Ok, so I read this blog my Pastor Steven Furtick… http://www.stevenfurtick.com/personal-development/preach-like-joyceplay-like-jimi/  And I was like… Ok, I get that… it is a truth that I have encountered.  If you don’t go read the blog… the basics are this:  you can’t try to be anyone but you… because you aren’t ______ (fill in the blank) and more than likely the “other person’s life” won’t fit you.

There is just a lot of random chaos going on in our house…. it is so bizarre. I mean, we know that we are busy this time of year because…. prior to kids…. I thought having kids 2 years apart was the best idea ever and why not have kids during the Holidays so we get all the celebrating done. HA HA HA….so lame!    Now that I have children… dumbest idea on the planet… I love my kids… but I did not have a clue and I can say this with the best heart… what part I had in planning was not wise…. I would rather be crammed with celebrations and strapped for cash than the alternative… so no complaining.  So, random drama is happening too…. we are fighting colds, Riley is healthy (YAY) and her colds have not made her really sick and we have avoided pain episodes and ER’s for months… Yesterday was just a weird day…Phil is really sick…never happens… a pipe burst in our house….well garage….another YAY, but imagine me as this goes down…I don’t even know which way to turn a knob without literally saying righty tighty lefty loosey to myself…. so I call Phil screaming in a panic…HOW DO I TURN OFF THE WATER?!  He knows me…and this 2 minutes of guiding me to the water dial thing was irritating to me…all while he was patient and then I have to laugh because he knows me SO well….he said, “now turn it to the right”.  We are running low on everything… energy, sleep… you name it, but God still has a way of speaking to us.

While we divided and conquered the issues we were facing..more drama just kept coming… I will spare you the drama because the lesson I got in the middle of it all was cute.  So, I head to get a van full of kids from the school, I asked Phil to get sudafed…the good stuff you have to “sign” for…which requires you get out of the car at Walgreens…we are so spoiled….and then he was gonna fix the pipe….homework, dinner, play time… but it is so COLD here in NC right now.  Sorry if you are from a colder place…this AZ girl is freezing.  We skip homework (sorry teachers…(we eventually got to it) and opted to “play” outside.  I make my random announcement, “NO SHOES….NO OUTSIDE!”  See, Phil and I grew up in other than southern places…so we tend to wear shoes… but ALL of our children were born here…therefore shoes are optional.  If you put your shoes where they belong it isn’t hard to find them.  Jonny was in the house a little longer…. and he stumbled out of the door… down one step and then off the stoop….waddling over to me with this cheesy grin.  Wike my shoeses?  Ok, they were my “teacher shoes”  I am short, so I have 2 pair of shoes that make me taller… not trying to be anything I am not, but even in these shoes… I am shorter than most students.  We laugh… he looks cute… but it is impractical for him to be in my shoes… and he can’t walk without really thinking about each step.  SO NOT BOY DNA!  So, I rescue the frustration and say..wanna go find your shoes?  So, he walks back up the walk… hits the first step… and has to do really odd things with his feet to keep these shoes on… the step into the house is just that… right into the house…. and it is safe to be shoeless in the house… and those shoes just clung to the entry and Jonny walked right out of them and ran free as a bird into the house screaming I weally need my shoes!

Here is what I got from it…. we can rush to get to something we really want in this life (Jonny really wanted a chance on the scooter) and we may even mange to get there… because when you are going down…too big still fits.  And it was just a time waster… he could not wear those shoes to do what he wanted… we both knew it…. and even if he didn’t know it…I wouldn’t have allowed it.  Getting back to the house was comical… and in stepping up…he shed himself of what he thought he needed….only to take off running.  I know spiritually… this is not a comical similarity, but today…I am gonna step up and shed some of the things I take on that are too big for me… and there are plenty to choose from!

