Hello, God. It's me, Mara.

You know, Lord, sometimes things come in bunches like good things, bad things, happy things, sad things - even hurtful things. It's the hurtful things that are hardest to deal with. We don't want the attitude of one lady who, as she spoke in an unforgiving voice said, "I forgive you but I'll never forget!"

We've probably all heard about the lady who knew she had a bad gossiping problem. She went to her Pastor and confessed that she knew she gossiped - so, what could she do about it? The Pastor told her to take one of her feather pillows, open it up and scatter the feathers, and as she did, to think that each feather is a piece of gossip, then come back to see him. Off she went, did what he said, the next day she's back, all smiles, telling how the feathers fluttered away in the merry breezes. "Ok, Pastor, what do I do next?"

He said, "Now go and gather them all back up and put them back in the pillow case."

Horror-struck, she says, "That's impossible, the wind blew them everywhere!"

"That's how gossip travels," he said.

Lesson learned? Who knows? But don't we also sound off when life seems to get out of control, or we're freaking out about something, anything; no one is immune. We've all said things that were better left unsaid - and for sure, unwritten.

Oh, Lord, help us to think before we speak; keep Your hand over my mouth! Psalm 34: 13: "Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile." "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification." Ephesians 4:29. Help me guard my lips, O Savior, Keep me sweet when I am tired; answers soft to others giving, meekly swallowing my pride.

Love Mara