Back.....

I could go on about the fact that it has been FOREVER since I have blogged.


I have missed it.  I missed the cataloging of what my people are doing and how I feel about things.
I missed the therapy of writting my thoughts down.  The idea that what I am sharing just might be helping someone, entertaining them, lifting them up or perhaps filling a void of somekind.

So...lament I will not...... NOPE I will just jump into where I am at and not look back.

Georgia!!

We moved!

Hubby has taken a great new opportunity and we jumped on it.
Am I sad that I left Virginia??
Hummmmmmmmm? NOPE!  Not one second of it.  I did not like Virginia!  There it is out there.
My sisters know it.  They had to deal with me through it.  I was not all that nice to be around in The Old Dominion.  MUAHHHHHHH!


Virginia was however an incredible proving ground for me.  You know what I mean by "proving ground"?  The place where things are tested....fortified...get the kinks worked out.  That was Virginia.

I HAD to learn to be happy and to find JOY!  Not the fake kind.  I am talking about the James kind of JOY.  The "Call it all Joy!' kind of thinking.  When you are in a place you dont like you can and do make yourself and everyone else around you miserable.  I did this.   I shut down.  I lived in Phillipians. I was the pitty pitty me girl.  An.....I got called out.  My sisters called me out.  My friends that I had met were and are incredible.  They listened to me and told me I was angry.  They showed up when I wouldnt answer the phone.  They were persistent.  I love them for it!   I had to look deep....very deep into what I was doing by CHOOSING to be miserable.  Because thats what it was...a CHOICE!
Mine  ....   all mine.... to choose.... to decide... to smile.... to laugh..... to be joyfull.  To fake it until I could make it.  To trust!   YES... to trust that God had me. ......God was using me in Virginia.  God was giving me the choice.  I have to admit I choose very poorly at first.  Eventually I did come around.  Not enought to say I would move back, but around enough to enbrace the people around me.
oxxoxoxox

.............................never look back.

How will they know?

  This weekend Aaron and I were sitting in the car after a family trip for icecream.  The kids had all gone into the house and we just sat for a few minutes.  We do this when we need the cone of silence.  It sometimes makes the kids nervous because they know we are "talkin".  Many a huge decisions have been made in the cone of silence.

I asked Aaron how we knew how to be parents?  A profound question.  When growing up no one
talked about when you get married and have kids you are going to need to know how to be patient and you are going to need to be totally selfless.  There was a lot of expectations to go to college and make money but never to be a good parent.  Maybe it was assumed.  I was not raised on the Bible.  We were church going but I did not have a personal relationship with God.   So the question..."How will your kids know how to be parents?"

I am tossing this out there.  I don't have an answer.  It is concerning and scary to me that we dont talk about it openly with our kids.  Our culture does nothing to address being a good parent.  There is lots and lots of talk about not getting "into trouble" and becoming a parent too soon.  But there is nothing that shows or teaches the gift of parenting.

Some folks say that Aaron and I are too hard on our kids.  Our four have lots of chores and they do not have a lot of outside the house activities..ie sports and such.  They do a lot at home and with each other.
They are expected to watch the younger ones when needed and they are expected to do it well.  Maybe this is like on the job training for when they are parents.

I wonder.....what celebrity would make an impact on young people.  What person would be a good spokes person for parenting?  What would they say?  What would you say?

Hummm??

Double for your Trouble

This might turn out to be more of a rant than a blog post...but Im ok with that.

Ladies...(gentlemen I am not ignoring you..but there are just more gals)

Each and everyone of us has incredible talents.

 God has given us these talents and blessings to serve Him.   Every time you get into the elevator to get to your office or cube you are working towards a goal.

Every time you empty the dishwasher you are working towards a goal.

When you pick up the phone to call a friend that has been a little too quiet you are working towards a goal.

Every single day when you get up and see your babies out the door you are woking towards a goal.

It is not a goal of financial wealth or of fame.
 It is not a goal that anyone else in this world will ever see.
 It is a simple formula.
 Painfully simple.
It is about doing the right thing.
 It is about serving others and always looking to Christ.  It is about having "ground hog day " over and over again.
Not because you like to clean the kitchen (maybe you do, but not me) but because you are working towards raising children and having a nice home for them and you want to keep your eyes on the prize.

There are times when we are stopped in our tracks by what is happening to us..what someone is saying, or what someone is doing.  Mean, hurtful things that can take our breath right out of us.  Times when we are on our faces.  Times when evil is lurking and threatening our Faith.  Tests....

These tests dont just show up in small manageable doses.  They slam you to the fence with a tidal wave of circumstances.
The magnitude of the reality of our world is cruel and harsh.
How can we fight such opposition?  What power do we have?

Indeed..."What are our defenses?"

What are your defenses?

Where is your shelter?

How do you respond to the attacks?

Again...it is simple.  You do the work.

Every single day...every single moment.....every single night...you show up.
Ya see....I have been counsel to many a close dear friends.  It is a huge blessing to have sisters in Christ.  You raise one another up.  You dry tears.  You make meals.  You dig in.  You pray.

You basically ignore the bad and focus on the good.  Super simple..but soooo hard.

I have the hardest time when it comes to my kids.  I am a mama bear times a million.  I am a fierce protector.  But I can not protect them from themselves.  Two are teenagers.  They are going to make choices...ones that I might not like.  They are going to push....and test.  This makes me sooo scared.  I have prayed so many times for the days of sleepless nights and diapers.  Watching your kids learning to fly is terrifying....and ohhh sooo exhilarating.

You truly will get double for all your trouble.  Keeping your eyes on the prize.  Showing up.  Listening to the teenage stories and drama.  Making the calls.  Taking the meals.  Fighting the good fight.

 Every single day...focusing on Him.