Time With a Sister

Man, it has been a long time since I have blogged! The funny thing is that I am constantly writing on here in my head. So much so, that I have sometimes been surprised that it hasn't actually been done :D You guys have missed out on so much of my wit, life, and deep thoughts! ROFL

I had the absolute privilege to go visit my dear "Sister" in Illinois a few weeks ago. We aren't actually sisters, of course, but we both have no doubt that God put us in each other's lives. It is pretty funny how we met...it was in Little Rock, Arkansas at a youth meeting last year...we shoved them to the end of the pew & proceded to worm our way into their lives! I warned them that we had a bunch of kids, and they said, "That's fine". Next thing we knew...they both had kids in their laps! She & her hubby invited us to come see them after Christmas.

BIG mistake!

We did.

(yeah, we're THOSE kind of people...lol)

Seriously, though, it was a wonderful time of fellowship for both of our families, and a new life-long friendship was forged. So, when the opportunity arose for me to go visit, I worked out the kid-details, asked my hubby if it could be my birthday present, and off I went ('cause he's THAT kind of hubby!).

Our visit was just so.....girly.

After traveling for 12 hours with my sweet friend who is moving to Illinois...I arrived...and we stayed up til 1:30 a.m. talking, and giggling....just like teenagers! In fact, our 16 year old daughters have mentioned numerous times how WIERD it was....we were like...OLD "besties". LOL *for the record...we are NOT old!!!*

Over the next couple of days, we shopped at high-end malls, a craft mall, a health-food store & shopped at low-end Goodwills. All were equally enjoyable!

We ate at fancy tea rooms, high-priced restaurants, as well as Arby's, and sammys on the porch (a personal fave).

We got drowsy on the porch, chillaxed with the laptop, discussed the intricacies of life, death, marriage, relationships, recipes, ideas, God, kids, *a small amount of gossiping*, cooking, shopping, health...well, you get the idea.

I could just say I had a blast, but I don't think that really conveys my thoughts! :)

Oh...and I learned some new skills from my "Sister", too! She taught me how to make bread and homemade cinnamon rolls!!! It was so fun!

And yummy, too. My kiddos have been after me to try it out on them, and I will...as soon as I can afford it at the scale!

Seriously though, this is something I have wanted to learn for years, and I feel like I can mark something off of my new year's resolution list now. Yeast no longer scares me.

Now, I need a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for Christmas....red, of course!

As our visit came to an end, I went with the caravan of cars from their church to meet up with my family in Shepherdsville, KY for camp meeting.

More on that next time.

"Where Are You, God?" "HERE AM I."

Amanda: Beautiful, fun & talented

The last few days have been positively surreal. A tragedy like this has never touched our protected little world. How do you cope with this?

My children are truly struggling. As a parent, there are difficulties on many levels. Your own grief. Your own struggles to understand. Your sympathies for the parents/grandparents. Your concerns about your older children's questions, their emotional well-being. Your conserns about your younger children & how much they know & how much to tell them.

I have never been a very emotional person, but right now, my head feels like it will explode from the pent-up emotion. The tears that I haven't shed because my kids need me to be strong. The questions I haven't asked because I'm answering theirs. The quiet time I can't have because the chores still need to be done...meals must be cooked.

The extent of my prayers for the last 2 days has been a single word, "Help!"

This hurts so much! Amanda wasn't part of my natural family, but she WAS a part of my church family whom I love dearly. I don't want to watch people I love suffer in this way. And yet, I know...with a sureness that is so deep within me that it's like the oxygen that I breathe...God knows. He sees. He comforts. He heals. He works. HE IS!

I have often read in articles about families who have suffered loss or tragedy, "they are holding to their faith." That has always seemed a little hokey to me. Such puny words for the magnitude of the peace & sureness that comes from KNOWING that the God of the universe KNOWS my name! He knows the pain His children suffer. I think that we tend to feel that, because we cannot see & touch God, then He cannot see or touch us. Yet, if my child is suffering (and they are), I KNOW it. They are my flesh & blood. I can see their pain. We are His children, and He loves us.

We can't make every hurt go away for our kids, but we can do everything in our power to help it ease. A hug. A shoulder. An ear. A prayer.

God does the same for me & you. He eases my pain. He comforts my soul. He clears my mind. He gives me a peace that passeth ALL understnding.

I serve a mighty God! And, yes, I am holding onto my faith for dear life! It is the only thing that makes the pain bearable. I cannot WAIT to get to church, to be with my spiritual family, to grieve, to comfort, to support & to cry out to my heavenly Father. Heather told me today that she could not imagine going through this pain without God.

She is so right.

Without Him, I would be nothing.

Peace in the Storm

We have been presented with a situation that we've never had to deal with before.
The death of one of our children's friends.

How in the world do you ease that pain? That confusion? What words will make it better? Is there a band-aid for this?

Well, yes and no.

I was talking to a cousin yesterday who is having a difficult time with the loss of her best friend to cancer after 8 years of fighting. She is still struggling with the why's, the emptiness, and the pain. I have no words for her. No "make it better" wisdom. I CAN pray, though.

Tonight, we've received word that a young lady in our church was tragically shot & killed. My kids are shocked, devistated.

This kind of stuff happens to other people on the news, not your friends!
Oh, the tears....torrents of them.

The questions haven't come....yet. But they will.

Why?

I don't know.

