Family's Gift OR Where Are The Caches?

Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is finding treasures (or caches) hidden outdoors by using a GPS device. The caches are hidden in public places outdoors and then their location is published on the Internet. You plug in the location on your GPS and then your treasure hunting begins. Some caches are camouflaged, some hung in trees, some buried in brush, some hidden in logs. So far we have found 3 caches. After you find the cache, you write your name and the date on the log in the cache container and if there is a treasure, you may take it, providing you leave behind another treasure in it's place for the next seekers to find. And, NO, you may not leave one of your children behind as a treasure for someone else to find, tempting as that may sound, it just wouldn't be right! . . . right . . .?

Our Gift OR Where Are The Tissues?

Need I say anything more?

Husband's Gift OR Where Are The Bandaids?

Can you guess what I got my husband for Christmas??

Below is a clue. . .

Need I say anything more?

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!!

Cat Adoptions? Part III

My daughter asked me once, "Mom, how do you go from talking about peppers to telling people about Jesus?" I laughed because I'm not a good witness. I say stupid things that I wish I hadn't. I think of all the clever things I should have said as I watch the person walk away. I'm not that witty on the spot. But, at a predestined meeting, I was convinced, I would be a fabulous witness! It's just that it is so rare that we have a foreknowledge of being able to share Jesus with someone. After my first conversation with Debbie I knew I wanted to share the good news of Jesus with her. I told my husband and my children, "I just want to share Jesus with her!" I told Debbie over the phone, "I have the perfect cat for you and I can't wait to meet you." She said, "I'm not sure about the cat." I said, "It's okay," but I was thinking, "Who cares about the cat!" I met Debbie at the shelter and she said, "I don't think I'm going to like this cat." I said, "That's fine, but let's go meet her." I had my Jesus speech ready and rehearsed. I introduced Debbie to Buffy and there was an instant, mutual love. From that moment on I may as well have disappeared because to Debbie, only Buffy existed. I managed to say, while I was leaving, that I believed God intended for her, Buffy and I to meet. If she heard me at all I wouldn't know because she said nothing, not even good-bye. Do you think the story will end here?

Cat Adoptions? Part II

. . . the phone rang, it was Debbie. She answered an ad I had placed and was interested in adopting a cat. The local animal shelter has a wealthy benefactor who is paying folks to adopt out "hard to place" cats. Ironically, we just tried to foster a "hard to place" 15 year old boy, but that went terrifically bad. Maybe I thought I would have better results with cats. I placed a clever, quirky ad and I wasn't at all surprised when I received my first call. I was, however, still surprised over my involvement in this project. Yes, there is a financial gain for me, and yes, I love the thought of finding loving homes for hard to place cats, and yes, I love a challenge, but my life is busy and complicated and full - who needs one more thing to do? My first call with Debbie went just about as you would expect. I answered all her questions and I asked a few of my own. She said she would think about it and call me back. And call me back she did . . . 5 times! Each time I spoke to her she revealed a little more about herself and her life. Each time I spoke to her I cared less about the cat and the fee I would get and more about her. My husband said, "Congratulations, it looks like you'll adopt your first cat!" I said, "I don't care if she takes a cat or not, I just want to tell her about Jesus." And there it was . . . the purpose I had been wondering about. Isn't it just like God to use one lonely lady, one stray cat and one unsuspecting soul to work out His purpose? . . . to be continued . . .

Cat Adoptions? Part I

Since I have a history helping cats it was no big surprise for the shelter or some of my old friends to hear I am adopting out shelter cats. But it was a surprise for me. I see myself as more of a people person and not an animal person. My husband and I fostered kittens for over a year when we first moved into our house 24 years ago. The room that is now my 21 year old daughter's room used to be the kitten room. We would take in kittens while they were waiting to be adopted and care for them. The reason we (I) agreed to do it was because the very first two ladies who befriended me when we moved here were animal people and I loved them (I still do). It was their cause and I wanted to support my new friends in their life's work. Not having any causes of my own at that moment and being new to the area and having a new husband who readily agreed to whatever his kooky wife wanted, we gladly took in stray kittens and took care of them. I love all my animal people friends because without them the world would be a very sad place. Ever since we stopped fostering kittens we have spent the rest of the 24 years in our house ministering to people. So, it was kind of a surprise that I agreed to adopt out shelter cats, until, that is, the phone rang... to be continued...

Purrfect!

