Tis the Season

I read a fantastic idea on another blog that The White House will be stealing for this new year. We are going to take all the holiday cards we receive this season, draw one each week (or month depending on how many we get), and spend that week or month in prayer for that family. So, if we are on your christmas card list~know that The White House will be covering you in prayer in the new year.

Education money can't buy

I survived my first week of being a lunchroom monitor at B.'s school. Here are the things I learned this week...

1. School cafeterias love fried anything. And sticking lettuce on the tray counts as a well balanced meal.

2. Kids get as excited for the weekend as we adults do.

3. Kindergarten through 3rd grade loves everything you do, what you wear, and thinks you are ever so pretty.

4. They also think you are older than dirt, are mean if you won't let them eat only their ice cream and point out every flaw you have every single day.

5. Fourth graders think they are too cool for everything. And love to make fun of each other mercilessly.

6. Fifth grade boys have discovered Axe bodyspray, but not the shower. They also believe they are Rico Suavee.

7. Kids LOOOOVVVEEE it when their parents come to have lunch with them. That 20-30 minutes changes their whole day.

8. Very few children have parents who pack them a good lunch or write them a sweet note or stick in a favorite treat once in a while.

9. Southern women really do call EVERYONE baby.

10. That when told they can dress up like what they want to be when they grow up, most chose a rapper or popstar. {SCARY}

I won! I won! I won!

A while back my friend Suzi had a giveaway. For her 10,000 hit on her blog she was making something "quilty". I left my comment and crossed my fingers. And I WON! A few short weeks after that arrived a package containing an ADORABLE scarecrow quilt. It has been the talk of all who have entered my house and I just love it. Since I am a bit of a computer dummy, I cannot figure how to get the picture of it off my camera and onto the computer, so you can see it here. She also has an Etsy shop with all her quilty goodies. So, check her out. Thank you Suzi! And congratulations on 10,000 hits in one year! You've inspired me to give something away when I reach that milestone. Guess I better learn how to do something;)

Count your blessings

I have had this song in my head a lot lately. Mostly because I have been flooded with blessings and I am seeing God working on a daily basis. As you may, or may not, know The President and I ventured into the world of home~based business. NOT in our comfort area at all! We are not natural born motivators, or polished "salesmen", or even able to jump into a conversation with complete strangers. But, we want to be able to put B. through college {without her being saddled with mind~blowing debt}, I'd love for his back to not be further crippled by his job, and we want to be able to make mission trips where we support ourselves and do things for the Kingdom we haven't been able to fathom to this point. Our hope for the future overrode our doubts. For awhile. Family wouldn't help us, friends hardly listened to us, and co~workers were skeptical. We let it get to us. We were saddened by the lack of support, disappointed in our abilities, and our hearts were hardening to the whole thing. Then our friends {the ones who shared the opportunity with us} called one afternoon. They wanted to come by to show us something. They had just been to the yearly big conference and I knew it had something to do with Ambit. I really wasn't in the mood. I was done. I'd written it off as a dumb move and was just "waiting" it out until The President decided to pull the plug. I didn't want to hear a motivational speech or any cheerleading. I was stone~cold on it. They rang the doorbell and asked us to come out. I sure wasn't in the mood to stand outside in the blaring sun and listen. As I rounded the corner toward my driveway I noticed a brand~new shiny car. "Oh! You got a new car. I didn't know you were planning on getting a new car" I said with relief. With giant grins on their faces they said "We weren't! We WON it at AMBITION!!" They didn't just win any ol' car either. They won a $40k, brand new Lexus. We were thrilled for them. What an awesome gift. The President and I spent the afternon talking about our efforts for our business. Had we been doing all we could? I realized that day, that we were leaving out the most important part of our business...God! We had allowed our faith in Him to be waivered by other people's negativity. We had dropped Him at the first sign of struggle. The President and I decided to make God the center of our business from then on and give it a whole~hearted try. A few days later we got a call from our Lexus driving friends who said they wanted to give us their van. GIVE US THEIR VAN! I sat with tears streaming down my face as we talked on the phone. We have lived with one car for years and years. {We have a wonderful set of friends who often let us use their cars or trucks many many times, but we only had one permanent car.} They gave me a laundry list of everything "wrong" with it but wanted us to have it if we thought we could use it. So, now we are driving a "new" van. The unselfishness they have shown is such a blessing. Their generousity, a wonderful example. We started going to meetings, making calls, ordering cards and car door magnets. We prayed for opportunities, and for resiliency, and for courage. We have had people going to meetings with us, people wanting to hear the opportunity, and people interested in becoming customers. I was still praying hard. And thanking God for each opportunity. But, as I sat watching Facing The Giants, I was struck by something. Something I had never thought of before. The main characters in the movie had been praying for a baby for years but were having tremendous difficulty conceiving. The husband asks his wife "what if God's answer is no". She responds that she will have to accept His answer. He replies "but will you still love Him". Ding Ding Ding, a light bulb went off in my heart. I began to really search myself. And, ashamedly, found I am guilty of "conditionally loving God". I pray to Him, beg Him, and praise Him, but I have let my love be chipped away when I don't get my way. I swell with love when He answers with a yes. But, when He challenges me, works on me, or worse~says no...I pout, get upset, even stop talking to Him. I do not know what God has planned for our business, if we will find financial freedom, if The President can quit that back~breaking job, if we can go on self~funded mission trips, if B. will get to go to college free and clear. But, it really doesn't matter. We will do our best, we will keep praying, we will keep praising, and we will love LOVE HIM. No matter what. Who would have ever thought God would use someonelse's Lexus to wake me up?

