Keys to the Kingdom

By Carolyn Tucker

The Whites of Their Eyes

While driving down the main drag of a nearby town, I noticed the sign, “Contactless Ordering” outside a fast-food restaurant. It seems the business owner was touting this option as a drawing card for customers. But I immediately thought, “I don’t want contactless, I want a real person!” I want to see the whites of their eyes when I’m placing an order. I need to ask questions and get answers. I like to be silly and have fun with people I know and even people I don‘t know. Recently, I approached a local fast-food counter where a young man was taking orders and I said, “Tell me something I don’t already know.“ He was clearly stumped and asked, “About food?“ I couldn’t help but laugh at his response. I love that! Without interacting with people, our lives would be dull, lonely, and greatly lacking in laughter.

Let’s face it, how can we love people if we do everything within our power to isolate? I believe God created us to need one another and, therefore, be with one another. How can we be strengthened and encouraged when we perpetually choose to stay home and watch church online? A few times I’ve returned home from church and re-watched the service online and it was not the same. A sanctuary full of people who love Jesus and love one another is a totally different atmosphere from being home alone with me, myself, and I.

I appreciate what John the Beloved had to say about loving one another: “Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us” (1 John 4:11-12 NLT). Not if, but when we’re tempted to be unloving, we need to remember that Jesus told us to love others in the same way that He loves us. That’s a tall order for sure. But Jesus never tells us to do something we can’t do because He provides the power to do it if we really want to obey His Word. “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13 NLT).

And then we have Apostle Paul’s letter to the church family in Colossae: “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:13-14 NLT). Loving people goes hand-in-hand with forgiving people. We’re supposed to wear love like we wear clothes. You wouldn’t dare leave home without a stitch of clothing on and, likewise, we better not leave home without being wrapped up in a love coat.

As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, let’s remember that love makes the world go ‘round. February is known as the month of love, so put your heart and soul into loving people (whether you know them or not). Try throwing your love around like candy in a parade

The Key: Love never goes out of style, so put it on and wear it everyday.

The Kansas City Chiefs took quite a Super Bowl thrashing this past Sunday. Not even my Mahomes jersey and my KC Chiefs’ paper plates made a difference. Our San Francisco friends, Howard and Joyce, had driven to our home in Vegas, and they and Dave’s two daughters, Nanette and Nikki, joined us for the game.

Before the festivities began, Dave asked Nikki if she was rooting for the Chiefs.  What kind of a question was that?  Of course she was rooting for the Chiefs!  Our whole family knows what a fan I am, so when she did not answer, I about keeled over.  “What?  Say it isn’t so,” I said.  After all, the Eagles were enemies. Boo, Eagles!

To explain Nikki’s answer, I need to back up a few years to the shooting massacre that happened when Jason Aldean’s country band was performing here in Vegas.  Nikki’s son’s best friend, Quentin, was there with his girlfriend when the shots rang out.  As it became apparent that this was no fireworks show, people ran for their lives or dove to the ground.  Quentin lay on top of his girlfriend, and when the first round of shots stopped, he got to his knees to look for a way to escape.  That’s when he was shot and killed.

Dave and I were visiting Nikki and her family at the time, so we walked through the family’s pain of losing a 19-year-old whom we had known since he was a little boy.  So beloved by the community was he that the high school he attended painted a large “Q” on the mountain nearby.

What does that have to do with the Chiefs’ game?   Nikki explained that Quentin was a huge Philadelphia Eagles’ fan and that after he died, the Eagles found out about his passion for their team and sent memorabilia for the family to help honor their son. Nikki was torn between my love of the Chiefs and Quentin’s love for the Eagles.

Suddenly, my excitement for the Chiefs was not so passionate.  The Eagles were not bad guys.  They had done something that touched Quentin’s family and friends forever, and now they touched mine.

Isn’t that the way life is?  We are adamant about one position/side, but when we hear of a kind gesture from the opposition, our stubbornness mellows. At least it should.

Philippians 4:8 cautions us about our thoughts: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

There is nothing wrong with being a fan, but that loyalty needs to be put into perspective.  The lesson?  If I’m ever swayed to favor one team/idea/position, I need to take time to look at the other side and focus on the merits of both.

Keys to the Kingdom

By Carolyn Tucker

A Fun Refrigerator Door

My brother, Randy, was the best. He was ten years older than me and we got along wonderfully. We shared the same sense of humor and he made my life a delight. He was engaging, fun, entertaining, ingenuitive,  patient, thoughtful, and kind.