Posted: January 5th, 2012 under Family.
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My son just turned 5!  WOW…who knew I  would be here with  my last baby…our only boy…. a son that came as a tremendous blessing and with many ups and downs…. we didn’t know if I’d be here to see this day or if he would even be here…so we named him “Jonathan” meaning gift from God.  All my kids are the best presents we ever got…so there is not a sense of “we like him better”  If I take you back…. all our kids are miracles…. Sydney brightened our lives after a 2nd term miscarriage….Riley is a walking miracle considering her disorder and Jonathan and I went through the deepest valley….so ALL the little Lamps are precious and have been placed on this earth for a purpose only God knows.  So let’s talk about my son… and what I am learning from him.  First, he is just like his daddy…. he is smart…he can do anything and lives with no fear…. on the flip side of this passion is the sense of needing things to work out “right when you want them too” or when things go down a different path…rather than stick with it….scrap it.  Follow through is important.  My goal for Jonny is that his wife thanks me for raising a caring and Godly man.  So, he cleans, he does laundry, he picks up, he scrubs a toilet…..and with a SMILE.  I could go on and on about the best things about him…. they are endless.  But this is more about what I am learning as I balance boundaries verses Breaking his spirit.  And let me tell you it is delicate…the balance is like holding a carton of eggs… when one drops… you know it just ruined the egg…. and I will be honest… I have broken a few of the eggs in this process.

Let me define:

spir·it/ˈspirit/

God has given Jonathan a very strong will….that I believe he will need through this life to accomplish his purpose.  As his mom, I can’t break his spirit, but I have to set boundaries.  It is not easy.  The basic understanding that I have is this: I use the physical to shape that which is spiritual, but what I do physically can break his emotion or spirit…. and that is life long….. can you feel the pressure?  I think differently about Jonny because he is a boy…He will be the spiritual leader of his family one day…. and so I feel it is more important in his case….not that the girls have no boundries~ promise you…. I am a freak about it all!  But Jonathan is going through it right now… we are clashing like cymbals as I teach him what is ok…. that emotions are great…and useful, but they must be presented in a respectful way.  I LOVE when he totally busts me when I am sassy to Phil!  When we learn from our kids….I think we have reached new personal levels…. I am not afraid to say any of the following:  I was wrong, I am sorry, I should have thought this through, I was stressed and didn’t mean what I said…please forgive me.  Just because the person on the other end is 3 ft tall….doesn’t mean they aren’t deserving of respect.  With every “Yes ma’ma” I get from Jonny….I know that in his heart… he knows I love him…. but shaping and breaking are in the power of the parent….and I might add since I was one…. the teacher…. today… think before we speak… shape don’t break…. and above all….remember love covers a multitude of sins!  I am banking on that as I envision my children gathering together as adults…with their families… telling stories of childhood!

Posted: January 2nd, 2012 under Family.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtGY4G7II6s  (unwritten)

Today my son turned 5!  Life was unwritten back then (a 2006 song top HIT) and it remains unwritten today.  I like that about life…. I mean… each day we have is new and fresh…. we get to write what we want… only we write on our life… it is a lie to believe that other’s can write “on your life”…yes they can influence what you write, but don’t go one more second believing that others can just come in and make a mess of things!  NOT TRUE!  We have the power to turn a mess into a beautiful mess…. so BE FREE!

Tomorrow… write something nice about yourself in your life…. speak what only you can speak…. people have called me TONS of things, but someone called me…. unconventional…. and I have always searched for a complimentary term to describe myself… and THAT was it.  I don’t follow the flow if the flow goes against what I feel is right…. I go the way I want…I do what needs to be done…I hold out hope when other’s can’t…. I see what you need past the way you are acting…. it is just me…. When I encounter what I call “punkassness” (I say it fast so no one here’s the “cuss” in it) I know it isn’t the real root…so I just just jump in and try to peel back the layers of the onion.  I am out side EVERY LINE…. and I am totally out spoken…. I am what I am….what you see is what you get…. but tomorrow…. you may see someone different…. because I am unwritten…. and so are you.

I thank the Lord for the “gift” of Jonathan…. the love of a son…. I have learned so much from him…. I have been loved with a precious son’s love…. and today…. although it is the end of our day… I will end the day writing on this page…. thankfulness… love and gratitude…. children are the most precious gift on the planet…. if you haven’t learned it…. learn it… they are the future (Don’t sing Whitney Houston in your head) and they write on their pages what we tell them they are…. speak life… remember that you may be influencing a generation…. and we want greatness for their futures… whether it is your students, your kids, or a stranger…. remember they are  unwritten…. and you can’t judge a book by it’s cover…. so contribute to a fabulous story!  I LOVE YOU SON!

Posted: December 21st, 2011 under Family.
Comments: 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8DjHy4ulLg&feature=related  (Glee….I need a Little Christmas)

Well…. MOST of the world is saying I don’t need a little Christmas….just end the madness!  And well…. I am using today to tell you what I observe.