AUNT LAVERN

Several weeks ago my mom called to say my Aunt Lavern had been taken to the hospital. She had been having some kind of heart issue and her blood pressure was dipping dangerously low. In all the testing, a spot was discovered in her lungs. The doctor said they would continue to test, but seemed cautiously convinced it was cancer. Testing proved what we all feared. It was lung cancer. My aunt chose not to have any kind of treatment {she was a nurse and knew first hand what treatment, and lack there of, would entail}. Her daughter moved her in with her, and many of her siblings were able to see her. On Monday, I was informed she was back in the hospital and would be having a bone scan. It was thought the cancer was in her entire body and having a scan would help in focusing on pain management for my aunt. She was dying. The goal was to keep her as comfortable as possible. We didn't know how long she had or how bad it really was. It was all happening so fast. Last night, as I walked in the door from a whirlwind day of meetings, homework, ballet practice, housework, PTA responsibilities, cooking, etc...etc..., the phone was ringing. It was mom saying my aunt had died. The inevitable had happened. So much sooner than we all had selfishly hoped. I am grateful she did not suffer through a long drawn out ordeal. That she spent those last days with her children and her little brothers and sisters. That she was surrounded by love.

My memories of my aunt have been flooding my mind. She loved to play poker. And she would sit quietly, playing for hours, making bets that was just giving her money away. She loved getting together with family. She was great with children. She was gentle, quiet, laid back, calm, and kind. She always smiled, was patient {she would let me "perform" my "concerts" as a kid as many times as I wanted}, and made the world's best peanut brittle. I love my Aunt Lavern. And as grateful as I am for her quick passing, I am so deeply saddened. I will miss her so very much. She was a wonderful part of my life for 36 years and I thank my Lord above for her. I thank Him for blessing our family with Aunt Lavern.

Friday Funnies

B. and I were driving home from school listening to Acapella's "Roll the stone away" on the tape player {yes, I said tapeplayer, they didn't put Cd players in cars when ours was made 13+ years ago}. From the back seat I hear my sweet daughters high pitched, off~key voice singing, "roll the cr** away, roll the cr** away, Lord God all nighty gonna roll the cr** away"...

Most of us, when trying to get someones attention, will say their name..."George". They may say back, to show they know who they are talking to, "Bob". Here is B.'s version of that. B. "Daddy", The President "B.", B. "What?"

