Summertime

I remember the line from Billie Holiday, "Summertime and the living is easy..." The days when that was true are for the most part behind me. As a child in West Virginia, I did not realize the blessings of being you and having those summer days free of schedules, to do list, and never ending house work. Now, I long for those carefree days: picking berries, digging up crawl-dads, playing with the neighbors in the "hollar". That for those who are uneducated is the middle of valley between two large hills. I would get up, eat breakfast, go play armed with a picnic lunch, and come home when my mom yelled at dark or dinner which ever was first.

As a parent of two small children , I am striving to shelter them from the rat race pace of our life. I want them to have fond memories of picking berries, getting dirty, and having fun. I wouldn't mind doing that myself.

Blessed

Have you ever woken up one morning and realized how unbelievably blessed you are? If not, go back to sleep. Are you healthy? Do you have someone who loves you? Did the sun shine on you today? I could go on and on with the random questions but won't. Sometimes, I feel sorry for myself when I am having a bad day and nothing seems to go right. I look at the grass in someone else's life and think, "Wow if only I had that..." I am coming to realize that if I did have that, I would want something else.

I have a good life not perfect but very good. I have two beautiful kids, a loving husband, a job that pays the bills, a wonderful group of friends that inspire me and challenge me to do better. I have a God that believes in me and loves me for reasons beyond my comprehension.

So before I start the "poor me" speech, I need perspective. When I get that I see that life is good. I know it is a bit played but it is so true

Time flys no matter what

It has been close to three months since my last blog and so many things have changed. Hopefully, during this time I have grown but it is hard to judge that. Two people who are ever changing are my two children. They are always growing and learning from their enviorenment and hopefully from me.

Jake started preschool in September and it is so awesome to watch the evolution of working with others and springing from family into other circles of relationship. He has grown in many ways and I sometimes pine for the days when he was smaller but as he develops into boyhood, my heart embraces the fact that he is growing. The question inevitably turns inward, Am I Growing?

Ouch!!!! I sometime pine for the days when I did not have to watch what I said or monitored what I put into my mind. I do not want to be challenged and grown from immaturity to maturity. Watching Jake has made me want to grow not only for myself but for others.

Life

My sister Mary gave birth Saturday to a healthy girl named Merilee (or some version of that spelling. The miracle of life is just that a miracle. We are not in charge and it is not up to us what happens. The reason I say that is my sister is 19 and is not fully capable of taking care of a baby on her own. She has mental challenges and is on medication.

Some would look at this situation and say, "Why would she have this child?" It is most certainly not the most ideal situation in the world but Merilee is a miracle and as such I am thankful for her little life and pray that I can be actively involved as she grows.

It seems that we decide who the hopeless causes are, who does not deserve the second chance, who is unworthy of life. It is not our place to determine such things. God is! And so on Merilee's first day alive, I say thank you God for this miracle and pray He will bless her life.

Friendship

Who do you call when something great happens?
Who do you call when something terrible happens?
Do you have someone you can call?

Those are questions that I know the answer to for myself but made me think of Friendship. I am thankful for a handful of friends that I have that I can truly be myself with and share joys and sorrows. Right after I gave birth to my son, I felt isolated and disconnected. That was a lonely year. I remember a friend that said I needed to start investing in friendships. She was so right. It was tough at first but I started making a few phone calls, sending a few emails, drinking more than a few cups of coffee at Starbucks, eating breakfast at unbelievably early hours, and investing in my close relationships. As I think of my friends, I thank God for blessing me with people who love me, encourage me, correct me, challenge me, pray for me, make me laugh, make me cry, and all the things that come from sharing life.

Then, I thought about what a blessing it would be if I started investing in someone who is not necessarily one of my close friends and encouraging them not be isolated and inviting them into a circle of friends and family that I would be less than myself without. I don't know about anyone else, but I am a relational person. I thrive in a large group of people. I enjoy making people laugh and feel connected. I need to branch out of my comfort zone and begin investing in others so they will have an answer to the questions at the beginning of this post. What about you?

Work

I am one of those people who enjoy being with the people I love. I love my husband, kids, and family, friends, and my church. For the most part, work is not a place I associate with love. I am a hard worker and enjoy being challenged but to me work is a mean to an end. I would rather hang out and read Runaway Bunny for the tenth time in a day then work on a spreadsheet.

I am looking forward to a time when I will be hopping a plane with the family to go across the country to Seattle to visit my brother and sister-inlaw. I am excited to recharge the batteries and hang out. I am trying to stay focused on getting my "work" done and not get distracted with the thought of relaxation. Time sure drags when you are looking forward to a specific date and speeds up when you have arrived there. I must say that is not cool.

Happy Anniversary

It is amazing how time flies when you are having fun. Eight years ago today, I married an amazingly wonderful man. ALMOST 21 at the time, I did not realize the many changes we would experience together. We have shared vision for God and His purposes for our lives. We have shared friendship that has sustained us through joys and sorrows. We have shared passion and love for one another. We now share two children that we cherish. As I think of the love that we share and the commitment we made eight years ago, I thank God for blessing me with someone who sees me for who I am and does not desire to change me. A man who is loving, gentle, and very wise. He is not perfect but he is perfect for me. In a day where love of a lifetime has been dilluted to flavor of the week, I am thankful for Keith.

Happy Anniversary Keith. Thank you for choosing me so long ago and for being a better husband than my silly girlhood fairytales. I love you