HOME

I was encouraged to focus my attention on Home. Home, being heaven. I know that this time on earth is only temporary but there is a longing for home. It has been mulling around inside me head all weekend. Have you ever been homesick? I have been feeling that way a lot lately. That longing for a place where you know you belong. Where you fit in and a place you know you are loved and wanted. Home... well, I know there is a place where I belong but I will never find it here on earth.

Turtles... that is what kept coming back to my mind. You know.. they carry their home around with them. In many ways we carry our home in hearts but our temporary home is our shell. Do you ever wonder why it feels like the weight of the world is on your back? Well, like a turtle, we have a shell, a body that is not our eternal body. We take on so much of what the world throws at us. We try to find a place of belonging. If we look at anything the world has for us we will always just add more weight to our bodies. We will never be wealthy enough, powerful enough, smart enough, funny enough, friendly enough, giving enough, skinny enough, beautiful enough... never enough of anything because there is always something more someone expects of us. We are not expected to be any of those things. We are children of God. We are his and he asks us to be light. To love one another and the greatest part is that he doesn't expect it to come from anything of our own, He gives us the love we need to share. Everything we need, we already have, in HIM!!
I think of how we seem to be running a race, carrying the weight of the world on these little stubby legs. Does it ever feel like you are just spinning your wheels and never moving. When we look around at the rest of the world, it seems they are rabbits. Racing ahead of us in leaps and bounds. Running without a care in the world. Mocking us as they run circles around us. The problem is, they are running, to the next big thing out there. You, my little turtle friend, are running home. It is not a race, we will get there when God decides. Until then, he lets our pace be slow. He has much to show us and teach us along the way. Things that are easily overlooked and missed by the rest of the world as they race on. You see, there is a light that guides us as we poke our heads out of our shell.
Does it ever seem that there are days when you just get no where? You are in the same place? Maybe some kids came along and found you, tipped you over and laughed as you kicked your legs in the air hoping to turn yourself upright. Yeah, sometimes our worlds get turned upsided down. Somehow we turn ourselves around and get moving again. And sometimes, all it takes is a friend to walk the So, when I focus on the light, the light of His glory. The new body that awaits, the streets of gold, the mansion awaiting.... well, it gives that little bit of strength needed to take the next step. These shells serve us well, but they are only temporary. They slow us down enough to allow us to see the world around us, to feel the hurts, to see the beauty, to enjoy all that is here and to imagine all that is to come. Journey on little turtle.

If you feel like a turtle, and are longing for a home other than the one on your back... keep walking, keep running the race. Keep your eyes fixed on the eternal not the temporary.

II Corinthians 4:17 -18 ~ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eterna.

SPRING ~ A season of change

I love Spring ~ It is a season of change for sure. If April showers bring May flowers then we know that with the rain comes growth and growth is painful sometimes, messy and sloppy and well, dreary and gray.

What I love about Spring is not the rain, the mess, the gray and gloomy sky, but the newness, the freshness and the sense of new beginnings. Is it any wonder that Spring is when the wedding season starts, and graduations commence? Life is springing forth all over the place. As I reflect on activities that are about to take place, I had that brand new feel of a fresh rain. Can you smell it? Can you feel the clean slate? The dead of winter is washing away and being replaced with a new start.

Kids are excited and giddy with the thought that school is almost out for the summer. The excitment is contagious. No one wants to sit and study. There are adventures to begin. Not all are graduating, but many are, and with that is maybe some fear and confusion mixed with the excitment. Will I be able to make it in the world? Many are leaving home for the first time to start a new life of college or work. Many are graduating from college and starting life with a "real" grown up job. The great thing is that like a caterpillar changes into a butterfly, these people, young or old, are going to fly into a new life too. It is a new beginning. A chance to start with a clean slate. To move onto to a new journey, a new beginning.

Some are making a life change into marriage. Where life of being a single means becoming one with another. The changes have only just begun. If it were all easy we would miss the blessing. We would miss the growth. I, for one, am thankful for the rain and the times of growth. It is during those dreary times that the most amazing growth takes place. It is painful at times, but the result is so much more amazing than we ever could have imagined.

As many are spreading their wings and getting ready to fly, there are mamma's wringing their hands and wiping their eyes. Letting our babies go and watching them leave the nest is difficult. What a blessing to know that God has given each of us exactly what we need to make these hard transitions.

Soon the clouds of doubt and confusion and fear will roll away. The sun will shine and we will see more clearly the path that God has for us. We will be able to enjoy the light and warmth of the new life. Just know that about the time you start to feel comfortable and think you have a handle on this new life, things will be shaken. In life there is always a storm coming. Are you prepared to weather it? If you know the Lord, the one that controls the wind and rain, you can weather any storm of life.

