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June 16 F2 Tornado hits Olive BranchWhew! Tornado in my cozy little town over the weekend (News story). Fortunately, our home was spared and lives across the city were as well. The storm hit Friday afternoon, just after 5pm. I happened to be on my way home from work when it hit....pulled over into a Walgreens parking lot and quietly prayed as the skies got black, the winds bent the trees in an unnatural way and the tornado sirens screamed through the air.
We lost some trees and some shingles. We lost power from 5pm Fri to noon Sun. We gained appreciation for the simplest things....running water being the most basic. Being on a well instead of city water poses serious issues!! Anyway, all is well here, the cleanup is ongoing and God has spared us for yet another day. April 02 Amazon's KindleMy friend marge and I have been chatting about the library over the last couple of days. She mentioned the love of that book 'smell', the feel of the pages, the thrill at holding a book in your hands.
Well, on the way back from a spring break trip this year I saw a guy on the plane who had one of those Kindle books with him. If you don't know what that is, it's an iPod for books....you download then READ the book, page by page, on a screen. To turn pages he appeared to click the side and I think it had some scrolling abilities and certainly some zoom for those that need a little bigger font.
 Here's a link to the product if you haven't seen it: Kindle 2 (opens new window)
So what do you guys think? Does this appeal to you? Not me!! I love technology, love the toys, own a bunch of them. But don't take my book away. January 23 25 Random Things About Me1) Me and my sister are both adopted. I met my birthmother in 1996 and have a great relationship with her and one of her sisters. The other sister doesn't really fit with Patti and Peggy....but she's ok. Their mom - my birth grandmother - was a dear, dear lady who passed away a year and a half ago. She loved my kids and they loved her. Her husband died a short 11 months later, probably of a broken heart. It's great to have an extended family like that! 2) If I had to do 'career' all over again I'd find a way to go into sports broadcasting. I'm green with envy every time I see a sideline reporter or an ESPN anchor. That should have been me. 3) I never wanted to have children. Once I got married my heart changed and I thought kids would be awesome....but up til that point I was convinced that I wanted nothing to do with being a mother. 4) Picking at and chewing my fingernails is how I deal with stress. Over the last few years I've gotten much better about it but it's been a lifelong struggle. 5) I want to visit every major league stadium in the country. I'm probably half way there (have never counted....) 6) I've been hauled to jail twice, fingerprinted/searched/photographed/bailed out once. 7) I remember very little about my grade school years. Most of the memories are bad. 8) My favorite color is green and my favorite time of the year is the fall. 9) I don't like talking about me. 10) After spending ages 17-36 living hundreds of miles from my parents, they now live 5 miles from me. It's cool getting to know them again - we have a much better relationship now than we ever had. 11) Ditto with my sister - she's two years older than me and we were NEVER friends until these last couple of years. She lives here in town too. 12) I have two step-sons. They are 28 and 23 years old and live in Alabama. 13) I have irrational fears about something bad happening to my children. They are consistent and haunting but I have no reason to believe anything will ever come of them. 14) I want to go sky-diving/parachuting one day. I'll wait til the kids are older in case I go 'splat'. 15) My favorite place in the United States to visit is New York City. The energy, the people, the glitz, the lights, the sidewalks, the little walk-in delis, the townhouses, the street vendors, the accents....I love it all. 16) I want to vacation in Ireland....take a week or two to explore the countryside by train, check out castles and pubs, enjoy the beauty. 17) Both of my children have asked God into their hearts and have been baptized by their youth minister. The peace of knowing that my children are saved and will spend eternity in heaven with me is an astounding peace. 18) I have a hard time throwing things away. I'm not a pack rat, but close. 19) I have four friends that live many, many miles away, that I could call in the middle of the night, and have 100% confidence that they would be by my side the next day if I really needed them. Four. I think that's amazing and awesome. I think that they know I'd do the same for them. 20) If I could go anywhere for a long weekend I'd pick a cabin in the North Carolina woods surrounded by trees, water, trails and nothing else. I love the quiet serenity that nature brings. And I'd go by myself if my family didn't mind. 21) I've always wanted to own a Jaguar but I'm too fiscally responsible to pay that much money for a car. 22) Dilbert is my favorite cartoon. 23) I have a chemical engineering degree but spend my day designing/managing marketing and sales programs. Hmmmmm..... 24) I want to use my past experiences to teach/counsel teens and young adults someday. Problem is that my heart/mind won't let me talk about those experiences openly and truthfully right now. 25) I became a Christian at the age of 24. While I had head knowledge of him for many years it wasn't until I had heart knowledge that I really 'got' it. I'm thankful for many along the way that made the effort to help me come to know God and for those that have held me accountable and helped me grow in my faith over the last 14 years. I'd be dead if it weren't for all of them! January 13 Tuesday's Devotional - PiecesThis mornings devotional made me smile as it began with discussion around 'sewing'. Yes marge, I smiled and thought of YOU.
