What are you reading?

Writers are readers. It's a fact.

I've always been a voracious reader even when I was a child. It was my coping mechanism. When life got too much, I would disappear into a good story.

One of the reasons I want to become an author is to write stories that give people hope. Maybe they will pick up something I have written when events have disrupted the flow of their lives.

I want words of truth woven into a good story to be a way the reader can be encouraged when the book is finished and it's time to step back into the real world.

Do you have some favorite authors?

Recently, I read Carrie Watts' book, Crisis of Faith. It was written for young adults but I think everyone can get a message of hope out of it.

Another recent treasure I found is the phenomenally popular, Theo of Golden, by first-time author, Allen Levi. It was a page-turner that was definitely hard for me to put down. I think one of the things I loved most about the book was the individual stories of every person Theo took the time to discover. 

It makes me wonder ... what are the stories of everyone I come across ... and how can I find out?

Do you reach for a good story when something disrupts the way you want things to be?

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This is Day 12 of taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily to see my progress.

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I'm also linking this post with the writers at the Five Minute Friday community. Their prompt this week is "disrupt" and I think a good story is the way to fight against disruption when it comes - as it always will.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at Sweet Tea & Friends, Five Minute Friday

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy

Gentle Humor

Do you like stories with gentle humor? I do! I always think using humor gets the point across in the best possible way.

In my work as a fiction author, I'm endeavoring to make my characters relatable. Two of my characters, the mother, Sharon, and the daughter, Morgan, have a long history of verbal abuse. Now that they are both believers in Christ, they are learning to communicate in love. Here is a scene where I tried to incorporate a little everyday humor as Morgan counsels Sharon on confidence:

As we pulled up to the curb in front of the diner, Mom said, "What does a confident demeanor look like?"

"It's all in the mind," I explained. "Just think, "I'm Morgan, a confident and powerful woman. I will be polite; but I am busy; so I don't have time for idle chat." Once you have that mindset in plce, your demeanor will look exactly like that."

"Okay, but I think I will say, 'I am Sharon' instead of Morgan," Mom said with a grin.

Rolling my eyes, I got out of the car, muttering under my breath, "Everyone's a comedian."

"I heard that," Mom said sweetly as she joined me on the sidewalk.

We assumed the position, linked arms, and strolled confidently into Herb's Diner.

Do you feel the world sees you as a confident person? 

As for me, if I know what I'm doing, I feel I look confident; but if I don't, I revert to my natural state of shyness!

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This is Day 11 of taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily to see my progress.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at Sweet Tea & Friends

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy

What bible verse are you living this week?

 

One of my characters in my fiction work-in-progress is Sister Clara who felt led to take in some new believers under her wing and teach them more about the bible. She started with Psalm 23, particularly emphasizing verse 1.
 

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” Psalm 23:1 NLT

 
As she explained to the bible study ladies: “Everything we need to make it in this life will be given to us. We are to live our lives believin’ that and standin’ on it. When lack comes knockin’ at your door, slam the door in its face and say, ‘My God shall supply my need, Lack, you go away and don’t come back!’”
 

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In my own life, this week this verse is speaking to me:
 

“May integrity and honesty protect me,
    for I put my hope in you.” Psalm 25:21 NLT

Since I have a horror of confrontation, sometimes it is tempting to smooth things over. But some things cannot be smoothed – to do so would be a lie.
 
I’m trusting in God to work out things for He knows my heart is to always honor Him above all else.
 

“To do righteousness and justice
    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” Proverbs 21:23 ESV

Have you ever had to make an unpopular choice to stand up for integrity?

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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This is Day 5 of taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily to see my progress.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at Sweet Tea & Friends

The Book that Changed My Life

There are books you read that make an impression. Some of their words stick in your brain forever.

 

The book that changed the life of my character, Morgan Ford, in my fiction work, “The Hesed Files: Morgan’s Redemption,” in surprising ways was Grandma Rose’s bible. It wasn’t just the penetrating words of scripture in the bible that first affected her so deeply. That would come later.

 

It was the recording of the births in the pages of the bible that first caught her attention. She learned the names of the father and the grandfather she had never met.

 

There was a card in its pages that surprised her: a card from her mother to her grandmother expressing gratitude for the Proverbs 31 woman she had modeled for her. Up to that point, Morgan had never heard her mother say a word of thanks to anyone.

 

But the shocker was the newspaper clipping, old, yellowed, and tucked in the back pages that revealed the family secret.

 

Her mother had thrown away the bible after Grandma Rose died. But Morgan had found it and hid it away from prying eyes. 

 

The day she found it changed everything. Morgan set in motion a plan to leave town and never come back.

