Hanging Out.

You must be joking.

That is what I kept thinking to myself as I walked into my son's room today and found 'the tragedy.'

It was actually a tragedy in 3 acts.

It was the kind of thing that when you are as dreadfully behind on everything in your house as I am - the scene I stumbled upon evoked a certain calm and at once hysterical yet frightening chuckle...

You are familiar, right?

The kid was mortified!

Act 1 - He had decided that he needed to take every stitch of clothing out of his closet, most of it off the hangers, and into a pile on the floor.

Act 2 involved swinging from the closet bar.

Act 3 - He was inspired by some of the Superman Garb in his closet and felt that he needed to clothe Superman in Superman attire... naturally...

I took a few moments, gathered my wits, returned with a camera, and proceeded to 'encourage' him to re-hang his clothes.

He was unmotivated by my repeated urging.

He then, in a final act of desperation, decided that our house needed a splash of color. In every room.

What better way to add color to a room than to walk in with armfuls of clothes and strew them about?

I was ecstatic!

This is it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

This is the day that you were born 30 years ago!
Your life, a gift from God above, has touched my own life so.
You represent the beautiful things a Christian's heart should hold.
My love for you, a flame lit and burns, will never, not ever grow cold.

How can I speak of this wonderful day when you came into this world,
And not say that although walking was hard :) you arrived and you have soared?
Your life emanates a graciousness and an acceptance that is so pure
Along life's path, in these 30 years, you've helped God minister and cure

Those one's of us, who find it hard to become what we were meant,
Beyond a doubt, I know today that's the reason YOU were sent.
You've been so sturdy and supportive in whatever season we've been through
You've been a faithful and constant friend, disregarding mismatched shoes!

Bringing glory to God's name, your years upon this earth...
I know God looks upon you and is proud on the day of your birth.
But not this day specifically, a day more marked in time-
is the day you gave your heart to Him and rang the heavenly chime.

A celestial party like none has ever seen was going on that day
For you, a child of the Most High, who would seek after His Ways
Your birth into His kingdom, as significant as your birth here on earth
Happy Birthday, beautiful Lover of God, May you truly feel your worth!


I love you Shannon!
Happy Birthday!
30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30

Ha!

We're Back!
And just for the record,
I had a better time than anyone else there.
It was so good!
God was so good!
I think we all needed that special time to bask in the Presence of the Almighty!
What a truly wonderful gift it was!
To the precious women who worked so hard to put that monumental and seamless product of a retreat together - I am indebted AND SO GRATEFUL!
To my Lord, Who showed up in an awesome way- Tenderly tending His flock, while smiling back into our tearful eyes as we poured tears from our alabaster jars upon His feet...
It was pure.

To partake of a moment in His presence, I would give myself over completely.

I learned that my worship must first move me, to move my God.

I got to love on and be loved on by so many of His precious daughters, His princesses...

I was able to spend a beautiful weekend with my dearest La, who has forever imprinted her perfume on this heart of mine.
I love your smell, the scent of your life envelops us all.
Your grace, your acceptance, your humor, your wit and wisdom, your purity, your passion for your King...
You have been God's gift to me.
Your example and heart of servanthood chisels away at any hardness or unwillingness inside me to do the work of my Father.
Although you are, as you would proudly proclaim, several months my junior, you have been used in my life and many other lives as a mentor and fragrant expression of woman, mother, and friend.
As a result, my life has been touched in a way that an aroma of you will linger.
You will always be my friend. I love you with a love that distance cannot extinguish.

My Heavenly Father, Orchestral Maestro, Hanger of the stars, and Sculptor of the moon - You have been, in my mind, an untouchable entity. Although I have long known of Your unharnessed compassion for my soul and Your unrelenting desire to know me as Lord and friend,

I have been unable to accept Your acceptance.

I have indicted myself as unacceptable in Your sight for so long. I have felt unworthy to wipe my feet on the mat outside Your Outer Court. Far less fathomable to me, would be to invite myself into Your Holy Place...

but You are so approachable.

I am sorry for not approaching You with bold and unhurried worship.


I learned this weekend -

* To accept the fact that I am acceptable.

* To embrace my brokenness as a work that is always being spun into something new and better by a Loving Potter,

* That a willingness to avail myself to God is, understandably, a requirement for forward movement in this earthly life.

* A vulnerability that allows my Groom access to my secret place, to rearrange every nook and cranny of even the deepest recesses inside my heart,

* That He, in His vastness, can and will hold me close to His chest, to shield and overshadow me, as a loving Father eagerly anticipates my next wobbly step.

How much love He has for His own!

What a beautiful time with my Lord!

I am copycat!

Philippians 4:8 - 9 "Whatsoever things are TRUE, whatsoever things are HONEST, whatsoever things are JUST, whatsoever things are PURE, whatsoever things are LOVELY, whatsoever things are of GOOD REPORT; if there be any VIRTUE, and if there by any PRAISE, THINK ON THESE THINGS! Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." SIMPLY PRAISE THE LORD and peace will come!


You gotta love that Bacamama!
She's johnny on the spot!

When my vision fails...

I cannot see what You see.
The vastness of Your scope is beyond me.
The multi-faceted sights You behold...
My sight is narrow, as is my mind.
The things that I have come to know are barely a shred of the truth that You know.
You are truth.
You hold my world in Your hand.
Your view is never obscured, never faltering.
I cannot unravel the twisted enigma of life without Your masterful touch.
I need You.

