Been A While...

I just realized how long it's really been since I've updated my blog.  I stepped away for a time after a major life event:  I lost my father very suddenly in 2014.  So many times I started to post about those dyays, the funeral and some of the aftermath.  That just made it so much more "real" to put it out there.  Oh, I've had not problem talking about it...just didn't want to write of it.  

 After that all settled - life just went back to the daily ordinary- work, dogs, hubby and life.  I'll do better and get back to this.  

In a much different note - we've marked some fun milestones:  a 25th college reunion last year that ends with a road trip to visit my first "grownup" friend.  This year is my 30th😳!! high school reunion!  Robert and I are marking/celebrating our 25th Anniversary of all things. We met, had first date, got engaged and married all within one year.  The last three all within one calendar year.  Our wedding was 10 months to the day from that date night.  

We're Expanding the Family!!

No, it's not what you might think (hey, it IS April Fools:-).  After much thought, the Hubby and i have  decided to add a new lab puppy to our family.  We've gone and picked him put of the cutest (aren't they all) litter of 6.  The Mom & Dad Lab belong to friends of ours, so we know he comes from good stock and they're getting lots of TLC right now.  We still have to wait a few more weeks, until they're ready, so I thought we'd share a little about the pets we've had through the years.

Ginger was our first dog.  She joined us, right after we bought our first house (around 1995).  After all, if you've got a great fenced in corner yard, what better way to fill it up, than with a dog.  Ginger was a 2-3 year old beagle-lab mix.  Originally, Ginger was rescued by another couple, who then decided to place her in a new home, when they found out a baby was on the way.  Their loss was our hairy gain.  Other than shedding faster than a dandelion in a wind storm, Ginger was grant dog.  She had mothering instincts that served us ver well when our later puppies came along.  I nicknamed her "Velcro" as she walked in almost direct sidestep to one of us, usually Robert.  We had Ginger until 2009 - 14+ years.  She lived to the ripe old age of 16-17 before going to Rainbow bridge.

Jake was dog #2 and our first puppy.  He came along in 1998.  Hey, we had handled a full grown dog, so surely a 12-lb. puppy can't be THAT much trouble :-).  Jake was a close-to-full blooded Black Lab, and the largest in a litter of 9-10 boys.  Both his parents were of 100 lbs. and true to form...Jake would up around 125.  A ginormous, kingsize black lab with the soul of a couch potato and the heart of your best buddy.

Next edition...the Beagles :-)

We're Off to See the Wizard...

I've been looking forward to the new "OZ" movie that opened this weekend, soon. On a recent trip to Walt Disney World (who owns the film), promos for the movie were EVERYWHERE.  Print ads, commercials, you name it. There's even an Oz section that's been added to EPCOT, as part of this year's Flower & Garden show.  It includes a playground, glass flowers, places for picture taking, you name it.

Yep, I grew up watching  the classic "Wizard of Oz" movie annual airings on CBS.  This was back when there was such a thing as "appointment TV".  Have to admit, the winged monkeys always scared the pants off me, but I still loved the movie. My favorite bit of OZ trivia: Buddy Ebsen was the original Tin Woodman, but had to drop out after an allergic reaction to the makeup cause an almost-fatal allergic reaction.

I later read the "Wizard of Oz" book in elementary school and loved it...but have to admit at the time, I was slightly confused.  The book had LOTS more details and scenes not in the movie.  By my way of thinking it must have been there in the original (1930s) theater showing, and then cut out to make room for the commercials:-).  The new movie looks to have some of those plot elements and characters.  What it has done..is also made me want to go back and re-read "the Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Before Harry Potter...there was another wizard whose story charmed readers (and who also had a smart girl to help him out of a jam - even if the "jam" was getting back to Omaha.