 

 

I, Jerralea, also had a bible change my life. I’d had different copies of the bible all my life, but I well remember the first study bible I ever had. It was a Dake Study bible, by Finis Jennings Dake, King James Version. I got it when I was in my late twenties because I was hungry for more and Bro. Chamblee, my pastor, recommended a Dake. 

 

I had never had a bible with commentary before! I dove in and highlighted my favorite verses. I wore the gold leaf finish off the sides of those pages in no time.

 

Nowadays, I do most of my study online. There are a wealth of commentaries and versions to study and compare. I especially love finding out what the original Greek and Hebrew words mean. Sometimes, it changes everything.

 

I don’t use my Dake as much anymore because of the fine print. But it will always be special to me because it instilled in me the love of searching out the meanings of the scriptures.

 

Is there a book that made a difference in your life? Leave a comment and let us know!

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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This is Day 4 of taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily to see my progress.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at Sweet Tea & Friends

Grateful for Salvation Stories

 

It's good every day to reflect on the good things in our lives. An attitude of gratitude is important.

My main protagonist in my book, accepts Christ as her Savior in her sixteenth year; but by the time she turns eighteen, she learns some hard truths and turns away from Christ. For nine long years she neglects God and barely speaks to Him.

But over time, she learns the lengths to which the Father will go to find that one lost sheep. Once she realized her value to the Father, she became bold to testify about her story.

 

My salvation story contains a near-death experience when I was fourteen. A Sister at church had witnessed to me just a week earlier. I told her I would give my life to Christ later. I had things I wanted to do first. She ended the conversation, “Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

Days later, my family and I were travelling in a car that had a carbon monoxide leak.  I was discovered when my parents stopped way earlier than they normally did for lunch and realized I was in trouble. Rushed to the emergency room, I was revived in time to hear the doctor tell my dad, “It’s good you stopped driving when you did. I don’t know how much longer she would have lasted breathing in that poison.”

I thank God for that story because it woke me up. No one is promised tomorrow – not even a 14 year old girl!

The day of salvation (accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior) is today!

Don’t wait!

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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This is Day 3 of a taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily to see my progress.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at Sweet Tea & Friends

Morning Routine

Good morning, dear Readers. Today, I want to talk about how we begin our day.

Now, I don't claim to be an expert on mornings. There are others more qualified than me. For instance, Jennifer Dukes Lee, who calls herself a morning evangelist, has written a whole book about it, entitled "How to Love Your Morning." I highly recommend it.

However, in August, I'm taking you along on a journey of birthing my book, sharing my life as a writer and the story God has given me.

I feel the most important thing to start our day is to wake up thinking about God. Our first thoughts influence our day.

If I want mine to be about God, it starts the night before. I use the Lectio 365 app and play the nighttime selection for that day, listening to it as I drift off to sleep.

You'd be surprised how often I wake up with some of the words said in Lectio 365 swirling in my brain. 

Another thing that helps is to listen to praise and worship music throughout my day. I often hear the words to a song reverberating in my brain when I awake. (I hightly recommend the song, "I Know A Name." I listen to the CeCe Winans version.)

My first task after waking, getting dressed, etc., is to take one scripture, ask God for direction, then write a prayer about that verse.

Then, I can start tackling the to-do list. 

As a writer, I'm looking for blocks of time where I can work on my book everyday. Monday's are writing days where I devote the whole day in some way to writing. Editing, blogposts, listening to a teaching, and writing outlines are all good ways to refining my message.

But there must be time for actual writing somewhere in my day. 

I've laid the groundwork for inspiration when I have thought about God, prayed to Him, looked at His word. Now, I can expect His inspiration to show up as I work hard.

Inspiration shows up when there has been perspiration!

How about you, dear Reader? How do you start your day? What is your first thought when the alarm goes off?

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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This is Day 1 of a taking my reader along a journey with me as I birth my book. I hope you consider checking in daily to see my progress.

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

Sharing at Sweet Tea & Friends, InstaEncouragements Link-Up

I can't afford to wait.

Readers, I'm in the last third of my life and I can't afford to wait any longer to share the story God has given me.

I'm hard at work on my fiction series in progress called "The Hesed Files," stories of how God uses His angels to participate in unfailing love and mercy. Book One, Morgan's Redemption, chronicles a family's journey through secrets, pain, bitterness, loss and transformation into children of God.

I wrote it to bring you hope. Because, all believers are being transformed into what God had planned them to be. You are, after all, His masterpiece.* But I know life can be discouraging and dark.

I want to share with you the hope I find in scripture. My passion is to show you through the words and ideas I share with you to convince you no one is beyond redemption.

Never give up praying. While there is breath, there is hope.

I also can't afford to miss telling you something the Lord impressed upon me in 2019 because I feel He wants me to share it with everyone. 