One snowy winter day, when I was six to eight years old, Randy found an old refrigerator door by the barn and brought it to the house. He tied a rope to it, told me to get on, and then he pulled me around the yard on the snow as I sat on the fridge door. Like the witch of Narnia, I had my very own reindeer and sleigh! Back in the 1960s, we made use of what we had and simply created our own fun. My brother made my day and that’s why I still have this delightful memory tucked away in my heart.

Randy has been gone since June 2022, and I miss him. He did his best to stick around for his family, but one summer day he drew his last breath and slipped away to Heaven. My sweet brother reminds me of this scripture, “…There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 NKJV). This verse is often applied to the intimate walk we have with Christ Jesus, and I agree with that theology. Like a good brother, Jesus is there. Like a bridge over troubled waters, Jesus is there.

Being a friend and having a friend go hand in hand. There are friends and then there are special friends, such as a dear friend, best friend, close friend, bosom friend, etc. A genuine friend is someone in whom you have a strong bond, dependable, keeps your secrets, and is honest and trustworthy. Jesus is a friend like no other. No matter how many fantastic friends you have, Jesus outshines them all.

Notice that Jesus called Judas Iscariot “friend” when he betrayed Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. “So Judas came straight to Jesus. ’Greetings, Rabbi!’ he exclaimed and gave Him the kiss. Jesus said, ‘My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for’” (Matthew 26:50 NLT). This was an atrocious act because the kiss was a symbol of friendship and honor. Nevertheless, Jesus spoke with gentle compassion even though Judas’ heart was as hard as stone. Jesus is a true friend that will not betray you. He’ll stick with you like Gorilla glue.

Jesus was known to be a friend of sinners and He would often join them for supper. Saving sinners was the purpose of His coming, so He spent time with them in order to introduce the gospel and welcome them into the kingdom of God (see Matthew 9:9-13).

In the 1800s, Joseph Scriven wrote a poem and sent it to his mother to encourage her because she was ill. He wanted to remind her that she had a never-failing Friend in Jesus. The poem later became a much-loved song in our hymnals: “What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

The Key: Believers have a special Friend in Jesus and He will stick even closer than a big brother.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.”  If you’ve ever prayed for something and God appears unconcerned or absent, you’re in good company.  Well, not good company because His faith-full children know that life is all about His timing, not theirs.

In the Zoom Bible study I attend, last week we discussed God’s timing by listening to a sermon by Pastor Craig Groeschel.  He addressed three reasons why God was silent for 400 years between the writings of the Old and New Testaments.

(1).  Learning was no longer done by a teacher speaking while students remained silent; rather, the Socratic method was introduced whereby students were allowed to participate and question.

(2). Rome developed roads and travel flourished.

(3).  Alexander the Great conquered the world and Jewish people spread out.

According to Groeschel, all of that needed to happen to prepare for Jesus’ coming.  God’s timing is perfect, even though it might not seem that way if we spend weeks/months/years praying for something and are hanging onto that knotted rope.

My son, Adam, recently recovered two Haitian orphans, a seven-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy, and delivered them to their adoptive, Canadian parents who met them at the airport in Miami, Florida.  His safety and theirs depended on God’s timing.

A year ago, Adam’s sex-trafficking team rescued a missionary family in Haiti and returned them to the U.S.  That family was contacted by two Canadian couples who had spent five years trying to adopt two Haitian orphans, and now that the papers were signed, it was too dangerous for the kids to get out of Port Au Prince.  Did they know anyone who could help?  The missionaries put them in contact with Adam.  This time our son went alone.

A colleague Adam had met in Ukraine knew a helicopter pilot in Haiti who could help in the rescue. When travel to the U.S. was postponed (Flights to Port Au Prince had been suspended by all airlines due to violence in the country), an acquaintance of Adam’s knew a pastor who hid them until they could leave. Had Adam not met these people (God’s timing), this could have had a very different outcome.

Adam knew that God had orchestrated this rescue, so when he was grilled for hours at the Embassy, he did not fret.  After all, here was a white, tattooed, bearded male, attempting to leave Haiti with two young black children, and even though he had all the legal paperwork, he looked suspicious. At the airport and on the plane, he felt the looks and heard the murmurs.  (I’m sure I would have been one of those judging, except I, in my dramatic flair, probably would have made a scene and had him arrested.)

Psalm 18:30 (NIV) is a verse worth memorizing: As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.                                                                

Adam will attest to that.

