Thinking As A Woman

I read two books recently....

2012-01-01T16:15:00.001-05:00

....that really shook me up a little. I got them both from our local library. The first was Making Supper Safe, by Ben Hewitt.

It's about our food industry and the lack of oversight which leads to food contamination. A good read, but also a little frightening. The only way we can ever be truly sure that our food is not contaminated is to grow it all ourselves, something which in our society today is nearly impossible to do. It makes me wish I had enough of a backyard to have a huge garden.

The other book was American Wasteland, by Jonathan Bloom.

This one is about the massive waste of food that goes on every day in our country, mostly due to the fact that we Americans want all types of food available at all seasons of the year, and we want it to look pretty and seem fresh-picked. Stores throw out thousands of dollars' worth of food every week. This book, more than the first, made me really stop and take stock of our own food consumption. There isn't much I can do about food contamination in the supply line before we buy the food, but there is a lot I can do here at home to prevent wasting perfectly good food.

My current non-fiction read is The Smart-Aleck's Guide to American History, by Adam Selzer.

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas. It's hilarious, but also a seriously well-researched book on American History. I'll blog more about it when I'm finished reading it.

And Then There Were Two....

2011-12-24T11:26:00.001-05:00

In May our oldest child graduated from home schooling. Yes, home schooling can be done successfully all the way through high school. She is currently doing quite well in college, majoring in English just as I did. The nine years I had with her at home, teaching her and watching her grow, are so precious to me now! She's off on her own, although still living at home, forging her own way on the collegiate scene. One advantage she has discovered in living at home is that she has a live-in proofreader and discussion partner for her papers. So in a way the home schooling continues.

So I have two children still attending Salt & Light Christian School full-time. It seems odd to only have to keep track of two kids and all their work. As I have done in the past, here is a summary of what we are doing this year for their schooling.

Mary is in 9th grade this year. Through our co-op she's taking Physical Science, Spanish 1, Art-Mixed Media, and Art-Drawing. She currently has an "A" in every class. At home she also studies Geometry, Geography, Health, and Language Arts. For Language Arts this year she is doing Easy Grammar 9 and four Progeny Press Literature Guides (A Christmas Carol, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Fahrenheit 451.) She has completed the first two so far. The Progeny Press guides cover reading comprehension, vocabulary, literary terminology, literary interpretation and criticism, and writing everything from short answers to long research papers. In addition to the assigned books, Mary is constantly reading books from the library, and about 90% of her Christmas wish-list consisted of books. Mary is also still working on writing left-handed; she can already print very neatly and is starting to learn cursive. I never knew that someone could decide to be ambidextrous!

Bobby is in 7th grade. At co-op he's taking Art-2-D (taught by a former home schooler who is a junior at SCAD,) Critical Thinking, and a middle-school level Human Anatomy & Physiology. At home he adds to these: Pre-Algebra, Sonlight World History and Literature (what used to be Core 6 and is now Core G,) Jump-In Writing, and Daily Grams 7. The literature in the Sonlight Core G is not really challenging him this year, so we are supplementing with lots of books from the library.

I asked the two of them recently what they would like to be doing more of, or learning, that we are not already doing. Mary said that she would like to be doing more community service (at the Humane Society and America's 2nd Harvest,) and Bobby said he would like to study Middle English. Their personalities, likes, and dislikes are so different! Mary's request is pretty easy; we can just schedule in time to do that. Bobby's seemed a little daunting until I discovered that you can study Middle English online. He has always loved all things Medieval, and now he can learn to read Chaucer in the original. How about that!

Next post: what I'm reading in all my spare time!

What Have We Been Doing?

2011-12-23T12:32:00.002-05:00

I haven't written on my blog since July. I've had several people ask me why. I figure the best way to explain is to write about what we are doing these days in our family, since I actually have a few minutes to sit down and write on here.

Eric is working about 65 hours a week at J.C. Bamford here in Savannah. They make skid steer vehicles, and he inspects them as they come off the line for defects. He's exhausted pretty much all the time. And yet he makes the effort to hang out with the kids and me in the evenings, and is keeping a good sense of humor about life in general. We try to keep our evenings fairly free so we can spend time with him.

Caroline just finished her first semester at Armstrong Atlantic State University. She's living at home while attending college, and working her same job at Chick-fil-A. I'm proud to say that she got a 4.0 GPA her first semester in college while working 15+ hours a week. Good girl!

I'm home schooling Mary (9th grade) and Bobby (7th grade); more about that in a minute. I'm also teaching 15 piano/1 voice students. I'm also teaching three classes of Spanish (2 classes of Spanish 1 and 1 class of Spanish 2--how's that for confusing?) at our home school co-operative every Friday. I'm also one of the leaders of Mary's unit in the local American Heritage Girls Troop 2007, which meets on Tuesday nights. This all adds up to not a whole lot of free time. It's all great stuff, and I'm enjoying it all, but it just means that time to spend online is limited.

About the home schooling: a lot of people don't seem to realize that home schooling by itself, if being done diligently, is a full-time job. It involves selecting appropriate curriculum for each child, creating yearly goals, writing weekly lesson plans, and THEN spending time each day helping each child learn: math, language arts, history, science, etc. After they are done with each day's work it must be corrected and evaluated. These things don't just magically happen. A home schooling mom has to stay organized and persevere so that she and the kids do not fall behind. In addition, we have to plan extra-curricular activities so that our kids have some fun along with their hard academic work.

So why haven't I been blogging? Well, I have a full-time job home schooling two of my kids, and a part-time job (8 hours a week) teaching music, and another part-time job (approximately 5-6 hours a week) teaching at the co-op. With all of that and keeping the house clean, doing the laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, etc....well, blogging has not been a top priority. And before anybody comments: yes, my children do help with household chores, and yes, I know that they are not toddlers anymore and can do a lot of their school work independently, and yes, I know that many people have extremely busy lives that are much harder than mine. I'm not complaining about anything here; I really do love my life as it is right now.

And with that, I'm off to wrap presents!

Next post: what we are doing for home school this year.

Home Educating Family Publishing

2011-12-10T08:20:00.000-05:00

Home Educating Family

We learned about Richard Kirkland when we visited Fredericksburg National Battlefield. Apparently a movie has been made about his bravery and compassion. Hope it's good!

It's a command, not an option.

2011-07-11T09:46:00.003-04:00

Yesterday during our house fellowship we found ourselves in Matthew 6. We are currently studying through the book of Matthew, and when you study straight through books you can't avoid the passages that you don't like....
I have written about being anxious before. I just want to point out, again, to myself and anybody else who struggles with worry, that we are commanded in Scripture not to be anxious:

Matthew 6: 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [7]28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Philippians 4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Wow. I make supplication to the eternal, holy God of the universe, and He blesses me with His peace. Again, wow.

Home Educating Family Publishing

2011-06-24T07:30:00.000-04:00

Home Educating Family Publishing has a giveaway taking place this week, from June 23rd to June 30th. We get the magazine already, but I've entered anyway. This past school year I used the planner and it was our best-organized year so far. I've already ordered next year's planner, but I figure I can give it away if I won the giveaway. Check it out.

Compared to Whom?

2011-02-07T17:58:00.002-05:00

One of the things I've noticed that we women tend to do a lot of is comparing ourselves to other women. This is especially true in the home schooling community, but I believe it happens in our churches, in the workplace, and among friends. I don't know if men do it as much as we do, but I think it's a serious problem for Christian women. We compare ourselves both favorably and unfavorably with other women. We do this in the areas of looks, weight, house-cleaning, children's academic and extra-curricular success, personality, career, handi-crafts, and I'm sure many other areas. We either look at someone else and then put ourselves down:

"She's so much thinner/prettier/more stylish than I am!"
"Her kids are so smart and accomplished. Why can't my kids do all that?"
"She's so nice and has so many friends. I don't know how she does that."
"Her house is like something in a magazine. I wish mine looked like that."
"She knows how to sew/knit/crochet/smock/paint/you-name-it, and I don't."

Or we look at someone else, and then puff ourselves up:

"At least I'm not as fat as so-and-so."
"Her kid can't possible have done all of that. I heard he's failing math."
"She may have lots of friends, but they probably aren't all REAL friends."
"She must not spend any time with her kids in order to keep her house so nicely. At least I spend time with my kids." OR "Her house is a total wreck! What a slob."
"I know how to sew/knit/crochet/smock/paint/you-name-it, and she doesn't."

Why do we do this? I'm not the only one, am I? In my case it tends to be more the putting-myself-down side, as in, "I'm fat, my house should be neater, I don't push my kids enough, etc."

Our culture fosters this attitude. Just look at the magazines as you check out at the grocery store. Better still, DON'T look at the magazines, since the women on them are totally photo-shopped anyway. Comparing yourself to them would be a huge mistake. But those magazines all focus on making us feel that we must compare ourselves to some man-made standard of beauty, intelligence, or accomplishment.
So, what to do.....
I talked to one of my friends on the phone today, and she was encouraging me to take every thought captive, even sharing with me a circumstance in her life where she has been struggling to take every thought captive. This really is a heart-and-mind issue, one which gets at the root of our very being. As a Christian woman, I need to see what God's Word says
about all of this:

2 Corinthians 10:12 Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.ESV

Ouch! Without understanding! That rather hurts, doesn't it? Paul was speaking in the context of defending his ministry and teaching, but I think there is a principle to be applied. If we are not to compare ourselves to others, then to whom should we compare ourselves?

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. ESV

Philippians 2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [1] 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, [2] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ESV

Over the next days, weeks, and months I'll be concentrating on comparing myself to the only One who really matters.

Light the Night and Other Cancer-related News

2010-10-20T11:13:00.000-04:00

Last Friday night our whole family went to walk in the Light the Night Walk in the downtown historic district of Savannah. We had Team Carpenter put together, and Bobby was the Honored Hero for this year's walk. Our team had set a goal of raising $1,000, and we actually raised more than $1,500. Praise the Lord! Eric's mom, Charlotte, walked with us, and so did our friends Bobby and Jessica Auner, with their three kids, Jessica's sister Julie with her baby, and our friend Heather Upton with her son Robert and his friend Jake. It was really beautiful looking out over Forsyth Park filled with lighted balloons. The red balloons were carried by people who are supporters, family members, and fundraisers of cancer patients. The white balloons were carried by cancer patients and survivors. The gold balloons were the ones that really got me. They were carried by people walking in memory of a loved one or friend who has lost the fight with cancer.

After a brief program at the park, we headed north out of the park and walked a two-mile route through the historic district of Savannah, lighting the night and raising awareness for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. More than 2,000 people walked! We are already planning Team Carpenter for next year.....

Another cancer-related story: We have some dear friends here, the Peavy family, whom we know through the homeschool co-op. I have taught (and am currently teaching) their son, Joshua at co-op and taught him piano, and I currently teach their daughter Lydia piano. (She and Mary are friends, too.) I have met their church's assistant pastor, Matt Fray, a few times, and was part of a Boy Scout Eagle Board of Review for Josh along with him. Matt's wife Erin gave birth to their third child last Tuesday, on then on Friday she found out she has breast cancer. Their two older children are only 3 1/2 and 2. They are recording their experiences at a blog called Joy in the Journey. Please pray for them.

Wii and Peaches-and-Cream

2010-10-10T15:25:00.001-04:00

First, I said I would write more about the Wii game system we bought. I have been using it (Wii Fit Plus) to exercise, and the whole family has enjoyed the Wii Fit and the Wii Sports. The Wii Sports has baseball, tennis, bowling, golf, and boxing. The Wii Fit has TONS of fitness activities: hula-hoop, rhythm kung-fu, step aerobics, running, cycling, and so forth. It also has fun games like Snowball Fight, Segway Circuite, and many more. Eric and Bobby like to play doubles tennis, and last night I bowled a 277! Woohoo, I'm a pro. But perhaps the most fun part of the Wii is the little Mii characters that we can make. Each of us in our family has made one, and we've made several others just for fun.
Here I am as a Mii:

And here are some we made for fun. Do you recognize them?

Second, Mary's sweet little dwarf hamster, Lizzie, died yesterday. I wrote about her when we first got her a year and a half ago. She was a great little pet and we loved her, even though she bit me a few times. God showed Mary yesterday that He even cares about her desire for a pet. Before we even knew that Lizzie had died, (in fact, she was running on her little wheel in the morning,) we got an e-mail from some friends letting people know that they wanted to give away their guinea pig, Peaches-and-Cream, to a good home. She is a 3-year-old guinea pig, very sweet and really beautiful. I immediately called to talk to the mom of their family, my friend Cindy. I discussed guinea pig care with her, and why they wanted to give her away (Cindy's boys have had guinea pigs for years and are just tired of taking care of them) and I mentioned to Cindy that I was afraid Lizzie was going to die any day because she was getting old for a dwarf hamster. I arranged to adopt Peaches, which made Cindy and her boys happy. A few minutes later I went to check on Lizzie.....and she was dead in her little cage. How sad! Mary was upset, but at the same time she was excited to be getting Peaches as a new pet. We buried Lizzie in the back yard and thanked God for providing a new pet for Mary at just the right time.

Peaches is a lot smarter than Lizzie was. She's also big enough to hold and pet---did you know guinea pigs purr? I also learned that guinea pigs can get scurvy if they don't eat enough Vitamin C, so we have to feed her lots of leafy greens and broccoli in addition to her regular food. While we are sad that Lizzie is gone, we are happy to have Peaches. She's so cute!

On How Our School Year is Going...

2010-10-03T15:07:00.001-04:00

It has been an eventful August and September, and October is already shaping up to be busy as well. I love the new planner I bought. It has helped Mary and Bobby be a lot more self-directed in their work. We've (I've) also done a lot better staying organized this year, and keeping up with all the corrections and grading I need to do. Here is our each of us are doing:

I am still teaching all three kids at home. I also teach piano two afternoons a week, and have more people interested, so that may increase to three afternoons a week. In addition, I'm teaching two classes on Fridays at our home school co-operative, Kingdom Builders. The two classes are Expository Writing and Biology; I have a dozen students in each class. I challenge anyone who thinks home schooling isn't a full-time job to come spend a week with us!

Caroline is working about 15 hours a week now (Chick-Fil-A) in addition to doing her Senior year. At home she's taking Pre-Calculus, Advanced Chemistry, Health, and Literature/Language Arts/Grammar. Through the co-op she's taking my writing class to supplement her language arts at home, Art, and Yearbook/Advanced Photography. She is a very busy girl! She will graduate from high school next May, and is already in the process of college applications.

Mary is an 8th grader this year. At home she's studying Algebra I, Sonlight Core 7 World History and Literature, Human Anatomy, BJU Grammar & Writing; through the co-op she's taking Geography, Cooking, and Art. She's also teaching herself to write left-handed this year by using an elementary-level handwriting book to make herself write left-handed every day. She draws ALL the time, too. She has also just joined a local American Heritage Girls troop, and will begin to work on badges for that.

