Send the Rain

All day long I waited for it to rain.

It sure felt like it was going to.

There were even some dark storm clouds...

But nothing.

I've got a headache and I'm pretty sure it is the weather front, and think a good rain is just what we need.

But nothing.

The grass is starting to get dry and it felt sticky and hot to me... of course, that may have just been in my head because the storm clouds looked so inviting.

We need rain.

I'm reminded tonight of Living Water, and how refreshing it is.  And I'm wondering if maybe, our souls don't get as dry and brown when we don't drink in that water.

I'm pretty sure they do.

His Word is life, just like water is life-sustaining, and He has promised blessings.  Blessings to rain down.

Acts 14:17, "Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”

Satisfy my heart, Lord.  Send the rain.

My thoughts on the zoo

Ok, this is going to be a deep post, only not really, because it is July and summer break is winding down and it is hot outside and also because I trekked through a zoo in the heat, racking up plenty of miles and steps today. 

Which, I would like to point out, I will not get credit for on my Humana Vitality, because I forgot my fitbit at home.

(Thank you, Lauren. So now when you look back on your statistics, you'll see a number of 1,899 steps and think, "Geez, you were lazy that day.", when in reality it feels like you walked 18,999.)

(Although I'm pretty sure that is not really the number, because the most I've ever done is 16,000.)

(But I'd really like it to be that number.)

Ok... so now that we have clarified that I did in fact meet my 10,000 step goal for the day, I just want to leave you with one thought.


Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be in a zoo?

I mean, this guy does not look happy.

Although I'm pretty sure he looks like that in his natural habitat.

Now... don't get me wrong.  I have looked forward to the zoo every since we planned the trip. 

And I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Except for the occasional smell of animal dung...

But you have to take the bad with the good, right?

Caleb had never been to a zoo.  This, coupled with the fact that he informed me a couple of weeks ago that Friends was the worst television show ever, made me 99.99% positive that IF there was a worst mother ever award, I would bring home the trophy.

When we walked in, he actually said, "There are real bears here, Mom?" I think he was joking.  I'm claiming he was joking... but still.

I think he had a good time, and moments like these are priceless...

 

 I mean, the kid got to feed a live giraffe.  It was really kind of majestic.  If you squinted your eyes, you could imagine the giraffe loping across the African safari... to this huge platform, where kids were trying to be quiet and standing in line to feed the giraffe what looked like lettuce leaves.  Caleb started to pay his $5 and this little kid pretty much threw his money at the zookeeper, so Caleb let him go first.  Then, Caleb got his piece of whatever they were feeding the giraffe, and the giraffe stuck out his tongue. Caleb actually touched the thing's tongue . After much use of hand sanitizer, we went back on our way.

 

There's also the realization that you're missing SEC football when you look here and the first thought that goes through your head is (imagine the band playing...) Duh, duh, duh-du duh-du... gator bait!

 

 

And also, the joy of this..

 



Let loose from his stroller, Will gets to say "Hi" to the gorillas... and also to the little girl standing in the window with him.

Hello there, Mr. and Mrs. Gorilla... or whatever you are.

Caleb was not the only one fooled by the presence of live animals. I walked right by this baby, thinking it was a statue at first.

And lastly, this lovely animal, who is a relation to the Bengal Tiger, and according to Wallace is acting just like the Bengals do when they play football... flat on their back from the quarterback sack.

(It's in the very back of the picture, just next to the fence. Flat on its back.)

But what made me ask the question; as I was watching the animals, I just wonder what they think, with all these people looking at them all the time.  I mean, I like to people watch, and I'll admit that several times in my life I have felt like I was in a zoo, with everyone staring at me... but I wasn't really experiencing that.  I wasn't really the center of attention.

Maybe they enjoy it.  I'm pretty sure they get treated well and fed good.

And also they get to lie around and not have to worry about getting fed, which doesn't sound too bad to me.

Summer Reading- July

I don't know how to explain my love of reading.  It is an inherent part of me.  I just may be addicted.

Last month, I read 19 books... I had hoped to read a book a day, but then life got hectic with Relay and family reunions.

This month I'm aspiring for about the same. I'll list them as I read them at the bottom.

I'm reading some great books this July!

My favorite book of all time is Gone with the Wind, and I had savored picking it up all summer long.  I wrote a whole post on that one, so I'll not say anything more.

I'm reading Team of Rivals, about Abraham Lincoln and his Cabinet. It's kind of neat, because in both books the bombing of Fort Sumter just took place... but I've got two different viewpoints.

