Last night Kyle was playing around with Snoopy and somewhere along the way Snoopy got scared of Kyle (for whatever reason, we still aren’t sure).  Anyway, he comes into the office where I am on the computer.  I continued working but when I no longer heard him in the closet (which he will sometimes check out and sniff around), I got up to see what he was doing.  My dog was lying in the far corner of our spare closet!  #1 pathetic-ness of the evening.  Because Kyle felt bad, he let Snoopy do something we normally do not do–he let him sleep on the bed.

Now I don’t know if your dog does the same thing or not but Snoopy likes to stretch out.  And if he fills the entire space allotted, he pushes his feet and back against whatever, or whoever, happens to be in his way.  Needless to say, Kyle and I ended up sleeping on either edge of the bed while Snoopy enjoyed the lap of luxury in the middle. #2 pathetic-ness (plus a couple more for throughout the night.  I have to admit I was scared of getting up last night, worried that my dog would completely take over my spot on the bed!).

Now, there are some mornings that I invite him to come up on the bed after Kyle leaves for work, but Snoopy usually stays there for a little bit and then goes to the door to bark at the wind.  This morning, after I woke up slightly cramped I made Snoopy get off the bed.  He didn’t move (#3 or 4 pathetic-ness).  Now, he is only 50 pounds and I can lift him with little problem, but you know when a child is throwing a temper tantrum and all a sudden they seem to gain 100 pounds because you can no longer just lift them up?  That exact same dead weight is what Snoopy did.

We did manage to get him off the bed and after Kyle and I did our devotions before he left for work, we discover Snoopy lying on the comforter on the side of the bed (#5 pathetic-ness).  I just had to laugh.

Snoopy is adorable, not to heavy to snuggle with, but I have to say, there are some times that the pathetic-ness goes into over drive…Just makes me love him all the more.  Look who’s pathetic now.

With Christmas now behind us, it is easy to forget the spirit of the season as easily as we dismiss the debate between Merry Christmas versus Happy Holidays.  Having just left this time of “holiday spirit” I have to wonder in earnest on the true giving aspect.  I know there are those who truly give of their time, whether at a soup kitchen, charity project, or other form of service.  I also know there are those who have no time, but instead give in a gift of some sort.  This covers the angel trees, bonus donations in the offering for a couple weeks, ect.  But why are we so intent on this concept of “give a penny, take a penny”?  To be more clear, why do so many today (including myself at times) have an ingrained mentality that if I give of my time or gifts, then I should GET something too.  Why can’t we be trained to just GIVE without any attachments?

Since I’m on the topic and have already riddled myself into using popular phrasing, I have also heard that when your hand is open in giving it is thus open also to receive.  Now this isn’t so bad.  Some people close themselves off and think that every fool should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.  Reality, everyone needs help at some time or another.

I have been reading 1 John this week and my thoughts culminated on this subject once I read the following verses:

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another. ¹⁷
If any one of you has material possessions and sees a brother or sister
in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in you? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 16-18)

Despite the hard workers at the ACLU, Christmas is still a national holiday and it is still (ultimately) about the coming of Jesus Christ to save the world.  Yet in all of the mubo-jumbo of “Happy Holidays” being the politically correct phrase to say, how can we possibly miss that JESUS CHRIST LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR US.  John tells us that “this is how we know what love is.”  Not lust the fills the soul at the shot of the most recent Victoria’s Secret model or the the condemnation of a man standing just of the exit of a highway with a sign saying that he is hungry and God bless.  Love, in it’s truest and untarnished form is sacrificial.  Now, how many can say that they would die for that man off of the highway?  No?  Jesus did.

Just like that.  Thats all there is to it and yet, that all there is to it.  It is by far the hardest task that anyone has ever asked of us.  To love in a sacrificial manner that people will know who we are by our actions.  But why is it so difficult for us to do this?  Why is it so hard to simply love one another as Christ first loved us?