Bobby is in the 6th grade, and he's realizing that school doesn't get any easier as you get older. He's taking Geography, American History, and Art through the co-op; at home he's doing Math 7, Zoology (Land Animals,) Handwriting, BJU Grammar & Writing, and for Literature (the pièce de résistance) he is doing Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings. It's a great curriculum that incorporates Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Shakespeare as well as the LOTR trilogy. Right up his alley. He is also a Tenderfoot rank scout in Troop 47 and is working on merit badges for scouts.

Obviously, we are all pretty busy. Our other current events:

#1 My sweet husband will be stepping down as pastor of our current church at the end of October. He has explained this over at his blog, in the post I linked and in another called "Reasons for Resigning." We love the people at Chevis Oaks! We will continue to be friends with them and I hope we'll continue to sharpen and edify one another as Christians.

#2   We were able to buy a nice four-year-old van a couple of weeks ago, thanks to the incredible generosity of my in-laws as well as the dogged efforts of our friend Rickey Tyre, who found the van for us at an auction. It's such a relief to have an newer vehicle and not be worried about breakdowns, A/C not cooling well, etc. The van is a Dodge Grand Caravan SXT. Nice.

#3   Bobby is the Honored Hero for the Savannah Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Light the Night Walk on October 15th. Our family has a team, creatively named Team Carpenter, and we'll be walking that night along with hundreds of other Savannahians who are trying to raise money for people with various blood cancers. Our team page is here.

#4   A month ago we bought a Wii, with Wii Fit Plus. I'll write a longer post about it later, but we are all loving getting off the couch and playing sports as well as other fitness games together. I have started to lose weight and tone up, and I feel so much better. More soon on that.

Homeschool Organization for This Year

2010-09-05T15:25:00.000-04:00

We have started our 2010-2011 school year, and things are going really well. I'm doing something different this year for planning and organization. In the past I have kept all our lesson plans/schedules on the computer, and then printed each child out a weekly form with their assignments. This has worked okay, except they would lose the paper, or I would not get it printed out in time for them, and there was a separate sheet for each child. I also felt like we were wasting paper, and the time to type it all in each week was excessive.

This year I actually regressed, technology-wise, and bought a good, old-fashioned paper planner from Home Education Family called "The Well-Planned Day." Now the kids don't need to worry about keeping their lesson sheet from getting lost. They can just look in the planner and see what they have to do. I also changed my planning in this way: I used to figure out the whole year, roughly, and then only write lesson plans a week at a time. This meant spending a LOT of time planning. This year I took a day and planned out six weeks worth of lessons/schedule. We've done two weeks already, and in about another week or two I'll take several hours and assess how the school year is progressing. Then I'll plan out another six weeks. The planner also has report cards that can be used for each child, a gradebook section, and other household planning helps like budget lists, reading lists, tear-out to-do lists, and year-long planning sheets for each child.

Another nice thing this year is that I'm only doing the planning for two of them. Daughter #1 decided over the summer that she would plan out her own Senior Year, with my help. Awesome!!! She sat down and figured out what she has to do each week and day in order to be finished with her school work by her graduation date, which will be May 21, 2011. She's working now in addition to doing school, so she has to stay organized. It's so nice to see her becoming a young adult and being responsible!

So far the school year is going well. This week we'll add a little extra work for each of them, since they are taking classes again through our home school co-op, which starts on Friday. I'm teaching two classes at the co-op this year: Expository Writing and Biology. Fun. I have14 students in each class, so I'll be busy with that!

We never took first day pictures this year.....I'll have to take some "first month" pictures and post them soon. I love home schooling!

Ligonier Follow-Up

2010-07-24T20:26:00.000-04:00

We came back from the Ligonier Conference over a month ago, and I can hardly believe it. The day after we returned, we jumped straight into our church's VBS, and Bobby went off to Boy Scout Camp. Right after that week, we had a nice week of "staycation" while Eric took a week off work, and we went only 45 minutes from home, over to his parents' condo. We enjoyed the beach and the pool as well as the peace and quiet. For the past nine days Eric and Mary have been gone on a mission trip to Rochester, N.Y. They should be home tomorrow afternoon. And finally, three days ago Eric's parents came home from spending eleven months in Kenya, teaching at Rift Valley Academy.

The conference itself was intense. From Thursday evening through Saturday morning we listened to nine speakers address a variety of tough questions that Christians face. We skipped three of the sessions--one to go to bed at a decent hour Thursday night, one Friday afternoon so we could enjoy the pool at the enormous World Marriott where the conference was held, and one to be able to leave at a decent time Saturday afternoon. If you're interested in listening to these speakers, you can do it here under the Video Archives section. I'm going to list the sessions here by speaker and topic, and Scripture reference if they used one main passage. If anyone is interested in reading my notes on any of these I would be happy to type them up and e-mail them to you. Just ask.

John MacArthur--Why Did Jesus Have to Die? 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
Michael Horton--Is the Doctrine of Inerrancy Defensible? 2 Timothy 3:14-17
R.C. Sproul--What is Evil and Where Did It Come From?
Derek Thomas--How do We Know Which Interpretation is Right? 2 Peter 1:16-21
Steven Lawson--Is the Bible Just Another Book? 2 Timothy3:16-17
Alistair Begg--Is the Exclusivity of Christ Unjust? John 3:16-21; 7:37-44, Acts 4:8-13
Al Mohler--Why Does the Universe Look So Old? Genesis 1:1-2:3
Burk Parsons--Is Calvinism Good for the Church? Ephesians 4:1
Derek Thomas--If God is Good, how Could He Command Holy War? Joshua 6:1-21

If someone asked me who my favorite speaker is out of this group, I would be hard-pressed to pick one. MacArthur, Sproul, Thomas, Lawson, Begg, and Mohler were all phenomenal. I had a much harder time following and staying focused while listening to Horton and Parsons, but they were okay, too. Al Mohler's session on creation was absolutely amazing, as was R.C.'s talk on the nature of Evil.

It was a blessing for our family to be able to all go together to this conference. I thank God for it.

Tough Questions

2010-06-15T17:38:00.000-04:00

This week we're going to the Ligonier national conference in Orlando, Florida. I'm excited to once again hear great teaching and wonderful music. This year's topic is "Tough Questions Christians Face." A few of the questions they are tackling:

Why did Jesus have to die?
What is evil and where did it come from?
Why do Christians still sin?
Is the Bible just another book?
Is the exclusivity of Christ unjust?
Why does the universe look so old?
Can we enjoy heaven knowing of loved ones who went to hell?

It will be interesting to hear the various speakers address these questions, some of which I have actually been asked by non-Christians or by recently saved Christians. I hope that they do point out, collectively, that the answers to some of these questions are based on faith, which is itself a gift from God.

I knew my kids were having an effect on the world.....

2010-04-29T19:45:00.002-04:00

But How Do I Do It?

2010-04-29T14:39:00.003-04:00

Philippians 4:6 tells us to "not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests by made known to God." (ESV)

Okay. I understand that.

But how do I DO that? Practically speaking, how do I just NOT be anxious? It's not possible for me to spend my entire day on my knees in prayer and supplication every time I feel a twinge of worry. I have three kids to home school, laundry to do, house to clean, food to cook, and so on....So what do I do? Do I just try to be in an attitude of prayer and supplication all day during all these activities? How do I let go of worry and anxiety? What if I've told God my worries and requests over and over, and still see nothing happening to lessen them? HOW do we have faith when we've asked for it time and again, and yet feel like our faith is weak? I know that God is Sovereign. I know that He is good. I know that He is loving. I DO trust Him. I have to just cling to those facets of God and trust that things will work out for His good and loving plan. Just writing this post has helped me somewhat as I've been thinking about God's Word and what it has to say about these things:

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thess. 5:18
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matt. 6:34
"And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his life?" Luke 12:25
"And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on."Luke 12:22
"Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." Mark 9:24

So....being in an attitude of prayer, and meditating on Scripture both help. Any other ideas?

I Changed My Banner....

2010-04-26T14:01:00.000-04:00

...to a beautiful shot I found, again from Puerto Rico. The picture is taken from up on El Yunque mountain, in the tropical rain forest, looking down toward the north coast and beach. El Yunque was another place I loved going as a child. The waterfalls, mists, enormous ferns, and cool towers to climb were all great, and then our family would usually take a picnic lunch and eat it in one of the shelters on the mountain. Fond memories.

My Banner Picture....

2010-04-19T09:38:00.000-04:00

....is a view of Old San Juan taken looking back from atop the walls of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the fort that sits on the promontory overlooking the entrance to San Juan Harbor. The fort was one of my favorite places to go during my childhood in Puerto Rico. My college senior picture (in the Houghton College "Boulder") was taken of me sitting on the top level of El Morro. When I was in high school our National Honor Society did a walk-a-thon from our school to the top level of the fort. I can't remember now what the cause was. I do remember the exhaustion we were experiencing, walking all day. I think we walked about 12-15 miles. When we got to the road leading up the long slope to the fort, several of us felt a new energy, and we ran the last bit up the road and then up the long ramp inside the fort to the top level where a pile of cannonballs sits,and climbed it, too. It was exhilarating!

It Isn't Cancer!

2010-04-14T18:10:00.000-04:00

The doctor called me this afternoon and told me that the cells from the biopsy are NOT cancerous! Praise the Lord! I'm so grateful for the sense of peace that I had for the past week! I realize now that I was holding on to some stress about it since when the doctor said it was benign I let out a huge sigh of relief. He said they will keep an eye on it, see what it does, and do another ultrasound in a year. Meanwhile, I'll be having a sleep study in a few weeks and then discussing with both my primary care doctor and the ENT the idea of increasing my thyroid medication in order to surpress this nodule. We'll see.

Still Waiting..

2010-04-13T11:43:00.000-04:00

I called the doctor's office yesterday to get my biopsy results, to be told that the doctor is not in the office until Wednesday. The nurse with whom I spoke said that she is not authorized to give me any information, even though she had my chart and the results right in front of her. Supremely frustrating. We are not actually in control of our medical care no matter how much hospitals and doctors talk about "patients rights." I guess we won't be finding out anything until tomorrow.

Still Waiting for the Results

2010-04-09T21:43:00.000-04:00

The Lord must be teaching me patience. My doctor's office told me twice today that I would find out my biopsy results by this afternoon. They never called. Hmmm.......or is it Grrrrrrrr..........No, I'll wait patiently.

On Having Needles Stuck in my Neck

2010-04-07T22:42:00.000-04:00

It wasn't really that bad. They numbed my neck up with lidocaine and then took three fine-needle samples out of my thyroid nodule. Now I have to wait until Friday at the earliest to find out what dear little Lumpy is doing in there. So now we just play the waiting game....

On a "cool technology" note: Candler Hospital just got some new ultrasonography machines on Monday. The ultrasound technician, Denise, was having a blast using her new toy, which she said weighed 150 pounds LESS than the previous machine, which weighed 400 pounds. They have to push these machines around the hospital sometimes, so the 150-pound weight loss is a blessing to the technicians. I was teasing Denise that she was having just a bit too much fun looking at my potentially diseased thyroid. She started to apologize and then realized I was joking.

Laughter is always good medicine. Just look at Proverbs 15:13 and 15, and 17:2

Azaleas in Bloom....

2010-04-04T10:50:00.000-04:00

Spring has finally really sprung here in Savannah. We have gorgeous azaleas in our front garden, and a mommy duck has been bringing her eight ducklings to eat under our bird feeders. The birds have discovered our bird-friendly back yard with its two seed feeders, suet block, and seed bell. The only feeder that hasn't seen any action yet is the hummingbird feeder. Or, more precisely, I haven't seen any hummingbirds at it yet. That doesn't mean they haven't found it! Down at our pond, the parent turtles have been bringing the baby turtles out on shore to sun themselves. If you get anywhere near them they all immediately sploosh back down into the pond. They are really cute!

I love the re-birth of the trees and flowers, and the baby animals we've seen. It's yet another reminder of God's power to bring life back to things that are dead and brown. Even though the pollen which precipitates the gorgeous flowers and tree leaves is my mortal enemy, I still appreciate what it accomplishes. Oh, and does anyone besides me think our Sago Palm is getting TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL?

ENT Visit UPDATE at the end

2010-03-31T10:38:00.001-04:00

So....I went to the ENT on Monday. He is going to send me to a sleep center at a local hospital for a full sleep study. That was the not-so-surprising part of the consultation. The surprising part was when the nurse practitioner, who did my work-up before I met with the doctor, was palpating my neck area and asked, "Now Alice, when is the last time you had an ultrasound of your thyroid?" I told her I've never had one done. She proceeded to ask me a lot of questions about my hypothyroid condition. Then she told me that I have a "nodule" in my thyroid......yup, a "nodule." Nice medical-terminology for lump or cyst. She had the doctor come in and feel it also. He found it right away. He explained that 95% of thyroid nodules are benign and just need to be watched, while 5% are malignant. My next step will be to have an ultrasound with a fine needle aspiration (biopsy.) I love how in the medical community everything has a nice, neat euphemism or acronym: nodule, FNA.....it enables us to speak about serious things without saying scary things like "lump" or "biopsy." They also talked to me about the possibility of my thyroid problems actually being Hashimoto's disease, which would explain a lot about why I'm having such a hard time getting my thyroid medicine regulated.

Here is a link to the Google Health page on thyroid nodules. You'll notice that they say "lump" right away. They also have a link to Hashimoto's if you scroll down the page.

I'm so glad that I know Who is in control of all of this, and that He is the same "Who" who loves me and gave Himself for me, to ransom and redeem me, and who works in me to conform me to His image. He has taught me to rest in Him and have peace.

UPDATE: My biopsy is scheduled for next Wednesday 10 a.m.

The Verdict on the Sleep Study is in....

2010-03-16T12:21:00.000-04:00

.....and what a surprise! I have sleep apnea! It's a relief to get an actual diagnosis. The next step is to go to a specialist on Monday, March 29th to discuss where to go from here. Is there a good night's sleep in my near future? I'm praying so.

The Fountains are Green Again in Savannah

2010-03-15T13:31:00.000-04:00

You can see pictures and read about it here. This, of course, is because Wednesday is St. Patrick's day, which is HUGE here. What saddens me is how many people will pour into Savannah to booze it up and party, not knowing what Patrick really believed. And here from National Geographic, nonetheless, is an excellent article from last year about who Patrick really was and what he believed. No snakes. No wearing "kelly green" (Patrick wasn't even Irish!) and no public drunkenness. As for the real Patrick--I am currently reading a good book to Mary and Bobby about him. It's entitled Flame Over Tara by Madeleine Polland. We highly recommend it.

What a difference a tuning makes....

