Happy New Year! January 1, 2009

January 1. A whole new year is stretched out before us. I started the day at 5:00 am by taking my momma to the airport after a great two-week visit. I returned from the snowy drive home to be greeted at the door by my Cooper. He was smiling big and wanted me to set him up with a pillow, blanket, milk and a movie. So here we sit while the rest of the house sleeps. And as I was logging onto my laptop Cooper glanced over and winked at me. He got up and came over and said, “Give me a hug, Mom.” You know, no matter how the night before ended, the kids always seem to wake up with a fresh new happiness. Glad to see me, glad to be awake and excited about the day.

As I sit here thinking about all of the New Year’s Resolutiony type things I want to do in 2009…you know, “eat better, exercise more, be less grumpy, read my bible more, paint the house, save the dolphins”… as I sit here thinking about them knowing that some of them I will do better at than others, one thing I know is that I will take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to let my kids know I love them and enjoy being in their presence. That I too am glad to see them and glad we have another day together.

Last night Cooper wanted to make a snowman. It was dark outside and the last thing I felt like doing was going out in the cold and dark. But he was so very excited and had it all planned out, a carrot, a happy face, two eyes, arms and 20 buttons. At first I said, “No. I don’t feel like going outside.” Then I saw the look in his eyes. The disappointment. His shoulders drooped a bit and he said, “Okay, Mom.” There was no good reason for me not to suit up and go out, so I went to get my snowpants. He didn’t care that it looked more like Jabba-the-Hut than a snowman, he was thrilled we did it. That’s the kind of stuff I need to be more aware of. The opportunities I need to take. Often I don’t do something because my agenda doesn’t include painting or play dough. I probably miss out on a lot of smiles because of that. My agenda in 2009 and beyond will not be so packed that a romp in the snow would throw off the schedule.

It’s easy to be feeling all warm and fuzzy as I sit on the couch and Coop is happily watching Curious George and the others are peacefully sleeping. I know things will get hairy and tempers go out of control and frustration sometimes will set in. But for now, I am counting my blessings and thanking God for the gift of every person He’s given me to share my days with. And I will make sure they know it.

Peace.
~kp

Growing Up in Forgiveness December 18, 2008

My podcast message today was about forgiveness. How can we get better at forgiving? Sometimes forgiving is easy. But the bigger the hurt, the more emotional the situation – the harder it can be. In reflecting and reading about forgiveness and looking at a crucial moment when Jesus said to God, “Hey, we need to forgive them,” my heart was encouraged that forgiving in all circumstances is possible.
If you have a chance to listen to our Message-To-Go entitled “Growing Up in Forgiveness” I’d be curious to know what you think. How do you find the ability to forgive when it’s tough? Or do you? ( Click here for our podcast site)
Have a great day!
Peace.

Blue Like Jazz December 16, 2008

I finished reading a book that has been sitting on my shelf for a while and now that I am finished with it, I am angry at myself for not reading it sooner.  “Blue Like Jazz” by Donald Miller is a gem of a book that I highly recommend to anyone who has heard of God.  Yes, I know this will encompass a huge number of people.  Like everybody.

“So what was so great about it?”  My husband asked me tonight.  Over the past several months, as Donna and I have been working on our Bible studies and I have been dabbling in other writing projects and stuff, the simplicity of the gospel message and what we are actually called to do has been revealed to me over and over again in a wide variety of places.  What is so great about “Blue Like Jazz” is that it affirmed again to me just how much God simply loves us.  And desires us to love each other.  Donald’s writing style is witty and entertaining and I loved going on the journey of realization with him to get to this place of simplicity – that for many of us really isn’t as simple as it sounds. He put words to the feelings that we all go through.  Every one of us, whether we have the courage to admit it or not.  The good, the bad and the really, really ugly.

So there.  Go.  Read.

Peace.

Irony – Here’s A Laugh October 3, 2008

I am watching my friend’s 2-yr-old boy today so she can substitute teach. Her plan is to sub once a week so she can keep her seniority standing in the school and grab a few extra bucks, and I told her I’d watch her little munchkin so she can do that. Anyways – when she dropped him off I asked her what subject she was teaching today.
“Technical Education at the high school” she replied.
“Computer stuff?” I asked.
“Yes.” She answered. I laughed because she and I commiserate over computer woes all the time – losing documents when the computer crashes, frustration over dropped connections, you know the stuff!
I asked, “So what are you teaching…proper anger management when the computer doesn’t do what it is supposed to do?”
She laughed and said, “The really ironic thing is that I was trying to sign up to sub for middle-school English but I pushed the wrong button on the computer screen.”
Isn’t that great!? I hope you and she both have a technically-problem-free day!
~kp

Consume without delay! July 13, 2008

My in-laws were recently here for a visit.  We had a great time and made some memories.  We also made many trips to the grocery store.  It seemed the thing to do and I love shopping with my mom-in-law (Mum).  On one outing I picked up a package of specialty crackers.  Fig and olive flavored crackers.  I know.  Yuck.  But I saw the word FIG and grabbed them just for Mum, who I knew is a fig-lover from way back when.

