Afterthoughts

      Have you ever suspected someone of stealing?  After watching a woman in the grocery store look suspicious by checking all of the items but the one still in her shopping cart, those were my thoughts.  Two of the items already checked were like the one I suspected she might be trying to steal. Once she knew the total of her bill, she picked the item up, handed it to the checker, and asked for it to be taken off. I spoke up and said, "Ma'am, I'll pay for that.  They can put it on my bill." After giving me an odd look, she paid for her groceries, grabbed the receipt, and rushed out the door. Once my groceries were added up, the checker took a dollar seventy-nine cents off my total that would have been the woman's. I left the store totally confused. The Perpetrator Who is stealing in the night? Do people steal in plain sight? If seen, do we stop it? Or do we look away while they profit? Who pays for the things they do? The perpetrator will that's true. God...

Eugenia Appling Short      Domestic violence entered our home when my mother married her second husband.  Many times, he would get his gun and point it at her.  One time the gun went off and fortunately no one was shot. Many things happened through the years that caused fear in my heart. I didn't realize I needed to forgive in order for the fear to go away. At the age of fourteen I went to church camp.  The girls' counselor had each of us write a letter forgiving whomever we needed to forgive.  I wrote a long letter forgiving my stepdad. We were to mail it to ourselves. I did what she told us to do, but I never received my letter.  When my mom was in her seventies she came to live with me, I told her about the letter.  She said, "When it arrived, he opened it.  That was the maddest I had ever seen him." It was good to know he read the letter, and he knew I had forgiven him. The letter There are many ways to forgive someone. It really doe...

The Westbrook Family Roy and Lisa have 9 children and 12 grandchildren.      How does one prepare for the death of a child?  When my oldest child Alan died, we think he just went to sleep and didn't suffer.  The story was different for my next to the oldest child Roy.  He had an incurable brain disease that began to surface many months before his death.  Even in his sickness he kept his sense of humor.  Many times, he told his sister Jesus is coming.  The answer to my question is one is never fully prepared for the death of their child.  According to Hebrews 11:1, NKJV, "Faith is the expectation of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen."  I do have hope that one day I will be with them again in heaven. The Perfect Answer. The little boy asked his mom "Where do we go when we die? The Bible says believers go to Heaven, but I don't understand why." She questioned him the reason he asked and if he was afraid. "No, but my ...

   Roy Lynn Westbrook Shock is the word for what my next to the oldest son revealed to me. He said, "As a teenager, two of my friends spent the night with me. When you and dad went to bed, we decided to go to the liquor store and buy some beer. We drank the beer and decided it wasn't for us. One of the boys threw up on the couch pull out bed. Didn't you wonder why we were washing sheets the next morning? Besides mom, I felt like you would prefer for me to drink my first beer at home." I told him from now on not to tell me things he had done in the past that I would not approve of be cause I couldn't do anythin g about it now. What I would advise parents of today is n ever underestimate what your children will do while you are sleeping. He Still Loves Me God knows my past and yet he still loves me. He holds my right hand as tight as can be. He forgave all the bad things I've done, By the crucifixion of Jesus His Son. When I accepted Him by fai...

Roy Westbrook      Before our trip to Tahoka, Texas for my grandfather's funeral, my son was selected to cook hamburgers for lunch since he worked at Whataburger.  He was proud to show off his cooking skills.  When the time came to eat, we all sat down at the table.  After I finished my burger, all the children began to laugh.  Confused I asked what was so funny.  One of them spoke up and said, "Roy showed us how he cooked the meat at work.  When he cooked yours, he flipped it into the air, and it stuck on the ceiling.  We had to peel it off."  Since it tasted delicious and didn't kill me, I laughed with them. The Joy in One's Heart Often things happen and others laugh at your expense. Do you grin and bear it or go on the defense? Sometimes what's going on you just can't escape. What happens if it's really more than you can take? The joy in one's heart can come from the Lord. Relax, be calm, and don't take life so hard.   ...

     In walked a man that looked like the Texas Frito Bandito.  After getting a cup of coffee, he walked over to the table where the regular customers sat to visit.  When he sat across from me, I looked at him and said, "I bet you get stared at a lot." Without saying a word, he lowered his sunshades to the tip of his nose and looked at me. After putting them back in place, he finished his coffee, got up, and left without saying a word. Later the owner of the cafe told me the man was a member of the electrician union that met next door.  Also, he is a leader in the Bandidos. A Matter of the Heart I met a man on the street that looked quaint. Knowing his mind would have made me faint. Sometimes the true nature of a man can't be seen. We never know if they are kind or mean. The bible says to love everyone no matter what. Were supposed to whether we want to or not. It all comes down to a matter of the heart. Seeing people through the eyes of God is a start. ...

JT Westbrook Not judging but enjoying life.      "My daughter needs a brain operation the stranger explained.  In order to help pay for the procedure, I'm selling these cocoa bombs to put in a cup of hot milk.  The cost is only six dollars each."  Since we were in the church foyer, I assumed she was a church member.  After buying one, I gave it to a man standing behind me.       Moments later the associate pastor walked up and in a polite way began questioning the woman.  When he realized she wasn't a member, he told her she needed to attend the upcoming service.  After assuring him that once the remaining cocoa bombs were put in the car, she would be back.  She left the building never to be seen again.      I told my daughter about the incident. Also, that I had given what I bought away.  She said, "Mom, you don't know what it had in it.  It could have killed him."  Thank goodness it did...