Reminders of Grace

Last month, my childhood pediatrician (is that an oxymoron?) passed away.  Dr. Sizemore was one of those "old-school" doctors, who practiced medicne and was so much more than today's "health care provider".  Our families were members of the same church when I was growing up, so we got to know the Dr and his family as outside the confines of the office, as good, caring people with a love of family, faith and a calling to serve the children of our community.

Ironically, I  found out about his death, on the same day I learned two co-workers were facing the imminent loss of a child, both due to illnesses.  Almost 40 years ago, it was my parents who were in the same place as my CW's.  You see, I had to go through a serious illness, where the outcome wasn't a given.  And yes, it was Dr. Sizemore, who played a big role in my recovery and being a friend and comfort to Moms & Dad.

Just like its easy to ask "why me?" when we face tough times, we sometimes ask the same thing when we've been given a blessing.  When we've done nothing to deserve that blessing, it's a reminder of grace.  The word "grace" has several definitions, but for believers, it's often thought of as 'unmerited favor'' aka something that God gives us or does for us that we didn't earn by our actions. 

There are times when good things happen because of something we've done: the promotion that's long overdue, the dream vacation we've long saved for.  Other times, theres no rhyme or reason for the good that comes our way.  In those times, we should simply just be thankful and not feel guilty for appreciating the blessings. "Grace" is also synonymous for Thanks (as in saying grace/blessings before a meal - even if it is the old standard "God is good, God is great, let us thank Him for this food")

In Ephesians 3, Paul says "I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me...His intent was that now...the manifold wisdom of God should be made known...In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

I Know Whom I Have Believed (Daniel W. Whittle/Public Domain)

1. I know not why God’s wondrous grace To me He hath made known, Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love Redeemed me for His own.
2. 
   
3. Refrain:
4. But “I know Whom I have believed, And am persuaded that He is able; To keep that which I’ve committed, Unto Him against that day.”
5. I know not how this saving faith To me He did impart, Nor how believing in His Word, Wrought peace within my heart.
6. I know not what of good or ill May be reserved for me, Of weary ways or golden days, Before His face I see.
7. 
   

A Story to Tell...

"There are times I wish my story wasn't mine...but it is mine to tell" MaryBeth Chapman.  

I heard this tonight from MaryBeth Chapman, wife of Grammy & Dove award winning CCM singer, Steven Curtis Chapman.  The Chapmans were part of an event in Connecticut, along with other Christian singers/speakers to minister to folks in the Newtown area.  

For those not familiar with the Chapman's story: In May 2008, their youngest (5 yrs old) daughter was killed when she ran in front of a car driven by her then-teenaged brother.  The accident took place in the driveway of the family farm/home.  

Both MB and Stephen expressed with her words and his music that even with the passage of time, they would love more than anything if they & their family had not suffered the loss they did.  That this event, which will always be part of 'their story'  just simply had not occurred.  

The other part of their message is that  even when life gives us those trials that we cannot change or "make it all better", we can get through it.  Our faith is still there beside us, even when we wish things were different.  We may can, at some point in the future minister to someone who may be experiencing a similar loss/challenge.  

What I took from Marybeth's remarks were that it's absolutely normal and OK to wish our circumstances were different.  There are times where maybe we won't "count it all joy", but we can heal.   My 'story' is uniquely mine and and each chapter brings us  lessons we may not be aware we need.  Some lessons can be shared...others will be for our own "private tutoring" 

The song I was reminded of was "I Love to Tell the Story". I'm not into 'tract evangilism", I just hope simply to be a witness as I go about my daily activities.   If you want to hear more of my 'story'...all you have to do is ask.  

I love to tell the story of unseen things above, Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.  I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true.  It satisfies my longings as nothing else would do.

1. • Refrain:
     I love to tell the story,
     ’Twill be my theme in glory,
     To tell the old, old story
     Of Jesus and His love.
2. I love to tell the story, ’tis pleasant to repeat, What seems each time I tell it more wonderfully sweet; I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
   The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.  Arabella Hankey/Public Domain
3. 
   

