Mosquitoes and the power of God*

I recently visited Oklahoma. Its beautiful, true-blue skies and pure white, puffy clouds remind me of refreshing air to breathe and that is NOT what we have in CA. In OK, there was no evidence of smog and the true, fresh rain it offers is “real” rain... It doesn’t sprinkle; it pours… Oklahomans are thankful that their three year drought is over.

If for some reason, you could not hear or see the rain, its aftermath was evident. My sweet body seems to be attracted to the flying, hopping, jumping, and ummm… skipping insects… (No, I don’t attract guys, I attract insects… Ha Ha… LOL…). I could have connected the dots of the swollen lumps of those, small and mighty insect bites.
After a refreshing shower, I decided to saturate my body with the aroma of mosquito and flying insect repellent. (I have to because I am one of those people who are allergic to one of God’s creatures and then there is that West Nile Virus thing). Guess what I learned? Never ‘SPRAY’ your legs with Insect repellent after you shave them…IT BURNS… (Sorry guys, but it was like that “Home Alone” movie. I wanted to hold my legs and scream like that kid held his cheeks. No Tamara, I didn’t do that.)
So I either spray on the stuff right after I shower, and my legs would burn, or I wait a while, but then the mosquitoes would attack. Which is worse?
For some reason, I kept thinking about the mosquitoes and their powerful bite and how it coincides with a Christian’s life (with the power of God.) If I could be like the tiny mosquito who may be small, yet it has a mighty powerful bite. It was so evident that the mosquito had visited me…(If it would be so evident that the power of God had visited me and was in me).
If I could be a Christian, (one Christian in the midst of millions in the world), doing the will of God and taking on HIS Power, How powerful would that be? WOW!!! Then if 5 people get together and do the will of God, how powerful would that be, and then if 25 people get together and do the will of God, how powerful would that be…and so on… WOW, that’s amazing and we can do it… God has a work for us to do...
(Take time to think about it)

Learning a few Lessons*, at the Airport*

Learning a few lessons, AGAIN…before leaving the airport
After I arrived at the Ontario airport, Liz was kind enough to help me bring my luggage to the “check- in” line before she left. We said goodbye and then I waited in line; you know the usual stuff that happens. When I checked in, the female employee asked for my I.D. and then she asked me to pick up one of the luggages to put it on the scale. I kindly told her that it was too heavy for me and asked if she would help me. She said, “no, but if you aren’t going to do it, then I am not either.” I said, “Okay.”
She then proceeded to tell me to bring my check-in luggages to another section to be screened. No problem, I thought. Then I tried to juggle 2 luggages, one carry-on, my purse, and a jacket. I had no luck; I kept dropping things including my ticket and I.D. I finally asked for help. The lady called for “assistance” and then an employee came with a wheel chair, I told him I didn’t need the wheel chair, I just needed a little bit of help to get to the security screening. The female employee said, “We don’t do that,” and the male employee kindly said he’d help me…I was so grateful…Everything checked-in and I was set for the carry-on luggage to be screened.
Everything was fine, until the security lady asked me if the small black carry-on was mine; after I said yes, she pulled me to the side to look through it… I wasn’t worried because I did everything the airlines said to do. I had all my medicines in their original bottles, no knives, guns (can you picture me with a gun? No way), or sharp objects, and I even had all the 3 oz. bottles in the Ziploc bag. So I thought nothing of it… She searched it over and over again until she pulled out a can of Cambells’ chicken noodle soup and asked if I needed this. I said, “yes, I planned on eating it…I was just thinking of my hunger and stomach problems, that’s why I brought it along. She asked me two more times, “do you need this soup?” I said yes, but then I was thinking: go ahead and take it…I don’t need it that bad… She came closer to me and quietly said, “I will let you bring it on this time, but don’t bring it on again. We are not supposed to let you bring on liquids.” I apologized for bringing it, but I told her that I was just honestly thinking of my stomach and nothing else and it never occurred to me, to not bring it.” ..So from now on, note to self and the rest of the world: do not bring Campbell’s soup on board the airplane.

When Leaving Oklahoma …
As I waited patiently in line, took off my shoes, my jacket, and put all objects in the bucket, I proceeded through the security section and of course, the alarm went off. So I showed them my metallic medical Medic Alert necklace which I thought was the problem. The security guy asked me a series of questions as he came closer to make sure I didn’t proceed to another area. Thankfully he asked if I was wearing a belt, I thought, -oh yeah, I just bought a belt in OK and it has a big buckle, so I had to put that through the security screening… I was so grateful it was my belt; I didn’t want to be physically searched.

NOTE TO SELF: NO big belt buckles and NO cans of soup. How will I eat or hold my pants up? LOL

Have a great God-loving day...