Weekend-O-Fun

Oh what a fun weekend we had! We visited old friends & the goose made new friends. Here are some of our favorite moments...

We visited the Christmas light festival where the kids got to roast marshmallows & ride the carousel... in addition to seeing LOTS of fun lights displays.  The Goose had a blast... almost as much fun as her mom & dad :) 

Then there was the wedding fun.  While we enjoyed catching up with college friends, the Goose had even more fun eating all the chocolate kisses on the table, swiping as many party-favor-bubbles as she could find, dancing like a FOOL with her cousin-friend, and of course... eating cake! 

Oh what fun it is to be a Goose at a wedding!

Black Friday: An Advent Tale from the Target Cart

Some people have favorite super-bowl ads… I have favorite black-Friday ads. The best of which I award to Target. Most of you, I hope, have seen the well-groomed, ultra-prepared, & overly-excited blonde lady as she counts down the days to the biggest shopping day of the year. Here’s my favorite clip… (for those of you who have no clue what I’m talking about AND for those of you who find these commercials as humorous as I do)



I cannot compare to the Target-lady, but I must admit, walking through the parking lot Friday morning (at a respectable 8:30… no, I am not crazy enough to get up early... not even for Target deals) I felt a bit like her. I was pumped… speed-walking through the wet parking-lot… practically racing people to those shiny red doors. Inside, things were still crowded, but everyone was friendly, there were fine folks in every department eager to help, and every line was open. The rush of bargain-hunting adrenalin brought a smile to my face, as did the buggy full of goodies (I got everything on my list! … & then some), the line with no waiting, and, of course, the savings boldly printed on my very long receipt.

At this point, you may be thinking I am a big dork. And that’s ok with me… but as I walked back to my car & drove home, I couldn’t help but think…. THIS is what Advent is supposed to be like! I know “Black Friday” is not the official beginning to the Advent season, but let’s be honest, it is the beginning of most of our Christmas preparations, celebrations & anticipations. And if you stop and think a minute, there are a lot of similarities between Black Friday & Advent. Both are times of waiting, anticipating, seeking, excitement & joy. Even the odd hours of shopping-madness find a parallel in Advent, for Jesus Himself told us that He would return like a thief in the night.

Advent is supposed to be the time we look earnestly for our Savior, seeking His return as we celebrate His birth. Shouldn’t we as Christians be a bit more like the Target lady? Shouldn’t we be training & preparing for His arrival? Shouldn’t we be eagerly awaiting, counting down the days & minutes to Jesus’ return? Shouldn’t we be so pumped to get to see Him that we are practically sprinting just to get a glimpse?

Maybe I am odd for finding theology in Black Friday, but I hope I am like the nice blonde lady when it comes to Jesus. And I hope this Advent finds you with an inexplicable smile on your face, a spring in your step, & maybe even a parachute on your back as you train, seek, and some day see our Lord.

“Be dressed in readiness & keep your lamps alight […] for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” ~Luke 12: 35-40

Christmas Cards

Every year I sit down & attempt to compose a meaningful Christmas card message, with the hopes that someone (or maybe two) will actually read it.


Every year I contemplate not sending said cards as my dear accountant husband calculates the cost of 100+ photos, cards, &, of course, postage.

Every year I try to cut down my list in a vain attempt at reducing this line item in the budget.

And every year I come to the same conclusion… Generally speaking, I do not correspond with 90% of my Christmas card recipients… Many have never even met, or at best, rarely see the Goose… Most have a very special place in my heart & are worth much more than the 87 cents I spend on their annual greeting.

And so, instead of opting out or cutting down, the list grows… New friends are added, old friends remain. Sadly, each year also brings a few deletions of those who have gone home. But the tradition stands… come hell or high water… no matter how much the postal service increases the cost of a measly stamp… even if the Goose refuses to smile for the picture & has the worst hair day ever… the cards must go out… So that you know that you are special to us, even if I am worse-than-terrible at keeping up with 90% of you… at some point in our lives, you made an impression on our hearts… you made the list.

Here’s hoping I can sum all that up in five sentences or less.