I have no major changes taking place this Spring, but I see the growth. I feel the tears of joy and fear and sorrow. I walk along beside others, holding an umbrella, or tissue. Sometimes we are called to walk through the rain and sometimes we are the one holding the umbrella. Whatever, the role you are in this year, enjoy the beauty that surrounds you. Take time to smell the fresh, clean air. To feel the coolness of the rain and the warmth of the sun. To see the gray clouds roll away and the blue sky replace them with the shining of the sun. Listen as new life peeps forth all around. Can you hear it? Can you feel it??

Happy Spring!

The Royal Wedding

A Royal Wedding!~~

What's the Big Deal? I know that is what many people think. I also know many who have set their clocks, made plans ahead of time and have anxiously anticipated the viewing of the Royal Wedding. Not that you asked, but here are my ideas on the matter.

We, as humans, are intrigued and facinated even by royalty. We keep up with the celebrity gossip of the movie stars, music bands and singers, authors, etc. It only makes sense that when there is something Royal to partake of, we want in on the action. We at least want to watch from afar. It is spectacular, grand, majestic. It is unlike anything most of us ever get the chance to be a part of or see.

The Royal Wedding ~ Well, it is has special meaning to many. We grew to love Princess Diana, as a nation we mourned her death. The fondness we felt for her has carried over to her children. It is something that many have strong feelings about. There is something about a person who has a high position in society, who is beautiful, who lives a life so different from our own and yet seems so approachable. There is a history that we find interesting. We like to see how traditions are carried on from one generation to the next. We love to see how times have changed, and what has remained the same.

That is a general public facination. There is something more though, mostly I think for females. I don't mean to disinclude any of the men who share this mindset but as a woman I can only speak on my behalf. As little girls we love to play dress up, to imagine being a princess, to dream of our wedding day. It starts early. Boys are more likely to play games of action, cowboys and indians, war, battle, bombings, etc.

So, as a girl.... It's a wedding!!!! That means Love! We are so drawn to that. This is a Royal Wedding. So that means, beautiful gowns. We can't wait to see how the bride looks. What kind of dress is she going to wear? Will her hair be up or down? Will there be a veil, etc. etc. Then we like to see how the others are dressed. In the royal realm, the woman wear beautiful, extravagant hats. It is all very proper and charming. It is like dress up all over again. It is like a delicacy for our hearts. We love it. We soak it up. We rejoice. We cry. We delight in all of it.

What is even more apparent to my heart, is that there is going to be a Royal Wedding to come, that none has seen before. It will be more grand and extravagant and beautiful than anything my heart or mind can imagine. It is going to involve me. I will get to be in THAT wedding. My groom is coming for me and for you, if you belong to him. He still is courting you. He wants you there. He waits anxiously for that day just like you and I should. Are you ready? Have you planned what you will look like on that day? Is your clock set?? Make yourself ready for the day is approaching. He will come and wisk us away and we will be with Him in mansions he has prepared in advance for us. That is the Royal Wedding that none will want to miss out on. Our Groom is the Prince. His Father the King of All Kings! There is none greater. And He has chosen me. My mind cannot even begin to fathom that. Yet, my heart continues to dream and hold fast and wait and prepare and plan for that wonderful day! There is a love that runs deeper and more true than any earthly love we have ever known. If you do not know this King I speak of, you must meet Him. He loves you. He knows all about you. Don't delay. For this is a wedding you will not want to be a specatator of, you will want to be the bride, and you can be.

So there is a short take on it. We love fairytales. We love to see them lived out and we continue to dream. Reality is never quite what we expect but it does prepare us. Not many of us live a royal life. We live in the day to day struggle called life. It is not usually pretty and glamorous. It is filled with work, and kids, and cleaning and dirt, and mess. Take courage, there is hope. There is a future that

is going to be amazing. I can't wait and I can't wait to see who will be there with me to celebrate and rejoice.