B. asked me to babysit her dolly while she was in school...here are her instructions. "You can just leave her here in the car. She likes that. You don't have to change her diaper. Even if she gets smelly. I'll do it when I get home. I don't want to pay you for changing her. Don't let her get out of the car to watch TV. Don't forget to bring her when you come to pick me up, I know she'll be stinky by then". Poor baby!

This video is from a christian comedian, who I think is hilarious. For my 1.2 male readers, this video is for you. {and ladies, you'll get a big kick too}

Happy Friday!!

That Day...

I have never been a real political gal. I have never really believed much of what comes out of politicians mouths. I vote on specific moral issues, and have never enjoyed the banter of policy talk and heated debates and smear campaigns. But, as I sat in my bedroom, putting on my makeup for work...I was forever changed. I watched in disbelief as something hit one of the world trade centers. I had been up early that day as I was nauseous {I was pregnant...we just had no clue yet} and decided to watch a morning news program {something I NEVER did}, and there it was. This almost incomprehensible tragedy. My eyes welled up, my heart broke, and I felt a fear, and sadness, and anger I had never felt before and pray I never feel again. That day has had an immeasurable impact. Even for those of us who do not live in New York, or know anyone who was on one of the planes, or in one of the towers. It has defined a presidency, sent brave men and women {like my step-son}into a foreign tumultuous land, brought a nation together in mourning and renewed patriotism, produced a baby~boom, caused people to take stock of their lives, made us appreciate "the small things" more, and sent people on a path to find God. Time has faded these things, I am afraid. Our resiliency as a nation has led some to forget {and excuse} the horrors of that day. My prayer is that God bless the USA. That He will spur voters into poll booths, that He will guide candidates as they campaign, that He will only allow the best man for our country to become president, and bless that man with wisdom in all those areas I never cared about 7 years ago. I pray that we, as Americans, will remember the lives lost, both on that day and on the battle fields. That we will remember the lessons learned on September 11. That we will praise Him for the wonderful country He has blessed us with.

Is this you?

Oh how I have admired people who have a strong prayer life. How I listen intently to them talk about the power of prayer in their lives. How I spend hours thinking of ways to immulate that in my own life. Ways to be a "prayer warrior", ways to "give it all to God", ways to lock myself in my closet and come into the presence of God almighty for a deeply profound time of thanksgiving and reflection. Somehow, my prayer life often goes more like this....





What about you?

I still got it!

While having my weekly Wednesday lunch with B., a little boy sat down on the other side of the table. He was rambling on and on {and on and on and on and on}, but stopped for a second and with a shy grin on his 6 year old face he says "If you get any prettier, I'll have to stick my head through the window". Now, I don't want to be responsible for hurting the poor kid. Guess I'll play up the housewife frump next week;)

My Birthday

Day spent frantically cleaning: 57 achy muscles
Dinner at The President's favorite restaurant: free
Holding my adorable nephew: 22 slobber~drenched kisses
Brunch at my favorite restaurant: $58.00
Watching my nephew learn how to crawl: 9 "look at you go"'s
Having my sister here for a birthday visit: PRICELESS

One of those days....

Ever had one of those days when you should have just stayed in bed? When Newton's law, Murphy's law, and every other law is stacked against you? Sunday was that kind of day {for The President}. Everything was fine until lunch time. A friend was having a birthday party and wanted The President to bring me home some food before the party got started {I was home not feeling well, so The President was on kid party duty-problem 1}. He asked if I wanted some chips and grabbed a bag out of the bin on the pantry floor. A few seconds later, something caught my eye. Tons, and I do mean tons, of ants were crawling all over my counter and bar and sink and dishwasher and it was horrible {problem 2}. He ran to get ant spray from the utility closet, and the shopvac and the mop. We were out of ant spray {frustrating when you need something and your housewife didn't get that stocked for you, huh? problem 3}so he grabbed the wasp spray and used at least half the can on my kitchen countertop. Everything came out of the pantry, chips went into the outside trash, ants were chased down and sprayed to a horrible twitching death. And you know all the scrubbing, vacuuming, and washing that followed. Forty~five minutes later he was back at the ant free party.