I grew up enjoying a plethora of music.  We had Phantom of the Opera, Amy Grant, Reba McEntire, even Paula Abdul.  We owned Michael W. Smith and DC Talk, even some Yanni was thrown in the mix.  So I suppose with a varied introduction to music, it shouldn’t be any surprise that it became a passion of mine.  Chorus was the highlight of my elementary years and I advanced to band for my middle and high school days.  I continued to either play my trumpet or sing on the church praise team throughout college and I am now looking forward to joining my new churches praise team.

Over the past year, I experienced a strange longing that I never knew was real.  I wasn’t a part of any extra curricular musical activities and when I was in the midst of praise or a performance, my heart ached.  I discovered some time ago that one of my favorite forms of worship is through music so I suppose that shouldn’t be surprising, but I never knew how much it gets into your very soul.

I was privileged to play with a band that was extraordinarily good.  If anyone has heard of the prestige of the Mid-West festival (an international music conference), my high school played there Dec 2003.  It was amazing to be known as a well accomplished musician and to realize that I was playing music that some lower professionals couldn’t play.  Now, don’t take this as tooting my own horn (no pun intended).  I was no where near the best player there, or even in my own section (trumpets by the way).  Simply, I learned to appreciate the opportunity that I had been given.

To make music well comes from the soul.  You hear about artists of all forms, painters and musicians and dancers alike and you discover that their imagination is vast.  To be a true master of an art, it has to come from the soul.  I suppose that is why I find music as my favorite form of worship.  I can’t sing or play praises half way.  If I do…it’s usually not very pretty or joyous.  But when I play from the depths of my soul, I feel as if I am worshiping alongside all the beings of heaven and that’s where I want to be.

I received a notice today from a friend of mine.  She is involved with a new non-profit called the Greenhouse Project.  This organization is based through an orphanage in Uganda, striving to survive in a country that has been torn apart by civil wars for longer than these children have been alive.  They are using funds from an art grant to go to Africa, teach the kids art, bring back those pieces that the children create, and sell them as support to keep this safe haven alive.  For some, it is a chance to have their voice heard in a world that seems determined to shut them up.

As soon as I saw that my friend was still raising funds, I asked my husband how much we could send.  I wrote the check in that same sitting.  I am so proud of her heart.  She has a heart for those who need help and she is doing something about it.

That is Christianity at work.  My friend taking the summer to assist and determine where the need is in this orphanage is a step of faith.  She is being the salt of the earth and light in a dark world.

“Christian” has quickly become an adjective as opposed to the verb that it is.  How we can sit around as the world crumbles on all fronts is beyond me.  I suppose this is why I find myself at such peace right now.  I don’t have a job, I live in an apartment complex whose prices raise significantly each year, etc…there is a plethora of “stuff” that I could easily allow to drown me in sorrow, worry, and depression.  But I have my hope in Jesus my Lord.  I have a home.  My husband has a good job.  We are blessed to have friends and family who love and care for us.  Even our puppy brings a smile to the faces of the passersby as he appears to always have one on his.  Now, I have a friend who I have seen go through the trenches, also known as high school, and has come out, a semester from graduating college with a degree in theology, and has focused on others–loving and caring for those who are considered unlovable.

That is peace.

I joke about the unrest in Israel, asking my family if they are ready to go home.  They smile and say ‘better believe it.’  How about you?  Each one of you has a choice.  Choose Jesus or Choose hell for eternity.  Jesus=peace, hell=well, hell, eternal suffering and unrest.  Simple choice, simple answer.  The unrest, the deteriorating of morals and of “Christians” standing for tolerance rather than Jesus and the Bible…it is a very clear sign of the second coming of Jesus.

But for anyone who has not made the choice for Jesus, beware, in the twinkling of an eye, he will be here and gone.  When you go to work or to school and see the empty chairs, the missing people, you can no longer say that you were never warned.

Jesus is coming and this time, the devil is going to be allowed to take over and put hell on earth-unlike any destruction and misery that you can ever imagine.  I would suggest choosing the peace now, but that is just my opinion.

I am slightly embarassed to see how much time has passed.  It feels as if I have just let things fall to the wayside and yet, I get so flustered sometimes at the haste that fills every where I go.

The other night, my family and I went to see Marley and Me at the movies (cute movie, amazingly hilarious book).  Of course, much like when I read the book, I laughed exuberantly and cried pathetically.   I think it is more a remembrance of my own dogs that causes the rise and fall of emotions.