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

Welcome Home

I recently purchased a replacement porch mat for the front door. This one has “Welcome” printed on it; my old one didn‘t. As I admired how nice it looked because it was new, I also realized that “welcome” is a very inviting word. The mat actually gives a friendly  greeting before anyone steps foot into my home. I have a decorative sign in the kitchen that reads, “Welcome Home.” The word “home” includes an additional warmth. Where I come from, that means whatever I have is yours with all my love and prayers. John Denver composed and performed the song “Back Home Again” and it won the “Song of the Year” award in 1975. A couple of my favorite lyrics in Denver’s song are: “It’s the little things that make a house a home” and “supper on the stove.”

When believers die, we’re going to go Home, although it’s a place we’ve never been and have only read about. But I’m confident we’ll feel more at home in Heaven than we have on  earth. My daughter Mariam and son Aaron performed B.J. Thomas’ song entitled, “Home Where I Belong” at their dad’s memorial service. Heaven is a home where everything is magnificently perfect and everyone is filled with love. This is not just wishful thinking either. “God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” (Ephesians 3:20 MSG).

I’ve attended hundreds of funeral services and the standard Bible passage that’s used to encourage the family is: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3 NKJV). Jesus is telling us to not be worried or anxious, but to believe God is Who He says He is.  We are to grab hold of the promise that Jesus is preparing a Home for us and, if we remain faithful, we can live with Him for eternity.

I helped my late husband build our home in 1980-81. It seems like just a few years ago, but time is beginning to reveal some normal wear and tear. The New Testament states that God is the architect and builder of Heaven and deterioration cannot happen there.  Jesus said: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20 NLT). Our time on earth is meant to be spent loving and serving God and loving and serving our fellow man. Our lifespan gives Jesus time to build the perfect home for us when we wave good-bye, world, good-bye.

“For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven” (Hebrews 13:14 TLB). The address of my current home is temporary — as long as I’m on planet earth, nothing is permanent. We need to remember that this life is not all there is. It’s been said that, “Life is not all it’s cracked up to be.“ Generally speaking, I don’t believe that. But some days are better than others for sure. Believers are going to live forever in an eternal Home of bliss because God is sitting high upon His Throne.

The Key: God’s welcome mat is always out and the Light is on for believers coming Home where they belong.

If you were at all interested in the Kansas City Chief’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills, chances are you were on the edge of your seat the entire game. I ran home from church and donned my red and gold Chiefs’ shirt, made Dave and me some lunch and curled up on my living room couch.

My phone texts began dinging an hour before kickoff, and they continued until an hour after the game. As the game progressed, girlfriends were posting emojis of happy faces, then sad faces, then “Go Chiefs” emblems, followed by “I can’t take this!” shrieks.  There I sat, yelling at our players for not catching a pass or for missing a tackle and cheering for them when they made a touchdown or stopped the Bills from moving downfield.

Post game, I couldn’t wait to watch the highlights.  Now that my heart rate had returned to normal, I would be able to enjoy the good, the bad and the ugly because I knew the outcome. I had nothing to sweat.  No longer would I be upset when our defense failed to intercept a pass or sack the Bill’s quarterback.  When our opponents went ahead, I feared not.  I knew the final score: 32-29.  I still get excited when I think about that final minute of action.

When, for some reason, the television station showed no highlights, I was frustrated but I relived the game aloud, sharing with Dave my play-by-play review. He looks forward to my expertise.

I’m funny.

But when I woke up this morning, I had a different perspective.  Shouldn’t life reflect that same attitude so that we see each day, each circumstance, through “I’m not going to sweat this,” confident eyes?  You know, so we don’t get all worked up when things don’t go our way? After all, we know the ending.  Jesus will win; Satan will lose. Eternity will be more than we can ever imagine.

God, knowing most of us do sweat the small stuff, told us a few things about what awaits us.  Our eternal home is an actual place (John 14:1-3, NIV) where we will reside in real, physical bodies (2 Corinthians 5:1-5, NIV) and where we will experience everlasting joys, rewards, and treasures (Matthew 5:12; Matthew 6:19-20; Luke 6:23 NIV).                                                              

God allowed the apostle John to get a sneak peek into what awaits us.  From his time in exile on Patmos Island, he wrote his memoirs which are copied in Revelation 21:4 (NLT): He (God) will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.                                                                                                         

And with that waiting all of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we sweat the small stuff…why?        