What if you believed, reqally believed, that goodness and mercy is chasing you down?**

Would that belief make a difference in your outlook? I believe it can.

Join me in the coming days and weeks. I'm going to take you with me on the journey of birthing my book. Dear Reader, will you come?

* Ephesians 2:10

** Psalm 23:6

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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I write for believers, but if you are not a believer and would like to know more, visit A Ticket Home. to find the way Home.

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This post was written in response to the prompt, "afford," provided by the Five Minute Friday writing challenge. We write for five minutes on a prompt. (Adding links, scriptures, graphics, etc. takes longer.)

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Sharing at Five Minute Friday and Sweet Tea & Friends

Our Part Is Obedience

As a blessing hunter who shares encouragement for the journey Home, I love to share scriptures and prayers with my readers. I totally believe the Word of God and I trust the Lord is good and will work out all things for our good.

But, I must point out that we believers have a part to play in answered prayer as well.

Our part is obedience.

For example, He asks us to choose. 

Joshua 24:14-15 New Living Translation  ¹⁴ “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Are we going to hold back, or follow with our whole heart? 

He wants us to trust and believe:

Mark 5:35-36 New King James Version
³⁵ While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” ³⁶ As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”

Jairus received his daughter back when he obeyed the command to believe.

He invites us to seek:

Matthew 6:33 New Living Translation Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

 

Once you decide to take the focus off yourself and place it on Him, things will fall into place.

And, He asks us to ask!

Matthew 7:7 New Living Translation “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

Don't give up! 

He wants to shepherd us: 

Psalm 23:1 New Living Translation The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 

 

A sheep must follow the Shepherd. Our part is obedience. 

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Today's post was written in response to the prompt "part," proviced by the Five Minute Friday Community. The post took 5 minutes to write. Adding scriptures and a graphic took longer.

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Sharing at Five Minute Friday and Sweet Tea & Friends

The Beginning of Everything Good

 

My beginning as a Christian was at age 14; but the real beginning of my Christian walk was in my 30's when I began to dive into the Word for my very survival.

My husband became ill at age 31 with bipolor disorder, a mental illness that I'd not heard of back in the 80's. Once my eyes were opened to the illness; I began to see it everywhere.

But I needed help right then and there seemed to be few resources from the Christian perspective about the illness.

My only hope was to dive into the Word for help, and I'm so glad I did. 

I learned about standing on the promises in the Word of God and spiritual warfare. Even more importantly, I discovered who God was and what He was willing to do.

I also learned what the will of God is - well, actually I'm still learning. Here's a few things the bible says about His will:

• He is not willing that any should perish. (See 2 Peter 3:9)
• His will is for me to be thankful in every circumstance. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
• He is willing to heal. (See Matthew 8:2-3). The caveat is healing comes in His timing.

For me, diving into the Word of God was the beginning of everything good.

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This post was written in response to the Five Minute Friday Community's writing challenge prompt, "beginning." I wrote the post in 5 minutes, but it took longer to look up scripture references, make a graphic, and attach a prayer to illustrate my theme. 

I wrote this prayer earlier in 2026. I hope it blesses you.

THE WORD WAS THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 New King James Version

 

Father,

 

I cannot begin to tell You how thankful I am for the Word! Jesus means everything to me – Savior, Shepherd, and Scripture. I’m beyond grateful the Holy Spirit inspired the authors of the bible to write Your word – to spill out Jesus on all the pages, tying everything together and teaching us Your truth. (Oh, and Truth is another name for Jesus!) How amazing is that!

 

Also amazing is to realize the very Word of God dwells with believers!

 

Help us to grasp the blessings and authority we have through the Word. Let us keep sharing the Word, dwelling in the Word, and trusting in the Word.

 

In Jesus’ holy name I pray, may many come to You today. So be it, amen.

Adapted from a previous post. All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Sharing at Five Minute Friday, Sweet Tea & Friends, Let's Have Coffee

Treasuring the Body

 Today, I'm praying for unity among believers. John 17:23 teaches us that the world will believe Jesus was sent from God when they see believers living in one accord.

I'd say that makes unity pretty important.

It's easier to focus on the things believers have in common when you realize we are all just parts of the body of Christ working together, just like all the parts of our own human body must work together. For example, both our feet must want to go the same direction, or we will fall.

I think every true believer wants to hear Jesus welcome them home at the end of their journey. 

Let's help each other stay encouraged and on the journey.

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Prayer for Unity:

¹² The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. ¹³ Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 New Living Translation

 

Abba, 

 

We love that all believers make up one body! It is thrilling to know each person who believes Jesus is who He said He is and accepts Him as Lord and Savior becomes a part of His body. A fifth-grader in Alabama, an old man in China, a teenager in France, a mom in Africa – they are all the same in Your eyes when they become a believer. Not one of them is more important than the other. They are all loved equally.