People are weird!  And I am not leaving myself out of this category…. we are all in our own world processing this season the way we have learned, the way we envision…. the way we wish it was… or we are like…what ever, just END already.  So I broke my rule this year… and I actually “went to the stores”.  I thought I had done the 2 present limit @ Amazon… and then whether it be guilt or desire…there are just a few things I wanted to get… plus I had to get all the stuff for “THE CRAFT A DAY” thing I like to do… it is the old teacher in me….I think the kids behave better on a schedule and with a little work to do… and what better than FUN work right.  So…. I go out with my sister and my mom….my mom hasn’t been to a store in FOREVER….so we got her a wheelchair and did her classic “up and down every isle thing” but really…. people are so irritated this time of year… I mean…. I think it is comical, but that is just me.  So, we go to Target on Friday…. me and the kids…. Jonny had $5 in upcoming birthday money to spend…. and so we pass the Hanukkah stuff….and I say, “Oh look at the Happy Hanukkah stuff”  Sydney stammers with the name, but together we say menorah…. I said, “That is for the celebration of light”  A woman looks at me so proud that I was telling my kids about this while having a Santa cooking timer in my cart…. Sydney says, “Ya for the 7 days of light right?”  I said, “No, 8″  we argue…. it was great fun debating with my 8 year old…. so I stop and talk with this woman…. I said, “It is 8 days right?” And she says…yes and gives me a nod like I am the Queen of all moms!  I am proud until Syd says…. well..she’s wrong it is 7…..NICE! That is my life people…. help me Jesus!

So on Saturday… we are at Kmart… it isn’t too bad, but I was hard pressed to find a smile…. again, people are so weird…. be happy! I slipped the cashier $3 for a drink and snack…. because she had a line of like 9 Grinch’s…. poor her!

Today I drove to Tega Cay to find a toy….NO LUCK…. and I was just singing songs in Walmart… people looked at me like I was a fruit cake (get it???)…. but I was like… I am gonna sing EVERY sing I know and at that point… I was looking to be irritating! I mean it was just SO LAME!

Then Riley’s teacher stops by to give her stuff she didn’t get because she missed Friday! NOW THAT is Christmas Spirit!  We did a craft of popcorn and cranberries today and we are set to do cookies tonight…. I say…FRUIT CAKES rock…. and if you see me and I am a little nutty… I choose to enjoy the season…. so don’t honk at me…I will follow you and then wave and smile REALLY BIG…. don’t get irritated when I block an isle… I will say something a bit wise-cracker’ish to you…. if you are mad… get un-mad…. if you think life sucks because the bottom of your tree is empty… look around and add up ALL you have that money didn’t buy…. if you come up short…. then YOU get to be sad…. if not…. suck it up! LOVES

Posted: December 19th, 2011 under Family.
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Connect the Dots! When I was a kid I LOVED these activities. Today, we are going to connect some dots….when we are finished my hope is that we will step back to see the greatness that is our Father’s Love.

Ephesians 1:5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

So, if we hold to the belief that Mary was carrying the Son of God…. when the angel went to Joseph and said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary is pregnant of the Holy Spirit” (Yup, still makes me laugh…. I can’t imagine THAT kind of pressure!) We know Mary had found favor with God….and although it isn’t written…. I will go out on a limb and say that God REALLY trusted Joseph. I mean, he was about to become the adopted father of Jesus.

I love the shows A Baby Story and Adoption Stories…. I cry when I watch them… they are precious. Adoption Stories follows the path of two families….. one that has chosen to give up their child and the family they have chosen to give their child too. It is choice that causes heartbreak and joy…. but the bottom line is this: the best interest of the child. It is a decision that is made with not one ounce of selfishness…. it is really just about what is best….and there are times when…. if we want the best “end result” we have to make sacrifices.

So, I can’t imagine God…. giving Jesus to us…. not just the John 3:16 thing… For God so loved the world he gave his only son…. but look at one of your kids and process that…. just the adoption part….forget that Jesus was gonna have to grow up and die for us…. it is usually the first step that is the hardest… the one that “sets things into motion”…. maybe I am a woman and God didn’t feel that way at all…. but I like to believe Hes was making not just a decision, but a sacrifice…. just for us…. and Jesus was excited to do His part to make us adoptive sons and daughters of God.

