For the beauty of the sky...

The greys of the sky make you miss the sun about this time. The weatherman says we should see the sun later on today. I am very glad about that. We needed this rain and it is blooming my lawn and my flowers, who live on the water cans that God provides in the clouds. Even my delicate "Ginger" is looking better with the rains that have come to perk her up. Maybe she really did want to be nearer to "Snap". I do not know why she hasn't seemed to acclamate to the spot we put her. She's droopy, but she's not dying. She seems to be the picture of me. I am droopy here, not yet truly rooted, hoping not to get root rot here, apart from the help and encouragements that I am used to. I have outgrown the youthful usefulness of being the smart and the sane and the stable one. Now, I am the unstable and the simple and the less sane one. Oh well, seasons take us around and around and to build myself up, will take another life-time. I don't have that much time anymore, it is time to focus on the little people's lives that are coming up! Much-ado...

Rains, Wanes and Jayne's

The waves of beauty are not crushed by the rainy days down here. Bar-b-que and the beauty of the landscape seem to point your eyes to heaven, here.
There is a beautifully being built city and rural areas betwixt and between. Interesting local sites and sounds and Bar-b-que, which is a phenomenon of flavor that I had never tasted before. The locals advertise it everywhere, I thought I never would taste it, since it is almost always pork. I did eat it chicken flavored bar-b-que and I ate the whole thing. It is so delicious, it could almost make me eat it with pork, maybe? In a hungry moment? maybe? I did like it, though. New things are not so bad.

We met a Homeboy yesterday!

I say that in the most respectful of ways. It is so comforting to see the young and old entrepreneurial people in the African American neighborhoods. The way that capitalism works in the hood is alot more human and touchy feely than in other places. When we were trying to get a deal on gas, a salesman of CD's and DVD's approached us in one of the best pitches that I have ever heard. He said, I can see that you all go to church. Because there was a large crowd of people loaded in one vehicle, it was safe to assume that we were a family and if we were a family, we must be religious. I would have bought one of his cd's just because he had respect for that, out loud.
Others usually sigh or point out the difficulty of such an endeavor. He treated us regular. Because Ben and I, both were always a part of this kind of clannish travelling pattern, we have always been preserved by not being part of the regular people. It is almost a compliment to be accepted and have to turn down video's and CD's like that.
You all are Christians means you have this kind of stuff at home and clean. Thank God for grace.

It is Saturday!

I am thinking of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson and how young Balfour was misled by his uncle and nearly lost his life in that house. Truly, people seek to take you into captivity of soul when they see that you have a sensitive conscience. God is the only Father who will show you the ropes of life and give you the spiritual armor that you need to live life for His glory without the weights of other's expectations attached to your soul to weigh you down. Kidnapped is the story of a boy who was free in his soul because of the grace of God and who God used to free others who were in captivity to their sins. There are so many other lessons in that book for the young mind to grapple with. This is the story that empowers the soul to do battle against the spiritual forces of evil that have formed the world that we see right now. Unfortunately, it has dust on it from lack of reading. This tool cannot be used if it isn't read and discussed.
If we live long enough, we all will go through the anguish of soul that makes us susceptible to the likes of Balfour's uncle-type who would see us die or captives for their profit. That is not God. God says what is good and He requires is to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God. Help me, Lord, to be neither a captivator nor a captive to any but my real responsibilities. That is much more than enough for one person.

How do people seek to use their authority to take you into captivity? What does God say about this? How does God provide for our souls after our parents are gone?...
Thank God for servants of God who don't "Lord it over God's people".

Now, how do I get my boys to read this masterpiece?

The Home Baked Bread

didn't cut it for the children, yesterday. They wouldn't eat the awkwardly shaped sandwiches. I made them in the shape of muffins which were totally "uncool". Store-bought bread looks cool and I only have one bread pan, so the muffin pans were there for the overflow. They ate all of the bread shaped bread in the first sitting, so all that was left was the muffin pan bread. 3 sandwiches came back, to momma's dismay! Unfed little ones.
How many times did we eat, uncool pumpernickel bread with kids making fun and we thought it was cool to have uncool bread. Not my young ones, peer pressure has prevailed over healthy food. I have to try harder to make my bread conform to the pattern of the world! In order to nutrify my babies! Becoming all things to my children is my job!

Rocking my cradle?

What does a cradle rocker do when the cradle is empty? This is the question for me, 2 weeks into my kindergartener's departure. They don't need me as much anymore. They are all out in the world and more than able to rock themselves to sleep. I feel that I missed most of the time to cares and concerns. I was asleep at the wheel all too much of the time. Now, in retrospect I sit with my cradle empty and my mind full of regrets. Thank God for forgiveness and grace. His peace can take me through the deep sloughs of empty nest.
A good message about Hannah's Song by Pastor Chanski took my mind to the godly woman Hannah, who was enabled by God to see past the pain of the departure of her precious little fellow to the purposes of God in answered prayer. I am determined to imitate her faith and look past my ineptitudes to the God who uses my pain and regret for His glory; as he did Hannah.
I am working outside the home and I am learning new skills and encouragements, but there is a wall of pain and a stitch of emotions that are holding me at the present time. I am looking for God's healing balm of the Word to bind up my broken heart as it has so many times before.

Admiring the Handiwork of God...

The sky was a loft with clouds and blue. The bright fluffy kind that you could put in your mouth and taste the cotton candy type of clouds. They weren't pink, but white and grey and again I lamented that I have, in no way come close to the consideration of my family in making the table as God makes our sunrises and sunsets for us daily. If I could just wash my table and make it clean for those I care for and then have a pretty colorful tablecloth, I would be grateful and try harder to imitate the love and concern that God has for my well-being.
He truly cares for us better than we care for ourselves.

The Sahara Desert has more grass than my back yard:)

I need to seed. I need to seed. The goal is a green backyard and a green backyard takes work. Ginger is not doing well in the backyard and the plants in the front yard need some care and consideration. Maybe some cacti would thrive in my yard. I do have a plan, I just have to act on it.

What an Innovative Superintendent!

School on Saturday? Everybody but Ezra, who was sick and Elyse was out of the house to school today. Wow! Paybacks for the rain day that we took, so that we would not have to take away from the other days off that were on the school calendar. The children were no worse for the wear. 1/2 a day and all of the children came home grateful to be there. Wow!

Dr. My Carpets

They look cleaner. I spent a wonderful meditative time on Saturday enjoying the beauty of a carpet that is despotted somewhat. 2 years of 8 people and 1 dog stepping on it had given it some spots that I thought would never come out. I had tried over the counter medications and vacuuming regularly, but I must say that nothing worked like a trip to the Carpet Doctor.
Hot water and soap suctioned out of the carpet helped a good deal. I am not ready to eat off of it but most of the spots are gone and it smells alot better.
A couple of hours and only half of the house is done, but it was the most important half, next time I'll do the other half.