Quote of the Week and Stuff

It's been a tough week here on many fronts and for sanity's sake, I had to take a complete break from the cyber world. I'm playing a little bit of catch up this evening and look forward to visiting more in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, here's my "Quote of the Week":

Our Saviour kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, he reaches out in kindness and says, 'I can clean that if you want.' And from the basin of his grace, he scoops a palm full of mercy and washes our sin.

Max Lucado

While I was away, I was graciously and lovingly bestowed an award by two of my favorite blogging-friends. If you haven't met these lovelies yet, do visit Heidi Pocketbook at Bargain Hunting in the Corn and Becky at Holiday in the Sun. Thanks, Ladies. What a welcome back into blogging world! God knew I needed a little lift!

If The Shoe Fits is an award for those enthusiastic people who just bubble over!! I'd like to share it with my incredible sister-in-law Beth at It Is What It Is , my dear friend Liz at A Day in the Life of Liz, and my new bloggy friend, Isabel, whose life I can relate to in so many ways, at Thrills, Frills and Drills of Motherhood. Amazing Fiona at FeeBeeKay, who has a true-blue heart and the (6th!) most beautiful baby on the planet, also deserves the award but has already been granted it twice, otherwise, I'd share it with her too!

When I finally got out of the house today, this is the song that came on the radio. It was just what I needed:

I look forward to sharing what God has been doing in my heart and life, knowing full well that He only puts us through the fire so that we come out more refined and closer to His image than we were when we went in.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2&3

Quote of the Week

God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to.

Elisabeth Elliot

Brotherly Love

Can you just feel it?!?!

The Stranger

A friend shared this story through email last week. It's cute, but for our family it's also "amen!"

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family.

The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey.

But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to our first major league ball game.

He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave).

Dad ruled our household with moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home. Not from us, our friends, or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would find him sitting in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him paint his pictures.
His name?

We just call him 'TV.'

We are coming up on our five year anniversary of being "tv free." It has made a huge difference in our lives!

We still physically have a tv but there is no network access so nothing is coming in that isn't "approved". The only things we watch these days are encouraging and faith building and the "poor quality" of some of these doesn't bother us anymore because we have nothing to compare it to. We've been deprogrammed!

We have our evenings free for family devotions because we're not waiting for a favorite show or the game of the week to come on. Our children are unaware of the latest and greatest "stuff" they are deprived of because they're not being saturated with manipulative advertising. We have time to read and explore and just talk.

Does this mean there is no draw? I wish. We were at one of our favorite burger joints the other night for dinner. There were tv's in every corner of the restaurant. I think there was a basketball game on. After we prayed for our meal, AJ confessed, "Mom, my eyes were open when we were praying. I was kind of watching the tv!"

Quote of the Week

Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of; they just turn up some of the ill weeds on to the surface.

Charles Spurgeon

Testimony Friday

Sometimes someone else has already said it far better than I ever could. For me, that is true in the case of this song. It's an oldie, but a goodie!

Through the trials, the doubts, and the fear. Through the joys, the blessings, and the victories. No matter what state I've been in, HE has been faithful.

In my moments of fear

Through every pain, every tear

There's a God who's been faithful to me

When my strength was all gone

When my heart had no song

Still in love He's proved faithful to me

Every word He's promised is true

What I thought was impossible

I've seen my God do

He's been faithful, faithful to me

Looking back, His love and mercy I see

Though in my heart I have questioned

Even failed to believe

Yet He's been faithful, faithful to me

When my heart looked away

The many times I could not pray

Still my God, He was faithful to me

The days I spent so selfishly

Reaching out for what pleased me

Even then God was faithful to me

Every time I come back to Him

He is waiting with open arms

And I see once again

He's been faithful, faithful to me

Looking back, His love and mercy I see

Although in my heart I have questioned

Even failed to believe

Yet He's been faithful, faithful to me

Tag!

My friend Sue tagged me yesterday. I had to go into my picture files to find the 6th picture in the 6th folder. I cringed for a moment, but then voila...relief...it's one of the kids!

