Reason 527 to NOT stack dishes in the sink...

My brother and I have a saying we use often in our phone conversations, "You can't make this stuff up!"  Tonight held one of those moments...
Since Friday we have been going about 100 miles an hour in several different directions, packing up our house, throwing out stuff we shouldn't have moved 10 months ago, making good on a promised ou of town book sale to Grant, going to a Rehearsal Dinner, Mark singing in a wedding, having a blast at said wedding reception and staying up later than we usually do, starting an exercise program with my son who has been on you all summer to do a 10 minute workout with him.....SO, being the great house-wife that I am I needed to get dishes out of the sink and into the dishwasher....I am certain that this terrible continual pattern I seem to have is at the top of Mark's pet-peeve list--leaving dishes in the sink and not doing something with them.
PERHAPS and just perhaps I learned my lesson; when I got to the bottom of the pile....there was a FROG--yes you read that correctly---frog---what I think happened was that I brought in a planter that was outside and hangs on the house with live plants that I put in water.  I have seen frogs in it before--the planter is greenish and frogs can really blend in with this particular shade...Mark heard the distress in  my voice and came quickly to my aid!  We had a great laugh over this.  But, I also remarked later, "I think this thing has been in here since Saturday"  Can't tell you how thankful I am that this little critter was NOT on the disposal side--he is safe to hop another day.  Just sayin'...

Remembering Garrison...

Yesterday(9/10) was National Suicide Prevention day and of course, as Americans we will forever remember today(9/11).  While I knew no one personally that suffered and died that day, my heart aches for their families.  I do know someone quite personally who committed suicide because I gave birth to him.  To even wrap my mind around the many families who continue to live life without their loved ones is just heart breaking to contemplate.  We continue to ache and feel the loss of Garrison.  It continues to be a blessing to us as people share things about him with us.  Sure we might cry--but we do because we realize the love and impact he had on others.
Last week a dear friend reminded me of the visionary that he was.  Yesterday as we were packing up our home, we came across papers from High School.  He was spot on about many things in Economics and Politics.(This was 6 or 7 years ago)  Did people always agree with Garrison's view-points?  No!   But one thing I admired about my son is that he was not afraid to express them.  I will never forget the night that Matthew (Ryan) Woods stayed overnight in Junior High and he and Garrison were practicing apologetics...that was my boy!
Love your family today--squeeze them a little tighter as you hug them good-bye--tell them what you appreciate about them.  I never knew that my last phone conversation with Garrison 4/3/2009 would end with my last words to him--"I love you, Bye!"

Risky Business and no, this has nothing to do with Tom Cruise!!!

Father God--I praise you that your word is always timely---with the billions of people here on Earth, Your Precious Word is available and applicable... from 8/24/12 Our Daily Bread
"Deception is nothing new.  Jesus described satan as one who 'does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him..for he is a liar and the father of it' "  (John 8:44)
Friday's devotion ended with these words:  There are two voices telling us where to invest our lives.  It's risky business to follow the wrong one.  AMEN!
Do you want to know the sad truth--I didn't read this until 8/26/12...had I been timely, this words would have been quite healing for what was a difficult day....why do I continue to be stupid on a regular basis?!?!?
The final footnote on this page:  If we hold on to God's truth, we won't be trapped by Satan's lies.
Words to live by, dear ones...I'm just sayin.....

At my school again....

Sung to the tune of:   On The Road Again..    "At my school again, I'm back at my favorite school again, In the classroom, lunch-room, black-top, sometimes gym, So glad to see the Jefferson Jets again!"

 I'm trying to come up with a kid-friendly version of When You're a Jet...from West Side Story..that's going to take a little longer...give me a day or two--after I stop putting my feet up and my head on a pillow after school! (And going to bed before the sun does...)  Any youth I once felt, somehow gets left on the playground and doesn't come home with me--but I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

I am blessed to be working with my husband again at Jefferson Elementary--although that may be short-lived as he has finished his Praxis in Business Ed and should be snatched up anytime soon by a great regional High School!

In the meantime--we will get used to being on our feet all day, wearing sensible shoes and granting grace to one another as we come home dog-tired, but with smiles on our faces...

Go volunteer at your local elementary school....you will understand...I'm just sayin'...

G.oing O.n P.urposefully...

from "If You Ask Me(And of Course You Won't) by Betty White
"If you've ever lost a loved one, or witnessed it, you can't help but see that the body
is an envelope for the letter."  A verse from my devotions that week: Psalm 139:16b "All
the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
Also couldn't help but think of John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God."

I've become increasingly aware that I don't know what the experience of having a child that
has graduated from college is like.  2012 was "out there" for a long time thinking of both Garrison and Grant being graduates--Garrison from college and Grant from High School. ( I remember as a teen thinking-wow in 2000 I'll be OLD--35--perspective y'all.)

Mark and I both went through a time this Spring as Garrison's classmates-were graduating, getting married and having babies that we grieved in a new way.  Certainly we were happy for these young ones, but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some pain as well.

My memory bank holds this snippet of conversation while our family was in the car one Saturday afternoon.  It must have been around the time that Garrison turned 9.  I said something like *Garrison-you are 9--we're half way through...* and Garrison quipped *Yeah mom, you're half way to getting rid of me...*

 A couple things run through my mind as I reflect on this 1)  Time on car-trips with the fam is a blessing.  We've had some great, silly, intense, upsetting, deeply heart-felt talks in the car.  2)  If I think about it too much that empty 4th seat just makes me cry.  3) 9 and a half should not be middle-age.

We thank you Lord that our lives were so rich and so blessed to have Garrison for the time that we did.  If he cannot be this side of Heaven, I'm blessed to know that he is safe with his Heavenly Father.

***Parents, I know that raising children is a demanding, tiring sometimes down-right ugly and messy adventure--in the midst of it be thankful for what God has trusted you with.***
Remember this: 
Psalm 27: 13-14:   "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord: be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." His Word is just sayin....

24, 25, 26......

After about 27 takes--finally got the shot we were after.

It reminds me though of my walk with God.  There are days

I can find at least 26 ways to do something wrong. Doing

things God's way-always leads to success.  So, thankful

for God's grace and mercy which is new each morning. 

Life with God is Picture Perfect....I'm just sayin...

Anastasia - At the beginning with Lyrics in subtitles!!!