2010-03-02T07:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we had our piano tuned. YAY! It had gotten to the point where I didn't want to sit down and play anything because it had gotten so out of tune. One key in particular, the F just below middle C, sounded flatter than a board-book, and in the lower register there was a whole octave that wasn't playing right--all the keys were moving downward when you pressed just one. But when the piano tuner was done yesterday, it sounded like a wholly different instrument, and playing was once again pleasurable. Now, it took about two hours of painstaking work for the tuner to bring the piano back into tune. It isn't an easy thing to do. I watched and listened as he carefully tested each note, comparing it to the electronic tuner he had, twisting the pin to tighten the string or loosen it until the key played the note perfectly. If even one note is off, an entire song can be ruined. So he tested them, tuned them, and played them individually and then together to make sure the sound was right. He fixed the F that was out of tune. He found a pencil that had rolled into the piano in the bass section and, voila, those keys began playing correctly again.

So....this morning I'm ruminating on the piano tuning, and thinking that God does a lot of similar things in our lives as Christians. He sometimes twists and turns us, tightening things in our lives to bring us in tune with Him. He shows us "pencils in the works," things that have rolled into our lives (or we've invited in) that are keeping us from functioning correctly. He removes those things from our lives when we ask Him to, and carefully aligns us with Him. What a loving and gracious God!

Our Family

2010-02-24T15:20:00.000-05:00

On Sunday evening we asked someone to snap a quick picture of our family. Here it is:

Okay....So I'm the overweight one second from the left.... next to my handsome husband and surrounded by our three cute kids. I think it's time to go back on a strict diet.

It's late at night....

2010-02-20T00:16:00.000-05:00

...and I'm still up listening to Caroline and her friends giggle and laugh....but they are having such a good time! I'm going off to bed....

Today I made everyone breakfast, went to co-op, taught British Lit, taught Beginning ASL, helped in Chemistry class/lab, took Caroline and three of her friends to paint pottery and out to eat (late birthday celebration), came home and watched a movie with them, and now am definitely ready for a good night's sleep. Hope they all go to bed and get a good night's sleep, too.

God is so good. All day today I've been thinking about how blessed I am to have a Saviour! And beyond that, to have a great husband and wonderful kids is just icing on the cake.

Today is Caroline's Birthday...

2010-02-17T17:38:00.000-05:00

...and I can't believe she's 16 years old already. Especially after seeing a baby born yesterday, I keep remembering the day she was born. She was nearly nine pounds, extremely alert, and ravenous from the get-go, not just for food but for knowledge. Sixteen years have flown by in a flurry of learning to sit, crawl, stand, walk, run, talk, sing, read, write, play the piano.....and a blur of birthdays, growth charts, new clothes and shoes, first tooth, first tooth lost, and so much more. Now she's 5'9" and I think she's absolutely beautiful. She's not just my daughter, she's one of my best friends.

What I Did Yesterday....

2010-02-17T17:18:00.000-05:00

....was just as amazing as the first time I was present for a baby's birth. I was honored once again to be able to assist my sister-in-law in child birth. They had a beautiful baby girl, and my S-I-L did an outstanding job! I'm so impressed with her labor and delivery skills. Here I am with my sweet, precious niece:

A Scarlet Amaryllis....

2010-02-16T07:34:00.003-05:00

...sure adds a gorgeous splash of color to our kitchen during these cold, gray winter months. Here it is in various stages until full bloom:

It Snowed!

2010-02-13T19:10:00.000-05:00

We got about half an inch of the white stuff last night, but by this morning it had all melted off. We all ran outside and acted like kids.....It was great fun. Caroline heard our little three-year-old neighbor exclaiming "Daddy, it's snowing!" She had never seen snow before. Our poor sago palm and azalea bushes didn't know what was hitting them. There has not been a snowfall with significant accumulation here in Savannah since 1989. Eric is tossing around the idea of getting T-shirts made that say "I Survived the Blizzard of 2010."

We May Actually Get Snow....

2010-02-12T17:37:00.002-05:00

here in Savannah tonight! Weird. The weather guys are predicting we could have a whopping 1-3 inches of snow accumulation. (smile) That may not seem like much to anyone living in the north, but down here it's a nasty business. Consider: no salt or sand for the roads, no snow plows, and most people have no idea how to drive in snow or on ice. Most of us are just going to stay inside until it all melts off, which should be tomorrow by about noon, I guess. If it does snow we'll take pictures.....

Sleep Study Failed, Semi-Trailer Prevailed

2010-02-11T19:36:00.000-05:00

Last night I was supposed to be doing an at-home sleep study with the device pictured here:

But it was not to be. (And yes, it's a little annoying wearing the device, but from what my Mom tells me it's a lot more comfortable than the sleep study they do at a sleep center, with multiple wires/leads hooked up all over you.) As I lay down to sleep, I pushed the tiny "ON" button to start the device. I heard a woman's voice say, "Unicorder is ON." Great, I thought; I'm on my way to finding out if I have obstructive sleep apnea. But the nice lady's voice continued: "Call tech support. Internal check failed. Study cannot be performed. Code 5." I called tech support. I got an automated system. There were numbers to push for Code 1, Code 6, and other general alarms, but nothing for Code 5. After two more tries at starting the thing up, I removed it from my head and went to sleep. I took the machine back to my doctor today, and my sleep study will be re-scheduled for whenever my doctor's office can get the little device fixed.

On my way home from returning the WM Ares Unicorder, I thought it would be nice to get my kids some junk food/fast food for lunch, a treat they don't usually get. So I pulled through the drive-through at our nearest Wendy's, which is adjacent to our Walmart. Fast food: got it. I pulled out the access road from the Walmart parking lot, and stopped at a red light. I was on the phone with my sister-in-law Esther (It's not illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving in GA. Maybe it should be, but nevertheless....) and I saw a Walmart tractor-trailer turning in front of me into the entrance road on which I sat. I was commenting to Esther that the semi seemed HUGE, when I suddenly realized that he was not going to make the turn but was in fact going to hit my van in some manner. My words to Esther went something like this:

"Are they making semis bigger than ever, because this truck seems enormous....he's taking the turn REALLY tight and awfully fast....I think he's going to hit me! He's going to hit me! HE'S HITTING ME! HE'S HITTING ME! Aaaaaaaahhhhhh! (screaming like a little girl) Oh, okay, he's stopped! THANK GOD!!!! He stopped!!!!" Poor Esther. Here is my little diagram of how the accident looked:

He stopped just before his back wheels were going to hit the front of my van. Thank God he stopped!!!

So, to make a long story short: I called the cops, they came, they wrote up a report, it wasn't my fault, the officer in charge was really nice and told me there was nothing I could have done without backing into the pickup truck that was behind me, and I am okay physically although rather shaken up emotionally. There was actually a split second there where I thought that I might die. It ran through my mind that it would be pretty terrible for Esther if I died while I was on the phone with her. It also ran through my mind that I really don't want to die yet.

Here is what our van looks like now. It's really not that bad considering what could have happened.

Isn't it nice of God to give me some interesting things to write about now that I've determined to get back into blogging? I'm only kidding. I did learn some patience today through the sleep-study delay, and I learned once again that God is in control and has complete charge over our lives. I'm grateful to be alive.

I Was Shocked to Discover....

2010-02-10T12:35:00.000-05:00

...that more than 3 people actually read my blog! Oh, the pressure to perform..... : ) Just kidding.

So....I went this morning to my doctor's office and picked up this thing. I will wear it tonight while I sleep, then take it back to the doc's in the morning. It will tell us if I have sleep apnea or not. Then, if I do, we'll figure out how to treat it. My doctor says that having my tonsils/adenoids out is one possible treatment option. OW!!!

The kids are busy doing schoolwork. Caroline is still all stuffy and not feeling good. I still think it's allergies. Our tree pollen has already started, and mold is really high in this area from all of the rain. It's beautiful and sunny here today, although only about 40 degrees and feels like 30. I can't complain, since we aren't getting pounded with snow.

Last night our Women on Mission (still called the WMU at our church) group had a good meeting. I'm always encouraged to see ladies come out to discuss outreach, and last night we talked about local, national, and international opportunities. It was great.

We have this week off from our home school co-op, which is a much-needed break. Of course, I'm still doing work on my classes this week, but it means we have Friday off from co-op. Sort of.....I'm inviting my British Lit. students over to watch the movie of Pride and Prejudice. It ought to be fun.

Maybe more later from my perch at the dining room table.

The More Things Change....

2010-02-09T11:45:00.003-05:00

The more they stay the same....

If things go much longer this way I may have to give up the blog entirely. I have so many things floating around inside my head, brewing and boiling, and yet rarely have time to sit down and write about them. Even now, as I'm writing this, there are other more pressing responsibilities that I'm ignoring. If I don't blog, I feel guilty, and if I do blog, I feel guilty. It's time to go somewhere and indulge in a primal scream.

I wrote that in September 2006 before we headed overseas. Here it is 3 1/2 years later and it's still the same story. I think I need a new approach---perhaps just blogging a little here and there about more mundane things, not thinking that I have to expound on a subject and sound smart all the time....

So here goes:

Today we're doing school as usual, and Caroline isn't feeling well. I think it's allergies. It's cloudy and rainy, which I'm sure people will complain about, but we need the rain after so many years of drought. My scarlet amaryllis (which my friend Allison gave me for Christmas) is starting to bloom. I'll post a picture of it when it does. Later today I have piano students, and then tonight I have Women's Missionary Union, which should both be worthwhile endeavors. I'm currently reading or re-reading several books:

Pride and Prejudice (teaching it in my AP Brit Lit course)
Frankenstein (will be teaching it in a couple of weeks)
Pontius Pilate (Christian historical fiction)
The Time Travelers Guide to the Medieval World (just for fun)
David Livingstone (YWAM biography)
The Bedside, Bathtub, & Armchair Companion to Jane Austen
Genesis, Mark, Job and Romans (reading through the Bible in a year using this resource)

So there you have it, all three of you who still read this blog! More later today....

A T-shirt I wish I had....

2010-01-14T14:53:00.001-05:00

My reaction to seeing some people in Walmart with body parts exposed or obscene words on their T-shirts.

You can order this on a T-shirt, by the way.....

Making Decisions

2009-12-29T08:55:00.000-05:00

When our children were much younger, Eric and I used to depend on rock-paper-scissors to make many decisions for us. Who should change the baby's dirty diaper? Who should get up to comfort the crying child in the night? Who should feed the baby in the high chair? Who should respond to the call from the bathroom for "help"? For these decisions we often immediately put out our fists for the challenge. Now, I think that this led to an equitable sharing of these duties, but Eric thinks I won more often than he did. (Winning, of course, means NOT having to do the unpleasant chore....)Obviously this method won't work for any weighty decisions, but for mundane things it's great. Now I realize there are people who take rock-paper-scissors VERY seriously. But for us it remains a lighthearted way to make a quick decision about things that don't really matter in the long run.

Words of Wisdom

2009-12-07T15:32:00.003-05:00

Just came across this blog post about the busyness of the Christmas season. Sally at Eternal Echoes has elucidated my thoughts exactly:

No wonder we are weary, we have lost the ability to truly rest, and have forsaken the wonder of waiting, replacing anticipation with headlong rush of activity adding stress to a season that sends bank accounts and relationships spiraling into disaster. How tragic that parents are judged not by the love, care and concern that they have for their children but by the size of the parcel they are able to provide. I speak to mothers who sacrifice bedtime stories and cuddles for part-time jobs simply in order to buy that latest toy for a child whose head has been filled desire for a toy that has been advertised solidly from September onwards. I speak to families stressed out by not being able to buy the approval of relatives and friends. I hear it from my own children as living on student loans they struggle to resist the perils of the season!

Advent is not about chocolate filled calenders it is a season of repentance and fasting just as Lent is, it is also a season of preparation, one that calls us not to look to the babe in the manger but rather to the risen Christ WHO WILL COME AGAIN.

The rest of her post is equally thought-provokoing. It's nice to see others are pondering these issues and writing about them.

Hat tip to Dave Black for the link.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.--George Santayana

2009-12-07T10:55:00.000-05:00

Sixty-eight years ago today Japanese navy planes attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Most of you who read my blog probably don't need a long description of this event and its consequences for our country. That's not what I'm writing about today, although it's a fascinating subject. When I was in high school I read everything I could get my hands on about WW II, and wrote a lengthy research paper on the Battle of Midway. Names like Nimitz, Yamamoto, and the Enterprise, Hornet, Kaga, and Akagi still bring back memories for me of studying that battle in depth.

What's on my mind today, however, is this: today will pass, for the majority of Americans, with little thought of the historical import of Pearl Harbor. In February 2008 journalist Steven Knipp wrote for George Mason University's History News Network:

In 2001, the U.S. Department of Education reported that nearly six out of 10 high school seniors knew so little about their own nation’s history that many are basically historically illiterate.

The rest of his article is worth reading, if you can stand to read about just how uninformed American teenagers are these days. I wonder how much they know about World History?

I don't have the time to get into the "Who is to Blame?" factor, especially since right now I'm supposed to be doing school with my own children, whose schoolwork has devolved into sitting across the table from each other seeing who can roll their tongue or turn it over. Is it the schools' fault? Parents? TV? iPod? Video Games? Individuals? I really don't know. I'm merely lamenting the fact that most people I know don't care about history, don't know about history, and apparently haven't learned anything from history. As a Christian who believes God's Word is true AND historical, I value history highly. It makes me sad that most people do not.

Pictorial Essay

2009-12-05T15:16:00.005-05:00

The pies the kids and I made the day before Thanksgiving: (guess who made the apple pie?)

Our table set for the Thanksgiving meal:

I treasure the cornucopia that was always on our table when I was a kid:

Our Christmas tree!

Better Than Emeril....

2009-10-14T10:24:00.004-04:00

Two weeks ago a member of our church blessed our family in a way we've never before experienced. While I taught my Tuesday afternoon piano lessons, a young man name Micah came and cooked a delicious meal for our family. Micah has gone to cooking school, and his skills are impressive. Here's how it worked:

Earlier in the week Micah sent us an ingredient list for a lemon-and-garlic themed meal. My only labor in the meal (besides grating some cheese....) was to go to the store and purchase the ingredients. At about 4:30 Micah arrived with a huge bag of his own cooking implements: utensils, a stand mixer, roasting pan, etc. He set to work in our kitchen, and soon the smell of roasting garlic permeated the air. My piano students were sniffing appreciatively as their lessons ended.

After a lot of work on Micah's part, and a teeny bit of effort on mine (the aforementioned grating of cheese,) we had delicious, better-than-restaurant-quality food: lemon-garlic-herb-roasted chicken, cheesy-parmesan-roasted garlic potatoes, wonderful lemon-garlic haricots vertes, and a citrus cake with lemon-cream cheese frosting for dessert. Eric and the kids and I were all wowed by the flavors of each dish. Bobby now thinks I should always use roasted garlic, parmesan cheese, and real cream to make mashed potatoes. Everything was seasoned perfectly, and we all ate too much! I should have taken pictures.

