Triumph of the Day

This is my big triumph of the day. All clothing for seven of us are washed, dried, and put away. This has only happened a few times since taking on the job title of mom. And as more kids of ours "showed up," obviously the deed gets more difficult to accomplish. MIRACLES STILL HAPPEN!! :)

Starbucks Sighting

A couple weeks ago I was sitting in Starbucks and a man walked in.  I caught myself staring since he looked like my Grandpa Ralph.  This moment reminded me of two things: my grandpa never drank Starbucks ever in his life.  He liked supporting the mom and pop shops in America.  The second thing is how much I miss him and wish I could ask him to tell me a story of his one more time.

Minivan Pride

I just want to give a shout out to you, minivan moms. I don't care what society's stereotype is. Take pride in your amazing haven on wheels!! Those old commercials about the mommy timeout in her minivan are spot on. LOL

All this excitement was inspired because our SUV is getting some R&R at the shop right now, and they thoughtfully loaned me this rental for the day. Mommy's party on wheels - that's what this is! I got a smart key. I didn't even know those existed. So neat. This is tripped out with a reverse camera, a sweet stereo set up, automatic doors on a remote, weird storage shifty seats, and a really nice DVD system. Seriously. I really like this thing, and if you have one, consider yourself super blessed in the transportation department! I don't think society knows what it's missing. :)

I'm here for a real life.

I'm here for a real life.  Real problems, real ruts, real joys, real victories.  

Personally, I don't understand why people try to hide behind a facade.  Pretending you are someone you're not or portraying yourself in a way that doesn't invite honest, real relationships makes me so sad.  You elevate yourself to an unapproachable position.  Who would want to even attempt to get close to someone so flawless (even if others know that you're not)?  There would be no depth to the relationship.  It might be painful to air out some dirty laundry, but how much more painful is it to live in solitude without any of your friends knowing the real you?  Think about what you might be missing by "saving face": how about rich friendships that you can rely on when you need emotional help, rear guard warriors to pray for you through your current battles, an honest answer when you need to be called out on your crap, having a godly influence and encouraging someone else, being around people who sharpen you and inspire you to live the way God desires instead of fluff and telling you what the selfish you wants to hear.

We all know that people have junk.  We all know that you don't have it all together all the time.  You know why?  Because that's just life.  Life is messy and broken, and the only wholeness comes from a life lived through Jesus, by His power, grace, and love.  But even with Jesus, our life is not all ducky.  He promised us that we'd have trouble.  Woohoo!  Now it's out in the open!  No false pretenses!  The verse in John 16 goes on to say that we are to take heart since Jesus has overcome the world.  The trouble will not always be with us.  And in the meantime, we have Him.  So why pretend?  I don't want to waste my time on this earth.  I'm here for a real life.  I'm here to grow and get closer to Him, one relationship at a time.

I am blessed to be part of some amazing relationships.  Not bragging.  But I do want to inspire you to find some authentic friendships that will change you for the better.  I want to tell these girls how thankful I am for them, for their willingness to be transparent with me.  For urging me to keep growing in the areas I've been working on, for trusting me with their deep, dark "stuff", just as I trust them with mine.  One of these friends and I had a loooong anticipated date last weekend.  We had a whole lot to catch up on.  I was updating her on a struggle of mine, and she bluntly commented, "Well, that's just forgiveness."  She was right, of course.  A blow to my stomach.  A blow to my pride.  But so very needed.  I needed her to call me out on my unforgiveness.  To call it what it was.  To not let it go unsaid, that I was holding on to a sin.  She declared that for me because she loves me.  I'm willing to risk a lot of transparency with an honest friend like that, who has my best interest at heart.  She wasn't going to pass over the topic and validate my wrong.  *Sigh*  I can't tell you what a gift that kind of friendship is.  

That conversation happened with a particular friend, but I have a cluster of girls that could have spoken those words.  These are the girls I keep returning to!  These are the friends I crave time with!  I keep wanting to be real; the more real I am, the more I'm becoming the me I want to be.  I want to be the no B.S. girl who doesn't waste His plan for community.  