          "Put the person you are having a problem within an imaginary balloon," the leader of the Adult Children of Alcoholics Class said. "Then you blow it up, let it rise into the air, and pop it with an imaginary BB gun." One lady spoke up and shared that in her mind she took care of the antagonistic people in her life by putting them up in the branches of a tree at Gladewater Lake.  I came up with my own way to cope.  If something is bothering me, I write and I write until I can write no more.  Afterwards I burn the pages and put them in a bottle.  I now have two bottles of ashes on my kitchen window seal.  If the problem reappears, I look at the ashes and know it has been dealt with.   Ashes to Dust Ashes to ashes and dust to dust so the saying goes. People ponder what it means but does anyone really know. Something burnt up is no longer in existence as it was. Each day the nature of life changes according to its laws. Unlike ...

Sharol Lawson and Grandmother Appling          In 1945 mom and dad got a divorce leaving mom to care for three small children by herself.  My younger brother went to live with my grandparents on their farm until he was old enough to go to school.  Many times, I would visit them and enjoy the love they doted on us.       When grandmother died and people came to the visitation, my brother told one of our friends that I was mean to him as a child. I asked him why he said that.  He replied, "Because grandmother told me."       After the funeral, at the grave side service, we stood talking to the same friend.  Confused I said, "Sharol, what did I do that made you think I was mean to you?"       He chuckled, "When I played marbles you would walk across the floor and walk away with my marbles between your toes."      The laughter from our friend and myself filled the afternoon air....

   Patricia Lawson       In the forties, on the way home from Lubbock, Texas to Tahoka, Texas, I stood on the back seat of the car crying nonstop.  Why I don't know.  No amount of persuasion from mother could stop me.  Finally in exasperation she said, "Patricia if you don't stop crying, I'm going to put you out of the car."  Since I didn't stop, that's exactly what she did. I watched as my mother, grandmother, and sister rode down highway 87 away from me.  The only car on the road at that time had deserted me.  Moments later they turned around, came back, and put me back in the car.  The crying stopped.                                                                                            ...

       Diana Westbrook      Jealousy, the green-eyed monster, can enter a person's life at any age.  The day my daughter had two friends over to spend the night is when I realized that.  While they were here, a nice-looking, fun-loving, neighbor boy came to visit.  One of the girls had announced earlier before his arrival that she had a crush on him which meant he was off limits to the other two.  Her announcement didn't keep the other two from teasing him and flirting.  She got so angry it was even evident to me.  In order to defuse the situation, I decided to have a talk with the three of them.  That night when they went to bed, I entered their bedroom and sat down.  I talked about jealousy and how it can affect us.  Then I said, "Girls, sometimes we have to watch out for the green-eyed monster."      My daughter stopped me. "Mom, you shouldn't say that."      I asked, "Why?" ...

     Sixteen is too young for a girl to get married.  Even so that didn't stop my stepsister Barbara and her boyfriend Tex.  For them to get married, they had to drive from Killeen, Texas to New Mexico. In Texas a teenager had to have a judge's approval to marry before the age of eighteen.  New Mexico only required parental approval. Mom and I made the trip with them.        On the way back, late at night, Barbara and Tex were asleep in the back seat.  As Mom drove the car on a deserted highway, out of nowhere, a car pulled up beside us.  The men inside just stared at us.  If she sped up, they sped up.  If she slowed down, they slowed down.  Knowing we had a problem she said, "Tex, you need to sit up and let these nuts know we're not alone."   When he sat up and stared back at the men, their car raced ahead out of sight.     Help In Trouble Two men harassed a woman driving down the s...

            The Fall Festival was always a special time at my children's school.  One year, I agreed to dress up as a fortune teller.  I did my best to convince the children I knew their past and their future.  When one young girl sat across from me, I told her all about her hopes and dreams. It was easy since at one time. I was young.  I knew I had been successful when I overheard her tell two of her friends, "She knew everything about me.  I don't know how, but she did." He Knows Everything A young man drove down a long dark road. His heart was heavy because it carried a big load. Not able to stand it any longer he hollered. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he swallowed. ''Lord," he asked, "What am I going to do? The Bible says You know everything; is that true?" A small voice spoke inside his sad head. "You're right to think about the things you've read. My Words are true and won't guide you wrong. I've been right here w...

       Back in the mid-sixties, my husband and I took our four young children and my in-laws to tour the famous USS Texas in Houston, Texas.  Those were the times most women dressed up no matter where they went.  There were a few exceptions such as going camping or to the beach.  True to form that day, I dressed up and even put a girdle on in order to look my very best.  As the day progressed, the constriction of the girdle became unbearable.  After enduring hours of discomfort, my mother-in-law and I came up with a plan.  Since the ship had halls with a dead end, I entered one in order to have privacy while she stood guard making sure no one entered.  I proceeded to slip out of my misery never again to fight the battle of the girdle.     Ships At Sea Ships at sea are often a wonder. They move forward like the sound of thunder. Until the day their use has been spent. We often wonder just where they went. They're fixed up f...

      One summer our family adopted a blue jay fledgling.  It took a while for us to figure out what to feed him to keep him alive which happened to be oats fed with a dropper.  The children kept him in their bedroom, and sometimes they let him fly free in the house. We named him Dirty Bird. One day when we went to visit a friend in the country, we took him with us.  The children put his cage on a picnic table while the adults went inside to visit. While they waited, one of them decided Dirty Bird needed some exercise.  After his cage door was opened, he flew out into a tree.  No amount of coaxing could get him to come down.  Since we had to leave, we left the cage with the door open on the picnic table.  Later our friend reported that for several days Dirty Bird returned to his cage.  Sometimes he would even land on her shoulder.  Until one day, he never came back.  He had a new home flying free in the country.   ...