I lay with my new puppy dog, Snoopy, and I began welling up with tears.  He, of course, just panted in my face and fell asleep across my lap.  He is a good dog, but his nemesis happens to be cats.  Now, that isn’t a problem when my husband and I are at home in our apartment.  It just so happens to be an extraordinary problem as we are visiting my parents…they have 3 cats.

Having dealt with a dog who was not fond of cats before, I thought it would be nothing to introduce my Pointer/lab mix to the slightly smaller four legged animals who just so happen to be armed with ridiculously sharp claws.  Silly me.  Snoopy lunged.  The first kitty slashed.  Snoopy licked his nose and tried to lunge again.  Oh me.

The real problem happened the other night (coincidentally right after getting home from the movie theater).  I was taking my dear 5 year old puppy dog out for a walk, knowing that I couldn’t have him take off through the house, he was on his leash.  Well, one of the cats (the big orange tabby who has no perception of danger what-so-ever) was sitting calmly on the stairs, right in front of the door.  Snoopy, being keen as he is, saw the cat and lunged.  This time, with the bars of the stairs in between them, no one was hurt, except the glass  bowl that was knocked off of the table in the foyer…shattering.  I managed to drag him out the front door (thank goodness for claws and wood floors) while my loving mom and husband cleaned up the mess.

Snoopy remains oblivious.  Anytime one of the cats passes within his view from our closed off room, he begins to whine.  So much for the piece of cake I was looking forward to in celebration at my mastery training skills.  We will try again on the next visit (as long as he stays away from the chickens too).

It has been a long time since my last post.  It seems that with wedding plans coming down to the wire, my mind is everywhere.  I have projects laying around the house on about every available surface, trying to figure out the final items that I need to move up to Orlando and the best possible timing for that, then I decided somewhere along the way that I wanted to try and write a book.  Fun, but as I get further into it, the more “work” it becomes of course.  Then there is the highlight of the season (not that my wedding isn’t)…Operation Christmas Child.

Some may be familiar with it as the shoe box ministry.  The entire process of the giver is to take a regular sized shoe box (6 qt) and fill it with small toys, hygiene items, hard candy, school supplies, ect and drop it off as a relay center that gets it to the processing center before it is flown around the world and delivered to children who have nothing.  For most of these kids, this is the only gift that any have ever received.  For that reason it is also encouraged to include a little note to the kids, letting them know that they matter.

This seemingly simple ministry can change the lives of children and give them the encouragement they desperately need.  I have the pleasure of having a 19 year old girl, who received a shoe box in Russia when she was 10, living with us now.  Her story is amazing.  It is everything from every form a abuse to not being wanted by her own mother to having the teachers at the orphanage telling her that she was worthless.  (that is obviously the simplified version of her very detailed testimony).  What it all comes down to is that when she received a shoebox and the note inside it told her that she mattered and that the family that had packed that shoe box loved her all because she was a child of God, her life changed.  Someone in the world thought that she mattered, that she was created for a reason.  She was not just a worthless piece of trash to be kicked around and taken advantage of.   She was CREATED BY GOD FOR A PURPOSE.

Now, as the Teen Spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child, she is spreading the word and that love that was shown to her almost a decade ago.  She is changing lives by her own life and that is a powerful testimony.

Please consider packing a shoe box for a child in need this year.  The official collection week is November 17-24 and there is still plenty of time.  For more information and the locations of where you can drop off your shoe box, please go to www.samaritanspurse.org and click on the Operation Christmas Child link on the right side of the page.  Thank you for your gift and Merry Christmas!

I always find it interesting when I have a jumble of thoughts bouncing around in my head, but yet, can’t seem to grasp a hold of a single one enough to process it and move on.  For example, as I am now a few months within my wedding, I am constantly going through what still needs to be completed, what has been done but will need another look, and when I need to begin working on the next project.  I also am in the process of writing an extensive look at being a “radical Christian” (I’ll touch on that another time), and what are 5 simple ways to be effective for the kingdom that people may overlook.  This is interesting because very rarely do I have an extended thought on the same topic.  Usually I get on my soap box, say what I need to say, get off and put it away until the next subject crosses my path.  With this “project” I have gotten myself into, I am challenged to stay focused on this one topic without wandering too much.  But in the same fashion, I have to connect enough pieces of information, fact and opinion, in order to make it a length worth reading (10 pages just doesn’t seem to cut it, if you know what I mean).

