Take Time To Dance

Baptist Alert! You may find the following offensive!

I can probably count on one hand the number of times in my life that I have danced with my wife.

That is not because I’m against dancing, and it’s not because I don’t love my wife. I don’t have any good reasons why I have not danced more with my wife than I have. I just haven’t.

Yesterday morning, as I was in a hurry (which is most every morning) to get my stuff together to get to the office, I was about to walk through a doorway to get something, and Karla was standing in the doorway.

As I moved to one side of the doorway to slip past her, she moved immediately in front of me as if to stop me. As I then moved to the other side of the doorway to slip past her, she moved quickly to that side of the doorway to stop me again. This went back and forth until I said, “Oh - I get it - you wanna dance!” (remember - we never dance…..)

So I reached out my left hand to take her right hand, put my right hand on her lower back and we began to slow dance to no music. She actually complimented me on my dancing. The whole dancing experience lasted about 2 minutes (after all - I was in a hurry!)

Her physical interruption of my morning pace was spontaneous, make-me-stop-because-I’m-in-a-hurry, and never-in-a-million-years-would-have-thought-about-doing-that-at-that-time. It was 2 minutes of the pleasure of the company of my best friend/the one person in this world that I have given my life, love, all of myself to for almost 35 years.

So….take the time to dance - it was by far the best 2 minutes of my Thursday, October 3, 2013!

P.S. As we stopped dancing, I looked her in the eye, and said “we need to do this more often” - she agreed.

Remembering - My Dad

On the day after our nation remembers what we will never forget, I remember my Dad.

Wilburn Jiles Worley (WJ) would have been 91 today. He's been in heaven since April 2009.

Five years ago, I posted the following on this blog:

For all these years W.J has lived and contributed to so many people's lives in a variety of ways. He has done so in what many would call "the old fashion way" - hard work, determination, and caring for others.

His dry sense of humor, his quiet spirit, and his work ethic have always impressed me, and anyone who knows him.

As a child, I remember him working 12 hours @ day - 7 days a week at the Gulf Service Station. I don't know how he did it.

Together we have built many things in and around our home. They are constant reminders of his ability to use his hands to create something of value. I love "constructing things with wood", and that love comes directly from him.

My favorite of all time is this deck that we built 20+ years ago (in the summer of 1988). The people who now live in this house probably don't realize how special that "work of art" is to my family, but I will always remember that experience!

(Good grief, I hope I can build something like this when I am 66 years old!!)

So, thanks Mr. Worley for being around for 86 years. You are a really good man, friend, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
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And today, on September 12, 2013 I remember my Dad and thank God for him...... and I wish he were still around to help me build more things!

(The photo at the top was taken in 2007. He is with my sister's grandson. I love this photo and the expressions on their faces!)

(The photos below tell you that generations continue - 20 years ago, My Dad taking my son on a ride..... a few years ago, me taking my grandson on a ride.)

She Only Wrote One Hymn

I wish Kate B. Wilkinson had written more hymns. The internet tells me very little about her other than she was from England and she died at age 69. What I do know is that she wrote these words and they matter....

MAY THE MIND OF CHRIST OUR SAVIOR

May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting; self abasing -
This the victory.

May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me
As I seek the lost to win;
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only Him.