The book is "Moments With You" by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. It's a daily devotional meant for couples but can certainly be meaningful in a singular setting.
Anyway, this devotional ties the work of a seamstress to the work of the Lord in our marriages. In order to successfully create something useful as a seamstress, one must piece together many pieces into a pattern then "make them come together" in concert to yield the total creation.
As written in Exodus 25:9...
'Make this tabernacle and all it's furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you."
So, in marriage we too have many pieces that must be seen as a collective package designed by God. We have the romance, the chores, the bills, the child rearing, etc that sometimes can cause us to focus on single segments at any one time. But, it's important to step back and see how all the pieces come together to make a marriage relationship what it is. My adult education pastor has a great word picture about marriage where he talks about the husband and wife and stresses that as long as both are focused on the Lord and their paths are taking them to Him, then the husband and wife will always be headed in the same direction, meeting at the top of a three-sided figure where God is.
Good thoughts to ponder this morning. January 09 Today's Devotional - Your Child's 'CQ'So I'm reading this devotional.....it starts my day now. Today's entry was about kids and went something like this:
Think about the greatness of the Great Wall of China. Did you know that it's the ONLY manmade structure visible from outer space? Its huge, strong, inpenetratable. BUT....once built, people continued to be able to access China without getting shot. They didn't go over, under or through the wall....so how did they get by this incredible 'wall'??
What China did wrong is pour all of it's resources into the thing, the wall, not in it's people. The guards were simply bribed and enemies were able to gain entry to China. We as parents sometime forget that we can plan, save, give and help our child succeed in the world....but if we don't arm these same children with a 'Character Quotient' to go along with all that great effort, they will be ill-prepared to stand for what's right when the time comes.
What kink of CQ do you possess?? Do you act in darkness or do you do everything in the light, in front of God and the world to see? Your children are watching and learning. December 31 Our ChristmasMostly quiet here....visited the in-laws the weekend before Christmas so the week of was spent peacefully at home. Our Christmas Eve is a tradition of a movie (this year it was "Elf") along with summer sausage, cheeses, dips, crackers and drinks. Chilling out by the glow of the Christmas tree with the family, my sister and my parents. Christmas morning the kids get up around 8am....they stay up so late on Christmas Eve that they've never seen the 5am hour like we did as kids. Mom/Dad/Sis come over, we all open presents and eat Sister Schuber's rolls while sipping on coffee. It's very low key and very nice.
Big gifts this year were 'The Wii', a Nintendo DS for Em and a digital camera for Sara. We all had a blast playing with the Wii - particularly the bowling since it takes the least amount of energy (the boxing...oh my!).
Our family doesn't do 'blow-outs' for Christmas. It's a time to enjoy family, laugh and play, and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The real reason for Christmas is not lost here. I'll post some pics as well.
Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!! December 29 What a wild December it's been.....I haven't written in over a month. While there are many things that have demanded my time and energies....a few stand out.
1) Facebook is my new friend. I have to admit that I enjoy keeping up with the lives of my faraway friends and their families on this portal. Especially love the posted pictures.
2) Getting ready for Christmas. Between decorating, buying presents, doing cards, traveling to in-laws.....whew!
3) Taking a class at church. Wednesday nights were spent taking a marriage class with about 20 other couples. We did a study based on the movie 'Fireproof' - the study was meant to better explain God's design of love and marriage and how to protect your marriage from the things that creep in and destroy it.
4) Work. CRAZY busy in December. Year end evaluations, finalizing sales figures for rebates and program dollars, getting invoices accounted for....all that fun stuff made for an extremely busy month.
These things add up to no time to think and less time to write! I do miss scanning other posts and sharing comments....will get back into that now that the New Year has arrived. Will even post some Christmas pics later this week. Hope everyone had a great Christmas! November 25 Thanksgiving SharingThe GA's (Girls in Action) are a Southern Baptist group whereby girls, ages 6-13, learn about church missionaries and being a missionary in their own town or neighborhood. Our church's group sponsored a family this year for Thanksgiving...a mom (not sure if there was a dad??) with EIGHT children. The kids collected money and the leaders shopped for a turkey and every side dish and dessert imaginable. Tonight we gathered at the church with the kids, drove to this family's house, and presented them with 15 smiling faces and a pile of food. The lady was very appreciative though she didn't say much. I later had to explain to my girls that people often are embarrassed when people come to help....they would often rather provide for themselves and NOT have to take 'charity', so sometimes they simply don't say much beyond 'thanks' because they really don't know what TO say.