I'm also reading The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks.  I LOVE Nicholas Sparks, even if I do need a counseling session after reading one of his books. I can remember reading Message in a Bottle, the first book I ever read by him.  I was laying in the bathtub doing the ugly cry... you know the one.  Yet I picked up another one of his books... very rarely do I close them without shedding a tear.  This one is about a professional bull-rider.  I couldn't help of Breathitt County's own John Keith Collins, who is preparing to go to Nationals.  (Let me put in a plug here... he's a great guy and if you'd like to support his cause, message me on Facebook. What an awesome opportunity it's going to be for him!)

I started A Framework for Poverty by Ruby Payne.  This is a book that has been discussed at work a lot, and with all of the negative attention Breathitt County has received lately about being a hard place to live, I thought it was fitting for me to read it.  Poverty is reality here, and as an educator, and as a parent, it's my job to do what I can to raise awareness. The causes are many and are highly debatable, but the fact of the matter remains... these are people, often kids. 

I just started Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa Terkeurst. This is our next OBS study to start July 13th, and let's just say that I really, really need this study.  It's a quick read so far.

I'm reading Chasing Amanda and The Center of Everything, two fictional books that I've just began. One is about a woman who looks for missing kids.  I'm not sure what the other one is about, because I'm just on page 10.

I'm participating in Beth Moore's Siesta Summer Bible study, working through her Children of the Day, studying 1& 2 Thessalonians, and I am LOVING it.

Plans for the future?

One of the Facebook groups I belong to is planning on working through Beth Moore's The Patriarchs series, probably beginning in a couple of weeks.

The Midwife of Hope River.  Bridge to Haven. Wedding Dress. Across the Creek. 11/22/63. Water for Elephants. I've Got Your Number. Sycamore Row. Uncle Tom's Cabin. Grace in Thine Eyes.  The Storyteller.

Shew... lots of reading.  May the world never stop writing!!!!

Pursuing

I've just finished Jean Fleming's Pursue the Intentional Life, and it has me thinking.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

If I only had this one day, what would God want me to do?

If the average life span is 70, and I live to be average, how many days do I have left?  If you calculate the math, at the time that I read that portion of the book (about two weeks ago), I had 13,235 days... which seems like a lot, until you realize that I have lived around 13,000 days.  And also that I'm not promised tomorrow.

God knows... He has numbered my days.

Teach me, Lord, to number my days.

Teach me to be intentional...

As I enter into the 7th month of this year, over half of 2014 is gone. I'm reminded that time is fleeting. How true the words, "Life is but a vapor."

As I read Jean Fleming's Pursue the Intentional Life, these thoughts were heavy on my mind.

Quotes like: "It is never too soon to prepare for the rest of our lives."

The rest of my life will result in my next thing, and the thing after that.

The mundane coming together to become marvelous, because He does that.  Makes the marvelous out of the mundane.

So as I strive to carve out white space for Him in my everyday, focusing on what He is whispering to me (wishing at times that it was in big flashing neon lights), I'm resolving to focus on what I can do next.

What I should be doing today to pursue His will for my everyday. 

Living for the eternal, because that's what He wants.  Oh, yes, I long for Heaven, but I'm living today.  He wants my life to be abundant here... and then I will see true abundance in Heaven.

A life with no regrets, if that is possible.  And if I do regret something, no wallowing... moving on and moving forward, giving grace to myself.  Truly living- being in the moment, rather than thinking of what is next.  Sometimes, I waste my most precious memories because I'm thinking of what is coming next.

Loving others and loving myself and cultivating His Word, His Spirit, so that His fruit in me is obvious- so that others will know that I am His and He is mine without a shadow of a doubt.

Open my heart, Lord, to the story You have written for me before I was born. Open my eyes to see other people as you do, to view things from an eternal perspective, to view your gifts in their glorious splendor. Open my ears to hear Your Word.

Teach me, Lord, to number my days, and to live in each one fully, intentionally.

And keep doing Your good work.

You are faithful.

Amen.

Five Minute Fridays- Exhale

I hold my breath a lot, without even thinking about it.

It's in response to stress, I think.

Kind of like when you are watching a movie and the characters are running into the fire. You just know they are going to get burned. Or they come to the end of the roof, footsteps falling fast behind them, in pursuit, and they have no choice but to jump.

Edge of the seat suspense, and I'm sitting there holding my breath.

Or like just before you jump into the lake to go swimming.  You take a big deep breath, inhaling all the way into the deep recesses of your lungs, and jump.

As you plunge down, the water pushes you down deep. If you open your eyes, it's blurry and sometimes you don't know which way is up.  Your lungs feel like they are going to burst.

Or, with Caleb, jumping in the pool and swimming across.  "See how long I can hold my breath, Mama."

