I turned 43 a few weeks ago, and  I know this may seem insignificant to those readers who are much older, but growing “older” has been an adventure for me lately.  As I approach this season, I realize, at age 43, I have only lived out about half of my life(according to statistics).  I said ONLY 1/2 of my life. 

I think that so many times, we get older and our kids start leaving the nest and we think, “Well, I have done what I was supposed to do.  I’ve raised my kids and now it’s time to take it easy.”  None of mine have actually left the nest yet, but I can sense the coming tide just over the horizon and know that it will be here in the blink of an eye.  I feel excited about my life as an “adult”, not as just a Mother.  I know there is so much that God has planned, yet for me to do.  I want to look at the future with anticipation realizing that my purpose still lies out there;  there is still much left to accomplish.

In my reading, I came upon a verse that spoke to me, Proverbs 27:25, “After the hay is harvested, the new crop appears.”  Now, I’m sure this verse in no way references what I am talking about, but to me it did.  This says to me that once we have “harvested”, God is right there ready to give us our next “crop”.  We can never just sit back and say, “Well, I’ve done what I needed to do and now it is time to just take it easy and let someone else do the work for a while.”  There is always more to be done for God.  We have such a small amount of time here on this earth to gather people for God’s harvest.  We need to constantly be “on the job” until Jesus comes again.

We may have “harvested some hay”, but the “new crop” is right there under the soil ready to spring up and demand our attention. 

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I have blogged before about how I do not watch or listen to the news…

On my home page this morning, there is a story about a new scandal that is going on with Pres. Obama.

I am sure by now everyone has heard about what happened at the MTV awards with Kanye West and Taylor Swift.  Apparently, someone overheard a private conversation between the President and someone else.  This other person asked him what he thought about West’s actions at the awards.  The president replied that West was being a jack—.  Well the media has apparently jumped on that and are now criticizing the president for his remarks.  Yes, that is the big mistake that the President has made……..?!?  I will be the first to admit that I don’t follow all the political happenings, but I’m guessing that the President stating what most agree is true, is not a world changing event. 

Have we really gotten to this point, where this is what a major news story is all about…….I find this sort of thing so absurd and so disturbing that I really can’t believe that I am taking the time to blog about it……. on second thought, why am I blogging about it?!?…………………………………….

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Since we have been living in Florida, we have lived pretty much in the “country”.  I use that term loosely, since it means different things to different people.  We have been living away from the heart of the happenings.  We live across from cow pastures, trees are rampant and we see all sorts of wildlife on a regular basis.  That to me is Florida “country”.  The down side to that is we have to drive 30 miles to get pretty much anywhere we go (except Disney).  We have been looking to move closer into the city so we can cut down on drive time and gas expense. 

We have spent months upon months trying to find the right house.  “House hunting” use to be one of my favorite pastimes, but NOT anymore.  I hope to make this move and never have to look for another house again.  After so many months of driving around we found a house, well a more accurate description would be, a house practically fell into our lap.  

It is in an area that we had not even been looking, but when we happened upon it, I immediately knew that it would be the perfect location.  Our new address will be Orlando, and it is pretty much the opposite of the “country” life we have been living so far.  We will be within walking distances of shops and restaurants, sidewalks are everywhere and walking seems to be an everyday occurence.  We will live just off of what appears to be “yard sale” road.  Every Friday and Saturday there is a huge abundance of yard sale signs up and down the street and you could pretty much go “junkin” till your heart’s content.  We will only be minutes from our church and other areas that we frequent on a regular basis.  There are many parks only a few miles away and one thing I can say for Florida is that they put those enormously high property taxes to good use because they have some of the nicest parks that we have seen.  My girls are appreciating the fact that we will have a Starbucks and a Books-A-Million only a mile or so away.  I am appreciating that I now will only have a few miles to drive to get to the things that seem to be the cornerstones of my life.

