Thanksgiving 2005 offered us the opportunity to really think about how blessed we are in the Moss Family. As we drove from Birmingham to Brownsville eager to be with so many of our loved ones, it gave me time to think about how much we daily take for granted. God has blessed us tremendously with healthy loved ones, a roof over our head, and the ability to worship Him freely. After feeding Little Philip and passing him along to a never-ending stream of loved ones eager to hold him, I ate from a plate mounded high with food lovingly prepared by others around me. I did go back for seconds, and thirds, and...you get the point. On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I made some phone calls on behalf of our church to families in the Biloxi area affected by Hurricane Katrina. We are partnering with First Presbyterian of Biloxi to sponsor a fundraiser with Steve Green in concert on December 18th. A portion of the proceeds from the concert will go towards providing some Christmas wishes to families in need in the Biloxi area. The first call I made was a successful one. I spoke with a mother of four children whose ages ranged from 5-24. Her 84 year old father was living with them along with her husband. All were crammed into a three bedroom FEMA trailer and neither husband or wife has employment since their casino jobs were no more. While my phone calls was to ask about clothing sizes and Christmas toy wishes, I soon learned that at that moment, this woman on the other end of the line just needed to have me listen to her needs, her thoughts, and her fears for the future. As I wrote down clothing sizes, and noted that her 17 year old daughter is pregnant and due in July of 2006, the weight of this woman's burden weighed heavily on me. I shared that our family had her family in our prayers and for once, I meant it. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus-Philippians 4:7
