Soccer, A-1 & lip gloss

I won't take it for granted
I won't waste another second
All I want is to give You
A life well lived to say, “Thank You”~~Jason Gray "Good to be Alive"

The oldest isn't playing soccer this season. He's played every season since age four. That's approximately 150+ games that's he's gotten up for, most on a Saturday. 

The middle took a year off of gymnastics, and is now ready to start again.  Her soccer career began and ended with two days of soccer camp a few summers ago.

The youngest is starting her third year of playing soccer.  She loves it.  LOVES it.  This season, she had to leave her team of two years for another team (her own age group, as the former team was all Sarah's age).  It's a new adventure that is taking some adjustment.  Her first tournament was this last weekend, a pre-season gig that her team went into with just a few practices.   The tournament, as well as discovering "Al's sauce" (A-1) made it a banner weekend.

Normally, I'm a very quiet person.  So if you hear about some crazy soccer mom making eye contact and yelling "quit shoving my daughter" to an opposing 10 year old while play was going on on the soccer field, it wasn't might have been me.  All of the sudden I felt like I was a mother bear and not really myself.  Chad looked at me like I was crazy.  Now, the shoving play was way down the field when the comment was yelled, but let's say I tried very hard to remain quiet the remainder of the game.

Onto something else.   Tonight was "meet the teacher."  Three kids.  Two extremely excited kids who DRESSED for the occasion, including hair and lip gloss.  (guess who)  The other was ready to find his locker, drop off his supplies, and exit at the nearest exit sign.  BLESSED.  Amazing teachers and school personnel, friends...I cannot explain how blessed we are by our kids' schools.

What gets me is that these kids are getting so big so fast.  Every parent knows.  Every parent will talk about kids outgrowing clothes and shoes.  (speaking of shoes....when the boy's shoe size is greater than his age by +2...)  Both of the girls' teachers have kids going off to their first years of college.  It just ALL goes by TOO quickly!  This time we have to shape these kids' hearts and minds....what a blessed opportunity and amazing responsibility given to us as parents and teachers and mentors.

One thing that God has been teaching me through all of Chad's health issues, is to be thankful for each day and each moment.

Sappy, corny.   Confessions of a mom who is confessing embarrassing soccer mom stories and acknowledging her kids are growing up....very quickly.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need some chocolate.

Steady my heart

Change. **shudder**  Some people don't even like the loose change they have in their pocket or that collects on their bathroom counters.  Maybe that's just at my house.

In the New Year's letter that our family sent out this last holiday season (I couldn't get it together for a Christmas letter), I mentioned that our word for last year was "change."  That I'm pretty hesitant to change things, but if we didn't embrace it last year, it was going to knock us down on the way through.

Much of this change is natural: growing older, kids getting taller (Seth is almost the same height as his dad!), the cotton now forming huge heads of white fluff where dark green leaves and blossoms used to be.  Even though it may be natural, this gal still has a hard time with change.

Such as...
My baby is eight as of July 30th.  And going into 3rd grade!

The baseball trade deadline for the MLB...always bothers me.

We went on a glorious family vacation and had loads of fun in Southern California, which left the man of the house tired  spent  exhausted. 
Here's my fave travel pic of my kids...who, to my amazement,were not left exhausted:

Before our trip, we said goodbye to some precious, precious friends.  TWO families, one who moved across the state, the other who moved across the country. The kids at my house, as well as their momma, are still a little in disbelief and pretty sad about it.

And now, another job adventure.  One great thing about being a nurse, as I'm just finding this to be reality in the last few years, is that it is a very diverse job.  Starting next week I will be a school nurse at a local middle school.  Yes, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders...hundreds of them.  My principal at the school knew me as a 6th grade student.  My aunt teaches at the school, and I know a few more of the teachers there as well.  Excited, nervous....more change!

Gotta embrace it, that's what I keep saying to myself.  Seems like every month we are adapting to a "new normal" with Chad's health.  Even if the "new normal" isn't what we want, even if these changes are occurring, there is unfortunately little we can do to stop them or slow it down. 

God's got His hand in all of this!  From the seemingly insignificant (MLB trade deadline) to the things that are of utmost importance, He's got us.  He has us firmly in His grip.  Change will come, but He won't let go.  After all, the change in my heart that happened so many years ago is what's getting me through this!

