Fitness Friday: Are You Hungry?

"Are you hungry?"
(shrug) "Meh. I could eat..."

We have this conversation often around our house. Sure -- let me eat when it's convenient or when there's food, but when I'm hungry? What's that? I find that we even plan to avoid hunger -- eat now so that I'm not hungry later; wonder what will happen if we get hungry...?

Obviously, hunger is an empty stomach. The pain or burning you feel is your stomach being hopeful of food coming its way and dumping acid in preparation for eating. Have you ever gone to bed stuffed to the gills, almost ill, from WAY over-indulging, promising yourself to NEVER eat again only to wake up so hungry you start eyeing your bedcovers? Your stomach is a fast learner! Overeat at one meal, and the next time your stomach is empty it dumps much more acid than usual in preparation for another enormous meal. The result is an almost painful hunger feeling. Fortunately, it learns the other way, too! Start eating smaller portions and your hunger sensation is still noticeable, but not nearly as uncomfortable.

Most of us can identify hunger, but seem to take great lengths to avoid it. It's simply a signal like so many others of your body. And, if you are eating small portions, it isn't horribly painful. My biggest obstacle to feeling that hunger is mindless eating. We all know that many people with big weight struggles can be emotional eaters, but I think the vast majority of us are simply mindless eaters.

I know I can be guilty of: snacking my way through the pantry while I decide what to eat; being completely satisfied or full from dinner and eating the kids' leftovers while I clear the table; snacking while I cook dinner so that I sit down to a meal not hungry in the least; eating everything (or most of it) in front of me just because I was hungry -- but not necessarily THAT hungry (I never stopped to think about how hungry I was); eating just because it's 'time to eat'.

Studies and research come out time and again that shows that every successful dieter writes down EVERYTHING they put in their mouth. The reasoning is mainly that the dieter becomes AWARE of what s/he is consuming, and the (caloric) cost of all of it.

Fitness Friday will alternate between nutrition and exercise posts, so next week will be about exercise. For this week, I would encourage you to evaluate how well you are listening to your body's cry for food: are you physically hungry? Are you uncomfortably hungry? If so, can you eat a little less this time to become less hungry next time? Are you really enjoying what you eat? More than anything, I will try to pay attention to what I'm eating. God blesses us with some AMAZING food that we inhale too quickly to notice sometimes.

Until next Friday, be fit!

My Daughter is My Sister!

For a while now, as Ashley's friends have made the decision to give their lives to Christ and be baptized, she has mentioned it. We have talked about it as a family, and I have prayed about it frequently. Truly, her biggest obstacle, in her mind, is her 'crowd shyness'. She absolutely, positively, didn't want to be baptized in front of the church and she absolutely, positively, didn't want to be 'singled out' in front of church afterward even if she chose to be baptized in private. I continued to assure her neither of those were requirements for telling Jesus you were ready to be His girl, but she just wasn't sure...

Last week, while Ashley was safely tucked away at camp, and Troy and I were cuddled on the couch watching a movie, she sent me a text message, "I HAVE to get baptized in the next week! I can't explain it, but it's something I have to do." There were other words, that I treasured in my heart (and on my iphone! ;-), but with those words, she didn't HAVE to explain it. I knew. We really didn't talk about it much at all when she got home, but last night after we got home from church, we opened up the conversation about it. In short, she felt exactly the same: it must be done. She was ready to go in my bathtub!!

But we chose to break into let ourselves into the church, just the 4 of us. (Roxanne said, "There's nothing like a little breaking and entering with your parents before giving your life to Christ." Indeed). Her daddy said some beautiful words about her decision, what it meant to HER, as well as what it meant to all of us. I didn't cry too much. But I am so amazingly thankful. According to Acts 2:38, now my daughter has received the gift of the Holy Spirit. I believe that with that indwelling, no matter the choices she makes in her life or the roads she may walk, the Spirit will remind her again and again of the cleansing waters she experienced -- a joining of Christ in his death when He was the ultimate sacrifice. I'm walking on the clouds right now, watching the heavens rejoicing as they welcome my new sister!

P.S. youtube is still chugging trying to upload the video. If you would like to see it, email me sstirman [at] gmail [dot] com and I will send you the link to it (if it ever fully uploads!)

Whew!

How did summer get so busy? This week has been appointment this and appointment that with a meeting thrown in for good measure. And? It's hot. I know, it's hot where you are, but I mean it is CRAZY hot. Actually today it is almost bearable hot, but earlier? Crazy hot.

Part of our appointments/ obligations have been getting the kids 'fixed up' -- braces for her, ankle checks for him, basketball game for her, soccer sign-ups for him. I am so thankful for all the comings and goings and doings I am able to be present for. Last night Ashley had a basketball game -- she's playing on a summer league (obviously). For some reason, she always wants her jersey number to be '3'. I can't tell you what it does to this momma's heart to hear the opposing coach yell, "Watch out for number 3!! Watch out for number 3!!" That's right -- watch out! I love it.

This year will be her first year to play athletics for a school -- 7th grade. Which means 7 a.m. practices. And, yes, if you play athletics, you play all year long. For her, that will be volleyball, basketball, and tennis ('cause she's not real into that 'track' thing). Approximately 175 days of 7 a.m. practices. Check with me in February, but right now, I simply cannot wait. Ashley is at home on any court (Watch out for number 3!!) as evidenced by the huge, cheesy grin she has pretty much the entire time she plays. I can't wait to help her get to practice what she loves to do.

And soccer sign-ups? We did check with the orthopedist if that was an okay venture or not. He gave his blessing, but we do have an appointment with a physical therapist (Riley is REALLY offended at having a 'therapist'! I told him all the awesome athletes do!) to teach us what we can do here at home to strengthen those ankles since, as the doc says, soccer is hard on ankles! Say a prayer!

That's the chatty news from Lake Wobegon. Blissfully un-dramatic. Just hot. Oh, I guess the biggest drama is our poor swimming pool's chemical battle against the green-ness of the water. It's been a rough year, let's just say, for the ol' pool. But, when it's 108*, one is in need of a pool. A blue, crystal clear pool -- not a green, cloudy one. I keep threatening to put one in at my house. I think it's time, don't you?

Set The World on Fire!

I couldn't choose!Ashley was at camp at ACU last week. Worth every penny (and it took more than a few pennies) for the way it affected her. Besides that, it led me to this awesome song! All 3 videos are the same song. The top video is my favorite, the bottom includes lyrics, and the middle is just good!







(Funny side note: I mentioned to one camp employee how much we loved this song, which was played through at least 3 camp sessions for middle school, perhaps even the 3 high school sessions. He mentioned that if he heard it one more time he might, in fact, set the world on fire! I guess we all have our limits... :-)

Belonging

Shuffling around clutter today, I happened across one of my nametags from a former employer. Besides wondering why I still have it, I started thinking about what it means/ meant. "I'm on the team!" "I belong here!" "I may even know something!" I think it's born with us to be hungry to be a part of something -- meaningful or not. Rabid sports-team fans and over-enthusiastic PTA moms come to mind as folks who are eager to belong and show allegiance.

I think truly, more than losing adult interaction, stay-at-home moms miss being a part of something -- or maybe it was just me. It's so hard to see, in the middle of the diapers and sippy-cups and strained peas, that what you are doing matters to anyone, and you feel completely adrift. Not a part of anyone's team or group -- simply you and your family.

Which is where the glory of our Heavenly Father comes in. Jesus is my brother, the creator of the universe my Father, are you kidding me? How much more 'in' do I need to be? What better group could there be? I wish I could say that is always enough for me. Too often the pull of this world causes me to long for the approval of the group, acceptance by the masses, and applause of the many.

May my focus change and my heart know that only One delights in me, only One knows me fully, only One always welcomes and loves me. And I pray that is enough, and that my life reflects my longing to please Him.

"The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

Good Things Out There

My daughter and I are about to have a drawerful of Hip-T's.