Oh... and a little side note that has nothing to do with weddings and royalty... this is a picture taken today. Two days after the root canal was completed. The swelling has mostly gone down. I was told it could take up to a month for it to completely go down and return to normal but that it would! I am in no pain. Thank you all who were concerned and praying for me. Much appreciated :)

April showers

It occured to me... I have a blog. You see, this is something that facinates me to no end. I love to talk and I love to write but when given the opportunity, I wonder, do I have anything to say? Well, the most obvious answer to that is undoubtedly NO! However, that has never stopped me before. Even if no one reads this but me, that's ok. So, if you stopped by for some interesting facts that will make life easier... move on. If you have come for some wisdom or insight, you most likely have come to the wrong place. If you have come for a slice of life in my life, well, here you go. Served up with a smile :)

Almost a week ago now I had the joy of going to the dentist. I was scheduled to have a routine root canal and a couple cavities filled. Sounds basic enough. I had my wisdom teeth removed and it went well. So I figured this would be a small inconvience and be over before I knew it. Well, after 3 hours of drilling and whatever else they do, I was informed that I had an infection and would need to take an antibiotic before the root canal could be completed. At the time all I thought was, "thank goodness, I can leave, this woman is torturing me." Then it occured to me, in a short amount of time that I was going to be in pain for a few days. I had no idea I would be numb for a week. I am thankful for numbness if it is taking the place of pain, however. So, tomorrow is the big day. I now get to go back. More nervous and anxious than the first time. I am not looking forward to this at all. My face is still bruised. I am almost back to normal and now I get to return to the torture chamber. This too shall pass.

My children have it tough this week too. It is TAKS week. Aaron is such a joy. I love his attitude about life. As most children, and teachers too, are dreading TAKS, Aaron woke up informing me that today was going to be a great day. He is taking a math TAKS test and he is loving it. I wish I could always get up with the attitude that today is going to be a great day. Jessica is not so optimistic. She does not seem to find much pleasure in life at all these days. I sure hope it is just a phase. Seems I went through that a lot as a teenage girl too.

Along with the typical joys and struggles with life, we have weather. Regardless of what it is, it is never what we want is it? First we have horrible fires across Texas, so we are praying for rain. Then we get horrible storms that come with tornados. Meanwhile, as we keep a close watch on the weather in MT, it seems that they are all praying for sun. They have had enough winter and long for a sunny day. As I child I learned that "April showers, bring May flowers." Well, we are all looking for showers. Just a little rain. Not snow, not tornado's and wind,.., just rain. And not to overdo it either, could it be just the right amount of rain? We are not looking for flash floods or worse. Just a Spring rain, enough to make those beautiful May flowers. Well, since childhood I have wondered who came up with that saying because I have never lived in a place where April brought rain showers and May produced flowers. It is always a bit more delayed. One thing I do know, regardless of the month. God does send us showers. He sends showers, lightening, thunder, storms of many kinds, to remind us that he is powerful and in control and we are not. To let us know that when everything is dark and dreary, there is a brighter day coming. I don't know about May flowers, but there is a rainbow to follow the rain, there is recovery after the storm. God takes us to places that seem dark but He never leaves us and He brings so much growth, we are His flowers. He makes us beautiful and unique and special. We are a fragrant offering meant to encourage and enlighten one another. We are here to help one another through the storms so that we can open up and shine under the sun, because of the Son.

So, my prayer is that whatever storm you are facing, hang tough. Look for the goodness and trust that there is something even better to come. Have a day full of blessing and give praise to the one who holds you in his hand!

Here's to April showers!!

Root canal ~2011

Yesterday I was blessed to go to the dentist for a routine root canal. Is there such a thing? It seemed like an easy thing and they were going to fill two other teeth and do a cleaning as well. Big plans. Talk about biting off more than I could chew... total pun intended.
Needless to say, it did not go so well. After drilling and poking and scraping whatever else they did, the kind dentist says, " I don't think I will be able to complete the canal today as there is an infection that needs to be cleared away first. I will have to put you on an antibiotic and you can come in again next week and we will finish it up then." At this point I had been through so much they opted to do the other things next week as well. I knew my face was sore and swollen and that was to be expected. I didn't realize it would continue to grow as the day went on. She gave me an antibiotic and told me to take it three times a day and that I should take 600 mg of ibuprofen at the same time, 3 x's a day. Then she gave me vicodine for the pain. I knew at this point I was going to be in a great deal of pain.

Last night was pretty miserable. My face turned purple.... my favorite color :) It looks like I have an never ending gobstopper in my mouth. Good thing chubby looks good on me :) I took 3 vicodine yesterday and it never once made me sleepy, in fact, I got very little sleep last night. I do feel better today though, not feeling as much pain. I have to say, I am not looking forward to next week at all. My family has been wonderful though. Aside from a few jokes along the way they have tried to let me rest and have been helpful. It is nice to have that.

Take two will be posted next week :) Stay tuned.