What a blessing this was to me and to our whole family. I know that Micah loves to cook, but he did so much work that night that I felt guilty for not helping out more. As a busy home-schooling mom and wife it was an incredible feeling to just sit back and let someone else do all the work. He even did most of the clean up! We are thankful to God that He has added Micah to our Christian family. Not only is he a good cook, but he's fun to hang out with, too. Bonus. Better still, he's planning on cooking for us again. But first I'm going to cook Indian food and have him over to eat with us. I'm already planning: dal makhani, naan, chole.....

Do you ever feel like this?

2009-09-30T15:48:00.002-04:00

Once again...

2009-08-26T18:40:00.003-04:00

we are at my favorite place on earth, Seneca Lake. One reason why I love it here:

My older daughter took that picture last night as we sat around the fire talking, toasting marshmellows, eating s'mores, and drinking coffee.

Two Trees

2009-08-15T10:41:00.004-04:00

During our family Bible study this morning we discussed something that I had never really put into words before. We were talking about how the Bible is not only God's Word (inspired, inerrant, infallible) but also a great work of literature with all types/genres of writing in it(narrative, poetry, philosophical exposition, hymns, law, etc.) as well as all literary devices and great over-arching metaphors throughout. It's the greatest work of literature of all time. One of the symbols we see throughout the Bible is the tree: in the Garden--the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; in Psalm 1--the godly man as a tree planted by the water while the ungodly man is the tree that withers; in Revelation, the tree of life; and finally, the cross as a tree. We also see fruit used as a symbol: in the Garden (although I believe it was a real, edible fruit, it's also symbolic,) and the fruit of the Spirit; the word fruit is used 75 times in the New Testament.

Now the thing I had never really put into words before: In the Garden, Adam and Eve ate fruit off a tree, thus losing the innocence wherein they were created, and falling from that state into a state of sin. On the cross, Christ the Firstfruits of man ("But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" I Cor. 15:20) was placed up on a tree and sacrificed atoning for our sin and allowing us to one day--in heaven--return to that state of innocence.

I think I need to do a word study on tree and fruit in the Bible to examine this symbolism more. I mean, I've always known that these words are used frequently, and I've heard sermons about them, but the idea of the fruit coming down off the tree and then Christ being put up on the tree is one I had never truly meditated on before...

Conventional Wisdom Says I Should Be Happy...

2009-08-13T18:16:00.004-04:00

...but I'm sad. Google the word "mother-in-law" and you'll find these website gems:

"Mother-In-Law Stories and Mother-In-Law Jokes,"
"Mother-in-Law HELL » Mother-in-Law Advice and Mother-in-Law Stories,"
"Dealing with Mother-in-Law Conflicts - FamilyEducation.com," and
"I Hate My Mother In Law | An Anonymous Group with Personal Stories ...."
Lovely, isn't it?

Most people assume that I would be happy that my mother-in-law and father-in-law left today to go to Kenya for a year to teach at a boarding school for missionary kids and other American students in Africa. (I think they also have African students.) And while I'm happy for them that they have this incredible opportunity, I'm sad for myself, my husband, and our children. We have been blessed to live near them from 1996-2002, and now again from 2007-the present. My mother-in-law is one of my best friends, and I talk to her on the phone nearly every day. My children love going to "Mimi and Papa's" house, and are a teeny bit spoiled by their grandmother (not in a bad way at all---just a little bit of indulgence now and then.)
While we lived in North Carolina from 2002-2006 they frequently came for visits, even surprising the kids a couple of times, and Eric and me once! My heart is too heavy right now to write much more....this is going to be a weird year not having them around....

On Preparing for Another Homeschool Year

2009-07-14T15:22:00.007-04:00

I'm spending time this week cleaning out school shelves, organizing curriculum materials, and preparing for the upcoming school year. As I look at all that needs to be done, it's overwhelming. This is my next-to-least favorite part of homeschooling. Therefore, I have to remind myself of these things:

God is with me, His Holy Spirit indwells me, and He will give me the strength to get it all done.

I have done this for seven years already, even while we lived in India and during Bobby's chemotherapy.

My kids are doing well academically, and enjoy learning.

No, they aren't lacking in socialization.

It is worth all the effort.

Now that I have my shelves all organized, it's time to get started on lesson planning.

Oh, and my least favorite thing about home schooling? The paperwork we have to do for Chatham County Public Schools. We used to joke that they probably just stick it in a file box under somebody's desk....and then we went to get Caroline's attendance/student status certified (in order for her to get a learner's permit for driving.) We found the right office, and told a nice man at a desk what we needed. From where do you think he pulled our file? A plastic file box that was by the man's feet under his desk. I AM NOT KIDDING.

Now back to work......

Our 18th Anniversary

2009-07-05T00:01:00.001-04:00

Today is Eric's and my 18th anniversary. We met about 20 years ago, and I knew within a few weeks that he would be my husband. But that's a story for another time. What I want to write about today is the major events of our marriage. Just for fun.

July 5, 1991--married in Houghton, NY
May 1993--Eric graduates from Houghton College, I finish my Master's Degree from UB
February 17, 1994--Caroline Ruth born
May 1996--Eric completes Master's Degree from Alfred University
July 1996--we move to Springfield, GA
May 15, 1997--Mary Charlotte born
July 1998--we move to Rincon, GA
December 1, 1998--Robert James a.k.a.Bobby born
November 2000--Mary has cerebral aneurysm repaired successfully
July 2001--10th anniversary getaway at Jekyll Island
July 2002---we move to Wake Forest, NC
January 2005--trip to India
May 2006--Eric receives MDiv. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
October 2006--we move to India
March 2007--we return from India
March-May 2007--Bobby undergoes chemotherapy for Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma
May 15, 2007--Mary turns 10, and Bobby finishes chemo
June 18, 2008--Eric called to pastor Chevis Oaks Baptist Church
February 20, 2009--Caroline gets learner's driving permit
May 15, 2009--Mary turns 12, Bobby celebrates two years in remission
July 5, 2009---18 years of marriage!

You can surmise the many things I've left off this list, and the details of each story. This list is a bare-bones outline of major events in our lives over the last 18 years. Along the way we have grown in our love for each other and our trust in the Lord. We have learned more (not everything yet!) about patience, suffering, trust, and God's providence than we knew at the beginning of our marriage. I thank God every day for my wonderful husband. I pray that we will continue to grow older together, ministering to each other and to those around us. Deo volente....

The Blessings of a Christian Heritage

2009-07-02T13:52:00.003-04:00

Something I've been ruminating on lately is how much I take for granted having grown up in a Christian home. There are a couple of reasons this is on my mind. One is that we had VBS last week at our church, and we had several children come from our community who had no previous experience with church. None. Some of these kids had never been in a church, never heard the Bible read or taught to them, never sung a song about the Lord. WOW. The other reason is that I have met and talked with several adults lately who, although they are Christians now, are suffering the consequences of their childhood/upbringing without any Christian influence. Their whole world view is different from the world view of someone who has been raised with a Biblical world view. They are struggling to learn what the Bible says about how they should live their lives, and to change how they live accordingly.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm perfect, have the perfect world view, and live a perfect life. Far from it. But I was blessed to grow up in a home in which: we studied God's Word together as a family; I saw my parents serving, worshiping, and praying; I was taught about modesty, sobriety, stewardship, and self-control (among other things); I learned that Christians CAN have a sense of humor, have fun, and have joy; I learned how to think Christian-ly (sorry for the made-up word.) My world view was shaped and molded in an environment that fostered both intellectual and spiritual pursuits.

Throughout my adult life I have been reminded often that not everyone grew up the way I did. Not everyone had parents who advocated lots of reading and musical development, cultural literacy as well as spiritual growth. Not everyone had parents who modeled a good Biblical marriage and parenting. Not everyone has been blessed as I have. Does this make me better? NO. Why did I have this advantage? I don't know. It surely humbles me...drives me to my knees to thank God for my parents, my in-laws, my husband, my children, and makes me appreciate them more.

I'll keep pondering it. And I'll keep it in mind as I counsel, pray for, and talk with others whose life experiences are vastly different from mine.

On Getting Bitten (for the second time) by a Hamster

2009-05-26T21:14:00.001-04:00

We got Mary a Russian dwarf hamster like the one pictured above for her birthday on the 15th. It's a cute little thing named Lizzie; only about four inches long fully grown. It bit me the first or second day out of fear, and I forgave it. After all, she was in a new place with strangers, right?

Tonight's incident was a little different. She was running around in her little clear plastic ball while Mary cleaned her cage and changed her food and water. Next thing we know, Mary is saying, "Um...Mom...Lizzie got out of her ball...." WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Sure enough, there in the kitchen was an empty, open hamster ball. What to do.

Eric got a flashlight and quickly located the rodent under the stove. We pulled out the drawer under the stove, and there she was, hiding from us. Now, here is where I should have checked online for how to pick up a scared hamster. I SHOULD have gotten some of her food or a treat, put in in my hand, and then gotten her to climb on my hand. Better yet, I should have made Mary do all of that. But no, I had to be dumb and just reach in there and pick her up. She squeaked bloody murder and bit my thumb. HARD. Blood-drawingly hard. Painfully hard.

Lizzie is now back in her cage, and I have a band-aid on my thumb. We live and learn!

Spoke too soon...

2009-04-21T16:35:00.005-04:00

I finished my last post by promising to write about why we were having a respite from troubles. A day or two later I got sick. Upper respiratory infection that led to acute bronchitis and then to allergy-induced asthma. So here I am 2+ months later finally writing. I still think our family is in a relatively calm period of life. The kids are all pretty healthy, which I used to take for granted but never again. Eric is truly enjoying ministering and preaching at our church Chevis Oaks Baptist, and I'm also enjoying being part of life there as well as home schooling the kids, teaching piano lessons, and generally loving life in our new home. We are so blessed to have the friends that God has given us. Our house is perfect for our family. Our church is an alive, loving place with people who really love the Lord and want to grow spiritually. So what if I was sick for a month and a half? As my husband/pastor so eloquently reminded us Sunday night, we all deserved the Lake of Fire, but God has saved us from that. So what else could be that bad?

I do think there are reasons for our current season of calm. (Oh, Lord, please let it last a little longer!) The first is that we needed this after two and a half years of transient living and uncertainty. The kids in particular needed a sense of stability and peace. The other reason that I'm seeing more and more is that Eric and I both need a place of calm and quiet to refresh ourselves since being in ministry takes a lot of energy. We have people in our church who are dealing with
tough issues in life, among them: marital difficulties, illness (their own or a relative's,) job insecurity, children in crisis, unanswered spiritual questions. In order to be able to help them/encourage them/talk to them/cry with them/pray with them we need a fairly calm life of our own. To take on others' burdens is a privilege, mind you. I find it actually blesses me and strengthens me to be there for others. But if Eric and I were dealing with crises in our own lives, we wouldn't be able to help others.

Since we don't know the mind of God I won't dare to guess what our next real trial will be. Please don't misunderstand, our lives aren't perfect (whose life is?) We have to budget our money, discipline our kids, pay taxes, clean the house, do the laundry, pay the bills, etc. But these are merely the normal tasks of life. During this time we need to be sure to stay in God's Word and not slack spiritually. Isn't it funny how we tend to cling most tightly to the Lord in times of trouble? Should I be praying FOR a trial? Or should I be thanking God we're not in one right now? Or both?

What We Did to the House

2009-02-12T18:09:00.005-05:00

Today our friend Tom Lingenfelter came and installed a beautiful storm door for us. Eric's parents blessed us with the storm door, and Link, as we call him, blessed us by installing it for us. Once it was installed it became clear that we would have to change out the light fixture just outside the door since the door banged into it and could only open a third of the way. Link took it down, and I ordered a new one. This whole process started me thinking about everything we have done to this house, with a HUGE amount of help from family (especially Eric's mom, Charlotte,) and friends: Ralph and Vickie Benson, Mike May, Kenny and Betsy Collins, Tom and Mary Lingenfelter, and a few others I'm probably forgetting. I'm trying to remember everything:

--Stripped old wallpaper in kitchen.
--Fixed walls in kitchen.
--Painted nearly every surface, including all ceilings. Closets were left alone.
--Tiled the dining room, kitchen, pantry and laundry area.
--Replaced ceiling fans in Caroline's room.
--Replaced carpet in living room, hallway, and three bedrooms.
--Replaced moulding around fireplace.
--Had a window/hole/pass-through thing cut between kitchen and living room.
--Fixed ceiling fan in one bedroom, replaced remote control for it.
--Replaced all outlets (Eric did most of this, electricians did a few GFCI ones.)
--Installed hood microwave over stove.
--Re-floored master bathroom.
--Removed old whole-house water filter that was gross and disgusting.
--Had electricians repair doorbell, broken light switch, and a few outlets.
--Finally, today, had storm-door installed.
--In about a week, we'll be putting in a new light fixture outside over the door.

There are probably other things I'm forgetting, but those are the main ones.The bulk of the work was done by Eric and all those other people I listed. I did a lot of painting and wallpaper stripping, but I was trying to keep the kids doing school for the three weeks it took to do all of this. The kids also did quite a bit of painting in their own rooms in the afternoons after school. God blessed us greatly with friends who know how to do all of this stuff and who volunteered their time and labor. We could never have afforded to do all of this otherwise. We now have a house that looks and feels inside like a brand new home.

PRAISE THE LORD! His mercy and grace are never-ending. He has taught me in great detail over the past couple of months that He will provide all of our needs (and many of our wants!) according to His riches in glory. When Eric and I sold almost everything to move overseas, I had great fears and doubts--What will we do if we have to come back? Should we put everything in storage? What if? What if?
Eric always steadfastly maintained that God is in control and would provide if that happened. Sure enough, since we came back He provided us with a place to live and then with this house, furnished by donations, outfitted with love by our family and church family. What have I learned? Well, I can't truthfully say as Buttercup says in The Princess Bride "I will never doubt again." However, I do know that what Westley says is true: "There will never be a need." My sin nature will arise and I will probably doubt, but there is no need. God will provide.

NEXT POST: Some reasons I think God is letting us have respite from troubles these days...

New House, No Voice

2009-02-09T09:26:00.002-05:00

So, we've moved into a new house. We bought it on Dec. 29th last year, and spent a month renovating. We painted every surface including ceilings, tiled the dining room and kitchen, and re-carpeted all but one of the rooms. And be "we" I mean our whole family, Eric's parents, and MANY friends who volunteered time and talents to make it a beautiful home. We are so blessed! Our church family threw us a house-warming party, and ALL of our furniture was donated except the couch and love seat (which we bought new, and have yet to be delivered.) Even the TV was a gift. God has shown us over and over how He provides for his children. We moved in on Jan. 24th, and have been enjoying it ever since. My desire is to have our home be an oasis of peace for our family and for anyone who comes over to visit.

On a different topic, I lost my voice last Thursday and have not been able to talk out loud since. I can force it to come out as a raspy thing that sounds like I've been smoking for thirty years (no, I haven't!) The kids say my Roz-from-Monster's-Inc. imitation is spot-on...."Wazowski, did you do your paperwork? Your stunned silence is very reassuring." But seriously, it hurts to talk at all. Therefore, I'll be having Caroline call the doctor for me in a few minutes.