On his was home, he decided to get ice cream and called to see what I wanted. I told him a banana split {what? I'd had a trying day, too.}. A few minutes later he walks through the door covered in ice cream, strawberry topping, and whip cream {problem 4}. The holder had collapsed and the melted ice cream went all over him and the car {problem 5}. So, we cleaned & scrubbed on the car and I ran his clothes and the towels we used through the wash. Forty~five minutes later he was falling asleep watching the Olympics.

We needed gas in the car {problem 6 with gas prices:)}, so later we stopped at the QT and decided to get some snacks as we were having family movie night and you need snacks while watching The Princess Bride. The President got himself a big ol' sprite. When we were getting settled in for the movie, B. was trying to get her daddy's attention and as he turned to look at her {you can see it coming, can't you} his arm brushed that big ol' sprite and sent it flying {problem 7}. Forty~five minutes, 8 towels, a swept and mopped floor, a washed couch, and another load of laundry later~The President called it a night. Good idea.

Friday Funnies

We were getting ready to go to Bible class and I told B. to brush her teeth. She was mid-twirl and mumbled an "OK momma...I...just...need...to...finish...my...kurtzy". A few minutes later, I was in my bathroom finishing my hair and B. walks in. She stands there, in the middle of the bathroom floor, with a dazed look on her face. She slowly turns around like she is looking for some long lost item. Me..."What's up"? B..."I don't know what I'm doing in here". Throwing her hands up in the air she heads out of my bathroom, shaking her head..."I really do have short term loss!!!"

B. had been on the phone to her Nana for a little while. She is really into pacing the house and going to her room "for a little privacy" while chatting, and after disappearing for a while she returns with the phone against her ear. She listens for a moment and then matter~of~factly says "I have nothing to say to you. Bye Nana. Love you".

Our old congregation had a 1:00 service scheduled after a luncheon {and a full morning of class and assembly}. We had those every 5th Sunday, but this particular Sunday there was also a skating trip planned for the evening. B. was so excited, she had talked about it for days beforehand {not sure why I told her that early. I know better than that! Rookie mistake}. As we were getting settled on the pew for the 2nd service, B. tosses her head back with disgust and moans "W H Y do we have to have looooong church today? Does {our preacher} have to talk?" "Yes honey, we will have a sermon now, too". "Oh, great. We'll be here all night".

The great crash of 2008

Back when I first started my blog, I have to admit I was stressed. I had read some blogs for inspiration, for direction, for help. I found fabulous blogs on decorating, cooking blogs that made my mouth water, blogs where the author sounded so interesting I wished I knew her in real life, and blogs that were so inspirational I was looking for God everywhere. Somehow a blog about being able to sing the lyrics to every Disney Princess, Barbie Princess, and Pixar movie realeased since the beginning of time, just pales in comparison.

What's a non-talented, non-whitty, non-inspirational gal to do? I had spent many late nights trying to figure that out, and had come to the conclusion that blogging was better left to the professionals, when B. finished her first day of kindergarten. I found myself flooded with emotion and I just began typing. After getting my first comment, I was addicted. I had no direction, no purpose, no theme, but I was a blogger.

And then, two weeks ago, my computer crashed. I was now an addict with no fix. I felt so out of touch, so out of the loop. I had begun creating my own little bloggy world. And I missed it. I had to know what great find the Nester had stubbled across, how The Pain in Pancreas' boys' swim meet went, how Life with a Lil' Graces' mom's tests turned out, and what new event got Ministry Mama thinking. {Not to mention who was brave enough to respond to the 1930's housewife quiz {{bunch of chicken ladies these friends of mine}} The president just had to get it fixed.

As I patiently waited for us to be up and running, I realized that we each have a place in the blogosphere {even if I still don't have a theme, point of view, or real purpose for my corner}. It is wonderful to see pictures, hear stories, know what needs prayer, laugh with, catch up with, and be inspired by each of you. Thanks for sharing your lives. Now, I've gotta go catch up!

