Older and Wiser

I'm baaaaack!  Sorry for the two week haitus but like my earlier blog said,  life gets in the way quite often.  

Anyway, just a note to say - I'm old.  Today while entering the gym, a young man politely held the door open for me.  (Manners still exist in the younger generation.) Anyway, I responded with a kind thank you to which he quickly replied, "You're welcome, Maam."  OUCH!  Just when I was feeling good about my recent working out and slimming up some more. However, I must say that the 30's have been great even though I spent about two years dreading them. Well, here I am and there's no turning back.  I'm happy with me and my age.  But just a note that in the future, young man, you better keep respecting your elders :)

Beam Me Up!

Sometimes during the praise and worship part of our church services, I have a mental image much  like that of Captain Kirk's being "beamed up" by the Enterprise's transporter.  I'm totally unaware of the people around me and get lost in God in the middle of a very familiar place.  At that moment, there is no where else I could dream of being.  Those worship times remind of a song we often sing entitled "Better is One Day" which simply says, "Better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere." We all have our good and bad days, but even those days that I think couldn't get any better can never compare with just one day in the presence of God.  

Many of you may be wondering: "Have I ever really experienced a day like this?"  If you have to stop and think very long about it, you probably haven't.  Furthermore, if you haven't experienced a moment in His presence, you are really missing something incredible.  

Consider this word picture:  One of my favorite places in the world to be is on the beach in the late afternoon sun: the waves rhythmically crash into the shore, seagulls frolic in the azure world above me, the sun's warmth envelopes me, and the love of my life sits on the towel beside me. At that moment, life could not be more perfect! However, the truth is that a moment of true worship and communion with God could not match a thousand of those days.  What an awesome experience! 

I never pass up an opportunity to head to the beach and be renewed by its peacefulness and enjoy some relaxation away from my hectic world.  If my time with God in true worship is a thousand times better than one of those days at the beach, why would I not take every opportunity to be in God's presence?  Why do I rob myself of the chance to be renewed, relaxed, and at perfect peace?  Yet there are Sunday mornings when I just don't feel like worshipping, or I spend praise and worship time questioning, "Why me God?" or "When are you going to answer my prayer, God?"  All the while, I should be renewing my love and commitment to Him no matter what I am going through or how long He may take to answer a prayer.  

A true worshipper will come in a service ready and excited about having the opportunity to commune with God, be renewed physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.  We can have all of that just by entering into His courts during praise and worship, ignoring the people and things around us, and focusing our thoughts and energy on God as we sing songs of dedication, prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.  Yet each Sunday (and other days during the week), we simply sit back and read the words off the screen like we're reciting the phone book.  Is it any wonder why we don't move FORWARD to intimacy in our relationship with God?  Why our prayers never seem to be answered?  And why we can't know victory in our everyday Christian life?  The answer and victory will come when we learn to take those 45 minutes and every other spare moment to worship God no matter what is happening around us.

Take time to picture your most perfect day then multiply that feeling by 1000.  That's what you are missing every Sunday morning when you CHOOSE to waste those minutes of praise and worship. (Let's be clear - it is a choice!)  Make a determined effort not to let Satan rob you of those moments when God can transport you into His courts where peace, contentment, and quiet solitude reign and be renewed as you learn to worship at any cost.  Then you will know as others do that Captain Kirk's transporter can't compare to being "beamed up" into God's presence. 

Grandparents Day

In honor of grandparents day (September 7), I decided to post a poem I wrote shortly after my grandfather's death.  He was such an important and special part of my life. When he passed away, I truly felt like my childhood had ended.  Hopefully this poem will give you some insight into  just how WONDERFUL he was.

In All Seasons

In Autumn,

He was in-house forts

built with chairs, worn bed sheets

and the whirl of an electric fan.

He was the knee-horse

bucking you through

that old "field tum a wield."