Good experience for our family. I want to instill in the kids at a young age that it's the right thing to do to help people. It's even more right to help those who don't know your name and could never repay you....those are people that you're helping purely out of a loving and compassionate heart.
Hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving! Blessings to all. November 10 The ShackRead this novel last week - on the way to Orlando on Thursday and on the way home Saturday. A good 4hr read.
The quick storyline is this: Father and kids go camping one weekend and while saving his son from danger his daughter mysteriously disappears. Soon her bloodsoaked dress is found and evidence recovered that leads to a conclusion of murder although a body is not found. The man lives with the sadness for quite sometime until one day he finds an invitation from what seems like God in his mailbox, inviting him back to the place where his little girl's clothes were found. The rest of the book is about the weekend he spends with Papa (God), Jesus and the Holy Spirit, all personified and existing in the Shack. Here, the trinity walks the father through his feelings, his beliefs and his purpose.
I'll tell you this....I wept almost the entire way to Orlando (thank God for cocktail napkins!) as I read the first quarter of the book. The fear and agony of losing a child is one that I've experienced in a couple of ways - stories I'll choose not to share at this time. However, the discussions that take place at the Shack, the wisdom that the trinity shares about who they are and why they are, had almost the same affect as I realized the Lord was explaining to ME some misguided assumptions I've shaped my beliefs around.
Much is happening in my life right now - the Lord is challenging me on more than a couple of levels - and I'm finding myself keenly aware of the fact that He is trying to move me to a new place where I can be more about Him and less about myself. The fact that this book was shared with me months ago but actually handed to me Wednesday by a dear friend (knowing I had plane time the next few days) is not coincidence. That another friend called me Friday evening to chat briefly and ask how I was doing was not coincidence either - I had a couple things I needed to share with her and needed her calming voice to settle me that night. It's now a focus of mine to watch and listen for additional opportunites to further understand what is happening.
If your faith confuses you or you harbor some anger towards God, this book is a must read. "Wow" is what I'll leave you with.
My best to you for a fantastic week.
November 03 Mission StatementIn response to a post by my friend marge (Click here for marge's site), here is a great MISSION STATEMENT for life. I wish that I had written it, but I didn't. I do have a framed copy in my office though....it speaks loudly to all that stop and peruse.
Mission Statement . THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED . I AM A PART of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won.t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is in God.s hands. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, the bare minimum, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, frivolous living, selfish giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity. I don.t have to be right, first, the best, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith. I lean on Christ.s presence. I love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with the power of God.s grace. My face is set. My gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, and my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and spoken up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give until I drop, speak out until all know, and work until He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no difficulty recognizing me. My banner is clear: I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.
www.surprisedbytruth.com Halloweeen FunKids had a big time this year! We went to a friends house, walked many many blocks and visited dozens of houses, then crawled back to the house for chili, chips, dips and desserts. Fun night! I'll have to come back and post pics.
October 22 God is SO GOOD!I've cried a bunch today - first, tears of sadness. Steph went in around 7:45am and finally broke down with emotion (the reality finally hit) on the way out the door. That was tough. At 8:19am she went in and at 11am we were told that she was out. WOW! The hole in her heart was repaired and the tricuspid valve repaired and the doctor was just ecstatic that things went so well.
So - tears of happiness followed. I was able to get into CICU (you know, because I'm her "sister") to see her at 1pm visiting hour and she was nodding her head and waking up. To see her looking so good, having such little of her pain medicine and having such good vitals so soon after surgery just made my own heart swell with happiness and joy. I'll be sticking around for the 5pm visiting hour then heading home to Memphis.
SO MANY PEOPLE have lifted prayers for Stephanie. This has been such a long process from knowing she had to have surgery to her actually having it - and now the big part is over. I've had people praying for her that have said "if you love her then I love her" - how awesome is that!
Psalm 121 I lift up my eyes to the hills -- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip -- He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you -- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm -- He will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more. After yet another delay, the day is hereSteph gets prepped this morning and heads into surgery at 7:30am. She should be out around noon and into CICU around 3 or 4pm. I'm hoping to be able to see her for a few minutes there before I have to motor home. The doctor said that she probably won't wake up until possibly Thursday morning but I'll still stay later this afternoon just to sit with her.
