Heart Hope by Olga

‘Twas the morning of Thanksgiving when all through the house preparations had been made… It was going to be perfect. The lawn had been manicured, the house had been cleaned. The table was set with the Woodlands Spode china set on Southern Living chargers, crisp white monogrammed linens and Waterford crystal. Fresh flowers adorned the table, and the food had been prepared. All was well, until... Billy had gotten up early with the kids to let everyone else catch a few extra winks of sleep, but while watching The Lion King yet once again, he looked down and that's when the discovery was made. I heard him heading down the hallway, calling Margaret's name and saying, "Come and see." A few moments later Margaret dashed into our bedroom with a look of shock across her face and announced, “Molly has lice.” L-I-C-E... How could it be? Margaret suddenly remembered the note that had come home from school the week before which told of an outbreak of the insect...

The keys were lost. I was delighted that I had not driven my daughter’s car and therefore had nothing to do with the disappearance of them. Everyone was scurrying around looking in the regular places--by the front door, on the kitchen counter, hanging on the key rack in the laundry room. Pockets were searched, purses were examined, even outside around the car was inspected, but they were nowhere to be found. Plans had to be changed and my husband had to take my son-in-law to the airport, my daughter had to walk my grandson to school while I waited at home searching for the keys. Where could they be? My son in law had driven the car the evening before, and there was not a spare set. The day was not going as we had planned… My pride knowing that I had nothing to do with the disappearance of the keys was getting the best of me, until I reached in my purse for and saw a set of keys--they looked like mine, but the house key was not the right shape. I was horrified. They were not my k...

If two of the fascinating people in the news at the beginning of 2011 are any indication of what this year will be like, I think it has the potential to be a great one. It is refreshing to me when a person will openly profess their faith in public, totally unashamed of what others may think of them. On New Years Day Texas Christian University played Wisconsin in The Rose Bowl and the Horned Frogs were led to victory by quarterback Andy Dalton. He has not always been on the winning team, but has maintained composure and a strong witness no matter the outcome of the game. During the post-game interviews, Andy referred to 1 Peter 5:6 about how when we exhibit humility God will lift us up in His time. This bold witness was seen around the country and gave me great respect for this up and coming athlete. The other person might be classified as a polar opposite of the elite college student. Ted Williams was a homeless man who had suffered with an addiction to drugs and alcohol, until a surp...