The Lady's

I cannot count the number of times I have been strengthened by another woman's heartfelt hug, appreciative note, surprise gift, or caring questions...my friends are an oasis to me, encouraging me to go on. They are essential to my well-being.

- Dee Brestin

Rich is the woman who has a praying friend.

- Janice Hughes

When you are truly joined in spirit, another woman's good is your good too. You work for the good of each other.

- Ruth Senter

We should all have one person who knows how to bless us despite the evidence.

- Phyllis Theroux

Insomuch as any one pushes you nearer to God, he or she is your friend.

- French Proverb

Women need other women. That's what I thought when I looked around the room last night - sitting at my church's lady's event. We were all so different. Some young, some seasoned. Some career women, some SAHM's.  We were all over the board. Yet, still so similar. Each one of us came broken in some way or another. Each one of us recognizing the need to reach out to Him. And each one of us recognizing the need to reach out to one another. Like my first quote in today's post - I can't even begin to count the number of times a lady friend has lifted me up, spoke to my heart, pointed out some truth, motivated me to keep going. I need my girlfriends. The old and the new.....and you! 

Have a lovely day, friends.

Billy Book Review - Finally.

So this is ridiculous. I'm so embarrassed and red in the face.

Way back a long time ago - right before I found out I was having baby #2 - I signed up to be a book review blogger for Thomas Nelson. They sent me my first book - I read it feverishly - found out I was pregnant - felt sick for about 3 months - did some major remodeling on our house - lost my mind - lost the book - forgot about reviewing it - found the book in our garage - and totally felt ridiculous .......and red in the face.

Now that Thomas Nelson's advertising has long been done for Billy - I'm finally writing a review on it. Oh, the shame.

Since I deal with doubt and wondering when it comes to my faith  - I thought Billy would be a good read for me. In many ways, it was. Told from a unique perspective, the book gives you a glimpse into what life was like for Billy Graham, and a few of his friends along the way. It speaks of a time different than ours. Tent revivals. Farms. Door to door salesmen. The book does a good job of telling us where Billy, and his evangelist-turned-atheist friend Charles, come from. And I, for one, enjoyed this glimpse into times' past. 


It's a story about friendship, life, and how the two intermingle. It's about callings, faith, and seeking truth. It's a love story....between Graham and Ruth ( Billy's wife) - but more importantly it's a love story between Graham and God.


While the book has certainly made we want to learn more about Billy Graham and his life - it left me wanting a bit more. (Maybe I should pick up an autobiography on him or something.) However, the book has certainly peaked my interest, challenged my methods of securing a sound faith, and encouraged me to seek Truth. From what I understand, there is also a movie that tells the same story. I think I might have liked the movie a bit more. Either way - it's interesting, enlightening - and will certainly pull you in.

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=0849920671

There. Better late than never :)

The Corn

There is a large green and yellow tractor sitting in my backyard.

Yes mam. It is that time of year again. Lord, help us.

I don't think I wrote about it last year. I must have been a tad too traumatized by the whole thing. I was also very pregnant and corn just wasn't something I cared to write about...or talk about....or think about.  Especially OUR corn. You see, my dear sweet part-time farmer of a husband - thought it would be a great idea to plant sweet corn and have it be ripe for the pickin' right when I was set to give birth to our daughter. I didn't think much of it at first. He planted the corn. It grew, and grew, and grew. And as I watched the corn cobs develop on each stalk - I had the following conversation with my husband:

Me:  "Where is the corn picker machine?" 

Hubby: "Right here, baby. Your lookin' at it." 

Me: "Um. What?"


Hubby: "You have to pick it by hand."

Excuse me. Yes. He did just say "pick the corn by hand" didn't he? We aren't talking like 2 rows of corn in a garden - we are talking about acres of corn here people. All of which HAS TO BE PICKED BY HAND. I probably don't even need to say what I did next - Y'all know what I was like when I was pregnant: hunting down Kroger cashiers and distorting lawn chairs.

What makes this all even crazier - is that my farmer man planted the corn in 2 batches. One of them needed to be picked the weekend before I gave birth - the other one a few weeks after. Ahem. I don't know which one was worse. I remember looking out my back window - holding a newborn - watching teams of people pick corn with my delighted and in-heaven husband. I was blurry eyed. Irritable. A milk machine. A mess if you ever saw one.

But I'm not bitter about it. Not at all. (grin)

Anyhow, here we are again. This time around I not only have a very active 4 year old - but I also have a very active 9 month old who thinks she is nineteen. Seriously. And while we are talking about her...She also thinks she is an escape artist. Probably because she is. Oh yes - we have already lowered her crib as far as it can go. She figured out how to get out of her play saucer. And she has also figured out how she can stand up while in her bumbo chair with a tray on it to reach things she shouldn't. She crawls like lightening. And climbs like a beast. It's wild and crazy...but wonderful :) I love her for it.

As I sit here and type - I hear that green and yellow tractor plowing up our field. There is a part of me that wants to throw my new leopard print sandals at it - but there is a part of me that doesn't. Why? Because I love the man on it. Corn and all. The real reason I'm not barefoot though...... is the little guy walking around my yard - toy tractors in hand - sporting a red cowboy hat and snow boots. He thinks his Daddy hung the moon. He thinks this whole corn business is the coolest thing ever. And because of that....corn is cool with me.

