James 1:5

2:42 p.m. Today's project was to take Steve to be fitted for a "Father of the Bride" suit for our daughter's wedding in June. This will be his second and final stroll down the aisle in this honored role, after escorting our younger daughter in 2008 (right).

We arrived at the Galleria at Tyler, and found a good parking space at the end of the mall we needed to visit. Just parking was not without incident, however, because Steve cried out, "Whoa! Whoa!" as I backed up to head into a parking spot when there was no car anywhere near us. It was like his yelling, "Look out!" as I crossed a virtually empty intersection of the 215 and Alessandro on a green light last Friday afternoon. Each time, I remind him that yelling out has to mean an imminent accident with another car, structure or a pedestrian. So an otherwise pleasant outing today became very nerve-wracking for me. Frankly, I need wisdom in dealing with a potentially dangerous situation! Is there such a thing as a dangerous passenger? I think there might be...

The Suit Exchange people were very nice, added Steve to groom Pavel's list of attendants, and we found a summer weight suit in a slightly darker color than the group is wearing. That way, Steve will be a bit distinguished from the groom and his grromsmen. We can also use the suit when we have our 30th anniversary gathering this August, to renew our vows. Our highly sociable daughter Heather will be handling those details, something she's good at! Proverbs 18:16 says, "A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men," and in her case that is certainly true, whether organizing family events or representing a State Senator.

The post office was our next stop, because I needed to mail my mock-up book, Galatians: An Exploration of Faith and Freedom, back to Tate Publishing for corrections. While we stood in line, I spotted a stand of Valentine's Day cards, and suggested that Steve might want to pick one out for me. [Since he cannot drive or handle money, each year I hand him cash and take him to select a card. I've long ago given up on receiving any surprises, whether cards, gifts or flowers, on this romantic occasion. Alzheimer's would dash my hopes annually if Iallowed myself any hope of normal retail activity on Steve's part at all.]

So Steve went to the display, and kept picking up and examining the cardstock labels that separate and keep the cards in front of them straight. He'd take one out, look it over and put it back, but never picked up an actual card. I couldn't call out to him because that would draw attention to us. Meanwhile, a father behind us sent his 3 year old son over to pick out a card for his mom, and the little guy came right back with one. My sadness and dismay were almost unbearable, but I calmly stepped over and selected a card for Steve to hold along with some one dollar bills. We ended up putting it back because I only had enough cash to insure and mail the book, but I assured Steve, who needed guidance to find his way back to the display, that we still had time to get a card at the grocery store this weekend.

With dribbling tears as I write this, I am asking the Lord to keep me from taking this as a personal blow, because it's not my husband's feelings toward me causing problems, it's the disease, which like Satan, came to "steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10). I need Your wisdom, Lord, as well as Your love!

Continuing on our outing back across town to our neck of the woods, Central Riverside, we stopped in at the Auto Club to pick up tour books for Pittsburgh and Kansas City, where I am planning to travel with Steven this summer for his National Collegiate Bodybuilding competition. After a quick deposit of profits from my Mary Kay sales this week, we headed home to a late lunch.

Wedding details are being taken care of (with many left to work on), youngest son Steven's financial aid for college in this new semester is falling into place, the dogs got walked and we are now waiting to hear of a permanent caregiver for Steve. Our finances are generally hanging by a thread, but I will trust the Lord to handle it all, because He said that He would, repeatedly throughout His word. And I believe Him!

Yesterday morning, I began reading the first chapter of James in the New Living Translation and was comforted, challenged and convicted by the admonitions to godly living and assurances that God is with me to lead me through my trials. Believers are told in v. 22, NLT:

But don't just listen to God's Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

Convicting as that verse is, I am most drawn to James 1:5 at this critical season of our lives:

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

I determined to be a hearer, reading this chapter once a day in different translations for the rest of the week, maybe longer. So far I've read the NLT and NIV. But I am also determined to be a doer of God's word, seeking Him daily and desiring to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that I might overflow onto others with love and compassion, starting here at home.

Father, please bless not only the reading, but the acting upon, Your Holy Scriptures. In Jesus' Name, Amen.