Transparent

Defn.: having the property of transmitting light without appreciable scattering so that bodies lying beyond are seen clearly
OR
- free from pretense or deceit : FRANK
- easily detected or seen through : OBVIOUS
- readily understood

That’s what I would like to be: transparent. And not just part B of the definition, but the whole thing. Unlike a large portion of our population, I don’t really want to be seen or heard.
Perhaps that seems odd, but it’s true. Sure, I would like to be “free from pretense” & easy to understand, but more than that… I want to “transmit light […] so that bodies lying beyond are seen clearly”. Well, really just one body. If you think about it, isn’t that what all Christians are supposed to be... see-through-light-transmitters?

I want people to look right through me. I want my words to pass right by them… like I’m not even there. I want them to see someone so much greater & hear words that are so much sweeter. I don’t want to get in the way. Don’t look at me. Look through me… see Him… hear Him.
Oh to be like glass… but, being the realist that I am, my goal is to be sort-of like pink plastic wrap… you know, the tinted kind that’s only available during a holiday season. It’s a bit more colorful than regular plastic wrap, so you may not see perfectly through it, but you can definitely still tell what’s underneath that fancy protective covering.

Mustache

The goose has her first cold of the season. No big deal… just the usual. Her very runny nose & breathing out of her mouth has made her lips & nose very sore. Again… nothing unusual there. But Sunday, as we sat at the breakfast table, she looked up from her muffin with such a sad, serious face & pitifully sighed, “mommy, my mustache hurts.”

Her daddy replied (after he practically shot juice out of his nose), “your what?!?”

But I, kind soul that I am, understood exactly what she meant… you see, on Sesame Street, Elmo learned what a mustache was… and poor goose just thought it was the part of your body between your nose & lip…. And THAT is what hurt… her mustache.

Admit it. THAT’s funny. Even if it is a little bit sad too. (and yes, we did explain that a mustache is not a body part… I am not that terrible)

Love Story

(& don’t worry, it’s not about me!)

The “L-word” is a bit over-used (& abused) in my opinion. We use the same word to describe our fondness for a tv show, coffee & shoes as we do our deep affection for our family & friends. But true love, not the sappy chic-flick kind of love, but the real deal… love that never fails… I see most clearly in the wrinkled faces of Granny & Grandan.

They’ve been worried for weeks about the date of their anniversary... afraid that at 94 & 95 they might forget to remember to that special day. One day the goose & I dropped by to find Granny shuffling through old papers, trying to find the date of their wedding written amongst her list of birthdates. Grandan, who is usually sleeping, was wide awake & the happiest to see us I think he’s ever been.

He wanted someone to tell them (again) when their anniversary was (though Granny denied not knowing). Once reminded, all was right in their world again, & Grandan fell promptly back to sleep.

When the big day arrived, Granny and Grandan were settled in the den while their helper was working in the kitchen when she heard a strange sound… Grandan was singing. As she puts it “I runned in there because I thought somebody’d flipped out!” But to her surprise, there sat the 94 year-old man singing to his 95 year-old bride, and I quote… “she was just a grinnin’!” He couldn’t remember all of the words, but here is what he tried to sing:

On the farmhouse veranda,
There sat Silas and Miranda,
Thinking of the days gone by.
Said he "Dearie, don't be weary,
You were always bright and cheery,
But a tear, dear, dims your eye.
Said she "They're tears of gladness,
Silas, they're not tears of sadness,
It is fifty years today since we were wed.
 Then the old man's dim eyes brightened,
And his stern old hear, it lightened,
As he turned to her and said:


Put on your old grey bonnet
With the blue ribbon on it,
While I hitch old Dobbin to the shay,
And through the fields of clover,
We'll drive to Dover,
On our golden wedding day.

I was in the same old bonnet,
With the same blue ribbon on it,
In the old shay, by his side,
That he drove her up to Dover,
Through the same old fields of clover
To become his happy bride.


The birds were sweetly singing
And the same old bells were ringing,
As they passed the quaint old church where they wed,
And that night when the stars were gleaming,
The old couple lay a-dreaming,
Dreaming of the words he said:


Put on your old grey bonnet
With the blue ribbon on it,
While I hitch old Dobbin to the shay,
And through the fields of clover,
We'll drive to Dover,
On our golden wedding day.

I recounted this story to my husband (as he tried to go to sleep that night) & I asked him, who NEVER EVER sings (Seriously, I have never heard him so much as hum a tune), if he would sing to me when we are old. He chuckled & replied, “I’ll sing to you ... after I’ve flipped out.” Well, as long as we get to flip out together, I guess that’s ok. I’ll wait…. Because that’s love.