And as I have all of this floating and colliding, I am kept up late trying to focus on at least one of them so that I might be able to write it down, get it out of my head so I can (hopefully) catch some shut-eye…restful sleep preferably.

Maybe in another 11 weeks…

Prayer is something that churches talk a lot about but talk a lot to. In other words, “PRAY for the afflicted”
“PRAY for healing” “PRAY for answers and wisdom.” These are pertinent to the Christian walk, but what does it actually mean?

Jesus said it like this when his disciples when they asked how to pray, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tel you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go to your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray:

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”

First of all Jesus isn’t saying you can only pray kneeling next to your bed with the door locked, all by yourself. He is saying not to be a show. So many have decided to, rather than being a light for others through how they LIVE, but to “witness” by being a Bible basher, screaming condemnation from the street corners and by praying loud and extensive prayers that people have to take notice of.

We are called to be the “salt of the earth” and a “light in the darkness.” This involves LOVING EVERYONE BUT HATING THE SIN. This involves living the lives that we would want Jesus to be proud of. This involves being not of this world. The Bible also commands us to pray continuously, which can (and should) be done without needing to create a stage for yourself, putting yourself in the limelight.

The second part of what Jesus was saying in Matthew is what people call the “Lord’s prayer.” In fact this is more of a students prayer, not to be recited word for word each and every day. It is a guideline of what can be said. One this that can be noted that we just read right over is the very beginning. “Our Father.” In the Greek, the word that was used is ‘Abba’, better translated to ‘Daddy.’

Years ago, my sister and I gave my dad a plaque for father’s day that read, “Any man can be a father, but only a special man can be a dad.” There is a distinct difference between these two names. It’s not the formality, it’s the relationship. A father gives his DNA to his child, a Daddy gives his heart and his life. Our Father in heaven created us to have an intimate relationship with him, like a DADDY and his child who he would give his life for (and he did on the cross at Calvary).

Now, the easiest way to pray is to talk like you would to a daddy, in conversation and the best part is not having someone to talk to, but someone who talks back. Just yesterday I prayed that my fiance’s flight would not be delayed much longer (he had been waiting for about 4 hours and they still had an “unknown” departure). This may sound like a petty prayer to be lifted up to the creator of the universe but he was tired and worn out, just wanted to be home, even if only for the night. My heart ached for him and I knew that there was only one who could get the pilot there so they could take off. Not even 5 minutes after I said the prayer, I got a call saying they were loading the plane and getting ready to take off. My prayer was answered.

This is one of endless examples that I could give of answered prayers. Some claim these are “coincidences” but I can guarantee any individual who had a lump in an MRI and then it miraculously disappears in the next doctors visit would call it far beyond a “coincidence.” What is overlooked by so many is that while they claim to believe one thing, so many worship idols.

It doesn’t have to be a golden statue to be called an idol. Worship is whatever you give your attention to. Money, clothes, popularity and fame. These are all idols that people worship. Jesus once had a rich young man ask him how to get to heaven and when the rich man was faced with giving up his wealth he found himself in a predicament that could keep him from the Glory of God. It isn’t about having money, its about having such a hold on it that not even the golden streets of heaven will get you to release the clutch on the check book. In this story, money was the idol.

So, you heard my story about how my God answered my prayer, as simple as it was. Now, when was the last time your check book or your famed movie star that you “idolize” or even your popularity answered your deepest need? Whether it was healing your dying mother or getting you to your plane on time, there is only one God that can talk back and change your life.

Prayer is alive and active conversation with a living God who desires a relationship…who answers you when you cry out?

A myriad of excuses arise whenever people face difficulties, especially with marriage problems. Kyle and I began our first of 4 marriage pre-counseling sessions with the pastor who will be performing our ceremony. This week focused somewhat on getting to know us, but to also address a key component to maintaining the ability to work through issues. That key, the thing that can keep people together in even the most amazingly difficult times it agape.