"I'm not gonna worry
I know that You've got me
Right inside the palm of Your hand
Each and every moment
What's good and what gets broken
Happens just the way You plan"
~Steady My Heart~~Kari Jobe

Little league, marriage, and the long way home

In March, Seth started playing baseball with a team from Little River/Academy. With a great man for a coach and a team that reminded me a little of "the Bad News Bears", (said with great affection) we started the season not knowing what to expect.

~~Sixteen years ago, two kids(19 & 21), said "in sickness and in health, until death parts us and I lay you in the arms of Jesus" and started a marriage.~~

Practice, practice, practice. All started coming together, and the boys became a pretty good team.

~~College, work, ministry, life...the two kids worked hard to make their relationship grow as they learned to live with little in the bank and appreciate their differences.~~

Actually, so good of a team that they made it to district playoffs. Their first game of the playoff tourney they beat an undefeated team...late at night. The next two games were lost only by one run...and played in the mud and rain. Being able to accept the opportunity to play in the tournament was rewarding.

~~Three (pretty cute) kids, college degrees and certifications galore, a mortgage, full time jobs, and all that life brings. And wait, health issues that take energy, time, money, understanding. Acceptance. ~~

Throughout the season, they've been led by two great men...one quiet and calm, who makes his point and leads by example. The other a good counterpart, a little louder and outspoken, but ever-effective at teaching skills.

~~Led by God. Continuing this journey led by Him. He has it. He's got our kids, our lives, health concerns and all else. Somedays I feel like the calm, "able-to-take-things-as-they-come" person, other days I want to tell Him what to do and how things should be done. ~~

An incredible little league season that ended too soon for some, but all have improved and know what they need to continue to work on. How exciting to watch those boys develop their skills at baseball.

~~Learning as we go. One things for certain: " I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. (Philippians 3:14 MSG)~~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpYEwbHPjrs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

My soapbox: A triangle on your hiney & a blue rectangle on your shoe

There is something that's been tearing me up for years.  This thing that people do to one another....and females more than males.  Brought to light most recently by my children.  And it makes my blood boil.

Back in middle school in the mid-late 80s, it was things like Guess jeans and Keds tennis shoes(and lest we forget liz Claiborne purses)  Somehow a triangle on your hiney and a blue piece of rubber on the back of your shoes made everything better.  Right?  And if you didn't wear those things...well, no way you'd ever be popular. But everyone wanted to be the girl everyone knew and admired and wanted to be like! 

Now that we're grown up, though, it's other things....like where your kids go to school.   What car you drive and what your hobbies are.  What church you attend and how often you're there.  What you've read.  What your husband does for a living and if you work to support your family.  The fact that you will be drawn to some friends that share the same hobbies and beliefs you do is understandable.  But why must it stop there?  Why can't people be friends with and do things with others that don't necessarily run in their circle? Why tear down and alienate others that aren't like us?

There are going to be those who try and try to fit in...those that will change the way they live their lives to be a "part of the group," so they won't be treated as outcasts as the rest of us.  But should we have to?  And if we do have to change those things in order to be someone's friend, it doesn't seem like it's a true friendship, because we are becoming something we're not made to be.

All of these things have come to light over the last few months as one of my girls has struggled with some "friendships" at school.  No, she didn't play softball, doesn't wear short shorts to school, and doesn't have her ears peirced.   She has one of the biggest hearts of any kid  I know and loves to love others.  She will be a friend to those who don't look the same, don't wear skinny jeans, and are in special classes.  And I am so very proud of her for that. (and she is blessed with some incredible friends who share the same characteristics, thank the Lord!)  To me, she is putting into practice what is taught to us...and what I pray each of my children, as well as myself, do every day.

The bottom line is that we are called to love. To love God, love people, and to encourage others. This is not saying we must be "besties" with everyone in our path, but regardless of age, weight, hobby, financial status, occupation, appearance, denomination, past, gender...we must respect and show love to others.

I am not like you. I am not perfect (shocker!) and I'm sure have alienated those in the past who were not like me. I was incredibly blessed to be raised in a home where these values were not just taught, but put into daily practice. As God grows my heart, these things I know...

Incredible-ness

So Mother's day was yesterday and I completely wanted to write about my momma. And how she's awesome and wonderful and giving and loving and funny and a great puzzle builder and cookie baker and all of her incredibleness. But that will have to wait.