Decision 2012...

I posted a response about praying for the President on a friend's FB page that that I wanted to share and expand on a bit:

My maternal Grandmother kept a daily prayer journal she would use to jot down the things she prayed for during her daily quiet time.  I believe she updated it until not long before her final hospital stay.  When Grandmother Hackett passed away, we found entries in her daily prayer journal for "PC", along with listing out her children & spouses, her grandchildren and "her" pastors (from my parents and my Aunts' churches, who visited and checked on her) and other loved ones.

It took a little bit to figure it out: it wasn't 'Phenix City' (and yes, my Mom's family was living in Columbus during the height of the 'Sin City' era across the river in Phenix City).  We finally figured out that 'PC' was President Clinton. Grandmother prayed daily for him, along with her loved ones.  Grandmother didn't "like" him and hadn't voted for him.  So, she simply used his initials (instead of his name). She didn't let his not being 'her choice stop her from praying. 

We've become so focused on "winning" and what 'side' (left/right) or color (red/blue) we are affiliated with, that many no longer feel respect for the office holder.  When 'our' candidate loses, we immediately start looking ahead to the next election, and hoping the next time 'our' candidate will do better. It's the "wait til next year" attitude we use when our favorite sports team loses or their season ends, without the SuperBowl or World Series ring.  

We shouldn't just pray/wish/hope for our desired outcome, but remember the men/women who have been tasked with leadership roles.  We can disagree, debate, discuss and 'agree to disagree' in ways that don't add to the division.  

A Careful Outlook

Was heartbreaking a few weeks back to wake up on a bright Friday morning, to see reports of the Aurora, Colorado shooting filter in.  First via social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook  then confirmed on the morning news shows.  My thoughts & reaction were probably similar to most everyone else:  the more I heard, the more heartsick I felt.  A collection of everyday folks doing an everyday activity.

Later that morning, I happened to mentioned to group of CoWorkers that Hubby had plans to attend a matinee showing, as part of a team outing.  One said he's going...aren't you afraid.  I thought a second and said, no.  We can't  stop just going about our business and let fear of the unknown 'bad guy' keep us from living our lives.  Does it mean things will always be ok?  No, we know bad things can happen out of the blue

There's a difference between being carefree, careful and captive.  Carefree is riding down the highway with the convertible top down, careful is putting on the seatbelt.  Captive is not taking the car out of the garage.

Psalms 32:7-8 You are my hiding place; you protect me from distress.
You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah)
I will instruct and teach you about how you should live.  I will advise you as I look you in the eye.

I love the phrase "protect me from distress" it doesn't mean the 'distress' is removed or never comes, instead I see it as we have the tools to get through the distress and that where the comfort comes in.  We don't have to live in fear when God will 'look us in the eye'.  

Tis So Sweet

I love the classic hymns and wanted to share some thoughts that tied into one such song (and one of my favorites):  Tis So sweet to Trust in Jesus.

Through our/my 15+year struggle with endo and infertility, one of the key lessons I was about trust.  I had to re-learn to TRUST that God does understand those moments when I questioned/bargained/argued/cried/yelled...you name it. TRUST that he has equipped us for this journey that we are traveling on and TRUST for the future.

For me...infertility was a type of  loss that shook my foundation, like an earthquake.  I had been blessed in the sense that I had never previously lost trust in the people most important (husband, parents, good friends).  Being in a place where I was asking "why" and "how come??" was uncharted territory for me.  And at the same time, felt guilty for asking why.

There wasn't one 'aha' moment, but as I simply gave myself time to work through this and accept that this was the path, that we've been chosen to walk down...the faith and the hope came back;  the joy came back, the laughter and music and love of life and all the normal ups and downs came back.   Infertility had broken my heart, but it didn't break my spirit.  That's the beauty of grace and faith...the Lord gives us time when we have to step aside to get our bearings..and he's simply standing there with open arms when we turn back to Him. And yes, it is something very 'precious'.

