On this day of celebration, we gathered to encourage a new mama! I look back over the years of motherhood and am reminded of all of those joyful days, my heart is full. With the addition of each child there is so much excitement and anticipation.
So, here I sit. Cold coffee in hand. Not the sort of coffee that you intend to be cold either. This mug has been reheated a couple of times, and at this point I just give up. I will drink it cold, because if I put it in the microwave one more time I will be distracted by something that must be done this instance...and then, cold coffee. Or completely forgotten coffee. Again.
To be totally, brutally honest...I am exhausted. I may or may not have slept a total of six hours within the past two nights, and my baby just cries. She can't sleep...so she cries.
How do you celebrate Mother's Day on little to no sleep? With dirty floors, because the kids have dug a hole in the garden the size of a small pool. Then they made it into a small pool. Those kids, so determined and creative. But, the sand comes in the house and rubs at your feet reminding you that "no sane mother would allow her children to make such a mess".
This too shall pass
There will come a time when nobody will be digging up the yard, and filling up a homemade pool. No slamming of the backdoor while running in to catch a sip of sweet tea, or ask again what is for dinner. Or if we had dinner, or what day it is, or why on earth am I shorter than Daddy if I am actually older than him!
My arms will be empty in the early hours of the morning, and we will all sleep soundly.
My heart is still filled with joy, as I look at each one of these children God has entrusted me with. Each one of them so unique and vibrant in their own way. What an honor to be called "mom" by each one of them.
This too shall pass....all too quickly.
Happy Mother's Day! May you be celebrated today! Mom's by blood, by marriage, or association, you are truly a blessing!
Last month was a very, very hard month for me for a wide variety of reasons. My husband started cancelling his job interviews without any idea as to what he might like to do instead of teaching at a university. The chair of one of the searches met with Paul and talked him into rescheduling the interview. We were amazed that he was given two chances to interview for the position. Paul was the last person they interviewed, and his interview took place on April 14. He had been told he would hear something within 7-10 days; after that much time had passed, we assumed that they had offered the job to one of the other candidates. Paul had declined the interviews at two other schools, so we thought he'd have to find some other random job that had nothing to do with his degree in chemistry. We were pleasantly shocked when he received a job offer on May 1st from that university where he interviewed on April 14. He got his master's degree at that school, and it is only 15 minutes from our house. We are so thankful that my husband has a job for another year, I get to stay home with my kids for at least one more year, and we get to stay in our current house for another year. When my husband told me the good news, the first thing that came to my mind was the song "God will make a way." The lyrics say "God will make a way when there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see. He will make a way for me. He will be my guide, hold me closely to his side. With love and strength for each new day, He will make a way." Thank you, Lord, for making a way where there seemed to be no way!
There was a season in my life in which I spent a lot of time taking dance classes, choreographing and helping to organize the dance portions of large local worship events, but life and work seem to have somehow taken up all the time that I used to devote to dance. Now, with my husband's band starting to take off, it seems as though I may be coming into another season where the arts, and dance in particular, are prominent again. Songs are beginning to catch my attention for potential choreography, including some of the band's songs. One of those songs already has choreography, and another is in the works. Again, I am eagerly anticipating seeing what God is going to do with all this.
There are touchy subjects we avoid in church. One such subject is consuming alcohol. Do I drink alcohol? Yep. However, I have personal rules that line up with scripture. I do not drink for the purpose of becoming drunk. I usually put mineral water or ice in my beverage so that I am hydrated, and am therefore less likely to go over that edge. I don't drink in front of others that I know will be offended, or that I may cause to sin.
Oh I know, some of you are saying, "NOOO, you can't be a Christian and drink". Ah, yeah ya can. It's like a pastor said, "You can smoke and go to heaven. You may smell like Hell and look like Hell, but that doesn't mean you are going to Hell". I see Christians drink diet soda-pop. Ah, diet pop has Aspartame, a drug that is as addictive, if not more so, and more harmful to the body then alcohol. Don't believe me, go to www.msgtruth.org and look up Aspartame, they explain the chemical effects on the body scientifically. Basically neither are good for the body, but there are times that alcohol could be helpful. Anyone ever have cough syrup? Look at the ingredients? It's mostly alcohol, because in that case, it's helpful. Ever put whiskey on a child's gums to stop the teething pain? My husband's mom did & it worked. In the bible, the good Samaritan used wine and oil to pour on the beaten man before binding up his wounds. These things have been used for generations.
