Reality Check with Ann Downing...

I love snow.  I love it when I can get out and drive around in it so I can see the winter-coated beauty of God's creation.  Admittedly, I'm not all that keen about walking or driving on ice (who is!), but snow is fun.  While it's terribly difficult to drive or walk on ice, the powdery white stuff is gritty enough that tires and boots can grip.  I've got snow this week! Lord, help me not to forget that it is always better to keep a grip on you.  Remind me that when I find I'm slipping and sliding, I've likely lost sight of You and landed in something other than Your best for me.  Help me stay attached to You, Lord.  Help me get a grip!

Memories are a funny thing.  How they come and go is an intriguing mystery.  I think of my Mama and Daddy every day, but sometimes a memory is triggered and it's as if they're standing right in the room carrying on conversation.  They've been in Heaven for years now, but I never want those lifelike memories to change. Daddy was the first of our immediate family to make the journey Home, and I admit, I thought I would die, too.  Just the thought of not seeing him sitting on the front porch waiting for me to drive up the driveway made me so sad! Do I still miss him?  Of course... but it really is true that God uses time to heal the raw, piercing pain that comes with remembering.  Now, I can think about Mama and Daddy as they really were, ordinary people who loved their baby (I am their youngest) and did so much to make sure their "baby" was taken care of until they passed on to Heaven.  I love to think about them, imperfect people, but people who knew a lot abou