Me and two other girlfriends met up with Steph at the hospital Tues night - dressed Steph up with the tiara, earrings and a magic wand. She is definately our little princess and needed to feel like one.
I was up a good bit of the night praying for Steph - imagine today will be a very long day. October 20 Ever feel like the pastor is speaking to or for YOU?What a day in church yesterday! As always....I went to the 9am worship service and 10:15am Sunday School. There was a special treat yesterday as our Praise Team sang and the kids (grades 1-6) came up through the aisles to sing with them. The song was about embracing our community and making great things happen and the seeing the kids (mine included) singing about their city was very special. The congregation is always moved when the boys and girls that choose to spend Wed evenings in choir come before the church and openly and excited sing praises to God.
Onto the lessons.....Pastor Jimmy's sermon was about accidents and how they can be used to further the kingdom of God. 'Coincendentally' (no - I don't believe in coincidence), there were two girls killed the day before in our community after an ATV flipped over on them. News of this had spread before church started but it hit home as Pastor Jimmy mentioned it at the top of his message. Needless to say, there weren't many dry eyes in the 'mom' category as we all thought about our own children. Pastor Jimmy spoke of how difficult it can be to accept accidents as just that, but how as we live every day with the faith that God is in control, and that there is a heaven, an eternity (!) waiting for us after this life is over, how only then can we have the strength to truly accept tragedy and know that good can come from it if we choose to see it.
Our Sunday School lesson was from 1 Samuel - somewhere around chapters 18-23 - where we hear of Jonathan (Saul's - the King of Israel's son) and David (the heir apparent to the throne of Israel) and their lockstep friendship. David (the guy that slain Goliath) was on Saul's list of people to be killed but Jonathan helped protect David against his fathers wishes knowing that David was a man of God and knowing that acting against his fathers wishes would surely bring death. Our teacher talked at length about the value of having those 2 or 3 'TRUE FRIENDS' in your life that you can count on for compassion, honesty, prayer and love at all times - Jonathan and David had that sort of friendship.
So - why did I feel like the lessons were all about me?? You faithful readers know that I have a friend, Stephanie, who has been living with heart issues for the last several months. Her surgery (of the open heart variety) is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Well....she not only is that TRUE FRIEND of mine, that one of a very small handful that I would do anything for, but has been an example of someone using her illness (or accident in her heart) as a witness to God's power and grace. Stephanie has yet to complain about the pain, the inconveniece, the fear that must come with having the need for open heart surgery. She continually points to the Lord as being in control and has the calm confidence about her that says silently that she'll be just fine no matter what. Those of us that know her well are not surprised by this - but there are so many that have come to know of Stephanie that have been moved by her spirit and her dependence on God.
Having messages that feel so personal delivered takes me to a place where I feel like God is trying to get my attention. It's as though He's wanting me closer, wanting me to refocus on something (or stop focusing on what I've been consumed with). This gnawing feeling is the Holy Spirit pulling me into a place of deeper prayer and bible study to hear what it is that He needs me to hear. Without a doubt, the hours I spend on the road today traveling to the hospital will allow me a great deal of time to talk to God and to listen for His voice. I'll take my Bible - I want to read more from 1 Samuel (great stuff!!) and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'll find nuggets that apply to me.
If you pray, pray both for me today as I drive to see Stephanie tonight and stay in the hospital tomorrow with her family as the surgery takes place. Pray for Stephanie - for the doctors and nurses that she is entrusting her life with. Pray that the messages shared yesterday at church will have their directed impact both in my life and in the lives of others who probably feel the same personalization that I do.
In all graciousness.
Carolyn October 13 Why?I was with visitors from the Northeast recently discussing Memphis. I'm ashamed to say that the conversation went quickly to the "Mall of Murder" (a mall area that has been shut down and demolished in the recent years for obvious reasons) and the awful crime rate all the way to the fact that domestic violence is a big part of the overall picture. Sure, we have good sports opportunities (NBA Grizzlies, AAA Baseball Redbirds), good cultural activities (Cannon Center, Orpheum Theatre, Symphony Orchestra), great activities for people that love the outdoors (Shelby Farms, Litcheman Nature Center) and nightlife/music (Beale St, Stax Records, Gibson Guitar factory, etc). But.....do many really want to venture into the city to enjoy these things given the crime rates??
