Wednesday’s Wink from Above – Special 4th of July Edition [Saturday 07-04-2026]

 

As a nation we celebrate 250-year anniversary and as Kellys we celebrate the "Miracle of Marietta and Kennesaw" and as the Miracle continues to unfold, Laurie, Brian, Caiden John, and Berkleigh are at home in Kennesaw, GA. It is July 4, 2026, and once again, Brian’s sister Elizabeth and her family [husband Kyle, their children: Declan, Deacon, Maren & Kellen] are celebrating my-daughter-in-law Laurie’s continued recovery from the brain aneurysm and stroke she suffered on July 4, 2018. 

The Koch's made a stop in the Smokey Mountains on their way to Georgia, saw a bear, climbed a mountain and had a wonderful time in Tennessee, before they continued on to Kennesaw. 

Each year since 2018 Brian’s sister Elizabeth and her family visit the Georgia Kellys to share the 4th of July Holiday, a.k.a. HOPE FILLED DAY, to celebrate Laurie’s continued recovery from her aneurysm and stroke. Her recovery is remarkable, her recovery a miracle, and a blessing given to Brian, Caiden, Berkleigh, and all of us.

Perseverance in Prayer [pleas, tears, shouts & joys], assistance from friends, family and others from the community and Laurie’s tenacity with her therapies, have contributed to her recovery.

Eight years ago, Brian prayed for Divine Intervention and The Lord answered Brian “it is not Laurie’s time to enter eternity, but it is your time to help her carry her cross here trusting in God’s never-failing mercy.”

Laurie’s progress has been steady and wonderful to behold. She continues her therapy each week and vigorously pursues her goal of full recovery. Laurie, Brian, and all of us are grateful for your prayers over the years and hope that you will continue praying for them. Trust that we pray for you and your families every day.

 

 

The family photo above was taken on July 2025, when the Kelly Family gathered for our annual Sunset Beach, N.C. Vacation and where we will Vacation again this July 2026.

Today, as indicated above, we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of our Independence. In 1776 our Declaration of Independence announced our break with Great Britain and offered these ideals: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

With all the problems we face as a nation [political, social, economic, etc.] take time today to count your blessings and thank God for our nation, however, flawed. May we heal, hope, seek and pray for the United States of America as we seek to live the ideals we proclaim.

May God Bless America and May God Bless all people of all nations today and every day.

May God Be Blessed.

Blog Wednesday’s Wink from Above 07/01/2026 Prayer - The Little Prince & Useless Time

 

In The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry points out that many adult are obsessed with strict "usefulness" [making money & owning thing]. He argues that what is important in life invisible—love, imagination, and relationships, these cannot be measured by practicality or profit. Jesus “… dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” [Matthew 14:23]

The world says, “If you are not making good use of your time, you are useless.” The world means pursuing money & goods. The Word [Jesus] says, “Come spend some time with me.”  Jesus means just sit quietly with me, in a way be “useless.”

If we think about prayer in terms of its usefulness to us – what prayer will do for us, what spiritual benefits we will gain, what insights we will gain, what divine presence we may feel – God cannot easily speak to us.

But if we can detach ourselves from the idea of the usefulness of prayer and the results of prayer, we become free to “waste” a precious hour with God in prayer. Gradually, we may find, our “useless or wasted” time will transform us, and everything around us will be different.

 

May God Be Praised.

 

Wednesday’s Wink from Above 6/24/2026 – Prayer, Hope & the Word of God

“We shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God.” [St. Francis de Sales]

"It is by the virtue of hope that we desire to attain the fullness of this happiness in Heaven. Thus, it inspires and sustains us to grow closer to God even when confronted by the hardships of life." [Pope Leo XIV]

"Always give good heed to the Word of God, whether you hear or read it in private, or hearken to it when publicly preached: listen with attention and reverence; seek to profit by it, and do not let the precious words fall unheeded; receive them into your heart as a costly balsam; imitate the Blessed Virgin who 'kept all the sayings' concerning her Son, ‘in her heart.’ And remember that as we hearken to and receive God’s words, so will He hearken and receive our supplications." [St. Francis de Sales, An Introduction to the Devout Life, p.99]

 

Choose to let God’s Word, permeate your thoughts and actions, allow Hope in God to guide you in life’s storms.

 

May God Be Praised.