So I count, as the bubbles rise to the surface and he kicks across the pool.

And then he pops up, gasping for breath.

The lake water holds you down until you fight back up into the glorious sunshine, and your mouth opens.

The heroine lands on the ground on both feet, not even a scratch, and keeps running, victorious again. 

They make it through the fire and come through the smoke, mouth open.

And I exhale.

Breathe out.

Empty my lungs for new air to come in.

Free of the stress... free of the toxins.

Exhale, knowing that He holds my very next breath.

Linking up with five minute Fridays, where we are given a one word prompt and write for five minutes, unedited. This week, exhale.

Once Upon a Time

So, this summer I've discovered the genius that is Netflix.

During the school year, we use DVR a lot, but I've never really watched a lot of TV.

Let's admit, TV went downhill once Friends and ER stopped, and Thursday nights (and every other night) were never the same.

I may be just a little bitter.

However, I've seen my friends on FB rage about Once Upon a Time, and it intrigued me.

Today I'm finishing Season 1, and I must say I love it.

And because I'm using Kami's account, I was also informed that I have to watch Friday Night Lights, so I'm watching it, too, which is no surprise because let's face it, football is life, and Coach Taylor is a really likeable guy.

But back to Once Upon a Time.  If you're not familiar with the sitcom, (is it still called a sitcom?  The show? The fantasy?  Whatever term you use...), it's about fairy tales.

Now, if you are like me, you're thinking... fairy tales? Really? Yes. 

Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood and the Mad Hatter and Rumplestiltskin and magic and poisonous apples and fairies.

Basically, they've all been banished to our world, which is as far from a fairy tale as you can get.

A little boy has a storybook and all of the characters are trapped in a world without magic, but no one really knows who they are. It's really quite interesting. 

So, I'm finishing season one and will watch season two and season three, which I purchased on Amazon because it wasn't available on Netflix, and let's face it, magic has a price and I'm hooked.  (And Captain Hook hasn't even shown up, but Caleb tells me he will).

When season 4 starts back up, the characters from Frozen will enter and I will be enchanted, I'm sure.

So there's what I'm doing this summer.  I'd love to hear about any interesting shows you're watching.

An Ode to the Walkman

So, nothing makes you feel as old as hearing that a product that defines your childhood is 35 years old, and basically obsolete. 

My hearing is damaged right now as I type because of Sony's invention of the Walkman. 

I don't remember when I got my first Walkman, but I'm pretty sure it was early on, because I can't remember not listening to music.  I'm going to guess it was in 4th grade or so.

So while I'm not sure what the first tape that I played in my Walkman was, I'm pretty sure it was probably Debbie Gibson's Out of the Blue, Tiffany, or Michael Jackson's Bad.  I do remember that my first purchase of a cassette tape was Lionel Ritchie's Dancing on the Ceiling. I also liked Phil Collins and Genesis, Journey, REO Speedwagon, and Air Supply.

I can remember taking it on a field trip to Richmond in 4th or 5th grade.

And also listening to lots of mix tapes. 

For those of you, who, like Caleb, do not remember a time when your IPhone didn't automatically connect to the radio in your car and started playing your playlist (because, there was not an IPhone.  Or a cell phone, for that matter.  I didn't even have a cordless phone at that time.  And I'm pretty sure that blue tooth was something that happened when you drank a blue Icee from the Dime Store... see what I did there? And don't get me started on Icees from the Dime store...)

So, a mix tape was when you listened to the actual radio (gasp!) and recorded whatever songs you liked.

I had quite a few of those.

I also had a pen pal from France who sent me some tapes of popular American music--- but it was recorded in French! That was probably around 7th grade, and by that time I'm pretty sure I had a discman, but I still relied on the Walkman.

About the same time that I most likely got my first Walkman, Billy came to live with us and introduced me to house music, so I also had several tapes that played techno music for 2 hours straight with no breaks and occasional rapping. I loved that stuff.

Then there were the big hair bands- Warrant, Poison,  Motley Crue, with a little Metallica and a lot of Bon Jovi thrown in.

I loved that Walkman.  It accompanied me on many bike rides down Highland Road.

Best of all, it made me appreciate all the more the ability to listen to music that only I wanted to listen to... except I had to sing out loud.  Loudly.  Obnoxiously, sometimes.

Somethings never change, because Caleb is doing the same thing with his IPhone and earbuds.

Thank you, Sony... Apple may have changed music for my son's generation, but you impacted mine greatly.

And because I want you, my audience, to completely appreciate the experience... a few videos for your listening pleasure. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IivGqwQvdCI (Debbie Gibson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsUXAEzaC3Q (Michael Jackson- Bad)