Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Her Shoes

If I ever forget how small she is, I turn around
and look at her feet.
Her little flowered shoes and mismatched socks
remind me of her littleness.
She sits behind me and she fits there for now. 
I know one day these shoes will be lost in the city
of shoe land where all my children's shoes seem
to go. They never stay around long. They dissappear
in the night or on a road trip or simply somewhere
in the big red van. Never to be seen again.
It's a reminder that she too is growing and every
new pair of shoes that I buy is one step closer
to her being big enough to one day walk
away and start her own family.
I hope these little flowered ones stay around
a while though..I love this stage of camping out,
hair a tangled mess, (thumb-sucking still) little girl
that is a joy and delight.
Yeah! I hope these shoes hang around a while. 




Thursday, June 23, 2011

A day in the life of my girls


We cook and around here, we cook alot.
I'm thankful for the counter that holds them.
I'm thankful for Taylor who teaches.
I'm thankful for the hours I have training up
my girls. It's constant and it's new every single
day but it's my mission field and although the heat
of Africa can't touch me here I'm nonetheless living out
a mission.
A mission of Motherhood   



We had a tea party today and the girls learned to hold their tea cups
and sit quietly while I read them a story.
Why is this important to me?
Because when we go to church they need to know
what I mean when I put my fingeres to my lips and say, "shhhhhhh".
Training for Sundays start on Mondays.
It's an all week process.


These fleeting moments are way too short.


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Sleeping in school


A great part of homeschooling is that I get to be with my kids, homeschool my kids,
and watch my kids sleep while I'm teaching them.
I wonder what public school teachers would do?

I personally knew that my boy needed a nap and
so what if he decided to nap during school time? I smiled as
I read to the others. I thought how cute he looked.
See, I can think these things when I homeschool.
I don't have to get all worked up. 


I wasn't about to wake him.
We just kept right on going.
And he kept right on sleeping. The beauty
of homeschooling is that I see his beauty
even when he is asleep. Even when it's in my classroom.

Sleep well little Jo boy, one day
your kids will laugh at this.



Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Train up your children while they are young


I recently read this advice from a man named Richard Baxter. He lived around the 1600s and this is his advice to parents regarding work and children:

"Train up your children in a life of diligence and labor, and do not accustom them
to ease and idleness when they are young.
Many children are taught no calling, nor exercised in any employment,
but only such as is fit for nothing but ornament and recreation at the best.
Recreation should have but a small proportion of their time.
By the sin of their parents, many are early engaged in a life of idleness, which afterward
is almost impossible for them to overcome.
They are taught to live like swine or vermin-which live only to live,
and do small good in the world by living.


They rise, and dress, and adorn themselves, and go to dinner, and thence to cards (or PlayStation or xbox) or chat (txt) and idle talk. Then to supper, and to chat again, and then to bed.
This is the lamentable life of too many who have great obligations to God.
Richard Baxter


Work, it's a good thing..
a very good thing.

Let the stealer steal no more, but rather let him do hard work, doing with his hands what is good work, that he may have something to distribute to someone in need. - Ephesians 4:28

Friday, June 17, 2011

Memories on a road trip


Riding the road to Chattanooga to catch up with
friends lead them down a busy day.
1. Lupi's Pizza Factory
2. The Tennessee Aquarium
3. The Chattanooga Ducks
4. The Terminal
5. The Cupcake Factory
6. and to visit with friends....
 



It lead them to the chattanooga cup cake factory
where the cupcakes were so big you
couldn't eat it all.

I can't imagine. 


 Heavily armed with the remains of her cupcake
and too much Dr. Pepper..





My best friend in the whole world and her hubby,
Brock and Anna
thanks for taking that drive
and thanks for the memories
she'll never forget. 



2011

Monday, June 13, 2011

sometimes a girl just has to do it.

 Look into the bottom of an ice-cream box
and eat every single bite and not feel the least
bit guilty.
You can do this when you're 5.




Friday, June 10, 2011

Why so down cast?

He awoke with the sun still low on the east side of the house.
It was early, too early for him.
The sun shining her rays on his sleepy head. She was waking him
up slowly as he was waiting on his daily bread, revealing
his grumpiness at my table.

Grumpiness as he was being warmed by the very arms of God.
It didn't last long. God awoke in him his love for the day and
it wasn't long before he was up running and playing and singing
and laughing...
God had used His creation to bring the joy into Cullen's morning.
How often has He given me this same gift.
The sun in my kitchen.
The clothes on the line.
The kittens on my back porch.
The smile on my daughters face.
The water being used in my front yard
to cool my children.
The smell of supper cooking.
The feel of my loving husband's arms around me.
The hay being gathered in our pasture.
The sounds of that mean old rooster in the hen house.
The grumpiness is there some mornings,
but if I ever give over to all the gifts
that surround me, it flees and I'm left
standing in a puddle of God's love.
...no, swimming in it ...

Monday, June 6, 2011

The old man by the sea

I was sitting there thinking and looking out into the waters that held
a few of my children when I heard a noise coming from behind me.
 I turned to see a husband and wife carrying a small fragile
old man in a sun chair to the waters edge.
He was not healthy, this I could tell right off.
He was frail and very sick. His face looked sad and weathered.
His body barely able to keep it's position...
and I wondered about him and his life
before things got like this.
I wondered what he was thinking.
I could see them fussing over him. Making
sure his hat was on his head. Making sure he was sitting
up in his chair but he didn't seem to notice
any of it. His gaze was fixed to the sea.
His eyes never leaving whatever it was
he was fixed on.
What I didn't notice right off was the way his
feet lay in the sand and the water rolled
 over them time and time again as
 being washed by some invisible hand.
My tears started flowing because  I imagined the Lord
coming to him and washing his tired old feet on the
beautiful ocean floor. Time and time again the water
gently rolled over his old bones.I walked over not really wanting to interrupt but
just wanting to take a picture for them and I heard his story
and right there in front of strangers, I sobbed.
I cried for him.
I cried for Sherry who lost Tom.

I cried for the day when
this would happen to us all.

 His wife, the love of his life whom he lived with for 50 years
died two weeks earlier and they said he was depressed so they
brought him out to the ocean and the waves hoping that it would
make him feel better somehow.
I kept watching the water roll over his feet.
My mind mingling with the thoughts of my heart
that the Lord was washing this mans feet
 and encouraging him to keep running his race. 
The race the Lord put in front of him.
Yes, the race was hard but the Lord would renew his strength
even now. He kept looking forward, looking off
 into the depths, and I had to wonder
if he was talking to the Lord, if he was questioning or if he was begging
for the Lord to bring him home.  
How many times had he swam here
or ran down these white foamy pastures?
How many times had the ocean been his rescue?
How many times had his feet hit these waters?
Now he's old and now he sits, he runs no more
he swims no more, but he just sits in a chair
and he gets to look at the beauty before him.
Silent not a word
is spoken.
He's taking it all in maybe for the last time
and everyone there knows it.
Our lives are but a vapor. Is this our last time to take
in the beauty around us? Are we looking and not speaking
a word? Are we talking to our God and thanking him
for our race even though it's hard sometimes.

Live today as if...this could be your last
  

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