Category Archives: encouragement
Still rejoicing!
On Friday it was 76 degrees here. It was beautiful! I wore flip-flops all day and did my hair in funky-summer knots and frolicked barefoot across the warm green grass. It was … GLORIOUS.
And, apparently, it was only a glimpse, because right now this is what I see out my window.
WELCOME, FIRST DAY OF SPRING! 
They say it will turn to rain within the hour, but we’ll see. We already have well over an inch out there and it’s still descending with strength.
It amuses me that this, of all years, is the year I vowed not to complain about winter. This winter, the one in which we received well over 60″ of snow. And I’ve done a pretty good job! I’ve focused on the positive. I’ve stated observations, but have worked hard not to internalize angst. And it paid off!
Imagine that: something God says actually works! Of course it works!!! He says to think on good things and I reaped the benefits. This morning both kids immediately started complaining when they looked out their windows. (They love snow, but even they have had enough this year.) The first thing that popped into my head and out my mouth was Philippians 4:4.
“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!”
And I meant it.
Some people might view last Friday and Saturday as a tease. I see it as proof of God’s love. He knew we were getting to the end of it. No matter how hard we try to be positive, we eventually run out of strength. This winter was zapping all of us up here. The weekend was a glimpse of God’s love, a bolster to our hope. Spring is coming. It will be here before we know it.
Surely there’s some spiritual parable here about enduring trials for the rewards that follow. Something about mercies being new in the morning and the sun always rising for those who persevere. But maybe it’s just a joyful reminder of God’s faithfulness. You decide.
In the meantime, I’m still rejoicing.
In Pursuit of P31 (and a giveaway!)
At the end of this post I’ll tell you about a huge, fabulous giveaway, but first I want to tell you about a new book.
A ton of books have been published about the Proverbs 31 woman. There’s even a whole magazine (probably more!) devoted to becoming more like her. Award-winning author Kathi Macias recently released a new one, one quite different from all the rest.
How Can I Run a Tight Ship When I’m Surrounded by Loose Cannons?
How’s that for a title? Do you ever wonder this? I know I do! I get all my ducks in a row only to have them waddle off on their own.
This book takes a humorous look at the author’s pursuit of the Proverbs 31 woman. When she met Jesus, the author, a self-proclaimed control freak, immediately set out in search of a P31 mentor who could show her how to be a perfect Christian and run the perfect Christian home. Chapter by chapter readers watch her crash and burn as she tries to be everything to everyone and all in her own strength. The good news: she learns from her experiences. The better news: she shares what she learns with us. Read the rest of this entry
Mama Loves: Remembering miracles.
Last week the kids and I had lunch with some friends from life BC (Before Children). It was so great! I miss those girls and desperately wish we lived closer. There’s just something fantastic about having friends who know so much about you and still love you, friends who don’t play favorites or keep secrets. What you see is what you get. Our afternoon together felt like a mini vacation to me. We have to do it again soon!
During our hours of chatting and eating and laughing and sharing these precious friends reminded me of the miracle of my children. I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth mentioning again.
We endured four years of infertility before God gave us Ellie. We went through tests and procedures. I prayed and fasted, join support groups, wept and measured and charted and underwent one very painful surgery. I took fertility drugs, saw specialists and prayed some more. I shouted out in frustration to God and my husband and just about anyone who would listen. Every month offered proof I had failed again. My desires slipped further and further away, down a dark road I didn’t want to travel. It was arguably the most difficult time in my life.
Finally, after four years, I fell under an unexplained peace. My doctor referred us to yet another specialist. “I’ve done everything I can do,” she said. The next step seemed too invasive, too much like playing God. We didn’t want to go there. Instead we decided on adoption. Two weeks after starting our agency research and three days after receiving our first applications, I took a test. A bright blue plus sign stared up at me. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t believe it! I took four more tests (both in and out of my doctor’s office) then held my breath for three months. After the first trimester I started to believe it was real. Our miracle had come. Only six more months until we would meet her.
Ellie turns five next week. Sometimes in the rigor of everyday parenting I forget what a miracle these children are. Yes, Ellie was and is an unexplained gift to us, but so is Zach. I was nursing and on birth control when we conceived him! God really wanted us to have these two children when we had them. I can’t explain the timing or the ways. I’ll never understand exactly what happened in either case, but I know it was all God. He knit these children together … I am overwhelmed with gratitude.