The question has never been whether I would fail; failure is not avoidable.
You saw my failure before it happened, and You chose to see past my failure and into my heart.
Past my weakness, into the strength You provide.

There are times when I think I cannot feel Your hand in my life.
I have come to realize that the times I thought You were not with me, You had gone before me - and You made the path smooth and gentle for my weary feet to tread.

-The Dash-

-
This blog is really more about me than anything, so if you want to spare yourself a little time - you should stop reading now - otherwise, you've been warned...

Could life get any busier?
The answer to that question is loaded.
Because invariably, anyone who gathers the gumption to ask it, will, without fail, be answered with a resounding "YES!"

Life CAN and WILL get busier.

I love my life.
I have no complaints.
Just sticky, time-sensitive, less than enjoyable stuff that sometimes clouds my vision.
I always strive to be mindful of what things are most important, but I find myself getting fixated on the mundane things that have no impact in the long-run.

Why?

No doubt - Life with a husband, kids, friends, a job, and commitment to church (and other things) can get so busy that I feel like I need a flight pattern to get to all the separate events we are scheduled to be at, with every necessary item in tow.
Sheesh! I feel like I am a walking coat rack half of the time. Schlepping lunchboxes, a guitar, several other indiscriminate bags, school projects, and a little girl who can sense my distress and is instantly stricken with 'jelly-legs' at the onset of Mommy Overload.
"I wanna hode you, mommy....wahhhh!"
It can be a lot.
But life is so much more than Point A to Point B.

Pastor talked on Sunday about a lot of things, but one thing, for sure, struck a chord with me.
He told the story of a little child walking in a graveyard with their daddy. The question was raised about the dates on the tombstones.
The father tried to compile the facts he knew about birth dates and death dates and break it down to a level of understanding for his child.
'When the life began and when the life had ended...'
The child then asked about the dash.
The father explained that the dash represented everything between those 2 dates.
The person's life.

I cannot say enough about the regrets of my past, about not making the most of my 'dash.'
I can honestly say that I have not used every ounce of anything I have been given.
I spend far too much time worrying, spazzing out, whining, complaining, griping at my kids, and being weighed down by un-heavy things.
I have felt convicted.
I want to do better. Accomplish more in each day. Have more quality moments during each day.
But when each day arrives, along with it comes the baggage from the day before, or the day to follow. It becomes a burden that overwhelms me at my very core.
I go into shut-down mode.
A mode that resembles "survival" - (although nothing in my day-to-day life is ever anything close to life-or-death.)

I have had enough of Survival Mode.
I want to embrace my dash.
I want to rise above the Coat Rack Syndrome called Mommy Overload.
I want to be an overcomer.

The experiences, and the quality thereof, within the span of the dash are everything that matters.
Not the events of the day, but what I take from those events.
My dash will not be filled with feelings of defeat or inadequacy.

• I will fight feeling overwhelmed by overcoming the tendency to look at silly things as more important than they are.
• I will fight feeling unproductive by re-training myself about what things truly count in the scheme of life.
• My kinship to God and the authority THAT carries will be enough to sustain me through whatever comes my way, be it the death of a loved one, or a few too many things leftover on my 'to do list.'
• My success in life will be better defined by my relationship with God and the impact THAT relationship has on others; not by the fullness of my bank account or the emptiness of my kitchen sink...

I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back.

I am going to embrace the dash.
-

The countdown.

Exactly one week from today, everything will change.
History will be made.
Can you feel it?
A monumental day for sure - the day my sister turns 30 is a moment I will savor for at least two years... (until I turn 30)
Monday, September 24, 2007 is a day that people will remember for one thing.
The ground-breaking event of someone turning 30 and still being cool will ring through the annals of history.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, someone has finally unlocked the mystery of turning 30 and retaining coolness at the same time...
It may sound too good to be true - but have you met my sister?


Disclaimer: If you have already turned 30, it would be important to note that the opinions detailed in this blog are not necessarily a reflection of the opinion of our company or any of its subsidiaries. The intent of this publication was intended strictly for the purpose of embarrassing and harassing my sister, not to compare levels of coolness between one old codger to the next...

Late notice...

Tomorrow.
Come over at 3:00 pm.
Bring your chillins.
Bring your chatterbox.
The plan is to hang out until 5:00 or 5:30pm.
Hope you come.

My apologies to those of you who will be working.
I will try for an evening one as soon as life resembles 'normal' and my kids can do a late night.

The boys are back!!

This goes out to all you Nay-sayers out there, You know who you are...

The Dallas Cowboys have begun their season 2-0 for the first time since 1999.
In the last two games, they have scored over 35 points per game.
They are looking great this season!
That is the origin of much excitement in my life right now.
If you are my sister and want to make some comment about "why did the opposing team let their fans play for them?" or other such nonsense,
I will tolerate your jabs.
Because it will feel all the more satisfying when you travel all the way to my house to watch the Superbowl with me.
If the Cowboys make it to the Superbowl, YOU will be watching it with me.
Consider it a gift....

Mosquitoes.

Tonight we were getting in the van to run around and J. started whispering.
He said, "SHhhhhh....." to A.
I said, in a whisper voice, "Why are we whispering?"
He whispered back, "So the mosquitoes can't find us."