Now that we're back on-line I'll be writing more often.

Things For Which I'm Thankful

2008-11-28T07:46:00.005-05:00

(This is only a partial list and may be expanded later....)

My salvation. The Holy Spirit. His comfort and peace. His conviction of sin.
My wonderful husband. A good marriage. Laughter. Love.
Having grown up in a Christian home. My excellent parents and their patient wisdom.
My sweet children. Bobby's cancer is still gone. The girls are healthy and beautiful.
My great in-laws. My mother-in-law may very well be the best one ever. (I don't know all the mothers-in-law everywhere, so I shrink from making an absolute statement about how great she is....)
My allergies have abated somewhat, and are under control with Claritin and Flonase.
We have electricity 24/7. My washer and dryer work. We have heat. We can drink water straight from the tap.
Our church. What a blessing!
Good friends.
Chocolate.

In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I Thess. 5:18

ENT Visit....Nasal Rinsing

2008-10-16T09:39:00.003-04:00

So, I went to the ENT, Dr. Rashleigh, yesterday afternoon. The good news is I don't have a deviated septum or any other physical abnormalities that could cause my sinus issues. The bad news is that I apparently have, as he put it, "severe allergies." So I'm now on the generics of Allegra and Flonase, and am doing nasal rinses--a procedure that feels as though you are trying to drown yourself. Weird, but it seems to work. You just have to get over your natural tendency to NOT want water to get up your nose. Once you tackle that psychological hurdle, it's pretty easy to do and cleans out your nasal passages with a salt-and-baking-soda type rinse. I grew up with a former-nurse-mom (or is that once-a-nurse-always-a-nurse-mom?) who always made us do salt-water gargles for a sore throat, and this seems to work on the same principle. The ENT wants me to do all of this stuff for a month, then stop it all abruptly in order to see if these are seasonal allergies (to some sort of pollen) or general-year-round allergies to dust mites, mold, etc. To find out definitively I will probably have to go to an allergist and get tested--to see what things I should avoid or change in my environment.

Oh...one last thing...THANK GOD for generic prescriptions!

To the tune of the Beatles' "Yesterday"

2008-10-15T09:37:00.008-04:00

Allergies...
rhinitis is taking over me...
more snot than I thought that there could be...
oh, I'm beset...by allergies

Help me, please...
sneezing, coughing now exhaustingly...
is there any simple remedy?
oh, allergies have bested me...

why..they...will not go, I don't know! they're here for keeps...
my head's stuffed up tight and at night I cannot sleep... (oh, oh, oh)

Allergies...
and "non-drowsy" antihistamines...
will I ever see the end of these?
Oh, suffering from allergies...

Suffering...from allergies.

UPDATE:
Allergies...
off to see the ENT at 3:00.
A nice man whose name is RASHleigh...
otorhinolaryngology.

I was humbled and overwhelmed...

2008-09-18T18:30:00.003-04:00

...on Tuesday night when what I thought was just a Ladies' Night Out with women from our new church turned out to have ME as the guest of honor! I had no idea that it was really a welcome thing for me. God has blessed our family greatly by bringing us to Chevis Oaks Baptist Church, and Tuesday night was just more of that blessing. We me at a local mall and played a photo scavenger hunt. This meant that each team had to have their picture taken doing a variety of things. Then we went to Logan's Roadhouse, a local restaurant. There, I had fun playing a guessing game where a description was read off a card and I had to determine which lady it described. I think I nailed all of them! This is because people at our new church have been amazing--welcoming, loving, and very open with their lives. I've been able to get to know a large number of people faster than I would have thought possible. I had a nice 6-oz. steak, a baked sweet potato, and sauteed mushrooms. I had a good time getting to know some of the ladies even more at our end of the table. It was a fun evening, and to top it off one of these wonderful ladies picked up my check. All I can say is that God is good, all the time.

It's amazing....

2008-08-31T17:39:00.005-04:00

...what just one night away from home, kids, responsibilities, and chores can do. This is where Eric took me Friday night to belatedly celebrate our anniversary. On the actual date of our anniversary, July 5th, I was in New York state with the kids and Eric's mom, and Eric was down here in Georgia. So on Friday his mom and dad took the kids for an overnight, and we went on an overnight of our own. It was great--I didn't know where we were going, and Eric had it all planned out. The River Street Inn is right on Bay Street in Savannah, overlooking River Street on the back side of the hotel. The river was just outside our windows. It's in an old building that was once one of the cotton warehouses which comprised the bulk of Savannah's business in the 1800's. We went out to dinner at an Indian restaurant, ate way too much (thali meal for those of you who know Indian food,) and then just enjoyed being in a nice hotel (with bed turn-down service, plush robes, and chocolates on your pillow!) As much as I dearly love my children, it is nice once in a while to have some alone time with my husband. We went to pick them up on Saturday feeling relaxed and refreshed.

On a side note: When we left the hotel on Saturday, there had been an accident just a few doors down with pretty impressive results. We walked down to see what was going on, and some German tourists asked us if it was part of a scene for a movie. (Savannah is used quite a bit for movie-making.) We had to tell them that no, this was reality. The lady driving the car took out my favorite statue in Savannah, a terra-cotta lion which was made in the mid-1800's. It's irreplaceable. Sad.

My Two Very Different Daughters....

2008-08-31T08:26:00.002-04:00

Caroline is a Marianne Dashwood, and Mary is an Elinor Dashwood, despite their birth order.

I know I said in the post on school that we always know how Mary feels, but I should have qualified that by saying "about school." She loves school and learning, and isn't afraid of hard work. We usually have very little idea what she's thinking or feeling about everything else. She has very deep emotions that she keeps well-hidden. Only occasionally does she "let loose" and cry or get angry. On the negative side of this, Mary seems to have a harder time showing affection, hugging others, or being sympathetic to others' pain. I'm not saying that she's cold or unfeeling--she's NOT--just that she doesn't usually let her emotions show.

Caroline, on the other hand, wears her emotions on her sleeve...and on her chest...and on her back...and all over her skirt...She tears up easily, gets angry or upset fairly often, but also shows great sympathy for others easily. She is extremely affectionate and it hurts her to see others in pain. She is learning to watch what she says and not let her emotions rule her, to stop and think before flying off the handle.

Those of you who have known me all my life already know that when I was Caroline's age, I would have scored as Marianne. But the Lord has taught me through my life's circumstances how to be an Elinor. Learning self-control is a hard lesson, but I think God has brought me to a place of knowing how to balance my emotions with reason. It's something I still pray about every morning.

Which is Which?

2008-08-22T10:44:00.002-04:00

A challenge for those of you who know my daughters well (actually, even if you just barely know them you can probably guess)AND have some knowledge of Jane Austen novels.

They have both taken the "Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You?" Quiz (see sidebar to take it yourself.) One of them came out as Elinor Dashwood, and the other as Marianne.

Which is which?

Ten Months of Slavery Followed by Two Months of Jubilee

2008-08-19T19:51:00.004-04:00

That's how Bobby described school Monday morning when it was time to start. He sure has a way with words. His statement also shows how little he really knows about slavery and its horrors. Home schooling is like a party compared to what his life could be like! Yesterday actually went quite well despite his prophecies of doom. Caroline began 10th grade, Mary started 6th, and Bobby was propelled unwillingly into the 4th. By this morning he had decided to get with the program, and was up early doing schoolwork along with Mary. We're (meaning I'm) excited to be back on a more regular schedule, and to be learning new things. I took a few pictures yesterday to commemorate the start of the school year.
Caroline looking totally bored as a teenager doing her Algebra 2 (this was a posed picture):
With Mary you always know how she really feels:
With Bobby we never have a doubt, either:
But I did get them to pose for a nice "First Day" shot:

Current Happenings...

2008-08-13T22:09:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was our church's Homecoming Sunday. Saturday we had a church clean-up day to spiff up the grounds and inside. Lots of people showed up to clean, straighten, landscape, set up, and fellowship. We worked for about three hours. While we were all doing that, the Cub Scout Pack that the church sponsors had a fund-raising car wash in the front parking lot at the church. It was really hot out, but those little boys worked hard and raised over $400 for their activities.

Saturday night we had a hot dog supper, and then a Gospel group sang for us. There was a lot more sweet fellowship.

Sunday morning we had about 230 people at church (we usually have 140-150.) Eric preached a sermon called "You're not a good person, and neither am I." He laid the gospel out there, and now we are praying for it to take root in the hearts of those who were there who are not saved.

After the morning service, what do you think we did? Ate, of course. We are Baptists, after all. We had a HUGE covered dish dinner, where everyone ate plenty/too much/enough for an army.

So here's what I've been thinking: There are aspects to Homecoming Sunday that are kind of sad. Seeing people come to church who have left for some reason, knowing they may not come again until next year--that's sad. Knowing that there are some people who won't come back for Homecoming because they had their feelings hurt in the past--that's sad. Realizing that there are church members missing this year because they went Home to be with the Lord--that's sad. Oh, wait, that's also happy! And it leads me to this: there are plenty of happy, joyous, wonderful things about Homecoming Sunday. Family members get together, old friends are reunited, everyone worships together and praises the Lord for His goodness, and we have a big feast. Does this sound like anywhere else to you? It makes me long for heaven, for the ultimate Homecoming of which all believers will be a part someday. The great weekend we just had here on earth is nothing compared to the fellowship, worship, and feasting that will take place in the presence of God.

While we're waiting for that Homecoming, the special Sundays here on earth are a great reminder of what awaits us.

We're Cool....

2008-08-11T07:39:00.002-04:00

We are back in normal temperatures in our house, thank God. A nice man came Thursday morning and fixed our AC unit, HALLELUJAH! We got out of here while the house cooled down and took the kids bowling and to Chik-Fil-A for lunch. I haven't posted since Wednesday night because I couldn't get online here in the house and was too lazy to walk over to the church to do it. But this morning the internet is up and running here in the house, also a reason for praise. If it's still on later, I'll post about the great weekend we just had. Right now I have to leave and take Mary to the neurologist for her annual check-up.

For Shannon, Renata, and Chandra: Thanks, my wonderful sisters, for your comments on the last post. I miss all of you a lot! Wish I could teleport and suddenly be with people I miss...but that's a subject for another post.

90 Degrees

2008-08-06T22:59:00.005-04:00

That's how hot it is in our house tonight. Our AC unit is not working, and it was 102 today in Savannah. So here we sit, sweating....

Tomorrow we're going to get out of here and go somewhere air-conditioned. I hope that someone can come fix this tomorrow. What a spoiled American I am, expecting to live in a comfortable 76 degree house all the time. How dare the AC unit quit on us!!! At least I can imagine what it's like for our friends that have lived through the heat season in northern India. Although they deal with 115+ degrees over there, so this isn't anywhere near as bad.

It's too hot to keep holding this laptop on my lap. More tomorrow...

Vacation recovery, VBS, and Vertigo

2008-07-27T16:55:00.002-04:00

We came home and spent a week recovering from our trip. Doing laundry, cleaning the house, finally doing my home school curriculum order, and spending some much-needed time with my husband filled the first week back. Then last week we had VBS at our new church. It kicked off on Sunday night and lasted through Thursday night, averaging 200 people each night. I helped in the Craft Shack, and had a blast. It was fun, if exhausting, to work with the children. I also had a great time getting to know the people I was working with. We are blessed to be at a church with a lot of people who have a great sense of humor and who enjoy laughing together.

The one blot on my week was on Tuesday morning when I woke up and the room was spinning. This condition, which is called vertigo, has plagued me a time or two before, and it comes from my having too much fluid in my inner ear canal. I usually take Zyrtec every day, and had forgotten to do so. Twice before vertigo has hit me in the evenings, which is not really a problem since I can just go to bed. This time it hit as soon as I got up. I couldn't keep my eyes open, or walk around without becoming nauseated. I spent the entire morning lying on the couch as perfectly still as I could. I took decongestant as well as Zyrtec, and by about 2 p.m. I could at least get up and walk around slowly, holding my head as steady as possible. I didn't go to VBS that night. On Wednesday I still felt a little dizzy, but by Thursday I was up'n'at'em.

On a very sad note, I read an e-mail today from my friend Denise, to find out that a little boy I've been praying for, Jair, has gone home to be with the Lord. He was fighting cancer and seemed to be doing great when, after the doctors tried an autologous bone marrow transplant, he reacted badly and became very ill. His parents, Teo and Lety, are now grieving the loss of their little boy. This hits me pretty hard. I can imagine their pain.

Also, this last week I tried to e-mail my friend Hilda in Puerto Rico, whose husband passed away in May due to cancer, and have not heard back. Nildi, I tried to write to you--did you get it? I love you!

HOME

2008-07-13T15:06:00.002-04:00

The children and I arrived home Friday evening, along with Eric's mom, after two long days of traveling. We are all still tired but we're thrilled to be home. I missed Eric so much while we were gone, and I definitely don't do the "single parent" thing very well. Saturday night a family from our new church had us over to eat dinner with them and some other friends, and that was great--I didn't have to cook, and the food was outstanding! (Thanks, Heather and Kenny!) Then today we went to church and were invited to another family's house for Sunday dinner. (Thanks Mrs. Leola and Mr. Donald!) It was another wonderful meal. What's even sweeter is the fellowship that we have with our new church family. It makes me thank the Lord again for bringing us to Chevis Oaks. This morning we all shared in the Lord's Supper together, and at the end we sang:

Blessed be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like that to that above.

Before our Father's throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other's woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

What a privilege it is to share in communion with other believers.

Seventeen Years...

2008-07-05T07:49:00.003-04:00

...ago today Eric and I were married. Words cannot adequately describe how blessed I am to have Eric as my husband. God has given me a godly, sweet, caring, intelligent and funny man to be married to for life. During our marriage we have lived in three states and the country of India, had three children, gone through a cerebral aneurysm with one child and cancer with another, and seen Eric's profession of school psychologist change to the calling of being a minister. The foundation that has kept us solid through all of this is our relationship with the Lord. I don't know how anyone who doesn't know the Lord can go through some of the things that we have endured. But because the center of our marriage is God, the center holds when other things seem to be spinning wildly. The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.

Eric, I love you! Happy anniversary.

Who is the extra boy?

2008-07-03T20:33:00.002-04:00

I just looked at my previous post and realized that most of you would have no idea who the handsome young man (not Bobby--the other one) in the photos is. No, Eric and I don't have a secret child that we usually hide, and no, Caroline doesn't have a boyfriend who is younger and shorter. That nice young man is my nephew Kevin, who flew up from Texas to be on vacation with us. He's lots of fun, likes to laugh, swims like a dolphin (literally!) and generally keeps us laughing. We are thrilled to have him here with us.

Some scenes from our trip so far....