I so love it when Lysa is so transparent...

Purse sale! Need I say more?

Roxanne has shown me stuff from this blog before, but I happened back onto it recently. Wow -- beautiful things out there.

Joshilyn Jackson has given me new neuroses about why I can't write. Evidently, my house is used up.

Look! A new pedicure idea! No thank you.

Recently found this guy. HILARIOUS!

Some of the very same things that let us know that America is going down the tubes are what make America great. And, I must include "America's Got Talent" in that category. Some of the acts on that show lead you to believe that not only does America not have talent, it doesn't have class or intelligence either. Then came Emily. She's got my vote.

Question for the Day

Help me with a writing project.

I'm thinking of ways that children get completely consumed in their imaginary world, whether by pretending the bed is a boat and the carpet is water, or the brush is a microphone and the stuffed animals are the screaming fans.

What are childhood imaginations/ fantasies you remember getting totally lost in, or you currently see your children getting lost in?

Fitness Friday Revisited

As summer continues to blaze, my fitness aspirations have dissolved to avoid sweating while being still. Sometimes I have to go lay down to succeed. That is pretty much the extent of my fitness plan for the summer. Between that, and my diet of : Sharky's burritos, sno-cones, and an occasional Dairy Queen blizzard, for some reason my clothes seem to be shrinking. Starting next Friday, August 1, I am going to re-instate Fitness Fridays here on the ol' blog to encourage us to get off our keesters and move. Or, just encourage ME to get off my keester while you sit on the couch with the chips. Next Friday, I will encourage us to move. This Friday, let's just take it easy.

While you're taking it easy, check out The Coffee Group's new look for our blog. Special thanks to Jen at blue yonder design for our awesome new look!

Phone Pic

Stephanie mentioned in a comment that my version of fun includes my iphone. And she is oh-so-right. And some day I will have a whole list of all the things I love about my iphone. But today I just wanted to share a pic that I took with my phone that completely cracks me up. A few weeks ago, Riley and I were in PetSmart to get who-knows-what for Stickers, and happened by the 'little rodent' cages -- or whatever it is. These little guys cracked me up: snoozing in the back of their toy truck, they look like they threw Little Louie out on his rear, where Louie couldn't be bothered to wake up.Caption, anyone?

Mamma Mia, the review

ABBA pre-dates even me. But at some point in late high school or early college years, I happened across a 'Best of...' cassette tape for probably $1.99. I almost wore that tape out between Louisiana and Abilene in college singing along to the ABBA hits.



Last night many friends gathered to watch this summer's chic flick: Mamma Mia. Denise has had the soundtrack for a few weeks in preparation to sing along. I have to confess, Denise wasn't as obnoxious vibrant as I imagined she would be. I did even pre-apologize for how loud my row would likely be to someone I knew in the theater.


All in all, Mamma Mia is a silly, fun little story filled with your favorite ABBA music. Silly because it's a musical -- and aren't all storylines where people burst into song just a little (or a lot) silly? There were times that I thought I was seeing ACU Sing Song where the groups had more than $7 for prop budget. Meryl Streep is finally someone a little bit different than Meryl Streep -- I think only because she's singing, though. And Pierce Brosnan singing? Bless. The lady sitting next to me leaned over and said, "Oh, he should have taken some lessons." I replied, "I read an interview -- he did." He's still very pretty to look at.


Don't go in search of Schindler's List. But go if you just want an evening of ABBA music. And, just a sneak preview, but Coffee Group is pretty sure we're going to get some outfits like this for our next speaking gig. Especially Meryl's sleeves.

Life 101

The calendar pages flip, the birthday candles add up, the grays multiply and gravity takes its toll. Life can wear a person out, but if you're smart, you learn a few things along the way.

Some things I've learned are fairly inconseqential, yet valuable. For instance, you're in the grocery store for a few things. You pick up one thing. Then another. You get to the back of the store and remember the ingredients for the cupcakes you're supposed to bake, or the 20 lb. box of detergent you need, whatever. You realize you REALLY should have grabbed a cart and sigh at the prospect of returning to the front of the store to get one. Then, lo and behold! A cart! Seemingly sent from heaven, empty and unattended, as if the angel Gabriel provided you ease of shopping. Listen up: DO NOT GET THAT CART! Do you hear me? That cart is from Satan and was abandoned for a reason! It will challenge your religion as well as your vow to clean up your language. It is worth the trip to the front of the store! Simply one thing I have learned on my journey.

Another thing just continues to bubble in front of me, and I can't let it go. I've heard it a minimum of a million six times. It's scripture so I would never have challenged it, but I just have seen it lived out too many times to ignore it:

"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders
away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one
that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about
that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same
way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be
lost." Matthew 18:12-14

As Coffee Group travels telling our stories, I never fail to hear something new in our stories. But one thing I consistently think when Tammy tells her story of years of wandering, seeking peace and comfort in places other than God's arms, is how God wouldn't let her stay there. He sought her out, hunted her down, and wouldn't let her go. I thought the same thing reading "Same Kind of Different As Me". Both of the authors mention shallow (or non-existent) faith in their lives, but the story that unfolds is, to me, evidence that God wouldn't rest until they had returned.

The recent attention that Josh Hamilton has garnered is yet another illustration of that (you MUST click on that link -- AMAZING). Truly, I would yet to hear about him if not for Kelly, the cutest baseball fan I know, but his story so clearly illustrates God's tenacious seeking of His wandering children. And, just last night, I was having a phone conversation with my own brother, who had what I call "his prodigal years". We were talking about how heart-breaking it was for the rest of us in my family to see him like that. I mentioned that I believe with all of my heart (and I still do) that it was the fervent, pleading prayers of my mother that brought that child of God back into the fold. Even as I said it, though, I continued to think -- mom's prayers, and God's faithfulness to His children. God wouldn't let my brother go. He refused to surrender one of His children to the darkness. And, by my brother's own account -- it isn't like he was, at the time, very valuable to the Kingdom.

But, oh, the value of a rescued soul. The hearts they can touch. If for no other reason, than to proclaim, "If He wanted me, the way I was, then He probably wants you, too." God gives us the freedom to try, but you cannot sin beyond His love and forgiveness. Nor can you run far enough from His loving embrace. The story of the prodigal is so glorious. The moment the son could be seen returning to his Father's home, "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." (Luke 15:20)

Obviously, way better than learning how to avoid a rotten shopping cart, I am convinced that the Lord seeks out His children relentlessly. And when He sees them over the top of hill, He gathers His robes around His feet and runs to meet that child with loving arms. Glory.

Trying Something New

So here I am, 74 mph on the interstate (not currently driving), typing
with my thumbs. Blogger has an email address where I can email in a
blog post and there it will be! Theoretically. So I thought I would
try 'drive-by blogging' OR, literally, 'phoning it in'! And, no, I'm
not telling you the email address. I know how you people operate!

Sharp subject change: it occurs to me that not only am I not a thrill-
seeker, I'm not even a fun-seeker. Which makes me vastly different
than many of my 'running buddies' -- those I 'run around with' that
wouldn't be caught dead actually running. My buddies live for fun and
fun times. But anytime someone tells me: "We are going to have SO!
MUCH!! FUN!!!", I know the most fun will be watching others have their
fun. Forced/ planned fun times are usually loud and active, which
isn't my brand of fun.

So I have been pondering what IS my brand of fun. It occurs to me that
my brand of fun isn't about doing, it's about being: being with
friends, being with family, being at peace, being away from pressing
responsibilities. Not to say that my friends' brand of fun wouldn't
INCLUDE those things,but I'm a fairly subdued kind of seeker. Some
might even call it 'lethargic.'

So, when someone asks you what they can do that would be fun for me,
tell them, "Just let her be." Seriously. And it will be more fun than
I can stand!

From the highway,
Peace out.

Sent from my iPhone

Book Review

Just finished reading 'The Shack'.