Fall Flashback... October

As promised, here are a few photo highlights from October... Fall took it's time coming, but we are finally under 80 degrees and loving it!   Despite the warm October days, the goose enjoyed a visit to the pumpkin patch & buzzing around the neighborhood in search of tons of treats...

Worth a thousand words

I had great hopes for blogging. Every day? Clearly not, but… maybe a few times a week. AT LEAST weekly… or… well… let’s face it… more than once a month looks like it’s the best I can do. Of course, there have been moments I wanted to share, and I hope someday to share them… if my poor memory will retain those moments until my poor schedule (or a crack-bucks overload) will accommodate that.


This memory, however, will not wait… so forgive me if I skip a few weeks & later take a blog-flashback or two.

This weekend, the goose & I headed out to the park. The plan was to meet some friends, snap some pics for a sweet boy’s first birthday, pick up a few new leaves for our “collection” & check out all the fun fountains. While we were waiting on our friends, the goose explored a bit, tested out the best jumping & climbing spots, and I snapped a few test-shots.

The goose was an excellent helper, thanks to the bag of starbursts hay-hay brought along, & was eager to get in at least one picture with her BFF. So at the last (and largest) fountain, she climbed up next to her friend, put on her best smile, lost her balance & fell right in. While I could attempt to describe the next few moments, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are four:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All’s well that ends well though. The goose dried off, walked to the car in my jacket, called Daddy & proudly announced that she would not need a bath… she already had hers… in the fountain.

Holding On

I love this picture… sure it’s a little fuzzy (that’s what you get with a cell phone camera), no, it’s not artistic, but… I love it. After a long day of preparation & an early morning at the hospital, this is where the Goose ended up Monday afternoon… in Momma’s lap, holding on to her blankie & to her “bracelets”. The child who abhors band-aids (& cries if anyone even says the word) would not give up her pink & purple hand-wrap that the nurse kindly let her keep long after her IV was gone. She wore it all day, even when wet, even when coated in syrup. She wouldn’t let it go. Maybe it was some sort of battle-prize. (she seemed more excited about it than the snow white Barbie she got upon our return home) Maybe she just liked the colors. Who knows… but it was hers & no amount of bribery was getting it off.

I felt the same way…. Holding on… refusing to let go… for hours I held her, rocked her, slept beside her… I didn’t want to let go… not again… because that was the hardest part of my day.

I remember the first time I let her go… when she was just a tiny baby… handing her to the nurse & watching them walk away to surgery. I cried, of course, but I did it… I let go. And it was then that I understood so clearly that she isn’t really mine. I understood that I had to let her go, just for a little while so she could be better for a long time. I understood that she is God’s child, so much more than she is mine & that HE would hold her for me… He would hold her while I couldn’t… then and throughout her whole life. I understood that this was just the first time I would have to let her go… no matter how hard it was for me.

On Monday, I thought it would be easier. I thought, “I’ve done this before. I know God will hold her for me. It won’t be so hard this time.” But I was wrong. It was harder. The last words I heard were cries for me & I couldn’t & can’t let those go… no matter how hard I try or how much I want them to be erased from my memory.

It seems no matter how much I know… no matter how much I trust… I still have trouble letting go… even for a little while. I know another day will come, when I will have to let her go again… and I know who will be there to hold her when I can’t, but until then, I’m holding on as much as I can. I have my goose, she has her “bracelet”, & He’s holding on to us both.

Adventures in GI-Land

Well, the Goose is set for a little "adventure" on Monday morning... after years of tummy troubles, she will undergo several "intestinal investigations"(the details of which I will spare you, but all sound like LOTS of fun!)  Thankfully, we will be at the Children's Hospital & she will be asleep through it all.  We welcome any & all prayers for the Goose, her doctors, nurses & hopefully for some answers too. 

Simplicity

“Mommy, why do we have to go to church?” The Goose inquires from the back seat, out of the middle of nowhere one afternoon. We were not headed to church, so I am not entirely sure what made her think about this… guess we’ll chalk it up to the Spirit.

“Well,” I replied, “we go to church because God wants us to go & learn about Him.”

Good answer! Good answer! I thought, cheering myself on like the fine folks on Family Feud. Until… the next question comes…

“What else does God want us to do?”

“Well…” I said, wondering how deep the theology of a three-year-old is… “God wants us to be nice… &…” OOOO! I’ve got it! “God wants us to love Him & love our neighbor & everybody else!” Whew! Good one… that should sum things up alright.

