There are twenty-four houses in our neighborhood.
There are two streets.
One street loops around.
One is a cul-de-sac that is attached to the top of the loop.

There are children of all ages in our neighborhood.
It is quite obvious this time of year.
School has begun in our district.
Three different buses arrive at three different times each morning.

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There is something special about walking ahead.
There is something valuable about remembering the path you were on as you go forward.
That remembering can help someone else.
The fact that you have walked where they are walking is a tremendous blessing.

I thoroughly enjoy having young moms and their children in my home.
I love seeing our toys get even more mileage.
I enjoy watching other children play with toys my children played with when they were young.
It warms my heart to spend the morning listening to the heart of a young mom.

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Back in the fall of 1986, my husband had to go away on business.
He needed to be in California for some training.
He would be gone for three weeks.
I joined him for one week of his time there.

We had two little daughters then.
The older one had just turned 2 1/2 years old a month before.
The younger one was 3 months old.
It was hard for me to leave them but I knew they were in good hands.

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I saw that my youngest daughter shared her college’s Facebook post.
One more day until the new freshman students move in.
One more day until she as an RA meets her 43 residents.
One more day until the empty hall on the fourth floor is filled with girls.

I can imagine the hallway.
I can see all of the posters my daughter designed by hand.
I can see the creative way she will decorate each door.
I can see each girls name on their door in the lovely way my daughter planned to display it.

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It was just a simple lunch.
We had set up most of our daughter’s college dorm room.
We needed to run to the store for a few things.
Being a junior this year, she has the moving in routine down to a science.

As we were getting ready to leave for lunch, I looked up and saw one of her friends.
This sweet girl is not an RA like my daughter and does not have to be at school yet.
However, she came up for the day to see my daughter and another friend.
She wanted to see if they needed any help.

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It happens to all of us from time to time.
I always think of it as God getting my attention.
I always imagine it as God trying to teach me something.
We can be pretty stubborn at times.

The way God gets my attention is through concurrence.
Concurrence is the simultaneous occurrence of events or circumstances.
It happens to me quite often.
Hours later, sometimes days later, I realize that I was being taught.

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I had a few things to do at the store.
There was a decorative frame I needed to buy.
There were some baby gifts I needed to purchase.
Spending time in the baby department was my favorite part of the shopping trip.

I made my choices.
When buying a baby gift, I buy something I imagine my own children would have worn.
It has been an appropriate way to buy baby clothes in the past.
I hope it will continue to be a good litmus test for which outfits to purchase in the future.

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I look into my living room with the cranberry colored walls.
I smile when I remember the actions of one little boy.
Whenever he would come to visit with his mom, he never wanted to walk in that room.
He would stop right on the edge of the family room carpet.

I never understood why he did what he did.
Not at first.
Not until one morning, when it was a very cloudy day, I had to turn on the light.
It is a light next to our baby grand piano.

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Wednesday is our trash and recycling day.
The burgundy colored trash truck is heard before it is seen.
The men that have our route are incredibly punctual.
They take their job very seriously.

I can set a clock by them.
I usually hear the trash truck even before it turns onto our street.
The truck passes by when I’m on my morning walk.
I know that I will get a big wave from each of the trash men.

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I had to make a return.
I entered the first set of doors and saw a man directly in front of me.
He was wearing long gym shorts, a t-shirt, and sneakers.
He was making a wide turn right in front of the entrance.

I decided that he must be a mall walker.
So many people walk inside the mall on hot, humid days.
The climate controlled conditions provide a perfect location for exercise.
I actually made a mental note that I had not walked that morning because of the heat.

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