Yes, it's good. Much truth within those pages. Does it live up to the hype? There is a LOT of hype about the book -- mostly deservedly so. But it made me read most of the book thinking, "So what's the big deal about this?"

In short, the Shack is about a man who spends a weekend at a shack -- what is likely the crime scene of his murdered six year old daughter -- with God. Actually with The Trinity. (all of this is on the cover of the book -- I'm not giving a ton away with this). But, as you might imagine, that makes part of the book very difficult/ painful to read. I had to 'press on' further than most people said they did -- again, I'm sure because of the skeptical way I approached the book.

I would highly recommend you read this book. I would highly recommend you NOT approach it as preaching/ theology to prove or disprove. It is fiction. But it is fiction that I will carry with me and roll around in my brain for a while.

Other friends who have reviewed The Shack:

BST

Byron

John

Tammy

Stickers the Hedgehog

I have been somewhat remiss in introducing our new family member here. Stickers the hedgehog was brought into our family on Monday, May 5. I will try to answer the many, many questions we have gotten about Stickers since we've had her.

Why a hedgehog?

Excellent question! In spring 2004, we visited a children's museum that had a hedgehog as a pet. We thought it would be so fun to have a hedgehog! We started asking around a little bit. They, like dogs and children, reflect the way they have been raised from babies. If they are used to people and socialization, they will do really well with people. That wasn't the time for us to be getting a hedgehog, but a couple of years ago, we started thinking about it again...

Stickers in the pocket of my robe.

Where did you get this one?

Actually, from a hedgehog breeder in North Central Texas! (local pet stores do not carry them as a general rule -- but have had a couple over the years) Go figure... We started trying to get one -- as a baby-- last spring ('07). You just don't want to know how many hedgehog disasters we have been through to get Stickers! If the deal with Stickers had fallen through, I was going to take the sign from the Lord that we are not meant to be hedgehog owners!

Stickers sporting two quills that looked like horns.

Do you let her run around the house/ and have you ever lost her?

No and no and we believe the two are related!! Hedgehogs are 1)burrowers and 2)nocturnal. To 'lose' her in our house would mean that she would burrow and sleep through the day, and get up at night to poop AND search for food that she wouldn't be able to get to. We play with her frequently, but never leave her unattended.

Peek-a-boo Stickers

What does she eat/ where does she live?

She eats dry cat food and lives in a hamster-type cage. She has a little 'igloo' that she burrows in to sleep, and a wheel to run in at night.

Stickers being introduced to the dust mop. Later, we will train her to use it!

Is she prickly?

Um, yeah. Prickly -- and downright painful when she wants to be. Most of the time, she's just your basic prickly. NEVER soft, except for the white fur around her face.

Does she bite?

Nope -- no need. She's prickly. If she smells food on your hands, she'll try a nibble -- but she always licks it to taste first, so if your finger is still there, it's your own fault.

What does Duchess think?

Duchess REALLY wants to play with her -- as in toss her to and fro, play fetch USING her, etc. She's most disappointed that she can't get Stickers in her mouth comfortably. But she can't, so Duchess, outweighing Stickers by about 7,000 times, doesn't bother Stickers in the least.

All in all, we are having a great time with Stickers. You'll have to come play!

Funky Hat?

My children broaden my horizons greatly. This totally cracks me up, though I'm about 3 times the target age...

End of the Week!

Well, I had all manner of fun things to tell you this week, but I have had to do major battle to get to my computer this week. Generally, there is an offspring standing over me with a watch timing me to complete my one email I promised I would ONLY send then get off the computer.

Oh, it's TV-free week at our house, did I mention? I usually make that include all screens (computer, Gameboy, etc.) but I didn't have the gumption this go-round.

One thing that I scheduled us to do this week (this will show you how pathetic I am that I had to schedule this) was to go 'watch the stars come out'. Riley has been asking for OVER A YEAR to do that! (I know, really! I recognize how sad I am!) So Wednesday p.m. I told the kids to have a blanket and bug spray in the car before church. After church -- the talking and the what-not -- we piled into the car, headed north, stopping at McDonald's for sundaes (and cinnamon melts for me -- pause for 'yum' thoughts!), and went to a lawn on the ACU campus to watch the stars come out. It was too bright for actual star-gazing, but it was glorious fun to sit with my family and find a star that, 8 seconds prior, had been invisible. The weather was AMAZING and almost cool-ish. It was free (except for the sundaes) and a precious memory.

Go make a memory with your family.

Good Things Out There

Busy Weekend!

Emily got married. Greg had his 4th baby -- 1st boy! Beverly is at a conference! I feel like such a slacker...!

These are just for laughs. Vann has a challenge.

This is one of my elders. I don't know his wife well, because she is unable to come to church due to caring for their child. A beautiful story of choosing to love.

One Word

From Roxanne and Melanie. I found it a HUGE challenge to answer with one word!

1. Where is your cell phone? table
2. Your significant other? hard worker
3. Your hair? straight
4. Your mother? learner
5. Your father? warm
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? iphone!
8. Your favorite drink? peach tea
9. Your goal or dream? author
10. The room you’re in? office
11. Your kids? hilarious
12. Your fear? failure
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Abilene
14. Where were you last night? friends
15. What you’re not? athletic
16. Muffins? spice
17. One of your wish list items? landscaping!
18. Where you grew up? Louisiana
19. The last thing you did ? camera
20. What are you wearing? shorts
21. Your TV? petite
22. Your pets? family
23. Your computer? new
24. Your life? happy
25. Your mood? thoughtful
26. Missing someone? parents
27. Your car? gas-guzzler
28. Something you’re not wearing? perfume
29. Favorite Store? Target
30. Your summer? relaxing
31. Like someone? yeah...
32. Your favorite color? yellow
33. When is the last time you laughed? comedian
34. Last time you cried? ummmm...?
35. The person who sent this to you? friend
36. Who will/would resend this? unknown
37. A good book? changing
38. A good movie? funny
39. A good song? happy
40. One word to share? peace

Book Review(s)

It took me getting past teaching swim lessons to really start in on some summer reading. And now I am making up for lost time!! I haven't done much summer reading in years past, but I am making an effort now. Just too much out there for me not to!!

I picked this up at the library -- mainly just because I was curious about the picture:

First, I loved it!! Second, I'm not sure I can recommend it to normal people, because I know few people who are as fascinated as I am by why our brains do what they do. In short, a neuroanatomist (studier of brain anatomy) had a stroke at age 37. She talks about the stroke and her recovery from her scientific point of view. I found it so fascinating. It also contains VERY good advice/ help for caregivers of anyone with any type of brain trauma. She also talks about how many YEARS it took her to fully recover some functions, even though 5 months after the stroke she walked onto a stage and gave a speech about the brain that had been scheduled before the stroke. In short, I really liked it and found it tremendously valuable, but I'm not sure everyone would.

I'm currently reading this:

And I recommend it to EVERYONE. The subtitle says "a modern-day slave (co-author Denver Moore was raised on a plantation in Louisiana), an international art dealer (co-author Ron Hall -- from Fort Worth), and the unlikely woman (Ron Hall's wife, Deborah) who bound them together." Ron Hall and Denver Moore are scheduled to speak at ACU this fall and I am SO there! Can't wait. Denver was never educated in a classroom but he has some amazing gold in wisdom. Beverly has one excerpt that I just got to today that I love. (The book alternates between one chapter from Denver's point of view and one from Ron's).

"I slept in the doorway of that United Way over on Commerce Street for a whole lotta years. And every mornin for all that time, a lady who worked there brought me a sandwich. I never knowed her name and she never knowed mine. I wish I could thank her. Funny, though. That United Way buildin was right next door to a church and for all them years, nobody at the church never looked my way."

"When you is precious to God, you become important to Satan. Watch your back, Mr. Ron."

