Mama Always ~ L.A. Brown, Author

...and since it's still not quite over, I don't doubt that there are still a few surprises waiting around the corner. I must admit, when we came into this year, all I was really expecting was my new baby granddaughter who was due in March, right around her sister's first birthday. Soooo, little Cutie Patootie made us wait an entire week for her arrival, which pretty much means that we have been suckered into being at her whim probably for the rest of our lives. All she has to do is bat those baby browns, turn up the side of her mouth ever so slightly and I'm giving away the farm. Sis has that ability, too, but she doesn't have it quite down pat as the Little One. I'm doomed to be a pauper. Of course, the first statement is just a bit misleading, because as some of you may know, we were also fostering a soldier's dog until we could get her home to Korea. With a lot of help from friends and United Airlines, Angel got home to her family in February. That wa...

Currently, I am reading a book called The Harbinger and quite frankly I have to admit that it is interesting. That said, however, I will tell you that as in the Left Behind series of books, I will take this as fiction through and through. I cannot deny that there are some interesting facts that have been presented, but the Bible says that for a prophet to be considered from Him, that he first must be able to pass muster, so to speak. The prophet who claims to have revelation from God must have a spotless record, that is, everything must come to pass with 100% accuracy. Period.  To me, I would think that is the only qualification that there must be. (Deuteronomy 18:21-22   21  And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the  Lord  has not spoken?’—  22  when a prophet speaks in the name of the  Lord , if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that  is  the thing which the  Lord  has not spoken; the proph...

Ever since I got off of the plane in Okinawa I have had allergies like crazy. Zyrtec has become my best friend lately, sorry Sandy and Christopher, but you guys seriously cannot clear my sinuses no matter how hard you try. As it is, Zyrtec is having its issues clearing this up. The allergies when I got to Japan took a wickedly weird turn for me....they made me look like a wino. Peachy. I first noticed that my nose was being attacked when it felt as if my nose was going to explode right off of my face, literally. I could physically feel my nose getting bigger. I could finally say that I knew how Pinocchio felt when he told a lie, except all I was doing was feeding my granddaughter powdered donuts. I took a look in the mirror and behold, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer stared back at me....well, at least his nose did. Praise God there was Zyrtec in my purse. Thirty minutes later, again I could physically feel my nose changing and low and behold! my nose was its normal shade and shape aga...

Blah! I hate allergies! You know, I never had any until I moved to Tucson, then all heck broke loose! And to think, Arizona is supposed  to be a place where allergy sufferers go to get relief. Yeah, right! I found out that I'm allergic to all kinds of wonderful stuff now and its all due to the dust and dry air of Arizona. When I first got here, I was OK with it. I mean, I grew up in the desert of Nevada...north of Reno to be exact. There's more dirt and sagebrush out there than I can even fathom. So, I figured that when my first marriage broke up and I went home to mommy and daddy in Arizona that it was a pretty good place to make a fresh start. I was miserable. Not only was I broken hearted and broken, but I had a two year old Downs child to deal with. It took me a bit to decide to quit mourning what used to be and to look forward to what will be. With the grace of God and a lot of help from my folks, I got back on my feet, got a job and started doing sneezing here and there...

Well, this is my last full day on the island of Okinawa and I just wanted to share with you some of my observations. First, in cas e you missed it , if a button or lever is in a language that you don't understand, don't push it ! Not only will it irritate the Okinawans, but you may not survive the experience if you are touring with family. I barely made it out of the Aquarium with my life after my button pushing experience! Just kidding! Seriously, unless you know what you're pushing, don't push i t. On another no te, a trip to th e   Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium  is a must see. Not only do you get to see a dolphin show with real and bottle-nosed dolphins, but they have a massive 7500 gallon tank made of 27 inch plexiglass that houses not one, not two, but three whale sharks, stingrays and manta rays, tuna and bonita, as well as a host of other fish. There is also a tank of sharks that houses tiger, bull shark and a couple of other species of shark that at the moment I c...

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: ' Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself' ( Matthew 22:36-39 ).  Throughout my Christian life I have read this verse over and over again. I have even striven to do what it commands, but, alas! too many times I fall so short of what I am supposed to do. Some time ago, while I was yet in my infancy in Christ, I had the opportunity to help someone in need and failed in that task. To this day, that woman's eyes haunt me and I will never forget the sorrow I felt at letting God down. I know that He has long since forgiven me and forgotten this lack of action, as they say, "as far as the east is from the west", but it will forever be a reminder to me as to what should have been the first of many times that I have helped when help was nee...