2008-07-03T12:20:00.014-04:00

We've been at the lake for almost a week now, enjoying the water and the beautiful relaxing scenery. The kids have gone tubing, we've had campfires and s'mores, and we went to see the movie "Wall-E." It's been fun so far--and here are some of the pictures we've taken:

On Tuesday we traveled to the Corning Museum of Glass to see the collections there and play in the Innovations exhibit:

These glass fruit are much bigger than they appear--the pear in the middle is about three feet tall:

This was the first reflector cast for the Palomar Observatory. It cracked, and they had to make a new one:
You can take your own picture upside down with the magic of mirrors!
The kids inside the large, black, glass egg at the museum:
Beautiful sky over the lake:

Update...

2008-06-28T07:27:00.003-04:00

David, the little boy I posted about last month, had to have more surgery early last week to remove more nodules of tumor. After only five weeks the ependymoma had begun to re-grow. I heard from his father, Jesse, yesterday, and David will begin his radiation on Monday, July 7. He has to have six weeks of radiation, five days a week. The whole family will be traveling down to Jacksonville, FL, for this treatment. They are experiencing a total disruption of normal life, and all of the terrible emotions that go along with having a child with cancer. Please pray for them as they go through this incredibly difficult time.

Traveling Mercies...

2008-06-26T21:14:00.004-04:00

Last week my son asked me what the phrase "traveling mercies" means. He heard someone use it in a prayer. I explained that we sometimes ask God to extend special grace and mercy over somebody as they take a trip, keeping them safe and making the trip go smoothly. Today we experienced such mercies. My mother-in-law and I, along with my three children, drove from Savannah, GA to Chambersburg, PA in about twelve hours, with absolutely no problems at all. We thank God for His "traveling mercies."

Tomorrow we are driving another six or so hours to Seneca Lake, about which I have written before. Then after a week there we'll go on up to see my parents...YAY!!!

Meanwhile, back at home in GA, Eric is throwing himself into the task of pastoring at Chevis Oaks Baptist Church, our new church home. We love the people there and are really excited about serving alongside them and ministering to them. I know Eric will be lonely for us, but he's got plenty of people looking out for him!

Do we cry like Jesus?

2008-05-30T17:22:00.005-04:00

Wednesday night our pastor, Devin, addressed an issue that to be honest, I had never given much thought. As part of a series on "walking as Jesus walked," he taught us about the times in Scripture where Jesus cried. Now, of course I knew about these passages, and have heard many sermons about them, have read them, and have even thought about them. But I don't think I've ever really considered their application to my life. I always just thought that they showed a human, emotional side to Jesus; that they portray His humanity and deep sensitivity. Devin discussed them from this angle, too, but at the end he applied them to us as Christians. That's the part that really has me thinking over the last two days.

In our society we are taught that real men don't cry, at least not in public, but that isn't the picture we see of Jesus in the Bible. Let us see:

John 11:35 Jesus wept.
This happened in Bethany outside Lazarus' tomb, when Jesus saw the grief of Lazarus' family and friends.

Luke 19:41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it...
Jesus knew the destruction that would take place not too long after this, when the Romans would come in and literally tear the city down. He knew the fate of the people, and even though they had rejected Him, He wept for them.

Hebrews 5:7-8 ...who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
This is a description of Jesus when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before He was Crucified. We know that He was in such agony that He sweated drops of blood in addition to shedding many tears. He was in a deep emotional state as He looked ahead to the suffering He would endure.

We therefore see Jesus shedding tears in three different situations which I would sum up:
1. Compassion for others' grief and grief of His own over death and its hold on man
2. Sorrow for the lost, who face destruction both physical and spiritual
3. Deep personal anguish and suffering

Applying these to our lives, then, is simple yet intensely profound. Do we cry with and for others when they are hurting? REALLY cry over their sorrow? Not just tell them we love them and will pray for them but sit down with them and cry? Do we shed tears for the lost? Are we moved to such deep feeling for sinners that we weep for them and for the destruction they surely face? Do we cry out to God with "vehement cries and tears" when we are suffering greatly?

Perhaps I'm wrong about this, but I think many of us have become hardened and jaded in this area of our lives. We think that crying is a sign of weakness, or we don't want to be seen as emotional basket cases. I'm not advocating that we spend all our time crying and wailing, or that every Sunday be a huge emotional experience where we go to the altar and sob. After all, we are only told of a few times that Jesus wept. But I admit that I have tried NOT to cry over the last year, maybe because I fear that if I begin crying, the tears will go on for too long a time. Oh, there have been a few times I've cried--one night in choir the words of a song we were singing brought me to tears...("Sometimes we wait, simply to find, sometimes the answers come with time...there is a place where we rest in His grace, when sometimes we wait on the Lord.") I've been moist-eyed a few times in church, here and there. Usually I just try to get it under control as quickly as possible. But now I'm thinking--would it be cathartic to cry before the Lord with "vehement cries and tears"? How long has it been since I truly wept for the lost? How long since I had "a good cry"?

Another Reason for Bobby's Cancer

2008-05-21T09:30:00.003-04:00

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 reads:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.

Over the past year our family has seen many reasons for our having to go through something as difficult as Bobby's cancer. We have seen spiritual growth in ourselves and others around us, we have had opportunities to witness, and we have learned to be content in whatever situation God puts us in. (Okay--we're learning to be content...)

Now we have a new reason. Last week the social worker from the oncology clinic, Donna, called us to find out if we would be willing to reach out to another family whose little boy has just been diagnosed with cancer. She really wanted to know if we felt recovered enough to take on something like this, and I told her that we are. So Monday night we went out to eat with another family who are just starting out on the long journey of cancer treatment. I have not sought their permission to use their full names on here, so I'll just use first names.

Jesse and Vicky have three children ages 11, 8, and 4. A few weeks ago their lives were totally normal, with Jesse working as a pastor of a local Southern Baptist church, and Vicky working three night-shifts a week as a nurse at a local hospital. About three weeks ago, their oldest child, David, started to notice that his left foot wasn't feeling right. He was dragging it a little, and didn't feel like he could tell it what to do correctly. He told his parents that he was thinking what his foot should do, and it was not responding with the action. This condition worsened over a few days, and they sought medical help. Within a week they had their answer: David had a brain tumor.

Two weeks ago David had the tumor removed from his brain. The pathology report shows it to be an anaplastic ependymoma (translation: malignant, no-good, low-down, dirty-rotten cancer.) The doctors believe they got it all out during his surgery, but this does not mean that there aren't cancer cells hiding in the surrounding tissues. Because of this possibility, he is now facing eight weeks of radiation treatments. This sweet family's entire lives have been turned upside-down.

As we sat and talked with them Monday night, we realized just how thoroughly God has prepared us to be able to help, comfort, and encourage Jesse and Vicky. Bobby was able to answer a lot of questions for David and encourage him, too. We can share experiences, give advice, give comfort, pray with them, and uphold them during this time. It was nice for them to have somebody saying "We know exactly how you feel." It reminds me of last March when the Botelhos came to visit us in the hospital and we shared an immediate bond. There is the bond of brother/sisterhood in the Lord, and the bond of parents dealing with a child with cancer. We really do know how this family feels. We can now comfort them with the same comfort with which we have been comforted.

As for David, he's doing remarkable well. He is recovering from his tumor resection well, and only has residual weakness on his left side and loss of balance. He is starting physical therapy this week, and is also have a spinal tap to check his cerebro-spinal fluid for cancer cells.

How wonderful for our family to see that God will use us to come alongside this precious family and help them through this time. As we left the restaurant on Monday night, we gathered around David as he sat on a bench just outside the door. We laid hands on him and lifted our prayers for healing to our loving, gracious, merciful Father God. Please join me in praying for healing for David.

P.S. His mom is setting up either a caringbridge or a Care Pages web site for him. I'll post the link as soon as I get it.

Edible flip-flops....

2008-05-19T10:30:00.004-04:00

Here is the promised picture of Mary with her birthday cake. She would rather be wearing flip-flops than any other kind of footwear, so I made her a pair of flip-flops on the beach. The "sand" is graham cracker crumbs, and the straps are made from sour-fruit candy. The polka dots are giant sprinkles. Caroline painstakingly applied all the polka-dots. The cake went over really well, and tasted yummy, too--french vanilla flavor. Her birthday is now over for another year...

I ponder as I wander...

2008-05-18T21:34:00.003-04:00

As I go through my daily routine, I have one or two songs that play over and over in my head, usually songs that I have been playing on the piano or that we have sung in church. Last week I was playing through my hymnal, and this song has been in my head ever since:

May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
This is victory.

May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me,
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only Him.

Published in 1925 by Kate B. Wilkinson, this hymn was inspired by two of my favorite Scripture passages. The first is Philippians 2:5 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus..." The passage goes on to explain just what that mind of Christ entails. This is perhaps my favorite passage in all of Scripture--verses 5-11 in Philippians 2. The other verses that Wilkinson clearly alludes to are Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." I'm pretty sure there are other verses referenced, also, but those are the two main ones.

I love the lyrics to this hymn, as the author asks for the mind of Christ, the word of God, the peace of God, the love of Jesus, and His beauty, to live in, dwell in, rule, fill, and rest upon her. I have been singing these words over and over (in my head) for the past few days. I'm not sure if we are supposed to meditate on things other than Scripture, but I think this song falls within the guidelines of Philippians 4:8 as something that should be thought upon. So I'll continue to keep playing it over and over in my head as "background music."

Are there any songs on your mind these days?

I Can't Believe It

2008-05-15T16:48:00.002-04:00

My middle child, daughter Mary, turns eleven years old today. It amazes me that it has been that many years since Eric and I first held her in our arms. Then, she weighed 6 pounds and was about 19.5 inches long. Now, she's almost 5'1" and weighs about 86 pounds! In her short life she has survived a cerebral aneurysm repair, (no, it never burst, thank God!) lived in two states and for a few months in another country, and tolerated being the middle child quite admirably. She is very different from her older sister and younger brother in personality, but she's no wallflower. Mary impresses me with her ability to make friends easily and get along with almost everyone. She is kind, loving, and friendly. She really wows me when she gets up early, nearly every day, and gets most of her school work done before her siblings even start theirs. She is extremely self-motivated. She also reads her Bible every morning and every evening, and the fruit of this is evident in her life. She is striving to be more Christ-like each day. This is starting to sound like a college recommendation letter, and that was NOT my intent. I merely wanted to write about Mary today, telling anyone who reads this how very much I love her. I have been blessed beyond belief to have her as my daughter. Here are her last three birthday pictures. After her party on Saturday I'll post a picture of her with this year's cake.
Mary's birthday in 2005:

In 2006 celebrating her birthday at the Old English Tea Room with Caroline, Miranda, and Lindsay:

In 2007 with her Eleanor the Elephant cake:

Body of Christ in Action

2008-04-29T10:28:00.004-04:00

Sunday night our family experienced the love of Christ in a VERY tangible way. Most of you know that we have been living in a house provided by Rothwell Baptist Church in Pooler, Georgia. They have allowed us to live here rent-free for over a year now, which has of course saved us a ton of money. All we have to do is pay our utilities. During the time that Bobby was in treatment various church members also gave us grocery-store gift cards and brought over food and other supplies. We have gotten involved here at RBC: Eric has preached a lot and taught quite a bit on Sunday nights, Caroline and I have joined the choir and been involved in the women's ministry, and Mary and Bobby have really enjoyed GAs and RAs respectively. This has come to be our church family, and we love the people here a lot.

A couple of the young ladies of the church put together a pantry shower and money tree reception Sunday night to benefit our family, and it was amazing! Between the financial gifts and actual gifts of food, we have at least three months of groceries taken care of. What an incredible blessing this has been to our family, not just materially but also spiritually. We see the body of Christ in action, and God at work taking care of our every need--and some of the kids' wants, in the form some foods we usually can't afford...

Our hall closet is stuffed with paper products:

And here are Mary and Bobby with all the food we were given:

It strengthens our faith when such things happen, and makes us more aware of others around us whom we could be helping, as well. It's easy to teach your children about God's provision and about helping others when you are, yourself, the recipient of such generosity. Soli Deo gloria!

OK, Be Honest: Have You Ever Done This?

2008-04-25T21:44:00.002-04:00

I confess that I have done this before. But during everything that our family has been through, and seeing just how much people praying for us helped us, I have not done this. When I tell someone I'm going to pray for them, I write them down in my prayer journal and actually do it. I may not be able to pray for them every single day, but I do lift them up at least weekly. And not in just the "Dear God, help so-and-so, amen" way, but praying for their specific needs. It's important that we share specific prayer needs with one another, not just "please pray for me." I'm not saying we need to pour out our hearts to everybody we meet, but we each have a few trusted friends on whom we can depend. These are the people we should share specifics with, and trust to lift us up to the Father.

Famous Birthdays

2008-04-19T09:52:00.010-04:00

I know it may sound crazy to some people, but this whole week I've been waiting for something bad to happen. I posted about this last year. Some of the worst things have happened right around my birthday before, so it's nice to have a year when mid-April is peaceful. I also found out this year that while I share a birthday with Hitler, my husband shares his with Charles Manson. It's kind of fun to see what famous people share your birthday, even though it's utterly meaningless. For example, in addition to good-old-Adolf, I share a birthday with: Joey Lawrence, Carmen Electra, artist Joan Miro, Don Mattingly, and quite a few other Hollywood-types. My husband, in addition to Manson, shares his with Tonya Harding! He also gets a lot of "normal" famous people: Sammy Sosa, David Schwimmer, Nadia Comaneci, Al Michaels, Wallace Shawn, Grace Kelly, and "The Thinker" sculptor Auguste Rodin. On a side note: anyone who believes in astrology should spend some time looking at these birthday lists. The idea that all of the people born on a certain date share similar characteristics and fate would quicky be dispelled. For example, my father shares a birthday with the late Vladimir Lenin, my mother shares a birthday with the equally infamous Nikita Kruschev, and my mother-in-law shares a birthday with the hanged-for-war-crimes Saddam Hussein. Hmmmm.....I sense a communist/fascist/absolute dictator theme going on in my family....

So, although it really means nothing, it's kind of cool to see who might be having a birthday cake and hanging out with their friends and family on the same day as you. Even if their idea of hanging out with friends might be something crazy like this,or this. I, on the other hand, went out to dinner at a Moroccan restaurant with my husband on Thursday night, and will have a nice dinner with family tonight. Then, tomorrow, (my actual birthday, ta-dah!) I will go to church with my family and hear my husband preach. Now that's a real gift--to be in the house of the Lord with other believers, worshiping together and being taught from the Word. We've been invited to another family's house for lunch, so I won't have to cook, either. It all adds up to a fine day in my book.

P.S. Just got back from my in-laws' house, and it was actually a small surprise birthday party! I wasn't expecting it. My mother-and-father-in-law were there, as well as Eric's sister Esther and our brother-in-law Nate, and Teddy and baby John. Charlotte made delicious pot roast, potatoes, carrots, and a salad, and we had strawberry shortcake for dessert. I even got to open most of my birthday presents. It was a wonderful time.

