Living in Fear

This year has been full of so many terrifying things....hurricanes wiping entire cities off of their feet... tragic pointless shootings taking lives in the blink of an eye at schools, movie theaters, malls, concerts, and even churches.  Is nothing safe? Is any location or activity out of harm's way?  What are we to do to protect ourselves???

My first reaction today at the news of Las Vegas, my hometown, was No Concerts EVER!!! But now I sit back, breathe, and pray.  I'm reminded of the encouraging words of Paul, "For God did not give us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."  This spirit of fearfulness and doubt is not what we are called to do.  Jesus himself warned us that we should "not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul."  I'm not supposed to instill in my children (or myself for that matter) a fear of all the things that can go wrong.  I shouldn't hide away fearing what could and might happen.  Yes, I can exercise caution, but not fearfulness.  Not fearfulness when there is power, love and sound mind.

As we drove through town this evening, my son asked me what event caused the flags to be at half mast.  I explained about the heartbreaking sadness of evil taking the lives of the innocent and how the whole nation is mourning for them.  In my reflections on the pointless loss and pain,  the rest of Jesus' warning came to mind, "Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."  The true evil one is out there, disguised in many ways, searching whom he can devour.  And yet, when he attacks, when his victims fall, often we don't mourn for them.  We don't put up an outward show of flags at half mast for another soul who has fallen prey or weep because a life is no longer thriving.  How would we react if every time we fell to his evils, everyone heard...everyone mourned?  How would we feel if each time we slipped, everyone prayed for our lost life, prayed for another chance for us...for more time?  Wouldn't we live more cautiously?  Wouldn't we be looking out, living, but being more on guard, full of caution?

I mourn for all of these losses of life in both the body and the spirit.  My heart and my prayers ache for them and their families.  May God continue to give us strength in this world and the one to come.  And may we each put on the full armor of God as we face the true fear that is out there.

20 Things I Learned From My Grandmas

 Oh, how I miss my grandmothers!  They left my life way too soon.  I feel like if they were here now, I would treasure them more than I ever did before in all my years put together.  Even though they are gone from this world, those beautiful women left their mark on me.  In the short years they were here being an active vital part of my life, they taught me things that will be with me forever.

I could probably write books on their fascinating honorable lives, but here is a sampling of their lessons I carry with me daily.

1. The journey of the treasure hunt is even more memorable than the found treasure.

2. Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide are great for your smile.

3. It's not about eating the taffy, it's about the fun in pulling the taffy together as a family.

4. Shoes can make you feel pretty and they help to dress up any outfit.

5.  Playing on the floor is how you build the foundation of communication for many years to come.

6.  Handwritten letters send a piece of yourself to your loved ones that they will read, stare at, smell, and hold close to their hearts.

7.  Teasing your hair actually has a purpose - finally volume!

8. Always find the humor, even if you've heard the story one zillion times.

9.  Pulling out the good china isn't just for holidays.

10.  Have essential ingredients always on hand for a quick and easy meal.  This way you will be able
to open your home to others whenever needed.

11.  Hugging makes everyone feel better.  Look for those who need one.

12.  Forgiveness and silence at the right moments bring survival and peace.

13. Have a nightly set apart time for your favorite show or delicious book so that all day you can look forward to it.

14.  Putting God first sets an example for generations, even if you think no one is noticing.

15.  Knowing someone's favorite food/drink and having it available when they come to visit shows them your love, forethought, and how special they are to your heart.

16.  Outward beauty takes work, upkeep, and practice.  Inward beauty takes even more work, upkeep, and practice.

17.  There's no such thing as a stranger; speak to everyone with love, knowing they are actual people with souls and lives of their own.  We are all children of God.

18. Demonstrate true love and concern for others by listening when spoken to.  Then remember it, and follow up; show them that what they confided in you matters.

19. Share your stories and history as much as you can, for it will be missed and longed for when you cannot.

20.  Never stop voicing your love.  Hearing you are loved never gets old.

ADDENDUM: In looking for these pictures of my grandmothers, I realized they were SO young! And my mother was even YOUNGER than I am now.  Wow!  It made me realize my legacy has already begun.  May the eyes who are watching my daily moves see even a fraction of the good that I saw in my godly mother and grandmothers.

Welcome, please come in. Just don't look in there, or in there, or behind that door, or perhaps you can just close your eyes...

Last night as I walked through my house, I noticed that there truly was no single clean spot anywhere.  My kitchen counters were cluttered with the randomness of items dropped off in the rush of entering and exiting the house.  My den was blanketed in the crumbs and residue cup rings from our family night dinner and a movie.  My living room was littered with toys of play battles, play kitchen, Chinese Checkers, and other items dropped and forgotten.  The stairs...yep, even the stairs...had tons of stored up items on the steps ready to bring up later, but still sitting there waiting.  Then I seriously had to gulp down my humiliation as I walked into the upstairs restroom that the kids use in the rush of getting ready for bed.  Out loud, I literally said to myself, "Your mother would NEVER have allowed this!"

I tried to comfort myself with the liberating thought that maybe, just maybe, the phrase "cleanliness is next to godliness" might actually mean that if you teach them godliness, then cleanliness will eventually follow..next? Right?!

You may judge me thinking that I have enough kids that they should have those responsibilities, and you'd be right...they do.

You might suggest a plan on how I could manage the pick up of my home in a better manner, and you'd be right....I normally do.

Believe me that I judge myself harsher than anyone else possibly could.  But then I walked into the dark bedroom and saw my darlings sleeping without a care, knowing that they are loved and treasured. 

And here's what I remembered from Ecclesiastes 3...  "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...He has made everything beautiful in it's time.  There is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil-this is God's gift to man."

There is a time to clean, do chores, purge, scrub, and make perfect.  But there is also a time to relax and enjoy.

There is a time in my life where my house will not be pristine, orderly, and spotless.  But there will also be a time when it will be decluttered of toys, sticky fingerprints, leftover cups, and will appear vacuumed, dusted, and sorted.

While I am in this particular time, perhaps I can eat, drink, and take pleasure in my toil as a momma.  I can focus on this "gift" that God has given me.  I can focus on the "why" of the mess, that here are five children playing, learning to do good, loving, and living.  Perhaps kids' messes here and there are much more tolerable than my incessant reign of terror on them "knowing better."

May my kiddos remember the love of God and Mom, and may I remember this time is truly a gift.