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word; Just to rest upon His promise, And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”
Refrain: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er; Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Oh, for grace to trust Him more!
I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee, Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend; And I know that Thou art with me, Wilt be with me to the end. ~ Louisa M.R. Stead

19 and Counting...

Almost two (2) weeks ago, Robert & I celebrated our 19th anniversary on Halloween day. Yes, I was a Halloween bride! No, it had nothing to do with any 'connection' to the day or fondness for Halloween. It just so happened that it fell on A Saturday that year:-).

We 'celebrated' this week, with a date night in downtown Columbus at the RiverCenter to see John Tesh performing with his Big Band tour. Have to say it was a great evening! John was great in person (someone that I've always wanted to see), very personable and charming, as I hoped. A good time was had by all, even if we did have to miss our favorite show - The Big Bang Theory:-)

The King's Speech

Happy Birthday to my Dad, who is 74 years young today!  Love, Always :-)

I happened to watch "The King's Speech" today.  Didn't think about the timing until I was well into the movie, but it hits really close to home.  If you're not familiar with the movie, it tells the story of the current Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI and his relationship with a speech therapist:

The current monarch and her father were not supposed to be on the throne.  The Queen's father, then Prince Albert, the Duke of York, was the second-born son.  The Duke only became king after his older brother abdicated the throne, to marry a woman deemed "unsuitable" to be Queen.  Can you imagine if that had been the outcome of the Charles-Diana-Camilla triangle?  At worst, he just has to deal with citizens who wish he'd voluntarily "step aside" in lieu of Prince William

The Duke also had a lifelong problem with stuttering.  At the time, it was considered to be a major "flaw" and something to be ashamed of.  It was something the Duke struggled with for most of his life.  The movie tells the story of how the King worked Lionel Logue to gain control over his "issue". 

The reason this resonates with me is that my wonderful Dad has also struggled with stuttering all of his life.  He worked with speech therapists and the public speaking group, Toastmasters International, and now is a very well respected speaker.  I'm so proud of how hard he's worked.

Standing on the Promises

I love the classic hymns and from time to time, I may jot down some things that come to mind when I think of these classic words I grew up with (and maybe from time to time, some more "modern" hymns or worship music:-)

Standing on the Promises of Christ, My King, through eternal ages let His praises ring;
Glory in the highest I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God


Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail; By the Living Word of God, I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God


Standing in the promises I cannot fail, listening every moment to the Spirit's call;
Resting in my Savior as my All-in-All, Standing on the promises of God

The tune for this song is what you might call "lively" and it fits. We aren't asked here to "whisper" our faith, but to Shout & Sing & Stand - all active, action verbs. God wants us to exhort our faith. Doesn't mean we make a nuisance, or be show-offy, like the Pharisees, but we find ways to keep it active: through prayers, devotions, worship in the corporate setting, in small groups(like a bible study) or just at home. As Psalms says "let the words of my heart and the meditation of my soul, be acceptable in your sight, oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

The second verse addresses times when we doubt, the promises are still valid. I'm living proof that the answer to your most heartfelt prayer can be a clear and resounding NO, but that doesn't mean that God is saying that you're not worthy, or you don't belong as part of the "family" or that God has turned his back on you. What it means to me is that even if I get discouraged and I step away from God for a time - He's STILL there. This time, it's God who is standing beside me.

I love verse 4. I didn't skip verse 3 because we Southern Baptists learned to count as 1-2-4. This time the verbs are more sedate actions: Listening and Resting. I'm a couch potato by nature and can spend hours, when I have the time, doing all nature of 'solitary' activities: reading, listening to music on the iPod or any number or things. I married my total opposite: My wonderful husband can't sit still longer than absolutely necessary. He has this wonderful, active mind and spirit that I love, but I just can't manage to emulate. Add to that, I'm a procrastinator, and well, you get the picture! I think after almost 19 years of marriage, we may be starting to move a litllte more toward the middle. It's like a fun game of tug-of-war...which side of the line will we wind up at?! I dont know, but Will be fun to find out!