That's right! I'm very superior!

I found a test for a 1930's housewife. I thought it'd be a kick to give it a whirl. I fully expected to get a twenty, or something similarly embarrassing. Drumroll please.... I was told I'm very superior. My hubby may beg to differ sometimes, but the test said 95. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. If you would like to see what kind of 1930's housewife you are, scroll all the way down and you will see the button at the bottom. Give it a whirl. Some of the questions are hilarious. Your man can take it too. They have a test for husbands {not really sure how many will try it, but they have it}. I'd love to know what you were {if you are brave enough to say}, so leave my a comment after you try it. Happy testing!

When the going gets tough, the tough gain strength

In today's society, it is all about a woman being strong. Having strong, toned bodies, strong minds challenged in their high profile careers, strong parenting skills, strong interpersonal skills, strong goals, strong opinions, strong will. We all know women who fit the bill. We may even look up to them, wishing we were stronger. My sister (and brother~in~law...but this is about women)has had a week that would try even the strongest of people. One where people she loves and cares for have shown a side that is vendictive and ugly. One where everyday brings a new sadness, a new challenge, a new heartache. But, my sister isn't strong. Don't get me wrong, she isn't a wimp. She isn't one to backdown from truth or hide from a tough situation. But she isn't a strong woman. She is a woman of strength. Don't see the difference? The poem below explains what I see in my sister. It explains, more eloquently than I ever could, what a woman of strength is. What my sister is.


A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape…
but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape…

A strong woman isn’t afraid of anything…
but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear…

A strong woman won’t let anyone get the best of her…
but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone…

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future…
but a woman of strength realizes life’s mistakes can also be God’s blessings and capitalizes on them…

A strong woman walks sure footedly…
but a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls…

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face…
but a woman of strength wears grace…

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey…
but a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong

Copyright © 2005 Dee Cheeks

Dear Sis, I pray God will give you continued strength as He works to reveal His will for you. Thank you for being an example of Godly strength in even the worst of situations. I love you!

The wimp

One...two...three...oh my word! How long does it take to count to ten? I was exhausted. I had spent the last several months checking into the hospital on Friday and praying I'd get to go home by Monday. My arm had been squeezed numb~thanks to the blood pressure cuff constantly wrapped around it, my veins were beginning to collapse under the never ending blood draws, my belly had the pattern of the monitor straps permanently etched into it. I had met every nurse, from every shift. Seen every on-call doctor. Been in every room on the floor. And eaten every low sodium, low taste meal the kitchen offered. The days I was able to be in my own home were spent on my left side and measuring, collecting, and refrigerating my urine. I was exhausted. The physical toll was enough on it's own, but the emotional toll was even greater. Prayer after prayer for my sweet child to be healthy, to stay in and "cook" long enough, for my delivery, to not have a seizure, or stroke, or worse. Oh the thoughts you have when all you can do is lay and wait. Now, on my third day of forcing my body to begin the labor and delivery process, I was spent. I was crying, pumped full of anti-everything medicine, feeling like my body was on fire, wondering if this was really happening. Was I really going to meet this precious gift? Would I finally see what she looked like? There was a whole team of nurses and a doctor for her, a whole team of nurses and a doctor for me. I was ready...to get this part over with. And my mom was taking 5 minutes to count to ten! Didn't these people know I am not a strong woman? That I don't handle pain well? That I am a wimp? I can't do this, I really can't do this..."I can't do this"! The words escaped my brain and came out my lips. The entire room, in unbelievable unison, responded "YES YOU CAN". And 14 minutes later, I did.