I know there will be many advantages to living in the “city” compared to country life.  Although, I’m sure we will miss some of the peace and tranquility of the quiet nights here, seeing the 2 huge owls that sit atop the light posts out front looking down on us with those glaring eyes each night when we take the dog out, the raccoons that seem to stalk the neighborhood, the many birds that greet each morning’s light with their sometime extremely loud squawk, the infinite number of giant frogs and lizards that scatter when you open the door, and the unseen but heard creatures that roam in the trees/swamp land behind our house. 

When we met with the owner of the new house, over the weekend, I asked him about wildlife.  He said yes, they have wildlife.  They often see squirrels and he once saw a cardinal :-O

Yes, there will definitely be some changes in store for this country girl, turned city girl.

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I heard this song yesterday for the first time in quite a while and was so blessed by it.

I am sure that you are like me in the fact that I hate to get a telemarketing call.  I don’t like it when the phone rings, period, but when I answer it and it is someone soliciting something, I must admit, I am not usually very friendly, to say the least .

I wrote, in a previous blog, about starting back to work.  Well, long story short, that working situation caused a lot of conflicts in our schedule, so I ended up only doing it about a month.  I have just recently started another work from home position.  This one is, for all intensive purposes, a telemarketing thing.  I only call businesses, not personal homes, but it is still the same general principal.  I have about 3 or 4 questions that I ask them to gather information for an outside source.  As with most cases of telemarketing, I can tell that most of these callers aren’t thrilled in having to talk to me and just want to do whatever it takes to get me off the phone.  Since it is businesses and not personal homes, they rarely just hang up, but most are not very friendly.

I have noticed that when I do get someone who is friendly and readily answers each question with a polite tone, that it changes my entire spirit.  I immediately feel an uplifting and I in turn start talking more polite and with a lightness that I didn’t previously have.

It is sobering to think of the power that the “tongue” has.  It can truly make or ruin a day.  I think we seldom stop to think about our words or even more importantly how we say them.  They have the power to tear down and the ability to build up.  I think a good place to start would be to have fewer of them, but that concept seems to elude a lot of people.  So may we choose our words carefully and realize that although they may seem insignificant to us, they are powerful and may very well determine someone else’s day.

I have been considering 3 phases in the life of parenting……

The first one comes when your children are very small and probably lasts until around age 13 or so(sometimes later).  It is the “Pulling” stage.  That is when we, as the parents, go ahead of the child and map out their steps before them.  We are leading the way and try and clear out any obstacles and make sure the path is safe and appropriate for them to travel.  They rarely go down roads that we have not already surveyed and approved and have given permission for them to take.

The next phase is the “Pushing” phase.  It usually occurs in the teen years.  It is where we have now moved to somewhat behind them or at least beside them.  They are allowed to now make a lot of their own decisions and set up their own goals and boundaries(to some extent).  We are no longer in front of them pulling them down roads that we want them to take.  We have given them some freedom to explore their own interests.

The third phase is the releasing phase.  It creeps up on us and usually hits us somewhere around graduation.  It is when our children, now officially adults, have finished high-school and are preparing to make their way in this world.  They are making decisions that will affect their future and this can be quite alarming for us as parents.  We no longer feel comfortable telling them what to do and we are trying to allow them some space to find God’s will for their life and pursue it with all their might.  Of course, we are still there offering guidance and support, but this is a period when they must start making their own way.

I have a child is each of these phases, and I must stay that this last phase is by far the most difficult.  I have certain ideas and blueprints that I want my children to follow.  Of couse, I have been training them, educating them, loving them, guiding them, for such a time as this.  But now, to let go and just sit back and rest in the upbringing that I have gifted them with is very hard for me.  I know my daughter will make wise decisions and I have complete trust in her abilities and in her wisdom, but it is tough to release her to fly on her own. 

I am so thankful that God gives us the assurance that He can now take the helm and guide them where He sees fit.  “I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

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A few weeks ago, my daughters and I were stopped at an intersection that had a man holding a sign.  His sign stated that he had lost his job and needed money to feed his family, it also had a picture of his family.  We witness this scenario played out all over this city as I’m sure you do too.  But this particular time, we felt lead to contribute.  My daughter had some cash, so she rolled down her window and gave it to the young man.