"You know, if you ain't poor, you might think it's the folks in them big ole fine brick churches that's doin all the givin and the carin and the prayin. I wish you coulda seen all them circles a' homeless folks with their heads bowed and their eyes closed, whisperin what was on their hearts. Seemed like they didn't have nothin to give, but they was givin what they had, takin the time to knock on God's front door and ask Him to heal this woman that had loved them."

I'm a little more than halfway through it. The little gal that checked me out when I bought it said that she was reading it -- up there at the cash register -- but she could tell the last 10 chapters were going to make her cry, so she had to put it away while she worked! I think I'm almost to that point! But it is a book about breaking through stereotypes and pre-conceived ideas about your fellow man.

Happy 4th to one and all!

Random Thoughts for Wednesday

Personal to readers in my neighborhood:
a) Roxanne and I are participating in a Bible study long distance. Every-other Tuesday night I leash up the dog, put my headphones on (which is also my phone) and walk the neighborhood while I talk to Roxanne on the phone. So, if you see me having some deep conversation with Duchess about functional gods and the desire to be holy as He is holy, I'm really talking to Roxanne. I've been meaning to say that for some time now -- please spread the word. I think people are starting to wonder.
b) To the kind soul that found our ever-so-stinky Duchess who took an unauthorized, unaccompanied tour of the neighborhood and returned her to our backyard while we were in a cool theater: Thank you so much. She's not much on aroma or obedience, but she's family.

Now, to bore everyone with my soul-baring true confessions:
You know, bless my soul, I don't think of myself as having very many natural gifts other than the desire to learn to do better in order to compensate for not having a natural gift. I'm not a cook, decorator, organizer, or bargain shopper by nature. Which makes me a little bit of a flop in the wife and mother department if not for my unrelenting determination to learn to do better (or learn who to hire to do such things!) And, truly, I am always willing to learn and thanks to the miracle that is youtube, I can learn all manner of things. So I have watched this video no fewer than 3 times, and I will NEVER be able to do this -- but I will try to the death!



While we're on the subject, in my constant, yet ever-so-sad, quest for improving this area of my life, I did see a tip to keep a set of folded sheets in the pillowcase of the set. Handy.

For a praise update!! Riley's foot is broken in the same exact way that it was (but it was 7 months ago, not 8 -- late November) but on the opposite side. It's not quite as bad and, for some reason, there is no pain at the site of the fracture, but on the opposite side. So, doc wanted to treat it like a sprain instead of a fracture! We are SO thankful! He's on crutches and in a brace/ splint for 4 weeks (for the brace -- the crutches are just as pain dictates). Which means we are headed to the pool tomorrow! YAY and "Thank you, Lord!!" On the way to the ER I remembered that the Dr.s parting words in January when he took off the cast were, "It all looks great. You're free to do whatever. I don't like trampolines much, though." Yeah, he was on a trampoline. He was at a church function at a local gymnastics center. I think we'll remember longer than 6 months to stay off of trampolines!

Saw Wall-e tonight with the kids. Very cute, and I really like the message about taking care of our earth AND our bodies.

Does anyone have any great plans for our country's 222nd birthday?

Mary-Minded

Same song, next verse, eight months later. Last night my 10 year old son and I experienced a feeling of déjà vu as we traveled to the same emergency room to have the same foot x-rayed so a (different!) doctor could tell us that he had fractured his ankle the same way he did eight months ago. Same injury, different season. Now, instead of trying to figure out how to keep toes warm in 40* weather, we have to figure out how to keep a cast dry in swimming pool season. This too shall pass.

Of course our emergency room visit took a while and we got home at bedtime needing to eat dinner. By the time we ate and medicated and propped the foot in bed, I just wanted to collapse in my own bed. Collapse I did, but sleep wouldn’t come. I kept thinking of the injury. Even though we witnessed indescribable grief and pain at the hospital, I could only think of my own baby boy and his painful injury. I kept replaying the moment in my mind over and over. I didn’t even see it happen – only heard the awful wails after the fact – but I pieced together in my mind what he relayed had happened and watched it like a movie stuck on the same loop.

I finally crawled out of bed to find a new image to put in my brain. I grabbed my Bible, curled up in my chair, and started reading. “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother…” (John 19:25) That’s as far as I could go. I thought of the horrific images Mary must have had burned into her brain. I imagined the black days between Friday and Sunday. Her baby boy lay motionless behind the stone and she longed to think of him as the pink, squishy newborn she had nursed or as the precocious young man in the temple speaking wisdom. But she couldn’t shake the image of the broken body on the cross. Was her joy complete when she saw him whole again – or could she only think of the tortured body on the cross? He forgave me for my sin that kept him nailed there – I wonder if she ever did?

Mary probably never struggled to grasp the enormity of what it cost for her to have eternal life. There was likely never a communion meal of remembrance that Mary composed a shopping list in her head or counted the minutes until the restaurant opened. The image of her own baby boy broken and nailed to a cross was a picture in a locket forever in her brain. Each moment of remembrance was filled with agony of the memory combined with flooding gratitude for what it means for each of us.

May I be Mary-minded and walk in constant remembrance and gratitude of the precious lamb of God sacrificed so that I may be pure before the throne of God.

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts
that lead to death so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:14

Going Home

by Sarah Stirman
on heartlight

The phone call came on a Tuesday morning, just as my family was yawning awake to face another busy day. Not at all unexpected, but unwilling to verbalize what was reality, my dad simply said, "Well, you know why I've called." And I did. My grandfather's victory was won: he was finally free of a body imprisoned by pain.

I set about my day making plans for leaving my home — getting my children's school work squared away, church obligations taken care of, and substitute plans in place for my absence. My husband performed the same juggling act for his work. The next morning we packed up here, my "grown-up home" where I have a family and a job and a mortgage and friends and church family and church obligations — and headed to my childhood home. We left West Texas, with its scrubby mesquite trees and arid climate and drove to my childhood home, the claustrophobic embracing trees of North Louisiana with its oppressive humidity and heat. We gathered to celebrate the life — earthly and eternal — of my grandfather, a crucial part of my heritage of faith.

The morning we left Louisiana, I took a walk as the rest of the world came awake. I watched the sun rise over the bayou and cherished this place, my home — the place that knows my people, my kin, the place that knows from whence I came, the place that has known me and loved me from the beginning. It is so comfortable here. Here I feel so much "at home" ... but not quite.

My thoughts turned to my "grown-up home," where I would be going later that day — the place where my friends surround me and love me in spite of my weaknesses, the place where I raise my family and serve the Lord in His church. So much "at home" ... but not quite.

Then I thought of my grandfather. He was finally home. He was where I long to be. The world says, "You can never go home again." Scripture says, "I am going to prepare a place for you" (John 14:1-3). We haven't even been home yet! The world says, "Home is where the heart is." Scripture says, "Set your mind on things above" (Colossians 3:1-4).

Our heavenly home knows from whence we came:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb (Psalm 139:13).My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,your eyes saw my unformed body.All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:15-16).

Our heavenly home also loves us in spite of our weaknesses. Better yet, "My power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Paul reminded the Philippians of our citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20-21). Each time a precious saint of this earth passes into heaven, I am reminded again that this earthly house and body that I am blessed with are only meant to be temporary shelter, not a permanent dwelling (2 Corinthians 5:1-10).

Lord, don't let the attractions of this world block the beauty of my eternal home. Remind me daily of the things of You that are truly important and lead me to recognize the things of this world that are simply burdensome distractions. Put on my heart a longing for my Home.

Good Things Out There

I heard Lysa speak a little over a year ago. Part of what appealed to me about her was how she started her talk by detailing the ways she felt she didn't fit in -- but she still totally seems to have it all together! So I really appreciated this post that seemed to resonate with many women. Later, Lysa taught some valuable lessons about Kung Fu Panda to her family (actually, if I remember right, her family came up with them and she just listed them for us).

Vann has a great illustration of how little it can take to be huge in someone's life. And, he also shows some questionable theology from a coloring book.

I've had this family's son, Josh, in Sunday school, but until they showed this video, I didn't know the incredible story behind his name.