That is one of my favorite memories from my daughter's birth. To this day, it brings a huge smile to my face to think of the whole room simultaneously spurring me on...YES YOU CAN! Lately, I have been in a trying time. A time when I am exhausted. Both physically and emotionally. The imprints of hurtful situations are still fresh, my soul has been squeezed again and again, and I lay crying. Praying and waiting for the good. Not sure what it will look like and knowing I will never be the same, I am ready to get this part over with. And then I hear it. Pouring out of the pages of His word, coming from the mouths of loved ones, and in the quietest of moments...I hear it. He is spurring me on. He is counting. He is responding..."YES WE CAN".

Who me?

I had surgery over a month ago. I've been couped up in the house with my foot propped up in the air for most of that time. Not able to do anything but go to the restroom and back to my chair. It has been pretty lonely. I have been so disheartened at the lack of visits or phone calls from my fellow church members. One elder and his wife came the day after I got home, one couple came to the house but didn't come in as I was asleep, and another called a few days ago. To be fair, the preacher's wife arranged nearly a week's worth of food so Rob didn't have to worry about cooking after working all day and then coming home to do all my duties too. (This was so greatly appreciated. It was wonderful to not worry about my sweet hubby "fending" for himself.) She even ran by to heat me up a pot pie so I wouldn't be tempted to do more than my doctor would allow. That was probably the best pot pie I've ever eaten, not because it was haute cuisine (it was one of those super cheapo ones) but because it was an act of service. It met a need for me. But, what about my need for companionship or assistance with my 6 year old or a human voice not coming out of a box in my entertainment cabinet? What about the church being a family? Are we only part of the family if we are there at every service or activity? Have I not been an active, vital member of this "family", have I not done enough to be worthy of others christian love and compassion? I know, people have lives and time gets away from us all, but really! That's it? Out of almost two hundred members...I get one elder and a microwaved pot pie?

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
Matthew 7:2

Oh bother! As I sat feeling crushed and self-righteous, this verse came creeping into my mind. And I couldn't shake it (trust me I tried). I wasn't ready to give up my self pity. I still wanted to be disappointed, juvenile and outraged. I didn't want to be a grown up, or mature, or compassionate. I didn't want to be CHRIST like. In verse 5 Matthew records for us a harsh truth. "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye." How many times have I let life get in the way of seeing the sister diagnosed with MS, or the brother who has chronic illnesses, or the elderly couple who just feels "shut in"? That's me. I am a hypocrite. I am.


It would be so wonderful to be more important to my church family. To have people beating down my door to check on me, offer assistance, or just talk to me (who wouldn't love that?). I do not know the reasons, I can assume I am just "out of sight, out of mind". But, regardless of what others should be doing, I have an obligation myself. I don't have to be a hyprocrite. I can be the bright spot in someone elses day. I can check in on, or call, or drop a note, or make a batch of goodies. I can show God's love. I can let people know they are missed, loved and appreciated. I can meet those needs. I can be CHRIST like. I can be someones pot pie.

Brooklyn funnies

Every so often we give Brooklyn a little gift for random reasons. The other day, on one such occasion, her daddy gave her a Giselle doll from the movie Enchanted. She was thrilled. The doll has on a fancy white wedding dress and she left her inside when she went across the street to play. Every 15 minutes she came to talk with Giselle. This went on for 2 hours. Before bed she was watching the movie on her little DVD player, with Giselle safely tucked beside her "watching". As the movie started and Giselle came on the screen, Brooklyn leaned over (with a huge, sweet smile on her face) and said "Look. That's you! There you are".

After a day of swimming, Rob's hair was quite a fright. But, it looked a bit like Kevin Costner's. I said "Wow, your hair looks like, um..." And Brooklyn chimes in with "CHEWBACCA!"

Brooklyn singing The Crayon song in her high pitched, loud voice.
(The lyrics are...Blue is for royalty, which in him did dwell).
Brooklyn's version...blue is for loyalty, witchy digs a well.

Cardboard Testimonies

What is your testimony?