So….let’s connect this… we have a “father” that loves us…. and has made huge sacrifices in “our best interest” …. this season of the year… His son was adopted…. so that we could have the choice to join the family….. there is NO POWER ON EARTH like your Father’s Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BS3IuMNbnU&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL6FA8E01AD5CD3E37  I can’t get this to open in a different window….. just listen to this song…it is not a Christmas Song…. it is A Father’s Love by Bob Carlisle.

Know this….this is not about your current situation on earth… so many people can say… I didn’t have a good dad, or I don’t even have a dad…. some of you are blessed to have great dads…or had great dads… a great comparison to our Heavenly Father…. but what matters is that we get the immense sacrifice that our Father made for us…. so that in the end….the best interest of the child (us) is all matters.  I am a believer in the “spiritual beings on a human journey” saying…. I don’t think it all ends here and we just dissolve…I know you know that from being a reader, but honestly…. if you listen to the word’s of the song… it is actually the Title Track from the movie Jack Frost with Michael Keaton…. if your dad has died….DON’T watch that movie…. it is not right!  Poor Phil we watched it with my mom in the theater, in 1997… my mom and I were crying our eyes out and Phil was like…. ummm…Ok….. ya.  Poor Guy we had JUST met!  Still can’t believe he married me with all my issues!  HA HA…

Happy note…. Mom or Dad…. hug on your buggas these weeks they are around more…. make them feel loved and special…not with gifts, but with time….. we are all set for our “A Craft A Day” tradition….  Target and Walmart have “dollar areas” and it is the best place to get the crafts.  And in the madness of the the day… MAKE SOMEONE’S!  There was a long line of angry people in the check out….I wanted to get up and preach a SMILE sermon, but instead…I chatted up the cashier and then handed her $3 for her break…and said…have a snack and soda on me….Merry Christmas!  She smiled SO BIG…. small….simple…. life changing….

And JUST because this is my newest favorite (old) song….and we are talking about babies still… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3wujkozv9E  A Baby Changes EVERYTHING…. I just Love Faith  Hill’s emotion in this song….

Posted: December 18th, 2011 under Family.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQyXWllz5Ao  OK, Phil tells me I need to be more clear about what my “links are for”  This is a MUST listen too song.  You may have heard it…Happy Birthday Jesus… if you have not…. you are in for some goose bumps and a little choking up.  It is just about the BEST way to sum of the meaning of Christmas!

To be honest…I was going to save this post for Christmas Day…. and I just felt like God was showing me something….something like this:  All good birthdays are planned events…. I am planning a birthday for my sweet son Jonathan on December 21st….I am not going to just wake up that day and throw it together….I love him too much… he deserves some thought put into it…. the day he was born changed my life forever…. can you see the similarities to Jesus!  Yes…I know you can… even if you haven’t opened the gift of Jesus…. maybe this is your year…. to believe and try it…. to just to say…. Happy Birthday Jesus.

So, Christmas can really drain the wallet right?  I believe in my heart that Jesus LOVES LOVES LOVES that we celebrate the Christmas Holiday…. the wonder, the lights, the presents…the magical feeling in the air…. you don’t have to choose between Jesus and Christmas… they are synonymous… many of us think…we get the tree, santa and presents… or we get the manger and some hay.  NOT TRUE!  Happy Birthday Jesus is making sure we are rooted in the reality that a baby was born and because of that baby…. our lives changed forever!  Wonderful things can grow from being rooted in that truth…. and none of your holiday traditions need to be altered…. but just a bowing of your heart…saying… “Without you, we wouldn’t even be here….so Happy Birthday”

Just set aside a little time to maybe attend a service as a family over Christmas…. we are going to Code Orange Christmas at Elevation…. the 3 pm service on Dec 24th… if you don’t want to go alone…we’ll go with ya!  Go to www.elevationchurch.org and print out your tickets…. it is FREE…. tickets are only to make sure there are enough seats for everyone!  If that seems like too much…. read the Christmas Story from Luke Chapter 2 as you sit around the Christmas tree…. When you make Santa cookies…. make one for Jesus and write Happy Birthday on it…. it doesn’t take much to get grounded in the reality of the season.  (I cannot bare to use “Jesus is the reason for the season” )  It is over used…and well… it annoys me….it is true, but annoying….sorry to all those out there who say it and LOVE IT…. I still love you!