A couple of weeks later, I was driving down the road and saw this same young man now doing advertising for a certain establishment.  Since then, we have seen him multiple times at work and he seems to have a smile now and appears to be working very hard.  We have all been touched to think that we refrained from judging his motivation and were willing to allow God to use us to help this young family.

It is so difficult to not group all these seemingly “lost and desperate” souls into the same category and to realize that we are all worthy of the same fate and were it not for the grace of God, any of us could be in the same situations.

This song always touches my spirit and prompts longings from my soul to God to never allow me to fall short in my responsibilities to those less fortunate or those who may be temporarily going through some rough times.  Matthew 25:40

I truly hope that none of my CF friends read this blog, because they might not appreciate being referred to as “hens”.  Well, I thought it was a catchy title, so I am going with it .

I have been blessed with some of the most amazing friends.  We have been through so much together and I love them dearly.  But, since moving to a new state last fall, more than 500 miles away from anyone I knew, I have had to either make new friends or remain in solitude.  Making friends is not easy for me.  I tend to be perceived as a bit of an introvert.  I’m really not, I just prefer to be the listener instead of the talker.  I enjoy listening to other people’s stories and conversations.  It is not easy for me to share and I often say things that I later regret.  I have become somewhat socially inept.  But despite all those inadequacies, I have made some wonderful new friends in our new locale.

I really believe all those things about choosing your friends wisely, and surround yourself with people who build you up and make you want to be a better person.  I think it is quite foolish to be always drawn to people who make you feel good about yourself because they have so many problems and they make you “look good”.  Of course, I am not saying that we should not reach out to those in need, but I want my inner circle to be made up of people who have something that I can draw from and who challenge me to grow and become more of what God wants me to be along with friends who I can offer that to as well.

I am fortunate to have found those gems here in Central Florida.  Wow, that is a big switch, I went from calling them “hens” to “gems”.  Maybe that will redeem me just in case one of them actually does read this .

From my friend that I lovingly refer to as my “bff”(best Florida Friend) that I really don’t have all that much in common with, but we just seem to be simpatico and have grown together in a short time; my friend who is very accomplished in the world of academia, but is still so humble, down to earth and has a gift for making others feel important; the one who is so animated and charismatic that you just watch and experience more than anything and feel joyful because of it; my friend who is very deep in the things of God and loves to share with a “lighted spirit” that cannot be quenched;  my meek and quiet friend who seems to have a great deal of care and concern to offer and whose kids have added great joy in the lives of 2 of my children;  my friend who likes to say it like it is and has such an aura of “what you see is what you get” that is refreshes me each time we come in contact;  my friend who I can’t imagine hearing a harsh word or negative comment ever come out of her mouth. 

There are many more that I could describe, but these are just a few of the incredible women that I have been blessed with here on my new roost in Central Florida.

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I was reading in my devotion this morning about unanswered prayer, and something struck me.  We are so weak and so misguided that most of the time we are simply shooting in the dark when it comes to asking God for things.  Quoting C.S. Lewis, “If we consider…..the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.  We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea.  We are far too easily pleased.”

We have such limited perspective when it comes to knowing what to ask God for.  I think we fail to realize just who we are talking to;  the creator of the universe, the one who simply spoke and all things existed……..WOW!  and I want to ask Him to help me pay my bills, to help me not be anxious, to protect me and my family, to help us find the right house, to give my husband a better job, to help my children do well with their studies, to keep sickness away from my family, etc…..  When all He has is at my disposal…..He is GOD!  and He wants to give me fullness of life, a FULL life.   “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”

He can give me all the money in the world not just enough to pay my bills, He can give me everlasting peace not just remove anxiety, My family will spend eternity in the presence of Jesus even if they leave this world, He has built a mansion for me in Heaven where I will live forever, our only job that matters is to make an impact for God, the only knowledge that means anything is the knowledge that God is everything we need, if sickness comes we have the assurance that He is there and all things work for our good,  etc…..What are we really praying for?  Anything that really matters? 