'I cannot fail' doesn't mean that I won't make mistakes, but that when I do, I want to learn something. It's the learning that keeps me from failing. That's where the listening comes in, trying to hear what the message is from our shortcomings, and the cool thing about God is that his "messages" are custom fit for each of us.

Lastly, "rest" doesn't mean to sleep, but more to stop, to take note and simply be AWARE that there is nothing we deal with in our daily life that God doesn't want to be a part of. He is
the 'end all, be all' (or all in all) as we like to say. This time, we are standig still. Its like the verb has become a noun, and the "thing" it represents are his wonderful promises, which are as many as the stars n the sky. We can turn our concerns and joys over to the Lord, knowing he'll walk beside us as we face the day.

Auburn-LSU Game

Tomorrow is the game where the "Go Tigers" plays the "Geaux Tigers". I can't say it's one of my favorite series, because more often than not, it's a crazy nerve wracking game. From the Earthquake game in '88 to the year the old Arena in Auburn caught fire DURING the game and flames were visible in the skyline above Jordan-Hare, it's always one of the toughest games of the season. The old adage "2 yards and a cloud of dust" is good fit for this series.

My take on this years game: on paper Auburn has no chance, we're the same very, very young team that lost 90% of the players from our BCS championship team, playing the number 1 team in the nation and our QB will be making his first start in Death Valley. Talk about getting thrown into the fiery furnace :-). We may or may not win the game, but I'm liking how these young Tigers are playing. They make mistakes, no doubt, but they play to the whistle and I'm liking what I'm seeing as a foundation for the next few seasons. Will we win: won't know for sure until tomorrow, but I definitely wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised :-)

War Eagle!!!!

Update: Auburn lost 45-10. Largest margin of defeat in this series. Oh well, We'll see the "LSWho" tigers in Auburn next year!

Dan Wheldon

Was watching today's between the Falcons and Cam-olina (Carolina) Panthers when my twitter feed started exploding with reports of a 'big one' during today's race, that involved driver Dan Wheldon.

Now, I'm a NASCAR gal. Hubby works for one of the companies that's a lead sponsor for a driver, so we're fans of that driver & I'm also partial to JR. I knew NASCAR had their race last night, so wasn't sure at first which series this was. Turned out to be IndyCars. Other than the Indy500, I don't watch IRL racing. I'm a sucker for the spectacle that's The 500, from the Perdue band & Jim Nabors singing "back home again in Indiana" to the milk & roses for the winner, to the massiveness that's the Brickyard: it's an American as apple pie.

I remember Wheldon winning in flukey fashion this year. A rookie led almost the whole race, and was on his way to clearcut win, when, well...racing stuff happened. The rookie had an accident on the last lap, and Wheldon was in position to speed around and claim the race win. Today, just 13 laps in, what might have been a simple accident became a horrific 15-car, fiery crash with debris spread over a long stretch around Turn 4.

About 2 hours later, the announcer told the viewing audience that Dan Weldon had not survived the crash. Wheldon was 33, with a wife and 2 young sons. The remaining drivers took to their cars, some openly weeping and completed a slow 5 lap tribute to their fallen friend and competitor, to the strains of Danny Boy and Amazing Grace.

It was such a stark reminder that we truly don't know how long we'll grace this life with our presence. We know in our heads that it can all end in a moment, but there's a part of us that assumes we'll be allowed the maximum number of the "days of our lives". We really don't know how long we're going to have to "finish the race" so we need to make sure we make the most of our time, Count your blessings, love your loved ones, don't let wounds fester into something that becomes a deeper hurt, if you can. Let your time count!