A Slice of Humble Pie

offspring: n. small people entrusted to a person to prevent excess pride or self-assurance

I have been using this as a workout book. LOVE IT, for the record. 30 minute workouts -- cardio AND resistance. A wonderful 'mom exercise book' for busy summers when lengthy time away is a luxury.

Ashley must not be so pleased with the results. Yesterday I was finishing up the workout and she said, "How many weeks are you supposed to do this?"

"Well, it's a 10-week program, I've stopped and started, but I'm now on week 7."

Gazing at me skeptically as I crunch my late-30's body on an exercise ball she asks, "Soooooo... in 3 more weeks you're supposed to have a celebrity body?????"

So, maybe not so much.

Yesterday morning Ashley got up bright and early and traveled with the youth group to Six Flags, so only Riley and I went to the last swimming lessons. He has already expressed his great disdain for helping me put sunscreen on my back, and I have already expressed my great disdain for allowing non-family members to put sunscreen on my back. I'm bigger, so I win.

I was warning Riley on the way to swim lessons that since Ashley was gone he was going to have to help me. Involuntarily, he made a classic "BLECH" sound with a little bit of a wretching noise AND full body shudder. Laughing, I said, "Is it really THAT bad???" In disgust, he shot back, "Mom! It's old person back!" Immediately I had an image of a late-70's woman squeezing her size 18 body into a size 12 swimsuit and the overhang that would result from the back. This is how my son views me from the back.

We found some spray sunscreen and made do.

Announcement

I have an announcement to make:

I will not be purchasing what is, in these-here parts anyway, the latest and greatest, evidently. Yes, I will survive this season WITHOUT a giraffe-print purse.

'Cause see? You're already carrying one. Oh, you aren't? Well then your sister is. And your mother. And that lady over there. And that other one over there. Of course, they all look TOTALLY different with their multi-colored accents. Notice the VAST differences in the following:

versus:

versus:

See? Completely different look all. So, besides the fact that it. has. been. done. and. done. again -- do they always have to use the WHOLE giraffe to make the purse? Are there no petite giraffe purses? Right now my purse is about half the size of these -- and it's one of the larger purses I carry (of course it has a convenient feature where it holds virtually nothing, yet still weighs 48 pounds).

So, I just needed to go on record as bucking the trend! No giraffe-prints for me! To those of you that are currently enjoying your giraffe-sized giraffe-print purse: enjoy! I'll stick with my straw. That is all.

Enough About What YOU Think ...

:-) Now on to what I think! So Jana said, "I would love to hear your thoughts about 'more with fewer'." (and if you haven't been back in a while, go check out Kelly's salsa recipe in the comments, too -- yum!) Bless Jana's heart. You know those are the words to open the floodgates! 'Cause you know I have been thinking about it, and with my thoughts come lots and lots of words.

However, I am also very curious about the group she mentioned: YouthWave. Looks worth looking into!

So my thoughts... truthfully, my initial thoughts were, "I can't make that work; looks good on paper, but...; maybe in a different season of life..." Then I started examining why I was making such excuses. And the primary reason is that it will take an enormous shift in my current lifestyle (which means a fairly substantial shift in my family's lifestyle). First, let me mention that before Randy said that, he wrote the word 'mentoring' on the white board behind him. I like that word, believe it to be very scriptural and godly, and like to see mentoring in action -- particularly when someone is mentoring ME! But the reality is that I hesitate to intentionally put a plan in place to mentor someone else (more later).

So, continuing with my excuses, I started thinking, "Well, what do I DO that I could mentor someone else...? I've quit my job, so I'm not in that type of lifestyle any more..." It didn't take too long to realize that... well, I AM married. I did survive my first year of marriage. Wonder if there's a new bride out there that would like to walk this journey with me for a year? Also, I'm a mom. I survived the first years and the diaper years -- it wasn't pretty, but the three of us made it out alive which was questionable on some occasions. Wonder if there is a mother of young kids out there who wonders if the never-ending laundry and constant chatter are all there is that would like to walk this journey for a year? I purposefully SEEK OUT godly women who are further down the road than I am, but not everyone does. Why don't I seek someone out who isn't quite as far down the road?

And, to be honest, this is where I get hung up. I will pour out my soul to the 'text box' on blogger for all of you people to read across the world, but to approach an actual human and invite them to 'walk with me' for a bit -- that's tough for me. AND I don't take that invitation lightly or casually. This would require time. Actual time out of my life (and theirs). And we all know that's what none of us have enough of. However, what if I did less of the 'mega-ministries' -- you know, the less with more ministries that I feel obligated to help and support. I may have more time for the fewer. But the ministry leaders of the 'mega-ministries' would frown upon me for not helping. And that would hurt my feelings. Seriously, these are the struggles of the tender-hearted people pleasers (actually, I don't think ANYONE sees me as that, but somewhere in my heart I'm all of those things).

But I'm not going to let the idea drop. I'm going to pray and pray and pray about it. What do you think it will look like on my end? I have no idea (seeing a 'vision' -- of a decorated home or a grown child or a mentoring relationship I haven't made yet -- is one of my biggest handicaps. It absolutely doesn't work for me). But I do feel God calling me to go 'deeper in' -- and not alone.

Oh -- and, of course, it should go without saying that I believe I am living with 2 of my best mentoring projects (as long as they will let me walk with them...!)

Laminin

I confess that I, lover of words, found the first few minutes of this video to be a little bit blah, blah, blah -- but love the "left hook" and have LOVED going back and hearing the beginning again knowing the "left hook". Enjoy.

(Yes, another one many folks have gotten via email).

What Do You Think?

First, I have FINALLY posted my salsa recipe here. Bookmark it!

Troy and I and 7 others from our congregation went to ZOE Texas this weekend. I have so much to say about that, but one particular thought keeps flashing in my brain. Randy Harris was talking about what makes a missional church, a healthy church, a functional church. I think he was talking about that elusive word 'evangelism' (really, I was listening, but I heard a LOT, and a LOT that was good, but a LOT on the same subject -- I don't remember how he got to this point, but I can't forget the point). He finally said, "I know I don't get to go back and do it all again, but if I did -- if I could do it all over again, I would do more with fewer. I would go deeper in with fewer people and hold them accountable. I would invite them to join me on my walk -- going deeper in. Then I would tell them to do that with 4 or 5 other people."

Doing more with fewer. He also pulled out that Jesus spent his energies on 12 -- and still had one betray him. (And, because he is Randy Harris, pointed out a youth minister he knows who claims he must be doing really well since his youth group is down to 12 people and one of them wants to kill him! :-) Certainly not the American way -- we are more prone to do less with more, Super-sizing and bulk-buying our way into uselessness. But I think he may be onto something.

This morning a guest preacher told the story of the book, "Twelve Mighty Orphans". It's more about their coach than the orphans -- a rag-tag team of kids that Rusty Russell trained into a championship football team that never won the championship. As he was unfolding the story, Troy leaned to me and whispered, "He did more with fewer."

More with fewer. What do you think?

Catching Up!

I have enjoyed being here a little more than previously, but I'm still a little bit of a slacker. Turns out, this week is just as busy as most school weeks! I am still teaching swimming lessons -- and enjoying it much more than years past. I've taken on a pre-lifeguarding-type class. I actually have to do a little preparation for that. I am SO the old person! I don't remember what I was ever supposed to do as a lifeguard and what the regulations were -- and it was so long ago it isn't still a regulation anyway. I have been time-traveling in my head as I remember some lifeguarding details. Stories soon.

The kids are also taking lessons while I teach. We just have a high time at the pool! We also are doing some traveling soon, having college kids at our house as soon as we return, mix and match in some teaching (yes, the book of Revelation to 4th graders -- no sweat!) and interpreting and singing at church. Your basic life, you know.

So, all the lifeguard talk has made me think of my first summer job. What was your first summer job? Would you ever do it again? A favorite memory from that job?

Another Video!

