Anna M. Aquino

My family and I returned from our trip from the North a few days ago. Like always we had a very good trip and it was difficult for us to return and leave our family in the colder states. While this trip was to spend time with family over the holidays, this year I preached at a few different events. One of these events was a woman’s conference at The Gathering Place in Marion. I had been asked to teach a writer’s workshop before preaching and in between services a woman who I never met to my knowledge came up to me. She began the conversation by asking me if I was related to my grandmother. I’m from a fairly small town so I smiled and nodded my head. True I didn’t know who this woman was but my grandmother had a way with knowing most of the town. My grandmother moved in with Jesus several years ago. Her impact on my life is unmistakable and it has always been a regret of mine that she never lived to see me published or ordained. The picture above was the two of us at my high schoo...

My girls had a week when they were doing standardized testing, and my six-year-old was sick the last day of testing. I was assured that she would be able to take a makeup test and all would be well if I kept her home. So she went into school the next day, and had the makeup test. She didn’t say anything to me about what happened because she had to get sent home from school again because she still wasn’t feeling well. However the next day we were sitting at the table as a family and all of a sudden she said, “Mommy, they told me they were giving me a makeup test, but there was no makeup there?” At first I didn’t understand what she was getting at, and then slowly I started laughing, “Did you think they’d have blush and lip-gloss?” “Yes,” Her sincerity was precious and she didn’t think too kindly of me laughing so hard at this conversation. You know, so often we as Children of the Lord can do the same thing with God. We can think He meant one thing, and then want to be disapp...