Agape love is that love which comes from God and can not exist without God. There are in fact three types of love: philia, eros, and then agape. Philia may be somewhat recognizable…think of a famous Pennsylvania city-brotherly love or the love that you feel for your best friend. Then there is eros. This is that passionate, sexual love. For a marriage you need both eros and philia, and can’t be survive without the other. Then above both of the others is agape. Like I mentioned before, agape love is given first by God so we can in turn share it with others. It is sacrificial and unselfish (“For God so LOVED-agape-the world that he gave his only son”). Marriage needs all three types of love to survive but the key beyond loving each other with this love, is to first love God.

When there is a strain on your personal relationship with God, you not loving him as you should, then you in turn will face difficulty in loving others in this manner. It is like a triangle of components to maintain such a powerful love.

obey His word

/                       \

worship—prayer

When these 3 are cooperating then you will be experiencing the ability to love others (in this case your spouse) with that same agape love, thus loving them with a sacrificial love. How endearing is that. To be loved with a love that you know that that person would give their life for you. This in itself gives you a greater strength to withstand trials and tribulations. It makes something that was once breakable and fragile (depending on either Eros or philia) to intangible and permanent (agape). This is forever kind of love–this is the marriage that God intended.

I received this in an e-mail and encourage you all to take the time to read it and hear what this one person is saying.  Continue to pray as a person of such influence is leading so many lost astray.

A Love Letter To Oprah

by James Robison

Let’s pray for Oprah Winfrey and everyone she influences.

Dear Oprah,

I remember when you first launched your daily talk program throughout

the country. My wife and I have watched with amazement as it has grown.

I know you have been gratified by its broad acceptance and popularity.

My wife Betty and I have been praying for you since Gene Self (my former

staff member and close friend of Stedman’s) began to tell me about the

relationship you had with his friend. On numerous occasions I thought we

were going to be able to get together and just talk based on comments

Stedman made to my associate. This never occurred, but we have watched

your television programs and especially the talk format grow until they

have worldwide impact.

Betty and I also host a daily television program, LIFE

Today(www.lifetoday.org <http://www.lifetoday.org/> ), which airs around

the world. I also founded the ministry of Life Outreach International.

With the help of countless supporters, Betty and I have been sharing the

life and love of God in word and deed in the U.S. and abroad. We focus

heavily on Africa, feeding more than 400,000 children each month and

drilling hundreds of fresh water wells.

I am writing out of a sincere love and concern for you. I have heard

some comments recently, visited the “New Earth” and witnessed the

influence of Eckhart Tolle. Some of your statements concerning your

beliefs and the direction you are going actually brought tears to my

wife’s eyes. She was stunned to hear your views of Jesus Christ,

eternity and the Bible.

You are a true example of the opportunity and success that America

offers people who have had difficult challenges. I can relate, because I

am the product of a forced sexual relationship on a 40-year-old woman.

As I child, I spent time in a foster home, then with my birth mother and

a stepfather who could not read or write. Later, my violent, alcoholic

father came back into the picture. It ended when I pointed a gun at him

in self-defense as he threatened to kill me. By the grace of God, I did

not have to pull the trigger. A couple of years later, I committed my

life to Christ and God changed me, established my life, and gave me a

future. My wife Betty and I recently celebrated our 45th wedding

anniversary. We have three children and 11 grandchildren.

We have witnessed the vast influence you have been afforded. There is no

question that you sincerely care about people. Your outreach in Africa

and your personal response to the suffering you have seen reveals your

genuine interest in the well-being of others. I believe you truly care

about others.

You have become popular because you shared your own challenges, your own

questions and your own failures. You have shared your battle with weight

and tried to help people improve their own health. Anything that helped

you, you passed on. I appreciate that. I sense that you believe in God

and want the best for all His people.

What breaks my heart is that somehow we, as Christians, have failed to

effectively communicate the greatness of our God to you. I cannot

express how much I want you to fully experience the grace that God

freely shares through Jesus Christ, as well as the supernatural enabling

He provides “to live appropriately and victoriously in the now,” as you

eloquently put it.

