Adventures

Children. What a mixed up thing. We are blessed, confused, excited, dreadful, confident and worrisome all at the same time after children come into the family. To me this is the most amazing and scary thing that parents look forward to.

But, I have to say thank you to my kids for helping me become the person I am today. I have to tell them thank you for making my life more meaningful and fulfilling than I could ever have imagined. I want to thank them for taking me on some of the most exhilarating adventures that I would have never gone alone.

 I want to thank them for teaching me about: the legal process, current events and how they relate to their life, classical and modern music, how to tie a square knot and lash, jazz music, the tin whistle, classical novels and plays, ballet and the life that goes with it, camping in a tent and enjoying it, adventuring to other parts of the country and exploring with your whole heart, going to the top of a tall tower in a glass elevator, seeing God's Wonder in ALL things...... and then so much more.

I recall when I looked at my first child and saw the wonder in her eyes as we shared this big world. Then I remember when her brother came along and things were a bit different, but there was still so many adventures during this time... then as the family grew, and we experienced new and fun times, the adventures became larger than life! Now, as the little ones start to leave the nest, I sit and ponder in wonder about the many adventures we still have to enjoy. New people coming into our family, new little ones, new adventures. Although they will be new adventures in their own sense, they will still have the excitement, thrill and frolic that the old times had.

So, thank you---for making my life an adventure that I could never have had on my own. My kids: amazing, wonderful, strong, God-loving, caring, kind, funny, witty, beautiful, handsome, intelligent, but most of all a part of this family.....

Remember

Remember: your first time you were kissed, the first day of school, when your child was born, where you were September 11, 2001.

Remember. A God-given gift--memory. We can use it for the great times, but there are also those times which we would like to wipe off the slate. Remember. A gift given to us to recall who we once were, where we have been and what we are going to become.

But, I remember a day that I found so sad I can hardly find words. I remember that day 10 years ago when I rushed to the school and assisted parents to take their children home. Parents who only wanted to hug their kids and hold them as they saw fates of fellow Americans in NYC at the Towers and then in Pennsylvania. Remember the heroes who assisted hundreds from burning rubble and dust and from the heroes in the plane who saved hundreds of peole they never met. Other Americans.

Remember America. Not to be worshiped but to be honored. The God-given land for Christians to be able to worship in freedom. Remember HE was there. He was in the stairwell as the fireman went up as hundreds fled down to escape the fiery building. HE was there when a daddy chose to rush the evil barehanded and sacrifice his life for the lives of others. HE was there as families grieved and searched. HE is there as we continue to ask why, but in faith we KNOW HE has the future. HE IS there no, with all of those who loved HIM and HE called home. HE was there when the Constitution of this land was written, HE had a divine role. HE planned it. Remember?

Lest we forget. Did you forget that our land is the home of the free and the brave? Did you forget that In God We Trust is our motto? Did you forget that "We the people" means all of those devoted and willing to die for the cause of freedom? These words are not mere words. They are providential words that have been God-given. Remember?

It is hard, at times like these, to remember. Remember the pain in our hearts; remember the tears; remember the sounds, smells and noise; remember the lost.

Remember that the battle is in the spiritual realm...and if we did not see this 10 years ago then we are blind. So, remember.....

People!

Have you ever had one of 'those' people who just cannot get the hint to get out of your life? Arghhhhh. I get so frustrated some days with 'those' people. "Those" people are the ones who know the buttons to push to make your inner being explode; "those" people are the ones who whisper behind your back stating falsities about who or what you are; "those" people are the ones who have to place themselves center stage and EXPECT others to bow down to them; "Those" people!

Well, now you see my frustration. I have one or two of "them" in my life right now. I do pray for "them" and ask God to help them as He feels fit and to soften their hearts to listen to his Spirit. But in reality, I have come to pity "those" people. I look at them and see people who are trying to fill the need for Christ with things like lust, alcohol and empty words. So sad.

So today, I know I will have to deal with "those" people. Lord I ask that you help me to keep focused on YOU, no matter what is said or done. And Lord I ask that in my silence, YOU will be glorified.....

Beginnings

It has taken me a week to process all the changes our family has been through this year.

 My husband loosing his career job, my son going away for four weeks to a place none of us had been and my oldest daughter heading off into the big world to go to college. All these new beginnings....they are both scary and exciting, happy and sad, heart warming and heart breaking.

In tough times, I fall on my face and cry out to my Creator. This year has been one tough time.

I have been listening though and trying to stay positive. I rejoice in the small things these days. Days where there is quiet moments of family time and laughter filling the air. Times when a good meal and great company is all you need. Times when we can escape from this ugly present world and get lost in the hopes of heaven and what His Kingdom will be like. 