I have just agreed to help adopt out cats from a local no-kill shelter. I don't personally fully agree with no-kill shelters in all cases. There are some cats that have been in this shelter since 2004. Sadly, they will likely still be there in 2014. Is this humane? I don't know. However, if I can help adopt out some of these cats by the end of this year, I will feel like I have done some good. I went to a meeting to get the details of how I could help. A local pet supply store has agreed to let us bring some cats there. We can set up 6 cages there for 4 hours a day, Friday through Sunday, for the next 3 weeks. Someone was concerned about bad weather and asked what we should plan to do in case of rain or snow. The person organizing the adoption said, "Oh, that wouldn't be humane to be outside for that long!" To which I responded with a hearty, "Thank you!" To which she responded in a slightly haughty manner, "I meant, (long pause) it wouldn't be humane for the cats!" To which I responded, "Heck, they're the ones with the fur!" In spite of that, I am scheduled to work tomorrow and Saturday. Which is purrfectly alright with me.

My New Curling Iron

I just had to post this. I bought a new curling iron, a vain but necessary purchase for us gals with thin hair. I read the WARNINGS listed under IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS and thought I'd share some of them with you. Just in case you don't read the warning labels, I wouldn't want any of you to risk electrocution or injury by using a curling iron in the wrong way.

First it states that most electrical appliances are electrically live.
DO NOT use while bathing.
Never use while sleeping.
DO NOT let eyes touch heated surfaces.
And, finally,
Never drop or insert any object into any opening.

There you have it. I hope you were as amused as I was : )

My Favorite Things - Part III

. . . I have to admit that when I started writing My Favorite Things, I didn't know where it would end. It's like that with most things I write about. I start with an idea or in this case, an irritation, and then I quickly type out my thoughts. I pause, pray for words and do a quick re-write. If it is entertaining or meaningful in any way, it's because God heard and answered my prayers. I prayed about what my favorite things really, truly were. I came up with some very poetic things to say but realized I was trying so hard to be poetic and deep that I wasn't being quite authentic. When it came right down to it, my favorite things surprised me. And even a bigger surprise to me was that I wasn't lying when I claimed to not love possessions. My favorite thing ever . . . much to my own surprise . . . is to . . . travel with my family. Yes, Miss Travel Anxiety USA has at the top of her list, travel. Yellowstone, San Francisco, Pacifica, Monteray, Great Falls, WallaWalla, West Palm Beach, Laguna and Mt. Rushmore are the top things that I carry around in my heart as my favorite things. As I say each city I can picture in my minds eye, me and my family in that city, laughing, pointing, sitting, eating . . . living life in abundance . . . enjoying the mountains or ocean, the sunrise or the sunset, the desert or the forest. Life is indeed good. If you bothered to count, you'd see I named only 9 cities. I reserved the last thing on my list of 10 favorite things as a new purple dress. I love that dress, but even more, I love the ladies who loved me enough to tell me I needed a new dress and then took me shopping to find one. Thanks gals.

My Favorite Things - Part II

. . . My favorite things are things that I hold in my heart, not my hands. Some of them are just feelings from memories of special events. Where do we hold our feelings? Science tells us we hold them in our brains, but I feel them in my heart, in the deepest part of me that cannot be touched by hands. In a spot that I can't pin point, but I know is there. It's a spot that Oprah cannot satisfy with iPads or expensive croissants. My favorite things are certainly things that glitter and shine, but in a way that fill my insides with warmth and love and joy. In all fairness to Oprah, her show was about her favorite material things and I do have some favorite material things, but would they make an audience full of people cry? I don't think so. Would a bunch of people cry over a blurry photo or an antique clock or a children's story book? I feel sad for the cheap thrill Oprah's show gave. I say cheap, not as in inexpensive, but as in no lasting value. I guess that's the part the bothered me the most. It was how thrilled everyone was over the material things that Oprah gave them. We are suppose to be gracious when we receive a gift, but to jump up and down and cry over a computer? How long do you think that thrill will last? An hour? A week? For the rest of my life I will remember my 42nd birthday at Yellowstone National Park along the trail that leads to the Upper Falls. I will always think of it when I smell pine. And, if I let myself, I will cry for the joy of the memory. That's one of my favorite things. My favorite other things are . . . to be continued . . .

My Favorite Things - Part I

I sat down today at 4:00 to rest my back and I turned on the television. Oprah was doing her "Oprah's Favorite Things" show. I have to say, it made me feel a little bit sick inside when I saw the audience crying over an iPad touch computer, glitter Ugg boots and a Coach purse. I don't begrudge anyone of having favorite things, but an emotional attachment to a computer that would bring on tears? I don't know . . . it made me feel sick. I cried when my husband gave me a diamond tennis bracelet for our 25th wedding anniversary. And yes, I do love that thing. But I have an emotional attachment to it because my husband of 25 years gave it to me. If Oprah gave it to me, it would just be metal and stones. And honestly, as much as I love that bracelet, it wouldn't make the top 10 list of my favorite things. But it would certainly make the top 10 list of the most expensive things I own. What value would a diamond bracelet be to me if I didn't have the husband who gave it to me? Things are worthless. To quote The Little Prince, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” And to quote Jesus, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." The things I love the most, my favorite things, you just can't put into a package and tie a bow around . . . to be continued . . .