 

But each has a job only they can do. The man in China can reach his neighbor; and only the mom in Africa can affect her community for Christ. I will never be able to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the people they can reach; just like they cannot come into my world and do my calling.

 

Father, we pray for Your Body right now. Help us be in one mind and one accord in reaching the world for You. Yes, our denominations and practices may differ from one another; but at the core, true believers want to demonstrate the love of Jesus to their world. Father, bless our efforts!

 

Protect us, Lord. Some of Your servants face death every day because evil wants to quiet them. Father, rescue them! Others are bound by fear. Father, release them!

 

Thank You for the gift of our brothers and sisters in Christ. May we treasure them and pray for them every day.

 

In Jesus’ holy name we pray; may many come to You today. So be it, amen.

Adapted from a previous post. All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Sharing at Sweet Tea & Friends, InstaEncouragemens Link-Up, Let's Have Coffee

Maundy Thursday ... Jesus Demonstrates Love

 

Today is Maundy Thursday, the day we celebrate Jesus and His disciples having a Last Supper sharing bread and wine for the final time this side of heaven.

What does Maundy mean? Having come from a discipline that celebrates Easter, but not Holy Week so much, I did not know the definition of Maundy. It turns out Maundy means "commandment" or "mandate" in the original language.

I offer my humble attempt to dramatize the events of the first Maundy Thursday:

The Teacher had a special group of students, men whom he had poured three years of his life into as they had lived life together. There was nothing about those students he did not know, their strengths as well as their weaknesses, and how they would react under pressure. Yet he loved them and always would.

Time was short. Not much longer would he be able to impart to them what he wanted them to know. Home was calling him back.

So, they had one last supper together. The Teacher knew that one had already decided to betray him, yet he treated him the same as all the rest. It was meant to be.

After supper, the Teacher stood up and got a towel, basin and pitcher. He wrapped the towel around his waist and then knelt down, and one by one, he placed each student's feet in the basin, scrubbed the foot and then, much like a mother would do, propped the foot on his knee, drying it with the towel that was still wrapped around his waist. What an intimate humbling act for a teacher to do!

That rascally student, Peter, who was always quick with a retort, spoke in wonder, "Do YOU wash my feet?

The Teacher smiled and said, "I know you don't understand now, but one day you will."

Peter insisted, "Teacher, you will never wash MY feet."

The Teacher replied that if he couldn't wash Peter's feet, then Peter could have no part in the Teacher's ministry.

Always one to go "whole hog", Peter did an about-face and wanted the Teacher to wash his head and hands. The Teacher said there was no need for that. They were all clean and only needed their feet washed - well, except for one ...

When all twelve students' feet were washed, the Teacher put away the towel, basin and pitcher and putting back on his robe, he sat down again in his place.

All their eyes looked at him expectantly. "Do you understand what I did?" he asked them.

"You all look to me as your Teacher, as well you should. What I just did is an example for you. You should wash each other's feet, just like I did yours. A student is not greater than his Teacher. You should always do like you've seen me do."

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The greatest Teacher who ever lived, and will live forever, is Jesus. He came and did life with us for 33 years. While He was here, He taught us about what is important, and what's not. 

He taught with words, lecturing in places like synagogues, boat decks and mountaintops. He also taught by example, always willing to bless and to heal, letting the crowds come to Him with their overwhelming needs, always putting others first and somehow finding time to spend alone with His Father.

On that fateful foot-washing night long ago, the Teacher gave a new commandment to apply to the life of anyone who calls themselves one of His students:A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

Students, let's follow His example.

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 Adapted from a previous post. All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Linking up Sweet Tea & Friends

5 Days

Has your outlook ever changed drastically in a short period of time?

I want to contrast two scriptures for you today.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:
“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
The King of Israel!” John 12:12-19 New King James Version

And,
 

So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!”
Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?”
But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!” Mark 15:13-14 New King James Version

Same crowd, five days later.
 
What made the difference?
 
You see, the word “hosanna” means “save now.” The crowd wanted to be rescued more than they wanted the Rescuer.
 
When they finally comprehended the Rescuer came to save them spiritually, not politically, they wanted nothing more to do with Him. In fact, they couldn’t even stand to have Him around, so they wanted to get rid of Him.

My question to you today … if God doesn’t give you what you want, will you want to shut Him out of your life?
 
Is there something that could happen that would change your mind about Christ in just five days?

Something to ponder ...

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

I always want to be sure every visitor to the Journey knows how to make heaven their home. Read my post, A Ticket Home. It describes exactly what you need to do.

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey!

Linking up at InstaEncouragements Link-Up, Sweet Tea & Friends