How incredible that a five minute drive to school can be so powerful. Not sure it was that for the kids today, but for their mom it was something I'm still dealing with in my mind and heart.

We share Bible versese at times on the way to school. This morning I read one in which Jesus heals a man's skin disease with a touch of His hand.
Backing out of the driveway I hear, "I wish Jesus could just come touch dad and take away his diseases...why can't He?"

Lump in throat. Turn out of the culdesac.

"Well, since Jesus isn't here on Earth, God uses our situations, like Dads health, to teach us things and grow us into how He wants us. That way we can show Gods love to other people. It's not easy but He is here with us all the way."

(thank you, God, for giving me the words!)

The twelve hours prior to this drive to school, has been struggles in my head of "Why?" "When?" and "how much longer until there's some relief?!?".

So glad He used my green-eyed 9year old to bring me back to His truths.

Still knowing God can bring healing. And have faith that it will happen. And until then, treasuring blessings and moments like these!

(The children's ministry at our church is IN-CRE-DI-BLE. Led by a man with incredible energy and patience and creativity, every month the kids come home with "head and heart" verses to focus in for that month that correlate with what they are learning in class. )

Chicken yuck

Things in this life sometimes just plain stink. Like chicken fat you've trimmed off and left in the garbage overnight not wrapped up tight. Some of the stench we can control, just like how we dispose of the chicken funk. Other things we can't change, like the chicken scraps will stink wherever you put them. Stink, I tell you, stink!

Thank goodness it's not all chicken yuck!

You've heard from pastors to Oprah what it means to count your blessings, and maybe even keep track of them in a journal. To not just focus on the stink, for we all have things to be thankful for. Over the last few weeks a dear friend has started a "thankful golden nugget" time with me. We use these incredible devices we call cell phones and just send a quick text sometime during our day to give a "shout out" to God, thanking Him for at least one thing. Though faced with some incredible challenges health-wise in our families, both she and I know that God has blessed the both of us tremendously. But how easy is it to get mired down in chicken yuck, missing the golden nuggets of blessing bestowed on us?!? We've made a deal that no matter where we are, we will (mostly) daily send these messages to each other. So on those days when we may be tempted to get the "poor me" syndrome, we can be real and help snap each other out of it. From a dishwasher to chocolate to God's amazing grace, we have so much to thank Him for!

Firm belief that God puts certain people in our lives at just the right time to spur us along in our faith. Not destiny or anything like that...just His timing and perfect plan. Thank you, Lord.

"'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise"---Laura Story

Flood

Water...what comes to mind? Rain? Fountains? Creeks and Rivers? Cooking? Thirst? Aquafina bottles? Why in the world didn't you think of selling bottled water?!? Sorry if this mention has given anyone the urge to visit the outhouse.

Frightening is something that always comes to mind...not an avid swimmer am I. The confining, claustrophobic feeling when your head goes underwater is not a favorite feeling of mine. How I'd love to be avid swimmer or go on a cruise, but I just simply cannot relax around water.

Now picture this: you are in the middle of a large lake, dog-paddling, and no one is around you. You're working so hard trying to get somewhere and have a respite! But you just continue paddling, keeping your head above water. You slow down for a bit, and your face gets a little covered, so you work harder to stay up and afloat.

That is life right now. Trying to keep my head up out of water, and do it with grace and a smile. (And according to some friends in the social media world, I am not alone)

It's amusing, really, how water frightens me. After all, every living thing on and in the Earth needs water to survive. It makes things grow and flourish. Water is also one of the causes of some of the most horrific and catastrophic disasters. It can ruin something just as much as it can help. God used it to destroy mankind, leaving Noah and his faithful family, and then water particles refracting sunlight to make beautiful rainbows.

Biblically, even floods are used for good. Flooding your engine, "flooded with tears", flooded with emotions...none of those seem that great. But this flood...well, God has to be using it for good. He's what keeps me afloat.

"Downpour on my soul
Splashing in the ocean, I'm losing control
Dark sky all around
I can't feel my feet touching the ground

Lift me up - when I'm falling
Lift me up - I'm weak and I'm dying
Lift me up - I need you to hold me
Lift me up - Keep me from drowning again"
"Flood" by jars of clay