my weekend was beyond amazing. the closer i get to God the better i feel. He is just so amazing. not only did i get to eldon and back safe and sound...i got to visit with my eldon friends and my sister as well as share an awesome experience with others who praise the Lord. i feel refreshed and ready to serve God. this is so cool:) i want to share it with everyone!!! take care you guys..God bless! *manda* *******edit******** Summer Storm by Dana Gioia We stood on the rented patio While the party went on inside. You knew the groom from college. I was a friend of the bride. We hugged the brownstone wall behind us To keep our dress clothes dry And watched the sudden summer storm Floodlit against the sky. The rain was like a waterfall Of brilliant beaded light, Cool and silent as the stars The storm hid from the night. To my surprise, you took my arm– A gesture you didn't explain– And we spoke in whispers, as if we two Might imitate the rain. Then suddenly the storm receded As swiftly as it came. The doors behind us opened up. The hostess called your name. I watched you merge into the group, Aloof and yet polite. We didn't speak another word Except to say goodnight. Why does that evening's memory Return with this night's storm– A party twenty years ago, Its disappointments warm? There are so many might have beens, What ifs that won't stay buried, Other cities, other jobs, Strangers we might have married. And memory insists on pining For places it never went, As if life would be happier Just by being different. **courtney it's my poem :/**