But listen. I'm not sayin' I won't be crazed when I'm up to my ears in corn (no pun intended). I'm not sayin' that I won't whine about it a little. I will. And I'm definitely not sayin' that I will trade in my leopard print sandals for some mud boots. I won't. But this year - I will look out my back window - as I rescue my nine month old from trying to climb on the ceiling - and watch a little boy mimic every move his Daddy makes. I'll watch him plow up dirt with his little tractor. I'll watch him plant pretend seeds. I'll watch him fetch water bottles for all our pickers. And I'll watch him sit on the tailgate of a parked truck - delighted and totally in-heaven. Just like Dad. It may even inspire me to strap the baby onto my back in her baby tote (tightly, I might add - she's an escape artist, remember) and pick some corn myself.


Maybe.

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. -Galations 6:9

I'm Back

Hello friends.

Please forgive me for being such a ridiculous blogger. Is it fair to even call me a blogger anymore? I haven't posted something in ages. I'm aggravated at my own self. And I'm in awe of all the lovely ladies out there who manage to post the most profound and inspiring messages - just about every week or even everyday- on their own blogs. You guys are incredible.

We just spent a week down south visiting family. It was a much needed visit - for me, anyway. Because I live 1200 miles from my closest of kin - I tend to feel a bit stranded at times. What makes it even harder - is that I have one of those families that you actually want to spend time with. The kind that will make you laugh till you cry. The kind that will pray their hearts out for you. The kind that gets on your nerves but it is safe to tell them so. The kind that makes you feel - wanted and needed and loved. They are Texans, after all.

I got to do the normal stuff - like eat barbecue, ride around my old stomping grounds, sleep in, go to a baseball game, cook, eat Whataburgers, and devour bowls of Blue Bell ice cream every night. I also went through dozens of keepsake boxes. I found a yearbook, pictures of old friends, letters from boys, tapes of me running track, old dance costumes, my big Texas hair bows, prom dresses, cards, notebooks, and  more recent things - like wedding stuff and college textbooks. I enjoyed every minute of it. To top it all off - I got to do yoga with my aunts and uncles. It was both hilarious and wonderful. I'm hooked on it now.

I didn't want to leave. I never really do - but this time I just felt like I needed a few more doses of family. (And a few more plates of barbecue.) But here I am - back up north - getting into the swing of things here. And I'm thankful. While I don't much like the cloudiness, the cold, the absence of good Tex-Mex food, and the distance - I do love the changing of the seasons, the sweet friends we have here - both old and new, and our church - not to mention...our health, our house, and the little bit of family we have here.

So until this summer - when we go down to enjoy the 100 degree weather - I will be grateful....and I will daydream about sinking my teeth into an El Fenix enchilada.

Have a great week :)

Wise Things to Ponder

I woke up with a bad attitude this morning. Lord, renew a right spirit within me.

"We know nothing of tomorrow. Our business is to be good and happy today." - Sydney Smith

 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me." - Psalm 139: 9-10

"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?" - Frank Skully

"Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing well those you hold." - Josh Billings

" The impulse of love that leads us to the doorway of a friend is the voice of God within and we need not be afraid to follow it." - Agnes Sanford

"One should know the value of life better than to pout any part of it away." - Hester Lynch Piozzi

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk for I give myself to you. - Psalm 143: 8

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." - J.M. Barre

The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. - Proverbs 27: 9

 "Loving relationships are a families best protection against the challenges of the world." - Bernie Wiebe

She is clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future. - Proverbs 31: 25

I feel better already. I hope you have a wonderful day, Sweet Friends :)

These Kind of Tears

I've never known this kind of sorrow. I still don't.

I've never experienced this kind of empathy. This kind of pain. This kind of sad. This kind of devastation. All for another.

I can't stop the tears from flowing. My chest hurts. My stomach churns.

It feels like the world should stop. For her. For them. It feels like the entire universe should come to a screeching hault. It feels like the sun shouldn't shine, anymore.

Really, there are no words for this kind of loss. There are no ways to describe the immense sorrow that screams out from the heart of a mother and father who have lost their little 5 month old love-bug.

So I'm gonna stop trying. And I'm just gonna keep feeling.

Peace, Lord. Somehow.....give them crazy comfort and peace.

Wise Words From a Three Year Old

My son is changing my life.

I just wanted to let you in on a sweet little conversation he and I had earlier this morning....

I was in the kitchen making chicken noodle soup and honey oatmeal bread (Don't get excited. I'm not always so homemaker-ish) - when I looked outside and noticed how hard it was snowing. I turned to my three year old and said, "Wow buddy...look at all that snow!" He stood up and ran to the window for a better view. After talking about how much snow we were getting...he said, "Mommy, how will we ever walk through all that snow?" I said, "I don't know bud....that would be hard, wouldn't it?!" And do you know what my three year old little man said after that??? 

"One step at a time, Mommy. We will walk through it one step at a time."

Ahem.


Did my three year old really just say that? I decided to concentrate on how difficult it would be to walk through a foot of snow - while my baby boy decided to be all prolific and talk about taking it one step at a time.

Goodness. Nothing like a good kick in the rear from a person who hasn't even been to pre-school yet.


As much as I hate to admit it....this is pretty typical of us. I tend to make things harder than they really are. I blow things out of proportion. I let mole hills turn into mountains. And then I sit at the foot of the mountain - whining about how large and steep it is - complaining and throwing hissy fits. But my son? Not him. Even at the ripe old age of three - he works through things. Sure - the mountains of a three year old look much different than the mountains of a mom.....but really we should handle them all the same. His mountains might be made of Legos and wooden blocks - and mine might be made of worries and fears and budgets and stuff - but one step at a time up ANY mountain sounds pretty good to me.

My son's little comment couldn't have come at a more fitting time. I've been facing a few snowy mountains lately. Nothing compared to what others are climbing right now (not even close, actually) - but treacherous terrain for me nonetheless. And while it may seem cheesy and a tad bit cliche - this little "one step at a time" reminder - just really makes a difference.