Sending Our Friends Some Fluff

When it began snowing today, our boys wished so much they could send a snowball to Tony and Derek in Honduras. We thought maybe some pictures of the lovely stuff would convey our sympathy to those who have no snow of their own!

The Land of Uz

We got our boys some audio Bible stories on CD from Your Story Hour. They kind of give you sticker shock when you see the price at the bookstore, but they are well worth the money.

Recently the boys and I listened to the story of Job. I was amazed again at the faith of this hero of old, who had no idea why the bottom fell out of his world one day. Only the bottom did not fall out, much to the Devil's consternation. My boys seemed to grasp for the first time just how dastardly wicked the Devil is. Alex was deep in thought after the story ended, then: "Mama, you know what? If I would be allowed to say it, I would call the Devil a poop." (I know what you mean, Son. I really do.)

I was glad for two things.

1. It was a great teachable moment to explain to them that the victory is already won over that enemy of all that is true and good.
2. That was the worst word he knew.
   

A Strong Assurance

We missed the Messiah concert in Bedford for the first time in seven years last weekend. Instead, we stood at the grave of a dear friend and heard those same beautiful words being read as her body was committed to the earth. "The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed... For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  I stood there in the bitter cold while five little children and their daddy helped to bury the body of their loved one, and I heard the music in my heart and was comforted. 

When I first got the news that my cousin Richard's wife was on life support just two days after giving birth to her sixth child, my mind absolutely refused to accept it. I wandered around the house, trying to work, crying out for mercy, for a miracle, for anything but death. "Lord, You can't let her die. You know how much her family needs her. She prayed and longed for this baby for years. Please let her live. Please..." And then the call that they were taking the life support off, and Wilma was gone. Our anguished "whys" drifted out into the inscrutable blackness of the night. There were no answers, and the gap between Who God is and my human questions in the face of this tragedy seemed too much to bear. I remembered that the faithfulness of God has nothing to do with my reasoning and feeling, and I was comforted.

It was characteristic of Wilma that she did not want a morbid weeping around her casket, that she wished for people to focus instead on the glory of that which is incorruptible. We sang "Blessed Assurance" and "Praise Him, Jesus our Blessed Redeemer" and I have never heard such singing at a funeral. It was glorious! 

Wilma was the most joyful person I ever knew, and I said that long before she died. She loved Jesus with all her heart, and we all knew it. She totally poured out her life for others. She was infectiously happy and alive. And yet now she is even more alive. It stretches my little human brain to think of her having reached the very Best, the presence of Jesus Himself. And yet my heart breaks for those who will miss her sorely, for her family who will have to try to figure out how to go on without her, for the tiny baby girl they named Evangeline, who only had a few hours with her mama. I remember what Richard said, "My wife was simply a channel for God's love to pour out on us. All that love came from Him, and He is able to pour His love onto us from other channels." I was challenged by his faith, and I was comforted.

"But thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Now We Are Six

We celebrated Alex's birthday early, on Thanksgiving evening. Our little tradition of picking out cake designs online had me a bit worried this year, as he kept taking a shine to the most impossibly intricate cakes. I managed to steer him to one that was doable, and here it is... The Fishbowl Cake. Thanks to Aunt Rachel for pressing in the hundreds of nerds at the bottom when the icing was already dry!

Six years ago it was hard to imagine my baby being able to clean up his own messes, wash dishes, fold laundry, entertain siblings, mop the kitchen floor and so much more useful stuff! I wouldn't have believed the day would come so soon when he would be reading, writing, making amazing Lego creations and coming up with original jokes for my entertainment. Wow, here we are, just six short years later!

I don't know how many people told me, "They grow up so fast." Like so many other cliches, it didn't sink in until it happened to me! Growing up is a good thing, though! For example, it is much easier for me to take them all along and run errands in town now that two of them can buckle their own seat belts, hold hands across the parking lot, and have learned (sort of ) not to touch the stuff on the shelves. This morning we had no less than six stops to make on our round through Bedford. We were done in 3 hours, and I did not come home with a headache, as in the old days of lugging infant seats. So to repeat another truth that I didn't really believe for the first few years of littles in the house, "It gets easier!" Thank God, it gets easier!

Thanksgiving, what else?

On Sunday we had a Thanksgiving service, and while I can appreciate that people are thankful for Jesus, the Bible, and their families, I would sometimes like to hear some really practical replies to the question, "What are you thankful for?"

I am guessing it was a bit different for the Pilgrims on that first Thanksgiving Day. I am sure they were thankful for the religious freedom they enjoyed, but it came at the dreadful cost of losing nearly half their numbers to the fearsome first winter in the new world. They had suffered and starved and endured, and their feast was purely one of joy for the bounty they had reaped that autumn. They were glad for roofs over their heads, for pumpkins and beans and corn in their cellars, for moccasins on their feet. It was intensely real thanksgiving.

We are so awash in luxuries that we hardly know how to be thankful. I am reminded of Corrie ten Boom and her sister in the concentration camp. Their barracks were simply crawling with lice, and Corrie thought there was no way she could obey the command to give thanks in all things. They were amazed that they were able to have beautiful worship services and the guards never bothered them. It was only weeks later that they found out the guards didn't want to get lice, so they didn't set foot in that particular barracks. I was thinking of that in the last week and came up with a few unlikely things for which I can be thankful.