In Winter,

He was the recipe

of drowsy mornings, mixed heartily

with cartoons and cereal

baked in the glow of a well-stoked fire.

He was 3 AM Christmas mornings

of a letter to Santa that came true

by that austere Christmas fir.

In Spring,

He was the song

"Doodle-bug, won't you come out tonight"

accompanied by the sounds of tractor tinkering.

He was a day of long walks

down that yellow dirt road

that always lead to my 

favorite candy bar and Coke.

In Summer,

He was tractor rides

catered with iced watermelon

and straight-from-the-field sugar cane.

He was a push on the tattered rope tree swing

that sent you to the heavens and back.

In all seasons,

He was a child's day of play

that even the sunset could not end.

But mostly, he was my grandaddy,

this child's best friend.

New Family Member

Famous Last Words: "We can  go look at the puppy, but we're not gonna buy one yet."  

LOL!  Tuesday after work Keifer comes home and says he found a beagle puppy and it's only in Georgia a little over a hour away.  Want to go see them.  Understand here that we just gave our golden retriever away last Saturday to a loving home simply because her big doggie frame was too much for our new home and tiny back yard.  I had to coax the kids for several months about giving her away.  Finally, they agreed and we found a wonderful couple who specifically wanted a golden and planned to treat her as "their baby."  Copper left on Saturday morning, and Tagger joined our family Tuesday night.  We love dogs and did a lot of research on beagles and found that they would fit best with our family and our lifestyle.  We wanted a small dog that sheds minimally, great with kids, and had plenty of personality.  Tag, as we've nicknamed him, has plenty of it all.    Anyway, the kids love him and he's seems to like us pretty well too.

I don't know why I thought I could "window shop"  for a puppy; I can't even window shop at the mall :)

Just over 8 years and 16 hours ago, my sweet little Bayleyboo entered this world.  To say I was giddy on the day I found out I was having a little girl would be an understatement and now I was holding her in my arms.  She had a closet full of pink that I couldn't wait to get on her.  Below is a poem, I wrote upon bringing her home.

Bedtime Swooning

In the dark of night

with the moon's quiet light

Sliding through slits in the shade,

There she lay

Serenity personified

Innocence unknowing

Sweetness glowing

All in the face of 

one small child.

Eight years have passed and that little baby has grown into an amazing little girl.  Here's a glimpse into who she is. 

Bayley loves...

pickles.  (Thus the picture to the right. She goes through a jar in about 3 days.)  

shoes.  (This is cute right now, but give it a couple of years, and I'm convinced this might be a problem.)

mirrors.  (It's not for vain reasons but for entertainment.  Who needs a playmate when you can stand in front of a mirror and have a complete conversation with your reflection?   Who needs an audience for a performance when you can just dance and sing for yourself and an imaginary audience?)

friends.  (She loves to be with friends and the more the merrier.)

Kidtropolis. (Whatever you do, don't remind her that she miss Kidtropolis service when we're out of town.  She'll just want to know if we can come home early.)

her daddy.  (In fact, every night she wants to sleep in one of his t-shirts.  He will be wrapped around her finger until the  day he dies.)

school. (She definitely has her momma's genes. She's gonna be a nerd- just like her momma- but at least she'll be wearing cute shoes while she makes the honor roll.)

baby dolls and stuffed animals. (The day is fast approaching when she won't even want to play with them anymore. Tear rolling down the cheek here.)

questions. (I thought the questions were supposed to slow down after the age of three.  Not with Bay, her questions only get more complicated and her conversations more philosophical. )

debate. (These last two go hand in hand.  Her Daddy is convinced she would make a great attorney.  She's got questions AND answers for most any situation.  Visit us at bedtime and you'll see.)

Jesus. (I saved the best for last.  Her heart towards God is so tender.  So many times, I've been able to redirect her behavior simply by reminding her of how Jesus would want her to act. She's also reminded me a couple of times as well :)

Happy Birthday Bay!  You are my heart:)