Family celebrations

This past week has been a quick one as we begin to wind down the summer. The higlight has been the time we had my cousin's daughter with us. Hannah is 10, and she and Maren are two peas in a pod! When we first reconnected two years ago at Disneyland, we were amazed at their immediate bond and how much alike they are. The girls have emailed and talked across the miles between Edwardsville, Illinois, and Tustin, California, to maintain their relationship. I'm sure it helps that we spent a week together last summer!





We have been so blessed to have spend this time with Hannah, building memories at the water park, movies, City Museum, and just playing with the kitten. All of us will remember this time together. We'll remember Bongo clothes from the trailer at the movie theater because Hannah thought they were awesome and she thought it would be cool to have a photo with Maren in new Bongo outfits. (Thanks to their grandmas, her wish came true!)





Our time with Hannah at our house culminated with a party - a 60th Anniversary party in Springfield, IL, for my great aunt and uncle. Many relatives who I really don't know where there. I see them every few years, but I don't have a relationship with them. My husband and kids were great - they ate and talked to the people they knew, but they didn't mingle with those outside the circle. We heard the usual strains of, "Those boys are getting so tall!" and "You have grown so much since I last saw you!" They engaged when necessary then retreated to the comfort of their seats and full plates.





The anniversary party was special because the kids were with their cousins and family. They saw their grandma have a great time mingling with her cousins. They saw their cousin scoop icing off the decorated anniversary cake with a toy ice cream scoop - not Hannah! But I hope they remember that sometimes life isn't about us. We could have had time with the more immediate family going to the lake or the pool, but this day was about celebrating 60 years of marriage!





60 years is a long time, and Aunt Marie and Uncle Keith were the stars. My uncle commented that he didn't think he'd make it to the party since he had two heart attacks in the week before the party! It was truly a celebration, and they had a great time with their family and friends.





Relationships take time and energy to keep them alive. I pray that my kids will take the time to talk with their cousins and get together so they continue the bond they have started. And I pray that they will remember that life isn't always about them, that it is good for them to rejoice with others, to help others, to play a supporting role from time to time. There is always something to be learned or enjoyed when we look for it. Being a friend or family member isn't about having everyone look at us. It's about enjoying life together and considering the feelings of those we love.





It will be interesting to see what they each remember from this weekend when we bring it up at a cousin's wedding 15 years from now. I am confident that it will be that they were with their family, at a 60th anniversary party - from there, it's anyone's guess!

Summer days - finding time for the right food

Summer days are... Different for each of us! I couldn't wait for summer so our schedule would relax and our evenings wouldn't be so rushed. We could lounge at the pool, then head off to ballgames. Well, this summer hasn't been so peaceful. The kids are older, which means we have more to fill our days. And they really don't care about my schedule, so I've got to be disciplined.

But holding a schedule is difficult for me during the summer. Sure the bills are paid and the house is relatively clean, but I'm not on my game. There is a hole in my life, and it's time with God. Or as the kids learned at camp, it's TAWG. (Time Alone With God)

I have found TAWG to be critical in getting through my day - Bible study and prayer are the foundations of keeping my life together. Summer changes that because the kids are home and I feel guilty taking time from them. But I shouldn't. Summer changes that because we are still busy and there is more laundry, more meals, and more mess. But it shouldn't take away my time with God. Summer changes that because my husband and I are busy, passing by each other and maybe sitting in the car on the way to a ball game, and he takes a phone call and I lower the volume of the radio. But this shouldn't be.

So I am asking God to forgive me for my wrong priorities. I need him to be my portion everyday, not just when it's convenient to my schedule. It's fun how God works in our hearts every time we open the Bible. Today when I read about "working for food that doesn't spoil," I knew he was speaking to me. My work is to be glorifying God through my prayers and actions. Sure, I am to take care of my children and our material items, but God is to be number one. And my husband #2. Oh, that doesn't sound good! My husband is to be my second priority, not the person I give my leftovers to because he'll take them. :)

So let's work together and find our time with God every day and work for food that doesn't spoil, for water that will forever quench our thirst. But I do need an iced tea - it's nearly 100 degrees today!

