An Unexpected Journey

That moment when my kids came racing down the stairs- except for the baby.   She stayed at the top because she said she wanted a photo alone!   She is her own person and moves at her own pace.   Always.   Even Christmas morning.   They grab the stockings- this year we wrapped everything.   Then my kindergartener called everyone to a halt.   We must pray first she yelled repeatedly.   I am pretty sure I owe her sweet teacher for this one as I have never prayed before presents.   It was precious. Warmth.   Smells that beckon and tastes that delight.   Classical Christmas music dancing around us.   Flames on the screen because in Georgia it’s too hot for the real ones.   Squeals of delight and shredding of paper.   Bows flying and eyes full of wonder. Hugs and thank you’s.   I set the dining room table that once belonged to my great grandmother with the china that once belonged to my other great grandmothe...

When I can’t sleep or things are tough, I write.   Oh, I write a whole lot more in my head than I ever actually get onto paper, er well, cyberspace these days.   And this morning things are feeling really real.   Sometimes life just stinks.   I woke up early having a pity party this morning.   We have really been looking forward to getting away to my parent’s house in Alabama for Thanksgiving this week.   We take turns rotating Thanksgiving and Christmas between my family in Alabama and my husband’s family in South Carolina.   We have only had 7 years since the twins were born and for three of the previous years when it was my family’s turn someone in my immediate family has had the stomach bug. Two times we thought we were all better and went to spend the week with family only to give the gift of Norovirus to everyone else.   So a few years ago when Cameron called at work to say Eliana was throwing up the Friday before Thanksgiving week, we did...

Seasons are a funny thing.    I get up at the same time every day… well, give and take a few snoozes.    I either pray and walk or else pray and eat a small bite of goodness- mini pumpkin donuts lately- that I’ve hidden from my kids!   The one thing that’s consistent in my morning routine from day to day is the coffee.   Whether I am sneaking treats or walking, there will be coffee.   I guess that says a lot about the pace of my exercise! But it seems like just yesterday I was having a hard time beating the sun up in the mornings.   And suddenly it’s dark until it’s time to get dressed and wrap up my morning routine.   The changing seasons seem to sneak in when I am not looking.   There is a verse in the Old Testament about understanding the times and knowing what to do. It says…the men of Issachar understood the times and they knew what to do.   About two weeks before the accident this verse jumped out at me when I was lo...

Every breath is precious, but not all moments are created equal.   Some are just plain weightier than others.   I mean clipping my toe nails and saying I do just do not equivocate!   I think part of appreciating life is recognizing when the moment is pregnant with meaning.   Yesterday held some of those for me. Both of my twins prayed when they were smaller to ask Jesus to come into their hearts.   One of them had an almost immediate change in behavior.   Before that she could throw a tantrum like a bull in a rodeo.   Only it wasn’t 8 seconds!   It could last for an hour! No discipline seemed to make a dent in her little temper until after that day.   Now it wasn’t a silver bullet, and she can still blow a fuse.   But boy, the tendency to go all fire cracker on us really improved, and her heart seemed to be softened.   To this day she remembers that prayer, and it has seemed real to her and she is full of faith. The other ...

The hum of the motor.  The warmth of the sun beating down.  When I look out from the front of the boat the beautiful view of the placid lake is breathtaking.  I lean over the side and dance my fingers in the spray of water coming from beneath the boat.  The view this way is nothing  spectacular.  Dark water.  Hazy spray.  Kind of like life.  When our nose is to the grind,  head down, there is often not much to see.  Perspective can be elusive.  We see just what is right in front of us.   A new school year is fast approaching. The grind.  The rushing.  The challenge to be organized.  School. Meals. Laundry. House. Sports. Work. Breathless.  Hazy.  The feeling that what’s in front of me is the most important thing- even if it’s not.   I tilt my head as I peer into the white spray of water cascading over the lake.  And then I see it.  Just a glimpse.  A glimmer.  A ...

From where I sit in my bed I can see real life all around.   The pile of dirty laundry spilling out from the laundry room into the hall.   Pictures I bought for the twin’s room lean against the wall chiding me for not managing to hang them yet.   Clean, neatly folded stacks of kid’s winter clothing waiting impatiently to be tucked into bins.   And then I close my eyes.   And I try to imagine.   What your view might be like.   Pristine water flowing over perfectly rounded rocks.   Sparkly “tiny fings” hidden like treasure among the stones just waiting for curious fingers to find them.   The patter of little feet and the rolling of laughter as children race to the water’s edge and plunge in without a care in the world.   The perfect feel of warmth as your feet dance their way into the stream… stepping effortlessly on rocks as smooth as solid silk.   Reaching for the sparkly surprises that He knew you would find.   His eyes ...

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night.  I couldn’t stop thinking about her.  The mom of four who is about to face one of the hardest days of her life.  Or the littles who cling to her and how they cannot possibly understand.  Neither do we.   But they feel and they cry.  Perhaps she lies awake tonight,  too.  Her pillow wet with tears.  The sunrise brings with it a funeral.  The light ushering in an hour that makes all of our knees tremble.  She lays her young husband to rest today. Remembering all the good and treasuring his memory and love. I can scarcely stand to think of the day I awoke to a funeral.  The day we buried my baby girl.  So I don’t and I won’t.  Not even here.  It is too painful still to let myself go back.  And perhaps not wise.  I don’t live there anymore.  There was a time when I had to grab my thoughts daily  as they reached backwards and remind them constantly...

I am thrilled to have one of my favorite people do a guest post today!  My mom is one of my dearest friends and heroes!  This is a reflection from her this week... "This morning I woke up to a magnificent Winter Wonderland! The snow blanketed everything with pristine white.  I walked outside with my morning coffee to breathe the cold, crisp air.  I was very thankful that I did not have to go anywhere. Just two days ago our family celebrated the life of my father-in-law, Bill Arnold, after his home-going a few days before.  He was a good man who loved his family, contributed greatly to our nation’s defense as an aerospace engineer working in the fields of radar and magnetics, and he grew from a rational relationship with God to a deeply personal one.  I am reminded that our life has seasons, just as nature does.  The Winter season where all the leaves have fallen, the air is frigid, and no flowers are blooming, can also have its own beaut...