“Well what else?”

Now really, I just summed it all up for you, the same way Jesus did for those who asked Him back in the day. What more could you want to know? What more is there to say? I can’t explain every detail of how we love God & love the people around us!

Somehow I managed to convince the Goose that really, all God wants us to do is to love Him & other people, which means we need to be nice to everybody, including our Mommy & Daddy, of course! But this little conversation got me thinking…

Jesus told us to love God & love our neighbor, & that’s great… simple enough. He put it all in one easy-to-read sentence. So why do we make it so complicated? We tack on the “what else are we supposed to do”… like loving Him & others isn’t enough. Aren’t we supposed to warm a certain spot in a certain pew at a certain time every week? (It seems some people might think they are predestined to sit in a pre-selected seat on Sunday mornings) Aren’t we supposed to serve on a committee & volunteer somewhere? Aren’t we supposed to pray? The list goes on and on…. & yes, those are all good things, but aren’t all good things a part of loving God & each other? Did we have to make it all so complicated?

I usually like to blame society, technology, etc. for the complication of faith and Christian values, but… it seems people had the same problem thousands of years ago. Paul tells the Corinthians:

“I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”  (2 Corinthians 11:3)

I guess we’ve been making things too complicated for longer than we realize. And maybe the fault is not external after all… we are the ones muddying the waters… adding pieces to the puzzle… taking short-cuts that turn out to be detours. Sure, Satan leads us & tempts us, but we are the ones following him through the complicated maze when there is a clear, straight path right in front of our face.

“What else does Jesus want us to do?”… the answer really is simple… just a four letter word… LOVE. That’s it. Love Him. Love others. Simple enough? Maybe simple scares us? We can understand a four-letter-word, right? But it’s the doing of that little L-word that makes us nervous. If all we have to do to follow God is to love each other, well… that’s too easy, right? So if we add on all these other requirements for faithful living, then our task as Christians seems a bit more complex… Then we feel like living out our faith is truly an accomplishment on our part… right? (Sounds a bit like what the Pharisees did to the Old Testament Laws… adding on rules & requirements, turning ten simple commands into countless codes attempting to cover every minute detail of life… ) But just to love… where’s the challenge in that? Even a three-year-old can love! BINGO. Even a three-year-old can love… so why can’t we… JUST Love God & Love His People? That’s the beautiful, wonderful, easy-to-comprehend truth of Christ… Just Love… one SIMPLE command. “But what else?”… nothing Goose. God doesn’t ask us to do anything else, just LOVE. And if we can do that one little thing… well, the rest will simply fall into place.

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength [and] You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

(Mark 12:30-31)

Quotes of the Week

A glimpse at our week through the ramblings of a three-year-old...


Goose:  “Can I use my blankie to blow my nose”

Me:  "Why don’t you walk downstairs and get a kleenx?"

Goose: “I don’t need one” as she wipes her nose on her blankie anyway




"When I grow up I want to be a BIG Mommy!"




“yeah, it took me FOREVER to put all that stuff up!”




“I got five pairs of underwear in my bookbag!” Proudly & randomly stated at a birthday party (at least she was telling the truth)





Goose to Me as we sat at the lunch table...
“You can get yourself some chips. And you can get me some chips. I’m not going to get you any chips though. You can get yourself some chips.”




(My Favorite)
Conversation with Daddy while getting a bath.

Goose: “Did we go to church two times today”

Daddy:  "Yep, we sure did. What were we thinking?"

Goose:  “yep, we did go to church two times. That’s crazy. We went once for singing & once for a baby shower. But they are still waiting on the baby to figure out what his name is.”

Broken Toe

So I think I broke my pinky toe… no big deal… it’s not like I can’t walk… it’s just a little sore. Sometimes I forget that it is injured, then I put on shoes or try to sit on my foot (yes, I am one of those weird people who sits on her foot all the time), or a 30 pound toddler steps on my feet (on purpose of course)…. & I remember that it hurts.


But I think my life needs a broken toe. As you might have guessed by now, I seem to learn from random, seemingly insignificant things… like broken toes. We stub our toes all the time, some of us more than others. And we usually ignore the aching appendages… why not? Even doctors tell us there’s nothing you can do. But this tiny swollen toe just won’t be ignored. It keeps aching, reminding me of how just two days ago, I was rushing the Goose along when she stopped suddenly, causing me to stub my little toe on her hard heel. I know, it’s not that good of a story, or is it? I was rushing, hurrying her along, following so close behind that I didn’t even have time to stop, and if I’m honest, didn’t even notice that she stopped.