Henry

Last month marked one year since we brought our then-latest canine addition into our home: a Lab~Austrailian Shpherd mix, that I dubbed "Henry". Henry's original puppy name was "Peter", which isn't bad, just didn't feel like the right 'fit' :-)

In early 2010, we lost two (2) of our dogs: Sam, a 12 y/o beagle and found out our 11 y/o Lab, Jake, had skin cancer. Jake survived longer than the normal time for that type of cancer diagnosis, but finally died in May. Have to be honest-that was a tough one! Jake was the first dog we had gotten as a puppy. He came home as a 12lb ball of fur and VERY quickly grew into a 125lb. couch potato.

When we got Jake, we weren't doing the "let's see if we can handle a puppy and if we do ok, maybe we won't screw up the baby" thing. We'd already been married 6+ years. I think at that time, I already had some 'whispers' in my head that our "when are you going to start a family" was turning into a 'hmm, something might not be right'. At the time I was just starting on a big work effort (remember Y2K??) and had that to keep from worrying about what 'might' be going on.

I knew Robert wasn't keyed up about adding a new dog to the house. Jake was the Gilligan to his Skipper: his big, little buddy. They'd been pals for almost 12 years. Jake was great with me, but he 'belonged' to Robert. Our 2 remaining dogs are also both 10+ years old. I just couldn't see us with an empty house - or having just one surviving dog, who'd always been part of a pack.

So.....I took the initiative and started looking online & on our work classifieds for puppies. Finally, I found "it". I found our new puppy. Still can't explain it....but something about the picture on petfinder.com website got to me :-) And...even better, he was just over in Auburn and not off in Nebraska, or Timbuktu. I contacted the rescue group and THEN told Robert ( but before SETI led out the application...promise:-) In 17+ years, this was first time I'd gone out on that long of a limb.

Call it a 'calculated risk', but I knew this was right for us...and a year later, it has been :-). I wasn't looking for another lab-promise :-). H was listed as an Aussie, but turned out to look like a mini-Lab, but hates water, is skittish, and well, just kind of goofy. Hismpersonality is nothing like his outer 'shell'. He had a lot of health issues to deal with - so in a sense, we both rescued each other. We gave Henry a home and he helped us get over our loss. At the end of the day...not sure who gets the better deal, but it's going to be fun finding out!!!

Henry

Thoughts on 9/11

Our youth group from Edgewood Baptist took a trip to NYC back in the mid-80's (probably summer of '84 or '85).  We stayed outside the city, near Peekskill (home of TV's "Facts of Life' :-), wend into the city to do outreach with several churches - we visited churches on Long Island, Queens and Jersey City, NJ.   


We rode the ferry past the Statue of Liberty, which was under renovation for the then-future centennial celebration which would take place in the summer of '86 and introduce a young Sandi Patty to the nation.  The Statue looked like a rocket ship out in the harbor:  she was surrounded by scaffolding, but i could see the top of her arm and the torch just barely sticking out above the top of the girders.


On one of our fun excursions into NYC we went to top of the World Trade Center.  Not exactly sure which of the towers we went in, but I believe it was the tower that housed Windows on the World restaurant.  I do remember being disappointed that we weren't going to Empire State building or Bloomingdale's, too :-).  What I do remember from that visit:  the loooong ride to the top and the amazing view once we arrived at the observation deck - of course once we got there I forgot all about wishing we'd gone to the ESB :-) You could literally see for miles and to be above all the other skyscrapers was simply, a sight to behold. 

When you see something that massive - even if only for one day - you can't imagine it simply disappearing in a matter of seconds.  It was after work that day, before I was able to see with my own eyes what had been done on September 11th.  I knew what had happened, thanks to news reports and conversations with Mom and other friends that morning.  Not seeing with my eyes, somehow, some part of me kept hoping it just couldn't REALLY have happened.  So even though my head already knew - I still well, just
hoped...

i found comfort in the days that followed in the following verses from the Psalms - "One thing I ask fthe LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life...for in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.  Ps 27:4-5.