Shout out to all the working Moms

Being a mom is a full time job.  I know, I am one.  And today I am emotionally and physically spent.  And that's with 2 of my kids being in school 6 and a half hours today.

I started thinking of all the Moms who work.  Part-time, full-time, at home, or commuting.  Here's my shout out to you.

YOU ARE THE BOMB!

You work hard at your job and give your best to your company.  You come home and work even harder and give your best to your family.

You're an essential part of the team at work.  They need you.  You are the glue that holds your family together.  They NEED you.

You are a cheerleader and encourager to your co-workers.  You are THE cheerleader and encourager for your family.

You're the manager, the accountant, the disciplinarian, the shoulder to cry on, the counselor, the chef, the housekeeper, the errand runner, and the list could go on.

I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you.  And I think you're pretty amazing.

The Estate Sale

I went to an Estate Sale across the street from my house today.  I live on a street where everyone is separated by acres of land.  Not many acres, but acres nonetheless.  So I do not know the people that live there at all.

My first thought when I walked in, "Holy Crap!"  I mean seriously, stuff everywhere.  It wasn't crap, but it was stuff... a lot of it.  I couldn't believe the wide variety of things they had.  And not just one of something, like three or four of everything.

Old flour sifters, cast iron skillets, cow decor, St. Patrick's Day decor, flare buttons, jewelry, wall art, hunting knives, pocket watches, and so much more.

Why?  Why so much?  Why aren't we satisfied with just one of something?

I looked at the jewelry.  Some of the rings were beautiful!  And I thought about how at one point in time that ring was special and meant a great deal to someone.  And maybe it was given in some fantastic way, and she blushed and gushed and was so excited.  And now it's sitting in a box next to a bunch of Christmas jewelry and clip-on earrings.

All this stuff that somebody spent good money on, and took time to acquire.  And now it's left for strangers to paw through and take home to their already full houses.

I'm not knocking estate sales or garage sales or any type of sales.  I think it's great when we can reuse and re purpose.  But I don't thing that's what usually happens.  I think there's an addiction to more and buying and getting a deal, even if it's on something we don't need.

It made me want to go home and clear out my house.  Get rid of stuff that isn't used.  Stop buying stuff. Use what I have.  It made me think when I die I don't want to have a house full of stuff to become a burden to my kids.

Love your neighbor as yourself

Today I heard a woman say that same-sex marriage will destroy the marriage as a whole.  That it will cause the whole institution to deteriorate.

Why doesn't anyone say anything like this about infidelity?  Most of the marriages I've seen end in divorce have had an affair involved at some point.

You can't point the finger at one thing and say, "THAT is what's causing marriage to go downhill."  I don't know if this lady is a Christian, but it seems like whenever I hear about a group opposing same-sex marriage they are affiliated with Christians.

Christians associate themselves with Jesus and this is what Jesus says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye an pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." -Matthew 7:3-5

I've never heard a testimony of someone coming to Jesus because someone said, "You're doing it wrong!"  But I've heard many testimonies about people being loved just the way they are and deciding, "I want that too!"

If we want to see change in our culture and strengthen marriages we need to take our cue from Jesus:

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the law and prophets hang on these two commandments." -Matthew 22:37-40

Love.

Stand still!

Today I had lunch at Costco with this little lady.

A tiny little pink croc-wearing 4 year-old.  She's funny and cute and and calls me mama and holds my hand.

While we were eating, a bunch of teenagers started filing in for lunch.  I watched them joke with each other, hold their boyfriends hands, look at other groups of teenagers and whisper.  I looked back at my cute little stripey girl eating her hot dog like a "Beaver" and thought "TIME, STAND STILL!!"  Don't let her get that old.  Don't let her have a boyfriend and don't let her be old enough to go to Costco by herself to have lunch.  Let her stay 4.

Then I said to her, "Viv, can you just stay 4?"  To which she replied, "I will be 4 forever... until my birthday next year."

A Real-Life Conversation with a 9 Year-old

Jackson: Don't you ever wish you had less kids?

Me: No, not at all.  Why?

Jackson: Because aren't we kind of annoying sometimes?

Me: Yes, but everyone is annoying sometimes.  Don't you think I'm annoying sometimes?

Jackson: VERY!!


Don't ask a question you don't want to know the answer to.

A Real-Life Conversation with a 4 Year-old

Viv: Mom, you know all the people who don't have houses?

Me: You mean homeless people?

Viv: Ya! I know what they could do. They could build houses.

Me: That's a good idea. But they don't have money to do that.  That's why they don't have a house

Viv: Well, how about tents? They could get tents.

Me: Where would they put their tents?

Viv: On grass.

Me: That's a great idea! What else can you think of to help.

Viv: Remember the guy at Shari's that we gave our sleeping bag to?

Me: Yes.

Viv: We should really get another sleeping bag because I want to sleep in one.

If I thought like a 4 year-old the world would be a better place.

Listen

I encountered God in a whole new way this weekend at the SHE Adventure.  By listening.  It's counter intuitive.  It requires being still.  Not just still in the body, still in the mind.  And getting the mind to be quiet and still is hard!

I had a woman approach me and say, "God has something to say to me and He told me He's going to speak it through you."  I have never had something like this happen.  My heart was pounding out of control!  I was scared to death!  What if I couldn't hear?  What if I said the wrong thing?

"This is what we have to learn right from the beginning: to listen to the voice of God in our heart, and then in the silence of the heart God speaks. Then from the fullness of our hearts, our mouth will have to speak. That is the connection. In the silence of the heart, God speaks and you have to listen. Then in the fullness of your heart, because it is full of God, full of love, full of compassion, full of faith, your mouth will speak." -Mother Teresa

This is what I had been reading the night before.  God was preparing me.  In fact, this is what I heard Him say in some quiet time right before the service where this woman came up to me.

"Be quick to listen and slow to speak.  Listen for what the Lord is telling you."

I listened, He spoke.

Slow down. Listen.