A new friend in the Lord

It's Monday.... I drop Aaron off at school and plan to go to the grocery store for some shopping before my little Aubree shows up. I am thinking...healthy, healthy, healthy. So I am going about my business checking items off my list as I merrily go along, pushing Justina in the car shopping cart, (I detest those things by the way) and a stranger stops me and says, "Can I ask you a question?" Being me, I say... "Sure". I am thinking to myself... if you knew just how little I know about anything you would not bother asking me for any advise. She asks her question which happend to be about Espresso brownies,... mmmmmm I don't know a thing about them except that they sound wonderful!!! So much for healthy.... now all I can think about is chocolate and coffee! The conversation continues, this would drive my dear husband insane, 20 minutes later we have exchaged phone numbers and discovered that we both attend the same church. It is so amazing to me the ways that God works. She was having an off day and God allowed me to be in just the right place at the right time. I did nothing but show up and God did all the work. She is a hair stylist, works out of her home. I may have to start seeing her from now on :) It was an encouragement to me as well. Neither of us set out to share our faith but in just a small conversation it became evident to her that I was a believer, she asked me what church I attended and when I told her she said that she had just started going to that same church about 4 months ago. So I was able to answer some church related questions as well. That is lifestyle witnessing in motion. I am so thrilled to know that on a hectic, crazy, Monday morning, God is at work in the everyday stuff of life. You just never know when there is another person needing a shot of encouragement, a friendly smile, an unannounced blessing. I hope I can always live in such a way that others will see Jesus in me and be encouraged and blessed. All the glory is His, I am just honored to know he was meeting a need for both of us on this rather discouraging Monday. Well... I am home now. Laundry, kids and cleaning.... the mundane life of a mom. It is not exciting on most days but very rewarding. I must say it is also exhausting. I look at the calendar just to keep track of the days and when I realize that April is almost over I have to wonder how one day seems to run into a week and a week into a month. It just goes all too fast.

Blessings, prayers and promises

April 1st ~ 1996.... on this day the world as Dan and I knew it, changed. God was at work in our lives in a mighty way. As God was knitting together a precious life inside of me, he was preparing to build faith that could move a mountain in my spiritual walk with Him. Many know this story, but it is one that is worth repeating.

I could write a book about all the things that happend through this one life changing experience. Condensing it, is almost laughable. I pray God will give me the words he would have me share. Jessica Ruth Reeder was born on this day. She was our first and little did we know that she would be born with an incureable disease. One that requires both Dan and I to be carriers of a specific gene. I had promised Dan repeatedly throughout the pregnancy that everything was going to be fine. When Jessica was born she was a healthy 8#'s 14 oz. She quickly lost weight and almost her life. We spent that first month of her life, living in the hospital. We were surrounded with a small, loving group of christians from our church as well as many friends and family members all over the United States. She was on numerous prayer chains. The end result, as we were told by our doctor..... she will most likely not live past three months of age. You should go home and plan her funeral. She has hyperglycinemia.. not to be confused with hyperglycemia. There is a significant difference. If she were to live longer she would be mentally retarded and still die in early childhood. This was the news we carried in our hearts, as we carried our precious newborn home from the hospital that dreadful day in April.

I didn't know much, but I knew my God was BIG. I knew he was all powerful. I knew he could make miracles happen. So, I never gave up on Him. I never gave up on Jessica either. I loved her every second that I was given and I watched God move. When she was first tested for this, it was evident that she had it. She was not even borderline, she was off the charts. They measure the glycine in your blood compared to that in your spinal fluid. Yes, that meant that she had to have several spinal taps as a little tiny baby. That was so heartbreaking to have to watch our precious baby going through so much pain. At six months of age she was tested again, requiring another spinal tap, and she had no signs of it, at all. Only God could do that. The doctors said there was nothing more they could do for her. He planted seeds in the minds of the medical staff that could not find a scientific answer to how this was possible. He grew the faith of many who had spent countless hours praying for us. He grew faith within our hearts that could move mountains.

We were told that the chances of having other children with this same thing were highly probable and that it would follow Jessica's symptoms. I took that to heart and took it to God in prayer. We did have two more children and they were both healthy. Again, I give God the glory. He showed how just a little faith could and would be rewarded.

Tomorrow, Jessica will be 15. I can hardley even believe it. She has grown into a beautiful, smart and loving young lady. She is a teen to the T. We have struggles like all families, but there is not a day that I am not amazed as I watch God work in her life. She belongs to him, he has just allowed us to be her earthly parents. What a joy.

Life is to be lived and celebrated. We rejoice and celebrate in the goodness of God. He is so good, all the time.

This is a shortened version and I would love to share more with anyone, anytime. Until then, I will end with just telling you that God is a God of blessings, prayers and promises. I have seen it and live it every day. Give God the faith of a mustard seed and he will multiply it.

Happy Birthday Jessica! We love you!!!