Lately my hands always seem full. I ask the kids over and over: “How many hands does Mama have? Are they full or empty?” Once Zach yelled out “Four!” Not exactly the right answer. I don’t ask the question out of exasperation, but simply to teach patience to them and diligence to myself. I want to work hard, to use my hands wisely, but also remember that I can only do so much. Where I fall short, God may have a miracle waiting. I want to be sure my hands are prepared to receive it. Some days my hands are overflowing. Some days my heart is too.
Mama loves remembering miracles.
For more info on Mama Loves, visit this post.
Proximity Award
My friend Lynn gave me a blog award! It’s my first ever, and it’s a great one. I am truly honored and humbled. If you’ve not been to Lynn’s site, Heading Home, you should take a few minutes to visit. She’s such a positive, encouraging writer. I love visiting her there and diving into her thoughts. If anyone is worthy of this award, it is she. However, since I can’t give it back to her, I’ll name a few people of my own whom I think deserving.
What is the proximity award? Well, in spite of the all-Spanish speaking birthday party I attended with Ellie last weekend (which is worthy of its own blog post), I’ve little confidence in translating. It was explained to me this way:
“This blog invests and believes in PROXIMITY – nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”
Each of the following embody this perfectly. In no particular order …
- Kellie at La Vida Dolce : Kellie is fabulous! I’ve never actually met her … now that I think about it, I’ve not met any of these people in person, but each has impacted me and my faith in unique ways. Kellie challenges me to be intentional with my faith and actions. Her Tru-isms Campaign over the summer forced me to disect my motivations and embrace what it really true. Even her seemingly mundane posts encourage authenticity and an everyday Christian life.
- Heidi at Moms, Ministry and More : I’ve only been following Heidi for a few months and already she’s made a strong impression. She does what I love best: she finds God in the details. Whether it’s a gathering of koi or the words of children, she recognizes God in these dailies.
- Kristen at We Are That Family : You may recognize this from the ‘Fro Me to You Carnival I frequent on Thursdays. Kristen has taught me to embrace my imperfections and those of my family. Not to elevate them or take pride in them, but just to admit them and accept them — then praise God for His amazing grace and mercy which consistently and perfectly make up for my shortcomings! I also love how, no matter how random or comical her posts, she always includes scripture at the bottom.
- Monica at Paper Bridges : Monica is all about community. She draws people closer to God and each other, be it through challenging political posts, mothering posts, homeschooling posts or just funny things that happened. She’s on NJ Mom Bloggers, Facebook, Twitter and a dozen other great community builders. She encourages me (and her other readers) to keep relationships first, with God and the others in your life.
- Beverly at The High Calling : Beverly is the perfect mother. Seriously. I wish I were more like her. She is an excellent steward of time, faith, energies and resources. She exemplifies sacrificial love and patience. Have you heard of the excellent wife? The beautiful quiet spirit? Beverly puts flesh on these oft elusive aspirations.
- Heather at L’Chaim : I’ve sent you to Heather’s site a number of times. She writes about the intersection of faith, life and art. Her site consistently challenges me to find God in the “secular” parts of life: movies, artwork, literature and more.
I know I’m supposed to list eight blogs, but Lynn had more than eight deserving blog-friends, so it kind of evens out. I’d also like to highlight Deb at Greatest Mission Trip You’ll Ever Take. She has already received and given the award, so I don’t think I’m allowed to give it to her again just yet. Actually, including Lynn and Deb, I am listing eight blogs!
I hope you’ll give each a visit. I’m positive you’ll find value in each.
Offering Shade
One of my first posts on this blog was about our backyard. In it I lamented our lack of privacy and told of a slight haven I created by stealing the neighbor’s shade. I am proud to announce we now have our own shade! Isn’t it beautiful??
Too lovely little patches of shade. We planted the trees on Memorial Day. Well, Rick did most the work, but the kids and I had fun watching. Okay, I know they’re tiny trees and the shade they offer is slightly pathetic, but it makes all the difference. Maybe not to you, but to us the effect is amazing. To us, the backyard feels cozy and welcoming. It feels more like home. (Right now my friend Karen is laughing her tail off on her mini-farm of seven acres.)
Sometimes little things make a huge difference.
Last week Zach had a rough day which caused a rough day for all of us. For no apparent reason (I’m sure there was a reason, but I was never able to decifer it), the boy screamed for five hours. I’m not talking whiney crying or fussy grumpiness. I’m talking full blown at the top of his lungs screaming. For. Five. Hours. Straight.