•  the state of the economy... it underscores the faithfulness of God and the rest I have in that Absolute Power
• having a child with medical needs... I am reminded daily that I am not the healer, but He is
• being behind in my projects... because I have children!
• staying home alone when my husband is away at a meeting, again... he is a very useful man and is willing to pour himself out for others
• needing to be thrifty... I get the joy of thrift shopping!
  

Okay, so maybe I am getting a little extra practical. I am daily loaded with benefits, and I want to learn to spontaneously praise my Providential Father for even the things that don't seem so nice at first glance. 

Attending a Christian school meant having chapel devotions every Friday morning with a visiting speaker. I remember one day in second grade when the very proper deacon had droned on and on about being thankful, and then he astonished us with an uncharacteristic bit of humor. "If you don't think you have much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day, you can at least be thankful you are not a turkey." I thought that was incredibly witty, and I never forgot it. So I want to appreciate even the zany, off the wall things in life.

 

• my five year old has finally learned to blow his nose
• paper plates on the weekend
• Mom's pumpkin pie coming up in a few days
• Windex, and Scrubbing Bubbles for cleaning the bathroom
• velcro shoes for kiddoes
• snail mail
• the ability to ignore my dirty dishes and blog instead
  

Oh, no, that last one broke through my fun and I must go! 

Sometimes I Wake Up Grouchy

You know the worst of it? I am feeling just plain wretched and then my Mom pries open my mouth and rubs this horrid stuff all over my sore gums. And then I have to drool so much I can't possibly keep up with it. My dignity is crushed. And I feel like I just have to chew on my knuckles. It's nasty, just plain nasty.

I mean, doesn't a baby have any rights?

Today's Gregism

A little boy is struggling with his peas.

"I am 'dust' a pappy that doesn't eat peas.

I am 'dust' a pappy that doesn't want an ice pop..."

Inspiration hits.

"I am 'dust' a pappy that eats only candy..."

Nice try, Greg. Now eat your peas.

Wait a Minute...

What has sprung up in my garden?

Let's take another look.

Hey, there's a sign pasted on the front.

What a relief! No more crocodiles in our garden!

Playing Church

Gregory is the preacher. Oratorical voice, "What does Jesus do? Alex? Do you know? It starts with 'h'. Don't you know? Why He heals, duh!" Impressive pause. " And now we are going to talk about fur. Ducks are furry, but elephant tusks are not. And I think gorillas are furry."

Let's just say the service has gotten a bit off track.

Thursday Rain

It is pouring rain and there are 14 pairs of pants out on the line, dripping sadly. I know exactly how many pairs because I have developed the habit of counting them as I hang them out (last week it was 19) and figuring smugly how much money I am saving by being green. "Let's see, that would be at least 70 minutes in the dryer on high heat, which would mean....dollars on the electric bill, and x amount of the Earth's resources depleted to supply the electricity." Truth be told, these pants got hung out yesterday in the sunshine, but in the early darkness and rush to get to prayer meeting, I forgot to bring them inside. So now I am trying to decide whether I should don rain gear and umbrella and bring them in or wait for sunshine tomorrow. I think I will just hang onto my green principles and let them rinse today.
Rainy days also mean getting really, really creative to keep the small fry out of mischief. They have developed this play where one will suddenly drop down on all fours and begin barking. The other will instantly be cued to be the master and attach a collar and tie the dog up. Then there are training sessions and lots of loud barking and growling and dog feedings. The dog house is under the recliner and requires at least 3 blankets to build it properly. It is really a very innocent and amusing play, but one can only handle so much barking inside the house. However, I have to concede that it beats "panther in the bull pen".
Here's my formula for sanity on rainy days. Make play dough. Listen to audio books on Librivox. And by all means, put your laundry through the dryer.

One More

It simply would not go where I wanted it to go, so I just decided to publish a new post. I will beat this thing yet! Actually, I consider it a great triumph to have figured out how to do this without Gabe! Usually I just ask him how to do whatever it is has me stumped, and he shows me very rapidly how to "go here and here and you're done". I try to comprehend, but it is easier (and faster) to forget and ask him again the next time.  Which is probably why he said I have to figure this out on my own. I am the the one who loves to write, and cannot keep up with my correspondence, so I am the one who will be doing the posting, and he can't hold my hand every time I get a journalistic urge. Hey, I said I love to learn. Some things just bend my brain harder than others.

Fall Excursion

Time out for a bit of tenderness.

If you ever want to take family pictures with that natural feel, we can tell you how to do it! Our children freeze at a professional studio, and as you can see, the wilderness attempt is not that much easier for them. We took a Sunday afternoon drive to Trough Creek State Park and exchanged photo shoots with friends who also have 3 small children. A sense of humor and acceptance of the inevitable are to the advantage of the parents!
We had a great time hiking to the balanced rock, playing Poohsticks on the bridge, and building a makeshift fire of twigs to warm up the frozen ham I had grabbed out of the freezer just before we left. So the pictures aren't perfect. Neither are we.

This is Sort of Scary

Well, here I am with my squeaky new blog. My husband took off for a meeting and left me to figure it out for myself. I picked the easiest looking site off google, and have gotten so far, feeling more techie by the minute. Ha Ha!