"Lord, I ask for the wisdom to help them to see You in this. To turn to You. To understand that, while they don't know why, You do. Please bring peace to our hearts. Please, be with the family, help us to be a support to our church family in any way we can."

Please, help us pray for this family, for the youth in our church, and for the church as a whole.

A song comes to my mind:

"There will be peace in the valley for me someday.

There will be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord, I pray.

There'll be no sadness, no sorrow, no trouble I see.

There will be peace in the valley for me."

Let it be so.

Staycation: Day 3 & Thoughts on Serving God...

Things that made me happy today:

1. Watching the baby squeeze her bunny & falling asleep
2. Finally getting the custom-made cabinet I ordered a month ago.
3. Goofing around with my kiddos @ Jack in the Box
4. A pleasant evening with my mom.
5. A photo of my oldest son working @ the camp meeting
6. Hearing how #7 is winning hearts in Kentucky.
7. Rain

Today was a good day!

I was somewhat excited because I had ordered a cabinet for my dining room while I was in Canton last month, and today was delivery day. It looks great in the space I had intended it. Now....what to accessorize it with....hmmmm.....

Our "fun thing" today was a trip to the Discovery Science Place. The kids always enjoy going there & playing with all the cool educational stuff. I enjoy the time reading! :) Afterwards, we went to Jack in the Box & took pictures of ourselves eating lunch.

*************************************************************************************

I have on my heart a friend who is fighting for her life. She has been such an inspiration to so many people, myself included. Cancer has been eating away at her body, but her soul has been growing & growing, and, in the process, has become a light for God in a dark world. As always, my prayer is for God's will, but, what a blessing it would be for her to stand up & walk away from this! How the Halleluias would ring! What a day that would be!

But, what if that doesn't happen?

Will we still praise Him?

Will we still see His hand at work?

Her life has touched & IS touching many people for the Lord. Isn't that what our lives are supposed to be like? Aren't we trying to live for Jesus no matter what?

I have been so very convicted by my own selfishness when I think of her dedication to God during her illness. I have whined about going to church with 8 kids. She comes right after a chemo treatment. I have cried about nothing to wear. She has had no hair! I have complained about how hard it is to go to a meeting with my kids, & she shows up AND works to serve God's people because she wants to be a part! What an ungrateful wretch I am!

I see that she has let God use her life, her illness even, to talk to the hearts of many. She has & is living her life for Him to the fullest.

I once heard someone talking about meeting up with the saints of old at the Pearly Gates & discussing our departures from this world. It went something like this:

Me: Sir, how were you brought here?

Man: I was stoned by an angry mob for living for Jesus.

Me: How about you, sir?

Man: I was beheaded for preaching the Bible.

Me: Ma'am, how did you come here?

Lady: I was tortured for refusing to recant my Lord. How about you? How did you come?

Me: In a pillow-topped bed, while being comforted by my loved ones......

Kinda sounds shameful, huh?

My life scripture verse is Phillipians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." ....and I can, but WILL I?

Hmmmm....

Friends

In order to have friends, you must first show yourself friendly!

Sounds easy enough...I mean, who doesn't want friends? We all like to be liked. I am constantly amazed when I sign on to my FaceBook account & see that I have 200+ "friends". I mean...that's a LOT of people! LOL Surprisingly enough...I actually know ALL of them to one degree or another (except maybe Glenn Beck, and I'm thinking Lloyd hacked my FB & asked him to be my friend...). The great thing is: I can think of a whole bunch more that aren't even on FB!

Am I the only goofball that has had the thought: "I wonder if I die how many people would be at my funeral?" I mean, how many people would be there out of genuine love & bereavement (not counting the people who come for the free meal...you know who you are!)LOL. Personally, I HATE funerals. I would much rather grieve in private....but I digress....

Friendship is a form of evolution.

In my life, I have had some great friendships that have served many purposes. Of course, there's the fickle ones of childhood that come & go with the stash of popsicles or goodies in your lunchbox that your willing to share (or not). Those are nice stepping stones to learning how to relate to others.

Then there's the ones in the teen years. Those can really be hard. I don't know how boys do it, but girls can be just plain mean (again, you know who you *were*) ;). Right now, I am watching my girls go through this time in their lives. I can so easily remember the hurts caused by others. It breaks my heart for them. But, since I can't punch these kids (or their moms) in the nose...I just have to counsel my girls to "Love 'Em Like Jesus".

After high school, you find yourself in a new category...maybe college, or work...for me, it was marriage. I had to make a whole new set of friends. Since Lloyd is 8 years older than I, my friends tended to be older than me.

Then there were the "new mom" friends. The ones you discuss poop cycles & sleeping habits with.

I find myself thinking about the friends that I've had at each of these stages & loving each one of them for what they've added to my life (both good & bad). I can see where God has removed some friendships from my life in order to bring me closer to Him. On the other hand, I can see just as plainly the ones that He's added TO my life for the same purpose.

I spent some time today with a dear friend. We haven't always been close, but, through the years, we have formed a great relationship. We are honest with each other & are on the same level in many areas. It is good to have someone like that in your life! Friendships are hard work, though! I mean...anyone who doesn't think like me is a real wierdo, right? LOL Nope...it doesn't work that way. To have a friend, you must first show yourself friendly & "Love 'Em Like Jesus"....warts & all.

I'm glad you're my friend!