An Honor and a Privilege

2008-04-06T13:57:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I was able to do something I've never done before. I helped coach my sister-in-law through childbirth. Her husband was there, too, supporting and coaching. Of course, my s-i-l did all the real work and I was incredibly proud of her. I've given birth three times, so I knew what I was in for, but I had never before been in the room when someone else was having a baby. It was a wonderful experience. I'm thinking maybe I missed my calling when I studied to be a high school English teacher. Perhaps I should have been a nurse, doctor, or midwife. It's too late for that now, sigh! I'm too old to go back to school, and don't want to anyway...so I'm glad I got to experience what I did yesterday.

Baby John was born late in the afternoon, and I was literally in tears at the beauty of childbirth, the miracle of the infant emerging into the world. What an amazing thing it is to see the baby for the first time, and to see the joy of his parents at meeting him, finally, outside the womb. I'm so happy for my sister-and-brother-in-law. God has blessed them with a second child. I was blessed to be there with them.

Being Disciplined--What I'm Learning

2008-04-03T17:07:00.005-04:00

No, this isn't a post about whether to spank or not to spank. It's not even about spanking at all. I just thought the picture would get your attention.

I've been thinking a lot about what it is that God is teaching me through the difficult circumstances of my life. It's actually discipline, you know. Not the "you were naughty and must be spanked" kind of discipline, but the kind described in this definition. Part of the definition is: "1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement." which then leads to "2. Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control."

We tend to think of discipline as always being punitive in nature, so when things happen in our lives that are unpleasant or produce suffering, we don't like to say that God is disciplining us. We often say that He is testing us, or has merely allowed these things to happen and will somehow work them for good. But if we see the word discipline as a good thing, a training, a teaching, our perspective can change. Go to Bible Gateway and do a search of the word "discipline." (I did the NASB and the NIV.) What rich treasures we find in God's Word regarding His love for His children and His discipline of us. Think of it this way--if Eric and I never disciplined/taught/trained our kids, we would be poor parents, indeed. See how God's Word echoes this:

Hebrews 12
God Disciplines His Sons

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

There are many other places in Scripture that encourage us to accept discipline joyfully. Job 5:17 tells us not to despise the discipline of the Almighty. Psalm 94:12 says we are blessed when God disciplines us. Proverbs 3:12 says that God disciplines those He loves.

So, I don't think God is punishing our family for anything with all that has happened, but I do think He is disciplining us, in order to make us better disciples. We are being stretched, and growing. We are learning patience, endurance, trust, long-suffering, hope, faith, and the utmost importance of fixing our eyes on Jesus. We are learning the grave importance of self-discipline in the areas of Bible study, prayer, and fasting.

What is it all for? What about that big question: WHY? Some people would say that we may never know until we get to heaven, and it's true we may never know the specifics of "why?" But I'd like to think that we do know the general reason: It is for making us more like Him. It is for molding us into His image, getting rid of the dross so that we may be purified. Ow, it's painful and unpleasant! But we sure are looking forward to that harvest of righteousness and peace.

Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.
Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.

So Many Thoughts Tumbling....

2008-04-02T16:11:00.004-04:00

around in my head these days. It's hard to even put things into words or at least, words that make sense. I was in a depressed state for a while there and feel like I've come out of it. Reading Elizabeth George's Finding God's Path Through Your Trials, which I haven't finished yet, has really challenged me to "count it all joy" and quit feeling sorry for myself and my family. I had forgotten for a few weeks to count my blessings and instead was totaling up my worries. When will Eric get a job? Where will we live? How will we not go bankrupt before this all happens? What about setting up a house? Where will we get everything? What if Bobby really isn't in remission and the cancer comes back?

I have a genetically inherited tendency to worry about things (no disrespect intended, Mom) and I have to fight that tendency pretty hard right now. In God's Word I read "Do not be anxious about anything" and "Cast all your cares upon the Lord" and "I waited patiently for the Lord, He inclined and heard my cry." The trouble for me is how to put these things into effect day-to-day. The Lord has been helping me. A few weeks ago He sent our friend Rachel to us for the day to encourage us in our prayer life and in fasting. Her account of revival at her church was inspiring and made me stop and take stock of my own life. Do I long for personal revival as well as universal-church-wide revival? Am I in the Word daily, praying during a devotional time as well as throughout the day in order to stay in close contact with the Lord? I have decided that all I can really do right now is learn to count life on hold as joy.

I went back and read my post from last year about this same topic and reminded myself of a few things: God is in control. I do not have to be in control. There are plenty of things to do while we are waiting on the Lord. Things could be a lot worse: we have a nice, pleasant house to live in, Bobby is in remission, the girls are doing well, we are all healthy, we have a great church to attend, we have lots of friends to call on in times of need, and we are saved by His grace and mercy. When I put things in perspective I am overwhelmed at God's goodness and love. And when I'm tempted to start worrying again, or feeling down,I can always go to His word and meditate on it. Phil. 4:8 helps a lot, as does that good ol' stand-by Prov. 3:5-6.

Another thing that helps, and about which I've blogged before is being thankful for everything God has given me. Right now at the top of that list is my husband, Eric. He is amazing. I know it's driving him nuts not to have a job right now, but he still treats me like a queen. And I love the fact that he leads our family in Bible study together almost every day (not usually on Sundays or Wednesdays.) He has been teaching us through the each book of the Bible, not reading through every book, but learning the basics about each book: who is the author (if known,) what are the theme/main passages/main ideas, what are the main things we can learn from it. It has been wonderful so far. We are in Psalms right now. I feel so blessed to have a husband who loves God's Word and wants our children to know it and love it, too.

Current Reading Material

2008-03-28T19:47:00.007-04:00

About a month ago I gave a list in one of my posts of the books I was reading:
Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham
Culture Shift by Al Mohler
What's So Great About Christianity? by Dinesh D'Souza
The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham.

I have finished all of these except The Power of a Praying Parent, which is kind of an ongoing thing. More about these books in a second. My new list looks like this:

Non-Fiction:
Finding God's Path Through Your Trials--Elizabeth George
His Excellency George Washington--Joseph J. Ellis
Lies Women Believe--Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Christian Fiction:
Sommerfeld Trilogy--Kim Vogel Sawyer--currently on book two
The Sword of Lyric Trilogy--Sharon Hinck--currently on book three

I have previously reviewed Carry On, Mr. Bowditch and What's so Great About Christianity?
To those reviews let me add two short reviews:

Culture Shift--Al Mohler
This is a quick read, and an excellent book. In it Mohler explains how Christians must engage the culture, and delineates the areas in which we have dropped the ball as far as understanding the major shifts in our culture throughout the last generation. He addresses politics, education, law, science, morality, world news and Christian character. If you have the chance, read this book.

Family Driven Faith--Voddie Baucham
I actually finished this one over a month ago. If you have children, please read this book. You may not agree with everything Baucham espouses (he doesn't believe in children's church or youth groups, he does believe in homeschooling, etc.) but he backs up his assertions with both scripture and statistics that will knock your socks off. It is well-written, easy to read, and yet very convicting as he explains clearly that the responsibility for our children's faith and religious beliefs falls not on their Sunday School teacher, Youth Pastor, AWANA leader, or Bible class instructor, but on US--the parents. OUCH! This is such a good book I think it should be given to all new parents in churches.

Okay--that's it for now. I may blog more later tonight about our lives and what we're up to....

In news of the weird...

2008-03-14T21:12:00.003-04:00

...you may or may not have seen this story. Now, I enjoy my time in the bathroom as much as the next stay-at-home mom. I even confess to sometimes staying in there a little longer than necessary, avoiding emerging from the peace and quiet to the mundane tasks of cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, and doing laundry. I freely own up to taking extra-long showers, and sitting and...er...reading for a little too long. But--TWO YEARS!?! Doesn't it seem like this woman's boyfriend should have figured out sooner that something was desperately wrong? I mean, like after a day or two? I mean, my family won't let me stay in there more than about fifteen minutes, much less fifteen days or months. And the guy was bringing her food and water, he says. Well, what about calling in some professional help, buddy? And didn't anybody miss this woman? Why didn't anybody help her sooner? It's just too weird.

I suggested to my husband this morning that he start bringing me food and water, and maybe I could live in our half-bath for the next few weeks. He just laughed. It also shows that bathrooms, and toilets in particular, are just way too comfortable in this country. In India this would never happen--who would want to sit on a squatty potty for two years?

All right, enough of the potty humor...tomorrow I'm going to post about a more normal topic.

I Cant' Resist Posting This

2008-03-06T13:26:00.005-05:00

This picture is from a link sent to me by my friend Renata. You can tell she knows me very well. "And that's all I got to say about that!"

Sisters in more ways than one...

2008-03-03T08:15:00.002-05:00

Two of my sisters commented on my blog yesterday, and I love them both dearly. One is my sister Mary, who lives in Indianapolis. She's my sister in three ways: she is my blood-sister, (older, by the way) born to the same father and mother as I; she is my heart-sister, one of my dearest friends in the world, and she is my sister in Christ. The other is my sister Shannon, who lives in India. She is my sister in only two ways, because we were born of different parents. So she qualifies in the heart-sister way (younger, I might add,) and as a sister-in-Christ. Even though we were only neighbors for a few months, I still miss her and think of her as my younger sister.

This all got me thinking about how blessed I am with true sisters. Not to leave my other blood-sister out, Ruth qualifies in three ways, also, and we IM'd last night for a while, and e-mailed today. And besides these three so far, God has given me many women with whom I truly have unity of spirit, in such a way that we feel like sisters. Isn't God great and amazing? When I have been separated from my "real" sisters by many miles, He has always provided others for me: older sisters to give me advice and words of wisdom, same-age sisters to share related experiences with (like reminiscing about all our terrible hairstyles in the '80s,) and younger sisters that I can encourage and, I hope, help grow. I am always thankful to God for that bond that He gives us with other believers, and especially with other women. Now that I stop to think about this, in Christ, even my mother and daughters are actually my sisters! Strange, huh?

I won't even start listing all my other sisters here, for fear I may leave someone out and hurt someone's feelings. Or perhaps I would list someone and they would think, "Weird...I never thought of her that way." But my sisters know who they are, and I thank God for all of them.

Have you thanked God for your sisters lately?

P.S. I just re-read this and realized I neglected to mention my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who both qualify under two definitions, also. I am just so blessed!

A Year Ago....

2008-03-01T10:51:00.005-05:00

Today marks one year since we returned from living in India so that our son Bobby could be treated for lymphoma. I can hardly believe it's been that long, and yet on the other hand it seems like it's been forever. I can truthfully say that it has been the hardest year of my life. We have faced the possible death of our son, watched him go through chemo and all that it brings, waited for results of scans to see if he's cancer-free (still waiting...) and had a total change of career and
direction in life. We are still waiting in that regard, also. What I have learned is that I must not give up trusting in the Lord and having faith that He is in control. Even when things seem dark and hopeless, "there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still," as Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsy said in the concentration camp. In that vein, I've been thinking of these word by Samuel Trevor Francis today:

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven sweet of rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

I really like the ocean imagery, and the idea of a restful haven. Also, it reminds me of this passage in Ephesians. So we'll press on, knowing that God knows the plans He has for us, even if we don't. And even if this next year is as hard as the last one has been, or harder, I will still praise Him.

What's So Great About Christianity?

2008-03-01T10:14:00.004-05:00

That is the question addressed by Dinesh D'Souza in his recent book of that title. In it, he uses evidence from history, theology, philosophy, and science to show the incredible impact Christianity has had on the world. If you are a Christian, as I am, you may be saying "Well, of course! I've always known this!" But wait--you may not be aware of many of the aspects of history D'Souza addresses in this book: the biased presentation historians give of the crusades while generally ignoring Muslim atrocities, and the numbers of people killed under atheist regimes compared to "Christian" killings i.e the Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, etc., D'Souza clearly elucidates these issues. His book is deep and complex, yet readable and understandable. I disagree with his position on reconciling evolution and creation,(At what point would man have been "evolved" enough for God to breathe a spirit into him? Were Adam and Eve not real people but rather archetypes of humanity as expressed in mythological literature? There are some questions here about the truth of the Bible) but in the other areas he addresses, I think he's right on the money. The last chapter becomes much more personal, as he describes what Christianity means to each of us as individuals. He ends the book with "Come quickly, Lord Jesus." D'Souza also has several other books that are worth reading:

The Enemy at Home
Letters to a Young Conservative
What's So Great About America
The Virtue of Prosperity
Ronald Reagan
The End of Racism
Illiberal Education

I especially appreciate the fact that he writes about conservative issues without becoming sarcastic, harsh, and vitriolic as some other conservatives do (Ann Coulter and Bernard Goldberg come mind.) If you want some good intellectual stimulation, D'Souza's books are just the thing.

I forgot...

2008-02-26T15:36:00.003-05:00

to mention that a few years ago my in-laws went on a "small ship" cruise off the coast of New England on a ship named....the Schooner Nathaniel Bowditch. Pretty cool, huh? I'm glad there are still things being named for him. I also forgot to mention his method of learning a language: get a grammar of that language, a dictionary, and a copy of the Bible. Go to John chapter 1 and start translating! After having learned Latin and French, when he started learning Spanish he discovered he already knew most of the words. What a great guy. Reading the book has inspired me to continue with my Hindi studies, and perhaps one day to actually conquer French.

More later today on another book.

Sailing By Ash Breeze

2008-02-25T08:30:00.003-05:00

One of the best books I've read recently is actually a children's book, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham. It was assigned as a "read-aloud" for my two younger children's curriculum, which means that the parent reads the book aloud to the child and they have discussions together about the book. Kind of like having your own tiny book club at home. But I digress...

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is a wonderfully written account of the life of Nathaniel Bowditch, (1773-1838) who is famous in the history of navigation for writing what became the book on sailing for American sailors for over 150 years. It's worth reading the Wikipedia article on him--this man will amaze you. In a nutshell, he was a math genius whose family was too poor to send him to school--they needed him to work to help support the family. Instead of letting this get him down, he taught himself Latin so that he could read Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica, and actually found an error in that famous work. He eventually learned to speak French and Spanish, also, so that he could communicate with sailors from those countries on his travels. His dream had always been to go to Harvard, and later in his life that institution gave him an honorary degree based on his life accomplishments. It is an inspiring book, cleverly written with humor, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves history, sailing, or both.

And what does "sailing by ash breeze" mean? You'll have to read the book to find out....or I suppose you could Google it, you computer freaks out there. I encourage you to read the book.