AJ and Avery set up a "lemonade" stand at the end of our driveway during our garage sale last summer, although they didn't actually sell lemonade. They made gingersnaps and snickerdoodles and bundled fresh lavender from our backyard. They sold their little goodies for a dollar each.

We have a nurse friend who does medical missions trips. She has spoken often in church about where her organization, Agape in Action, is going next. A month or so before our annual garage sale she had mentioned an upcoming trip to a Rwandan orphanage.

This piqued AJ and Avery's interest and they wanted to help. Avery, who has an extremely generous heart, had already emptied her piggy bank a few months prior to give to our pastor who was going to Africa. It was one of those times when my child taught me about a spirit of giving. I realized it was more important to let her do what God was speaking to her little heart than it was to explain to her how much money she had saved and that she really didn't need to give ALL of it.

The kids wanted to give some money to help the orphans in Rwanda, but Avery was sad that she didn't have much to share. I reminded them of the upcoming garage sale and suggested they could sell cookies as they had the year before and give some of the money they raised. They thought this was a splendid idea, and I assumed it was all settled.

Well, it wasn't. They had apparently formulated their own plan in the backseat of the car on the way home from church that day. After we pulled into the driveway, AJ and Avery practically jumped out of the car and headed for the playroom, although I didn't give it much thought at the time.

They came out awhile later and asked to show me something. I walked in and found a pile of toys in the middle of the floor. Of course, I immediately wanted to know what the mess was about, but was quickly chagrined.

"Mom, we're going to sell this stuff and give the money to the kids."

They asked how much money I thought they could get and I suggested they pray about it. They decided they wanted to raise $100; an astronomical amount to a five and six year old. Considering the pile I was looking at, it also seemed like an awful lot to me, but I realized it was probably better not to argue. And pray they did.

A few weeks later as sale day dawned, they proudly displayed their treasures (and it was many of their treasures) and set up their "lemonade" stand. They kept their own money box and were responsible for selling their own things. I'm sure it helped when they cornered our browsers and said they were raising money for "kids without moms and dads!"

At the end of the two-day event, we poured all the money out of their box and began to count. Lots of nickels, dimes, and quarters and some green bills. I was overcome with emotion as we came to the last few coins. "Mommy, what's wrong?" they asked.

"Oh, nothing's wrong. But God answered your prayer and honored your efforts."

Their grand total? $100.26. You tell me that was coincidence.

My kids were not the least bit surprised. Of course they would have $100. But my faith was bolstered that day. God cares so much about the details and goes to such great lengths to show us that nothing is out of His control. Even at a garage sale.

It was with great joy that they handed their heavy envelope to Kristi at church the following Sunday. The looks on their faces were priceless as I shared their story of sacrifice. I wish I had a picture of that in folder six.

Hold the Calls Please

I loathe the telephone. Okay, maybe loathe is too strong a word...but then again, maybe not. I don't consider the phone a modern convenience; I see it as an intrusion into my daily life. These feelings are more likely related to my current situation, as opposed to actual animosity towards an inanimate object.

As the mother of five children under the age of seven, three of whom are still in diapers, sometimes it's just too hard to pick up before the answering machine does. Sometimes it's too loud and I can't hear the phone. Sometimes I just can't seem to find the phone. And sometimes, the thought of talking to another person is just entirely too overwhelming, so I simply choose to ignore the phone! Perhaps it's because I know I won't possibly be able to get through a conversation without being interrupted a thousand times. But whatever the reason, I long ago concluded that the phone is not my friend!

Now that I've revealed my secret, I have probably alienated half of my friends! But if it is any consolation, I do not have caller id (why would I pay for extra services on a device I don't use much?!), so I am not a respecter of any particular persons. My own husband even has to go through the screening process!

Our answering machine message used to sound something like this: "Hi, you've reached the Somma's. Please leave a message. Thanks." Notice it did not promise a call back. That was not an innocent oversight, it was entirely purposeful.