I have ONE friend who must never look at the videos people send her via email. She hadn't seen Charlie biting Harry's finger -- wasnt' she missing a good laugh? -- and says she hasn't seen this, even though I have received it via email no fewer than 6 times. It's worth another watch.

What would your cardboard say? Are you ready to share and testify?

Happy Father's Day

Years ago I wrote this for Father's Day. Today is my first Father's Day without my Max. Wish I could hear his voice one last time. Wondering when the last time I heard his voice actually was -- maybe it was this day. I hope so -- because I know he told me he loved me.

This morning in my Sunday school class one of the 4th graders wanted to pray for our dads to have a happy Father's Day. Then one student reminded me -- truly, I just skipped it in my brain -- that her daddy is already in heaven with Jesus. He has been for 7 years (I think, 7? 8?) So we prayed for daddies on earth, and daddies in heaven, and uncles and grandpas who love us when our daddies are in heaven. My interpreter friend who lost a husband last year said she would simply be unable to interpret today. I wasn't able to stay around after church long enough to hug her neck. And the Dobbs family counts their blessings of children and grandchildren on Father's Day, when John Robert won't be here to wish John a happy Father's Day.

Even when things are going well in MY house, it seems that every year there is more pain than celebration around Mother's Day and Father's Day. It can be so hard. Father's Day is so much more special to me than Mother's Day -- because I like to celebrate my Perfect Father, as well. Without Him, the hurt of this day and this world would be forever. Without Him, the blessings of this world would be shallow and temporal.

May you find His blessings in a Happy Father's Day, or a just-surviving Father's Day!

A New Favorite Song

Macy Gray Lyrics
Glad You're Here Lyrics

What Will You Do?

A local "religious leader" (in quotes because he's really some sort of political/ cult-type leader) has predicted today as the end of the world. I don't want to mention him by name and send the Googlers to my blog. He was on 20/20 recently and made this proclomation. In looking for an article to link you to go read all about it yourself, I could only find his prediction for the end of the world that was to come in September of 2006, not THIS end of the world.

So, it's almost 3:30 and so far, so good. We got tickled today at swimming lessons (it was the last day and some of us were a little giddy to see some particular swimmers move along) talking about it. I mentioned that if the world did end today, I would be really sorry that I put that $100 in my gas tank and didn't go eat a good meal or buy a cute outfit so I could go out in style. Someone else mentioned they would be mad that they wasted their time walking today. I had a yummy homemade cookie later just in case he's right. If not, I'll work out a little harder tomorrow.

The glorious, grace-filled part of this is that I can't think of anything I would really make sure to DO if today was the end of the world. God has taken care of all that needs to be done. Now I can rest and eat an extra cookie, steak, or ice-cream sandwich while I wait.

We Love It

I know you've already seen this at least a million times, but we quote it all the time at our house. Always cracks me up!

How Many Ways Am I a Dork? Let Me Count the Ways...

Yesterday was a somewhat (using 'somewhat' as in -- not really) historical day for me: I saw my first ever Indiana Jones movie. Yes, I, a child of the '80's, had never seen Harrison Ford crack a whip until yesterday. Side note to my friend who said they had trouble buying into the last scene: so you were completely on board for the red ants dragging the guy away and the 5 people going over 3 different Niagra-sized waterfalls in an aluminum fishing boat unscathed? It's your 7 bucks... I HAVE seen Indiana Jones run away from a giant rock or ball or something-or-other, and I do know that Sean Connery is his father and that he hates snakes. I've got all that. Just never seen a movie.

So, to show how ignorant I am of much pop culture, I started thinking about the many, many things that I have never seen:

• Any of the other Indiana Jones movies
• The only 'Star Wars' movie I have seen is 'Star Wars'. When I was 7, the year it came out.
• Never seen an episode of "S*x and the City" (nor the movie)
• Never seen an episode of "Desperate Housewives"
• Never seen an episode of "The Office"
• Only watch 'American Idol' the first few weeks with their auditions on location. After that, meh.

So, mock me if you will. I'm just not that into it. More than anything, I think I've figured out, screens -- movie or TV -- are not my way to relax. They're okay in short segments, but to sit for 2 hours makes me twitch. EXCEPT in front of a computer screen. It plays into my ADD. I can do research for a writing project. I can pick out a paint color for my son's bedroom. I can Facebook with the best of 'em. I can read every blog in existence. Whatev. But I don't do plots well anymore. Especially for action stuff. Life is tense enough. If I have to sit for two hours, make me laugh, but don't make my neck hurt from squinching up my shoulders (no, Indiana Jones didn't do that.)

So, my perfect way to relax was pretty much this afternoon: in my pajamas, in my bed, laptop on my lap, punching lots of buttons on the laptop to let it make me crazy, then happy at my whim. That was fun.

Question For You...

I keep saying that I steer clear of politics here, but keep tossing them out. However, I think this is a fairly apolitical question about a political situation.

If you, evidently like a few of my friends, have had your head under a rock, or in files, or in a gradebook/ classroom, the last few weeks, let me catch you up a little. Scott McLellan, press secretary for President Bush from 2003-2006, recently released a book criticizing Bush on his actions surrounding the war, as well as several other aspects of his presidency. This comes after he left the position under amiable terms, to the praise of President Bush.

My question for you: Aside from whether or not you agree with his accusations, would you be interested in hiring Scott McLellan now, knowing he may, at any point in the future, change his tune about you -- and declare it publicly? Or do you think you would like to reward him for calling a spade a spade?

Must See Video

Gather the children 'round. They may learn something. And YOU will love it! That's a promise. Roxanne reminded me of this song after I mentioned that I heard the inaugural 'Love Shack' at the pool today -- must hear it at least once a week at the pool!

Sunday Blessings

It's been a busy weekend, one that I approached with a horrible attitude because if there is one thing that is NOT lacking (nor needed) in my life, it's 'busy'. But busy came, and God sprinkled blessings all throughout it. Now I am trying to stay awake long enough to just post a quick, "Thank you, Lord, for the blessings of this weekend," here before my nap (one of the ENORMOUS blessings of the weekend!)

• Time with people I don't ordinarily get to talk to -- people who speak godly words of encouragement and wisdom over me. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17
• Time with dear friends, laughing until my cheeks hurt and my eyes wept. I don't do that often enough.
• Time with my family, having fun and enjoying their sweet faces.
• Riley asking me a deep question about future boy/girl relationships, his thoughtful face as I answered, and his, "That's really good advice, Mom," response.
• Air conditioning.
• Hugs for new friends with teary eyes, prayers for hurting folks, encouragement for my precious friend struggling to find 'new normal' after the death of a spouse. Privileges and blessings all.
• My Sunday afternoon nap.

May you find His blessings all throughout your day and weekend!

Some Doin's

So. It is the first day of summer, if you live by the school calendar, as our family does. Yes, I know that some other calendars say that summer won't start for several weeks, but the people that publish those calendars don't live in Texas. It is summer -- school is out, it's 100*. Summer defined, end of discussion.

I have been away for a very long time, I know. And if you're reading this, you probably stumbled upon my blog by accident, because my regular readers have long given up, choosing to watch their grass grow instead of waiting for this blog to be updated. I hope to get back here a little more frequently, but now that everyone is out of school the battle for computer time begins at my house.