This morning I ran across this article. Two babies killed on Saturday. Comment pulled from the article "The babies who died are the eleventh and twelfth kids killed in Memphis this year due to neglect or abuse."
I get the gang violence. I get the drug induced theft. I get the adults hurting adults because 'they have something I want' or 'they did something to me/my family'. When I say 'I get it' that doesn't mean that I agree with it or would ever say that it's OK, but I recognize that this is unfortuately NOT uncommon. What I don't get is a grown person, man or woman, hurting a child.
There is a heaven for these babies to feel love and a hell for these murderers to feel pain/agony. Both are for eternity. May God help us all.
October 06 Until next Spring....
October 01 Economy - Dave Ramsey's PlanHere's a good read - for those of you that haven't met Dave Ramsey this is a great introduction.
The Senate will be voting shortly - the latest is that ther may not be the 60 votes needed to send the latest bill to the House. I continue to be torn over the pros and cons....I do think that there are good things that are written into the current plan but it's all that 'other stuff' that I'm sure we don't know about that worries me. September 30 ConfusedThere is SO MUCH going on right now.....the election, the financial crisis, world instability, etc.......yet I find myself focusing on the small things, the things that surround me and me alone. Normal activities such as work, checking my girls' homework, having softball practice, huddling around the television to watch baseball and football - these are what fall on my to-do checklist. I feel as though these other things are so much bigger than I - what can I do but wait and see what those in power will decide? Is that wrong? Should I somehow 'be involved'? I do actively talk to people about who I think is the better presidential candidate - but that's about it.
My husband and I talked at length about the vote on the 'bailout' last night - there are so many rights and wrongs! After talking through some of the ideologies I've concluded that no matter what the country does there will be those that come out just fine but shouldn't and those that come out bruised and battered that should've been fine. Is inaction at this point a result of the country wanting to punish the small population that was greedy and shouldn't gain from a govt relief package? If millions suffer greatly for the next several years, will we all feel better knowing that 'at least those greed mongers on Wall St and in the banks didn't win!!'? I understand that Congress received thousands (maybe millions??) of phone calls and emails over the last few days from constituents demanding a 'no' vote......do those people truly grasp the magnitude of where our economy is? Will these be the same people that cry foul when they are out of work, inflation is through the roof and they're living on beans and water? (I know, minus 5 points for exaggeration....) If the $700 billion is approved, does something bigger and even uglier happen in 5-10 years that leaves us all on our heels wondering how we could've been so stupid?
People have their collective heads in the sand. They continue to spend as though everything is fine. If the bailout goes through and money remains available, everyday people will continue to borrow money that they shouldn't, will continue to buy things on credit they haven't earned and will basically keep on behaving in this "I deserve everything" mindset that has contributed to today's climate. We have 9/11, we have Katrina, we have serial killings, we have all sorts of things that make citizens stop and change their thinking and behaviour for a few days or weeks, but even the memories of these things fade and we go back to our old comfortable 'its all about me and my happiness' ways.
Maybe all of this is why I'm trying to be content and make sure that I don't lose sight of the immediate - my job and my family. Even my Cubs.....what's top of mind for me right now is that the Cubs have their first playoff game tomorrow night. Is that wrong? September 26 The Windy CityI'm in Chicago this week - attending a class on Category Management. The class is all about understanding the retailer, the consumer and what drives both of their behaviours. Fascinating.....simply fascinating!!! I believe that if the everyday Joe understood how they were played via everyday prices, promo strategies and via other mechanisms they'd feel violated. But....for the player....its great stuff!
This week has been great - spent Monday afternoon/evening with my friend Penny and others (Jodie and Debbie) reminescing and laughing about days long past. Spent Tues-Thurs in class but was able to spend Wed night with another frind (Jen). Tonight I went to Hooters to watch the Cubs/Mets and the White Sox/Twins games. Fun! While the scenery isn't what I wanted the TV's were perfect.
Heading home tomorrow afternoon. 4:50pm out of OHare on a Friday - anyone want to take a guess on whether that flight leaves on time??? September 15 Friend StephSteph had her tests at UAB last week - spent all day Wednesday being poked and prodded. I was able to spend Wed evening and Thursday morning with her thanks to the graciousness of her brother and sister-in-law. She was again strong - wanting to talk about everything but her and her condition. She did learn that she will definately have open heart surgery and it will be soon. Her appointment with the surgeon is this Wed - so the date will soon be set.
I'm thankful for the time we were able to have together last week. I can't wait for the surgery and for all of this to be over with.
Love you Steph. |
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