Jesus wasn't about B.S. either.  (Excuse my crassness.)  One of the things the Lord has been teaching me for the last year and a half is not to dwell - or even care - when I don't end up pleasing everyone.  Unintentionally I end up offending, hurting, or disappointing people around me because of the expectations they've placed on me.  Most of the time these expectations haven't even been communicated, but somehow it comes out that they're there.  I really struggled with wanting people to like me and figuring out how to keep everyone happy.  A brilliant friend (Yep, one of those girls again!) empathized and said she had struggled with the same issue, but she had found freedom when she learned from Jesus how to think.  She said, "Jesus offended a ton of people, because He was different and set apart.  He was honest and didn't beat around the bush.  So now I think, 'If I'm following Jesus, I will end up offending people.  If I'm super nice and people can't think of any negative things to say about me, well then I'm probably doing something wrong.  I won't be able to please everyone and Jesus at the same time.  I want to live an eccentric life that blesses Him, not be worried about others' approval.'"  Isn't that a beautiful message from one transparent friend to another?  Those words wouldn't be ringing in my head and carrying me through my journey if I hadn't chosen to talk about it or she hadn't been willing to share her story either. 

I know I've gotten a little off course, so I'll wrap up with a final plea.  Be vulnerable in your relationships and find friends that are willing to be equally transparent.  You both will be blessed by the depth of love and support that comes from the friendship.  
  
One of my favorite Christian author/speakers is Lysa TerKeurst.  This morning on facebook she posted the following:  Say "thank you" to the Lord for all of the friendships and relationships that He has placed in your life.  Philippians 1:3-5, "I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the the gospel from the first day until now."

Thank you, girlies, for the amazing gift you are in my "real" life. xoxo   



Some more great friendship verses:

Proverbs 13:20
He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

Proverbs 12:26
A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.    

The Good Samaritan

I just posted this Facebook update earlier this morning, but there's more of the story that I'd like to remember.  First of all, Carter's response is noteworthy.  After I safely pull over on our windy commute choice, Marsh Creek Road, I start the emergency flashers and hurry around to the kids' door.  I see the damage.  All.  Over.  Carter.  I stare at him for a second and simply say, "Poor baby."  His reply?  "Uh. Oh!"  Way to put a smile on my face, even in the midst of this, buddy boy.  

I had to run back to get a bag just in case Noah had another episode.  Then I started wiping up some obvious areas.  Buckles, clothes.  All covered.  How could I get to the cute sickie behind it all?  I was starting to make some progress, when suddenly Hayden yells, "I see Mr. Bell!"  I wasn't of the mind to ask what he meant or if he was serious.  But sure enough, I turn around to see Mr. Bell, the twins' PE teacher, and his daughter.  Now, I've met this man once for a total of 3 minutes.  But he knows we both commute on that same road, he saw the twin sticker and guessed it was us, and he chose to stop.  He helped with the removal of Carter's pukey pants and ended up taking Hayden to school so I could immediately turn around and head back home.  What a great blessing!  

He didn't have to stop.  Yet this is the kind of person teaching my sons at school.  In spite of the morning's events, I have a big smile on my face for that reason alone.  Thanks, Mr. Bell, our good samaritan.           

A Hero is a Hero

What I'm about to write may be perceived as blown out of proportion.  Even vets might think I'm overreacting.  Oh well.  I've had these thoughts for quite some time, and what better time to unleash them than on Veteran's Day - a day meant to honor all of our servicemen and women.  No classifications.  They are all our heroes.

What really bothers me are the jabs, jokes, and put downs targeting other branches of the military... BY OTHER MILITARY!  Did I miss the government memo that ranks the branches in order of importance or cool factor?  Why does one branch think they should communicate a superiority over any other? about tasks, workouts, assignments, boot camp level of difficulty...  My thought is, until you have crossed over and served in more than one branch, you have no right to make negative judgments about any other. 

Where is the brotherhood/camaraderie/support for one other?  Do you not make the same sacrifices?  Are you not all in front of your families and friends and millions of strangers defending your homeland?  I know I'm not a dude, so may be this is just (typically guys) messing with each other and "friendly banter" particularly between the Marines and the Navy.  After all, I know in a way this is how it works with cops and firemen too.  When the worst happens, one serviceman's life is never worth more than another's.  So I don't understand why there can't be a tighter sense of community, affirmation, and honor between all branches of the armed forces on days other than Veteran's and Memorial Day.  A hero is a hero.  

And it may be that there are not many (or any!) others who have picked up on this or get frustrated about it like I do.  But that's the beauty of blogging.  I get to talk about what I want to talk about.  ; )  So that's it.  Thank you, ALL ARMED FORCES, for the work that you do.  You are all important, valuable, selfless, and we are blessed by your willingness to serve.

Snail Mail

Sometimes the littlest things bless my heart. Like getting a piece of snail mail from a dear old friend. And even more so when it says stuff like this - exactly what my own heart says! Facebook is nice to keep in touch, and I'm definitely grateful for how it quickly connects us.  But let us not forget the simple joy of receiving old fashioned mail!  Send one today and bless a friend's day!