Much has happened in our lives that kept me from here, partly because there were moments that the questions surrounding our lives were all-consuming in our minds, but unable to be topics of discussion, much less a blog post on the www. So, let me see if I can hit some of the highlights of our recent past:

• I quit my teaching job -- yesterday was last day. And the question usually follows, "So what are you going to do now?" Well, ... I'm waiting for the Lord to tell me that. As my politically incorrect 10-year-old tells people, I'm going back to being a 'housemom'. And that will be part of my task. The greatest struggle for me now is NOT to cram a bunch of stuff into that time, and let the Lord lead me where He wants me for that time. I don't do that well, but I'm learning.
• Shortly after we agreed on that decision, Troy finalized on a different job at ACU. His new official title is "Director of Career and Alumni Development for the College of Business Administration." Fancy-schmancy title, no? He started May 1 and is still 'learning the ropes', but it seems to be a good fit. We feel amazingly blessed that Troy has gotten a new job that requires less travel, seems to be a better fit for his personality, is (still) surrounded by wonderful co-workers -- and our family didn't have to move and start over! We are very thankful
• We got a hedgehog. SO much to tell about that -- she's just the cutest -- that I will probably save most of it for its own blog post, maybe even in installments. We got her around the time Troy started his new job. Her name is Stickers. She has just a little bit of an attitude, so we call her 'Sassy Huffle-ufagus', too. (which brings up the realization that NONE of my family knew who Snuffleufagus from Sesame Street is -- I have completely failed as a mother...) She (the hedgehog, not Snuffleufagus) is featured in a video here.

That pretty much sums up the BIG stuff, and really that is plenty, but it's been your usual end-of-school-year excitement from the teacher AND parent perspective, Riley finished up his soccer season, we had awards receptions and ceremonies, field days and enrichment days, final exams, and end of school year celebrations. Lots going on, and that's just us.

Last week, as many of you heard news of the horrible tragedy in Steven Curtis Chapman's family, my family's new friends, the Dobbs, were agonizing over their own tragedy. Lots of questions, precious few answers, but I keep coming back to, 1 Thessalonians 4:13 that we who call on the name of Christ grieve -- and grieve DEEPLY -- but not without hope of seeing our loved ones again. What a blessing in Christ. And some friends are rejoicing in the amazing healing power of our Lord. Just much to think about in this rushed season of life.

I plan to be back in less than 3 weeks (woo-hoo!) and fill you in on all sorts of trivialities in my life. Until then, be blessed.

Glimpses of Grace

More, this time from my OWN department of obvious information: Parenting is hard. If you've been a parent for 30 seconds, you have that figured out! Whether a parent by birth or adoption, just getting the child into your arms is a LOT of work.

Lately I have thought about the stages of parenting. The diaper and pre-school years are boot camp. You are pushed to your physical limits of frustration and exhaustion, wondering why in the world you signed on for this gig, with giggle fits and jelly hugs to remind you. In later single-digit years, you're on a little bit of a roll. Maybe as if you have received your assignment after boot camp. You have some drills to ready you for combat, but for the most part you've got a little bit of a respite from the physical demands and mental exhaustion of boot camp. Later, I have come to realize, you get sent for combat duty.

My children are currently 10 and 12. We are on combat duty. Not combat with the children, of course (though somedays we forget who the enemy is). Combat against the lure and attraction this world offers, fighting against what "everyone" is "doing" or "thinks is cool" or "gets to see" or thinks is okay. I feel like I have come into a time of parenting when I must stay on high alert at all times, listening to each piece of conversation for teachable moments, reminding moments of Whose we are and Who we believe, as well as what's really important. Most times I feel waved away like an irritating fly, or just as understood as Charlie Brown's teacher. And I confess to a mother's constant struggle: worry. I try to pray instead of worry, but I worry a LOT about how this war will end up.

Recently, however, the Lord has allowed me tiny glimpses to be reminded that His grace extends to parenting. I have been reminded that He can take my pathetic little widow's mite of parenting skills and turn my little blessings into wholly His. And, of course, the temptation when I'm not worrying, is to tithe some of His glory and be prideful that any of this is because of things I have done. But the reality is that anything the Lord does with my children is in spite of me, not because of me. So, for now, I am ever-so-thankful for the glimpses of His grace I see in my growing children. I had to put it here to remember -- and remind me -- that this parenting business, this combat duty, doesn't rest in my hands. When I try to make it into a work of my hands, it will fail. When I place it firmly in HIS hands, He will make it (and my children) into a thing of beauty far more than I can.

If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;
though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. Psakm 37:23,24

Fun, Not Necessarily Accurate

This is very funny considering I really can't STAND to wear flip flops. I have just a little touch of autism, you see -- okay, sensory perception disorder, maybe -- and don't like things between my toes. Or loud noise. Or any clothing whatsoever touching me post-7 p.m. (yeah, I saw you look at the time stamp and wonder... FLANNEL PJ's, that's what!!!) Or earrings that are a little heavy. Or contacts that are a little too sticky. (Most of my quirks/ bothers are worse the tireder I am. Now that it's May and I'm teaching, I'm pretty much done with noise, clothes, and jewelry by about 5 p.m. Two more weeks and I'll be doing good to make it through the school day). Okay, maybe this isn't fun anymore. Sorry to alert you to how disturbed I am. I'll stop for now...

What Your Flip Flops Say About You

You are a very sweet and sensitive person. You connect with other people easily. You're the type of person who feels bad about killing bugs. You hate to see anyone - or anything - in pain. Your ideal warm weather place: Thailand

The Flip Flop Test

Edited to add: I also evidently have horrible vision problems the tireder I am, and cannot for the life of me decipher what these whacky word verification letters are! I'm on my fourth try now and it doesn't even look like the English alphabet to me... (fifth...)

They're so FUNNY!

Riley has forsaken baseball this year to give soccer a try. And is LOVING it! I think he enjoys the pace of soccer over baseball, but the running hither and yon is still a bit difficult. The first game was a couple of weeks ago. The temperature was reasonably cool, but the wind was blowing, literally, about 30 mph leaving a wind chill in the lower 40's somewhere.

When we first got to the field and were waiting on the rest of his team to show up so that he could warm up, he was trying to coax Troy and me to stand a little closer together to form a sufficient wind block. In his best romantic radio-announcer voice, he said, "Come on, you two, don't you feel the love?" as he pushed us together. Troy tossed over his shoulder, "Careful, dude. That's how you came to be in the first place." Over Ashley's theatrical "Ewwwwww"s and covering her ears with her hands, Riley tossed back, in mock horror, "On a soccer field???" A little too wise for 10...

And today was THE day. The BIG day. Every student, 3rd-12th grade in Texas, has some sort of ginormous test today. It's the (cue horror music): TAKS test!!! (pronounced 'tax') Passages to read, problems to solve, bubbles to bubble. All very important stuff. Students have practiced ad nauseum. Teachers have sworn their life away (Ashley understands that if you get peanut butter on your test booklet it goes STRAIGHT to the oval office for George W. Bush to deal with!!) and parents are doing what little they can in putting the punkin's to bed on time (wonder if I should make mine take a shower now?) and feeding them some sort of glorious power breakfast. Oh, and us yahoos that teach non-TAKS grades simply do all we can to steer our babies around the moon and back before we allow them to walk within 50 feet of a door that has a 'TESTING' sign on it.

So, today I woke Riley up by sitting on the edge of his bed and whispering, "Do you know what today is?" Without opening his eyes he whispered back, "It's Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills day." Then he struggled to sit up, all the while asking, "Do they have MAKS in Mississippi? Did you have LAKS in Louisiana when you grew up? Do all of those 'W' states have WAKS?" I just shook my head repeating, "I don't know." I'm pretty sure he'll do okay -- at least on the vocabulary portion!

The coffee group is on the road again this week! If you're in the D/FW area, join us and some ladies from Alta Mesa for a rockin' good time!

Stealing from Others....

Since I don't have 30-45 minutes to sit down here and update this, I will point you to some other things I have really pondered on of late that I have ripped off of this blog.

Riley and I had a discussion yesterday of doing all that you do "as working for the Lord" (Colossians 3:23) and how using whatever gifts God has given us: our brains, our talents, our creative abilities, to the best of our ability in order to honor God. So today I got this from said blog:

The story is told of a king who went into his garden one morning and found everything withered and dying. He asked the oak tree that stood near the gate what the trouble was. The old oak replied that he was sick of life and was determined to die, because he was not tall and beautiful like the pine. The pine was all out of heart because it could not bear grapes like the vine. The vine was going to throw its life away because it could not stand erect and have as fine fruit as the peach tree; and so on through the garden.

