[mouth of tyler}

my kids are so into this choosing between Lucifer and Jesus. They say they choose light not dark,, the Holy Ghost not bad ones. So after a talk on choosing Tyler says "Mom, I choose Jesus" I had to put it down somewhere so I would remember that he said it. What a simple but significant little phrase this is I choose Jesus.

{knowing}

one of the sweetest assurances I have is that I am a daughter of God.

{storm}

i love the way the big dark blue thunder clouds roll in from the west. i love the excitement of the big wind that moves the storms i love the smell of the rain i love the smell of the wet dirt i love the little spot that i live because I am surrounded by big trees and blocks the wind so when you walk out side you hear the wind but al you feel is a soft warm breeze. i love to feel the storm coming. i love to see the lightening. i love to hear the thunder, I am always sad when the storm is short. i love after the storm is gone. i love seeing the sun come out bringing its warmth i love the smell of the fresh air. i love the dark clouds in east seeing the storm leave i love the big puffy clouds that still linger over head the seem so heavy sometimes they are so low it feels like i am in a glass dome everything seems to liven up and everything even to the little tiny flowers growing in this desert seems to be refreshed. when I was a little girl I remember sitting at the table of my moms house looking out her west facing window. That spot always was a comfort spot for me. I would put my feet up on the floor heater as my mom prepared dinner. I loved looking out the window watching the big summer storms roll in. I loved watching the first crack of lightening then listening to the thunder counting the seconds to how close it was. I remember watching moms face as the thunder boomed; her eyes wide and her lips pursed. Mom never really liked storms, especially the windy ones. I remember watching the hail and listening to how hard it would pound on the roof or how hard the rain would feel the gutters so quickly that there would be pools of water at the ends of the streets I remember loosing a new birthstone ring in one of those pools of water. in the middle of the night i would wake up because of the lightening I remember climbing into bed with my parents and my dad being awake to watch the storm with the windows open and we would lye their watching the lightening until I went back to sleep. I don't know if it is because we live in the desert where rain is sparse and when it is hot it is hot and dry. everything seems so brown and depressed. i wonder if i am the same way. so drained and sleepy. but when it raining even just a little bit i seem to liven up a little. summer storms will always be a big part of my favorite memories