Being outnumbered is tough. There’s only one of me, but there’s two of them, each with different needs needing to be met at the same time. Having two children so close together and yet so completely opposite is a challenge, to say the least. When one child has a rough day, it’s far too easy to take it out on the kid who is not having a rough day. Unfortunately, the kid being calm and collected often suffers the brunt of frustration caused by the one being wild and unruly. I know this and I try to prevent it, sometimes more successfully than others.
Last week when Zach was pulling on my last thread of sanity, I stopped. I took a deep breath, then I left him in a safe, but closed space and took Isabel outside. We sat on the edge of the driveway while I told her how much I loved her and how patient she was being that day. I thanked her for her good behavior. Her smile could have lit up the whole east coast! When I expressed how difficult it must be to have to share your mommy and put up with a noisy brother, she wrapped her arms around mine and nodded her head. The rest of the day, she was so very helpful. What a difference a little encouragement can make! Just that bit of gratitude and acknowledgement of her perspective gave her shade. It refreshed her (and me!) enough to make it through the rest of the day.
We are a people filled with pride. It’s easy to point to others and acknowledge their shortcomings, because after all we know how it should be, how it would be done if we were doing it ourselves. But how often do we point out the good things? How often do we appreciate the way other people handle themselves? Sadly, not enough. Just a little bit of thanks, a little bit of encouragement can make someone feel welcome. It may offer them the shady refreshment needed to make it through the rest of the day. It can make them feel like home, safe and secure. Rested.
“Pleasant words are a honeycomb sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” – Psalm 16:24 (NIV)
Take the opportunity today to plant a tree in someone’s backyard. It may take just be a word or two. Maybe a smile or a hug. Offer someone the sweet haven of encouragement.
Celebrities
Today is garbage day. It creates some heavy excitement in this house. Zach, like most two-year-old boys, LOVES trucks. He can hear the garbage truck coming from around the block. He runs through the house screaming and jumping: “Truck coming, Mama!! Truck coming! C’mon. C’mon, Mama. Let’s go see garbage truck!!”
In my lifetime I have only known one person who aspired to be a garbage man. It was my stepbrother, Kevin. He was seven at the time and thought it would be super-cool to ride around on a big truck all day. We all made fun of him and teased him about his smelly, trash dreams. The rest of us (the remaining seven siblings) had bigger, better dreams. We were going to be important! We would not be serving the neighborhood from the back of a big green truck. People would look up to us, not smell us.
Now, many years later, I see the garbage men as celebrities. They know our house and generously wave at the little faces eager to watch them work. It’s so funny! They’re always smiling. The kids greet them everyday with hefty “HI!”s and “Have a good day!!” They’ve even got paparazzi on occassion. I don’t know … maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be a garbage man. At first appearances, it may seem like a bum rap, but from another perspective, it’s what kids look forward to all week long. These service guys are treated like rock stars.
Do you know any rock stars in disguise? Any service projects or ministries you view with a condescending eye? I wonder who holds those same servants in esteem?
What a week
It started with me being cursed out by a drunk nun. Neither my beautiful children nor the fact that I’m part Irish could stop the stream of expletives spewing from her mouth. I had to laugh. I mean who expects to encounter a vodka-filled nun? Of course, it was St. Patrick’s Day. Still … In other news, the kids are on their second week of nap-strike. I’m way behind on all my writing projects, haven’t been sleeping at night and completely messed up the fundraiser for my daughter’s school. What a week.
Romans may be my favorite book of the Bible. I favor different parts of Scripture at different times, but Romans is my constant. I can always find something there to encourage or challenge me. This week was no exception.
Chapter 8 holds a bucket of gems! “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (v. 1) “God causes all things to work together for them that love the Lord.” (v. 28) “Nothing can separate us from the love of God.” (v. 38-39) “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (v. 31) It talks about persecution, predestination and justification. It talks of deliverance, freedom and victory.
Sometimes when we read passages like this, we miss what’s in between. Significant verses are overlooked in the rush for needlepoint passages. Two of these popped out at me this week. I’d like to share them with you here.
Romans 8:26 — “The Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” The passage continues to say the Spirit searches our hearts and our minds and intercedes for us “according to the will of God.”
Romans 8:37 — “In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”
We may have tough weeks. We may have tough months and years and lives, but it doesn’t matter much because the Spirit is groaning on our behalf. He is aching with us and when we haven’t the energy to pray, when we haven’t an inkling what we should pray for, He does and He does it for us.