Several months ago, one of the kids inadvertently deleted that tried and true greeting, so Steve recorded a new one: "Hi, you've reached the Somma's please leave a message and we'll get back to you." When I heard it I panicked!

"Honey, please don't promise we'll call people back. It's just not honest. I can't possibly call everyone back who leaves a message. I have five children at home by myself for fourteen hours a day. I don't have time to call people back, sometimes I just don't want to call people back. Please, please, please don't tell callers I'll get back to them!" I was practically in hysterics trying to make him understand.

So my ever patient and obliging husband walked over to the machine and proceeded to record the following message:

"Hi, you've reached the Somma's. We can't come to the phone right now. We're probably changing diapers, feeding a baby, doing laundry, doing dishes, vacuuming, reading a story, or playing a game. We're probably here though. We just can't get to your call. So if you want to leave a message, please go ahead (chuckle), but you might just want to try again."

He looked at me triumphantly and said, "There, now that's honest!"

That has been our message for the past few months. Those who are most familiar with our life are usually laughing by the time they get to actually leaving their name and reason for calling. I'm sure others are completely annoyed and offended. One thing I do know: those who choose to wait through the whole thing and actually leave a message really want to talk to us!

One of the kids was touching the machine again the other day, and our "honest" message was deleted. We have yet to record a new one. I'm thinking the standard electronic greeting might suit us best for the time being.

Now rather than feeling like they're not being given priority, our callers will simply wonder if they've reached the right house!

Dirty Wash

A friend emailed this little story to me yesterday. It depicts what God has been revealing about my own heart this past week, although I've been struggling to put it into words...

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.

'That laundry is not very clean," she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap." Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments. A month or so later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"

Her husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."

...And so it is with life. What we see when watching others, depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

Be Careful Who Your Friends Are

Sorry friends. I'm having a tough time wrapping my brain around new material this week. So I'll resort to sharing another kid comment, although (shockingly!) this one doesn't come from Aiden.

Food seems to be an issue at our house these days. At lunch recently I learned that something my kids have always liked, they no longer like. This is probably due to the fact that I lack creativity and am not really a "food person," something I obviously need to work on if I'm going to keep my Tribe fed.

Anyway, our conversation went something like this:

"C'mon in for lunch, guys." To which I was first met by eager faces as four little bodies scrambled into their chairs. Their faces instantly fell. "What's wrong?" I asked.

I then heard three different versions, plus some Sigourney babble (she loves to join in on the action), about what was wrong with the food on their plates.

So I pulled out the big gun.

"You know, I have a friend who takes her children's plates away and gives them only water to drink when they complain about the food they're served." This revelation horrified them and they began to eat, albeit ever so slowly.

A few moments later the leader of the pack, six year old AJ, piped up in his most respectful manner: "Mom, I don't think you should be friends with that mom anymore. She's a bad influence and teaches you how to be mean to your children."

Hmmm...wonder where he learned that?

Heard at our House Today...

My soon-to-be three year old son is in a new phase. He claims he doesn't like anything. Especially if it pertains to food (except Skittles, but that's another story for another time).

For the last couple of weeks when Aiden's breakfast, lunch or dinner is placed before him, he says "What is that?" I briefly explain what we're having and he responds with "I don't like (fill in the blank)." He always ends up eating it (because at our house if you don't eat what you're served, you starve!), but the routine has become a little old.

This morning at breakfast I asked him if he was going to finish his applesauce...the applesauce his sister pain-stakingly made. "I don't like applesauce," was his eloquent reply.

Growing weary of his obstinance, I inquired, "Aiden, is there anything you DO you like?"

He thought for a moment and replied, "I like eggs. (pause) And ketchup."

Oh good. I feel so much better!

He Knows What We Need

I ASKED, HE GAVE

I asked for Strength...And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom...And God gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity...And God gave me a Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage...And God gave me Danger to overcome.

I asked for Love...And God gave me Troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors...And God gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted. I received everything I needed.

Author Unknown