grandparents. It seemed that it took a long time for our first to come along. But Sam Cotter was born in 1994 , and then we had one new grandchild a year for the next 7 years. It just took our gang a little time to get started.

Most grandparents are a little crazy over their first one, and I was especially crazy since he was named for me. Sam and I have had a lifelong battle over saying over and over again, "No, I am Sam Cotter". He likes it, and so do I.

He's now 14 and a Freshman at Kingwood High School. Time does fly, doesn't it? The first 14 years of his life have come so fast. But now I think he's not as interested in his GDad as he once was. He has other interests.

He had his first real "date" recently with a friend from his church youth group. We coulnd't believe it. That's not our little boy. A suit and tie really cleans up a young man.

Congratulations to Sam for reaching a new point in his life. RL and I will continue to pray for him that he will listen to God's leadership for his life. God has a great plan for him; I'm just excited to see what the next 14 years will bring.

Don't they look great?

A TOUCHDOWN FOR MITCHELL

Every little boy needs to be encouraged. That's the problem with many who are parents. They just don't know how to "lift up" their children; they spend all of their time explaining what the child has done wrong. That's a dangerous method.

We went to one of the peewee football games recently. The 1st and 2nd graders offer a wide variety of entertainment. It is very difficult for these youngsters to understand the intricacies of the game. (I've noticed the same is often true for the Dallas Cowboys.) But, I digress.

My grandson Mitchell, a 1st grader, was playing defensive linebacker and offensive wide out. During the first half he did a lot of dancing around on defense, and he seemed to be lost about what he was to do. His dad finally gave him some good instructions, and he began to "grab hold" and make some contact with the runners. He was actually involved in some tackles for the team.

Mitchell's team was ahead 7-0 when the other team finally scored, and then they went for the 1 point running conversion. Mitchell did his job as they ran towards his side of the field. He grabbed the runner and held on for dear life until other players could join in the pile and the stop on the 2 yeard line. I don't think he realized that he had stopped the extra point, but he was happy to be playing with the other little boys.

Mitchell's team was running out the clock. They had one final play. All of the parents assumed a "knee" to the ground, but the coach of the mighty Columbus Cardinals had one last play up his sleeve. His quarterback dropped back one big step and heaved the first pass of the game into Mitchell's waiting arms, and Mitchell was off "weaving" through the desperate defense into the end zone for the winning touchdown. WOW.

You can just see it in the eyes of a young boy who does something right. He knows it. His parents know it. His GMom and GDad know it. He begins to understand some of the accomplishments of life. That's encouragement. Little boys like to please their parents. Help them with homework . . take them to church . . say positive things to them. They'll get it.

TOUGHENING UP COTTER

Remember my story about "The Marble Machine"? The grandchildren and I and Gene are still building on it. It's a work in progress, and we'll give you a better video view in a few weeks(months) . . according to our speed.

My 8 year old grandson, Cotter McAnally, was working on the project this summer, and we have been using a lot of hot glue for the machine. He accidentally got some glue on his finger, and he began to cry and run around. It seemed to burn him some, but I really didn't think it was much of a problem. So I did my GDad thing . . I told him it would be okay. Don't worry about it. Let's just keep working on our machine. So he did, but later on, we had to put some aloe vera on it to cool it down.

After Cotter was gone, I was working on the project and was again using the hot glue gun. I put a large glob of glue on some wood, and then I accidentally stuck my thunb on the glob. It began instantaneously to do what all hot glue does. It began to glue my finger. I yelled out and stuck it in my mouth, hoping to cool it off and to pull it away from my finger. I must stay that that worked fine except for one small factor. It didn't pull away from my finger. It tore the skin and some flesh off as I gnawed at it with my teeth. I've attached a picture if you're brave enough to see it.

Now, for the final story. I went back to Cotter and give him my sincere apology for not being more sympathetic with his injury. I didn't know hot glue could hurt so much, but I learned. I also learned how to be a better GDad in the process. After all, as an 8 year old, he's still learning the "facts" of life. I'm old enough to know better, but I'm not too old to learn.

I suppose criticism can go both ways. My grandchildren are so far out ahead of me in the area of technology. They are digital natives, and I am a digital immigrant. I'm trying to keep up and to learn, but it's not easy to learn a new language. I think I'll just call on them when I need some help. I hope Cotter doesn't criticize me too much when I do some crazy technology things and speak a different tongue.

By the way, the picture above of Cotter is not from the Marble Machine. It is where Cotter departed from his rolling scooter and had a dramatic meeting with the asphalt road.