My son was a sheep in his play today…. my kids are so happy that Jesus is having a birthday so close to Jonny’s… these are the important things we pass down to our kids…. these are the things that will help shape and change a world….our kids raised up to know that we love Christmas….and it is Jesus’ birthday…. we could have a totally different world after we raise a generation up rooted in this reality. The Lamps LOVE YA!

Posted: December 14th, 2011 under Family.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8ABD-ynhH4&feature=related

I love the Hallmark commercials….I can cry when I need to cry and laugh when I want to cry, but don’t want to look like a dork.  But this one….say what ya need to say…. just about sums up a woman’s life…. when we cross over into understanding the importance of appreciation…I think we change…. I know that it is a process… but there is a time when you look around at the madness of life and think….how in the world did my parents do this… on less money, with more kids…in a smaller house….and the reality is that we have always just done it together.  I have my mom…. my mom had her mom…. our daughters….will hopefully have us…. and we will have passed on the value of Christmas and appreciating the smallest of things that become pillars of life.  I can’t remember all the Christmas gifts I ever got…. but I can tell you that every Christmas…. our family was together….we ate well.. on the “good” plates (that I now have as a grown up…I am nervous every-time we take them out!)  Every Christmas is a fine Christmas so long we are together.  I used to get a box of blueberry poptarts and a 6 pack of coke in my stocking…. to this day…I still buy it for myself so I can have that silly blueberry poptart on Christmas morning.  It is so funny to me the things I remember…. and I try to place in perspective what I am “wanting” for my own kids, but the truth is…I can’t control what they are going to remember…. but I think what it all boils down to is the small stuff…. the fun stuff…. the messes we make while we try to make gingerbread houses.  The year we DID NOT buy the pre-assembled houses and couldn’t get them to stand up…. sugar cookies is crazy shapes…. and sprinkles all over the table…. driving in the car to look at Christmas lights while I try to serve cocoa from a thermos…. ha ha ha!  Caroling when it was 28 degrees…. BRRR!  You can’t appreciate the joys of caroling when it is that cold….well I can’t…I grew up in AZ.   While I begin preparation for no-school activities…. I am planning just fun and cheap stuff that will certainly entertain and make the house a mess…. but I bet we’ll make huge memories!  I have learned that for just a few bucks more you can get an assembled gingerbread house at Costco…. that caffeine is a MUST HAVE….. and Christmas Eve is magical…. and scary!  Phil will tell you that I FREAK OUT with the slightest sound….waiting to be “busted”…. I laugh today, but in 12 days I am gonna be a wreck hoping not to awaken anyone while filling stockings and spreading the love of Christmas….. it is great when we get to add baby Jesus to the manger (although he is in there right now because Riley thinks he should be with his mom) so we take  him out and put him back in…. it is the wind down to the season…. so don’t get wound up…. enjoy each moment…. if you don’t have a church….email me….you can go to Christmas Eve Service with us…. it is a great way to just settle in to the Joy that is in the air.  I know I am not holding fast to the “every day” blog, but I am learning a lot with each thing I write….and I like to process everything…. I suppose this blog is more for me than anyone….and it is a bonus if you read it and/or get anything out of it.  Merry Christmas!

Posted: December 12th, 2011 under Family.
Comments: 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cmLOcvWkO8&feature=related  (Matthew West)

I really tried to write a blog for December 8 and 9…. I had a hard time… I didn’t want to just write over December Seven…. the silent night blog….well, it really hit me in the heart… and I want every day to be a day like that!  So, I think the pause was good.  Don’t be mad!