Rushing. Hurrying. Got to Move-it-move-it. Not paying attention to what’s in front of us… or paying too much attention to what’s in front of our face & not enough to what’s in front of our feet…. And that’s how we stub our toes. It seems I have to learn the same lessons in life over & over & over & over (you get the point) again. God constantly reminds me, in strange & not-so-strange ways, to slow down. To quit rushing through life trying to get every item off my “to do” list & to start putting some things on my list… things that don’t need & shouldn’t be crossed off. This week, I stubbed my toe… next week, I think my internet may mysteriously fail… or maybe my cell phone will spontaneously combust… who knows! But I have this sneaking suspicion that He’s going to keep slowing me down until I learn to slow down myself.

Reminds me of an African proverb I read somewhere… “look not where you fell but where you slipped” Or… “look not at your broken toe, but where & how you stubbed it”

Thank you Full House!

There aren't many moments in life that you are truly thankful for 80s sitcoms, but today I found myself being very thankful for Full House.  (You can thank me later for the theme song now running through your head.)

The Goose was playing so well by herself tonight & being oh-so-sweet (a rarity these days in the land of three-year-old-attitudeville) so... we decided to let her stay up late.  She likes to play with her babies on the steps... sometimes they are beds, sometimes they are trampolines... but as you will recall, her imagination has exploded, so who knows what the steps were tonight.

Then... suddenly, from the peaceful playing Goose not eight feet away I hear...
 "MOMMY MOMMY AAHHHH!!!!"  With a desperation of voice no italics can relay.  I leap from my chair, run (the whole 8 feet) to the steps wondering what on earth could have happened to her from the third step... with no sharp objects... no noise... & no warning...  Then I see it... her head... stuck between the railing. 

Now I know... a good mother should NOT burst into laughter at her child's trauma, but... I couldn't help it!   (And even as I type, I still cannot stop laughing).  Nor could I help the words that just poured from my mouth, without heistation & with not a bit of worry in my mind, I knew just what to do...
"It's ok.  Just calm down.  Thanks to Full House I know just what to do.  Daddy will get the saw, take that railing off & you're head will be free in no time!"

That's right... thanks to those silly sisters, I had no fear... no need to panic... no need to try butter or ice... no pushing, no pulling... I knew what to do.

As luck would have it, Daddy didn't need that saw afterall.  Just the thought of it made the Goose's head pop right back out.  And if you are wondering what prompted this little incident... Evidentally, Pretty Baby had taken a tumble & instead of climbing down the three steps to check on said baby, The Goose decided she would take a short-cut.  (Is it bad that I wish I had my camera sitting right there?)  Oh well!  All's well that ends well.  BUT... "Whatever happened to predictabilty..."

Quite an Imagination…

My how the imagination of a three year old goose grows! Here’s a glimpse of today’s adventures…

“Mommy, I’m reading Pretty Baby some stories about Jesus.”
As she flips through the pages of a Beth Moore devotional book…
“And Jesus learned to crawl & to Jump! Jump! Jump! Jesus liked to jump when he was a baby.”
 She could be right… who knows!

“Mommy, I’m playing Harris Teeter… The bread’s by the door & the watermelon’s on the rug & the cookies are over here on the table”
 … remarkably, she has the store layout correct. Maybe she can start putting my lists in aisle order soon!

“I’ve gotta take a big test. I’ve never taken a test before.”
Wonder where she got that one from???

What a Day!

Busy Busy Busy Goose... I'll let the pics tell about her day...

Feeling Creative This Morning... Bring on the Playdoh!

Look at my nest!  I made it ALL by myself!  Seriously... NO help from ANYone!!! 
I was proud, and so was mommy :)

There!  PERFECT! 

Saying Bye to Daddy... Not so happy...

Working for Momma... A model's job is never done! 

Showing off the Monkey at VBS program...

