We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel you near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if each promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

A song from one of my Dad’s favorite movies.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

~  ~  ~

The only way we’ll ever stand
is on our knees with lifted hands.

I prayed for strength
And I got pain that made me strong
I prayed for courage
And got fear to overcome
When I prayed for faith
My empty heart brought me to my knees
I don’t always get what I want
I get what I need

Oh I don’t always get what I want
I get what I need

This is one of my favorites that she wrote.

Adoption has changed our lives in so many ways.  We are blessed beyond measure to be the forever family for Woody and Tigger.

When love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in

Yeah when I get where I’m going,
there’ll be only happy tears.
I will shed the sins and struggles,
I have carried all these years.
And I’ll leave my heart wide open,
I will love and have no fear.
Yeah when I get where I’m going,
Don’t cry for me down here.

I’m gonna walk with my grandaddy,
and he’ll match me step for step,
and I’ll tell him how I missed him,
every minute since he left.
Then I’ll hug his neck.

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that’s getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I’m blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You’re doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

If you want people to fall down and kiss your toes because it’s so good, make this AND serve it on a buttered-toasted sub roll.

Chicken Spiedies (Cooks’ Country)
You will need metal skewers for this recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
2 t. grated zest plus 1 T juice from 1 lemon
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
3 T mayonnaise
1 T red wine vinegar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
6 6-inch sub rolls

Instructions:

1. Make sauces: Combine oil, garlic, basil, oregano, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes in large bowl. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the mixture to a separate bowl and whisk in mayonnaise, vinegar and lemon juice; refrigerate. (Sauces can be refrigerated, covered, for 2 days.)

2. Prick chicken breasts all over with a fork, cut into 1 1/4-inch chunks, and transfer to bowl with remaining oil mixture. Refrigerate, covered, 30 minutes to 3 hours.

3. Remove chicken from marinade and thread onto six 12-inch metal skewers. Grill Chicken over hot fire, covered and turning frequently, until lightly charred and cooked through, 10-15 minutes.

4. Put chicken on sub rolls and drizzle with mayo sauce.

5. Serve to your family and be prepared for comments of how wonderful you are.

Notes (Things I Did Differently) or Tips:

I used the juice of 1 lemon rather than 1 tablespoon of juice because I wasn’t paying attention.  It made for a very lemony marinade, but it was delicious none-the-less.

I’ve only made this using the sub rolls, but I’m pretty sure I could get away with making just grilled chicken using this marinade.

I used the mayo sauce on other items later in the week. It is divine!

I’m also participating in this week’s edition of and .

I have fallen so far
flat on my face
I’m in need of your grace today
I stumble and fall
but in spite of it all
your love always stays the same
Hallelujah