The Photo Contest

I entered this photo in a local photo contest. It's my "Look Who's Eating My Parsley" photo. The contest is a small contest and the amateur division has a 1st Place, 2nd Place, 3rd Place and 2 Honorable Mention Prizes. With five winning spots I thought I had a chance, maybe an honorable mention. I had such positive feedback from my friends - but not my kids. They said, "Ewwww, Mom, it's gross." Did I heed their words? No. I only heard what my itching ears wanted to hear. So, I submitted my photo with confidence.

This photo, "Peaceful Autumn Path" was submitted by son in the student division. It's the fourth year he's submitted a photo for this contest. The first and second year he won 1st Place. The third year, 2nd Place and this year . . . he won 3rd Place. There is a cash award for each place. When the phone call came in, I anxiously waited to hear how my photo fared. She said, "Your son has won 3rd Place this year. It's always a pleasure to see his work. He has a great talent . . . blah, blah, blah . . . we'll send his prize voucher out today." What about me and my caterpillar photo? I looked up the winners on the website. No mention, not even honorable, of me or my photo. Boohoo. When the local paper came out and the contest winners were named I unenthusiastically looked for my son's name. Much to my surprise, while scanning the article I saw my name! Not only did I not win the contest (not even an honorable mention) but my name was listed in the paper among "other participants." In other words, losers. No honorable mention for me . . . just LOSER!

Happy 21st Birthday First Born

My daughter came home last weekend and saw the boy across the street who she used to babysit for and who is now in the 4th grade. She turned to me and said, "Wow, look how big he is. I'm OLD!" Sheesh! She's old?! Imagine how I feel when I see her? I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with her. In those days, you went to the doctor to get such news (on a horse and buggy). I remember exactly how I told my husband, her father; it was one of the happiest days of our lives. I remember the first time I felt her move inside of me. I remember falling in love with her. I remember her first breath, her first cry, her first tooth, her first steps, her first birthday, her first word (it was "Boz", our cat. By the way, don't most kids say Ma or Da first?), her first lie (I told her if she was lying her tongue would turn blue. She ran to the mirror and looked at her tongue and said, "It doesn't work, my tongue's not blue!" I told her only mother's could see and she said, "If you're lying Mommy, will your tongue turn blue?" I knew then I was in trouble.), her first day of school, her first day of summer vacation, her first friend, her first art contest (First Prize - yippee) and so on. So, it's only natural that I want to be the first to wish her a happy twenty-first birthday. Happy Birthday Honey! I love you, I have loved you the longest because you are my first born.

"For you shall go out with joy,

And be led out with peace;

The Mountains and the hills

Shall break forth into singing before you,

And all the trees of the field shall

clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12

Trolls

When my kids were little I made sure that they were exposed only to the nicest things. Good books, good toys, good movies and good people. Stories about puppies and ponies abounded. I never cursed and never let anyone around them curse. I screened everything that came into their little worlds and made sure that only the best entered their spheres. We watched Mary Poppins and Richard Scary. We sang Lullabies and Christmas songs. So imagine my surprise when my children asked me why people beep their horns when they go through tunnels and I responded in a feign scared voice, "It's to scare away the trolls." "W-w-what are trolls?" asked they. And again, much to my surprise, I said, "They are little mean creatures with runny eyes and boogers hanging from their noses. They drool and try to make you pay a toll when you go through the tunnel. If you don't pay the toll they don't let you go. That's why everyone beeps their horns, they hope to scare away the trolls. Should I beep my horn?" "B-B-BEEP MOMMY, BEEP YOUR HORN! HURRY!" they stammered and yelled. I don't know why, but when I think about it I don't even feel a little bad. In fact, it makes me laugh. :-D
Does that make me mean?

A Time Gone By

With the passing of Barbara Billingsley, more famously known as June Cleaver, I feel like a precious gift has passed too. A time has gone by. A time when mothers were usually found in the kitchen chopping vegetables or baking a cake and whipping up icing. A time when women wore dresses and fussed over the pillows on the window seat. A time when breakfast was eaten together at a reasonable time in the kitchen and dinner was eaten together while dad departed pearls of wisdom on his children at the dining room table. A time when gossip was frowned upon, lying was punished, promiscuity was discouraged and cheating was offensive. A time when romance happened slowly over many dates. A time when little boys played in trees and parks and dirt and mud and little girls played with dolls and swings and bicycles. A time when church was the focus of the week and the Sunday School lesson was talked about in school. A time when American heroes were the highlight of the evening news. A time when the television went to test patterns after the late show and New York City slept. I find myself longing for that time gone by. Wishing for a slower pace and a peace of mind that comes from having a house in order and a family that is close by and connected. Progress . . .