So, for now, I will continue to hold dear the promise that something better is coming. To hold onto the how proud I am as a mom of kids who are making great strides in not only their futures but the futures of others. That how proud I am of my husband as he continues to daily walk in faith and provide for his family. To remember that out of adversity comes strength......

Change

Change. The simple process of going from one thing to another. Well, sometimes it's just not that simple. Change is the one thing Christ promised us. Change can be exciting, unknown and just down right scary. Change.

For me change is everything. Change is going from the known to the unknown, from the good to the bad or from the old to the new. Change is hard. I enjoy my home, my space, my kids and my stuff just the way it is. I expect my friends to always be there and for my church to always be there and whatever I come in contact with to be there. But, then they change.

Friends move. Kids get older and go off to college. Stuff breaks and we have to get a new one or maybe not. Life is rearranged not by our own doing but by our society. Churches split. Pets die. It is all change. Daily: living: change.

But, Jesus promised change. Turn from your old self and turn towards the cross. Take up your cross and follow him. Count your trials (times of change) joy as they will make you stronger and you will learn to trust God with all your heart. Promises. All about change. Things to always remember.

There is now wrapping up here....it is ongoing. Change from what to wear today, to what does God want for me to do for Him today...where to go, who to chat with, what meeting to go to make a difference, how can I help God change this world for His purpose......it is ALL CHANGE...... luckily, we can all change together!

Origins

I honestly feel that most people are born 'good'. That children, although they are God-made, are innocent until a time of accountability and they are indwelled with a sense of good and bad. I believe that as we age, we also retain that same sense of good and bad, but sometimes we let it fall away and go with what 'feels' right. And we follow the trends of society and 'doing what is right in our own eyes'

I recently read a message that said in a round about way: All Christians are not good because they call themselves a Christian. I find it sad, but I have to agree.  Just as children have an age when they realize who they are and whose they are-- adults also forget this---yes, even in the church and in the Christian world.

Being a Christian is not about reading the Bible, or knowing the verses, or wearing a bumper sticker on your car that says Jesus Saves. It is a lifestyle, a challenge and a blessing each day. The words from the Bible should penetrate your innermost soul, your Spirit, the thing that makes you who you are. Through your actions, through your words and through your thoughts. This is the challenge-- because as humans, we can all go to the place that is just not right. It can happen in seconds or years. It can be words, or thoughts or actions which lead to this place.... each day, each second, we are challenged to stay on the path of Godliness...to focus on the cross and try to not loose sight of who and whose we are. To remember we have been bought with a price---

So, for all of those out there who want to use the name of Christian and make derogatory remarks, that's OK. It shows that our culture and maybe your family has not shown God in their actions, thoughts and deeds. It does not show who Christians are and how they live. And it does prove that no Christian is perfect, but they are redeemed by the blood of Christ. We make mistakes, we make bad choices, but we change and turn from the wrong, daily and try to do better. "All have fallen short of the Glory of God." and some days we all have to remember this verse and cringe and then get up and get back on the path we are to be on.

I find it hard on many days not to lash out and be nasty to someone who I feel has harmed me. I find empathy for those who I feel have been treated unjust. I find that sometimes our laws and our society is so blatetly misguided it makes me sick. I try to be the best I can and to look for the Creator for the answers. He is there, if I wait and listen.  For the times I blurt out meaness, bad words and  wrong answers, or just ignore the obvious- I am shown mercy and understanding. Being able to show this same mercy to others is where I have to work.....

Fireworks

My oldest turns 18 tomorrow. I still remember her messy face as we first held her and her incestuous grin looking at us. She knew us from the time she came into this world. She turns 18!

Although in society we state 18 is an adult, I do not feel it is. I am a child. A child of the King. I take that heavily and with tremendous heart. I knwo my actions will reflect on His family. I know what I do coul dlead to the dicipline of my Heavenly Father. I am a child.

I pray for my daughter, as she goes into this world, that she realizes that she is still a child. Maybe not in the sense of what the world holds, but as a sense that she is loved by a God who is holding her in his arms and trying to show her the way He has planned. I pray that she humbles herself before Him and that she sees His way is the best and that submission is not weakness, but strength.

I still cannot believe it has been 18 years since we swaddled that little 'cheroke indian baby' in our arms. Josi had the wildest stick straight up hair and looked just like an indian baby. I cannot believe that it has been 18 years since I had the BEST peanut butter toast right after I delivered her. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this dear child of mine.....