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

The Real Deal

My mom was a great country cook and spent a lot of time in the kitchen preparing meals. Therefore, she was always willing to at least try new time-saving methods. She was an excellent pie maker and desserts were usually the “guinea pig” foods she would test on the family. Down through the years her pies were first topped with whipped cream, then Dream Whip in the late ‘50s, and then in the ‘60s she tried frozen whipped topping. However, heavy whipping cream was always Dad’s #1 favorite because it was the real deal. He didn’t really complain about the new toppings — as long as the pie itself was tasty he could put up with the imitation toppings. However, he gave the frozen whipped topping the nickname of “calf slobbers.“

As Christ followers, we need to continually check up on ourselves to ensure that we’re  living as the real deal. No one, especially God, is pleased with an imitation Christian. One day I was wearing a “Gulf Shores Alabama” t-shirt when I met a gentleman on the sidewalk. He asked, “Have you been there, or just have the t-shirt?” I happily answered in the affirmative. I later realized that my response made me an authentic advertiser for this great beach; otherwise I guess I would have been a fake. Believers need to keep in mind that we’re to be genuine examples of Jesus.

Because no one wants to be around a fake, we need to challenge ourselves to examine our motives and actions. Being the real deal means that we do acts of kindness for others out of a sincere love for God and our neighbor. “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding” (Matthew 6:1 MSG).

It’s important that everything believers say can be taken to the bank. Otherwise, if we’re just pulling someone’s leg every other sentence, he/she quickly learns that our words are meaningless and we can’t be trusted. “So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body” (Ephesians 4:25 NLT). Here is the same verse in The Passion Translation: “So discard every form of dishonesty and lying so that you will be known as one who always speaks the truth, for we all belong to one another.” 

When Christ followers practice being the real deal, we are actively booting out   characteristics that could hinder our ability to reflect Christ. When we kick deceit and hypocrisy to the curb and choose to be genuine in our daily lives, we’re living like Jesus taught us. Being the real deal is characterized by practicing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. People can usually distinguish genuine from fake by how we respond to the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:36-40). The sum total of a genuine believer’s lifestyle is one word. Love.

Apostle Paul writes about how believers are to live: “I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be His sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights His heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes” (Romans 12:1-2 TPT).

The Key: I don’t want to be identified with calf slobbers. I want to be the real deal.

I have read about these people but never met one.  Until last week. Pam is a respected author/speaker and not one to call attention to herself.  She was one of twenty authors with whom I had the privilege of spending time.  For five days, we met in Texas, not to network but to be refreshed and encourage each other.

Daily, there were two workout sessions, two messages from speakers, two praise and worship sessions, walks in the parks and times set aside to pray alone and in groups of five.  The days were rich and full, but most of all, they were times to enter the lives of women who had spent their years on earth honoring Jesus with their work.

I had heard of Pam and read her amazing work but never met her personally.  In the author world, she is near the top.  I, on the other hand, am at the bottom…which is why our writing worlds had not collided.  Actually, they hadn’t even rubbed against each other.  So, when she showed up with a turban-covered head, I did not recognize her from her pictures.  Her story is worth sharing.

Normally a healthy person (except for diabetes), when Pam started having chest pains, she asked her husband to drive her to the emergency room.  She was in such a bad state, she was placed in a medically induced coma.  She died in that coma.  It was then she was ushered into the presence of God.  I had to know about her experience.

Pam remembers seeing dozens of angels wearing glittery gold and finding herself in the arms of God.   There was blinding light all around, and she and God began talking, not with their mouths but with their minds.  God explained that she was not yet through the gates of Heaven and that He would not let her enter through them because her work on earth was not finished.  As much as she wanted to stay, she could not.  And then she woke up.

Two years later when Pam was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, her oncologist told her that the prognosis was not good.  Pam smiled when she told him, “Well, either I will stay here and do God’s work, or I will meet Him in glory.”  Her doctor said that she was the first person who ever had that optimistic outlook.   Who could blame her?

There are 2,667 death cafes in thirty-two countries around the world, cafes where people gather around a cup of coffee to discuss death.  It is a subject worth studying. This past month I read the book What Happens After You Die? where author Randy Frazee studies the entirety of scripture to teach his readers about death. He covers what happened to both believers and non-believers before and after Jesus.  For the Christian, we immediately (faster than snap-your-fingers fast) shall be in Heaven in our spiritual bodies.  No one knows what we will look like, but we can assume it won’t matter because we will be in the presence of God, and nothing matters more than that.

When Jesus returns and this world ends, a “New Jerusalem” will come from Heaven to earth. Frazee puts it this way: “…when we die, we go to Heaven; when Christ returns, he brings heaven to a brand-new earth.” There we will be given new bodies.  No one knows the age or appearance of these new bodies, but again, it won’t matter, for we will live in God’s kingdom forever with no possibility of pain, tears, illness, evil or death again.

No wonder Pam didn’t want to leave.