... & the Parrott

Putting some money in the VBS wishing well (For Make a Wish)

... & getting splashed in the face by the water :)

& the best end to the day... A hug from Gamma

Blood, Sweat, Burns & Fabric

19 iron burns (yes, surprisingly few & all to the left hand)

58 glue-gun blisters*

1,712 yards of fabric*

10,004 pin pricks*

1 million+ drops of sweat*

& more than a few curses, are-you-kidding-me’s, i-think-I’m-going-to-cry’s later*…

Here it is… the new look of the-little-clothing-business-that-could…

Daffodils-&-Daisies  AND... on Facebook  (only the business!)

Some days I wonder if it’s all really worth it… then I think about the friends I’ve made along the way… I wouldn’t trade it for all the fabric in China!  (or anything else :)



*These are only estimates… actual numbers are probably higher*

Have you lost your mind?!?!

I remember it like it like it was yesterday… the day we found out our sweet baby was a girl… oh the excitement. I also remember vividly the doctor’s words when she looked at the ultra-sound pictures…

“There it is!” she said with a grin. “See right there? That’s her brain. Some day you will wonder if there’s anything in there, so I’m showing you now… there is.”

It was funny then, but today… oh today… those words came flooding back to me as I said to The Goose…

“Do you know why Mommy & Daddy tell you not to jump on the beds, and not to stand up in chairs, and not to jump on tables(!)?” She shook her head no. “We tell you that because if you fall you will hit your head. And do you know what’s inside your head?” Again, I get a no. “Your brain. And a brain is a very important thing.”

This little anatomy lesson was followed by a serious come-to-Jesus about using our brain and listening to Mommy & Daddy.

Fast-forward two hours… while talking on the phone to Mimi, The Goose (out of nowhere of course) interjects, “Daddy, what’s in your head? … A brain?... Our brains are important.”

Oh yes they are…. VERY important… and sometimes I marvel at how they work… and sometimes I wonder if they work at all…. But thanks to Dr. D, I know it’s in there… somewhere!

How to make a Goose sit still...

... pull out the pink nail polish...

Just a quick rim turned into a full mani-pedi.... I think that's the only time The Goose has actually been awake AND still!  She was so proud... too bad the fingers all chipped off in a day :(   Oh well!  It was fun while it lasted

 

Nothing like a little pampering to make a girl smile!

Spiritual Toddler

Today was one of those ridiculously exhausting days… and by ridiculously exhausting I mean it seems ridiculous that I am exhausted. Don’t get me wrong… I accomplished plenty today, but nothing too meaningful. I did my domestic duties… laundry, produce-freezing, dinner-making, toy-picking-up (or rather delegating of toy-picking-up). I even did some sewing & a bit of reading, but only 25 pages in, I found myself “Praying” (which is what I like to say I am doing any time I fall asleep when I am supposed to be awake… I am frequently “praying” when the alarm goes off in the morning… or when studying, which works since it’s seminary, right?)

Anyway, I couldn’t figure out why I was so tired. I usually do my best work after 10pm, but not tonight. This is ridiculous. SO… to keep myself awake, I begin to blog-stalk, coming across some blogs that make me cry & some that make me laugh, but all make me wonder how I accomplish so much less every day than everyone else seems to. And not just that… but they seem to accomplish much AND take time to experience & enjoy it all too! (Either that or they are good blog-liars & fake productivity & joy very well!)

So I begin to think back through my day… did I do anything really important? Did I at least spend time with the people that are most important? Did I devote my attention to anything other than mundane tasks? Sadly, the answers… all no. I was around some pretty important people, especially one under four-feet tall. I had the opportunity to talk to someone over 6 feet tall. I could have chosen to spend some quality time at the feet of the Father. But, instead I was consumed with the ordinary. Not that there’s anything wrong with ordinary… it’s just how I handle my ordinary that bothers me.

For instance, today, The Goose was very good, but in her new-found three-year-old passion of finding what grates on Mommy’s nerves and sticking with it, she decided she would ask me the same questions over and over and over, never even listening to my answer… just asking & asking & asking some more. OR… even better… asking, hearing and doing the opposite… over & over & over, even when told to stop, over & over & over, with the occasional grin & eye-glimmer that says, “I know exactly what I’m doing”… Drives me crazy!

But wait… I do the same thing. I feel ridiculously exhausted & ask God why I’m not as productive as other people. Am I doing the right thing? What do YOU want me to do? Will YOU help me be a better mother, wife, housekeeper, student, time manager…??? HELP ME HELP ME HELP ME… I sound like a toddler. Asking the same things over and over again, but not listening. Not giving God time to talk. Probably driving Him crazy.

