Speaking of Politics........

it was a strange day in our neighborhood!

Girl Talk.......

There are way too many days in my home when dinner is a bowl of cereal or a peanut butter and banana or peanut butter and "fluff" sandwich.

A typical day of driving the kids to school, work, picking up one or both from school, then off to Tae Kwon Do or bible study or errands and too much homework as well. Some days we just don't have the time to prepare a meal and clean up after. Others days we are just too darn exhausted. But when we do...............it's such a joy! The chatting and relaxing in each others company is always precious and always fun! And the conversations are nothing short of fabulous!

Take last night, for example.........

As we were enjoying our potato latkes (sour cream or applesauce??? Angie says "both!!") Somehow the conversation got to the point where I heard my fifteen year old say to her younger sister............"You DO KNOW that mom used to smoke weed?". My eleven year old looked at her in disbelief, then to me. I calmly confessed to my girl that yes, indeed her mom had smoked marijuana.............a very, very long time ago. And that if I knew then what I know now, that I hoped I would make better choices. "Mom were you one of those hippies"? She asked in disbelief or horror.

Her sister, sensing an opportunity joked, "We'll she's had sex too, you know!" This time however, the kid sister very matter of factly confronted the revelation with "of course" "how do you think we got here?" (Afterall as a family we have discussed THESE issues on many occasions).
Then I quietly added, "with your dad."
A stunned silence.
It felt as though the world had stopped. Each one of us was evaluating the response of the others. Then it happened............an explosion of laughter from all three of us at the same time. One of those gut wrenching, screaming laughs where the more you try to stop the more it comes...........

Today, I am remembering............with a smile on my face and in my heart. I am so grateful for these little moments.

Thank you, Father

One Legacy

SO.........this morning as I was driving home from church services..........I was in one of those "tangential, free-flowing cognitive states" (lol).

And I got to thinking about how fun and how interesting it will be to have the role of "grandma". Our Alana will be here in less than a month. Friends have laughed with me and shared their -ologies on grandparenting. This morning I realized that the greatest legacy that I wish to leave for my grands............is JESUS and the JOY of relationship with God through Jesus. (Now I certainly don't want to be known as the "religious" grandma and I don't want any part of our faith to be viewed as "boring".)

Then I wonder..............is this the legacy that I leave my own? When they were toddlers we prayed together frequently.............now that they are older, it seems more "hit or miss". Our faith is much more about "walking it out" these days. it's more blood and guts and less the cute and innocent.

Then my thoughts actually turned to inheritance, (remember, I'm driving in the truck.) I realize that my daughters aren't likely to be arguing over "things" such as jewelry and other assets CAUSE THERE JUST AINT NONE!!!!!

There is the tiny porcelain "baby Jesus" and the porcelain manger that accompanies him (both broken and superglued on numerous occasions) pieces in a gift from my "favorite aunt" many years ago. That will be their inheritance. Every year as they celebrate the birth of the Christ with their family, one of their babies will excitedly check their stocking to see if have been given the honor of placing "baby Jesus" in the manger. And each year, when they arrive for Christmas dinner one will bring the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and red and green decorations with "Happy Birthday, Jesus" scrawled from a child's heart. Our family traditions, our special "secrets" (SHINE!) that is what they will take from me, and that is what they will pass on to theirs. And my prayer.........is that Jennifer, Jhinel and Angela will know His unconditional love, His grace and peace and mercy which transcend this world. My prayer is that they will walk with Jesus who is God.

P.S. "Angie", when your own baby girl comes to you and says:

"Momma, Easter is about Jesus dying on the cross and raising to life again, right?"

and you reply in the affirmative only to have her come back with,

"Then how did the easter bunny get in there?"

Well, I just hope you have a better answer than I did!

I wish???

Somedays I wish I were perfect.

Meaning really that I wish my faith came much easier. It seems such a challenge at times.

Then I remember what we did to the ONE who actually was.

Thank you, Father.
Thank you that you are God and I am not. Thank you for your grace and mercy which are so abundant. Thank you for suffering death to conquer my sin. Thank you for the victory that is found in you alone. Help me to shine as a light in this world, though not me, but Christ who is in me, according to your will and purpose, Lord.

Psalm 23

Tonight...........
A phone call which woke me up.
An abrupt ending.
At first Im glad for the opportunity to write, it's been awhile. But I sit here and stare.
It's too late to call a friend................
There is a restlessness in my spirit.
It becomes frustration.

Tonight..............
I will choose to turn to Him. Holy one. Father. Creator. Omnicient. Omnipresent. Savior.
I wonder ......... those who dont know God through Jesus, where is their comfort to be found? How can JOY ever be? I am reminded of a time ...in a women's bible study class....Psalms 23. So often, I have found comfort in that particular scripture:

The Lord is my Shepherd

I shall not want

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,

He leadeth me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

for Thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

Thou annointest my head with oil;

My cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

On that particular day, the lesson was to reflect on the inverse of the scripture:

" I have no shepherd.

I am in want.

I wander aimlessly, vulnerable to my enemies.

I am afraid. I am alone.

My cup is empty.

Sorrow and shame go before me.

I will dwell apart from God forever".

The message was powerful. I choose God. Thank you, Father for loving me.