"perfect" is only found in the dictionary.

Good morning and happy Monday! I pray your wake up has been a good one and that the day is filled with joy and laughter! I had a wonderful weekend, marriage and Mother's day all rolled in to one. Who could ask for more? It is a beautiful day here in Utah, the sun is just topping the mountain and the skies are a magnificent shade of blue, a light breeze is gracing the limbs on the threes and birds of all varieties are singing in harmony. I love my "husband" boy does that sound good! 

In my morning chat with God I sat with only the sound of the birds singing and the hum of the refrigerator in my new little safe haven. I again thanked God for allowing me this little roof over my head, for there being food in my refrigerator and for Wayde having a job that will allow us to pay our bills, and to catch up on all that we owe others. I thanked God for the fact that I will get to join my daughter this week in the last part of her journey in becoming a mother, that I will get to be with her when my first grandchild is born and that I will get to see her as her new life journey begins. I asked God to hold her and baby Chalmers, protect them from any harm or illness and to make her deliver with ease and eagerness. I asked Him to take away her fear and replace it with excitement and to calm her emotions as these final days unfold. I thanked God again for allowing me to be accepted by Wayde's sons as a part of their family and to bless each of us with the same love that we have come to know and share. I asked special blessings upon each of you who encourage me, who take time to share in prayer with me each day and who lift others in prayer as they struggle along life's path. I asked God to touch your heart this day so that you might see the why and what of the path you are on, to gently nudge you forward and show you what it is that he needs for you to do so that another can be touched by his love. We are soldier's in God's army and we must continue the march forward, Oh Father in heaven, never relent on pushing me, never tire of the continual instruction I am in need of, never stop loving me! I ask for peace, calm, and comfort for each of you and I do so in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.


I am scratched, dinged, and unpolished...I am just thankful that the master maker is still working on me and I know he will always take me as I am as long as I am loving him!!! 

Take Me "As Is"

On her 50th wedding anniversary, a woman revealed the secret of her long and happy marriage. She said, "On my wedding day, I decided to make a list of ten of my husband's faults which, for the sake of the marriage, I would overlook." 

One of her guests asked her what some of the faults she chose to overlook were. "To tell you the truth," she replied, "I never did get around to making that list. But whenever my husband did something that made me hopping mad, I would say to myself, 'Lucky for him that's one of the ten!'" 

It's nice to decide what to overlook. In relationships, I get plenty of practice overlooking the foibles of other people. And I suspect they get plenty of practice with me, too. 

As they hung wallpaper together, one husband became frustrated with his wife. She seemed, to him, to be indifferent about the quality of her work. He felt she was doing a poor job. He finally put it into words this way: "The problem is that I'm a perfectionist and you're not." 

"Exactly!" she replied. "That's why you married me and I married you!" 

Miss Perfect certainly did one thing well. She knew how to overlook annoying observations from her perfectionist husband. 

We human beings are nothing if not flawed and imperfect. But, the point is, people are not meant to be without blemish. We're scraped and scarred, flawed on the inside and marred on outside. It's just the way we are. (Sometimes I think it's one of our more endearing qualities.) I never want to forget that "perfect" is only found in the dictionary. 

Even pottery may be closer to perfection than we humans, if Belleek Pottery in Ireland is any example. I hear that every finished piece there undergoes a final inspection. It is held up to a fierce, bright light and examined for imperfections. If even the slightest flaw is detected, the cup or plate or vase or sugar bowl is smashed to pieces. That's right. The blemished piece is never sold as a "second." If Belleek pottery is not flawless, it is reckoned to be no good at all. No doubt other makers of fine china and crystal operate the same way. 

I surely cannot stand up to that kind of scrutiny. I have flaws I haven't even begun to explore yet. 

How much pain prompted the words of that sensitive artist Vincent van Gogh when he lamented, "I wish they would only take me as I am." How many times a day are those words repeated by countless people feeling the sting of rejection? To be accepted as one is and not discarded as useless is more than just a wish, it is a deep, human need. 

All of us sport an invisible sign around our necks -- "AS IS." It means, take me as I am. I may not become what you want me to be. And I'm far, far from perfect. But I have some great qualities, too, as well as my share of faults. You will have to take me "AS IS" and I'll take you that way, too. 

AS IS will be the best guarantee any of us can offer. But quite frankly, most of the time we're getting a pretty good deal.