Hey @Rick 

I guess we'll just have to agree to mutual admiration then, perhaps a sub-branch of the FITH club? All joking aside though I mean it sincerely. You're no fool, nor simple either. Humble yes, in the positive sense.

As for grace what you see is the overflow of what I receive, and you offer it too (usually easier for others to see than for us). I could be cynical and say that I was well trained by my mother to be the family carer, and there is truth in that. But it is not even half of the story any more, because God has taken what was part of my enslavement and transformed it (ever so slowly and painfully) into a passion for my own growth, and for supporting and encouraging others to grow (not as I would want, but as they need).

Thanks for the lovely reminder to partake of the same balm . I try, but sometimes I forget.

I thought you might appreciate this - I wrote my own interpretation of Psalm 23 last year.

Abandoned Lamb

God broods over me
I shall endure

He brings me home safely
to my beloved mountains
He calls me to immerse myself
in the river’s healing waters

He restores my soul
He leads me in the paths
of truth and integrity
for my sake

Though I dwell in the midst
of riot-torn Chicago ghettos
I am sheltered from evil
for He is with me
He fashions a shield
from my lost grandmother’s love
to comfort and protect me

He nurtures me in the face
of abandonment and abuse
He names me His own
His abundance pours into me
and overflows

His love and grace are with me
every day of my life
And I will dwell in Him forever

© June 2013

And so hope endures...

Kind regards,

Kristin