Am I saying that it's o.k. for all to drink? Not at all! There are those that if they did, to them it would be sin, and others may become drunkards. I myself have had issues in the past with this, truth be told. So, I came up with the above rules that serve me well. Another thing I became aware of during that time is; we are not judge, jury of others behaviors. What may be sin for one, may be fine for another, EXCEPT for those things specifically mentioned in the bible to not do, like the ten commandments. Loud and clear here, OBEY THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. If alcohol makes your judgement so distorted that you may then break any of the ten commandments, it's best to stay away from it all together.
In short, if it's a commandment, do what those say. If you have doubt as to whether it's o.k. for you to drink, stay away until you get peace from God either way. Then go with what He says to do. Also, don't judge others if you see them drink, because you aren't God or the general manager of the universe. It's best when we view touchy subjects through the prism of God's word, and realize He is in control, rather then ourselves, in all areas.
May is National Foster Care Month. My husband and I went through the process of getting licensed to be a foster home back in 2000. Since that time we have fostered more kids than we can count and have adopted 5 of them. We have had the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children right here in our own county. Have we always been perfect? Absolutely not.
We are human. We get worn down. We need sleep. We rarely have free time. We aren't always as pleasant and gracious as we would like to be. Some days we are just plain out exhausted. We listen to opinions from folks who have never walked our path.We kick ourselves for our inability to fix our kids. Yet we get up each morning and do it all over again praying that somehow we will connect with them.
Most days it seems as if progress eludes us, but then we will have an encounter that reminds us why we continue to reach out. I was sitting in a waiting room and a young boy (18 or 19) struck up a conversation with me. A few moments later, he asked me if I was a foster parent. I said that I was. He then went on to say "I stayed at your house". My mind started reeling....I didn't recognize him and was trying desperately to remember him. Then it clicked.
He was only with us for 3 days. He was 11, and had been dropped off with the torn up, filthy, sweat pants and a dirty white t-shirt that his birth mom forced him to wear as a humiliating punishment. His shoes were falling apart and he didn't have any socks on. I remember talking to him as he helped me load the dishwasher after dinner. He broke into my thoughts by saying "You made spaghetti that night. It was the best spaghetti I ever had".
I blinked back tears at his compliment. It had been a box of pasta and a jar of Prego, but to him it was an act of kindness that he still remembered 8 years after the fact. I had no idea how much those few days impacted him. I didn't even remember his name....but he remembered everything.
Some things were good. Being a dessert competition, there was always a "can't fail" aspect. In this case the four desserts were excellent, the voting for the prizes was appropriately splintered. The room was very cute, with the blue tablecloths, red geraniums, and giant coloring sheets. The coloring sheets were a hit. All four were finished and then some by the end of the event. The skit was funny with Friar Hugo, Bingo and Bungo teaching us how to bake apples and how to grow in love. I was pleased with those things
I made the wrong choice about the sound system, and it damaged important parts of the day, most importantly, the Martin to Martin appeal. Our best shot at sharing our cause was very hard to hear. I hope people read the information in the program. We fell just short of meeting half our goal for ticket
sales. Other mistakes occurred, but they were minor and can be overlooked for this first time event.
sales. Other mistakes occurred, but they were minor and can be overlooked for this first time event.
All in all, I think the event was a success. I wanted to do it better, but I did the best I could. I would grade it a C+. I will regret that it isn't an A for a while, but I tried--I did more than fail.
In all this reckoning, my heart is reminded, "Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts ; and then each man's praise will come to him from God." On the one hand, I am quite encouraged, because he who knows everything knows the quiet things that happened in the privacy of each heart. Maybe a bunch of small changes for the good added up to something. On the other hand he knows how each of my choices impacted the final outcome. He knows what that last phone call might have done. He knows where I wasn't listening and missed the boat.
Either way, it's not my job to be the final judge. My report card isn't out yet, but I know my teacher loves me. I'm praying for an A.
The road may
be rocky
Your view may
be dim
You stumble
and falter
While
following Him
Fall flat on
your face!
Then get up
and move on
Scraped
knees and bruised egos
One life,
and you’re gone
No matter
the struggle
One promise
I’ll tell
Your journey
in Him
Will be sure
to
End Well
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