Spring has Sprung in the South

2008-02-21T11:04:00.007-05:00

Yes, I'm still alive, any of you who have checked my blog and despaired of me ever writing again. We were gone for three weeks, and then our internet wasn't working, and now it is, and here I am. So--what's new with us? Well, we are withdrawing from service with our company as of March 15th, and my husband is job-hunting. We have all had a terrible "flu-like" upper respiratory infection, and are just getting over it. Our son Bobby had a PET scan a few weeks ago that was NOT clear, but he was sick at the time, so he has to have it repeated in a few weeks. The doctor thinks it's a false positive. But I ask myself these days--at what point will I stop wondering if the cancer is coming back? When does life REALLY get back to normal? What is "normal" anyway? As for blogging--I sympathize with my friend Renata--I, too, have so many things going through my head that it's hard to know where to start blogging.

The blessings have continued:
--Time spent with my parents, my brother Jon and his family, and our friends the Irwins.
--Rothwell Baptist Church is still letting us live in their "Chatham House."
--Unexpected financial blessing from some friends who were led by the Lord to send us some money.
--It's great to live so near Eric's parents, and his sister and her husband (and Teddy--let's not forget Teddy!)
--I've been able to talk to my Indian friend Pintu a few times on Skype--it has been wonderful to be in contact with her. And she assures me that if we go back to visit, we are always welcome in their home. What a lovely woman she is!

I've been reading. (duh!) Those of you who know me well know that I'm never without two or three books-in-progress. I'll just list some of my recent or current books, and next post I'll review one of them:
Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham
Culture Shift by Al Mohler
What's So Great About Christianity? by Dinesh D'Souza
The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham

Home schooling calls, so I'll leave you with some pictures I took this morning in our front yard. (These are especially for my parents :) ENJOY!!!

Counting Just a Few...

2008-01-08T11:19:00.001-05:00

When I stop to count my blessings, I realize that there are too many to include in one blog post, so I'll just list a "few" today:

1. My salvation, and God's Word
2. My godly husband
3. My three children
4. Bobby is cancer-free
5. I was raised in a Christian home with godly parents
6. I have wonderful, godly parents-in-law
7. Except for Bobby's cancer, we have all been very healthy lately
8. We were privileged to live overseas for almost five months.
9. Wonderful family members and friends (if I started listing them it would go on and on)
10. Free minutes to my my-Faves numbers means I can call my sisters any time
11. Ditto for calling my parents
12. Electricity that is on 24-7
13. Wal*Mart (I know--it also falls under the "curse" category)
14. Quiet nights in Pooler, GA
15. Enough food every day
16. Heated house
17. Clean water straight out of the tap
18. Nice church to attend, with great people
19. Free housing for the last 10 months
20. A nice van (thanks M & D)
21. Music
22. Good books to read
23. Beauty in nature
24. A washing machine and dryer
25. All kitchen appliances
26. Blow dryer
27. Hair straightener
28. Easy communication through e-mail and Skype
29. Comfy bed to sleep in at night

I could go on and on, getting more specific. Like, in the food category: strawberries, chocolate, broccoli (yes, that's not a joke--I love broccoli, and in India we only had it twice in four and 1/2 months,) apples, ice cream, etc. etc.
Or, in the music category: playing the piano, listening to music, singing in the choir, hearing others sing...etc.

See, it's fun to count your blessings! And it makes me see that God has indeed blessed my life, even during times of extreme duress. More about that later.

One by One....

2008-01-06T15:19:00.000-05:00

I grew up in Puerto Rico, where my parents were missionaries. Every Thursday night our home was the location of the Mission Meeting--a team meeting of all the Wesleyan missionaries--during which they studied God's Word, sang, shared prayer requests, and prayed. Oh, they prayed. When I was little, I didn't fully comprehend what they had to pray about. What could possibly take that much time to talk to God about? My siblings and I would hang out in our rooms doing homework or reading, or planning ways to sneak past all the people in the living room and out to the kitchen to eat the goodies that people had brought. Or we just sat there waiting for the meeting to be over so we could go partake of the finger foods.

But what I remember most is hearing the missionaries sing. They sang all the great hymns, and it was a beautiful sound. I grew up in a house where music was nearly always playing. (My sister Ruth calls it "life with background music.") But there was something even sweeter (as I look back now from thirty years later) in this music sung by people who were living in a culture not their own, homesick, missing family, and certainly oppressed and fought daily by Satan as they strove to share the Gospel on that island. Having now lived overseas, I have a keener understanding of how they felt. I, too, have felt it. While we lived in India, we got together with other Christians on Sunday mornings, and again with a small group one night a week. What sweet fellowship!

One song they sang frequently during my childhood was Count Your Blessings:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

--Johnson Oatman, Jr.

Can you relate to these lyrics? Are you discouraged, burdened, or disheartened? Read those words again. They are becoming more dear to me every year. I can now understand why this was such a favorite for all those sweet people so many years ago. I realize that I need to number the the things God has blessed me with, and thank Him for His grace and mercy. Have you counted your blessings lately?

Kids and Candy...

2008-01-06T15:09:00.001-05:00

A few days after Christmas, the kids made candy houses out of graham crackers, frosting, and enough candy for an elephant. They worked on them for three or four hours, on and off, and I think the results were great: Here is Bobby with his creation: And Mary with hers: And here is Caroline with hers: And I just have to add a few close-up pictures:

Today Resolutions

2007-12-28T10:04:00.000-05:00

This is the time of year when many people make "New Year's Resolutions" which they plan on putting into effect on January 1st, saying "2008 is the year that I will finally..lose weight, do my devotions daily, not lose my temper at my kids, send everyone I know a birthday card (on time,) spend more time with family, keep the house sparklingly clean, make sure my car has all needed maintenance on schedule, tithe regularly, go on a monthly date with my spouse"...you get the idea. Then they go out and do whatever they want for the next few days with the idea that they'd better get in all their fun before they have to shape up and start living up to their resolutions. I'm not saying that it's wrong to make some decision to change for the better, or to make long-range life goals. In fact, I need to make some of those resolutions myself..or maybe all of them. But why wait until January 1st to start? Why not start today? One resolution I have made is to stop procrastinating. I read Mick Huckabee's book Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork: A 12-Stop Program to End Bad Habits and Begin a Healthy Lifestyle recently, and one of his main points is that people need to stop putting off change for lame reasons that don't really matter. So my problem with New Year's Resolutions is two-fold. First, if you break them it's too easy to say, "Well, I didn't make it this year, I'll try again next year" or to just give up, thinking that you have no will-power. Second, we try to make these changes on our own, as though somehow if we just wish for it enough or think about it enough, we'll change. A better approach would be to look back over the past year, confessing to the Lord the ways in which our lives have not pleased Him, and asking for His help to change. Change may be painful, but it can happen slowly and steadily in our lives.

So I propose making Today Resolutions, which would sound something like this: "Today, with God's help and under His guidance, I will strive to (insert resolution here). If we fail at it, we ask God's forgiveness and make the same resolution the next day. We lean on His strength and not our own to change. We enlist accountability partners to check on us and our progress. We scrutinize our lives for what small things need to change in order to effect change on a grander scale. And speaking of scales, that's my first Today Resolution: ~~never get on a scale again~~ Instead of worrying about the scale, I need to exercise daily, eat healthy balanced meals, and avoid refined sugar and fried foods. But I can only do this with the Lord's help. I'm not waiting for January 1st to make some resolutions in my life. I'm starting today.

Christmas Traditions and Fun

2007-12-26T22:21:00.000-05:00

I'm just going to post a few pictures of what we've been doing around here...It's been a wonderful Christmas, and even sweeter this year knowing that our son is alive and cancer-free. We have treasured this time with our children more than ever.
First, we made cookies with Grandma and Aunt Esther:Then, we drove around Savannah one night looking at Christmas lights:Then, we took the kids ice skating at the Civic Center:After that we went to the Westin Hotel lobby, where they have an impressive display of gingerbread houses, including a four-foot tall replica of the hotel itself: Finally, yesterday we had a blessed Christmas day:

Homeschool Family...

2007-12-17T21:45:00.000-05:00

Here is a great video one of my friends sent us recently. (Thanks, Jenny!) Enjoy.

And in the same vein, here are some Christmas lyrics I really like; feel free to sing along as you read them:

To the tune of "Twelve Days of Christmas:"

On the first day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Can you homeschool legally?"

On the second day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the third day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the fourth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the fifth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "YOU ARE SO STRANGE! What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the sixth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "How long will you homeschool, YOU ARE S0 STRANGE, what about P.E. , do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the seventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?"

On the eighth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E. do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?"

On the ninth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "They'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E. do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?"

On the tenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "What about graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the eleventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "I could never do that, what about graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the twelfth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, "Can they go to college, I could never do that, what about graduation, they'll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they're missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?"

On the thirteenth day of homeschool I thoughtfully replied: "They Can go to college, yes you can do this, they can have graduation, we don't like the prom, we do it cuz we like it, they are missing nothing, we'll homeschool forever, WE ARE NOT STRANGE!, We give them P.E., and we give them tests, they are socialized, AND WE HOMESCHOOL LEGALLY!

What about really fat guys?

2007-12-13T11:39:00.000-05:00

A FOX NEWS story today shares that some scientists think women "evolved" differences in their backs in order to compensate for the extra weight they must carry when pregnant, thus keeping them from toppling over forward. The differences include an extra vertebra, specialized joints in the spine, and a larger hip joint. "This elegant evolutionary engineering is seen only in female humans and our immediate ancestors who walked on two feet, but not in chimps and apes, according to a study published in Thursday's journal Nature" states this delightful piece. The scientists in question, Katherine Whitcome and Daniel Lieberman from Harvard University in Cambridge, and their colleague Liza Shapiro of the University of Texas at Austin, don't offer any proof that these differences have evolved, merely evidence that they exist, and have existed (according to them) for at least 2 million years. Because these differences are not existent in chimps and apes, they assume that humans adapted and evolved once they began walking upright. Since no fossils have ever been found that show evolution of such primates into humans, this is a faulty assumption to make. Now, if they were to find human female skeletons where these differences did NOT exist, and then some where they seemed to be developing, and then some where they suddenly existed, I would have to rethink my entire worldview. But as evidence stands, it seems much more logical to believe that women were DESIGNED this way ("male and female He created them...") and have been like this since, oh, Eve was created. Saying that "evolution has tinkered..." to produce these differences just seems silly.

But if it's true, then we should be expecting American males of the human species to evolve similar changes in their spines and hips within the next few thousand years, since many of them have similar weight distribution issues:

O Tannenbaum...

2007-12-12T19:35:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday night we put up a Christmas tree. Now, I understand that some Christians refuse to put up a tree due to its pagan origins, (see here for an excellent explanation by a lady I respect of why they don't celebrate Christmas the way most people do,) and I appreciate the sentiment of not wanting to Christmas to be commercialized, losing its real meaning. But this year putting up the tree was even more meaningful for us than ever. We were blessed with a free tree from a local Home Depot--(long story short: they were donated to our brother-in-law's school, the principal didn't want them, she told him to take them, we got one of them.) We went to Esther and Nate's attic and got our lights and ornaments that we had left there. It was like a mini-Christmas going through the ornaments and remembering where we got them, whose they were, and what special significance they have. We put on Christmas music and spent a happy time together as a family, even indulging in molasses cookies and hot chocolate.
Last year at this time we had a tiny artificial tree with a few of our favorite ornaments, which are now stuck in India....But this year, we have a large, beautiful tree to remind us to thank God for the gift of His son, and we thank God for healing our son.

Our Hairs are Numbered

2007-12-05T16:03:00.000-05:00

So, I haven't posted in almost three months, and several of my relatives--my Dad and Mom, brother Peter, and sister Mary--have all nicely nagged me to get back to writing. I sure haven't stopped thinking....I guess my problem is that I'm always thinking that I need to have something earth-shattering to write about before I can post, or that my posts must be finely-crafted, witty, worthy-of-publication pieces. Well, enough of that. I'm going to start writing several times a week, even if it's utter nonsense.

Lately I've been thinking about Luke 12:7 "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

Our family read the verse last week during family devotions, in its context of Luke chapter 12. But that verse just keeps playing over and over in my head. It has taken on a whole new meaning for me. I've always thought of it this way: God knows us each intimately in every way, even our bodies. But I never really thought of its literal meaning--He actual knows EACH OF OUR HAIRS. This year that means much more to me. I watched my son lose all his hair in April and May, then remain bald for three months. He was devastated, and refused to let most people see him without a hat on his head. His hair re-grew during July and August, first coming back in dark brown and very fine, like baby hair. Today it is back to his normal thick, wavy, beautiful coppery-red. Just the thought that God knows each of Bobby's hairs, and has caused them all to re-grow, is a beautiful thing. It shows us just how detailed our Creator is. It also tells me that God knows every cell of Bobby's body, and is in control of his recovery from cancer. What an amazing God!

Thinking As A Woman

I read two books recently....

And Then There Were Two....

What Have We Been Doing?

Home Educating Family Publishing

It's a command, not an option.

Home Educating Family Publishing

Compared to Whom?

Light the Night and Other Cancer-related News

Wii and Peaches-and-Cream

On How Our School Year is Going...

Homeschool Organization for This Year

Ligonier Follow-Up

Tough Questions

I knew my kids were having an effect on the world.....

But How Do I Do It?

I Changed My Banner....

My Banner Picture....

It Isn't Cancer!

Still Waiting..

Still Waiting for the Results

On Having Needles Stuck in my Neck

Azaleas in Bloom....

ENT Visit *UPDATE at the end*

The Verdict on the Sleep Study is in....

The Fountains are Green Again in Savannah

What a difference a tuning makes....

Our Family

It's late at night....

Today is Caroline's Birthday...

What I Did Yesterday....

A Scarlet Amaryllis....

It Snowed!

We May Actually Get Snow....

Sleep Study Failed, Semi-Trailer Prevailed

I Was Shocked to Discover....

The More Things Change....

A T-shirt I wish I had....

Making Decisions

Words of Wisdom

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.--George Santayana

Pictorial Essay

Better Than Emeril....

Do you ever feel like this?

Once again...

Two Trees

Conventional Wisdom Says I Should Be Happy...

On Preparing for Another Homeschool Year

Our 18th Anniversary

The Blessings of a Christian Heritage

On Getting Bitten (for the second time) by a Hamster

Spoke too soon...

What We Did to the House

New House, No Voice

Things For Which I'm Thankful

ENT Visit....Nasal Rinsing

To the tune of the Beatles' "Yesterday"

I was humbled and overwhelmed...

It's amazing....

My Two Very Different Daughters....

Which is Which?

Ten Months of Slavery Followed by Two Months of Jubilee

Current Happenings...

We're Cool....

90 Degrees

Vacation recovery, VBS, and Vertigo

HOME

Seventeen Years...

Who is the extra boy?

Some scenes from our trip so far....

Update...

Traveling Mercies...

Do we cry like Jesus?

Another Reason for Bobby's Cancer

Edible flip-flops....

I ponder as I wander...

I Can't Believe It

Body of Christ in Action

OK, Be Honest: Have You Ever Done This?

Famous Birthdays

ENT Visit UPDATE at the end