It's another beautiful February day in Charleston. We have been having cool and warm days by turn (nothing truly cold to a transplanted Yankee). I don't have anything to write about, really, except that once again I find myself amazed at the overwhelming grace of God and His goodness to me. I can't believe He chose me to be His child. "I will glory in my redeemer..."

Taxes

I just finished my taxes. I think. Until this year, I haven't minded filing so much. It may sound crazy, but I guess because my taxes were pretty simple it never seemed like a big deal.

This year I have sat down to do them at least a half a dozen times. The first three or four times, I realized I didn't have some receipt or something that I needed, so I had to wait until I could go home and dig through my files.

I finally got my paperwork in order, then something happened between my computer and the software to keep me from filing or printing. There's always something, I guess. The software wouldn't print, it wouldn't take my routing number, and it kept insisting that I skipped a step. As punishment, it would send me back to the beginning. As result, what should have taken about forty minutes has taken...well...a lot longer. I guess they just want to make sure that I earn the money I'm supposed to get back. Twice.

Anyway, having griped, I do have to admit that I make part of my living by the complexities of the tax code and I working on a limited basis with a lot of people who make all of their living by it. That's not to say I'm a big fan of it. I'm just well, tolerant.

Happy filing to the rest of you. In case your wondering, taxactonline.com works great. Except, well, when it doesn't.

Girls, Girls, Girls

This weekend, on a whim, I invited three girls from Pioneer clubs to go ice skating. We had a good time, although I couldn't help but notice that ice skating with kids is different than ice skating with adults. We were on and off the ice constantly tie shoe lacing, adjusting socks, trading skates, and eating food.

They have "skate masters" out now that take the challenge out of ice skating. Gone are the days of sink or swim, just grab a hold of a walker and sail around. Sounds like an up-and-coming Olympic sport...

Afterwards, I brought the girls to my house for hot chocolate and cookies. We were having so much fun that the girls asked to spend the night. I said yes. I'm crazy.

Of course, as soon as I said that, the power went out. The girls were sure that I hadn't paid my bills. I was more concerned about what to do without heat and hot water on Sunday morning.

There is something about a slumber party that makes people want to play pranks. The girls were creative but they lacked variety. After a while, I got tired of cleaning honey off every door handle in the house (the refrigerator even). Just when I thought the joke had finally breathed it's last, we were leaving for church and I found honey on my car door.

Anyway, I survivied despite the honey, the screaming (those girls have good lungs and, apparently, I have Palmetto bugs in my house) , and the beads that got strewn from end to end of my living room when one of the girls started making bracelets.

Just when I was breathing a sigh of relief the girls asked, Miss Danielle, what are you doing next weekend?

Quotes Worth Pondering

"It is a good thing to give thanks unto Thee and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High, to show forth Thy loving-kindness in the morning and Thy faithfulness every night. As Thy Son while on earth was loyal to Thee, His heavenly Father, so now in heaven He is faithful to us, his earthly brethren; and in this knowledge we press on with every confident hope for all the years and centuries yet to come. Amen."

"Do good in Thy good pleasure unto us, O Lord. Act toward us not as we deserve but as it becomes Thee, being the God Thou art. So shall we have nothing to fear in this world or in that which is to come. Amen."

(taken from The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer)

This Little Piggy

It's funny to me what things stick with you over time. Sometimes the strangest things come back to me...things that my parents said that they probably thought I never listed to...random stuff I read...commercials I saw once 15 years ago...that kind of thing.

I have this little pink pig sitting on my desk today. Someone who used to work here left it behind and I guess it reminded people of me so I ended up with it. It's kind of cute and when you squeeze it, it makes grunting sounds.

Anyway, as I looked at it this afternoon, it reminded me of an unusual book my mom read to us years ago called "Fair, Then Partly Piggy." I don't know why this silly story came back to me on this particular day except that the title probably describes both myself and the weather on this not-so-fine Charleston day. I should have decided against wearing pink this morning; I'm afraid if someone squeezed me right now, I just might grunt too.

I don't feel like getting out of my pig mood, but I need to conclude this and get to the gym...so if you have any words of wisdom for someone who is acting like a pig, maybe you can send them my way. Even if I don't apply them now, 10 years from now they'll probably come back to me. Who knows, maybe they'll inspire another blog spot.

I got to do something yesterday that I've been wanting to do for a long time...dirt bike! The ground was perfect for it-wet and muddy. I scared some people because the first thing I did was head for a giant clump of bushes. Curtis thought I couldn't stop...no I could stop, it was everything else that I wasn't so sure about.

If I had a digitial camera, I'd post a picture of myself with messy hair and muddy pantlegs riding through the garden on accident...but since I don't, I guess I'll leave it to your imagination.

Capturing Moments

During a recent conversation with my brother, he told me that he had started reading a book in his spare moments...usually the few minutes of down time that he has in school when he gets to class a little early.

That conversation has prompted me to think a little bit more about how I use those short blocks of time "in-between" the other things I do. I have letters to write and books to read, and I never seem to be able to check those things off my to-do list.

A friend of mine told me that he made it a point to read 15 minutes worth of legal and procedural rules every morning during his first year of law practice. That little thing and those few moments have paid off in a major way. It's amazing what knowing the rules of the game will do.

So, Paul, you motivated me to start trying to capture the moments. For starts, I'm going to start reading an English manual because I feel like my grammar skills could use a little brushing up. I don't care if I read a sentence a day; that will be one sentence more than I have been reading. And I have a feeling that I will be surprised at how many moments for capturing come my way.