In First Corinthians, Paul talks about the members of the Corinthian church being spiritual infants, and though I would like to think of myself as a faithful & mature person… the truth is, I am more like a toddler than I would like to admit. I whine… I ask the same annoying questions… I don’t listen very well… & sometimes, I do exactly what I know I shouldn’t. If I’m honest, most days, I know exactly what I am supposed to do, & I also know the attitude I should have while doing the things I do.

No matter how ordinary or simple, they are my tasks & I choose how to handle them – with joy and a servant’s heart or with frustration and jealously at how I am not what someone else is. I choose how to respond to the incessant questions of a three-year-old (who really just wants me to put down the laundry & play)… I choose whether to make time to listen or move on to the next item on my to-do list… I choose to out-grown my toddler spirit or to keep seeking something that perhaps God never intended for me to do or be… at least not yet. Maybe when I am a big girl.

“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him,

and to which God has called him.” ~1 Corinthians 7:17

Tiny Evangelist… Tales from the Target Cart

We used to joke that The Goose was a tiny evangelist because she liked (and still does on occasion) to burst into choruses of “Jesus Loves Me” (which is always followed by “Deep & Wide”) when riding in the cart through the aisles of Target. And to make it even better, she would pause mid-song to correct me for my silence: “Sing it with me Mommy!” Well what can you say to that? “No honey, that might make people look at us funny.”? Or “You sing it, Mommy’s too big to sing in Target”? Clearly not! So… here we go… singing down the aisles, getting a few looks, mostly nice, and one very vocal “AMEN!”

You see, she already knows how to be an Evangelical… probably better than most adults I know. So when do we lose our ability to share our faith? Or, maybe it’s not lost, but when did we gain this major evangelical-inhibition? And when did “Evangelical” become such a “bad” word? It seems now if you profess to be an Evangelical, people get nervous. I feel the nagging need to correct people who refer to someone as an “Evangelical Christian,” for all Christians are by nature (IF we are doing our job right) Evangelical. So isn’t the “term” or “label” a bit redundant? Or maybe we need to be redundant. Maybe all Christians need to refer to themselves and other believers as “Evangelical Christians” so that we remember that key part of what it means to BE a Christian.

“Share the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words”… (a famous quote from St. Francis of Assisi)… to which I add, “or songs from a shopping cart, whatever works for you.”

Pretty funny, how we think we have to work so hard to teach our children how to love God, when they are really pretty good at showing us how to love Him even better… Sing it loud, Sing it proud!

“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? […] How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ~Romans 10: 14-15

I Just Don't Get It...

Not to harp on the same subject, but check out this week's "Faith & Values" section cartoon, from the funnies, not the articles, but it could go along with last week's theme... I'm not sure, because I just don't get it... maybe you can help???  Seriously, I am at a loss. 

The Real Bedtime Prayer

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

Mommy prays I’ll stay in bed, but I think I would like to play instead.

I’ll try to get out of this night-time routine, as I cannot stand this resting thing.

Out of bed at least 14 times, with tears, and pleas and an occasional whine.

So let the bargaining begin! I think I know who will win.

First I’ll sneak in one, or maybe two… who are we kidding, only FIVE will do!

And if I cannot sleep tonight, I’ll play until the morning light.

Oldies but Goodies

This weekend was a real treat for me… my first friend (from first grade :) is getting married in ALASKA, so she & her soon-to-be-husband came back home for a fabulous party. Wedding parties are great fun, of course, but catching up with friends you haven’t seen in YEARS is even better! Oh the memories… things I haven’t thought of since… well, I really can’t remember when I remembered them last, but it’s been a while. All weekend long, two quotes keep filling my mind & my heart…

“Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver & the other gold”

& from Proverbs… “A Friend Loves at All Times”

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not the best friend when it comes to staying in touch. I am still stubbornly standing my ground in my refusal to join Facebook, though the Facebook sirens lure me with their connectedness…. But let’s be honest, if I can’t find the time to keep up with the 5 actual friends I have, how in the world can I make time for the 100 half-way-friends-but-really-more-acquaintances????