Of course, He wants to hear our longings and He wants to supply our needs and He wants us to turn to Him even in the seemingly small things of life.  But the point is, we are so finite, our minds are so finite that we can’t even imagine what He wants to give His children.  I dare say it is far more than anything we could even dream about asking Him for.

I wish I had the faith to pray, “Hello Father…..Whatever.”   Now that’s a prayer He can work with!

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I am sure by now you have already heard all the latest gossip about Jon and Kate Gosselin.  Even if you aren’t a fan of the show, you have probably been witness to all their dirty laundry being hung out for all to see.  I will spare you the pain of having to read it all over again.  There are MANY opinions about why their marriage is failing and each person I have heard has a different take of who did what and who should have done what differently.  Most marriages in America do not last, especially celebrity marriages, so why are we so shocked by the failure of theirs?

Because you can’t turn on the tv or internet without hearing or seeing their marriage failures being exploited, I have been thinking a lot about marriage lately.  What do most marriages fail?  Why do so many couples who stand before God and all their friends and family and express their unending love for someone, simply walk away at the first sign of trouble?  Why do so many couples who vow to love each other until death part them, look to divorce so quickly and just walk away from the promises they have made to the one that they supposedly love more than life itself?  What changes?  Did they enter into the marriage with the wrong goals and values in the first place?  Did they enter into it with the notion that if it doesn’t work out then they will just get a divorce, so it really isn’t that big of a deal anyway? 

I have to believe that most couples who get married enter into that union with the full assurance that this is the one person that they want to spend the rest of their life with.  Otherwise they would not be getting married.  If this is true, then why does the majority end in divorce?

I think there are, of course, a plethora of circumstances that can cause this extreme shift in dedication.  The biggie is not having a personal relationship with Jesus, the author of the marriage union.  If that is lacking in both spouses or especially in just one spouse, then failure will definitely be more eminent.  Without the love of God in your relationship, it will be much easier to just walk away and not  look back. 

We all know that the Bible has many things to say about this God-Ordained union.  The one that sticks out to me is keeping it extremely simple:  “Wife be subject to your husband….Husband love your wife.”

(Since this is an open domain and I do not know what age might stumble upon it, I tread lightly over the next paragraph)  We all know that husbands have three basic needs:  the first one, food, and respect.  If the first two are good then they might not need so much of the last…..well for that matter, if the first one is really good they might need very little of the other two .  If we are to be subject to them, then I am thinking that our main objective should be to meet their needs.  The first one I won’t go into, we all know what we should do there and if you don’t, just ask your husband. The second one is pretty cut and dry….feed your man!  When he comes in from work there should be a meal waiting.  I know that may be old-fashioned, but I believe they had a lot less divorces back then too!  The last one is where I think we all can tend to fall short.  Showing our man continued respect.  Does it honor him if we criticize him to our friends?  No!  Does it honor him if we talk about him negatively in front of our kids?  No!  Does it honor him if we choose to spend more time with our friends that we do him?  No!  Does it honor him if we make it obvious that our first priority is our children?  No!  Does it honor him to not tell him how much we appreciate all he does for our family?  No!  Does it honor him to not greet him at the door after a long day’s work(and I add us looking like we have at least made an attempt to fix oursleves up) with a little hug and kiss?  No!  You get the picture.

The Bible says that when a man and woman get married they become ONE flesh.  That means to me that whatever one does the other is equally responsible for.  If one is criticized, then both are criticized.  Whatever you do to one, you do to the other.  ONE flesh.  No longer two people, but ONE.  If we could get that through our heads it could revolutionize how we see our marriages.

This has gotten very long, so I will end here and just make up a part 2 sometime.  I still have many thoughts rolling around in my head and I need to relay some things about the husbands role too.  Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings and I hope that something will give you an extra dose of love and respect for your man today.

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