You know…. it is hard to see what people actually need this time of year and what they are trying to fill up with “wants”…. and there is a difference…. needing a present for your child is different than not having the  money to get them everything they “want”…. I think we can all agree that those are two vastly different categories.  Let me tell you something that I do that drives Phil nuts…. I give everything away…. time, the money we don’t have, the things we don’t need…. it doesn’t drive him nuts because he is selfish…. it drives him nuts because he has different giftings than I do…. but I will never forget this about Phil…. it was last year around this time…. and well, Riley was in and out of the hospital every week…. that means you are either not eating as a parent or grabbing cafeteria food… or your sister slips ya ten bucks so you can have a cup of coffee and a muffin later…. last year was nuts!  We sat in church and we had nothing…. Riley was sitting with us because she was not well enough to “go” to class, but I remember thinking…. I can’t believe we have nothing to give this season…. not one dollar!  It was not guilt that was on me….don’t get confused here…. it was the knowledge that I was holding my baby girl….and that was enough of a gift for me…. but I wanted to give something… it was some kind of special offering…I can’t remember what….I got this gut feeling…. my wedding wrap…. but it was not mine to give…Phil had given it to me one anniversary…..so I told God….”You have to tell Phil it is ok”  And so I wrote him a note in church…. (Don’t judge me….you are talking to the girl who in college learned to “talk” in sign language so we could communicate in chapel….ahhh haaa….I find ways out of everything!)  So I write this note…something like…I think I would like to give my wedding wrap in the offering if you are ok with it….you can say NO….don’t be mad!  Ok, if you know me, know me,….don’t be mad…. is a signature phrase of mine…. when I saw Phil smile as he read it….I thought….THIS IS A MIRACLE.  Being the “man” he is…. all he wrote bake was OK.  I am not sure if it because he is a guy or a pastor…. I could see both sides of his thinking…. when I used to preach did people write notes???  (Yes honey…. we are multi-taskers….so I am certain….women everywhere write notes in church)  This wrap was significant to me because Phil gave it to me after we lost our first baby…. and well, every-time I looked at it I remembered that…it wasn’t a bad thing….but it was something to move on from…. so I slipped it off my finger and held it in my hand and the only emotion I had was butterflies in my tummy.  I knew this was right to do…. so the steal bowl came by and I dropped it in and I was happy to give it away….   What is the point of this story…. What if you gave this Christmas away…. what if you stood in line at a lay away and said, “God, tell me who to help out”  You have to put some thought into this and some time…. and when you get that, “I think I want to throw up feeling” that is the person you are probably supposed to help….. so the person goes and gets the lay away and then says….. OK… $Xx.xx is due….. and then you step in and pay it….. say Merry Christmas and walk off.  What if you took your kids to the children’s hospital this year and brought cookies…. or call them and ask what you can “do” this year…. that your family wants to help somehow.  What if you went door to door in your neighborhood and collected food and dropped it to a food pantry?  What if you selected someone off the angel tree?  The ideas are ENDLESS….. Post an idea on how we can give this Christmas Away!  I know you guys that read this…. there is more love in your hearts than I could ever explain…. so give this Christmas Away….. And leave us an idea…. together…. we could change a lot of lives this Christmas!

Posted: December 10th, 2011 under Family.
Comments: 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OowjEFrSWfs&feature=related (I Need A Silent Night….Amy Grant)

Chaos and Noise…. two words that a parent might choose to use while describing this Christmas Season.  I know it is getting darker earlier, but I am looking forward to bed time a lot more right now… it seems that there is so much to do, so much that is never going to get done….yet the pressure to “attempt it” remains like a nagging old wife in your ear…. I have YET TOO truly get this, but I try every year to get better and better…and I choose to say that I am getting better.  You see, I want “Traditions” established deep within my children… I want them to look at this time of year as “The Most Wonderful Time of Year”…. but the catch 22 on this is that you have to adjust the view in your mind’s eye…. the head will ALWAYS get in the way of the heart….