The gift that keeps on giving

My parents celebrated their 20th year as the minister of the Garden City church of Christ last Saturday. They were given a Hawaiian themed party, with bright colored decorations, yummy barbecue sandwiches and all the trimmings, a quartet sang for the entertainment and they received a memory book of photographs from the last 20 years with an acrylic statue commemorating the milestone. Then, another present was found and my parents began to open it. Inside was an itinerary, a tourist book of Hawaii and a treasure chest FULL of cash. They are going to Hawaii on a week long, all expense paid vacation! They were stunned speechless. They had tears, I had tears, the party goers had tears. The gift is amazing! What a wonderful thing to do for someone. My parents had no clue. They knew about the party, but never in a million years expected a dream vacation. While I think the gift is wonderful, I am more moved by the joy it gave the givers. My sister and I were enlisted to help find out various things for the different hosts and hostesses. While filling them in on the information, they would tell me of the meetings they had and how excited they were about the theme, the fun they had in planning the trip, the excitement they had when their original donation was impressively surpassed, how they really appreciated my dad's preaching, how they'd never had a preacher's wife as amazing as my mom, how they were so glad they had been there 20 years and how they hoped they knew how much they were loved, admired, and appreciated. This went on for a year. Their excitement and sheer joy grew to a fever pitch as the big day drew near. They worked tirelessly to make sure every detail was perfectly in place, all with smiles on their faces and a kid-at-Christmas anticipation of my parents opening the "big gift". I am so moved by their delight, their total unselfishness, their willingness to give of their time, money, and talents. Not many people, let alone congregations, would spend an entire year happily plotting, planning, and perfecting a gift for someone else (would you do that for your preacher?). What an example of love! Thank you, Garden City church of Christ, for the gift you gave not only my parents~but me!

Check this out...I thought it was powerful

All I ever needed to learn, I learned in Kindergarten

Today is Brooklyn's last day of Kindergarten. There were times at the beginning of the year I never thought we'd make it this far. Days when, with a monumental amount of tears streaming down her round little cheeks, she would beg "mommy didn't you go to school? You are smart, can't you just teach me everything I need to know?" Days when she would try the oldest trick in the book, "mommy you are soooo pretty. Today you could teach me how to put on makeup like you and we could dress up in all your really pretty clothes". And many, many, many nights when she would cry herself to sleep pleading for us not to make her go back the next morning. Those times were full of my own tears, my own dashed hopes for her to be the child who so loves school that she is head of class, teacher's pet, the apple of the entire school staffs eye (no pressure there, huh?). Finally, more than half way through the year, she began to realize this is her life at this time. Tears were becoming more rare, the begging began to fade, and she began to put more of herself into each day. The summer countdown started almost a month ago, and she could hardly contain herself this morning as the dream for a break became reality. I am, again, tearful and swelling with pride that my sweet, tender little girl has accomplished this milestone. Did she always do the right thing, no. Did she rise to the head of her class, no. Did she become the teacher's pet, I'm not sure. But, she worked her hardest. She picked herself back up when she fell flat on her face, and tried to follow what she knew was right. She tried to influence her little classmates to do right as well, "don't talk when the teacher is talking-you're not the grown-up, you need to share, oooohh...we shouldn't say stupid-it's mean". That often brought some persecution on her five year old shoulders. The other kids didn't like hearing what they "shouldn't" do. But, even when they would get mad at her, she would stick her little chin out and say "it's the truth, my mommy told me so". Well done my sweet child. As I look back on her first year of school, I find myself thinking of my heavenly father. He does this on a daily, weekly, monthly, lifetime basis. He walks me to the door of opportunity and allows me to go through it, even though I may be kicking and screaming; begging with tears wetting my cheeks, unable to see the importance and purpose of this. He knows what is best for me, despite my pleading to the contrary. He patiently waits while I rebel, while I stumble, while I constantly argue my shortsided case. His heart aches when I stubbornly fall into the same trap time and time again, and leaps when I finally surrender. When I finally get out of His way. When, no matter what persecution others throw at me, I stand; sticking my little chin out, proclaiming "it's the truth. My Father told me so". And when my eternal "summer" begins, I long to hear "well done my sweet child". What a wonderful milestone kindergarten has been....for me.