What’s more: we can and will overwhelmingly conquer all we face. Today, tomorrow and the next day. This isn’t just survival, people. It’s an overwhelming victory! It’s something we’ll feel in our toes and the shouts of joy will explode from our being. This is what we’ve been promised. This is what God will do for those who love Him.
Photo and clips by SusieJack.
Finding Focus
I wrote a children’s book last month. This month I spent teaching stamp classes, studying magazine markets and starting a new freelance editing project. Next month I’ll be running a new book giveaway over at CCBR. None of this has anything to do with my nonfiction book proposals. Three months pass and I’m not a single step closer to my goal.
Before our vacation one of my writing groups held a discussion about branding, setting a distinct way for people to remember you and what you do. People naturally brand, so the idea is to brand yourself before others give one to you. If you want to be known as a suspense novelist, write great books to earn you that title. Parenting books won’t do the trick. If you want to be known as a missions advocate, speak about your passion, and I don’t mean your baseball card collection. Once people categorize you, it’s difficult to alter their perceptions.
Personally, I wish I had convinced Sunday school workers my son is assertive and passionate before they labeled him as difficult and aggressive. It’s not lying or changing the facts, just putting a positive light on them. We admire assertive and passionate adults. Those same traits in a two-year-old, however, exhaust and frustrate us. I face an uphill battle convincing nay-sayers how wonderful my kid is when they’ve already decided he’s trouble.
Our discussion revolved around pros and cons, hows and whys. A number of members grew concerned. They didn’t want to be pigeon-holed. Is it “wrong” to write more than one genre? To enter diverse markets? One panelist explained it’s not “wrong,” but it’s not expedient either. We can go in different directions at the same time, but we’ll arrive at both destinations much later than if we had just chosen one path.
Rick and I experienced this last month. We were meeting a group of friends for our annual outing to a special resturant. Rick printed Yahoo maps and I copied directions from the website. After some off-roading (nearly driving into a lake), we arrived an hour late — all because we tried to follow two routes at the same time.
I would rather be known as diverse than distracted. But then sometimes distracted is the better word. My time is limited. Spending it playing an online version of Boggle doesn’t help me finish those book proposals. I need to focus.
What is the focus God wants you to have? Are you divided in your endeavors?
We all wear several hats. I’m a mother, a wife, a friend, a sister, a neighbor, a daughter. I’m also a writer, a teacher, an encourager, a stamper and scrapbooker. And this is just a glimpse! I’m not saying we can only be defined by one thing. I’m just saying that we need to emphasize the one thing God wants to be our focus. If He wants you to witness to your coworkers, you can’t spend all your time together talking abour movies and never mentioning the Gospel. If God wants you sharing meals with the homeless, you can’t avoid where they live.
Let’s find our focus and reach our destinations.
Photo by Margo C, courtesy of Flickr.com.
One thing I do well
Parents can always tell how they’re doing by watching their children. I’m not talking about the children’s behavior, but the children’s imitation.
Just a worm and a leaf
Isabel returns from the bathroom, her pants around her knees. “It just be a worm.” What she means to say is “false alarm.” I know I should correct her, but I just can’t. Instead I smile and relish her innocence, knowing it won’t last long.
Yesterday, while on our walk, the kids discovered the first signs of autumn: a red leaf! Actually, we found a handful. Cooler temperatures reigned this week, in spite of the calendar claiming it’s still August. Our found-treasure proves summer is quickly coming to an end. Fall is inevitable. Gone are the days of time well wasted … Isabel starts school in less than two weeks! Before we know it we’ll be picking apples, wearing sweatshirts and preparing for the holidays.
This all reminds me of Mark Lowry. I saw him in concert years ago. I remember well two things from that concert: (1) he said he would probably get married when he was thirty-three because “the Lord laid down his life when He was thirty-three” and (2) his favorite verse was “And it came to pass.” The audience and I waited for the rest of the verse, but that was it. Mark exclaimed: “Isn’t that great?!” He went on to explain that nothing is here to stay. Everything in this life is here for a limited time. It all will pass – the good, the bad … all of it! This is what I’m thinking about today.
And this is my encouragement to you: Savor the moments to be treasured, like the too-soon-forgotten phrases of childhood. They will pass in the blink of an eye. And don’t fret over the trials for they, too, shall pass. Yes, summer is coming to an end and winter is on its way, but winter will pass just as quickly. The best part: God is with us in the summers and the winters. He counts each leaf that falls and captures our tears in jars. May our laughter be stored in warehouses!