I came across the half eaten box today in my cupboard and chuckled when I read what was printed on the side of the box, “Consume without delay for maximum taste experience!”  Doesn’t that just sum-up the mentality that the world loves us to have?  We are constantly encouraged to “consume without delay.”   Hurry!  Buy now!  Don’t wait!  One-time offer!

What happened to: “Slow and steady wins the race”  or “Look before you leap”  or  ”Haste makes waste”

Ha ha!  I am pretty much the President of the Impatient Club.  It is difficult for me not to jump first and figure out the details later.  I don’t do “wait and see” very well.  As demonstrated in my seeing the word FIG and grabbing the box without noticing the “and Olive” part.  Mum ate a few and said they were “nice.”  Dad also ate a polite 2 or 3.  My hubby and I secretly made the gagging motion when no one was looking and I may have to pitch the rest of the box unless I can convince a girlfriend that they are super-yummy.  Any takers?

~kp

Who will clean up this mess? May 6, 2008

Yesterday was a fairly busy day.  I spent several hours cleaning up my kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom and living areas.  It was long overdue and very necessary.  It felt really good at the end of the day to be able to stand back and actually see what I had accomplished ( a neat and tidy/clean house – rather than the usual mayhem).  I glanced around one last time before making my way to bed, and was comforted to know it would look the same way the next morning.

Much to my dismay, when I got out of bed this morning, there was a huge mess in my kitchen!  Dirty dishes everywhere, food still out on the counter, spills running down the cupboards and onto the floor.  I was absolutely frustrated (to say the least).  I wondered which gremlin made the mess and WHY…why would they just leave it and expect someone else to clean it up for them?

Then I remembered how often I have done the same thing to God.  I’ve made a huge mess in my life, in my finances, in my relationships, then sat back and waited for Him to come along and clean up after me!

~ dl 

 

Hair Matters! March 29, 2008

This week I happened along Beth Moore’s blog site. 

I was taken back a little by the topic of the day, which was all about HAIR!  More specifically, hair coloring.  Honestly, I guess I wasn’t totally surprised.  I have heard Beth on more than one occasion, talk about her own hair. Quite frankly, I found it comforting that someone like her, (such a gifted bible teacher) could talk about something as meaningless as hair! (don’t send me any hate mail, I think hair is important, I just found it interesting that she would take the time to write about it). 

Apparently this subject matters - more than I first thought.  Literally hundreds of women found this topic worthy of commenting on.  In fact, at the time I happened across her blog site, 311 women had already commented. I also found the temptation too much to resist. I left a comment. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I somehow managed to sign myself up to receive notification of any and all additional posts.   

The next morning I awoke unsuspecting, signed into my email, and ohmygosh, 120 emails all about hair.  I laughed out loud at my own stupidity.  As passionate as I am about having the freedom to color my hair, (fyi;  I don’t have to, I choose to) other than quickly scanning the subject lines, I began deleting the messages without opening a signle one. 

Later I reminded myself, with new awareness…No matter how many messages God receives (way more than 120 I think), He takes the time to listen to each one.  No matter how ridiculous the subject may appear, He takes the time to comment – and He is delighted to do so.

So go ahead, ask Him which color he prefers!

~dl

The Bible – Prison or Freedom? March 25, 2008

This morning was one of those rare mornings, when I had a few extra minutes to just sit and watch my little boy as he played. 

Our cat was minding her own buisiness, resting comfortably under one of our living room chairs. Taelyn decided this was the perfect opportunity to place kitty in “kitty prison”.  He quickly gathered all of his stuffies, and every article he could find, and then proceeded to build a barracade around the chair so kitty could not escape.  My boy then positioned himself just outside the walls of this prison, to make sure kitty would not find her way to freedom.

My bible happened to be one of the articles used in installing the prison walls.  “Isn’t that the irony?” I thought to myself.  We often look at this book as a list of do’s and don’ts, and then envision God up there watching over us, ready to pounce when we make our first mistake. 

I wonder, is this book all about the things we should or shouldn’t do? Is a list or rules and regulations, or does it hold the key that will free us from our bondage?  Is God the mean old “ogre” sitting up in heaven shaking His Holy head when we don’t measure up? OR could He be waiting patiently for us to notice, He has written a love letter to each of us in the pages of His Holy script?

It would be such a shame to miss the pleasure He sees in us, as the “doting parent”.  I belive He is watching His little children take their first steps toward holiness.  He knows of each of our steps before we take them, and he is just waiting and knowing, one day we will learn to run!

dl