A Deep Thought

Why is it when someone wants you to think that something is really simple to do, they say "It's as easy as one, two, three." Seems to me, if it was so simple, they should say, "It's as easy as one." Think about it.

Friends

I was listening to the local Christian radio station on my way home from work tonight and Sarah, one of the DJs, was sharing how recently she had started running. A friend of hers had encouraged her to run in a short race with her so she signed up.

But shortly after that, she started imagining how humiliating it would be if she couldn't finish the race. Or even worse, what if she came in last? The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to back out.

So Sarah emailed her friend and explained her fears. Her friend sent a beautiful response that simply said, "Sarah, how can you come in last when I will be running right next to you?"

Have you ever had a friend like that? A friend who is always there to support you, encourage you, help you be the best that you can be? A friend who thinks nothing of giving up the best for your benefit?

That kind of friend is a true treasure. So, if you have someone like that in your life, consider yourself way blessed and make a special effort to tell them how much they mean to you.

She's BAAACK!

Not much else to say except what a sweet reunion. Thank you , Lord, for your graciousness, love, protection and strength while we were apart from one another!

Anticipation

I love blogging. But I also love following the blogs of other people. Within the last month, I've rejoiced with two fellow bloggers as they have welcomed baby girls into their families. It was exciting to check their posts as the time got closer to the arrival of their babies. Then, finally after all of the anticipation, they were bringing their little girls home.

That's exactly where I find myself tonight, anticipating the arrival of my "little" girl. Elizabeth is coming home! A little while ago, I received an email from her which was sent from the St. Petersburg airport. She was checked in and waiting to board.

So, as I write this post, she is winging her way home to us from her nine-month adventure in Russia. On my end, it's been nine months of waiting. Nine months of anticipating this arrival. Pretty much what I was doing 24 years ago at this time. Only then, I didn't know it was a little girl that I was about to meet!

Tonight, sleep may be hard to find. I'll be counting down the hours until we can head to the airport. And just like my fellow bloggers, I'm ready to bring my little girl home!

Cannon Beach

I shared a weekend with about 300 women who left their regular lives behind and descended on Cannon Beach, Oregon, for a wonderful Christian women’s retreat. The weather kept us guessing all weekend as dark clouds rolled in, bringing showers, only to be swept away so the sun could shine again.

There were eleven women in our group. Some I didn’t know before this weekend. Others, I had met at last year’s retreat, and the rest, I have been walking through the Scriptures with for the past two years as we’ve met for our neighborhood Bible study. But regardless of how long the acquaintance, before long, we knew we were all sisters.

So, I’m starting out this week, a bit tired from late nights and long car rides. But it’s a blessed tiredness. And the memories I have of wonderful fellowship, worship and teaching will get me through the week, as well as serve as a reminder that sometimes, we just need to leave our regular lives behind for a time of refreshment for our souls.

The Journey

It seems like a lifetime ago that I braided your hair and dressed you in your pink and white dress for that first day of kindergarten. You were thrilled to have a backpack, just like your big brother did. And when I lifted it onto your little shoulders, it looked like it would tip you over backwards. But you were determined and ready.

We walked out of our front door and headed to the bus stop, just a few houses down from ours. The other boys and girls clustered around visiting, excited to be returning to school. You stood close to me and observed it all. And when that big yellow bus pulled up, it was time to let you go. My heart clenched as I watched you, barely able to get up the giant first step, and then walk down the aisle to take your seat.

I admit that as soon as the bus pulled away, I ran home and hopped in my car and drove to the elementary school. I had to make sure that you found your way, perhaps more for my sake than for yours. And you did. You found your way just fine because you were determined and ready.

Nearly nine months ago, you once again stood with a backpack, this time at the airport. And this time I couldn’t follow you. This time you were headed out into a much bigger world than kindergarten. And once again, my heart clenched as you walked to the security gate, asking us not to wait. I knew it was time to let you go, and I watched you walk away, determined and ready.

Next week, you are coming back to me. I know you will not be the same young woman who walked away last fall. You have grown, changed, and blossomed in these past months. And as you start the next chapter in your life, you are determined and ready to continue the journey started so long ago.

In a few days, I will see you walking towards me with your backpack, and my heart will clench again. But this time it will be with joy.

Returning to "Normal"

Three and a half years ago, I had a tooth pulled after a root canal went south. Ever since, I've had a sizable gap in the upper left side of my mouth from the missing molar. With the tooth gone, it didn't take long to get used to chewing everything on the right side of my mouth.

Over the years, my dentist talked to me about doing a dental implant. I kept putting him off, not out of fear of pain to my mouth, but rather fear of pain to my wallet. Those puppies are EXPENSIVE. However, last year I decided to have the implant.

In December we started the process and a couple of weeks ago, I had my final dentist appointment in this four-month long saga. Suddenly, my mouth is back to "normal," and I can once again chew on both sides of my mouth.

However, even though I know that it's normal to chew on both sides of my mouth, I find myself still chewing everything on the right side. The new tooth works great and feels like the real thing. But it's hard to break a three-and-a-half-year habit of chewing on only one side of my mouth. I had adapted well.

I know this is a weird transition (what can I say, it's the way my brain works!) but I was thinking about my daughter, Elizabeth, who in a about a week and a half, will be returning home after living in Russia for nine months. It's a good thing. It's an exciting thing. But returning to "normal" will probably take a little getting used to. She has a "new" normal. She has adapted.

So, for a while after she returns home, she might have to remind herself that it's okay to "chew on the left side." And, hopefully, all of us who love her, will remember to be patient and loving as she settles back in to a "normal" life in the good old U.S.A.

A Mother's Day Reflection

It's Mother's Day today and I've been feeling a bit nostalgic. It's been a number of years since my children have really needed any "mothering" from me. But sometimes it feels like yesterday that they were little tikes.

On my way home from church, I was thinking about an audio tape that we made of the kids when they were young. Back then, I had made a memory verse chart that I posted on the refrigerator and each day at lunch, we would work on memorizing a verse off of that chart. My son, David, was probably about four and my daughter, Elizabeth, was not quite two.

So, today when I got home from church, I found the tape and played part of it. I couldn't keep from smiling as I listened to those sweet little voices; my son chattering in his little boy voice and my daughter trying to repeat everything he said.

But when I heard them begin to recite their Bible verses, my eyes filled with tears. How precious to hear those young voices reciting scripture and know the value those words would have in their lives in the years ahead.

As parents, we do our best to give our children the things that will help them in life. We love them, provide for them, educate them and pray for them. But one of the best things we can give them is God's Word. The younger they are when they begin to hide His Word in their hearts, the better. Those scriptures build a foundation that will always be there for them. And as they get older and face the challenges of life, God's Word will not fail them.

When I look back on my years of parenting, there are things I wish I had done differently. But I am so grateful for those simple lunches with my children, when we fed both our bodies and our souls.

Never Take It For Granted

After church today, I discovered I had a message on my cell phone from my boss. My boss doesn't call my cell phone so I was concerned when he started apologizing for the call. Then he told me the news... one of our co-workers had a stroke on Saturday night.

Our work group is comprised of only nine people, and we are all very close and supportive, so this is extremely difficult. At this point, we don't know the severity of the stroke. The doctors are doing tests, and our friend doesn't want visitors right now. So we wait.

As I pray for my friend, asking for God's healing, I try to grasp the fact that the healthy man I saw leaving our office on Friday is now in the hospital with an uncertain future. And I am reminded that life is fragile and can never be taken for granted.