We both know that life can be difficult, but God Almighty has provided a

helper through the person of His Holy Spirit to walk through the valleys

and also enable us to experience success without our gain becoming

idolatrous addiction. He offers us the very things that you claim to be

discovering in a mind-boggling journey wrapped in New Age philosophy and

relativism. The Apostle Paul warned against the human tendency to

justify ungodly ideas by “changing the truth of God into a lie” and

allowing our own appetites and desires to control us rather than the

proven principles of the Bible.

Here is my great concern. You have obviously seen good Christians whom

you admire, such as CeCe Winans and Nicole C. Mullen. I know both of

these wonderful women and I am sure they shared the reality of a

personal and deep relationship with Jesus Christ. But where have we, as

Christians, either in our prayer life or in our example failed to

connect with you and inspire you so you could see Jesus as He really is?

Many have seen limited portraits of God, such as the extreme suffering

depicted in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ. But you may not have

been able to see the power of the comment Jesus made to his mother when

he fell beneath the weight of the cross in that movie. He commented,

“Mother, I came to make all things new.”

Oprah, He is the one who enables us to rightly live in the now. Only

Jesus Christ can free us from past problems, present pressures and

future pursuits that can become idols. Rather, we look back on the past,

thank God for the lessons we have learned, trust Him for grace to deal

with painful experiences, and provide present abiding power to count it

all joy when we face temptation and trials, knowing that He will walk

with us not only in the presence of our enemies and accusers, but even

through the valley of the shadow of death. He is our ever-present

spiritual and personal Shepherd. Think about this: He said it was

necessary to leave and send “another of the same kind” — the Holy

Spirit, His Spirit living in us in order for us to live life fully and

freely.

Surely you have seen the reality of this eternal truth. The fact is He

not only covers the past and provides for the present, but He also

promises to secure our future. We are, in fact, eternal beings. We are

not creatures of the day. It breaks my heart to hear you say that a

sentence from your pastor concerning God being a jealous God caused you

to reconsider your entire belief system. You misunderstood what the

pastor intended and the reality of God’s jealousy. He is not jealous of

us, He is jealous for us in the sense that He does not want to see

anything foolishly captivate us and take us as prisoners. God does not

want you to miss the supernatural fulfillment that He freely offers. It

is like a wife being jealous not because her husband associates with

other women, but because she knows that he might be captivated by a

false relationship and taken away from his first love and his family.

Godly jealousy is an expression of love and concern for our best

interests — not a petty human emotion of fear, but concern that we

might miss the very essence of life.

Oprah, you are gifted. You have been so blessed and I know you recognize

and appreciate it. I believe that you want to share the best you can

discover with others. But Oprah, can I encourage you to please sit down

and go a little deeper and discover something that will also truly

enable your friend Eckhart Tolle and others caught up in his teaching to

see that God has given us Himself in the person of Jesus Christ, who not

only lived and died, but now through the power of His Spirit is

available to live in us if we open ourselves to His indwelling presence?

This is not mere religion, it is relationship with the living God and an

unconditional love for others.

You are an honest seeker and sincere in your desire to help others.

Please give us as Christians another chance to clearly communicate the

matchless, amazing grace of our great God and give Jesus, the One who

has never in any way failed, the opportunity to become the fullness of

life for you and those you care about. He will enable you to deal with

the past, live fully and meaningfully in the now, and secure your

future, so that whatever challenges may come, you will have a Friend and

Father who never leaves or forsakes you.

As believers, Betty and I are praying for you and encouraging every

person with faith in Jesus Christ to lift you up in loving prayer before

the Lord. You are a special person and it is my prayer that you not miss

anything God has to offer. I pray that your journey will inspire all of

us to examine our lives and become more consistent, compassionate,

effective witnesses for Christ. Perhaps each of us as Christians should

feel some weight of responsibility for not more effectively

demonstrating the great message of hope found in Christ. Those who have

a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will never be disappointed in

Him.

God loves you so much, as well as everyone you sincerely seek to

inspire.

Praying His best for you and those you love,