Still, I know I need to do better…. To make a conscious effort to have some form of meaningful correspondence with these people who have such a special place in my life… people who share some of my greatest childhood, teenhood, collegehood memories. Which brings me back to the quotes…. For the truest friends in life are surely those who stand the test of time and space… Friends who you can pick up with right where you left off (even if you can’t remember exactly where that was!) … Friends who know your faults probably more than you even know your own , yet they still love you, for who you are & aren’t. New or Old, Silver or Gold…. Those friends that love you at all times… Those are the best… the truest…. They know my face, like a book… & I theirs. And to see those same goofy smiles that look just like they did in the first grade, well… that’s better than any status update I can think of. There are just some things that can’t replace face-to-face friends.

Funnies, Values & No Faith

Saturday. Paper Reading Day. One thing I look forward to in the Saturday paper is the “Faith & Values” section. Call me crazy, but I enjoy reading inspirational accounts of people’s unique faith journeys. I even find the articles regarding divisions, developments & decisions within the church interesting. But lately, I find less interesting and more disheartening in this section.

Now, in a section with FAITH first in its title, there is but ONE article on faith of any kind. The “Values” portion of this section consist of various “Dear Abby” type questions & responses. And then, there’s the real meat of the section… the FUNNIES. That’s right, you find the comics in the “Faith & Values” section (along with the horoscopes, of course). And not only that… but the FUNNIES compose TWICE as much print-space as the ONE faith-related article.

If that trend weren’t bad enough, today’s article left me saddened, and… I don’t exactly know what else… You see, today’s “FAITH” article is about atheists who wrote a book about ministers who have lost their faith…. Making it a double no-faith article no less. And if you aren’t sad yet, get this… these “faithless” ministers still preach & haven’t admitted their drastic faith-loss even to their spouses. I find that very sad, in and of itself, but what left me really disturbed by the article is that the self-proclaimed atheists argue that churches looking for pastors do not really care about the faith of their pastoral candidates.

Well, let me just say… I CARE… about the faith of my minister… my congregation… my spouse… my child… my family & friends… & even that of strangers. I, being the crazy person I am, would want to know if my minister was having doubts, NOT to interrogate that person as to their fitness to be leading BUT to be able to pray for them. And I would like think that more Christians would want to see their pastor seek spiritual help & guidance to RESTORE their faith, rather than turn a blind eye to a problem far deeper than any social embarrassment or financial difficulty that could arise as a result of their honesty.

I CARE about the faith of others… because the faith of others I know & others I’ve never even met affects my faith. I believe in Christ because someone showed me their belief & His Love. I follow because they taught me how to follow. I own my faith because others owned theirs. And I, crazy person that I am, want to read about FAITH in the FAITH & VALUES section.

I can’t think of a week that passes that I don’t encounter some real-life account of great faith AND the power that faith has in the lives of so many… stories of endurance, healing, restoration... in spite of pain & suffering, death & grief. I hear the stories. I see the faith. I see the awesome God at work in EVERYTHING that we open our eyes to. Can’t you? Can’t they? Those are the stories I want to read. Those stories… could fill volumes… not just one forth of a page. Maybe they won’t put the faith back in front of the funnies, but I think we can…. Guess we’ll just have to show them how to fill a page with real FAITH. Faith like a child… Teeny, Tiny mustard seed faith… that moves mountains… and doubters… and even atheists. Move over Charlie Brown! We’re taking this page back!

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
   ~ Hebrews 11:1

Thumbs-down to Thumbs-up…

So after the jam saga, The Goose & I attempted to make a thumbs-up out of a bit of a thumbs-down. One suggestion, for “taffy jelly” was to use it in Thumbprint Cookies. Having never heard of such, I googled my way to a delicious & simple recipe & off we went on our Thumbprint adventure.

The Goose was so excited to make cookies and “put my thumb in it like this” that it was hard to explain letting butter & eggs reach room temperature (luckily an oh-so-rare-nap helped with the waiting). I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story…

So proud...

carefully patting each one...

this takes lots of concentration...

put your thumb into it...

"wait! I have to smell it first!"...

see... i TOLD you it was taffy!

(& note... if you want to make these... this is NOT how they are supposed to look, but this "jam" is a bit hard to control!  We had "extra-jammy thumbprint cookies")

"Look at my hands!"... followed quickly by...
"uhhh... I need to wash them!"

Messy Bessy? Yes! But… it turned my frown upside down… & my thumb too :)  The jam actually tastes GREAT in cookie form & the goose had fun too…. Making AND eating. Guess that’s two thumbs-up out of a few thumbs-down.