Coming to a little purple violet, the king found its bright face lifted as cheery as ever. 'Well, violet, I'm glad amidst all this discouragement to find one brave little flower. You do not seem to be the least disheartened.''No. I'm really not an important flower, but I believe that if you wanted an oak or a pine or a peach tree or a lilac, you would have planted one; but since I know you wanted a violet, I am determined to be the best violet I can be.'

They who are God's without reserve are in every situation content, for they will do only what He wills and desire to do for Him whatever He desires them to do and be. They strip themselves of everything and in this nakedness find all things restored one hundred fold.

-Charles Spurgeon

Maybe if the stars line up, I will steal something else from that blog tomorrow, but for now, go be the best violet you can be!

At Least We're Clear...

If you have read here very long you a)are close friends or family since few people can stand the sporadic nature of my writing and b)you have realized that not much gets past Riley. He is a maze of constant questions as he doesn't let unfamiliar words or ideas just hover about him: he must get to the bottom of who, what, why, and how. He wears me out, in a fun, inquisitive kind of way.

Yesterday we were leaving for school when he said, "Mom, the light in the laundry room is broken."

"No, it's just burned out. Be sure to tell Dad."

"Why do I tell Dad?"

"Because light bulbs are his department." (Basically anything more than 6' off the floor are his department because there's the whole find the stool, possibly a screwdriver, yada, yada).

"What's your department? Everything else?"

PRE-cisely.

Just What I Need

I traveled to College Station with my peeps, the Coffee Group, this weekend. We had an amazing time! So amazing, in fact, we decided to launch a new place for gals to respond to our time with them. I confess this is an idea that the Coffee Group -- the rest of them -- have been trying to get off the ground, and I wasn't going for it. I already have one blog I don't write on, why have another?

But another is what we have! Later we're going to 'pretty it up' but for now, we have a spot. Interestingly, names and URL's associated with 'coffee group' are used up so we are at espressohislove.blogspot.com. Check us out!

I'm still trying to recover, still feeling amazingly blessed in my day, and still chuckling about my friends.

Again! More Obvious Information

Remember this brilliant study?

Well, a new one says "In fact, the study found that low-attaining students were nearly twice as likely to be disengaged in classes of 30 students as they were in classes of 15." I couldn't read any further to find out if my tax dollars had paid for this study or not. They could have just called me.

Why I Go To Church

We had a bit of excitement last night at church. Every Wednesday during the school year we have a pre-service dinner. We call it 'Manna and More' because we are catchy and clever like that, and our church also never passes up an opportunity to name AND logo-tize something. Manna was particularly fitting last night as one particularly unidentifiable dish kept being asked about, "What is it?" (look it up, people).

So the evening was going as usual. Pay your meager fee, get in line, heh-heh with the serving ladies (teams of cooks, servers, and cleaners all rotate their duty about once a month) find a spot, get a drink, yada, yada. I was somewhere between getting a drink and the yada when one of the serving ladies stepped out of the kitchen to holler at the 100+ crowd of people, "Is there a doctor or nurse in here? We need a doctor or nurse!" I scanned the crowd trying to think of one person I knew who was such (sorry, Karene, but I was so freaked I couldn't think of one person). And I felt so helpless.

Trying not to be in the way, I just returned to my seat and glanced up toward the kitchen. There was one lady on the phone to 911, a small crowd around the evidently ill or injured person, one very focused woman trying to keep the food line moving by serving food, and a growing line of folks waiting to get their food. I watched and evaluated for a little bit -- I REALLY didn't want to be in the way or a gawker -- but it didn't take long to realize what I COULD do. So I got up and went to help the lone lady who was serving. (I only served one or two plates before I thought to stop and wash my hands!) Before long Tammy came back. Then she left when the 911 caller could return to her spot. Then Denise relieved me to go finish my meal as two other ladies were coming into the kitchen to trade out full trays of food for empty and replenish dessert trays as needed.

I'm sorry to say I can't give an update on the downed kitchen worker. She was awake and talking while I was in there, and the ambulance took her to be checked out. I'm not even sure what happened, and I don't know the lady's name. I'm not even positive I could pick her out of a gurney line-up. But folks needed help. Not only the sick or hurt, but the workers. I (and LOTS of others -- there is no tooting of my own horn here) just did all I knew to do or COULD do: I slapped food on a plate and smiled and heh-heh-ed with people. I teased the tiny gals for eating so little. I teased the teen boys for eating so much. I helped my serving sisters how I could and when I could. Because it has been done for me over and over and over again.

Years ago in a different, smaller congregation, we were welcoming a new staff member at a small gathering. I noticed one particularly eccentric member had the new staff member cornered and was talking non-stop. I told a dear friend next to me, "Wouldn't you like to follow around the new person and explain everyone to him? It's just like family -- that's just crazy ol' Aunt Trudy (Trudy's name is a pseudonym to protect the crazy). We love her, but we all know she's crazy." That's how church is to me -- just like your own family tree: full of nuts. But nuts that will serve, weep, laugh, mop, pray, build, hammer, teach, hug, and love as needed.

My church isn't perfect. Neither is yours. But they're my family and I love them dearly. And I hope no one sues me if they found one of my hairs in their food last night.

Slowly... Blogging Slowly

Okay -- here I am, 7 days later! Jehosaphat! My spring break consisted of a head-cold and frequent naps. We did do a little Dallas traveling at the end and I did see parts of North Texas I have never seen before. Wow. Texas is big.

I love the reactions to the quote. Stephanie and I would either get along fabulously or have some very lively conversations! :-) There's always an exception, isn't there? -- or, at my house, a loophole! The thing that struck me the most about that quote was how many talented people there are that aren't using that talent to its fullest (that is how I will choose to define 'unsuccessful' in this instance, Stephanie -- fair?) So true. Think of your friends: there are some amazing talents around us, aren't there? And don't you know a lot of talent that is shoved to the bottom of life due to everything else pressing in? I do. It just struck me -- mainly because persistence is so basic, yet so crucial. I wholeheartedly agree...

Oh -- update on aforementioned creek drama: one bicycle is total trash, the other can be repaired for about 50-75% the cost of a new one, and I'm investing in a new library book tomorrow. People irritate me on occasion.

Y'all go welcome Kelly to blogworld. 'Cause she rocks and I like to pretend that I'm all cute and happenin' like her.

10 weeks from today is June 3. Are you ready for sitting at the pool? I so am!

Agree or Disagree?

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

--Calvin Coolidge

Tiptoe-ing Back Into Blogworld

I looked for a picture of the t-shirt I saw on one of those folks who think their bad attitude doesn't exude from them enough without cue cards printed on their chest: "I'm here, aren't I? What more do you want?"

I figure my first little tippy toe back into blog land should keep the bar pretty low. There won't be any humor or ingenious observations on life (as if I ever just crank that kind of stuff out on a regular basis).

I had a few thoughts, that were actually even kind and nice, but my children just returned home from one of their adventures down at our local creek -- which I was so loving as their little fun slice of Americana -- and they came home with bicycles broken beyond repair from bricks or rocks thrown onto the spokes, and a ruined library book from it being thrown in the water. I'm so unamused with the general public of my "wonderful neighborhood". So my kind and nice thoughts are few and far between.

JD thinks that 'LOST' has 'jumped the shark'. What do you think?

It's our spring break. It's supposed to rain and my throat hurts.

This morning the scale looked better than it had in months, but my hair is still in its post-haircut rebellion stage. When it's a good scale day AND a good hair day, I'll let you know.

Anyone doing anything fun for spring break?

My Two Great Regrets of the Campaign of '08

1) That I EVER registered to vote, thereby putting my phone number on some "please harass the stuffin' out of these people" list.
2) That I don't have caller ID.

One more phone call from Barak and I am SO going out and rounding up anyone on the street and taking them to vote for Hillary.