Snoring before sunrise

It's 4:15 a.m., and I'm wide awake. Been awake for hours because it's God's time. Several times a week God wakens me for him. It may be for 30 minutes, or it may be for three hours. How do I know it's him and not just a sleepless night? Well, my awake time isn't about the next day's to do list or worrying about my kids. It's about prayer - who is on my heart or what God has placed on my heart.

These past few hours have been prayer-related for people and a new family-time event that we are planning at church. How do I get through the next day? Again, it's God sustaining me. He created us to sleep, and when he deems that I've had enough shut-eye, it's time to work. I'm quite excited about the plan for the Sunday afternoon water blast and how to incorporate some lessons that will reach our families while also having a memorable time with each other. I am very thankful that God calls me to service and he doesn't ask me to do it on my own power. So I'm lying in bed, praying and planning, singing energetic songs in my head for the event. And I'm called to get up and type. "Write this stuff down," God nudges. "But I'm so comfy. I'll get it down after I get the kids to school, after I sign checks at church, after the kitchen is cleaned up, after my emails are dealt with, after I drop off the stuff for the social tonight - really before I go to Bible study I'll do it." "Now." "Okay."

So I get ready to get out of bed, and I look over at my peacefully sleeping husband who is snoring. And his snoring doesn't keep time with the songs in my head, but that's okay. And I stop and pray for him. Not because he's snoring! But because he's a rock for me. He such a hard-working, God-loving, do anything for us kind of man. He has worked his tail off to provide for us and to use his gifts from God to make this world a better place through his love, time, talents and money. I have to stop and thank God for my husband, because honestly, there are days that we are lost in the madness of the world to each other. We make sure everything is taken care of for the kids and business. We don't leave anyone at school. Bellies are full. But my heart wants more sometimes. And I have to give to him, too. God gave us to each other, and marrige is truly a gift. On the days when he's popping his gum, putting a Pop-Tart wrapper in his empty milk glass or just being less than I want him to be, I need to stop and put it in perspective and remember unconditional love for this man with whom I share my life. Just like he needs to love me when I'm right or more focused on the kids' needs than his.

I think it's fun how God multitasks in my life. He honors my obedience and creates ways for me to get my work done and to focus on the important parts of life. Once sunrise hits and the snoring ceases, my call is to obey and show my love more to my husband and make him a priority. Fed Ex morning delivery is not nearly as urgent a message as God putting it on my heart before daybreak. Time to write the other stuff down before the battery goes...

Fast Start to the Year

For twenty-one days, I am going to eat nothing. I'm going to drink fruit and veggie juices instead. Really? Me, the consummate foodie?!



I felt God leading me to do this, so I'm following that call. I'm 5 days into this and I'll tell you that it's going well. But those cheeseburgers I made for dinner really got to me. And the chips. And the salad. It's the first time in these five days that the lure of food was strong.



But I resisted. Why? Because I want this time for reliance on God to be my portion. I am wanting to draw even closer to him because I want to walk in obedience. I want his light to shine through me. I am praying for wisdom as I serve the church this year. I am begging for discernment and wisdom as we look to start a new business.



That means I need "big God." I am wanting him in my life in a big way, so I am sacrificing in a big way and relying on him. I have previously only fasted for one day at a time. This is out of my realm of experience, but I'm excited to have him sustain me. Let me share a story with you.



We had just returned home from the grocery store, and I was putting the week's worth of groceries away. Oh, yeah. Not groceries for my meals, but those for my family! I was down to my last bag and the kids had their chips and cheese dip out. "God," I asked, "how does my not eating glorify you? Does my fasting really honor you?" Everything I had read stated that fasting and prayer are both important parts of a Christian's discipline. But I wanted to ask him.



A minute later I opened a drawer to look for an item. In front of my face was $170 and a picture of a GPS from a Target ad. This money had been missing for two weeks! I had set this money in this drawer, I thought, after I removed it from the card. I was going to the bank the next day and couldn't find the money. I searched everywhere in the kitchen. I looked in that drawer at least 20 times. I took everything out. I went through the trash, rummaged through the recycling bins, and the empty Christmas boxes. The money was nowhere to be found. Until God asnswered my question. Yes, fasting honors him.



So I fast. And those hamburgers didn't smell nearly as sweet as the possibility of hearing the words of Jesus one day when he says, "Well done."