Keys to the Kingdom

By Carolyn Tucker

God is not AI

While performing a humdrum task in the kitchen, I was listening to one of my favorite preachers. A good one-liner always grabs my attention and here’s what he said: “If God was small enough for your mind, He wouldn’t be big enough for your needs.” Because of my own life experiences, I can verify that this is a truthful quote. I’m very thankful and quite comforted in knowing that God out thinks, out wits, out plans, and out performs me. We need to remember that when we don’t understand everything God does, that’s a good sign we’re in Hands way bigger than our own.

Many songs have been written that drives home the simple, yet profound, message about our intimate relationship with God. In 1944, Kenneth Morris penned the lyrics and music to “My God is Real.” This song could be my testimony set to music: “There are some things I may not know; There are some places I can’t go. But I am sure of this one thing, that God is real for I can feel Him deep within. My God is real, real in my soul. My God is real for He has washed and made me whole. His love for me is like pure gold. My God is real for I can feel Him in my soul.”

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all the rage right now. I suppose it has its place, but I find some of it to be creepy and “cheaty.” It’s driving educators up the wall regarding the writing assignments of students’ term papers. Our culture is enamored with artificial/false/imitation stuff. I prefer the real deal, especially when it comes to chocolate!  We can taste the difference between pure chocolate and artificial chocolate that’s created in a lab using a blend of chemicals that mimic the flavor of real chocolate.

God is the real deal and He’s never out to lunch, slooming around, on vacation, out of touch with reality, or snoozing. Nothing’s too hard for God because He’s bigger than any disease, disaster, or heartbreak you can imagine. “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you” (Jeremiah 32:17 NLT).

God has His own intelligence that’s unrivaled and He never wrings His hands while sitting on the throne. “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O Lord, and this is Your kingdom. We adore You as the One who is over all things” (1 Chronicles 29:11 NLT).

Anyone who spends time in nature can see there is a Master Creator behind all the majestic beauty. “For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20 ESV).

The last time I used my GPS, I had actually arrived at my destination when I heard, “Make a U-turn.” I’m thinking artificial intelligence may be an oxymoron.

The Key: God is real because we can feel Him deep in our soul.

Years ago, when I was counseling a young woman in an abusive relationship, I recommended the book Boundaries by Dr. Hendy Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. Years before when I read it, it left a profound mark on my life. I hoped it would do the same for her. The book’s message is clear:  although we are called to love, we must protect ourselves from harmful, toxic people, provided, of course, we have tried looking past our differences and betrayals and chosen to love.  That’s the hard part.

Why not just walk away?   Because God created us to be in community with one another. Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-10: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” No qualifiers are given. Solomon doesn’t say, “Just be sure the other people are like you, share your values/interests and never disagree with you.”  But what if those people really test our boundaries (like the Mean Mom in last week’s article), and we want to bang our heads into a concrete wall every time we are around them?

Here’s where it gets sticky. The first thing we need to do is to ask ourselves if we have any ownership in this destructive relationship. I mean, if we completely cut disagreeable people out of our lives, we probably won’t have many friends, and there’s a great chance we deserve to be in that “disagreeable” group. Maybe that’s why Jesus himself said to “love others as ourselves.”  Sometimes–most times–the only way we can do that is to ask the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts and words. He has been faithful to show me at least one redeeming quality I need to glean from every irritating person I’ve met.

The first week we were in Las Vegas, Dave and I met Clare, a woman who asked if we play pickleball.  She wanted to know how long we had played and told us about a group that meets every morning at 7:00 and that she would add us to the list.  We could start “tomorrow.”   The following morning, we walked onto the court where ten other people had gathered.  “Rita” approached us.  “Uh, I’m sorry, but these courts are reserved for a group that meets every day at this time.”  I told her that we had been invited.

“Who invited you?” she said, curtly. Dave held me back from pulling her tongue out and politely told her about Clare.  “Well,” Rita continued, pulling out her phone, “I don’t see you anywhere on the list.”  At that time, an elderly man approached us.  “What’s going on here?”  I explained that Clare had invited us to join but we had just found out that this was a closed group.

“What?” he said, clearly embarrassed.  “This isn’t closed. You definitely can join us.”

And then Rita sent me into Crazyville.  “That’s exactly what I was telling them.”  Had Dave not been with me, I think my paddle would have left its mark on her face.                                   \

Clearly, Rita and I would be friends.

Or so I thought.  But the more I was around Rita, the more I liked her.  Over the next few weeks, we played pickleball together often.  I found her to be considerate and kind, and I learned a valuable lesson.  We cannot judge a potential friendship until we have given it a chance to flourish.  One time never should be our gauge to determine if we give it that chance. Maybe I need to remember that the next time I encounter a Mean Mom in the grocery store.