Triple Blessing OR Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

Sometimes we lament over the troubles of our life and we forget to count our blessings. Sometimes we have to gently remind each other to count our blessings. Sometimes we have to force each other to stand up and proclaim those blessings. I have to confess, I love that last one. Not because I'm bossy or anything (lest you get the wrong idea about me), it's just because I love helping others realize how truly blessed they are. It's wonderful when I see someone proclaiming the good things God has put in their life. It makes me feel good when the people I love feel happy. It's a double blessing when I am a vehicle to making them feel good. Last week I had the joy of forcing my husband to stand up and proclaim his blessings. Not that he is a grumpy guy or anything (lest you get the wrong idea about him), but because we have a lot of "stuff" going on. So, in his proclamation of his blessings, he made the following statement, ". . and I have a beautiful wife who loves me. . ." "Awwww," I thought, "I must remember he said that when I count my blessings." Which were triple that day; #1 - I had the blessing of seeing the man I love be happy over his blessings, #2 - I was a vehicle to his happiness and #3 - (a very fortunate blessing for me) beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Definition Of Beauty

Do you know why women in the 21st century don't age gracefully? It's because we don't know what that looks like. Everywhere we turn society is telling us to: fade the age spots, lift the eyes, fill in the wrinkles, color the grey, tuck the tummy, firm the body, plump the lips, nip the neck, and for goodness sake, whiten your teeth. If you can't be young, at least look young, act young, pretend you're young. We spend so much time chasing after youth that we miss the beauty of gracefully aging. "The silver-haired head is a crown of glory. . . And the splendor of old men is their grey head." (Proverbs 16:13 and 20:29) We used to associate age with wisdom and respect, but not anymore. The constant message in our culture is to be young and beautiful, as if one is dependent on the other. When did beauty get so tied up with youth? The most beautiful woman I have ever known was my grandmother. She was not tall, slender, blond or young. But she was witty, wise and warm. When I think of her I smile. Gramma would not fit into society's definition of beauty - but beautiful she was. She shined with it. Gramma never rubbed beauty serum on her skin or colored her hair, but everybody wanted to be near her. That's what real beauty is, drawing people to yourself because of who you are, not what you look like. Because of Gramma I know what real beauty is. It's not something you can get in a bottle at the drug store, it's something you age gracefully in to by accepting the passing of time with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22). It's who my grandmother was and who I strive to be.

Rant

If we lived in a world where love ranked higher than revenge, where kind words flowed off our lips as easily as sexual innuendo, where good deeds overshadowed hate crimes, where love making was behind closed doors with married folks and not broad casted, where society protects and (yes, I will say it, that dirty word), SHELTERED the eyes and ears of little ones . . . if we lived in a world like that, then maybe (and it's a big maybe), I could see a place for Facebook. However, our world is not one of humility or discernment or modesty. Don't be mad at me if you are one of the few folks who uses Facebook in positive way, I know you exist. I will, however, say that the benefits (what benefits) of having Facebook DO NOT out weight the risks. What risks? Seeing and reading some of the most vile and negative pictures and statements. Wasting time trying to figure out what initials mean only to find out it's vulgar. Having advertisements flashing their lies (sins) at you. Spending hours, yes folks hours, a day updating your Facebook page, but then saying you don't have time to volunteer. I wondered if anyone was watching the kids, only to realize that someone needs to be watching the adults. Facebook is one drug that has too many negative side effects, it should be taken off the market.

Secret #2 - Puppies and Ponies

My kids were young when the Nightmare On Elm Street series came out. It was appropriately named because when I saw a commercial for it, I had nightmares. My kid's friends were watching it. Naturally, my kids asked if they could watch it too. We said, "No." "But," they'd whine, "whyyyyyyyyyya?" "Because," we'd tell them, "when you go to sleep we don't want you to have nightmarish thoughts in your head. We want you to have thoughts of puppies and ponies. We want good and happy things dancing in your brain; Godly things; things that are true, noble, just, pure and lovely; things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (Phil. 4:8) We provided them with an assortment of stories and movies and puzzles and games about puppies and ponies (and whales). We sat with our children for hours on end reading and watching and playing. That's when we discovered the secret. It was a double blessing for my husband and I as we had hours of time with our children and when we went to bed, satisfied with the events of the day, we dreamed of puppies and ponies, too. And because we always try to practice what we teach, we watched and read and played things that were all of good report. The secret is that we have a choice of what we think on. Garbage in, garbage out or graciousness in, graciousness out? Puppies and ponies or porn and poop? You decide.