Francy's New Morning

www.francesjudge.com If you have ever tried to create a website, and are a newbie like me, you will understand why I want to celebrate. After two weeks of pulling my hair out, I finished it. At least it’s functional…could use some fancy improvements, but for now I’m happy. On my not-new-enough laptop, the program for creating the website was so glitchy. Sometimes I could swear the screen had hiccups. It often cooperated like a two year old in the middle of a temper tantrum. Whenever I tried to drag words, they went too far one way then too far the other way…until I screamed for my son to help. In ten seconds, Elijah typed some numbers and moved my words exactly where I wanted them. My thirteen year-old daughter helped with the slide show of my illustrations. I had pictures disappear then reappear and sometimes hide behind an invisible wall. Just when I thought I got rid of an extra picture, the crazy wall would open and let the twin drawings say hello. Thank God for c

Drawing by my son, Elijah Judge I had plans to become a famous artist. If I didn’t achieve instant recognition, I would teach at Harvard University until galleries began requesting my paintings. But here I am…after four years of art school, I stand on an alphabet rug and attempt to gain the attention of fifteen pairs of eyes.   Instead of demonstrating the importance of the subtle variations in line thickness as the artist feels the edge of his subject through his medium, whether charcoal or paintbrush, I draw a line with chalk. “Can anyone tell me what I drew?”   Many hands wiggle in the air, so I call on the last hand raised, belonging to Anniah with large eyes and braids to her waist. “It looks like my shoelace before my mommy ties it into a bow.”   I need to change the subject before tears well as the class misses mom and wants to go home. “Well, it could be a shoelace. Does anyone else have an idea?”   I point to Liam who bounces on his seat. “Is it

Our very tired guard dog Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 NIV “Let us not become weary in doing good.” But sometimes I don’t even feel like being nice. Forget doing good! I’m tired. Irritable. Overwhelmed…in an Oscar the Grouch mood. All I want to do is hide from the dishes and dust that pile up while I work full-time. Is there any time left in my day to do good? God knows how hard it is for us to combat these emotions—He must, because he reminds us to persevere many times in His word. And He says He will help us . Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. Psalm 54:4, NIV. Our little Yorkie runs around yapping most of the morning as she barks at neighbors who dare to walk their dogs. Usually she is able to leap up on our bed, but after a morning of playing guard dog, she will look up at me with pleading eyes, begging for some help with the ju