We all have the angel voice whispering to us…. letting us know that the peace we really seek….cannot be found in a box wrapped all prettily, or in a store crammed with people…. there is a little angel voice…. telling you to stop the madness…. I can guarantee you that it is probably someone a lot wiser than you…. and someone that you trust… a little person….who just wants a small part of you.  My kids go on and on about stuff they see on TV….they “want it” “Santa will get it” blah blah blah…. after so many statements I usually say something like, “Ya know…. On your birthday you are the only one gets presents… so I would just be glad with what ya get on Christmas since Jesus is cool enough to share His birthday with you.”  It usually works to send our conversations onto different tracks….which settles my “mind” as it tries to speak loudly that….you can’t get your kids everything they want for Christmas… I won’t lie to you….I go through the same struggle… I often feel like I didn’t do enough…. but then I think… We have everything we need… which is each other…. and a healthy each other.  Today, Riley was one of the many “Terrific Kids” today at an awards breakfast at school.  If you know us…. you know I get through life on my humor…. I truly should have gone into comedy…. don’t worry… I will get there one day!  But it makes me laugh to think the Riley bug has SO MUCH of me in her….I worry sometimes because….well…. I got into quite the amount of trouble as a child and who are we kidding….as a grown up too.  I once had to leave a funeral that Phil was presiding over because someone started playing bagpipes and I could not stop laughing….that quiet laugh where your whole body just shakes…. ya… I have issues!  Anyway… so I always feel awkward in large groups…and as we sat and ate and enjoyed the sweet comments of the kids being honored… the girl at the table with us got up with a smile when it was her turn… she is 8….and as they read her note from the teacher I watched her Daddy tear up…. the note soon stated that at 8 she had done SO much, one of things was that she is a cancer survivor.  WOW, that was my angel voice today and my reality check…. it isn’t about what you get… it is about what you already have….and how you cherish it.  It is about the kids pulling on you asking for “you” while you try to get things done… If we could focus on the important…. we’d see that our family only needs the being together… the fun…. the cuddles…. the only tradition that is mandatory…. all crazy days must end with a SILENT NIGHT!  No matter the drama…. I am making this my goal… a few extra cuddles… a holiday show that is on “after bed time”…. something they pick… The bottom line…. no matter what you may be going through…. there could be worse…. No one wants to hear “the bummer stuff” on Christmas, but the truth is…. you have it good….and so do I…. and when our kids look back… I want them to say…we always had fun…. laughed a lot…. had cinnamon rolls EVERY Christmas morning…. and we were a house full of love.  Phil and I look at Riley this year….BLOWN away… this is her healthiest year on record…. it is a blessing… even if she were sick… I suppose our perspective would still be the same… we are well aware that we are blessed with the Goodness of God upon our family…. no matter what happens….we have peace in our hearts and a family that understands the truest meaning of Christmas….. SO happy December 7…. remember that you are the best present you can give your kids this year…. remember to ALWAYS say, “Thank you” for even the smallest gesture of giving, watch for odd ways for gifts to come your way….. and when that angel voice says something that catches your heart…listen to it!  It might be your child, your student, your neighbor….. a conversation over-heard while waiting in a line…. dull the chaos and noise…. Happy Silent Night!

Posted: December 7th, 2011 under Family.
Comments: 1

Let’s talk balance… here is the definition using “balance” as verb:

In many circles…. it is difficult to do both… celebrate Jesus at Christmas and understand Santa.  I mean…when it is my birthday…. I get stuff… other people don’t, but the balance of Jesus and Christmas is nonetheless difficult.

We make just the central focus stating that without Jesus being born we wouldn’t even have Christmas…. we usually make Him a birthday cake, pie, or cupcakes… I mean we make Santa cookies. 

As with most “religious” issues… there is a line in the sand and you have to stand on either side of it….let’s be honest…. no one likes terms like this… and they really are rooted in religion…not relationship.  Relationship is about compromise…. and personally…I think Jesus and Santa celebrate together this wonderful Holiday.  I mean…both stories defy reality… both are mysterious and childlike…..

This Christmas… even if you haven’t done it in past year’s…. start slow…. a birthday card to Jesus…placed on your tree, maybe you want to read the Christmas story, maybe you’d be inspired to offer your time to do something for another family…. or give to the “least of these”  ….  and you may not even get it…It might come on you suddenly…a feeling…your child saying…”Can we give that man some money?”  We think, we don’t have money, or … I am not giving him/her money so they can go buy (fill in the blank).  It is not our job to see where that money goes… your job is to say, “OK”  I will never forget last year…. Riley had a VERY expensive, life like kitty…her favorite… it did everything a real kitty did…well….not “everything” but it was not cheap.  Riley cares for her things very well…. and she said to me on a really horrid pain day… we were recovering from pneumonia and having pain episodes…. and out of the blue she says, “Can we go give my kitty to Miss. Joy so she can give it to a little girl that doesn’t have toys?”  It was the LAST thing I wanted to do…I was tired and it had been a long week and a half…. but I have learned to listen to the moments…. and I said, “OK”  so off we went.  I felt so dumb…. but I knew it had to be…I had to allow the balance.  

I am not telling you…Pick or choose…Jesus or Santa…. we can do both…. just make sure you feel both sides of the holiday…. Happy Day 6!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OExXItDyWEY

Posted: December 6th, 2011 under Family.
Comments: none